Under the pretense of going to buy new books for school, Marcus got out of the house and started to make a layout of the activities he was planning to do.
First,he was going to open an investment account at the local bank under the name of Benji Mariko,the alternate identity of the assassin that he killed. This was because he wanted to access a means to buy stocks in Argrave Metals which would drastically rise in value in a couple of months.
Secondly,he would buy an apartment unit near the southern end of town which would serve as a means of getting closer to the local Treader exchange (a gathering of unregistered Path Treaders where items and information is traded). The unit bought would also double down as a laboratory used to brew potions that were necessary in his goal to stop the Access eruption.
Lastly,he was going to go on a shopping spree to fill the unit he was going to buy with the appropriate reagents and equipment to make potions.
Going into an alley in town, Marcus drank the appearance shifting potion which made him to possess the features of Benji Mariko. He then took a look at his new appearance and after adjusting some minor details in his posture,he made his way to a building with two pillars near its entrance with a sign overhead reading, "Avalon Bank".
"Hello sir,how may I help you?"
A young lady who worked as a teller in the bank asked 'Benji Mariko' as she put up a lovely smile.
"I would like to open up an investment account."
"Just help me out with your ID and fill in some details here and we should have your account ready in a few weeks time."
Marcus took a document that was handed to him and filled out the necessary details and within a few minutes the paperwork was done. When Marcus thought he was almost finished,the teller came back with a file wearing a confused expression.
"Sir, according to our records it seems that you already have an investment account. So would you like to open a new one or will you just use the one you have right now?"the teller asked as she handed Marcus the files she had carried.
"Looking at the documents in the file,it seems that Benji already had a pretty penny invested in some casino at the southern edge of Shabaard and from the looks of it was not doing well. His other investments don't look so good either and judging from this trend,he was going to end up broke in a few months,"Marcus thought as he flipped through the files as saw something else that caught his eye.
"Oh, it seems that Benji also had a bunch of debt from other banks and loaning institutions which was supposed to be paid two months ago but was given an extension of another three months to pay with heavy interest. I can see why he chose to take the job of assassinating Arbus. Let's first settle the financial issues at hand."
Marcus sighed as he started to talking to the teller on how to sort out his current predicament.
After two and a half hours of going around different sections of the bank he was finished with sorting out all the financial problems Benji had and also bought stocks worth 8,000 shabaardi belonging to Argrave Metals. Marcus thanked the teller for helping him out and then got out of the bank.
"I wasted too much time in the bank but thanks to Benji already having an investment account, I could buy shares immediately. I guess I should buy an apartment unit soon and call it a day otherwise my parents are going to be worried about me."
Marcus decided to take a taxi to the southern end of town in order to reach there faster.
Ten minutes later,he arrived at the southern part of town and paid the taxi driver thirty cents as he got out of the taxi. Since the southern end of town was mostly a suburban area,a lot of the buildings there were family homes. There were plenty of lights on in many households and a faint aroma of different meals being made as dinner in each of the family homes. He walked further down street for a long time until he saw a small bungalow with a sign reading "for sale".
Even though it was about 10pm,the realtor was still around leading to a breath of relief from Marcus. He opened the door to the house and met a middle aged man with a receding hairline and baggy eyes.
"I would like to buy this house sir. How much does it cost?"asked Marcus.
The man suddenly had a joyous expression on his face as he faced Marcus and asked,"are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure."
"Okay,the starting price is around 3,000 shabaardi and I am sorry I can't neg..."
"Sure I'll buy it at that price."
"Okay,you will. Wait whaa..."
The realtor was surprised that the customer was willing to accept the first offer he had in mind even though anyone with property knowledge would know that tthe bungalow is cheaper than the price he stated. Was this man perhaps a gullible buyer?
"Don't get me wrong sir,I am only going for that price since I want you to be done with the property transfer as soon as possible and get me the following items," Marcus said as he handed him the list he wrote earlier which made the realtor drop his jaw.
"But what you are asking for is unreasonable how can possibly meet all of your demands..."
"I guess I should look elsewhere for a house," Marcus said as he waved a wad of cash.
"Okay sir, I'll do it,"the realtor said in a defeated tone as Marcus gave him the cash and signed the sale contract which was already prepared.
"Great,I am only a ten minute walk away from the Treader exchange. I guess I should head there to get a pass to the next exchange,"thought Marcus as he got out of the bungalow and walked up to a desolate pawn shop where he saw two customers and a cashier.
He entered the pawn shop and looked for a miniature figure of a badly sculpted man and went to the cashier. He then bent the head revealing a compartment that contained a red scroll and a yellow scroll. Taking the yellow scroll,he asked,"how much for the green scroll,"
"But there is no green scroll. What are talking about?"said the cashier.
"I will get one a week ago,"said Marcus and soon one of the customers handed him a card and told him,"next week,6pm."
"Verstanden,"said Marcus as he got out of the pawn shop. When he got far enough from the shop he reverted to his normal appearance. He then got into a nearby taxi and told him to go to East Suburb,the location of his neighborhood.
As the taxi moved around town, Marcus took time to appreciate the view of people moving which created a scene which had a clash of ancient times and modern day where the buildings looked old but far from being worn down,electric lamps and gas lamps littering the streets,new towers being built in the distance,old fashioned cars moving on the roads and the people interacting with all of this seamlessly.
When he finally reached his neighborhood,he paid the taxi driver forty cents and walked towards his house. He opened the door and was then met with the angry gaze of his parents.
"So where were you tonight since I clearly don't see you carrying books," said Arten as he clutched the belt in his right hand.
"Mom,Dad I can explain..."Marcus tried to cook up an excuse but it fell on deaf ears as his parents approached him with their respective weapons.
At 12:38am of the Muhandi household,a blood curdling scream echoed into the night.