Dual Cultivation: Beasts and Women!

"How did you get all this?" Asked the same arms dealer to whom Liam had sold his spear he had brought back from the Eternal Doom Island when he entered the Demon Gate.

As he saw the questioning look on the man's face, who was frowning and looking him in the eye, Liam didn't hesitate to answer. With a firm tone, he said, "I found it while hunting for crystals."

A Demon Gate disciple didn't have to act against another disciple to get resources in the forests near the sect's peaks. Beasts could kill people and leave their belongings behind.

Some beasts were in the habit of taking their enemies' items after winning a battle, often carrying them around with them, such as amulets and war trophies. Other creatures kept them in their lairs, places that could become riches for the lucky humans who found them in their owners' absence.

But beyond this kind of situation, disciples could die fighting each other, with no victor left to loot the bodies of their enemies. It wasn't uncommon for fights to result in death on both sides, resulting in many space storage items being lost in the forests not only of Demon Gate, but of the entire Twin Land.

The Blacksmith behind the shop looked at Liam in silence after the boy's answer. The newcomer's words were probably excuses to stay out of trouble. But he couldn't tell if the young man had killed other sect members or not.

"You're fortunate, if that's the case," he said as he brought the over 10 weapons in front of him to his side.

"Since you're going to sell them in large quantities, I need a bigger margin to make a profit. I won't be able to sell them all quickly, so this deal won't be any better than selling one at a time." The Blacksmith was being honest with Liam to keep the boy from trying to negotiate.

When one bought many items at once, it was common to get discounts. So Liam expected he wouldn't get the best possible price for these armors.

"How much can you pay me?"

The man looked at the weapons and shook his head.

"I can pay you the equivalent of 1,200 gold coins."

Even the cheapest of these weapons would cost over 70 gold coins, as they were low-quality Second Class items.

Weapons cost more than absorbable resources because they could be used repeatedly!

Since the most expensive of these items could cost as much as 220 gold coins, Liam knew that the total value of these weapons would exceed 1,800 coins.

But he could hardly get a better deal than that.

"Can I get some of that value in merit points?" He asked as he considered the price research he had done earlier.

A cartel controlled the prices of the shops in the city, so the offer would hardly differ from any other shop in the city.

"A small amount. I don't have many merit points to buy artifacts, since most disciples don't use their merit points like that... However, I can pay you 200 merit points and 800 gold coins."

Liam nodded, accepting the deal.

He pulled out his ID badge, handed the item to the Blacksmith, and received his merit points.

"By the way, do you know where I can sell beast body parts?" He showed the smith some beast claws and teeth.

The man looked at Liam's hand and pointed. "Look for a shop that sells alchemical ingredients. Usually such remains are bought and sold in such shops."

Blacksmiths rarely used the small remains of animals. Aside from the skeletons of some creatures and the skins of others, someone like this middle-aged man wouldn't be interested in animal remains. But Alchemists could do many things with almost anything from a beast's body.

Liam continued to sell his many items, which took up most of his storage space.

As much as he had gained from this Blacksmith, he wanted to buy various materials to develop his runic inscription skills. He would probably spend most of those coins and merit points much faster than he could have imagined!

...

As Liam made his morning sales run, allies and enemies alike were already talking about him and his victorious return!

In the Beasts Hall, Lazarus had just heard of Liam's return from one of his men.

"Perfect. I want the two of you to stay close to Liam for the next few days. Alert the rest of the faction as well. The enemies probably won't react well to his return." Said the square-faced man.

The three people in front of him in the underground area of the coliseum, near the barn where Liam had met Lazarus, nodded in agreement.

Lazarus got up from where he was and gave his last order. "I'll visit him later. Let him know."

"Yes, Chief Ross."

Two of the men set out to approach Liam, while the other took a different route.

Lazarus went to the top of the coliseum, thinking to inform the faction leader of Liam's successful return.

