"What the hell? Did no one from this wretched planet die?" Dante was speechless. Never in his wildest dreams, had he thought that he would be having a reunion right now, not even with his friends but his enemies.
"What happened to that high priestess? Didn't she kill you all? Why is she so stupid that she can't even handle the likes of you?"
Liam laughed. "The guy is saying hello." He patted Dante on the back not caring at all about how pissed he looked.
Rey was at first startled but he quickly understood what might have happened. "Wow. What a surprise meeting you here!" He smiled.
Seeing everything, Madan nodded in understanding. He too chimed in with a friendly hello. All the interactions only infuriate the guy even more. Dante clenched his fists and spat out. "Yes. Yes. Seeing me here is all one big coincidence. Can we go now or do you want to waste more time?"
Liam shrugged and gestured for them to proceed. "No need to be sour. Let's move on and get what we came for," he said, leading the way towards the system shop's exclusive sections.
Dante gave a stiff nod, leading them through the shop with a grimace. Two fairies escorted them, both beautiful females and both clinging very close to Dante, pressing their assets against him. When Dante did not return their greetings like he usually did, the two quietly distanced themselves away from him understanding the situation.
"I assume you want to start from the seventh floor? Your Grandmaster title should have given you access until the sixth floor." He mumbled.
To his surprise, Liam shook his head. "Let's start from the sixth floor."
Dante gnashed his teeth. Why was this bastard asking him to start from the sixth floor? Only when they entered, he understood the reason.
Liam pointed to the block of Drakeheart Ore in the display case. "Buy this for me."
Dante mumbled something under his breath but complied, signaling a fairy who quickly noted the request. Just as the fairy was about to leave to make the purchase, Liam reminded them that what he wanted was that exact chunk of ore and not something else.
Dante's face twitched. What the hell? Why was this bastard nitpicking ? Was he purposefully trying to make his life more difficult?
The fairy hesitated but Dante nodded at her. The woman then flitted off to the inside of the shop just like before, emerging after a couple of minutes.
However, this time she did not deny the request. Instead, with a pleasant smile she parceled the chunk and handed it to Liam right away.
Liam's lips tugged upwards. This day was beginning to pick up pace.
After that, the group headed up. Liam had a few more items on his mind but he knew that Dante's funds were not endless either and the upper floors should logically be more expensive and contain better stuff. It was better to save the purchases until after he finished taking a look at everything.
As the group tried to guess what the next floor was, they were shocked to see that the next one was something that resembled a food court.
Instead of the normal wares, the stalls on the floor offered a variety of exotic and aromatic foods, each more enticing than the last. The air was filled with the scents of spices and sweets, mingling together in a tantalizing dance.
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Interesting," he murmured, taking in the sights and smells around him.
Dante, still begrudgingly acting as their guide, explained with a hint of pride in his voice despite his earlier irritation. "This is the Gourmet Floor. It's where the finest chefs and bakers in Nymphomania present their culinary masterpieces. Some of the ingredients used here are as rare as the items sold on the lower floors."
"You would have never been allowed here if not for me."
Unfortunately, there was no one around to listen to the tail end of his rant. Rey, Madan, and even Lan Deming and Liam had wandered away to take a look at all the stalls.
It was already lunchtime and the group hadn't eaten anything so Liam gave the go signal to eat whatever they wanted without going overboard.
Dante watched indignantly as the group scattered among the stalls, sampling the diverse offerings of the Gourmet Floor. Rey was the first to dive in, choosing a dish that looked like it was made of the finest slab of meat they had ever seen. Madan selected a pastry that emitted a soft, golden glow. The thing melted in his mouth when he took a bite. Even Lan Deming, usually so reserved, couldn't resist the lure of a delicacy wrapped in leaves that smelled so aromatic when he placed it in his mouth.
Liam was also stuffing something in his mouth his eyes quickly scanning all the shops and the ingredients used.
As they ate, their expressions ranged from delighted surprise to blissful satisfaction, each bite revealing new layers of taste and craftsmanship. The fairies fluttered around them, offering suggestions and explaining the origins and effects of each dish.
Dante, left standing alone, couldn't help but feel a pang of envy at the scene. These were once his privileges, his pleasures to enjoy. Fuck. He had never dared to eat in this place! It was not fair that these beggars enjoyed his hard-earned money!
"Damn it. I am going to eat too!" He finally stomped towards one of the stalls when Liam exactly arrived next to him at the same time.
"No time. You can eat later. We still need to visit the other floors." Liam grinned.
Dante's face twitched. This bastard was torturing him on purpose. He watched the group walking to him with all of their mouths stuffed full and he raged inside. Bunch of useless weasels eating away his wealth.
As if Liam read his mind, he chuckled and reminded him. "I did you a favor by not inviting another person to eat. If she starts eating you will truly go broke!"
He did not bother explaining anything to him further as the group moved to the next floor, the eighth floor. This floor sold all sorts of offensive and defensive items.
These items were a grade higher than the ones they had seen before as all of them had some sort of runes inscribed onto them. When Liam asked around, he found that these runes made the effect bigger.
Liam recognized some of the offensive scrolls similar to the ones he had looted from the elves. He compared some and these were surprisingly not as good as the ones he had looted.
However, he did see a few rare items that he quickly snatched up.
Dante's frustration peaked as he watched Liam select items one after the other, his hard-earned money being used up by the second. His heart ached and he was internally crying tears of blood.
As they continued to move through the eighth floor, Liam's selections became more deliberate. He seemed particularly interested in a set of armor that was said to adapt to the wearer's fighting style, enhancing their natural strengths. After a brief negotiation, which Dante observed with a clenched jaw, Liam acquired the armor. But he did not buy just one. He bought ten sets of the same!
This bastard was gearing up the entire guild on his bank account! Wasn't this going a bit overboard?
Dante's expression was a mixture of disbelief and anger as he watched Liam make the large purchase. How much was the total even? His blood pressure was through the roof as he tried to mentally calculate. But halfway through he was forced to give up when Liam snapped in front of him, indicating that he was ready to go to the next floor.
Dante looked as if he had just cooked his leg and ate it. Liam, however, seemed unperturbed.
"Do you even realize how much you're spending? This is not a game, Liam. These resources took years to accumulate!"
Liam turned to him, his expression serious. "And you will be alive to do it all over again after I leave. Consider it as your donation for the planet you abandoned."
Dante's face turned a deeper shade of red. He clenched his fists, barely controlling the urge to lash out at Liam.
The fairies could also tell that something was wrong by now. Everyone silently climbed up to the next floor, the ninth floor.
Liam had expected something else but he was shocked to find out that this floor was wholly dedicated to items and not just any items. In front of him, neatly organized on many many shelves were items that emitted a soft elegant golden glow, something that only items of the Legendary Rank were capable of emitting.
Dante watched with dread as the group stood still, completely frozen, staring at the dozens of shelves with their mouths wide open. His mind was in turmoil, trying to calculate the potential cost of even a single item from this floor.