"Halt!"
Before we could enter, the guard stopped us from moving forward. We did seem suspicious. A human and an angel shouldn't be in a place like this.
"Is something wrong?"
"Are you new to this world?"
"Yes? Is there something wrong with that?"
There probably wasn't when the guard didn't detain us, but there was still a chance that something could go wrong.
"No, there isn't. There are times when people will go on attacking, destroying everything in sight. And no one here wants that. Do you understand what I mean?"
Coming to this world, I could see why people would attack. None of the people of the unknown were a race one would consider friendly. The guard was a mummy. He wasn't the most aesthetically pleasing to the eyes.
"We understand. As long as no one makes trouble for us, we won't attack."
"Good. You may enter."
"I never thought I would see a mummy as a guard."
Even Joanne, who had explored many parts of the world, had never seen such a thing. Once we entered the town, it looked like an ordinary town where you could see.
But the only thing that made it different was our presence. Due to our unique look in a town like this, we would be stared at by many kinds of eyes: curiosity, anger, hatred, contempt, and goodwill.
"Charles. Do you have anything you want to do? We could ask around if you so wish to."
I'm curious if the Invokers were well-known in this world. I took on Joanne's idea and asked around. First, we went to a bar.
"Who would have thought that an undead would be a bartender."
When I glanced at the whole place, it was weird to see a drunk zombie. Nevertheless, I went ahead and asked the bartender.
"Get me the best thing you have. Joanne, do you want one as well?"
"I'm fine. I don't exactly drink."
I don't know whether she was telling the truth, but I doubt anyone would want to buy a drink in a place like this.
"That would be 500 fibs."
Fibs? Was that the currency in this world? Now that I think about it, the hub and Earth currency were useless without the system.
"Hold on. I'm new in town. Do you know a place where I could see my artifact?"
"New? It can't be helped if you don't have any money. Go down three buildings to the right and you will find a pawn shop."
The bartender was easier to talk to than I expected. Since Joanne and I were poor, we had to find a way to make money. I had a lot of artifacts that could be used to liquidate for money.
"Joanne, are you going to sell anything? I'm sure you found a lot of things as an explorer."
"Yeah..."
Joanne looked unsure whether to sell what she had. If she didn't want to sell anything, she didn't have to.
"You don't have to sell anything. I still feel indebted to you for the teleportation scroll."
Joanne had saved me the hassle of finding a teleportation scroll. I may have found it later, but who knows what I must do to get it? And besides, money was the least of my concerns.
"But."
"Don't mention it. Money isn't something I need."
Before it goes back and forth, I ended it with this. Eventually, we went to the pawn shop and saw a skeleton of a shopkeeper.
"I'm here to sell some of my things. I hope this place won't scam."
"Scam? I have a reputation for holding. I can't have a customer complain because that could potentially ruin my shop. Anyway, show me what you've got."
I took out only five artifacts. I don't plan on getting more money than I necessarily need. The skeleton took the scythe and inspected it.
"Did you find this from a reaper? Five million for this thing."
The skeleton was ecstatic when he saw this scythe. Does it hold any meaning for him? And how much was five million?
"Six million, and you can have it."
"Deal."
I felt like I was ripped off. The skeleton paid for it too quickly. Once he touched the scythe, I saw something unbelievable. Did this man evolve in front of me?
"Well. Congrats?"
"Finally!"
I doubt the skeleton or reaper heard what I said. He talked like he was a villain from a movie. I can't help but wonder if he had gone mad because if he did, then I would have to kill him.
"So... You finished?"
"Yeah. It felt great."
Being a skeleton for a reaper must have been an achievement. I wanted to sell more, but I doubt the skeleton will be interested.
"How these?"
The four useless artifacts would be sold for less. Our storekeeper appraised the artifact and told me the price.
"All of these will be ten million."
I was surprised to see them bought at a higher price. With all these items bought, money was now the least of my concerns.
"I have a question. Have you ever heard of the Invokers?"
"The Invokers? Never heard of them. Thanks for the scythe. Have a good day."
With nothing left, we returned to the bar. The bartender got me the drink I wanted, with Joanne just waiting.
"You know this drink tastes better than I expected. Joanne, aren't you bored watching?"
"There are better things I could do, but traveling together makes it easier."
I had ordered an alcoholic beverage. It had a fruity taste, and it was easy to swallow. After my second drink, I decided to ask the bartender a question.
"Hey, bartender. Have you ever heard of the Invokers? It should be some group of vampires."
"Sorry, haven't heard of them."
My expectations for this question were zero after talking to the pawn shop owner. After finishing my second drink, I paid the bartender and left.
"Joanne, do you know where I could go next to search for any information?"
Too bad there was no internet. Information gathering would have been so much easier with it.
"We can go to a black market if there is one, or just ask around. I don't know how this place operates."
"Then all we could do is search around."
I sighed at the prospect of finding Constance. Why is searching for a missing person so hard???
"Joanne. Let's bring in a guy in a dark alley."
"Didn't you say you wouldn't bring trouble to any of the townspeople?"
"What? I'm not threatening them. I'm negotiating."
I would ultimately pay them so that no one would feel shit about it. Joanne seemed less hesitant once I told her I would reward those who answered.
"Hey. Do you know if there's a black market or anywhere?"
After ten minutes of staking, we found a shady person alone in the streets. I took him to a corner without giving him much room to think.
"Black market??? You won't do anything to me, right?"
The man before us knew he was outclassed by what he just saw. Due to his nervousness, he asked for his life before answering.
"If you do tell us where it is, I will happily reward you with some fibs."
"Right... It's better if you follow me. There's an entrance to the black market."
I was surprised to see the man before us being so cooperative. I would reward him extra if he didn't plan to ambush us immediately.
With the man leading us, we had to go underground. The place here smelled kind of normal. No natural sewer system existed, so all the waste living beings produced wasn't there.
"If you go right in there, you should find a portal to the black market."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Here you go. Twenty-five thousand fibs."
I patted the man on the back and entered the black market with Joanne. The path inside the black market had an ominous vibe.
"Do you feel it, Charles?"
"Yeah. I do."
This ominous vibe felt dangerous, even for someone with my skills. But even so, I had to tread forward to search for answers.
"Joanne, I'm going in."
"I will be right behind you."
On the path leading to the black market, a dark door stood. We knew this was the place we wanted to enter, so we went through it without hesitation.
Once we entered the door, we were led to a different location. Compared to the town before, there were more people here.
I was surprised to see many people active in the black market. But with more people comes more information. This place has to have a place to know where the Invokers are. And I won't let this chance slip by.
"Charles. Stop having your monologue. We can't waste time standing here. There's something I want to check."
Joanne's interest in this place had heightened. I don't know what she wanted to find, but her interest had reached its peak. I followed her to see what she wanted.
Visit freewe𝑏nov(e)l.𝗰𝐨𝐦 for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience