[342] Tragic

After a 'close encounter' with Lily, August left the shop.

Upon arriving at the tavern, everyone nodded in acknowledgment towards August. After all, he had become quite the celebrity in town.

Not only did he spend a massive amount of gold daily at the beast merchant's shop, but he also had a harem of monster girls at home. Plus, he had even subdued the Lord of the House of Demon three months ago.

Now, August was considered a mysterious figure in town, with countless people curious about his true identity.

"Master, did you come to see me?"

As soon as he stepped inside, Lachnela rushed over and enveloped August in a tight embrace, pressing him against her 'chest.'

The sight was enough to make all the men in the vicinity envious.

Lachnela had become the second belle of the tavern, and because of her, more and more people realized that the Alaknea tribe was not made up of monsters. Consequently, her social standing had improved significantly.

"Lachnela, let me go first."

"Alright, Master."

Lachnela released her grip, but she still clung to August, even though she had to lean down considerably since she was much taller than him.

"Lachnela, you're still at work; try to be a bit more reserved."

"What's the harm? Meidri, are you perhaps jealous of me?"

"Who's jealous of you? How ridiculous."

"Is that so? I wonder who it was the night before last~"

"Ah~! Just shut up already!"

Meidri, the winged girl, flitted over and covered Lachnela's mouth, her face flushed red.

Indeed, Meidri had been thoroughly taken by August.

Lachnela's arrival had instilled a sense of urgency in her. With more beautiful women surrounding August, Meidri found herself both wanting to act on her feelings yet feeling guilty for having already benefited from August's affections, leading her to reluctantly submit to him.

"August, I heard your shop has closed down?"

At that moment, a bearded dwarf nearby chuckled, the most renowned blacksmith in the area.

"Yeah, I finally collected enough. I've almost exhausted the inheritance my ancestors left me, so I decided to close up shop."

"To be honest, old man here really admires you. For nearly four months, you've been in so many cities, purchasing magical beasts at astronomical costs every day. To keep that up for so long, you must be quite wealthy."

"Well, it's just good fortune passed down from above."

"Hahaha! You old fool, it's not just good luck! If it were only luck, you would have gone bankrupt ages ago."

Looking at the dwarf with his hair turned grey but eyes still bright, August smiled, neither confirming nor denying.

This dwarf was one of the few wise people August had encountered in this world.

"By the way, where are Stunk and the others? I haven't seen them around. And where's Crimvael? Did they go out again?"

"Not exactly. About a week ago, Stunk, Zel, and Brooz visited a succubus shop and came back severely injured. It's been a week, and they still haven't recovered."

"They're still not back? What about Crimvael?"

"He went to bring them some food."

"What kind of shop did they go to?"

"A low-tier 'Silver Demon' shop. I heard they almost got wiped out by a few silver demons."

"Ugh~"

Upon hearing that, August suddenly remembered that plot point from some time ago. Had it really taken three months for the story to unfold to this point?

Watching it unfold had felt quick, one episode after another, but he hadn't expected that real life would take so long to catch up.

"By the way, do you want to see their evaluations?"

"They still had the energy to write this? And how do you have it?"

"Well, old men like me have our ways."

August looked at him with newfound respect; the old man truly had the heart of a young one.

He glanced at the evaluations in his hand and couldn't help but chuckle.

[Only had fun for the first half hour; the rest was pure torture (1 point) - Stunk]

[Like committing suicide; heaven and hell are just a line apart (0 points) - Zel]

[If the next sacrificial offering is late by 10 more minutes, I'll be dead (0 points) - Brooz]

Looking at the evaluations, August could easily picture the trio's misery.

These were three unfortunate souls who had been nearly drained dry; low-tier silver demons were no succubi—they were purely after silver. The fact that these three dared to venture into such a place showed just how brave they were.

"So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?"

The dwarf looked at August, knowing that his 'reputation' had spread.

However, in the next moment, two lethal glances locked onto him.

Raising his head, he saw Meidri and Lachnela standing nearby, both with faces full of murderous intent.

'That old man is trying to drag August to a succubus shop again. He's a goner this time!'

That was the shared thought of both Meidri and Lachnela. No woman would appreciate her man constantly going to a succubus shop.

"I-I was just joking! Just a joke!"

Cold sweat trickled down his back; he realized he was digging his own grave.

Both Meidri and Lachnela were not only well-known but also notorious.

Meidri had long since earned her reputation, while Lachnela had tied up several men who tried to mock or bully her and hung them at the entrance.

"Alright, you two~"

August quickly intervened. If anything happened to the old man, it would be a tragedy.

Upon hearing August's words, the two finally relented.

The dwarf wiped the sweat from his brow, filled with a newfound admiration for August.

What a model of manhood! Not only did he have numerous wives, but he also frequently visited succubus shops without his women causing a scene—at most, just a little jealousy. He truly was a winner in life.

"By the way, do you want to check on those three?"

"Hmm? No way! Let them all die."

Without hesitation, Meidri outright refused. She was grateful that August hadn't been around last time. Whether the outcome was good or bad, she couldn't bear to see August in such a place.

The thought of being swarmed by low-tier silver demons made her feel uneasy.

August sighed. To be honest, he had been quite preoccupied recently, knowing they were only a little away from reaching 10%. He had been running around everywhere, even personally hunting sea beasts.

Finally, today, he felt completely liberated.

___

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