Chapter 40: Black Market Part 1
"Achooo." Johan rubbed his red nose violently, mumbling an inaudible complaint about the thick smell of burning metal—the most disgusting smell in the world.
He looked around—more than 40 shops. Some men in thick black masks and robes wandered the tight street—who Johan suspected to be at least Stage 1.
Surprisingly, not even a single person was walking around like they normally would in a tight market like this, but it was an important part of this black market's customer service, one would say.
To give customers as much privacy as possible, all the shops looked small at the front, but were giant malls inside—the result of the Mantel's space magic.
"So, where do we get the information?" Kirin asked excitedly, her voice too out of place and loud for a street filled with tense silence, attracting the attention of all guards, their eyes analyzing, as if trying to recognize them.
Johan slapped the back of Kirin's head, making her cover her mouth with both her hands.
"They don't just get information about everything on a silver platter. They're actively looking for it—everywhere. The prostitute a minister visited? Their trained spy. And they are good at putting two and two together. I recommend we ask for it all cryptically," Beatrice whispered almost inaudibly in Johan's ears, playfully.
Johan stared her down first—for intentionally breathing too hard in his ears to tease him, but took a deep breath. 'Having someone who can read all your thoughts is not as hot as I expected.' He instantly suppressed this thought.
As for cryptic, he already knew how they worked, so he had prepared well. A grin appeared on his face, thinking about it.