Liam should be stronger, which meant he could be useful to the faction's interests in less time than they expected!

...

Meanwhile, at Eleanor's estate, headquarters of the Abyss Matriarchs...

"What?" Tabitha Dixon, a woman with shaved sides of her head and early third realm cultivation, shouted as she slammed her hands down hard on a wooden table.

She and Eleanor had just heard from one of their observers that Liam Porter had returned from his hunt!

They had sent a trio of late second realm cultivators after Liam, but none of them had returned, and he looked perfect, even stronger, according to this observer's description, before Tabitha.

Eleanor's eyes narrowed as her beautiful face took on a less than attractive expression. She seemed to have aged ten years as the veins in her head visibly quivered.

"Any news of our sisters?" The leader of this faction asked in a somber tone.

"No, Chief McCalla." A red-haired 7-Star woman from the second realm said, breaking into a cold sweat in front of the two most important cultivators of her faction.

"Eleanor, we're going to confront the bloody Liam Porter!" Tabitha grabbed her weapon and headed for the door of the office they were in.

Eleanor raised a hand and asked. "And what are we going to do?"

"Cut his head off!" Tabitha looked back, her eyes red with rage.

Eleanor shook her head in denial, ignoring the lavish decor of her workplace and the politics of being the leader of her faction. "Don't be hasty. We have nothing against him. Do you want to break the rules of the sect so carelessly?"

Eleanor was pessimistic about the situation of her three younger sisters. They were probably too dead not to have returned, even hours after Liam's return.

Did that mean that he was responsible for their fate? Not necessarily. The forest was dangerous, and it was possible that they had fallen to disciples from other cities, or even to beasts. In fact, in Eleanor's opinion, it was unlikely that Liam had been responsible for any negative outcome for his companions.

"So what do you suggest, Elder Sister McCalla?" Tabitha frowned as she looked at the white-haired woman.

"Leave the city with a group of sisters and find out what happened. If the younger sisters are still alive, save them. If not, try to understand how they fell. In the meantime, I'll think of something for Liam Porter."

"That's not good enough. Should we let him go in the meantime?" Tabitha didn't like that.

"Don't be so emotional, Tabitha. Besides us, there are other factions out of town that are against him. I'll meet with Myles Smille later and see what we can do together against Liam and the Leopards."

The two women with Eleanor opened their eyes in surprise as they heard the name of the number two rank in the arena, the leader of one of the rival factions of the Abyss Matriarchs.

Myles Smille, 4-Star Spirit Earth Spirit Master, current leader of the Crimson Rebels, was not someone Eleanor would agree to meet so easily. Her faction and this man's had a lot of problems, and to say that most of its members hated each other was no exaggeration.

"Are you serious?" Tabitha asked in disbelief.

"Getting rid of Liam Porter is worth it. Otherwise, another William Semple will emerge and overshadow our efforts."

Not only did the Emerald Owls hate William, but almost every faction in City Thirteen hated the number one player in the arena!

Eleanor added. "Let's be more careful with Liam Porter. He's grown up too fast, and now that he's back from his hunt, he'll stay for a while if he ventures out of the city. Our next move must be decisive. We have to make sure there are no mistakes and he falls.

If I have to, I'll move myself to make sure!"

The two women opened their mouths, not expecting Eleanor to take Liam Porter's case so seriously that she would consider moving herself.

Eleanor was ranked 8th in the arena, so her willingness to act was no small feat!

Tabitha dropped the weapon in her hands and took a deep breath, calming her heart a little. "All right. I'll go and see what happened. But be careful, Elder Sister McCalla. This man is not easy. Last time..."

"I know." Eleanor interrupted her confidante. "I'll be careful. Now go on." She said before turning her eyes to the second realm cultivation subordinate standing there with them. "As for you, keep an eye on Liam Porter. I want a daily report on all the places he goes, the people he meets, everything."

"Yes, Chief McCalla."