1000x Random Returns: Investing in My Crippled Demon Wives!

Chapter 49: Chapter 49: The Lucky Charm Joins the Squad!

The carriage rolled through the city at night, everyone’s stuff safely tucked into storage.

Evelisse was already eating something from a bag.

”Didn’t you just eat?” Lucien asked.

”That was hours ago.”

”It was only two hours ago.”

”Exactly, so I’m starving.”

Aurelia sighed at her nonsense while Seraphina laughed quietly into her hand.

Back at the estate, everyone freshened up while Lucien showered quickly and headed for the kitchen.

---

Dinner turned out impressive even by his recent standards, Ember-Spiced Flamefang, Moonrice Pilaf, Mana Mushroom Cream Soup, and a Honey-Moon Berry Pudding that had Evelisse practically vibrating in her seat before it even hit the table.

The moment the first bite touched his tongue, Lucien noticed the warmth spreading through his chest before the flavor even fully registered.

[Ding!]

[Aurelia — ×34 — Reward: 11 Months Cultivation Progress]

[Seraphina — ×27 — Reward: 9× Rare Alchemy Herbs, 3× Rare Mana Recovery Potions]

[Evelisse — ×14 — Reward: 50× C-Rank Mana Crystals, 2000 Gold]

’The system really does have a sense of humor, giving me thinds related to them sometimes and other times completely random stuff.’ Lucien thought, tucking the rewards away.

They wound down the evening together in the living room discussing various topics while watching TV, later Lucien headed up with Seraphina to her room, still faintly anticipating the master bedroom’s completion.

---

Morning arrived with Seraphina already gone.

’Of course. Aurelia’s must be already training, Seraphina’s probably cooking since she woke up early. I’m the only one who sleeps like a normal person around here.’

He washed up, catching his reflection briefly still broader than a month ago, still faintly unfair given how little he’d actually earned it through conventional means.

’Really need more clothes eventually, woth the way I’m growing.’ he thought, though they’d bought plenty yesterday.

’...Actually, we’re probably fine for now.’ Remembering all the tings Evelisse made him try on.

---

He left the bathroom and headed up to Evelisse’s room to wake her up.

He found Evelisse buried entirely under her blanket, not a single limb visible.

”Evelisse.”

Nothing.

”Wake up.”

Nothing.

He tugged the blanket slightly as a muffled voice emerged. ”...Five more minutes.”

”Breakfast is ready, if you don’t wake up there will be nothing left for you.”

Her eyes shot open instantly. ”WHAT?”

Lucien stared. ”..We’ll damn, that actually worked.”

She sat up, hair a magnificent disaster, eyes stillnot fully opened. ”What are we having?”

”Haven’t made it yet.”

She lay back down immediately going back to sleep. ”...Wake me when it’s ready.”

”Unbelievable.”

She mumbled something into her pillow, half-asleep already. ”...No... don’t take the cake... it’s mine...”

Lucien just stood there a moment, processing the fact that his wife apparently dreamed about dessert theft.

---

Downstairs, he ate with Aurelia and Seraphina while his phone buzzed steadily.

He pulled it out to check who was messaging him as he didn’t have many contacts. And to no surprise, it was Rika and her party.

Rika: Good morning Luc. We’re fully recovered and we discharged from the hospital.

Kael: FUCK!!! I CANT BELIEVE WE SURVIVED THAT!

Vex: Kael is exaggerating, it wasn’t so bad.

Lucien laughed, reading through it. They mentioned doing another dungeon run, planning to try something new now that they’d hit a higher Rank.

Rika: We are planning to try the Bloodmoon Ruins since we heard it’s new. You interested in joining?

Lucien paused.

’Well that’s some perfect timing, was planning to go, but I just needed a party.’

’Now I don’t have to try and join a group of strangers and their party.’

Lucien: OK, count me in.

Kael: Finally, you’re joining us again so we can experience that sweet luck of yours.

Lucien: Again woth the exaggerating.

Vex: Sorry Luc, but I have to agree with Kael on this one, you are pretty lucky.

Rika: Okay, enough of this, so what do you say about meeting at the Guild in an hour or so.

Kael: Sure, I’ve got nothing to do.

Vex:

Lucien: See you guys there then.

