"This village is beautiful," Lillia said as we walked through the streets. "I can't believe that such a place exists."
"Yes, it's pretty amazing," Gloria said with a smile. "We like to keep it hidden from the outside world, though; it's our little secret."
"And I intend to keep it that way," I said, and Gloria looked at me with a quizzical expression. "No offense, but this place is pretty special, and I wouldn't want people coming here and ruining it."
Gloria nodded her head in agreement before she led us into a large building. As we walked in, I could see that it was some kind of marketplace with all sorts of stalls set up. There were fish swimming around in tanks, and there was even an area where they appeared to be auctioning off some kind of sea creature.
"Welcome to the marketplace!" Gloria said cheerfully as she led us around. "This is where you can find anything that you need."
As we continued to walk around, I couldn't help but notice how everyone seemed to be staring at me. It was starting to make me feel a bit uneasy, so I asked Gloria about it.
“Um… why are people staring at Zack?” Mati whispered from behind me as if she had read my mind.
Gloria looked flustered for a moment before she regained her composure and cleared her throat softly.
“It’s because he’s new,” She explained awkwardly.
That was reasonable in a world filled with Demons and humanoid monsters. I was a pink-skinned human and one of a kind as far as I knew. There were definitely some exotic-looking creatures here, so I guess I could understand why they were staring.
"Is there anything in particular that you are looking for?" Gloria asked as we continued to walk around.
"Not really," I said with a shake of my head. "I'm just curious about everything."
Gloria nodded her head in understanding before she led us over to a stall that was selling what appeared to be weapons. The man behind the counter had all sorts of knives and daggers on display, and he even had a few swords hanging up on the wall.
"This is Zack," Gloria said as she gestured toward me. "He's from the surface world, and he's never seen our market before."
The man behind the counter looked at me with wide eyes before he started to babble excitedly.
“Oh! Where are my manners? Forgive me!” He exclaimed as he came out from behind his counter and held out his hand for me to shake. “My name is Harry; it’s nice to meet you !”
His grip was firm but not too tight as we shook hands. His skin was green, similar to James, but his hair was orange. His eyes were also blue like his; however, they didn’t have any pupils. It made him look a bit odd, but not in a bad way. In fact, he seemed quite friendly.
“What can I help you find today? Perhaps something sharp? Or maybe something with a little more… boom?” Harry asked eagerly as he motioned towards his wares.
I couldn’t help but chuckle at his enthusiasm before I shook my head and replied," No, thank you, though."
Harry deflated slightly at my response before perking up again almost immediately.
"Are you sure? Maybe something for your lady friends, then? " He suggested as he gestured towards Lillia and Mati, who were standing behind me, both of them blushing brightly at being called ladies by this stranger.
"Um … no, thank you," I answered after a moment of hesitation." We don't really need anything right now."
"Ah well," Harry said with a disappointed sigh ." If you change your mind, let me know ." With that final comment, Harry went back behind his counter and started puttering around with some of his things, leaving us alone once again.
After saying goodbye to Harry, Gloria led us away from the marketplace and towards what appeared to be the residential area of this village, which wasn't hard considering how small it actually was compared to most human cities. There were houses and buildings made from all sorts of materials, including stone, wood, and even what appeared to be coral. It was an interesting sight to behold; and one that I would definitely have to explore more in-depth at a later date. For now, however, we had other places to be.
"So, where are we going now?" I asked as Gloria led us down a path that was lined with houses on either side.
"I thought that you might want to see the library," Gloria replied with a smile. " It's one of my favorite places here in Fishbar."
"A library? That sounds amazing! " Lillia exclaimed, her eyes lighting up at the prospect of books.
Mati also seemed excited at the prospect, but not quite to the same degree as Lillia. For her, it appeared to be more of a curiosity than anything else, which was perfectly fine. I doubted that she would find many books that were actually interesting to her since most of them would probably be written in English.
“Yeah, let’s go check it out,” I said with a nod, and with that final decision made, we followed after Gloria towards the library.
The building was made out of stone, and it was quite large, easily twice the size of any building in the marketplace. There were several windows lining the sides, and I could see people inside moving around, probably looking for books.
"This is it," Gloria said as she pushed open the door and gestured for us to go inside. "Let me know if you need any help finding anything."
The interior of the library was just as impressive as the exterior. There were shelves upon shelves of books, and there were even some ladders that led up to a second level where more books appeared to be stored. It looked like a paradise for bookworms such as myself, and I couldn't wait to start exploring.
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