Chapter 60: Shadows over the Black Market District
Dion, Luna, Cleo, Sheila, and Mei made their way down the street, taking in the bustling crowd of the black market district. People were still going about their business, adventurers of all ranks, merchants, masterless knights or mercenaries, common folk, slaves, and even bandits mingled freely without any regard for status. It felt like a self-contained community, entirely removed from the outside world.
"This is... incredible," Dion thought to himself.
"Kyuuu,"
"Relax, you’re not going to be turned into soup ingredients here. Aria was just teasing you," Dion said, gently patting Gina, who was hiding snugly inside his shirt.
"Kyuu," Gina nodded in response, though she still refused to come out.
Dion kept scanning his surroundings. He noticed several scantily clad women standing along the roadside, teasing every man who passed by. Further down, a crowd had gathered around a bard singing a ballad. A few men sat by the curb, completely absorbed in a card game or something similar. The atmosphere was vibrant and felt strangely familiar to Dion.
"Yep... it really feels just like Earth," Dion murmured in his head once more.
"Alright... we’re here."
Dion looked up to see Aria stopping in front of a two-story inn, its building noticeably wider than the surrounding shops.
"We’re staying here?" Dion asked.
"Yep... let’s head inside," Aria replied casually, stepping in alongside Dion.
"Hmm... it’s hard to put into words," Mei remarked, staring up at the structure.
"At least it’s not as run-down as I expected," Sheila noted.
"No comments here. Let’s just go in," Cleo urged.
"That’s rare for you. Usually you’re picky about beds," Luna teased back.
They stepped inside, discovering that the building housed more than just lodgings—a lively clamor echoed from the adjacent room, which doubled as a gambling den. A female receptionist stepped out from a back room behind the counter. Her eyes widened upon seeing Aria, and a broad smile instantly spread across her face.
"Welcome back, Boss! The usual room?" the receptionist asked.
"Yeah... the one at the far end, as usual," Aria answered.
The receptionist glanced over at Luna, Sheila, Cleo, who had her arms crossed and Mei, who was carefully surveying the surroundings. Finally, her eyes settled on Dion, who was peeking into the gambling parlor next door.
"What about them, Boss?" the receptionist asked.
"Oh... they can just share my room," Aria replied nonchalantly.
"Huh... is the room even big enough to fit all of us?" Sheila protested.
"It fits, it fits... the room is huge," Aria dismissed smoothly.
"I want my own room," Cleo stated flatly.
"Same here... I’d prefer my own room too," Luna added.
"Yep... agreed," Mei chimed in.
"Sigh... whatever you want. Can you get those ready for them?" Aria asked the receptionist.
"Sure thing, no problem! Coincidentally, there are four vacant rooms in the east wing right where you usually stay, Boss. And what about that guy?" the receptionist asked, pointing at Dion, whose back was turned to the front desk.
The five girls turned to look at Dion behind them. Without asking or saying another word to him, they turned back to the receptionist in unison.
"He’s easy," Aria, Cleo, Luna, Sheila, and Mei answered at the exact same time.
"Oh, okay then! Right this way, follow me," the receptionist gestured.
Before they could move, blam! the front door swung open. A man who appeared to be an adventurer rushed inside, his face deathly pale.
"Hey... shut down the gambling floor for today! There’s an inspection coming down from above, hurry!" the man warned the receptionist, who apparently also doubled as the manager of both the inn and the gambling hall.
"An inspection?" Cleo asked.
"What does he mean, Aria?" Luna chimed in.
"Sigh... the usual. A sweep in the upper merchant district. They’re probably looking for us since we landed right in the central plaza earlier," Aria explained.
"Oh... I see," Mei nodded.
"As you can see, every building down here connects to the merchant district above. So whenever there’s a sweep, they lock down all access points from the top. Even if they locate an entrance, it takes them quite a while to reach this far down because of the winding tunnels," Aria added.
"Hmm... so basically, we have enough time to slip away," Sheila observed.
"No... we’re not running. Moving around right now is way too risky," Aria countered.
"Wait, so... we’re still staying here?" Luna asked.
"Yeah... while everyone else heads up, we stay right here," Aria answered.
"Alright, time for bed then. I’m exhausted," Cleo stretched her arms and grabbed Dion by his collar. "You’re sleeping with your pretty big sister."
"Huh... me?" Dion blurted out, startled.