After which he switched off the phone and focused on eating with his wives, Evelisse included after rushing out of the shower, while mumbling something about some food nightmare, something about being forced to watch someone watch her sweets.

---

Once breakfast wound down, he handed Aurelia and Evelisse their purchases from the day before, manuals, ingredients, clothes, etc as the system chimed, confirming small returns he tucked away for later.

[Ding!]

[Investment Detected.]

[Aurelia...]

[Evelisse....]

He claimed a fresh scythe manual from Aurelia’s investment reward, Rare rank, considerably better than his current one, the Uncommon one he bought yesterday a day some other types of manuals along with it most common rank.

As for Evelisse, he got various food ingredients and some special desserts, exactly what he expected to get considering most of the stuff she bought was related to eating in some way or the other.

Then he turned to Seraphina, holding out his storage ring.

”This is yours now,” he said. ”Everything from yesterday’s alchemy haul is already inside along with your clothes and other stuff.”

She blinked. ”You’re giving me the ring?”

”You need somewhere to keep everything you make. Makes more sense for you to have one too, as for me I can get another one.”

The chime rang the moment she accepted it with the mystery wheel appearing and starting to spin

[Ding!]

[ Investment Detected: Storage Ring + Alchemy Equipment → Seraphina Lilith (Bond: Partner 47%) ]

[×38]

’Thats a high return multiplier, seems that her bond percentage also increased some more, wonder when it will reach 100% and what will happen if it’s already so good now?’

The rewards followed next, all going into the system inventory.

[Reward: Icefire Alchemy Furnace (Epic)]

[Reward: Storage Ring — 60m × 60m (Uncommon Rank)]

[Reward: Rare Purification Equipment.]

[Reward: Rare Alchemy Manual.]

Lucien blinked at the list of returns. ’Epic furnace. That’s quite a lot more than I expected from investing a Rare furnace, its a jump of 2 ranks.’

He asked to borrow the storage ring back briefly, transferring some of his own scattered belongings mana crystals, gold, blood vials, his weapon into the newer, larger storage ring he got.

”Where’d you get that from?” Evelisse asked him.

”Bought it yesterday along with the other stuff, figured I’d need a bigger one.”

Saying so he then swapped out Seraphina’s alchemy equipment for the freshly acquired better upgraded ones, before handing it back.

”I left a surprise inside, so make sure to check it our” he said smiling at her.

Seraphina looked at him, confused, clearly planning to investigate the moment she reached her workshop.

---

As he finished handing out everything to the girls, they split up, each to do their own things.

Aurelia herded a protesting Evelisse toward the underground training room.

”Do I really have to train?” Evelisse whined.

”Yes.”

”What if I cultivate instead?”

”No.”

”What if I cultivate while lying down?”

”Still no.”

Their voices faded down the hallway, Evelisse’s complaints growing increasingly creative.

Seraphina headed for her workshop/ improvised spare room, and Lucien got dressed in one of yesterday’s new outfits, telling the girls as he left.

”I’m heading to the Guild got a meeting some friends.”

”Bring snacks!” Evelisse’s voice echoed from downstairs.

”We already bought enough yesterday and I am going to a dungeon not a snack shop.”

”Exactly! But that was just a few days supply and who says a dungeon doesn’t have snacks sonmakensure to bring snacks!”

He laughed and left, hailing a carriage toward the city as Aurelia dragged Evelisse to the training ground below.

---

The streets were busy with morning traffic, vampires heading to work, a pair of Asura merchants hauling crates, a wolflike-demon vendor setting up his stall.

Even a small cluster of humans clearly on some kind of continental exchange trip, snapping pictures of the gothic architecture like tourists anywhere, likely some sort of academy outing or something similar.

’Its quite cool that this world’s got room for all of it, the various races, the many continent, etc’ Lucien thought, watching the city slide by.

’According to what I found in the Aethernis library, the Demon Continent alone is a little larger than that of Asia, Europe and Africa combined.’

’And it’s not even the biggest continent in this world.’ He thought recalling all the stuff he read related to the geography of the world, mostly about this continent.

The Guild came into view a few minutes later, quieter than usual given the early hour.

”LUC! MY MAN!”

’There he is.’

Kael’s voice carried across the lobby before Lucien had even fully stepped inside.

