All Tricks and Traps

"Service level?"

Rayne was somewhat confused. Wasn't the Soul Transformation Ritual just a matter of injecting the potion? What difference was there?

Viola said nothing, and Talini answered for her from the side, "Mr. Rayne, ordinary Soul Transformation Rituals are very simple. You just inject the potion. The Violet House is different. For the sake of our customers' safety and to increase the ritual's success rate, we can provide you with a variety of service packages."

Rayne became somewhat interested. He had never heard of any of this before.

Talini explained, "First is the effect of the Soul Devouring Potion. Although the main ingredient in all Soul Devouring Potions is Soul Devouring Grass, the Violet House has a unique formula. The potions we refine are more effective than ordinary potions, slightly reduce the pain, and allow customers to hold out longer."

"Of course, our potions are also more expensive than ordinary ones."

"How much more?" Rayne asked.

"One potion costs thirty Gold Shields," Talini replied.

Rayne nodded slightly, but inwardly he was unimpressed.

Under normal circumstances, a Soul Devouring Potion sold for around five Gold Shields. This price was rather outrageous.

No matter how the formula of the Soul Devouring Potion was studied, its effect remained the same: stimulating the human soul through intense pain to awaken its ability to fuse with other souls.

What Talini had said about allowing someone to hold out longer was not very meaningful.

Everyone's physical condition was different, as was the strength of their will. The same potion would naturally have different effects on different people. Even for the same person, undergoing the Soul Transformation Ritual at different times and using the same potion could produce different results.

Without quantifiable standards, there was no way to prove that one potion was more effective than another.

The Violet House's potion might truly reduce the pain, but it might also merely be a form of psychological comfort. It could not be proven, nor could it be disproven.

Still, many people should be willing to pay these thirty Gold Shields for the effects claimed by the Violet House.

After all, the Soul Transformation Ritual was far too important!

Once the ritual failed, ten years of one's lifespan would be lost, and the soul would remain weak for three to five years.

Because of the Blood Soul Curse, humans could hardly live to the age of seventy even without disasters or illness. By the time their souls recovered, if they risked their lives to undergo the Soul Transformation Ritual again and failed once more, they would have only a few years left to live.

Therefore, each person had only one or two chances in their lifetime to become a Transcendent. As long as they had the money, they would willingly spend their entire fortune for even the slightest increase in their chances of success.

Even those with outstanding talent would be very willing to spend money on a better potion if it allowed them to endure longer during the ritual and achieve a more complete soul transformation.

Rayne considered his chances fairly good. With music to greatly reduce the pain, success through the Soul Transformation Ritual was virtually guaranteed, so he certainly would not waste money on this.

However, he did not refuse immediately.

Talini continued, "Besides a better potion, we also provide a bottle of Vitality Potion, a Mind Protection Scroll made by a 'Psion,' and a Rune Altar specially used for the Soul Transformation Ritual."

"Drink the Vitality Potion before the ritual begins. You should know that the Soul Transformation Ritual may last nearly an hour. It consumes a great deal of physical strength amid the pain, while the Vitality Potion will keep you full of energy and allow you to hold out until the end."

"Mind Protection is a third-circle spell. It can shield you from some of the Lord of Darkness's murmurs and prevent the Blood Soul Curse from taking advantage of your soul's weakness to flare up."

Rayne could not help feeling a chill in his heart when he heard this.

During the Soul Transformation Ritual, the extreme pain tortured the soul and caused intense emotions. This was the best opportunity for the Blood Soul Curse to take advantage of the situation.

Nowadays, people who died during the Soul Transformation Ritual usually did not die from the torment of soul transformation. They died when the curse flared up and became Fallen Ones.

This was also the most dangerous factor in the Soul Transformation Ritual.

Rayne had experienced the Blood Soul Curse flaring up once shortly after crossing over, but he was not certain whether his phone could still protect him during the ritual.

If the Mind Protection Scroll truly worked, then it was indeed worth buying one.

"How much is this Mind Protection Scroll?" Rayne suddenly asked.

"Fifty Gold Shields," Talini said. "Because it's a third-circle spell, the material cost alone accounts for half the price of the scroll. Moreover, only Psions can make it, so it's a little more expensive."

Rayne nodded. The price was fairly reasonable.

Psions were a professional branch of wizards and one of the four major specializations of the Seal School. They were extremely rare.

There might not even be a few Psion wizards in all of Longshande. In addition, Mind Protection was a third-circle spell, and turning it into a scroll was somewhat difficult. It was understandable that the Violet House sold it at a higher price.

Talini then introduced a Rune Altar used for the Soul Transformation Ritual.

According to her, this Rune Altar had been arranged by a Rune Master and came equipped with a syringe. Performing the ritual on it was both safe and reliable. It could also promote the soul transformation process, improve the fusion effect, and even had a very low chance of slightly increasing one's elemental affinity.

Rayne did not particularly believe this.

After humans were cursed by the Lord of Darkness, their bodies had degenerated and their racial talents had vanished. Their elemental affinity was about the same as that of an insulator. Even if it increased slightly, it would not be of much use.

