After hearing that the special spring water didn't work, Yasenia didn't insist. She trusted this shopkeeper. Then, our dragoness asked some of the key questions, "What influence do I have for passing through the Heaven Gate? I've seen the priority treatment, but what other advantages do I have? Also, can cultivators kill each other, or will the lighting strike us down? Finally, the purple aura around us is almost gone; how will people identify us as Heaven Gate level cultivators?"
The shopkeeper was patient and answered everything truthfully, "First, your question about fighting with other cultivators. Cultivators can kill each other and steal the treasures gained as they do outside. The divine lightning won't attack or meddle with those actions. However, I would recommend being careful with the bystanders. Your excellencies, accidental deaths may trigger the lighting."
The shopkeeper continued, "Also, we can recognize from which Gate each cultivator went through like an instinct, so don't worry about it."
Yasenia nodded with thanks. The shopkeeper continued speaking, "The benefits of crossing the Heaven Gate are the following."
"First, you have priority when buying things. Even if someone is just about to buy something or make a contract, you can snatch it merely by speaking with the seller. Of course, it only affects trade between cultivators and townspeople."
"Besides that, everything you buy will cost thirty percent less. Us townspeople don't want to sell our goods to unworthy cultivators. Therefore, you can see merchandise other cultivators won't be aware of."
"You can challenge any number of trials without limit, unlike the people that went through the other Gates. In my opinion, this one is the most important. "
"Finally, you have some leniency against the Divine Lighting. For example, accidentally killing residents during a fight won't trigger the lighting for you unless the damage is great, or you did it with malicious intentions."
Yasenia and the others were stupefied, 'So many advantages!?'
Yasenia wanted to confirm something about the last point, "What if I make someone kill townspeople with the intention of the Divine Lightning striking them?"
The shopkeeper looked at Yasenia with raised eyebrows, "That is quite a dangerous question."
Yasenia nodded and said with a sincere smile, leaning on the counter and resting her big and soft breasts there. The man's gaze couldn't help but slip from time to time there. Yasenia said with a pitiful tone that softened the bones of the people that heard it. "I'm worried about falling into the trap of other cultivators. I have a lot of enemies."
The shopkeeper was a mortal man, so he was very weak to Yasenia's seduction. He struggled a bit, but after seeing the pitiful look on Yasenia's gorgeous face, he was swayed and said in a low voice, leaning forward. "You won't be struck if you do it that way. But please, don't tell anybody I told you about it."
Yasenia smiled like a flower, stealing the man's breath away, and she tap-kissed the shopkeeper's chubby cheek as if it were the tap from a dragonfly, petrifying him on the spot. "Thank you for telling me, mister. I will remember this favor."
The chubby man blushed and scratched his cheek with his finger. No matter how old, young, naive, or experienced, man or woman, receiving some affection from our dragoness was deadly to any mortal person. The feeling of her plump and soft lips was something unforgettable.
Sarah was again uncomfortable at Yasenia's flirty nature. Still, after not seeing a single fluctuation in Angel's expression or Kali's body language, she didn't say anything and kept that feeling inside. Angel and Kali had done some business with Yasenia during these months for their shop in the Rita Academy. They had witnessed their dragoness use her charm in many ways to get them good deals.
Needless to say, our dragoness never went over the edge of intimacy and had a good sense of self. Yasenia only did things that even strangers would do, be it seductive gestures and glances, slight skin exposure as a "mistake," some hugs, or like this time, some surprise tap and quick kisses on common places like cheeks, forehead, or hands. This would normally make the person speaking a deal with you frown or get angry. However, if used timely and when Yasenia did it, these gestures made the person receiving it eager to taste that fluttering intimacy again, making them more enthusiastic to please the dragoness and receive these rewards.
The people that received this treatment were those much weaker than Yasenia. Yasenia knew she could charm them easily, so she didn't mind doing little tricks to gain favorability. However, she used her high intellect and business talent to cope with similar cultivators or people stronger than herself.
Yasenia's lovers have never minded. On the contrary, they thought highly of Yasenia for thinking of ways to use everything at her disposal as a powerful tool and get them extremely good deals. They also knew Yasenia would never do something truly intimate, so they had their hearts at ease.
The reason for this confidence was first that they knew that Yasenia would never do something that would hurt them. Moreover, once there was a person who tried to take advantage of her, and well, let's leave it as it didn't end well for that fellow.
Kali approached and asked curiously, taking advantage of the fact that the shopkeeper was receptive to their demands. "What are the benefits for cultivators crossing the Earth Gate?"
The shopkeeper looked at Yasenia's beautiful golden slit eyes, looking at him with "hidden" eagerness, and he was encouraged. He patted his big belly and said with scorn. "Compared to the beautiful immortals, they are just trash. Those that went through the Earth Gate will have priority in buying but only with the lower level gate cultivators. Everything will have a pitiful ten percent discount. They can also try each trial a total of seven times at most, not to mention their rewards are much lower."
The four of them took a deep breath; the difference was gigantic. Yasenia said jokingly, "The difference is truly like the distance between Heaven and Earth."
The man laughed, "Of course, who can compare with talented immortals like your esteemed self?"
Angel and Kali chuckled, and Sarah was just silent, cursing the man for being a pervert in her mind. Yasenia asked with a chuckle, "Well, since we are at it, could you tell us about the other two gates?"
