After some haggling, Allen and Spanna agreed on a price—ten dates!
"Remember, you still owe me ten dates!" Spanna chuckled wickedly. "I'll slowly enjoy collecting that debt from you."
Alan couldn't laugh.
After ten dates, would Spanna just burn the bridge?
Promising her thirty dates from the start seemed to have made it easier to survive.
However, Allen refused to budge.
As a time traveler, he understood the subtleties of a luxury consumer better than Spanna herself.
In the sex trade market, Allen positioned himself as a "luxury product."
He always did his utmost to provide impeccable service.
If a customer's experience was "satisfactory," he would fail.
The customer must experience a pleasant surprise that exceeded their expectations for him to give his service a passing grade.
He went to this extent not because he was mean, but to build an irreplaceable brand.
The first element of building a luxury brand is limited quantity.
No matter how exciting something is, the more frequently it's done, the more mundane the marginal experience becomes.
To keep customers' feelings fresh, reluctance to sell is essential.
The unattainable is the best.
A high price is also a prerequisite for luxury brands.
Consumers often make the mistake of confusing cause and effect: judging the service they receive by the price they pay.
It seems that the more money they spend, the higher the quality of the service they receive.
Therefore, everything can be negotiated, except the price!
Isn't Spanna's "I'm not tired of it yet" a glaring sword of Damocles?
Alan knew this.
His trading value depends not only on his masculine charm, but more importantly on the vanity of people like Spanna.
Once you lower your own value and lose the attribute of "luxury," you'll probably die even faster!
…
Rhea, the goddess worshipped by the insectoids and mother of all insects, possesses a dual identity.
She is both the evil deity who brings locust plagues and famine, and the "goddess of harvest," symbolizing the bees and butterflies that gather nectar and pollinate.
The statue of Rhea is much more appealing than the statue of the plague god with a human body and a rat head.
A beautiful young woman, carved from jade-colored animal bones, smiles gently.
In her arms, she holds a basket filled with fruit and crops.
Butterflies and bees land on the goddess's lapels, while spiders rest docilely on her shoulders.
Alan caressed the statue of the goddess in front of Spanna.
He placed his left palm against the statue's earhole, and a bone spur quietly popped out, scraping off a bit of dried marrow.
"Consume special ingredients: divinely infused bone marrow!"
"Potential +3!"
"Spirit +1!"
The Worm Mother statue provides even more potential than the Plague God statue.
Does this mean the Worm Mother's power surpasses that of the Plague God?
Alan couldn't ask Spanner these questions directly.
He had to keep his curiosity to himself for now.
The most urgent task was to eliminate those two plague warlocks.
...
The next day, late at night, near closing time,
Jamie and Sarah arrived at the Panthers Tavern and ordered a feast.
As soon as the food and drinks arrived, Jamie snapped his fingers in a dashing manner.
"Waitress, come here!"
The two waitresses had already gone home from get off work.
Kelly, wearing an apron, was mopping the floor.
Hearing the guests' invitation, he hurried over to greet them.
"My two distinguished guests, is there anything else you can do for us?"
"The food and wine are excellent. Please call the chef and bartender," Jamie said with a smile, stroking his carefully trimmed mustache. "I'd like to express my gratitude in person."
This gentlemanly request was something Kelly had only seen on stage; this was the first time she had encountered such a discerning customer in her own tavern.
Kelly quickly ran to the kitchen and summoned her mother and father.
The family of three arrived before the guests.
What awaited them was not the praise they had expected.
Jamie, beaming, tossed a plate of freshly-baked, glistening, fragrant roast goose to the floor right in front of Alan's mother.
Bang!
The pristine white porcelain plate shattered.
The roast goose tumbled onto the floor, grease splattering everywhere.
Donna suddenly clutched her apron, her knuckles white and her face drained of color.
"Is this food for humans?"
Sarah reached out with a foot and stomped on the roast goose.
"This kind of garbage is only fit for rats!"
With a malicious sneer on her face, she whistled.
Outside the tavern, a chilling squeal echoed!
Countless fat rats swarmed through the doors and windows and poured in!
The rats gathered around the table like a gray torrent, frantically devouring the roast goose.
The horrific scene before them stunned Alan's parents.
Kelly was also trembling.
She managed to remain calm, shielding her parents behind her.
Sarah withdrew her gaze and stared at her feet.
"Ouch! You filthy filth! You stained my new shoes!"
She stretched her left foot in front of Kelly.
She pointed at the grease stain on her red high heels.
"Waitress, get down on your knees!"
"Lick my shoes clean!"
Kelly's face flushed crimson.
She clenched her fists!
Rage burned in her eyes.
"Kelly! Don't be impulsive!"
The father quickly grabbed his daughter and winked anxiously.
Kelly barely suppressed her anger and said coldly:
"Sorry, my house is a tavern and we don't offer that kind of service!"
"Have you had enough of this?"
"If you have, please go back!"
"Hehehe... Do you think we're here to play a joke on you?"
Sarah narrowed her eyes, her smile growing increasingly malicious.
In front of Alan's father, she poured his hand-brewed fine wine on his leather shoes.
"Little bitch! Get down on your knees and lick my shoes!"
"Fuck you!" Kelly, unable to bear it any longer, finally lost her temper.
"Huh? You dare to insult me?!"
Sarah's face froze. She grabbed the bottle and smashed it hard against Kelly's forehead.
Swish!
Without a second thought, Kelly swung her knife!
Infused with "bone-penetrating strength," her slender hand, sharper than a steel knife, sliced the incoming bottle in half.
The cut surface was as smooth as a mirror!
