To enter the black market and join the auction house, one needed a certain code. Normally, this was something a normal person couldn't hope to discover. The best method involved finding a member of the Black Hand Gang or those with direct links to the auction.
Ryuji stood amidst the warm market with a faint smile.
Despite the sun setting, a thick aroma of spices, sweet and sour, filled the air. Countless burning braziers and cooking pots filled with aromatic curries and broths from the various tribes, cities and cultures that mixed in the Northern Mainland.
"Delicious, this curry is nothing like the one from my homeland."
Ryuji handed the empty bowl back to the vendor and wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. The heat of the curry still lingered on his tongue, sharp and earthy, nothing like the clean, peppery spice he knew from home.
It grounded him in this moment and reminded him how far he'd travelled and how different the empire was from his original thoughts.
