Chapter 18

Zoe walked by my side, still holding my hand. She was looking around, observing all the people and stalls around us. Various items were spread out on them, and it seemed like everything interested her. She was like a small girl, curious about everything surrounding her.

She had a wide grin, and her eyes were shining with excitement. But as I observed her, I had a strange feeling that something was off about her appearance. After a brief moment of focusing on her, I realized that I was expecting her tail to stand high behind her and swing, completing the image of her excitement.

I took a deep breath and averted my eyes, choosing to focus on the city around me rather than my cute demon. I was supposed to fuck every hot woman that I stumbled upon in this world—not get attached to the first one I met.

There was something about Zoe that really attracted me. Could it be her succubus abilities? From her status, it didn't seem like that was the case. She had a skill that raised her attractiveness, but I doubted it could be so strong.

Perhaps it was her beauty and the constant sex, but there was also something in her behavior that brought my instincts to take care of her. She was so hurt by everything and everyone, and I wanted to make her feel better, safe, and happy.

Was that even a problem? If I got attached to her? She was mine, and she didn’t block me from having sex with other women.

I could still fuck every hot woman that I wanted and have her always ready for me. What if I could get more women like her? Perhaps that was an even better idea than my initial plan.

To have attractive women like Zoe, all ready and willing whenever I wanted. To create a harem of gorgeous and horny women, always ready to please me.

I stumbled, barely stopping myself from falling, as I was completely lost in my thoughts. With Zoe still holding my hand, I looked around—we were already deeper in the city. The road we walked on seemed like a main street, and I still couldn't see the end of it.

There were a few stalls around us, selling food, clothes, wooden products, and tools. Nothing around indicated they had electronics. I shifted my eyes to the houses. They seemed to be built from bricks, all of them two-story, and looked rather well-maintained.

I noticed a stall where a woman caught my attention. She was around thirty—not extremely attractive, but definitely above average, especially compared to the crowd around. She was a little chubby and might have looked even better if she lost some weight. But her extra weight gave her a cute look and was clearly visible in her figure. She had massive tits, covered by a colorful shirt with a large cleavage.

I pulled Zoe toward the stall where the clothes were displayed.

“Good evening, how can I help you?” the woman asked immediately with a smile as I stopped by the stall.

“Hey,” I answered with my own smile. “I’m new in this city, and I’m looking for a place to sleep. Could you suggest something?” I glanced at her cleavage, not caring if she noticed. Her tits were really big and exposed in a way that made it clear she was showing them off on purpose—probably to grab customers’ attention and flirt with them. She wanted people to look, so I wasn’t going to pretend I wasn’t doing it.

“There are two taverns here,” she said, leaning forward and resting her hands on the table in front of her, which did amazing things to her tits. She exposed more of her skin, and because she held her hands close, she pushed them together even more toward me.

I was lost in the enticing view.

“The first one is along this street on the left,” she continued.

I reluctantly pulled my gaze back to her face and noticed a smirk there as she pointed forward along the street.

“It’s Mark’s Inn. There’s a mug on the sign,” she added. I frowned, unhappy that Mark wouldn’t fall victim to my class.

“That’s a place for wealthier visitors. The second option is for less…” The woman straightened her back, depriving me of the view of her tits as she frowned. “Demanding guests.”

“Where’s the second one?” I asked. Even if we would get some money, it might be better to choose the cheaper option.

The clerk glanced at Zoe but shifted her eyes back to me.

“You follow this road, then turn right. The sign has a mug pierced by a sword. It’ll be on the right side,” she said, pointing toward one of the roads branching from the main street.

“How much does it cost to stay in those places?” I asked, smiling. It was better to learn the normal price to avoid being scammed by the owners.

“Mark charges five ryns for a night. I don't know about the cheaper one—I’ve never been there.”

I nodded. Without understanding their monetary system, I had no idea if five ryns was a lot or not.

“Is there a place where I can look for a job?” I asked. It was getting late today, so I wouldn’t earn anything to pay for the night, but I could try to find something to earn money for future nights. I didn’t want a normal all-day job, but I had to consider it, at least at the beginning, to get some money to start.

“You can go to the posting hall, it’s a little bit past Mark’s Inn—just a few buildings down. Look for a sign with a sword and a book.”

I took another glance at her cleavage. Should I try to seduce her to get a place to sleep? She was attractive, and I wouldn't have a problem with sleeping with her. I raised my eyes back to her face and smiled.

“Thanks. I’m Tobias,” I introduced myself, reaching out my hand.

“Samara,” she replied, squeezing my hand gently. Her hands were soft and warm.

