Chapter 16 The Black Gold Merchant

Any self-contained place has its own commercial system, and the demon realm is no exception. The Kulisgain Merchant Guild is a specialized organization that serves the demon race, catering to everyone from the royal family to ordinary demons. In fact, Zane is well aware that this guild has a significant influence and contribution during the Demon Lord ceremony.

Let's not forget that the demon realm is a subspace within the demonic world, while the Shadowy Territories exist in the main material plane. If one wants to purchase demon-specific products without the hassle of opening a dimensional gate, they have to rely on this guild, right?

In fact, many times, the equipment of monsters in the Demon Lord's dungeon and even the monsters themselves are purchased and hired through the Kulisgain Merchant Guild from the demon realm.

As the son of the Demon Lord, Zane is naturally one of their customers. However, Zane rarely deals with the Kulisgain Merchant Guild because they are excessively greedy.

There's a rumor in the demon realm that when you get intimate with a woman from the Kulisgain Merchant Guild, she keeps track of your movements and passionately screams... It costs fifty gold coins to enter, and another fifty gold coins to leave... If you finish inside, it's an additional five hundred gold coins, but there are discounts depending on the location...

Although this rumor is exaggerated, it still reveals the characteristics of this guild.

When Zane was in the demon realm, he rarely interacted with them. Despite being the heir of the Demon Lord, he was not favored and had limited disposable wealth. Naturally, he couldn't spend money recklessly. Moreover, despite the extravagant claims of the Kulisgain Merchant Guild, Zane had read "Capital" in his previous life. Could they really deceive him with those tricks?

So, in Zane's eyes, the Kulisgain Merchant Guild was essentially a waste of time. Even if he made rare purchases, he would negotiate the price down to a point where there was no profit to be made.

But what Zane didn't expect was that this would lead to trouble - namely, Clarice.

She is the president of a branch of the Kulisgain Merchant Guild and a member of the Kulisgain family, a high-ranking demon. Due to the guild's repeated failure to make any profit from Zane, Clarice became very curious about him. She often approached him under the guise of "selling goods," attempting to completely win over this "tight-fisted" person. This annoyed Zane to no end. Imagine a girl knocking on your door every day like a pyramid scheme and asking, "Do you know about Amway?"

Who could tolerate that?

Originally, after being thrown into the Shadowy Territories at the beginning of the Demon Lord inheritance ceremony, Zane thought that his entanglement with Clarice would come to an end.

But now, it seems she has even come here to sell him something?

Will this ever end?

"I am a merchant, so of course I am here for a trade."

Facing Zane's response, Clarice maintained her enthusiastic smile. Having spent over a decade trying to sell him things, she had long grown accustomed to his indifference and didn't take it to heart.

"I told you, I don't have any money."

Upon hearing this, Zane spread his hands and stared at Clarice before him.

"As you can see, my dungeon is so poor and small, I can't afford to buy anything, even if you give me a discount. I believe I've told you before, time is money, Miss Clarice. You'd better find other potential customers."

"Prince Zane's words are wise indeed. 'Time is money' is a phrase that our Kulisgain Merchant Guild holds dear and has adopted as our motto, constantly reminding all our employees of the principles we uphold."

Your principles are just to sell anything for money, right?

Silently mocking them in his heart, Zane didn't say anything on the surface. He knew that Clarice loved to play along with whatever he said, and if he spoke up, he might fall into her trap. So, he remained still, observing what this person wanted to do.

However, Clarice seemed unfazed. She stood there, wearing her business-like smile, and began speaking.

"I'm not here today to sell anything to Prince Zane. Instead, your two sisters have sent me to deliver a message... Oh, by the way, Miss Enoya, I have the latest model of B-cup self-growing bras from the demon realm. They're only 998 gold coins now, even immortal creatures with flat chests for thousands of years can have a proud figure. And if you buy now, you'll get a free pad as a bonus..."

"Get to the point."

Glancing at Enoya, who was already clenching her fists, Zane quickly interrupted Clarice's speech. If this person didn't shut up soon, Enoya would probably just punch her. Are you here to do business or to cause trouble for me?

"Very well, Your Highness."