Sarah's face changed.
"Huh? I didn't realize you had some tricks up your sleeve!"
"What the hell are you trying to do—"
Before Kelly could finish her words, Jamie suddenly raised his hand, and a cone of colorful light burst from under his sleeve.
Caught off guard, Kelly was struck head-on by the "colorful jet." She felt dizzy and her head spun...
"Kelly!"
Mom and Dad cried out in unison, rushing towards their unconscious daughter.
"Don't move!"
Sarah shouted.
The rats responded, surrounding the couple.
Hundreds of rats, their teeth bared, their expressions frantic!
The couple froze in fear, hugging each other and trembling.
Jamie slowly stood up and walked over to Kelly.
He drew his dagger and, with the tip, unbuttoned the girl's blouse.
A leopard-print bra hugged the girl's full, erect breasts.
Gulp!
Jamie swallowed hard, a hint of lust in his eyes.
"Mr. Amadeus, Mrs. Donna, you don't want to see your daughter stripped and ravaged in front of you, do you?"
"If you know what's good for you, tell me the truth. Where is Alan Panthers hiding?"
Creaky—
A door suddenly opened behind them.
A tall figure pushed open the door and entered.
Alan glanced around the tavern, paused briefly, and walked straight towards his sister.
He helped Kelly to her feet and helped her close her shirt.
Kelly quickly regained consciousness from her brother's arms, her face filled with anxiety.
"Alan! You shouldn't have come back!"
She could tell the two warlocks who had come looking for trouble were very powerful!
Her brother, facing two alone, was in great danger!
"Don't worry, just take care of Mom and Dad," Alan said calmly to his sister. "I can handle those two rats."
"Haha... You can handle them? That's the funniest joke I've ever heard!"
Sarah laughed wildly.
"Alan Panthers, you finally took the bait!"
Jamie high-fived three times.
Snap! Snap! Snap!
In response to his signal, the door to Alan's bedroom on the second floor slowly opened.
...
A beautiful girl in a white shirt and black skirt emerged from Alan's bedroom.
She held a glass of red wine in her hand.
She had a slender waist and a graceful gait.
She had jet-black hair that fell to her shoulders, bangs framing her face.
She wore a lightly powdered face, her makeup elegant.
If it weren't for the dagger hanging from her waist, she would have looked like a pure and lovely student.
She was a good-looking girl with excellent academic performance!
Spanna gracefully descended the stairs, holding the red wine.
Kelly's expression changed at the sight.
When did this beautiful stranger come upstairs?
She hadn't even noticed!
"Everyone's here. It's time to get down to business."
Spanna smiled and handed the red wine to Sarah.
"Good wine, don't waste it."
"Have a drink, then we'll be on our way."
"Travel? In such a hurry?" Sarah smiled, raising her glass. "I haven't had enough fun yet... eh?!"
Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by a flash of cold light.
Spanna, holding a silver-plated dagger inlaid with rubies.
The sharp blade plunged into Sarah's snow-white neck like lightning.
A single blow to the throat, a clean, sharp strike!
Sarah's face was filled with astonishment, her eyes bulging.
She opened her mouth, trying to call for help, but not a single syllable came out.
Spanna's dagger, a level 2 enchanted silver weapon.
The wielder could activate the dagger's built-in second-level "Silence" spell at any time.
Jamie was equally stunned.
He had no idea why Spanner had suddenly turned on one of her own people!
He would never get the answer to this question.
Hound Step!
Hound Step!
Alan and his sister rushed over to him almost simultaneously.
Alan's punch to the head cracked bone!
Kelly's knife thrust, bone-piercing force!
Bang!
Puff!
Jamie had no time to react before he was assaulted by the combined force of the siblings.
Alan's punch to the head shattered it!
Kelly's palm pierced his heart!
Alan retracted his fist and stepped back.
Raising his hand, he caught the wine glass that had slipped from Sarah's hand.
Not a drop of red wine remained in the glass.
"Such fine wine, a rat doesn't deserve it!"
Alan raised his glass and gulped it down.
"What do we do with these two bodies...?"
This was Kelly's first time killing someone, so she was inevitably a little flustered afterward.
Alan produced two syringes and handed them to his sister.
The syringes were filled with digestive fluid secreted by venom glands.
Spanna took the glass of wine from Alan and sipped it leisurely.
She watched as Jamie and Sarah's bodies slowly dissolved.
"Destroying the bodies is your specialty!"
Putting down her glass, she smiled and gave Alan a thumbs-up.
"That unique skill of yours on Magic Stone Island caused us so much trouble tracking down the Plague Statue!"
Alan glanced at his parents and sister's expressions and said to Spanna, "Don't say this in front of my family. Come upstairs to my room and talk."
Spanna readily agreed, followed Alan into the room, and locked the door.
"I like your bedroom. It's tidier than my own."
Spanna walked to the bed and nodded with satisfaction.
Alan was too embarrassed to say that it was his sister who had tidied the bedroom and folded the quilt neatly for him.
Even the underwear Spanna opened the cupboard drawer to look through were her sister Kelly's, hand-washed to pristine perfection...
There was no time to talk about that now.
Because... Spanna was actually humming a little tune happily as she began to take off her dress.
"Spana! What are you doing?"
"What else can a man and a woman do in a room together?"
Spana turned and flirted at him.
"Don't forget, you still owe me ten."
"Don't do that!" Alan quickly closed the curtains. "My parents and sister are home. Aren't you afraid they'll hear?"
"Hehe..." Spana laughed like a fox. "It's because your sister and parents are home that it's so exciting!"
Alan was speechless, holding his forehead and sighing.