Chapter 111 47. Binding Successful
After Fisher’s simple question, the atmosphere in the small storage room suddenly became awkward.
At that moment, the door from the basement behind opened, and Old Jack stepped out carrying two bags of garbage. He casually glanced at the situation in the storage room and, upon seeing Eil awake, his expression immediately turned unfriendly.
“You’re finally awake. I’m the owner of this tavern, and you haven’t paid yet. Pay up before you find a place to sleep. I don’t take in drunks, especially not a subhuman drunk.”
Fisher turned to look at the demon named Eil, thinking she might at least blush or explain herself. To his surprise, she pinched her chin, thought for a second, then seemingly gave up and lay back on the ground, staring indifferently at the ceiling as she said,
“Ah, so annoying. Sorry, I’ve used up all my money, so I’m out of cash. Just do whatever you want with me; I might as well not work. Sounds great.”
“You!”
Even Old Jack was left speechless by this demon’s extreme negativity. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Fisher pulled several Nali from his bag to help pay the tab for this subhuman’s drinks.
“Old Jack, let me cover her drink first; I’m actually quite interested in her.”
Old Jack glanced at Fisher, then at the unmoving subhuman on the ground who had no reaction to Fisher’s payment and was still staring at the ceiling, and reluctantly accepted the money.
He then pointed to the demon’s peculiar horns and tail on the ground, saying,
“This one looks too strange. It’s fine in Snakehead Street, but you have to be more careful bringing her to other places in Saint Nali.”
“I understand.”
“Alright, I’ll get back to work. Taking care of this one has really been a headache these past few days.”
As Old Jack rubbed his graying hair, he walked out of the storage room with the two bags of garbage. Thus, only Fisher and the lying Eil remained in the storage room, filled with the smell of alcohol and sulfur.
Turning back, Fisher saw the demon staring with interest at the earnest-looking human. She propped her head up with her hand, and her flame-tipped tail coiled around her sturdy abdomen, though the flame seemed illusory, showing no intent of burning her skin.
“Hey, you covered my drink tab. So, are you trying to get something from me? Looking closer, your human body is quite strong. Are you a half-blood between humans and another race? Let me guess—angel race? Doesn’t look like it. Dragon race? Hmm, there’s a bit of a vibe there. But your magical circuit is bulkier than other humans. How did you manage that?”
Eil’s body remained still as her flexible tail poked at Fisher’s body, jabbing here and there. The illusory flames at the tip carried no heat; instead, they swayed along with the movement of her tail.
Fisher didn’t respond but reached out to grab her mischievous tail. Its elasticity was remarkable, lacking fur, and felt somewhat like smooth rubber, with a clear substance inside that provided a decompressing sensation when touched.
The demon didn’t mind having her tail held; she remained motionless, and Fisher realized she had become so lazy she didn’t want to move at all, seemingly wishing to lay there until the end of time.
At that moment, Fisher reacted to a term Eil had mentioned earlier: “angel race.” He had never heard of it before.
“What is the angel race? Is it a subhuman race?”
He inquired, looking at Eil with some confusion. She pouted; since her tail couldn’t move, she raised a finger and gestured, though it was unclear if she was mimicking a chicken or a winged person. She said,
“Ah, probably bird-like beings with wings and a halo. Those guys really hate you humans. After the war, I don’t know where they disappeared to while I was sleeping.”
Eil, still half-asleep, let slip a lot of secrets before asking Fisher,
“Come on, you paid for my drinks, so what do you want from me? If you don’t say anything, I’ll just go to sleep. So tired.”
She suddenly yawned widely, and through her little tongue, Fisher glimpsed the molten-like insides of her mouth, where her stomach seemed like a layer of bubbling magma that continually emitted a nauseating sulfurous odor.
“I’m a scholar researching subhumans and I’m very interested in you. The drink tab earlier is my invitation. As a return, may I research you?”
For a first encounter with a being like this, Fisher speculated that the demon race might be a long-lived species.
While some subhuman races have shorter lifespans compared to humans, others last much longer. So it was possible that what lay before Fisher was a demon that had lived for a long time. Hence, Fisher maintained a polite demeanor in his wording.
He indeed wanted to gather intelligence regarding this subhuman and wanted to know why she had suddenly appeared in Saint Nali.
According to her, she seemed to be after a sinner?
Fisher couldn’t yet determine if this was true or false.
“Oh? You’re interested in me?” Eil’s sleepiness slowly melted away as she closely examined this human, saying, “Such a human is really rare. What do you want to research?”
“Probably just measuring your physical data, and if possible, knowing some things about the demon race.”
“Ah, feel free to measure my body. But don’t ask me about matters regarding our dynasty; I basically know nothing. Speaking of which, I’m out of money. If you give me a bit more, I can even teach you how to fight.”
Dynasty?
Fisher caught another unfamiliar term.
Once she said this, she became fully engaged, sitting up as she stroked her chin, looking at Fisher’s body and saying,
“Your body is like unrefined jade—strong yet lacking the skills to wield it. You have a long way to go to become a warrior, but taking the first step requires a good teacher, like me.”