Clarice narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, then turned her gaze towards Enoya. However, the loyal and devoted lieutenant said nothing and simply stood by Zane's side with her usual smile, as if she hadn't heard anything Clarice was saying. Seeing this, Clarice shrugged her shoulders and then, like a magician performing a magic trick, extended her gloved right hand. After a firm grip and extension, a black object, resembling a pebble, appeared in the previously empty center of her palm.

A voice stone?

Raising an eyebrow at the sight of the stone, Zane realized it was a highly secretive means of communication among demons. Advanced demons would solidify their desired words into an entity for easy transmission. It would only emit sound in front of the designated person, otherwise, anyone holding it would just have an ordinary stone.

Clarice placed the voice stone on the desk and stood beside it with a smile. Zane had no intention of letting her leave, so he reached out and pressed his hand on the black pebble before him. Soon, the dark stone began to tremble, followed by a lively and clear voice, akin to a whirlwind, resonating.

Translation into English:

"I am a merchant, so of course I am here for a trade."

In response to Zane's answer, Clarice maintained a very enthusiastic smile—after more than ten years of trying to sell him things, she had long grown accustomed to his indifference and naturally didn't mind.

"I've already told you, I don't have much money."

Hearing this, Zane spread his hands and stared at Clarice in front of him.

"As you can see, my dungeon is so poor and small, I can't afford to buy anything. Even if you offer a discount, I still can't afford it. I remember telling you before, time is money, Miss Clarice. You should go find other potential customers."

"Prince Zane's words are excellent. 'Time is money' is a phrase that our Kulisgain Merchant Guild always keeps in mind and has adopted as our motto, constantly reminding all employees of the principles we adhere to."

Isn't your principle to sell anything for money?

Silently mocking them in his heart, Zane didn't say anything on the surface. He knew that Clarice liked to play along with whatever he said, and if he spoke, she might trap him. So, he remained still, observing what this person wanted to do.

But Clarice seemed unaffected. She stood there, wearing her business smile, and began speaking.

"I'm here today not to sell anything to Prince Zane. Instead, your two sisters sent me to deliver a message... Oh, by the way, Miss Enoya, I have the latest model of B-cup self-growing bras from the demon realm. They're only 998 gold coins now, even immortal creatures with perennially small breasts can have a proud figure. And if you buy now, you'll receive a free pad as a bonus..."

"Get to the point."

Glancing at Enoya, who was already clenching her fists, Zane quickly interrupted Clarice's speech. If this person didn't stop talking soon, Enoya would probably just punch her. Are you here to do business or to cause trouble for me?

"Very well, Your Highness."

Clarice narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips, then turned her gaze towards Enoya. However, the loyal and devoted lieutenant said nothing and simply stood by Zane's side with her usual smile, as if she hadn't heard anything Clarice was saying. Seeing this, Clarice shrugged her shoulders and then, like a magician performing a magic trick, extended her gloved right hand. After a firm grip and extension, a black object, resembling a pebble, appeared in the previously empty center of her palm.

A voice stone?

Raising an eyebrow at the sight of the stone, Zane realized it was a highly secretive means of communication among demons. Advanced demons would solidify their desired words into an entity for easy transmission. It would only emit sound in front of the designated person; otherwise, anyone holding it would just have an ordinary stone.

Clarice placed the voice stone on the desk and stood beside it with a smile. Zane had no intention of letting her leave, so he reached out and pressed his hand on the black pebble before him. Soon, the dark stone began to tremble, followed by a lively and clear voice, akin to a whirlwind, resonating.

"Oh, big brother? Are you still alive? It's Vivian here. If you hear Vivian's voice, it means you're still alive, right? How are you doing? Is everything going well? By the way, how's your dungeon? If it's not going well, you can come to Vivian's place. Vivian is getting tired of smashing those goblin heads every day. I heard that the reactions of those human pigs on the surface world would be interesting. Vivian can't wait to go and deal with them. Hearing them scream and run away would be more entertaining than dealing with underground reptiles. Just like that story you told me before about... the Dragon Knight? Is that thing really exist in this world? Vivian is really curious! Well, enough chitchat. If you can't make it, come to Vivian. With Vivian by your side, those useless big brother, second sister, and fifth sister won't bother you!"

