Scarlet wine slipped down Renato's throat. He savored the sharp heat rising at the back of his tongue, his throat tightening as though he were embracing and kissing a mysterious, dangerous she-demon.
Yet the pleasant buzz he had expected did not last long. The magical wine had barely spent a few seconds inside him before his body, now strengthened by a Constitution score of 17, dispelled its effects entirely.
He put away the empty bottle of Bloody Marilith, rubbing his fingertips over it for a moment. Feeling his intoxication grow ever fainter, he sat in the cushioned leather chair and could not help reflecting.
The increase in his Constitution was not entirely a blessing. The languor of sleeping in, the relaxation of being drunk... those ordinary pleasures now seemed to lie behind a pane of glass.
Even if Renato forced himself to indulge, he would only be fooling himself. He could no longer lose himself in them.
Perhaps this was one of the prices strength demanded.
At that moment, Renato was inside the largest magic shop in the Governor's Special District. Several ever-burning, cold-blue Magic Lamps hung from the vaulted ceiling, casting their light over glass cases and black wooden shelves.
The cases displayed an assortment of enchanted blades, amulets, and potions. Behind the counter, a row of half-open brass drawers brimmed with ore, metal powders, sea beast bones, and other alchemical materials...
White Harbor was a small island with even fewer wealthy permanent residents, so even the bustling Governor's Special District had only two magic shops.
And even this, the larger of the two, was less than half the size of Reliable Enchanting in Fried City. Its selection of magical items was pitifully sparse.
The proprietor was a cautious, middle-aged Sorcerer. Seeing that Renato was a noble outfitted with