”There he is,” Rika said, amused, as he approached.

Vex offered a simple nod. ”Good timing.”

”Zalor’s not with you?” Lucien asked.

”He’s got some other obligations, mainly his family” Rika said. ”He’ll catch up eventually.”

---

”You should’ve seen it,” Kael said, launching into the story with theatrical flair. ”Wolves everywhere. One nearly took my arm clean off!”

”It scratched his armor atmost,” Vex said flatly.

”EXACTLY! IT ALMOST TOOK MY ARM OFF.”

”The armor barely has a dent on it.”

”Details.”

Rika shook her head, more measured. ”Vice Guild Master and the higher-ranked adventurers handled the mini-bosses and the boss itself. We mostly cleaned up stragglers. Took some hits, nothing permanent.”

”Luckily we never planned on heading to deep into the dungeon otherwise we wouldn’t have escaped woth only injuries.” She said.

”Glad you’re all okay,” Lucien said, meaning it.

---

As theybtalked they drifted toward the dungeon board, stopping in front of the new listing.

BLOODMOON RUINS

Rank: A

Recommended Party: C-Rank+

Type: Multi-floor descent, each floor its own ecosystem, difficulty increasing with depth

Depth: Unknown (Estimated to be 20 floors)

Known Threats: Blood Bats, Crimson Wolves, Blood Golems, Bloodfang Hounds, etc

Special Resources: Various types of blood resources including Blood Mana Crystals, Blood ores, plants, etc

”We’re taking it,” Kael announced.

”You’re pretty confident,” Lucien said.

”We’re C-Rank now,” Rika said, a hint of pride in her voice. ”Finally broke through after the Ironfang payout and cultivating while recovering since we were near C Rank already.”

”Yeah, we are all C Rank now.” Kael announced.

”Don’t worry I willnmake sure nothing happens to you, Luc just give me the luck.” He said.

”I am C-Rank too, just advanced a day ago.” Lucien laughed, shocking the three but they didn’t ask how, as everyone has a secret or two.

”See this once again proves how lucky you are Luc, catching up to us in just a week or so.” Vex said, qhich was the most Lucien heard him say at once.

They moved on to the dungeon details.

”Dungeon’s newly discovered too,” Vex added. ”Resources are basically untouched, which means they are worth more.”

Rika’s eyes practically glinted at that.

’Ah,’ Lucien thought. ’There it is. Money. Should’ve guessed.’

---

”You in?” Kael asked, turning to him.

Lucien thought it over, new weapon needing practice, freshly hit C-Rank himself, and a blood-type dungeon that was practically engineered for his exact abilities.

”I’m in.”

Kael whooped loudly enough to draw a few glances.

”YES! Our lucky charm’s coming with us!”

”Stop calling me that.”

”Never.”

”You are pretty lucky, though,” Vex said.

”You’re not helping.”

They pulled out their phones, registering as a party directly through the app and for the dungeon.

[Dungeon Registered — Bloodmoon Ruins]

Party: Rika Hagane, Kael Astrax, Vex Ashworth, Luc Voss

Registered: Two Days from now

”Two days to prep,” Rika said. ”Get your gear sorted.”

---

They split up outside the Guild, Rika heading toward supply shops, Vex toward the weapon district, Kael muttering something about ”essential provisions” that definitely just meant food.

All them deciding to meet back here in 2 days before heading to the dungeon together.

Lucien decided to walk rather than hail a carriage.

’Need to stop by Blackstone anyway. Tell Borin to start the master bedroom expansion and some other stuff while I’ve got the gold for it.’

He set off through the city, the morning crowd thinning gradually as he moved further from the Guild district and headed towards the outer parts of the city.

Then thinning further.

Then, unsettlingly, entirely.

He slowed, glancing around.

No merchants. No pedestrians. No carriages rattling past. Not even the distant sound of children somewhere, which should have been impossible this time of day in a district this size.

’...That’s strange.’

He checked his phone. No signal.

He looked behind him.

Nothing.

Ahead.

Nothing.

His fingers tightened slowly around the handle of his new scythe, he summoned from his storage ring.

’The city’s never this quiet, not during the night’ he thought, pulse ticking up. ’And definitely not during the day.’

Something was wrong here.

He just couldn’t figure out what.