A mingled smell of metal, ore, and beast hides wafted through the gap in the door, carrying the chill of a place untouched by sunlight for years.
Shen Fei followed the steward across the threshold and into the storeroom.
The storeroom was large, lit entirely by a few luminous ores embedded in the walls. The light was far from bright, but it was enough to make out the shelves and crates inside.
Wooden shelves stood against all four walls, reaching from floor to ceiling. Every tier was packed with wooden boxes and iron cases of varying sizes, their lids labeled with the names and quantities of the items stored inside.
Several waist-high sheet-iron crates were stacked in the center of the room, their lids tightly fastened and their edges reinforced with iron strips.
The old steward led Shen Fei around the crates and stopped before the shelves at the back.
These shelves were somewhat lower than those nearer the entrance. Instead of wooden boxes, they held fist-sized square glass bottles arranged side by side.
Each bottle contained a sealed Demon Spirit. Their colors varied: some gleamed dark red, others were deep blue, and a few were pitch-black, with dim patterns of light flowing across their surfaces.
Labels on the bottles listed each Demon Spirit's rank and attribute.
"All the Black Gold Rank Demon Spirits are here." The old steward stepped aside and hung his ring of copper keys on a hook at his waist. "Please choose for yourself, young master. Tell this old servant which one you want, and I'll take it out for you."
Shen Fei nodded and approached the shelves, scanning the square glass bottles one by one.
The Demon Spirits sealed inside took various forms. Some were well preserved, retaining complete beast-shaped outlines; others were slightly damaged,