Chapter 17: Random Bullshit Go
There were many public places in the Holy Empire of Florentia where magical artifacts and items were sold. These establishments, run by artisans and those in the merchant class, were known as Dens of Antiquities.
The problem was that almost everything one found in a standard Den was basic, low-tier stuff meant for everyday life by regular folks.
If one were looking for rare or truly powerful artifacts, they had to hunt down a black market exchange. However, finding one was hard. Their locations moved around places in the city and they operated only once in a while. Sometimes, their schedules could move up to once in six months. So one had to not just find the location, but catch them at the exact right time.
The reason for their secrecy was because most of the items traded there were either stolen, too expensive to be taxed, or simply too dangerous to be sold publicly.
But Dante, having played the game in his previous life, could recall a few black markets, and having spent months doing his own investigation, he was able to determine the schedule of operations of the ones he knew.
One of those places sat hidden inside a brothel right in the middle of Ravena’s red-light district, and was called Velvet Lantern.
If one wanted to access the black market, they had to come around somewhere between nine in the morning and three in the afternoon, before the brothel began its usual business at four. So, today being the 13th of February, at half past ten, Dante alighted from the carriage in front of a three-story, ornate brick building.
The unmarked carriage now carrying only Vincenzo then moved on to wait further down the street. Unless they were heading somewhere dangerous, the knight knew Dante valued his privacy, so he didn’t offer to follow.
Dante walked up to the front entrance and passed through the doors. At this time of day, there were hardly any people around, much less customers. The grand reception hall was lined with plush velvet couches, with a dark mahogany bar tucked into the far corner.
Apart from the few bouncers standing around in suits, Dante could also see a few beautiful ladies lounging in silk robes. Two were chatting quietly on a settee, another was sipping morning tea while flipping through a magazine, and a fourth was lazily fixing her makeup in a gilded wall mirror.
Dante closed his eyes and drew in a breath of the perfumed, tobacco-laced air, while allowing his thoughts to roam for a bit. Then, he opened his eyes and walked over to the lady fixing her makeup.
He had barely reached her when she turned to look him up and down. Then a small, knowing smile touched her lips.
"Good morning, young signore, but we are not open for business just yet," she said softly.
Dante smiled and replied, "I’m actually here to purchase things."
"Ah, I see. A patron of the other sort," she murmured, and her smile increased just a bit.
Setting her compact down, she stood up and gestured for him to follow. She then led Dante toward the grand archway near the back of the parlor.
As they moved, Dante suddenly heard Edward’s sly and curious voice in his head.
’What’s your type of woman, master?’--
Dante’s brow twitched at the question.
-’What the... why the sudden interest in that?’-
’I’m just curious, that’s all.’ Edward added in an expectant tone.
Dante was flabbergasted. Though after a second, he smiled and said, ’Well, I guess I can answer that. Uh... I like women with big hearts and personalities.’-
’Oh... So, uh... this woman is your type then, right?’--
Dante let out a cough.
They passed the archway, and though a broad staircase spiraled up toward the rooms above, the woman turned toward a discreet wooden door set into the wall beside the steps.
She pushed the door open to reveal a short corridor leading to another door. Then stepping aside, she gestured toward the passage. "Just go straight through there."
Dante nodded. "Thank you."
Without further ado, he walked toward the door. When he got to it, he pushed it open to reveal a vast, subterranean hall bathed in the warm glow of hanging chandeliers and glass lanterns. He could see patrons in suits, top hats, and heavy cloaks walking along the red rugs while browsing through the few mahogany counters which displayed some artifacts.
’I hope they’ll have something worth my efforts,’ he thought.
Just then, a man in a tailored waistcoat walked up to him with an open box containing three magnifying glasses. Dante could recognize what they were.
"Good day, young signore," the man said with a subtle bow. "Looking for an appraisal lens, or perhaps something to sell?"
"I have nothing to sell. I’ll take one appraisal lens, thank you," Dante replied as he took one out.
The man inclined subtly again as Dante walked away to begin his purchases. The first counter he walked up to had only three items laid out on a velvet pad.
One of them was a worn brass pocket watch with a cracked glass face, and its hands were moving backward at irregular intervals. The second was a tarnished silver signet ring set with an opaque, smoky quartz gemstone. And the last was a pair of ordinary-looking wire-rimmed spectacles.
There was plenty of empty space remaining on the display, which meant the other items had probably been bought already. Without wasting any time, Dante brought the appraisal lens to his eye and began to study the artifacts, starting with the pocket watch.
Just then, glowing runes materialized before his vision, translating the item’s details.