“Samara,” I repeated, letting the name linger on my tongue. “A name as striking as the woman it belongs to.” She smiled, but I continued before she had a chance to respond. “I don't have any money right now, but I should get some soon. Do you know anyone who would host me on credit in their bed?” I asked, hoping she would be that person.

Samara observed me for a brief moment, thinking, but then her eyes shifted to Zoe. “Only you, or your… friend too?” she asked.

“Both of us could show our gratitude for the hospitality,” I answered.

She fixed her eyes on me but I noticed her gaze shifting lower, checking me out in silence.

A woman approached the stall next to us, browsing the clothes. Samara's eyes focused on her briefly before turning back to me.

“I’m closing in an hour, come back then, and I’ll see if I can help you,” she said before turning to the new customer.

I moved away from the stall, following further into the city along the main road. There was a chance I had found a place to sleep for free. More importantly, I could fulfill another of my fantasies—to have a threesome.

Zoe grabbed my hand again. I glanced at her, and our eyes met. “This is all amazing,” she said with excitement in her voice.

“I’m glad you like it.” I squeezed her hand. Zoe’s gaze moved over everything around us. “We have an hour, let’s go check this posting hall to see if they have anything interesting to offer.”

Zoe nodded without answering, too occupied with observing the people around us. The crowd was getting thinner, but still, a lot of people wandered around the street. I headed forward, while still holding Zoe’s hand. She followed me silently as we walked, listening to the bustle of the city.

I noticed a sign with a mug on it—Mark’s Inn. It was full of people, it was pretty late, and it seemed like many of them had already finished their day and grabbed something to drink.

We moved past it, walking further. It didn't take us long before we reached a place with a sign of a book and sword.

“It’s here,” I said, pulling Zoe toward the entrance.

We entered a brightly lit room that was mostly empty. On the walls to the left and right were cabinets, in which behind a glass were displayed cards. At the far end of the room, behind a desk, sat a fat, older man.

I let go of Zoe’s hand and moved to look through the cards, which were divided into different display cases. The first one seemed to contain rather general announcements—rentals, missing items or people, and offers to buy or sell items.

I noticed that Zoe was looking at the cards on the other side of the room. I assumed she could read, which wasn’t obvious after so many years spent in the wild. I could read too, which surprised me a little, because the letters here were different. Yet, when I looked at them, I just knew how they sounded and how to connect them into words, even though I had never learned them. That must have been due to Gemma’s spells.

I decided to ask the man who was busy writing something, rather than look through the cards blindly.

“Good evening,” I greeted.

“Good evening,” he answered without looking at me.

“Could you tell me where I can find some job announcements?” I asked, regretting that he wasn't a woman. That would have made things easier. He sighed theatrically but set his pen aside. At least it looked like a pen, though it had small glowing symbols on the side, which I assumed were magical enhancements enabling him to write.

“The notices are organized into sections,” the man explained, gesturing toward the wall. “On the left, you’ll find announcements from all federations. The ones on the right are local. The first section is for missions, the second is for job postings, the third has city announcements, and the fourth is for general notices.”

“Thank you,” I said, exaggeratedly polite, and turned toward the cards with local missions. There were only four here. I could tell there were many more on the other side, but if those were global announcements, they would require travel and were probably more difficult, given they looked for help across a wider area.

I focused on the local missions, the first one was about transporting a package to another city. According to the description, the package was in this building, and to complete this mission, I would need to transport it to the posting hall in Ortas City. The next two missions involved catching bandits. The fourth was about a monster that was killing farmers’s animals near the city.

I wasn't going to hunt bandits—it was too dangerous and too easy to make enemies. The quest to kill the monster wasn’t convincing either. It might just be a wild animal, which Zoe could kill, but if it was something more dangerous, it could end up badly.

That left only the quest to transport a package. I could earn something and get to a new city where there might be more missions.

The reward was thirty ryns—enough for three nights in the better tavern for Zoe and me, though it didn’t account for food. Not a lot, but at least it was something. I wasn't sure how far away Ortas City was. With a sigh, I walked back to the man behind the desk.

“I’m interested in the mission of transporting a package to Ortas. How far away is this city?” I asked.

“Three days,” the man answered, still busy writing.

It didn't seem like a lot of money for a three-day trip, but there weren’t many missions here, and I didn't want to take a normal job. There might be better opportunities in Ortas.

“I will transport the package,” I said.

The man lifted his eyes to me. “You need to pay one hundred ryns as a deposit, returned at the place of delivery.”

I stared at him for a moment without answering. Of course. Why would they give me a package without any security?

“I’ll pass, then,” I said.

The man snorted and resumed his work.

I moved toward the exit, glancing at the cabinets with job cards on my way out, but I decided not to check them. For now, I’d try to handle everything without relying on those jobs.