The shopkeeper nodded with a smile, "Of course! You can ask as much as you want. The Mortal Gate benefits are to be able to try each trial three times. And the Waste Gate doesn't have any benefits and will also have to pay as much as we ask for anything they buy… Well, we, residents, quite despise them, so they also have a hard time buying anything."
The last sentence dripped with contempt and disgust. Yasenia suddenly realized something important. 'Wait, isn't this the first time this secret realm opens on our continent? Why is the shopkeeper speaking as if cultivators passing by is very common.'
Yasenia thought for a moment and then made a thoughtful expression as if she doubted if to ask something or not. The shopkeeper was very keen and saw Yasenia struggling to ask something, so he advised. "You can ask anything you want, beautiful immortal. Even if you wanted to have my wife, I wouldn't mind giving her to you!"
All of them but Yasenia entered a coughing fit. 'What did he just say!?'
Yasenia didn't react because she heard the joking tone, but she also couldn't laugh because it had happened in the past. You can imagine Yasenia's surprise when she saw a naked woman in the reception area looking at her with eager and passionate eyes. 'I then heard she almost beat her husband to a pulp because I refused her offer to do it. I think she beat him because she thought I rejected her because the deal he gave me was not good enough or something similar.' Yasenia coughed and refocused.
The shopkeeper laughed aloud and said, "It was a joke! However, the first part of the sentence is not. Your excellency can ask whatever you want, and nothing shall happen to you, I swear it to the heavens!"
They were speechless for a moment, and Yasenia secretly smirked. 'He was already quite honest, and now he will practically tell us anything if I ask smart enough.'
Then, she put on a cautious expression and asked. "Do cultivator waves pass this town often? You speak as if this wasn't the first time that cultivators visited this town."
Kali, Angel, and Sarah didn't understand Yasenia's question for a moment until something clicked for Angel and Kali. 'Right! We've just entered the secret realm; it is impossible for someone to come here before us.'
Thankfully, Sarah had the system to solve her doubts. After hearing the system's explanation, Sarah nodded and paid attention. The shopkeeper answered, "It can't be said to be often, but at least once every 100 years. Sometimes more, sometimes less. But in general, every century, there is a batch of cultivators that passes through the gates. This is my second time seeing cultivators, hahaha."
Sarah blurted without consideration, "How old are you?"
Yasenia's face didn't change, but she internally frowned, looking at her speechless, 'Don't you have manners? Asking someone's age is extremely rude.'
Asking the age of someone in the cultivation world was quite private since you could more or less guess talent, strength, and knowledge with it. For example, you would be more respectful to someone at the beginning of the Unification realm when they are 40 years old than to someone that is 200 years old and on the same level. The first is a young talent, and people would look up to them, and the second is a failure that got stuck in that realm, and people would look down on them.
However, because he was a mortal, the man wasn't angered and answered truthfully, "I have 214 years of age, young miss. I will probably retire before some cultivators appear here again."
Sarah was surprised, 'He looks so young! Isn't he a normal human without cultivation? How can he live for so long?'
The man answered the unasked question. "Even if we can't cultivate, the rich energy inside the town gives us enough vitality to live between 350 and 400 years. Nothing is perfect, though. I heard that our fertility is lower than the humans on the outside. Still, we are all happy."
Now that everything was clear, Yasenia said with a smile and a more respectful tone, straightening herself from the counter. "We've spoken so much together we should buy something to compensate senior! Could you show us what you are selling?"
The shopkeeper became enthusiastic and began speaking in length about his products. "We have all kinds of pills! Strengthening, energy gathering, aura concealing, beautifying, healing, blood replenishing, attack pills, and many more."
Yasenia's thoughts focused on one of them and asked eagerly, "Beautifying pills? Which one do you have? Do you have any to remove scars? Maybe you have the [Beauty Pill] in reserve?"
The man saw how eager he was and said, "Pills that remove scars on a cultivator are difficult to create. But we had some that make the skin softer, the pores smaller without affecting body functions, the hair sleeker and fluffier, and other small improvements."
Yasenia wasn't discouraged and asked, "Are the changes permanent?"
The man looked at Yasenia as if she had just said something barbaric. "They aren't. Pills that give permanent enhancement to appearance are extremely precious, rare, and difficult to make. They are different from healing pills as the healing is restoring the body, the enhancing is modifying the body and genes of the person."
Yasenia's shoulders slumped sadly. Kali hugged her arm and said lovingly, with her tail wagging happily. "Don't worry, Yasenia. After that day, I'm caring less and less about it. Moreover, thanks to your Yang energy and my transformation, the scars aren't as scary as before. It is more than enough if I have you by my side."
Yasenia looked at Kali with a gentle smile, and Kali said with a shy tone, "Also... I like when you lick my scars. It is very comfortable."
Yasenia hugged her and laughed softly. Then, she lifted her veil to kiss her scarred lips once lovingly. "I'll find a [Beauty pill] sooner or later. My honey has to be perfect and happy."
Kali hugged Yasenia tighter and subconsciously let cute sounds escape her throat, rubbing her face on Yasenia's shoulder.
The shopkeeper smiled apologetically, "Sorry for not being able to fulfill your expectations, but from the glimpse I got of her scars, I don't have anything that can help you."
Yasenia nodded in understanding. She had heard from Avalonia that Kali needed a very high-rank pill, similar in rarity and strength to the [Beauty Pill], to heal her. Then, she continued looking at the different pills and asking the price.