Now it was Fisher’s turn to be speechless. With the tone of this demon, he couldn’t help but think of the popular Nali scams that emerged every year around this time. How did this demon seem akin to those con artists?
Mentioning money made Fisher’s tone more cautious, and he asked,
“So, how much do you need?”
“One hundred thousand of your currency!”
She held up ten fingers, looking grand as if a hundred thousand Nali were but a drop in the bucket for her.
“Then I’ll just research you.”
“Hey, we could negotiate! Do you even know how to do business?”
Eil rolled her eyes, reducing her ten fingers to seven, then looked at Fisher with a testing expression.
He remained still, unyielding.
Her fingers dwindled to five, and she looked at him again.
He still didn’t budge.
“Hey, don’t push it! My teachings are very precious. Even my clansmen can’t get to me; you better cherish this.”
Fisher sized her up and suddenly felt that her clanspeople probably couldn’t find her merely because she was always asleep and not that she genuinely had no routes. Even if they found her, they probably couldn’t wake her. Fisher still didn’t know how he had awakened her.
“Thirty thousand, and we have a deal.”
Fisher shook his head, stating a number. His stingy demeanor rendered Eil speechless. She blinked and sighed, saying,
“A broad mind is a necessary quality for a warrior. Looks like you have a lot to practice, but fine, thirty thousand it is.”
Although Fisher didn’t expect to gain any extra combat techniques from this demon, considering she was willing to let herself be researched for just the price of drinks was unrealistic. Even if she didn’t mention it, Fisher would have proposed offering her something else as a condition. Since she brought it up, Fisher went along with her words.
However, he had genuinely thought about whether to learn battle skills from the fighters in Saint Nali. Previously, he had relied entirely on magic, and after obtaining the physique enhancement from the dragon race, he felt he could only punch people. Besides becoming a bit healthier, it seemed like he hadn’t really utilized the potential of this body.
Fisher ignored her statement and continued,
“Then it’s settled? Thirty thousand Nali, and once my salary comes in a few days, I’ll give it to you.”
“Rawr, I don’t mind! So shall we head out now? Just to be clear, my meals and drinks during this time will be on you, human.”
“…”
Why did it feel like he was getting scammed?
She yawned again, and after the deal was struck, she slowly got up. At that moment, Fisher noticed that this subhuman was about the same height as him. She adjusted her cloak, completely concealing her appearance beneath it.
The research time wouldn’t be too long, so Fisher planned to take her to his research lab near Saint Nali University, where it was spacious and free of any idle people. He’d release her after the research.
Having made up his mind, Fisher prepared to lead this demon subhuman out of there.
“Old Jack, we’re leaving. Say hi to Kalma and the others for me.”
“Mm, be careful on your way out.”
As they reached the entrance of Old Jack’s tavern, she tugged at Fisher’s sleeve, asking if she could take some alcohol with her. Fisher remained silent in exasperation, and it was Old Jack, frowning, who stuffed two bottles of liquor into her arms, saying they were a gift. He couldn’t wait to rid himself of this troublesome demon.
Eil gleefully cradled the two bottles of rum and walked with Fisher into the quiet Snakehead Street. In the distance, the sound of an underground river flowed, and Fisher glanced back at her, asking,
“How did you get to Saint Nali?”
Her cloak appeared quite heavy, completely hiding her inhuman form. Now she looked like a mysterious early explorer, and the slender arrow-tipped tail was nowhere to be seen.
“I came from the underground river ahead. The boat there rocked for a long time, and I took several naps before getting here, just wanting to have a drink. It seems I had my money stolen while I was asleep.”
Though she mentioned her money being stolen, she didn’t seem to care at all, and Fisher couldn’t detect any anger or irritation in her tone. In fact, he felt a hint of anticipation when she spoke of “sleeping.”
With this subhuman trailing behind him, Fisher dared not take the tram again. Instead, he hailed a carriage by the roadside, and they got into the rear seat together, heading to the outskirts of Saint Nali University.
Once in the carriage, she quietly leaned against the soft seat, clutching the two bottles of liquor like treasures. She seemed to have entered a midday nap state.
Fisher looked at her heavy cloak and did not take out his Supplement Handbook for Sub-Humans, but the phantom text before him began to slowly drift.
[Please select research subject, available subjects 0/1]
[Eil, Demon Duke]
Yes, Fisher wanted to bind and research the demon before him, hoping to gain some additional insights from her.
Since the centaur girl was just too busy, it had hindered the research outcome. Moreover, Fisher had never encountered a demon species before, and he was very eager to learn about this subhuman race.
His gaze flickered slightly, and without hesitation, he touched the binding text with his consciousness. At the moment he made contact, an excruciating pain spread from the Supplement Handbook in his chest. Fisher tightly closed his eyes, remaining silent, just like the demon who was napping behind him resting on the chair.
As the carriage swayed, a fine layer of cold sweat began to emerge on Fisher’s forehead, until he slowly opened his eyes. The demon was still resting, and the carriage continued its journey.
He had successfully bound her.
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(End of chapter)
