As I entered, a small space appeared.
I had imagined a dark and gloomy atmosphere for a Dark Guild Merchant, but it was surprisingly ordinary.
“Welcome, how can I assist you?”
A woman with lavender-colored hair asked me.
Dark Guild Merchant of the Brillanta Branch
I glanced above her head and saw a somewhat lackadaisical name.
[1. Buy and sell itemsPerform Dark Guild daily quests
Exchange 10 old hornpipes]
“I came to buy something.”
[ selected.]“Oh, you came to shop! Here are some good items we’ve just brought in.”
[You can buy special items not available through regular channels. Most are illegal, so possession alone can be problematic. Be careful.]Along with a friendly caution, Lavender showed me items laid out on the counter.
Item
A miraculous translator that reads the inner thoughts of others. Can only be used on those of a lower level than the user.
Item
A dubious religious scripture. Reading passages from it reduces the faith of everyone in the vicinity.
Item
A ring commonly used by Ajester men for proposals. Increases the success rate of a confession by 500%.
Item
A fan made from the tail feathers of a Peacock Wind bird. It can create strong winds and, in extreme cases, even a typhoon.
‘These are bizarre items…’
Not only were their effects suspicious, but the prices were astronomically high.
However, I was a princess with nothing but money. Since I came all this way, I bought items out of courtesy.
“Give me everything from here to there. I can’t carry it all, so please arrange carriage delivery to the Third Princess’s Palace.”
Lavender gasped in surprise at my request.
“All of it, you mean?”
“Yes.”
“……!”
As I nodded, Lavender’s eyes sparkled.
“My goodness, we finally have a VIP customer in our branch!”
She rang a golden bell on the table.
Ding-ding.
With the clear sound of the bell, men in black clothes emerged from their hiding spots.
“Brillanta’s first VIP customer! Serve with utmost dedication!”
“Yes, Branch Leader!”
Following Lavender’s command, the Dark Guild members moved swiftly.
Swish!
Whoosh!
In an instant, they escorted me to a secret room within the Dark Guild Merchant.
“Hehe. You’ve saved the Brillanta branch, which was on the verge of closure due to poor performance.”
Lavender lamented how Brillanta, the largest city in the largest country on the continent, was facing closure due to a lack of adventurers.
Apparently, those who ventured into such secretive places to buy good items were mostly adventurers.
“Please sign here, customer.”
As I sat on a plush sofa sipping a drink they offered, Lavender discreetly handed me the bill.
I glanced at the total amount at the top and smoothly signed it.
[SYSTEM] You have spent over 100,000,000G and become a VIP of the Dark Guild! [SYSTEM] You have acquired the item . [SYSTEM] You can now commission tasks to the Dark Guild! (Required Level: 50)“The VIP Membership Card can be used in all branches across the continent. With this, you can commission tasks to the Dark Guild. It does require a fee, though.”
Lavender handed me a small black jewel with ‘VIP’ inscribed in tiny letters, explaining its use.
Since I had physicalized my inventory and handed it over to Anselot, I casually stuffed the jewel into my sleeve.
“If you need anything, just let us know.”
Lavender spoke with a beaming smile. I inquired with a sly tone.
“Can’t I buy a new hornpipe?”
“Oh, unfortunately, we haven’t received any in our branch yet.”
Lavender replied with genuine regret.
“I guess I can’t get a hornpipe here either.”
I swallowed my disappointment and browsed through the other menus.
[2. Perform Dark Guild daily quests]It seems one can undertake daily quests here.
A quick glance showed a system offering various tasks submitted to the Dark Guild in quest format.
Not particularly interested in quests, I skimmed through and moved to the next menu.
[3. Exchange 10 old hornpipes]As seen in the item description, this menu allowed for the exchange of old hornpipes.
Currently without my inventory, which I had lent to Anselot, and only possessing one hornpipe, there was no reward for me to claim…
“Wait a minute?”
Something in the menu caught my eye.
“This is…”
As I gazed blankly, Lavender explained.
“Oh, this is our branch’s reward ranking! When you exchange , we convert the number into points and display it on the ranking. It’s a kind of marketing strategy!”
[ Rewarder Ranking1st Place □□□□ □□□ 18000 Points
( 180 pieces)]
I knew overcame the limitations of a single-player RPG by creating various rankings and competitive elements among in-game characters.
So, the sudden appearance of a rewarder ranking window didn’t seem odd. But…
‘Someone exchanged this many old hornpipes?’
I blinked in disbelief.
The Villainous Demon Lord Laid an Egg for Her (Female-Dominated)
Several months after transmigrating into a book, Yu Wu found herself facing the demon lord Li You, who could no longer conceal his dragon horns. With one hand on her aching waist and the other gripping a sharp sword, she stared at him.
The demon lord’s eyes were red with fury:
“This is all your doing! Today, I won’t rest until I kill you!”
Yu Wu rubbed her temples. Putting aside the taboo against bloodshed during pregnancy, wasn’t it this very man who willingly walked into her trap that day?!
Warnings:
- Male pregnancy.
- Height ratios are set to mirror typical male-female height proportions.
- Characters include a foot-loving demon lord and an eldest daughter from an immortal family’s concubine lineage.
