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Chapter 40: The Royal Capital Black Market
The place known as the Royal Capital Black Market was located in the Eastern District, an area lined with entertainment establishments.
Just like the city of Erakton, the Eastern District contained brothels and gambling houses. One particularly notable feature was an arena resembling the Colosseum said to have been built by Roman emperors in Earth's history.
Unlike the perpetually noisy Southern District, crowded with adventurers, the Eastern District was noisy in a different way.
And in one corner of that district stood the place called the Royal Capital Black Market.
“...Lack of sleep?”
É n̄ û m̀á . і́d
“Yeah. I just couldn't fall asleep.”
Partly because I had witnessed an overwhelming sight straight out of a science-fiction world yesterday, I had slept poorly and was now walking along the street marking the boundary between the Southern and Eastern Districts.
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Seeing my condition, Aina, who was walking beside me, looked concerned.
“Don't tell me you were too nervous to sleep?”
“No. Something else.”
It was still early morning, not long after sunrise, yet the streets were already crowded. Merchant caravans that had arrived at the capital during the night poured in as soon as the gates opened.
Ẅ еb n о v̌ ѐl̊ Ë nů mа
However, compared with the other districts, the Eastern District—with its many entertainment venues for the city's residents—was relatively quiet.
Forcing my sleepy mind to stay focused, I looked down the unfamiliar alleys of the Eastern District. Some people had apparently gotten so drunk that they were still sleeping right on the roadside.
“What a creepy place.”
“Hmph. There are plenty of provincial cities with places far more dangerous than this. Some are so bad that even during the day, it's dangerous for a woman to walk through alone.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
Even in the city of Erakton, there were places that made your skin prickle with unease. They were damp, gloomy areas that felt eerily dark and unsettling even in broad daylight. These places were known as slums, where people lived struggling to make ends meet—many of them uncertain whether they would even have enough money to buy food for the next day.
Even in the prosperous royal capital, such places existed.
W̄ е̃b n̄ о̆ v̆ е l Еń ū m а̀
In fact, even in Japan, which possessed far more advanced technology than the world of Asphial, there were suspicious areas, even if they weren't called slums. No matter the world or era, places like these probably always existed.
“The black market is in the center of the Eastern District. If we don't register early, we might not be able to start selling until evening. Let's not worry about it and keep going.”
“Yeah.”
Despite its name, one might imagine that the Royal Capital Black Market sold countless illegal goods. In reality, that wasn't the case at all. It was simply a marketplace operating outside the markets managed by the Kingdom or the Guild. The goods sold there were perfectly legitimate.
“It's really crowded.”
“These are just the people registering to sell later this evening. Once the market opens, apparently there'll be twice as many.”
Dilarang mengopy novel dari Enuma.id.
The Royal Capital Black Market looked like an expanded version of the street festival I had once participated in. Not every shop was a sturdy stone-and-wood structure facing the main road. Between them stood many establishments that were more substantial than simple vendor stalls.
“Looks like there are still some free shop spaces left.”
“It doesn't have to be a prime location for the Purple Potion.”
One distinctive feature of the Royal Capital Black Market was that some of these more permanent shops could be rented on a daily basis.
Roughly sixty percent of the entire market consisted of these free rental stores, which could be leased for just one day. Applications could be submitted at the office of the private company managing the market, but unfortunately, all the prime locations had already been reserved.
“Here—this is the appraisal certificate for the potion.”
W_ѐ bn о̌v́ e l̄ Е̂n̂ ùm̄a.
“I'll prop it up beside the potion. We just need to watch out for thieves.”
Unlike the street festival, the shop itself was already prepared, so the only thing Aina and I had to do was place a single potion on the display shelf.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
Many sellers installed handmade signs or decorated their stores to make them more appealing, but we simply placed the potion on display and set the Guild-issued appraisal certificate next to it.
Once it sold, we planned to pack up and leave immediately, so there was no point in elaborate decorations.
Around three in the afternoon, customers seeking hidden treasures in the black market were beginning to gather. A large number of people were already waiting outside.
“There's an awful lot of them.”
Ѐ n ü ṁа .іd
“Who knows? Maybe some merchant managed to acquire an incredible item.”
As the opening signal drew near, Aina and I sat inside our shop with nothing to do.
The surrounding merchants were still arranging merchandise at the last moment or agonizing over prices, but since we had only a single potion to sell, there was nothing for us to worry about.
What concerned me instead was the sheer number of people waiting around the market. Near the entrance, a wall of people had already formed, and small-scale disturbances were even breaking out.
Baca cerita ini hanya di situs resmi Enuma.id!
What are they all in such a hurry for?
Wondering about that, I remained seated and waited for the signal announcing the market's opening.
Е̄n̊ŭ m а
