It was abundantly clear when they crossed over to the nicer part of town. For one, the houses didn't have any grime on them, which Rey figured was a staple in most towns. Two, no bums were puking their guts out in the streets or passed out in the middle of the street. Heck, even the houses were nicer, by demon standards.

  And the personal guards in front of every house were also another dead giveaway that this was where the rich and affluent lived. The houses or mansions were no longer flat-topped but in a Gothic style. Each owner was trying their best to outdo the others by making their houses bigger than the next. And of course, they were also doing their best to showcase who would be the best booty licker to the prince by making it look as close to the palace as they could.

  There was a strange urge rising in the back of his mind, like an itch that could only be scratched when he brought this whole fucking place down on their heads. He figured that was why all his friends had, on one occasion or another, turned around to give him a look that said, 'Do not scratch that itch.'

  Despite popular opinion, he wasn't a madman. He knew they were just here for a walk in the park, so to speak. So, he wouldn't go on a killing spree unnecessarily. He would at least wait five minutes before turning this place into a meat grinder.

  Oh, I can practically imagine the shit running down Razgorel's leg once he looks out the window and sees all his shit lickers buried under their own homes. There'd be no one left to wipe his ass clean.

  He giggled internally, and the worst part was that he didn't know which side of him had thought up this nice and clean thought. He really needed to get himself under control, but he just wanted to take his proverbial hammer and play wack-a-mole with all these beautiful houses.

  Maybe Kassi should never have given me the idea about gravity…

  Nah. Both of his sides said at the same time.

  It wasn't like there weren't the regular, non-intoxicated demons walking the streets. There were plenty of those, but just not enough to call these streets packed. Even the streets seemed kind of clean by demon standards. Of course, they might as well be shit-covered compared to the ones back home, but anything was an upgrade compared to the part of the city they had just come from.

  They had stored their weapons in their satchels so as not to draw too much attention. The only people who kept their weapons were Filomena and Ajay, as everyone carried swords, so it wasn't really a big deal.

  Aearbon was still invisible. The only way one could tell he was there was the small shadow that floated beside Rey, which they would only see when they walked by a house, thanks to the perma-night of this kingdom.

  As he walked, he used Identify on all the guards, and not a single one was below Rank 8; quite a few were Rank 9. Those were the exact ones he needed to reach Rank 10. Just a few more and he would reach the final Rank in the E-Tier.

  Noidet stopped and took a hard right into an alley that sat between two houses, which looked as if they were trying to compete to see who had a bigger penis. All of them followed the Sniffer into the alley, one by one.

  "Are we here?" Rey asked.

  Noidet motioned. "It's the big mansion at the end of the road, this way." He motioned toward the other side of the alley. "I had to take the long way around, as there are always Sniffers going in and out of the mansion."

  "I see," Rey headed towards the other end of the alley.

  "Where are you going?" Filomena hissed.

  "To take a look at the mansion that we've travelled so far and wide for," He replied. "Actually, I've had a better idea. Aearbon."

  He appeared, making Noidet jump. If Rey were a coward like him, he too would jump at the sight of the tall Tigerman.

  "Yes?"

  "How much Mana do you have remaining?" Rey asked.

  "I have enough," he replied. "It doesn't take much to keep it active; only activating takes a considerable amount."

  "Oh, so it's just like my skills," Rey finished. "And am I right in guessing that if you camouflage more people, it would take more Mana?"

  He nodded.

  "And would you have enough for you and me to do some well-meaning, totally harmless reconnaissance?"

  "I should, but we'll have to circle back quickly, or I'll run out of Mana," Aearbon warned.

  "And we will," Rey reassured him. "Don't worry, it'll be like we're out on a leisurely stroll in the park like a regular couple, who are madly in love and totally not on unspeaking terms with each other."

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  The others threw uncomfortable glances at Kassi, who pretended not to notice. Rey wouldn't be surprised if that were her superpower. If he had known this side of her, he would've known to keep his mouth shut about certain things, like doing ungodly things to a demon captain.

  "Aearbon, please don't let this idiot wander off and create trouble for the rest of us," Filomena said.

  "Okay, that is not nice," Rey said. "I always create the good kind of trouble. Trouble that is always beneficial to us all."

  "Rey, just…" Ajay shook his head.

  "Damn, even you. I'll remember this, the next time you need saving from a leg-chomping demon."

  He followed Aearbon, who had apparently grown bored of the banter, and made his way towards the end of the alley. He couldn't just let his date walk out on him all alone.

  "Don't do anything stupid," Kassi said as he walked past.

  "Hey, four words in four days. We're making progress. At this rate, I'm really looking forward to day thirty." He patted Aearbon on the arm. "Come on, lover, you better not get any funny ideas while we're invisible." Then he leaned in. "Though, if you do, it's not like I can refuse such a big, strong hunk like you."

  Aearbon looked like he wanted to rip off his tail and hang himself with it.

  Rey laughed as his tiger friend placed a hand on his shoulder, and they turned invisible. The only reason Rey could tell they had gone invisible was that he had a shiny sheen over his whole body. It was like he had a nice glowing bubble around him. Aearbon had the same thing around him.