After saying these words, the black pebble in front of them shattered with a "crack" sound. At this moment, Clarice stepped forward again and, like a magician, produced a translucent blue crystal out of thin air, placing it on the table. Soon, another gentle and ethereal voice, akin to flowing water, resurfaced, dissipating the previous echoes.

"Ah... dear elder brother, it's been a long time. I am Nabelius. I hope you are in good health. Is the construction of the dungeon going smoothly? Everything is fine on my end, so please rest assured. The construction of the dungeon is progressing systematically, and the cleaning of the underground tribes has been easy without encountering any danger. Although I have tried to communicate with those adorable creatures as much as possible, the results have been limited. It's a bit regrettable, but I had no choice but to eliminate them all. I wonder how the humans on the surface are doing? I hope they are a bit more cooperative. I still like obedient and cute creatures. By the way, my dungeon is located in the Nonreturn Canyon. If you have time, please come and have a cup of tea. I still enjoy the stories you told me about humans."

With the disappearance of Nabelius' voice, the study returned to tranquility. After a moment, Clarice once again broke the silence.

"Princess Vivian and Princess Nabelius are both excellent children. They are highly anticipated and admired in this ceremony. I believe they will be able to establish themselves on the surface and make the surface dwellers and divine envoys feel the might of the demon race once again."

"I also think so."

Zane calmly withdrew his hand and pushed up his glasses. Clarice didn't pay any attention to it and continued speaking with a smile.

"In fact, before I came here, the two princesses entrusted me. They said that if they saw you in a pitiful state, they wanted me to knock you out and bring you to them. Oh dear, to be honest, I was a bit hesitant before coming, thinking about which side I should favor if things really turned out that way."

"If you don't want to die so soon, it's better to stay away from them."

"Please rest assured, Prince Zane. The Kulisgain Merchant Guild always prioritizes the customer. We always put the customer's needs first and avoid causing them any discomfort."

"Your mere existence already annoys me. Since the matter is done now, you may leave."

"Previously, the two princesses instructed me to report on your current situation. Seeing you in such good spirits, I am relieved..."

As Clarice spoke, she once again bowed and gradually retreated. However, soon after, she seemed to remember something and raised her head.

"...If possible, I wonder if you could sell us the dark elves and dwarves? You know, in the demon realm, both female dwarves and mixed-blood dark elves are in high demand. I can guarantee that we can sell them for a good price, and we can split the profit fifty-fifty..."

"In my life, I only like women, money, and power. You wouldn't want to take away these little hobbies of mine, would you?"

Hearing Clarice's words, Zane snorted coldly. How could he not know what this person was thinking? It was clear that Clarice knew everything about his dungeon, and as long as Vivian and Nabelius offered her enough compensation, she would sell out everything. And Zane was certain that they would pay that money.

"Of course not. It's just a small suggestion."

Upon hearing Zane's response, Clarice once again smiled, and then she took out a small talisman and placed it on the desk.

"But now the situation is different, and I repeat, Prince Zane, the Kulisgain Merchant Guild has always been the strongest support for the royal family. Especially in the current circumstances, if you need it, we can provide you with ten maids as helpers for your dungeon at the lowest price. I can guarantee that they are young, beautiful, untouched virgins with exquisite skills. They will be able to assist you in the construction and maintenance of your dungeon, day and night, and will be your most capable partners and assistants. Now, all you need is 33,333 gold coins, and you will have the rights to use these ten beautiful maids for three hundred years. Don't miss this opportunity, it won't come again. If you're interested... you know how to reach me."

The shadows started to distort once again, and in the next moment, ethereal black flames rose from the ground, enveloping Clarice within. In just a moment, the girl disappeared completely without a trace.

It was only at this moment that Zane snorted coldly and leaned back in his chair.

"This woman is really persistent. I can't believe she's still after me even when I've hidden here..."

"I think it's more than that..."

Hearing Zane's complaint, Enoya muttered to herself, then paused and looked at the talisman on the table.

"Master, don't you want to consider Miss Clarice's suggestion?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Zane furrowed his brow and remained silent for a moment before sighing softly.

"Let me think about it..."

Then, he spoke again.

"After all, having ten in one night would be a challenge for me."