"Yeah... Gina too. Let’s go upstairs," Cleo replied casually.
"Hey!"
Cleo walked off without a care in the world, dragging Dion upstairs after her while Aria, Luna, Sheila, and Mei watched her do whatever she pleased.
"Just let her be. Besides, if anything happens, those three can definitely handle it," Sheila said.
"True. As long as Dion, Cleo, and Gina are around, we’re safe," Luna agreed.
They watched as the patrons poured out of the gambling hall in droves.
"Sorry, Boss, please help yourself for now. I need to head upstairs. Feel free to take any room you like, the keys are right behind the counter," the receptionist said hurriedly.
"Okay... thanks," Aria replied.
"You’re welcome, Boss! I’m off," the receptionist called back as she stepped into the room behind the counter.
Curious, Luna followed her inside and spotted a full-length mirror, as tall as a human, sitting in the room. She caught a glimpse of the receptionist stepping straight through the mirror, which rippled like water, before vanishing entirely.
"Wait... there are artifacts like that here?" Luna asked, turning to Aria behind her.
"Of course! What, did you think people walk up and down using stairs? We’re artifact merchants, naturally, we use magical artifacts," Aria boasted proudly.
"No, it’s just that Dion made something like that back when we were in the dungeon to get us out fast," Luna said, pointing inside the room.
"Oh... really?" Aria blinked in surprise.
"Not surprising at all. That’s just standard for him," Sheila remarked casually.
"True. If it’s Dion, making something like that is completely expected. Our domain is already packed with golems and soldier golems, making this entire black market look like nothing in comparison," Mei added.
"Come to think of it... what if I moved this entire place over to our domain instead? Once we settle our business here, we could hold an exodus and relocate all the merchants and residents here to our land," Aria suggested, stroking her chin.
"Are you saying you want to invite all the criminals here to live in our domain?" Sheila asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yep... still way better than inviting arrogant nobles to live in our territory," Aria answered casually.
"Are all the people here under your command?" Mei asked thoughtfully.
"Not entirely. Some of them cater to those corrupt nobles... but even so, none of them are truly loyal to those aristocrats. Whoever pays more gets their service, that’s the golden rule down here. The people at my bar and a few others inside this market are the ones I plan to bring over to our land," Aria explained.
"Hmm... that sounds reasonable. I could use them to build an intelligence network for our domain," Mei pondered.
"Good point! A former Shadow Hand never loses her edge," Sheila praised, clapping Mei hard on the back.
"Ugh... can’t you ever hit gently?" Mei winced in pain, clutching her back.
"I’m fine with it. We still need a larger population anyway, but just make sure they don’t step out of line or cause trouble. Got it, silly princess?" Luna asked, glancing at Aria.
"Hah... don’t worry about that. They’re all against injustice, that’s why they free slaves and rob nobles, stupid princess," Aria shot back smoothly.
"Alright, let me head upstairs. Cleo and Dion went up ages ago," Mei suggested.
"Yeah... they took Gina with them too, come on," Sheila chimed in.
"Fine... after you, silly princess," Luna said, looking back at Aria.
"Lead the way, stupid princess," Aria replied dryly.
Grabbing the keys from behind the reception desk, they made their way upstairs toward their rooms to join Cleo, Dion, and Gina, who had gone up earlier. Meanwhile, outside the inn, everyone suddenly retreated inside their shop buildings. Every store went completely pitch-black as the lights were snuffed out, transforming the street that had been as lively as a festival just moments ago into a silent ghost town.
Meanwhile, inside Cleo’s room, "snore... snore... snore," Cleo was already fast asleep, using a sleeping Gina as her body pillow. Dion sat by the window, gazing out at the dark streets outside the inn.
"Hmm... so that’s how it is. Whenever the authorities inspect or raid the place, everyone just scatters. It’s truly just like Earth, turns out humans are the same no matter where you go," Dion thought to himself. "We better wrap up our business here quickly and head back home," he added.
Dion stood up. "Recall," he said, opening his glowing red hologram screen and selecting the Shadow Assassin persona. Once the transformation was complete, he turned to glance at Cleo, who was sound asleep while cuddling a sleeping Gina. He smiled faintly, pulling his mask up over his face.
"Alright, time to pay a visit to this city’s lord, Duke Marvin," he murmured to himself before leaping out the window.