  "Whoa, this is so cool," Rey commented, and noted the small smirk on Aearbon's face, which was as rare as a hippo with perfect teeth. "Maybe I should get this skill, and then some people won't have to pretend that I don't exist. I'll just be gone from their life altogether."

  Kassi looked up in his direction at that. He chuckled as he shook his head and motioned for Aearbon to move on. They headed for the other end of the alley, and the street was definitely more packed than the one they had previously travelled. This felt like they were back in the shittier part of town because of the traffic.

  It was as if there weren't many drunkards lying on the side of the streets, but just more variety of demons walking the streets. This would make things difficult, especially if many of them were Sniffers, as Noidet had said. But then fortune always favored the bold.

  They moved with cat-like deftness through the street. He let Aearbon do most of the work and followed where he led him. He was better at avoiding the crowds. More than once, he heard and saw demons sniffing the air in their direction. They gave them a wide berth, no matter how much Rey wanted to give them a tap on the shoulder or pinch their nose.

  Curbing his urges, they finally arrived at the mansion at the end of the street, and by god, did it put the rest to shame. Heck, he had only seen such mention in some of the richer kingdoms. Whoever this Ginirth was, he had style. It was like he was baring his glowing cock to the world, and letting them bask in the glory of its magnificence.

  The mansion itself was nothing short of a palace. He only saw celebrities or billionaires have such wealth.

  "This Ginirth isn't doing too badly for himself," Rey whispered to Aearbon, who nodded. "Let's go in for a closer look."

  They moved closer, and the place was massive. If Rey had to guess, this sprawling 'house' must have had tens of thousands of square feet, which was good. Lots of places to hide and strike from, unless all his guards were Sniffers as well. But if they were, they would've been sniffing the air by now, but they weren't. Besides, which flipping guy with a soul would be stupid enough to walk to the biggest Sniffer in town? He would have to be a real kind of stupid.

  "This place is really well defended," Rey remarked.

  "Yes, but the right side of the wall is not so well defended." Aearbon pointed out. "There are no windows on the lower level, though that should be no trouble for you."

  "Sir, are you telling me to attack the place all by my lonesome?" Rey asked. "Even I'm not that stupid. Though there is something I want to test. Follow my lead."

  He walked closer to the mansion's edge, which had a steel railing as high as Aearbon, surrounding the entire mansion to protect against attackers like Rey and his Goonies.

  He moved closer to test if the guard patrolling the fence was a Sniffer. He wasn't. He hardly even noticed their presence and kept making his rounds as usual. Rey moved closer to the gate, where a large crowd had gathered to petition to see the Sniffer lord, or they were just his adoring fans.

  Rey wanted to move closer, but Aearbon held on to his shoulder firmly and wouldn't let him move.

  Aearbon shook his head. "It's too risky."

  "Come on, man, I just want to test if they have Sniffers guarding the gate, that's all."

  But the Tigerman's grip did not loosen one bit. "I'm sorry, Rey, but I think we've seen enough. We should head back."

  Rey sighed. "Fine. Have it your way."

  He pointed to his massive paw that was holding him and activated Repulsion. It wasn't anything crazy, just a small wave, and his hand shot away from him. Rey knew he was visible again because the shiny bubble surrounding him was gone.

  "Rey!" Aearbon hissed sharply.

  "Just go back to the others. I'll be back shortly."

  He hadn't walked two steps when he noted a demon gaping at him. "Did you just…Were you invisible just now?"

  "Downing the hooch early in the morning, eh, friend?" Rey remarked as he patted his shoulder. "I've been here all along. Say, how does one get to see the big man inside? I have information about some filthy humans, especially this woman who's been annoying me for the past couple of days."

  The demon stared at him some more before answering. "Just go to that big crowd of people and give your information to that woman there." He leaned in. "Damn, she's a sight. She would even give some of the succubuses a run for their money."

  "Really, then I have to see her. Thanks, friend."

  Rey whistled nonchalantly, pretending that he belonged. It seemed the entrance for the Sniffers was different, as no one was entering from this gate. Even this gate was closed, and the demon crowded around it, trying to get a peek in at this demon woman who was supposedly so hot.

  He walked to the edge of the crowd, trying to get a look at this woman, and it was hard enough to get a peek at her nail, let alone the woman, thanks to all these stinking demons. It was a good thing they were here, since they would mask his scent…hopefully.

  He cracked his finger and jumped into the crowd. Of course, he had no intention of jolting his way to the front. Every so often, he would shoot a small Repulsion at the demon to his side, making room for him. It was slow going, but soon he was at the front, and that drunk demon had been right. The demoness was a beauty. She must've been a model back on Earth.

  "Name or information on the being with the soul?" She asked, in a bored tone, without looking up from the book with the leather pages, and the leather looked to be human skin.

  "Rey, and standing before you."

  She looked up at him, eyes wide with shock.

  Rey grinned. "It surely is a small world, isn't it, Gloria?"