Chapter 19: Succubus Shop?

The magic market lay along a wide street, lined on both sides with all kinds of shops and stalls.
Some sold weapons, some sold magic potions, some sold demonic beast materials, and others offered various strange and bizarre magical items.

There weren’t many people coming and going, but every single one of them looked difficult to provoke.
Some wore luxurious robes, while others displayed obvious demonic features—curved horns, tails, vertical pupils, sharp claws, and the like.

Silvia reached the market entrance and paused for a moment.
A guard stood at the door—a tall demon with two curved horns on his head and an iron staff in his hand.

He glanced at Silvia.
His gaze moved from her face to the dark moon emblem on her chest. Then he bowed slightly and stepped aside to let her pass.

Silvia walked into the magic market, keeping her steps very light.
Stalls lined both sides of the street, one after another, selling everything imaginable. Bloody demonic beast meat hung from iron hooks, black tentacles writhed inside glass bottles, strange fragrant powders emitted eerie scents, and bones covered in curses lay on display.

Some stall owners shouted loudly to attract customers, while others haggled in a language Silvia couldn’t understand. Still others simply sat in silence, watching passersby with eyes of various colors.

Silvia lowered her head and pulled her hood down further.
But the feeling of being watched did not disappear. From the moment she entered the magic market, eyes had been fixed on her. She could sense it—someone was looking at her.

Silvia shrank into herself and gripped the gems in her bosom even tighter. She needed to find a place to exchange them.
The sooner the better—turn them into spendable money, buy what she needed, and leave this place as quickly as possible.

She quickened her pace, her eyes scanning the shops and stalls on both sides. Weapon shops—no. Demonic pet shops—no. Slave markets—absolutely not…

Silvia needed to find a shop that looked somewhat legitimate, preferably an old establishment that had been open for many years. Such places wouldn’t cheat people, at least not openly.

As she walked, a sudden rush of sweet, metallic taste surged up her throat. Silvia covered her mouth, her body swaying. She quickly turned into a nearby alley.

A hot stream seeped out between her fingers. She looked down and saw a glaring red stain on the back of her hand.
It was blood. She had coughed up blood.

Vampires who went too long without drinking blood would lack energy and blood, eventually spitting it up. Although she had only recently become a vampire, her energy and blood were being consumed at an alarming rate.

Yesterday, Rose had roughly toyed with her, and her body’s self-healing had used up a lot of energy. Today, Rose had bitten her neck, sucking blood—and for a very long time.

Self-healing required blood and energy. Being fed on meant losing both.

Silvia wanted blood. She desperately wanted blood.
That craving burned from deep within her stomach. Her teeth began to itch, and her two sharp fangs started lengthening uncontrollably.

Her eyes grew hot, turning red.

No. She couldn’t do this here. She couldn’t attack anyone, or she would definitely die.

Silvia bit down hard on her own tongue. The pain brought her a moment of clarity. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and straightened her body.

At that moment, a voice sounded beside her.

“My lady?”

Silvia whipped her head around. A female vampire stood only two steps away from her.

She was a young-looking woman with distinctly Eastern features.
Her hair was dry and yellowish like a bundle of straw. Her cheeks were sunken, her cheekbones slightly protruding. The clothes on her body were old and thin, washed until they had faded, with several patched areas.

She stood there with a slightly bowed back, wearing a flattering smile on her face.

“My lady,” she said softly.
“Are you… looking to drink blood?”

Silvia did not answer. She simply stared at her. The female vampire shrank back a little under her gaze, but quickly put on another smile.

“My name is Xiao Lin, my lady,” she said.
“I… I’ve been hanging around the magic market for years. I know this area well. If you want to drink blood, I can take you there? Just give me a little tip…”

Xiao Lin’s gaze flicked quickly across the dark moon emblem on Silvia’s chest before darting away again. The smile on her face grew even more respectful.

Silvia looked at Xiao Lin.
This female vampire named Xiao Lin was small and thin, malnourished, dressed in ragged clothes. There was no malice in her eyes—only humility.

This was the expression of a bottom-tier vampire with no power or backing when facing someone of status.
Respectful, flattering, cautious, terrified of offending the other party with a single misstep.

Silvia was all too familiar with this expression, because she herself had shown it to others countless times before.

Silvia immediately understood that the other party had taken her for someone from the Dark Moon family.

“Do you know where I can exchange gems? I don’t have any small change,” Silvia said, trying her best to imitate the tone of a superior.

Then she took out the smallest gem from her bosom and held it in her palm.

Xiao Lin’s eyes brightened.

“Oh, I didn’t think of that. But I do know a place where you can exchange them.”

Xiao Lin nodded repeatedly. “My lady, please follow me. I’ll take you somewhere. I guarantee it’ll be fair!”

Xiao Lin turned and started walking. After two steps, she looked back. Seeing that Silvia hadn’t moved, she quickly ran back, still smiling apologetically.

“My lady, don’t worry. I’m not a swindler. I’ve been mixing in this magic market for several years. I wouldn’t dare trick someone like you. Please come with me—it’s just up ahead, not far…”

Silvia looked at her. That gaze made Xiao Lin a little uneasy. Her smile stiffened slightly as she asked softly, “My lady…?”

Silvia remained silent for a moment, then nodded.

“Lead the way.”

Xiao Lin’s face immediately lit up with joy. She turned and walked ahead with light, quick steps.

Silvia followed, one hand tucked in her bosom, tightly gripping the few gems, while the other clutched her sleeve just as tightly. The burning thirst for blood still raged inside her.

But she had to endure it.

The two of them walked one after the other through the streets of the magic market.

Xiao Lin led the way, occasionally glancing back to make sure Silvia was still following. She chattered on as they walked, probably afraid of awkward silence.

“My lady, you must be from Lady Elena’s residence, right? I thought so—the dark moon on your chest, I recognized it at a glance. Lady Elena is so powerful. Everyone around here knows her…”

“My lady, why did you end up coughing blood from hunger? Is it because you don’t want to drink from blood slaves? Can’t bring yourself to bite those ugly ones? It’s fine. The place I’ll take you to has beautiful blood slaves. You’ll definitely be able to drink from them.”

“My lady, rest assured. The boss of the place I’m taking you to—I know him. He’s a good person and won’t cheat you…”

Listening to Xiao Lin address her as “my lady” with every sentence, a strange feeling rose in Silvia’s heart. This must be the taste of power.

Silvia did not answer any of Xiao Lin’s questions. The more she spoke, the more likely she would slip up. She simply followed silently.

They walked for a while longer.

Then Xiao Lin stopped in front of an ornate shop.

“We’re here, my lady.”

Silvia raised her head and looked at the shop. Her expression froze.

It was a succubus shop. Xiao Lin had brought her to a succubus shop.