Ding—!
Ding—! Ding—!
In the dark room cloaked with shadows, the ringing sounds stirred Ruel awake.
Still groggy, he called out without thinking, "Who's there?"
"—"
He heard sounds which were barely audible, making him stand fully.
Muriel, who had napped at the edge of the bed, turned to a ball of light and identified who was at the door.
"What's Nick doing here?" Ruel stretched, then peeked through the window with a slight tilt of his head. "And why so late?"
Still dressed in his fitted black shirt and black pants, Ruel walked to the main room and opened the door slightly.
He instantly saw the cheerful face of Nick.
"Boss, I have news for you."
"News?"
"Yes. I found a lead to that medicine of yours!"
Ruel's eyes widened with shock as thoughts rolled in his mind.
"Let's go now!"
"Wait, let me explain—"
"You can explain while driving!"
Ruel darted into the dark main room and found his boots.
As he left, he caught a glimpse of the red egg that was slightly shimmering, making him smile more.
'I don't know what is happening. But it will hatch soon!'
He closed the door, letting the magitech lock it for him.
Nick, at this point, just led Ruel to the carriage, oblivious to Muriel's constant presence.
Crossing his fence and walking into the carriage, Ruel spoke through the walls to Nick.
"How and where did you find this lead?"
"I went around looking for connections for you, boss. I found a place that's likely to host a worthy medicine."
"Where's this place?"
"Eh erm," Nick cleared his throat. "That place is… the black market."
"The black market?" Ruel muttered.
Although he rarely heard of it back in Talia, he had a vague idea from tales Eden had told.
A brutal place is simply what that place is — Ruel wondered if that was the same here.
"The black market exists everywhere. It is the shadow of the surface," Muriel stated in his mind.
"Boss… Do you have a problem with the black market?"
"No– Let's go."
"Beggars don't choose!" Nick laughed as he increased the pace of their movement.
- - -
They slipped through narrow roads and lesser-known routes, the night growing warmer as they approached their destination.
Eventually, Nick parked the carriage and handed it off to someone he clearly trusted.He then offered Ruel a cloak.
Ruel declined with a shake of his head and summoned his own from inventory — a silver-lined moonlight cloak.
Nick nodded approvingly and they pressed forward.
Ruel's gaze drifted to the distance, where black smoke climbed into the sky, stretching toward the boiling moon. Ash drifted down now and then — a reminder that Haven sat near a volcano.
He rubbed his arms as the heat pressed in, quietly channeling a touch of ice to cool his skin.
'I'm beginning to prefer the day since my perception range is reduced at night. I can perceive up to 15 meters at night while it's 25 in the day…'
Ruel thought further. 'It also seems I have a small physical boost at day.'
Ruel rubbed his arms, quietly channeling ice to cool the searing heat pressing against his skin
The farther they walked, the fewer lampposts there were.
Bodies lay on the sides of the street, barely covered, their breaths shallow. The forgotten.
"How sad…" Nick muttered. "Let's keep moving."
They stopped at a dim kiosk tucked into a corner. A beastman sat behind a shelf of battered weapons. Dog traits — ears, posture, scent.
Nick approached and slid two silver coins across the counter.
"I'm back. What's the info?"
The dogman eyed the coins, then the cloaked pair. "Hah… funny thing. Word spread. That info's hot now so don't take it out on me."
Nick didn't flinch. "The info."
The dogman shrugged. "A lot of people began requesting a rare medicine and someone managed to find it. It's going up for auction. Two nights from now."
'A lot of people are looking for it? Why?'
Guessing Ruel's thoughts, Muriel explained.
'To get in the good favor of a Traveler like you.'
"How do we get in?"
"Ten of these." He jingled the coins.
Nick's eyes glowed faintly under his hood. "Five."
Ruel felt a shift in the man's demeanor and subconsciously touched the belt at his waist.
"Do you take me for a fool? Five."
Ruel sensed discomfort and subconsciously touched the sword attached to his waist.
The dogman's instincts were naturally sharp and he knew not to test these two.
"Fine. Deal. I need advance payment to process it."
Nick leaned in and whispered, "Boss, got more of those coins? Or twenty thousand En?"
Ruel nodded, summoned the chest, and discreetly handed over five coins. Nick gave the dogman three.
"Come back tomorrow night. I'll have your ticket."
Without hesitation, the two left.
Nick exhaled. "Now… boss, I hope you have a lot of money, because that medicine will be expensive."
'Money…'
Ruel smiled. "That won't be a problem."
"That's great! I hope this ends successfully!"
"Nick, here—take three coins. For what you initially paid and thanks for your help."
Ruel had like 200 coins, so he was not worried. He had given twelve out now.
Nick accepted it and expressed his gratitude.
"Oh, and boss? Best not to call beastmen by their animal types in public. Doesn't sit well."
Ruel paused, confused. He wanted to ask why but sensed it'd be disrespectful.
So he changed the topic. "These coins… what exactly are they?"
Nick explained as they returned to the carriage.
"Bones of ancient creatures. Can be used for rituals, crafting, magitech… versatile stuff."
Back home, Nick dropped him off with a promise.
"I'll get you the ticket and more info tomorrow night."
"I'll be expecting you."
Nick waved goodbye, leaving Ruel to cross his fence and walk into his compound.
But as soon as Ruel crossed his fence, the smile vanished.
He felt it — a presence inside his home.
Which shouldn't be possible. Only he could open that door.
He reached the door and saw it was undamaged and still locked, which confused him even more.
He calmly opened the door and felt a wave of mana hit his face as he sensed the figure standing a few meters from him.
Muriel flared into her corporeal form, sword of burning energy in hand. The room lit up.
Standing across the room was a figure.
Before Ruel could even process what he was seeing, Muriel spoke.
"I greet the most benevolent God."