Two can play at this game.
Lola’s expression changed dramatically.
Her confident smile crumbled, turning into a wounded expression. Her hand flew to her chest as if his words had inflicted actual physical damage.
"How cruel!" she gasped, her voice taking on a note of genuine hurt.
"I thought we had developed a special connection after that hot night we had together."
You mean that damn fireball when we were attacked! How does she even think of that? Luckily, there isn’t anybody in the store. Otherwise, my reputation would have been tarnished.
Noah remained unmoved by her display of emotions, though he couldn’t entirely suppress his amusement at her commitment to the performance.
"We have a customer-merchant relationship," he replied diplomatically.
But Lola’s attention suddenly moved as her gaze swept across his shop’s interior. Her eyes landed on the twin cultivation plants, and her entire demeanour changed from playful seduction to genuine interest.
"Two Demonica Moonburghs?" The words escaped as barely a whisper.
"How did you acquire a second specimen? Even Vex doesn’t have two of them...They are so hard to find and cultivate."
Mysterious shopkeeper time. Keep her guessing.
"Trade secrets," Noah replied with vagueness, stroking Star’s glowing leaves slowly.
Lola approached the plants. Her fingers hovered inches from their luminescent foliage, not quite daring to make contact.
"These aren’t just rare," she murmured.
"Wait...how are they giving out so much mana?"
Her ruby eyes widened as she sensed the energy flowing around both plants. The density of magic was clearly visible to someone with her level of expertise.
Nobody knows that feeding them pure mana drinks amplifies their effects exponentially.
"Enhanced care," Noah replied smoothly.
"Quality nutrition produces quality results."
Lola’s gaze snapped back to his face.
"You fed them your iced tea, didn’t you?"
"That would be expensive," Noah deflected.
"And effective." Her smile returned.
"Most people don’t understand that Demonica Moonburghs respond to mana-rich liquids. They assume the plants are decorative."
She knows more than she’s letting on. Of course she does.
"What else do you know about them?" Noah asked, genuinely curious about information that might help optimise his cultivation setup.
Lola’s tail swished with the satisfaction of someone who’d found leverage in an unexpected conversation.
"Enough to recognise that you’re sitting on a fortune in cultivation enhancement. Two properly fed Demonica Moonburghs could accelerate magical development by a decent amount."
"Although that’s only in the beginning stages, it will probably help you until the middle stages of the Novice rank. After that, the effects die down."
"Hypothetically, someone with your foundation could break through to the Novice rank within hours instead of days."
"Hypothetically, of course."
"Speaking of which," Noah gestured toward his inventory, "are you here to buy something, or just to admire my interior decorating?"
Lola’s laugh carried genuine amusement.
"Both, actually. I need supplies for an upcoming expedition. Something dangerous enough to require the best enhancement available."
"The usual?" Noah asked.
"Double order," she replied, already reaching for her coin pouch.
"Sorry. Only one product per person. I can’t give you double."
Rules exist for a reason. Start making exceptions, and everyone expects special treatment.
He couldn’t break the shop’s rule, even if it was Lola...unless it was worth it.
"Come on," she smiled seductively, walking towards him.
Lola began circling him like a predator evaluating her prey, her movements carrying the hypnotic quality that made rational thought significantly more challenging.
Her breath crawled against his skin as she moved closer, each exhale carrying warmth that seemed to bypass his nervous system entirely.
Despite the temptation that made his pulse quicken, Noah held firm to his established pricing structure.
Seeing that her usual tactics weren’t producing the desired capitulation, Lola sighed with disappointment.
"I will help you break through to novice rank," she offered, her tone shifting from seductive to businesslike.
"But I want a double order. And don’t worry, nobody has to know."
Breakthrough assistance. That’s... actually valuable. Level 5 Mana Control has been frustratingly difficult.
Noah considered the proposition for several moments, weighing immediate policy violation against long-term developmental advantages.
The twin Demonica Moonburghs will accelerate his progress significantly, but Lola’s guidance could provide the final push he needed.
"Alright," he decided finally. "But first, you need to help me. Then I can process your order."
Lola’s smile carried triumph mixed with genuine anticipation.
"Fair enough. Let’s see what we’re working with."
She gestured toward the space around Moon and Star, where the enhanced mana density created optimal cultivation conditions. "Sit there. The plants will amplify whatever breakthrough occurs."
Noah settled into his meditation position, feeling the familiar flow of energy that surrounded both cultivation plants.
"Show me your current technique again,"
Noah nodded before he began his usual breathing exercises, feeling for the mana that flowed through channels he could sense but not yet manipulate.
The energy responded to his attention, swirling closer to consciousness without quite crossing the threshold into actual control.
Still stuck at the same barrier. Level 4 feels like looking at treasure through glass.
"Stop," Lola interrupted after several minutes of observation.
"You’re still trying to grasp mana like a physical object. That’s your fundamental mistake."
She moved behind him, her hands hovering near his shoulders without quite making contact. "Feel my mana flow. Don’t try to copy it...just observe how it moves."
Power radiated from her body, washing over Noah in waves beyond anything he’d experienced before.
Her mana didn’t fight against the mana in the air; it flowed with them, becoming part of the ambient energy rather than trying to dominate it.
Integration instead of domination. Just like she taught me before.
"Now," Lola’s voice dropped to barely a whisper.
"Imagine your consciousness expanding to include the space around you. Don’t reach for mana, become the space where mana exists."
Noah adjusted his approach, changing from active grasping toward passive expansion.
Instead of trying to capture flowing energy, he allowed his awareness to grow until it encompassed the area between both plants.
Different. This feels completely different.