"Welcome to Whiskey Wonders!"
A bell chimed as Keith and Alana entered the shop, and the clerk at the desk immediately greeted them.
He was an aged man with white hair, a ruddy face, a thick yet elegant moustache that curled at its ends, and a very amiable smile that reflected both wisdom and contentment with his life.
"How may I help you?" he politely asked.
"May we see the catalogue?"
"Of course, Sir." He nodded and then picked up the catalogue to hand it over.
There was a large variety of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, ranging from Beast Whiskeys, Blood Wines, Fruit Wines, and Ginseng Ales to cocktails made from precious ingredients, each promising unique flavours that tantalised the senses with their rich, aromatic descriptions.
Alana, having already tasted Mirium's Rain, asked how much of it the old man had in the shop, which caught him off guard since she was asking about the Five-Star Quality version of the product.
"We have 127 bottles of Five-Star Mirium's Rain right now," he replied.
"We will take them all." She smiled, and her order immediately elated the old man.
He quickly left the desk and walked down the aisles of the shop, soon returning with a Storage Bag.
Alana nodded when the old man placed all 127 bottles on the desk, and before she could even ask, Keith took out a glass from his Storage Ring and handed it to her.
She was pleased by his attentiveness and then poured herself some Mirium's Rain from a random metallic bottle, which was cold to the touch.
A refreshing liquid washed down her throat as she sipped the drink, and she subconsciously smiled at its deliciousness, the cool effervescence bubbling gently on her tongue with hints of citrus and subtle sweetness.
It was exactly the same as the one they had at the Hungry Cauldron, which only sold drinks of perfect quality at their establishment, so she instantly knew that it was the real thing.
"Perfect." She smiled and then poured herself a full glass as she waited for Keith to decide on the rest of the order.
"Dragon Whiskey, Dragon Wine, Star-Fruit Wine, Poison Ecstasy, and Barbarian Ale." He put down the catalogue and informed the old man what he wanted, smiling when he saw him gulp in shock and nervousness.
"How much, Sir?"
"As much as you have." He smiled, and both he and his daughter smiled when the old man started feeling a little dizzy.
"Please give me a few minutes, Sir!" When the shock finally wore off, the man became ecstatic and immediately left the desk again with several Storage Pouches.
Several minutes later, the old man was nervously penning down the receipt.
"127 bottles of Five-Star Mirium's Rain, each costing 2,000 Spirit Stones. 320 bottles of Five-Star Star-Fruit Wine, each costing 1,250 Spirit Stones. 75 bottles of Five-Star Poison Ecstasy, each costing 1,000 Spirit Stones. 185 barrels of Five-Star Barbarian Ale, each costing 250 Spirit Stones. 60 barrels of Five-Star Dragon Whiskey, each costing 2,500 Spirit Stones. 110 bottles of Five-Star Dragon Wine, each costing 3,800 Spirit Stones..." His hand was shaking as he continued writing and calculating. "Your total is 1,343,250 Spirit Stones. After the discount, you will have to pay 1,340,000 Spirit Stones, and as a compliment from the shop, we will give you ten bottles of our very own cocktail, Dreamy Wonders. It tastes very similar to Mirium's Rain, but it has a slightly tangy touch to it."
"Let's try it." Alana smiled, and the man enthusiastically headed into the back room, soon returning with a crate of Dreamy Wonders.
She tasted the drink, and though she felt that it paled slightly in comparison to Mirium's Rain, she had to admit that it was very delicious, with a vibrant tang that lingered pleasantly on the palate. Some people might even prefer it over the latter.
"Thank you. We will accept them." She politely said, and her words delighted the man.
"Would you like to pay in Stones or through the Bank?"
"We will use the card," Keith said, and the old man nodded before taking out a Crystal Orb issued by the Bank of Ariel.
After quickly entering the amount they had to pay, he handed it over to Keith, who took out his Bank Card and tapped it against the Magical Device, which immediately started to shine.
Within a couple of seconds, the transaction was complete, and Keith stored away all the drinks from the shop's Storage Pouches.
Before they left the shop, the old man gave a card to Alana. It was a yearly membership card that would grant her a 10% discount on all purchases over the next year.
She happily accepted it and then gave the old man a pouch of Spirit Stones as a tip, which he was reluctant to accept but eventually did under her insistence.
"The people of this city are nice," Alana commented as they walked down the street and saw that the citizens all seemed happy, especially the shop owners, whose businesses had not suffered at all because of the heavy rain, the persistent downpour drumming steadily against rooftops and awnings.