[Name: Pocket Watch of Stolen Moments]
[Tier & Grade: Tier 3 (Blue)]
[Description: Speeds up the user’s cognitive processes, making surrounding time appear to stand still for three seconds. During this window, the user gains a sharp surge in focus, tactical analysis, and memory recall. This can also be used to recall things that the user has forgotten.]
[Cost / Drawback: Having accelerated cognition does not equate to faster physical reaction time.]
[ - Each use consumes a significant portion of mental and physical stamina, leaving the user noticeably fatigued.]
’Woah... this one looks good. And the drawbacks don’t look that bad,’ Dante thought, a subtle smile touching his lips.
’How much is it?’ He turned to look at the small price tag resting beside the display case.
[1,500 Crowns]
’Just 1,500 for this? Not bad!’
Having this item would give him a crucial edge in quick decision-making, and for someone with a memory like his, this was great!
"I’ll take this," he said as he turned to the appraiser standing beside him.
As the man nodded and moved to pick up the watch, Dante moved to study the tarnished ring.
[Name: Ring of Whispered Lies]
[Tier & Grade: Tier 2 (Purple)]
[Description: Passively alters the user’s voice during negotiations, making whatever statement they speak sound completely sincere to anyone listening.]
[Cost / Drawback: Fails against individuals with strong mental protection or high perception stats.]
[ - Extended use can cause the user to gradually believe their own lies.]
’Hm...’
The ring’s effect sounded okayish, but at the moment, Dante didn’t seem interested in it. So he moved on to the spectacles.
[Name: Spectacles of Truth]
[Tier & Grade: Tier 3 (Green)]
[Description: Reveals hidden magical illusions, concealed doors, or disguised identities when peered through. It can also be used to tell truth from a lie.]
[Cost / Drawback: Prolonged use causes severe eyestrain and temporary disorientation.]
’Hm...’ Dante fell into thought for a few seconds, then turned to look at the price.
[1,050 Crowns]
After seeing that, he didn’t hesitate. "I’ll take this too."
The appraiser nodded and picked up the spectacles.
With that done, Dante began moving to the next display case.
’I need armor or something that can boost my defense in combat.’
The next counter had just one sword laid on it. After appraising it, Dante figured he didn’t need it and moved past it. After checking out a few more artifacts, like a silver locket that could store thirty minutes of oxygen inside, and a ring that allowed brief night vision, he finally came to a stop in front of something he needed.
It was a small silver bracelet resting on a dark velvet cushion. Bringing his appraisal lens back up, the glowing runes materialized once more.
[Name: Armor of the Silver Sentinel]
[Tier & Grade: Tier 1 (Purple)]
[Description: Upon activation, this bracelet grants the wearer a 30% increase to physical, mental, and magical defense. Its effect can also be activated automatically in the event of a sudden impact.]
[Cost / Drawback: If the armor absorbs a strike exceeding its maximum threshold, the bracelet instantly shatters and stuns the wearer for two seconds.]
Dante smiled because this seemed perfect for his current needs. As for the reason he was settling on a defense artifact of this tier, that was because people had to watch out for the tier of weapon and armor artifacts.
Unlike other items, if one picked up a high-tier weapon beyond their current level, it would be a heavy burden and they wouldn’t be able to properly use its power anyway.
But there was another more personal reason. Many weapons, armor, and even other items required mana to use. And since Dante couldn’t use mana, he avoided those particular artifacts and stuck to the ones that didn’t.
Turning to the small display tag beside the velvet cushion, he checked the cost.
[400 Crowns]
"I’ll take this too," he said, nodding toward the case.
The appraiser smiled and bowed subtly before carefully picking up the bracelet.
However, a small frown creased Dante’s brow.
’I have to say I’m quite disappointed,’ he mumbled to himself.
At that moment, Edward asked, ’May I ask why?’--
Dante sighed.
’I was really looking forward to this black market, but there weren’t any offensive artifacts or stuff as powerful as I’d hoped.’--
Hearing that, Edward was quiet for a few seconds before responding.
’Why do we need to rely on artifacts? Our Divine Skill makes us strong even among our peers.’--
’Yes,’ Dante replied. ’But in this world, there are many ways for people to compensate for their weaknesses. Even if I encounter someone weaker than me, there’s always a probability that person might have an artifact on them capable of closing the gap between us. Not to mention, there are some skills out there that can perfectly counter us. So you see, one can never be too prepared. Having a lot of items at my disposal makes it so that in a desperate situation, I can toss out all sorts of random bullshit items to save myself.’-