Chapter 23: Seto's Marvels Part 1

The inside of the shop was a stark contrast to its exterior. From the outside, the store was a three-story building made of black wood, exuding an eerie feeling as mist emanated from the structure. Vendors willingly crowded their stalls twenty feet away, as if it were a cursed, haunted house everyone knew about but didn’t dare venture into.

Inside, however, the shop had white walls, golden columns, and many items organized neatly, with certain objects encased in glass boxes. It was as if you had stepped from hell into heaven. If someone told you the maids and servants in the shop were not succubi or incubi, you would call them a liar. Just looking at them sparked dangerous thoughts in your mind. Normally, a kid wouldn’t be attracted, but Agemo was different. He had died and found himself in the body of a deceased boy named Lu Shu. In his previous life, he had been a full-fledged, mad scientist at the adult stage of life. He had lived through the nightlife and was well aware of how attractive the women were. Unfortunately, he was now in a boy’s body. At least it gave him some self-control.

"Why, hello there, little boy. I am Seto of Seto's Marvels. Welcome to my humble store," a man in a white suit with a golden tie said, bowing slightly.

Agemo narrowed his eyes at the man. The suit and tie matched the decor, but the man wore an opera mask of comedy. The mask was entirely gold, save for a white outline over the slits where the eyes and unnerving smile were. This man was dangerous. Agemo never felt the instinct to run, not even when he faced the Spirit Master, Julio. This man might not be as strong, but he felt more dangerous. He was the type who wouldn’t hesitate to kill a Spirit Shaman if necessary.

Agemo only knew Julio was a Spirit Master because Julio had told the participants. In truth, it was very difficult to detect someone's power when there was a vast difference between them. Some displayed their power openly, but most were Spirit Shamans. Spirit Knights and beyond typically hid their power. The man before him seemed like a first-stage Spirit Shaman, but Agemo was certain he was concealing his true strength.

"Hello. I’m here because Martin mentioned something about a very dangerous book," Agemo said with a nod.

"Ah, Old Martin. Yes, I know the book he spoke of. Scared the wits out of him when he was about to open it. Once you've made enough magical items, you can already tell if something is dangerous or not. I have three floors in my store. You might not want to go to the third floor," Seto said, his expressions hidden behind the mask.

"Why? Are the magical items there that dangerous?" Agemo asked.

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"No, not at all. You see, you're just a little boy. The third floor is the adult-only section. All kinds of nice goodies for perverted men and women are up there. Even special 'massages' are made available. You can go if you like—there are no laws against it. If you can pay, you can buy. Just don’t expect anyone near your age to provide the service; there are no loopholes in the law for that," Seto said with a smile. "The first floor holds the more common goodies I possess. The second floor is where things get very interesting. The book Martin mentioned is there. I have a customer looking at it, though. However, I do have two pages from the book, complete with the images and the power behind them."

"I'd like to head to the second floor," Agemo said.

"Oh, not daring enough to explore the hidden pleasures of the adult world?" Seto asked, tilting his head.

"The second floor," Agemo said, his voice indifferent.

"Of course. Merely a jest on my part. This way," Seto gestured, leading Agemo onto a teleportation array.

Agemo clenched his fist in anger as he caught sight of several...toys...lying about, with many men and women browsing rows of maids and servants. There were several uniforms and rooms available. It was a pervert’s paradise.

"Whoops, wrong teleportation array. Why don’t we use the stairs? Unless, of course, you desire to make a purchase?" Seto chuckled.

"You try my patience," Agemo growled.

"My apologies. This way, I assure you," Seto said, and Agemo realized the man loved pranking people.

"You're a sick man," Agemo said as they arrived on the second floor.

"The pleasures of the adult world are a marvel understood by the lonely and desperate," Seto shrugged. "Slavery is not illegal in this world. The powerless can only suffer under the strong, little boy. Moving on, this floor has a wide array of unique items—from magic orbs to sleeping powder. There’s a small variety of Practitioner weapons and a decent amount of magical armors and cloaks. All of these, along with other rare and uncommon items, can be found here. Such as the book. Oh, it seems someone is about to purchase it. The pages will empty, so it will take time, but the buyer doesn’t seem to mind."

"What does it do?" Agemo asked.

"It's both a good and bad thing, depending on the user. The book seals wraiths inside its pages. Unless you have some divine holy weapon, you can’t kill the wraiths. The pages can seal the wraith and give the owner complete control. Even if you only have two pages, you can make the wraith stronger as it can devour others. Many holy orders buy such magical books and guard them closely in their vaults. Some dark organizations collect wraiths and wage wars with them. It all depends on the owner. Well, I need to assist the customer with their purchase. If you’re interested in a page, I can give you one. I keep the other page as material to make another book, so I can only sell a single page out of the two I set aside," Seto nodded and moved to assist three people in completely white, hooded robes on the left side of the floor.

Agemo browsed the wares and bought an elixir with illusionary effects, useful if he needed to drug someone. He also purchased some sleeping pellets, which dispersed a faint mist that carried sleep-inducing properties—handy for sneaking around or escaping. Additionally, he bought a page from the black book, which contained two powerful wraiths. Buying the page was better, as the book’s pages would be emptied upon purchase. At least he didn’t need to search for a wraith to refill the pages. He also bought itching powder in bulk, an archaic but evidently still effective means of distraction if production was ongoing.

"Hm. Nothing to increase your power in battle, save for the wraith page," Seto mused. "Everything else relies on a stealthier approach or a means to escape. You don't want power? Good. It is not wise to attain too much power too quickly. Especially with a clan as far from ordinary as the Lu Clan."

"What?" Agemo gasped, stepping back and placing his left hand on the hilt of Rain Slayer, which rested on his right hip.

"Whoa there. Easy, dear customer. I wouldn’t tarnish my reputation or risk losing my business by attacking you. I just happen to recognize the ring. The Lu Clan ancestors were quite famous back in the day. How is Lu Feng?" Seto asked, noticing Agemo's frown. "Oh, you must not have met him. He should be quite an ancestor of yours. Last I checked, he went into hiding after wiping out one of the ten ancient clans, reducing their number to nine. No one knows it was him—except me. I was his disciple before he returned to his clan. An amazing Spirit Sage. I recently became one myself, about a dozen years ago."

"You...you’re a—" Agemo began.

"Don't be afraid, boy. I won’t harm my old master’s descendant. I’m probably one of the rare few who know you aren’t completely human if you’re a member of the Lu Clan and wear that ring. Must be about eight centuries since the first was made? Sounds about right," Seto nodded. "Time is irrelevant to people of the Spirit Sage tier. Back then, the Lu Clan was hunted because they couldn’t disguise their Spirit Pulse. Lu Feng made the first ring after his son was killed. That’s why he massacred an entire clan."

"Why is someone as powerful as you here?" Agemo asked.

"Boredom, really. I amuse myself by watching the struggles of those below me and imagining how strong they will become. Not even Julio knows who I am. He only knows me as a hidden expert of the Spirit Master stage. Spirit Knights are rare. Spirit Masters, even more so. It’s quite rare to see so many Spirit Knights in one area. It’s because they flock to the strong to survive. Remember that well, boy. Let me see that ring. I’ll change its appearance so that only those of the Lu Clan can see its true form."