They were all polite and smiling, and even some children helped their elders run their shops. It all showed how safe the people here felt despite the events of the last few days.
Their next stop was a Weapons and Armour Shop, where they bought a few things that were needed for the Blood Guards.
Afterwards, they visited a greengrocer, where they purchased vegetables and fruits, as well as feed for their Magical Beasts that did not eat meat, the fresh scent of ripe produce filling the air with earthy sweetness.
Once they finished their shopping, they caught up with the rest of the Family, who were busy shopping inside a Clothing Shop.
"Come on, buy something for Reha. She will appreciate it."
"She will tease me if I do it." Harud shook his head, but it did not stop Kiara and Ayesha from pestering him.
And once Alana saw what was happening, she immediately joined the fun.
She simply grabbed Harud by the arm and pulled him to the counter before straightforwardly asking the attendant to show them the prettiest dresses for her brother's fiancée, making the boy blush slightly.
"She will be happy. Don't you want her to be happy?" Just as the young Mir was about to complain, she silenced him.
Soon, under Alana's, Ayesha's, and Kiara's guidance, he started picking out dresses for the Barbarian Girl who was smitten with him.
On the other side, Victor was blushing as well while buying clothes for his concubine and intended wife, following the lead of Sebastian, who was purchasing clothes for his wife and children.
Qingyue was busy picking out clothes for Sisi, Gigi, and Thea, and Venessa was sitting on a couch with Sibyl and Kashish, chatting with them and seemingly uninterested in buying anything.
Keith was just about to join the girls when he sensed a familiar Aura enter the street and head directly towards him.
He stopped and walked out of the shop, catching Kiara's attention, and she immediately followed him.
"My Lord." The tall man bowed, hiding his identity beneath a dark robe and mask.
Keith nodded, recognising him as Baigor, the second Butler of the House of Nemerus, and when the man offered him a letter, he silently accepted it and watched him leave.
Kiara curiously eyed the envelope in his hand, and he smiled at her before entering the shop again.
Moving to the lounge where Venessa, Sibyl, and Kashish were sitting, he took a seat beside them and then opened the letter, shielding it from all eyes.
His brows furrowed slightly as he read the contents, and then he sighed inwardly before incinerating the paper, leaving no trace behind.
Venessa curiously raised an eyebrow at him, and he smiled back, assuring her that everything was fine.
Inadvertently, his eyes drifted to Qingyue, and even though she was smiling as she bought clothes for Gigi and Thea, he could tell that it was forced and that she was still deeply saddened.
He could sense her sadness, which was also intensifying her protectiveness and motherly instincts towards the orphaned child whom she had adopted as her daughter.
Keith knew how kind and pure-hearted his Yue was, but he also knew what she was capable of doing.
After all, she was his daughter. She had his and Venessa's blood running through her veins, and none of them would sit idly by if their loved ones were threatened.
Thea was now her weakness and her inverse scale. He could already feel the rage beginning to simmer beneath the surface, and he had a hunch that she would have her hands deeply stained with blood because of that child.
He sighed as the thought crossed his mind because he knew that his hunches were never merely hunches.
However, he soon found himself chuckling when Kiara grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the counter to pay the bill.
Subconsciously, he reached for Qingyue's hand and gently squeezed it, which froze her for a moment, but then a warm smile slowly crept onto her face.
It was a smile for him, and it was the most genuine smile she had shown all day.
"I want to go home," she softly whispered to him when they exited the Clothing Shop, and he knew that by home, she was referring to Aerzar.
"Okay." He smiled at her and then led everyone out of the city towards the outskirts, where their property was situated.
The barrier protecting the Estate was still active, and it looked as though someone from the Nemerus Family had been taking care of it during their absence.
When they entered, the rain was much gentler inside, and those who had never been there before curiously looked around.
Qingyue was quite interested in the place as well, but as soon as they entered the house, she asked him to send her to Aerzar, which he did.
As for the others, they toured the estate with both Kiara and Alana acting as their guides.
Keith visited the pantry and filled it with the ingredients they had bought that day. He did the same with the wine cellar, stocking it with everything they had purchased.
When he returned to the main lounge, everyone else was still busy exploring the underground compound.
"I will be back in a while," he softly said, and they all heard him clearly.
"Nemerus Estate?" Kiara guessed as the image of the letter crossed her mind.
"Yes."
Once they knew where he was going, they returned to exploring their little home, and he smiled before setting off towards Crystal City.