Undercity was a commercial district for electronics within the densely populated suburb of Atherten, a brief 15 minute train ride from Cherryvale and Little Cherry High.
Despite the name, the majority of the stores weren't actually underneath the ground. Undercity was a bustling street that no cars were permitted down and was lined with shops that were deep rather than wide.
There were four levels of stores stacked atop one another with a mishmash of bridges and stairs arching across the street, neon signs and electronic billboards advertising in every corner of the space. Even deeper were entrances to indoor malls while above were another four or five levels of tightly packed apartments, causing the street to appear as if it was enveloping you.
This was where the name Undercity sprouted from.
Countless shoppers mingling around and just as many people hanging around socializing with friends and no intent on buying anything. All colors of hair bobbed among the crowd, as did wild outfits and hairstyles. At one moment, you may see a goth girl with heavy makeup and platform boots, then you would see a group of men in kilts with bagpipes. There were tophats and vests, suits and dressing gowns, even people dressing up in cosplay and doing photoshoots.
Not just humans, but orcs, goblins and elves shifted through the crowd while palm sized fairies fluttered through the air. Red and blue oni as well as other demons from the darker realms could also be found here.
It was a highly popular gathering spot after all despite the security of the place had degraded over the past several years due to political corruption, as indicated by several gambling sites that sprouted up.
For all the bad that this place contained, there was a reason so many people constantly frequented here. You could buy items that you couldn't get anywhere else and be a part of a culture that was unique to Undercity.
Alex, Orion and Kenneth waded through the crowd with sugary bubble teas in hand. Alex in particular was truly engrossed in the culture of the place as despite knowing about it, he had only ever been once or twice in the distant past. Prior to awaking his system, he had been fully focused on his studies and becoming a mage after all.
The group were happily chatting while eyeing several stores when a seductive voice interrupted them.
"Boys~" A pink-haired succubus dressed in a loose fitting rock-band t-shirt and a pleated skirt with black stockings showed up from among the crowd, "fancy running into you here."
"M-Ms. Lilith??" Kenneth, the demi-orc, stuttered and took a step back in shock.
Alex wasn't surprised to see her as he knew she would be following him closely. He simply hadn't expected her to use this tactic to emerge from the shadows and join the group in the open.
Lilia sauntered over to the boys and joined the on the side that Alex just so happened to be occupying. She leaned over, deliberately pressing her breasts against his arm before asking.
"What a coincidence, running into some of my students here. You aren't here to cause trouble, are you?"
"Of course not, we are just shopping," Orion placed his palms together and bobbed his head while smiling.
"Well let me supervise you, I would be unhappy if my students got mixed up with the wrong crowd."
Alex wanted to roll his eyes in exasperation, but the succubus joined the group just like that. The buddhist and demi-orc also noticed that Lilia was favoring Alex by sticking close enough they would accidentally touch when walking around other shoppers. The duo were jealous and wanted to be closer to her, but they were too nervous to take the initiative and only stole envious glances.
The group eventually made their way to a games store on the second floor called 'Paradise Games', a well kept store that didn't appear to be anything other than an ordinary shop for video games, board games, and pop culture memorabilia.
The deeper one went into the store though, the more diverse the goods were. There was a large sections of games and items from other realms, while through a doorway guarded by an id scanning barrier, was the adult, or hardcore, section of games. Essentially this final section was for erotica and pornography.
What Alex and his cohorts were here for however, was within the imported goods section. Black Lace, while having adult content, was not classified as a pornographic game.
They soon found what they were looking for, and Alex drew in a sharp breath at the price tag of $270, with the special edition costing twice as much. Kenneth and Orion seemed already prepared for such a hefty price tag and grinned as they each grabbed a copy.
"Lilia, do you have any money?" Alex quietly whispered to the succubus, his living expenses previously being fully taken care of by his parents, and now Vanessa.
"Not a dime," Lilia grinned, her tail secretly sliding up the back of his shirt and caressing his back.
Alex would have not only had to purchase the game, but also the console to play it. If he wanted to experience the full VR experience, he would need equipment for that too. Altogether, it would cost him approximately $1,500.
Opening up his banking application on his phone, it showed his balance in a holographic ring that was only two digits in length.
He knew why she was being flirtation. She wouldn't hesitate if he commanded her to break the law for him, but he held firm to his morals.
He secretly thought how he could make some money, even considering peddling some goods from his system but quickly disposed of that thought as it would expose it. The other options were to get a part time job, or take on a more dangerous profession of a Realm Pioneer.
The former was low risk, low reward, while the latter was the opposite. A Realm Pioneer was someone who ventured out through the Realm Gate to explore both unknown and known realms for treasure. It would be idiotic to cause trouble in a realm aligned with the human alliance, but the laws of Terminus didn't apply outside of the human alliance.
"If master wants to play around with some cultivators," Lilia seductively whispered in Alex's ears, taking advantage of the other two not paying attention to squeeze her chest against his back, "master just has to say the word this servant will go collect a group of them, even the ones who are featured in this game~"
As tempted as he was, Alex pushed down the vile thought and shook his head, "I have no interest in kidnapping people, especially to do that with."
Lilia had no aversion to it, but Alex truly couldn't allow himself to abandon his morals. The succubus merely shrugged her shoulders and nibbled on his ear before distancing herself as Orion and Kenneth turned around.
"Ms. Lilith," Orion cleared his throat as he spoke, "would you like to join us for something to eat."
"Oh, so long as such vibrant young men are paying, I would love to~"