Still, this Rune Altar for the Soul Transformation Ritual had to be used. It was considered the most basic item, and it was not expensive anyway—only a few Gold Shields.

In addition, Talini introduced several other services.

For example, there was the Calming Technique Scroll. Whether the Soul Transformation Ritual succeeded or failed, using the Calming Technique Scroll afterward could soothe the soul and prevent lingering aftereffects from the pain.

Alternatively, they could invite an experienced Intermediate Tier wizard to preside over the Soul Transformation Ritual and activate the Rune Altar. There were also better Vitality Potions, Mind Protection Scrolls of the third circle or higher, and so on.

The Violet House did not forcefully promote a full set of services. Instead, it thoughtfully offered combination rituals with different services, allowing customers to choose for themselves.

Talini took out a framed price list of the various combinations for Rayne to examine.

As Rayne looked at the price list in his hand and heard all the familiar words in Talini's explanation—combination packages, discounts, special offers, services, member prices—he experienced a strange illusion.

Isn't this just a sales pitch?

Why does it feel like I've walked into a massage parlor, and the thing in my hand is a price list for the deluxe package?

Rayne's thoughts wandered as he looked at Talini strangely. It was as if the woman before him was no longer a Transcendent, but a star technician.

As for Viola, the beautiful Half-elf sitting across from him, she was the owner of the establishment and its top attraction...

"Mr. Rayne?"

Talini had been speaking when she suddenly noticed that the handsome young man seemed to have spaced out. The way he was looking at her was also rather strange, making her feel uneasy.

"Mr. Rayne, have you decided?" she asked again.

"Oh, oh, sorry! Everything sounds so good that I'm having trouble choosing." Rayne came back to himself and used praise to conceal his lapse, hurriedly casting aside all the ridiculous thoughts in his mind.

Talini smiled. "If Mr. Rayne thinks they're all good but is having trouble choosing, then you can directly select the highest-level combination ritual. It includes all the services, and you can apply for a membership with the Violet House. Your first Soul Transformation Ritual will come with a ten percent discount."

"A membership card..."

Rayne felt a headache coming on as he listened. He had not expected that even after transmigrating to another world, he still could not escape these sorts of tricks.

He had heard Talini explain earlier that the Violet House had several membership levels. The lowest was an ordinary membership, which required an annual membership fee of ten Gold Shields.

The highest-level VIP membership, however, required an annual fee of three hundred Gold Shields!

It was practically robbery.

In reality, this was not a business model unique to the Violet House. Many merchant associations and shops used similar methods. It was simply that the Violet House had developed it to its fullest, making it no different from businesses on Earth.

It went without saying that the idea had almost certainly come from the Half-elf Viola.

Rayne turned to glance at Viola. Throughout Talini's business pitch, she had not said a word. Her exquisite face had maintained a smile the entire time, and she had kept her attention on him, bringing him considerable pressure.

If it had been someone else who had never seen this kind of sales model before, and an absolute beauty had been staring at them from right in front of them, they might have been so dazzled by the need to show off that they would have signed up for membership in a daze, then hazily bought the most expensive combination ritual.

Tricks, all of them are tricks!

Rayne was laughing bitterly inside, but on the surface, he pretended to be very troubled and said, "I don't have much money. I can get a membership card, but I can only choose Combination Four. There should be a member discount, right?"

The fourth Soul Transformation combination was one of the cheapest plans. It included an ordinary Soul Devouring Potion, a third-circle Mind Protection Scroll, and the most basic Rune Altar for the Soul Transformation Ritual. That was all.

This combination ritual cost only sixty Gold Shields. The Mind Protection Scroll alone accounted for fifty. Adding the membership fee brought the total to seventy Gold Shields. With another discount, it would be quite affordable.

Of course, if Rayne steeled his heart, he could even buy just one ordinary Soul Devouring Potion for only five Gold Shields.

However, that would be somewhat insulting.

Talini was a Transcendent, after all, as well as a Plant Tender with healing abilities. If Rayne had no money, he naturally would not pretend otherwise, but since he had money, he could at least show her some respect.

Besides, he truly needed the Mind Protection Scroll as a precaution. He might also purchase more things from the Violet House later, so an ordinary membership would come in handy.

Talini was inevitably a little disappointed when she heard Rayne's choice, but she did not try to persuade him further.

"As long as you get a membership card, you'll receive a discount, but it only applies to the first service. Mr. Rayne, when do you plan to undergo the ritual?"

Rayne did not hesitate. "The sooner, the better."

"We need to make some preparations. The earliest would be tomorrow. Would tomorrow at noon work for you?" Talini asked after considering it.

"That works."

"Good." Talini reminded him, "Before tomorrow's ritual, please bring the money with you, Mr. Rayne."

Rayne nodded to indicate that he understood.

At this moment, Viola, who had been silent for a long time, spoke up. "Mr. Rayne, with your talent, you'll certainly have no problem passing the Soul Transformation Ritual. Have you ever considered which Transcendent profession to choose? The Violet House can provide you with consultation services."

She paused, then laughed softly. "Of course, they're free."