Monster Girl Menagerie - Celestial Archive-Chapter 36 - 35 - Kingdom’s Top 200

With a pep to my step and clicking of the coins, I marched down the street in search of my two companions. Though the rush of the crowd would've served to hamper my search, the incongruity of my summons from the general masses meant the duo were given a wide berth wherever necessary. And thus I found the vampire and the dwarf standing before a clothing stall, trying out different hats.

"Fancy anything?" Tania gave a startled yelp at my whisper and turned to regard me with a bashful expression. I saw a short-sleeved tunic clenched within her hands.

"Um, we were just checking things out." She said, pointing at the pile of clothes exuding rich tincture variety.

"Take whatever you like; after all, we can't have you sauntering in armor all day long." I said before turning to regard Amara as well. The quirky vampire had removed her cowl, giving free rein to her silver locks. Her enchanting looks attracted veritable attention from the audience, ranging from bashfulness to utter distaste.

As I observed her wearing a top hat adorned with a decorative white flower, my eyes shone with interest. Amara tactfully removed the hat and spoke to the stall owner, "I will take this and the outfit."

The outfit in question was already packed within a thin paper covering, so I had missed out on her choice. The owner nodded and accepted the hat before packing it with the bundle.

The clothes I wore were remarkably clean for an outfit this worn out, courtesy of Tania's Flames. While the previous me might've found the ensemble acceptable, the current me, with the pride of a dragon, regarded the clothes with a touch of scorn.

Though most of these feelings were a result of my own pride, having Amara's company actually birthed a desire to at least match the standards of an existence as powerful as she was. I swept my gaze across the stand in search of an acceptable yet sterling outfit.

"Ahem." Amara mimed a cough as she pretended to drop a bundle of clothes. Coincidentally, the scattered pile of clothes supported a number of outfits that I found both aesthetically pleasing yet lacking that sublime quality usually found in nobles.

I restrained a laugh from bubbling up my throat and quickly organized an outfit. Tania had already made her choice—a short-sleeved black tunic and beige brown trousers. I noticed her regard a leather vestment with a doubtful look.

"If you like it, take it." I said, breaking her attention. "And even if you don't like it, just buy it for now and decide later."

She nodded and proffered it to be packed as well. With our choices made, I offered the vendor an inquiring look, and he made a calculating gesture before answering, "That will be 3 Gold and 1 Silver."

After paying for our garments, we decided to take a detour to the Guild.

"Hmm." I noticed Tania observing the crowd streaming past, her brows pressing into a frown every now and then.

"What's caught your interest?" I probed.

"It's just...," Tania said, "There are so many people here, but I don't see any dwarfs or vampires, or other races for that matter. Is it a common sight in the Kingdom, or is this city an exception?"

"Ah well," I briefly considered my words before replying. "The Kingdom isn't big on racial equality. Humans in general hold the majority of the authority. While vampires play a critical role in The Empire, dwarfs and other races either remain in hiding or are regarded as a menace to humanity at large."

The only reason why Tania hadn't garnered much attention was mostly because, aside from their short stature, dwarfs looked distinctly similar to humans. And my summon was quite tall for someone of Dwarven race. Most probably assumed she was just a midget.

Amara adopted a silent attitude during our short traipse, so it came as a surprise when we found the crimson-eyed vampire halt before a vendor. Tania and I exchanged a quick glance before following behind.

The stall was bare except for a narrow table on which were arranged a number of booklets in short stacks. The title on their cover attracted my attention.

Top 200 of the Kingdom.

I quirked a brow in interest and selected one at random.

"This is authentic?" I asked.

"As real as the beauty of these ladies beside you." The hawk-nosed man answered.

I gave the man an intense look, my dragon-enhanced smell working alongside Blood Monarch to provide a concise profile on the man's strength. And just as I had suspected, he turned out to be at E-Rank only. Judging by his facial expressions and the steadiness of his vital pulse, he didn't seem to be lying.

"Why's there no info on the top three?" During my probing look, Amara had already leafed through the first few pages. Hearing her question, I flipped open the booklet in my hand, and sure enough, the first page looked as blank as an unpainted canvas.

The man offered a casual shrug, utterly ignoring the glare of the vampire. "Top 3, they ain't no grub in the garden that anyone can find, miss. Even the guy who created that knows nothing about 'em."

I noticed a single line in the footnote of the first page. The author had mentioned that one of the top 3 might be related to the Hunters Guild. That made me raise a brow in surprise, even more so at the fact that the information made sense on a certain level.

I skimmed through the first few pages and found sparse info on the next 30 rankings; a few even lacked a proper name and were being referred to by their titles.

"Alright, we will take one—how much?" I closed the booklet and regarded the vendor.

"5 Gold." He answered.

I blinked. "5 Gold?" He nodded. "For a bunch of printed papers?" He nodded.

A soft chuckle escaped my lips as I bobbed my head. "I see, I see, that was a good joke."

"Ain't no joke, boy. You either pay and buy, or you don't."

I glanced between the booklet and the man in wonderment, unable to understand what made him so confident that he could rip us off.

"It's not even complete." Tania chimed in from the side. "Names and descriptions are missing. I mean, what the heck is 'throws rocks' supposed to mean?"

"It is what it is, missy."

"Very well," I finally spoke and placed the booklet back atop the stand. "Guess we'll have to find another trader. Let's go."

We turned to leave, though I kept my senses locked onto the man and noted a spike in his blood circulation.

"Wait a sec." The man called from behind, offering a nervous look. "Why the hurry, good sir? Prices can be negotiated, surely."

Sensing the stark change in his tone, I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you said—'It is what it is,' didn't you?"

The vendor laughed and waved his hands in a dismissive manner. "Pay no need to little squabbling; I'm willing to cut the price in half—2 Gold and 5 Silver."

"Cut the gold part, then we will talk." I suggested, with a smirk adorning my face.

"That's..." A conflicting look washed over his features as he shifted his glances between the three of us. "2 Gold, can't go down further!"

I shrugged. "Maybe I will just have to take my offer elsewhere."

"Come on, man," the vendor insisted—not boy, I noted. "Look, I saw you fish out money easily; what's a little more?"

Oh? I quirked a brow at the realization. The reason he had been pushing so hard must be because he thought I was some rich, spoiled kid. Amara and Tania's companionship only served to cement the image.

"One Gold, that's it." I placed my final offer and watched as the man's expression crossed a full spectrum before he gave a resigned sigh and nodded.

I pocketed the booklet and turned to leave.

"We're going to guild now." I said, drawing a confirmation from Tania and a lull from Amara. "But first, we're going to find a place to get changed."

It was a small measure of relief that no one foolish enough had deemed us an easy prey and stalked us. Maybe it was Amara's presence or the air of authority she radiated, but I was grateful to have avoided unnecessary trouble.

Due to the relative solitude of the marketplace and the lack of human presence, we managed to scout a small hovel near the slum district. The place in question was just as empty as the rest of the market, though something told me it wasn't a voluntary evacuation.

Poor people would rather die than be forced to abandon their homes, but sometimes the choice didn't rest with them.

I opted to get changed first, discarding the scraps of leather armor and then disrobing myself. I threw the rag of an ensemble into the corner and fished out my white shirt and black pants. Normally hunters would avoid anything white, fearing the blood splotches. I was no different; however, since Amara had been the one to suggest the outfit, I would have to be a fool to refuse.

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Not to mention the white did suit me well, which made me wonder of the reason behind her choice.

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