Chapter 55 : Chapter 55
Chapter 55. Entry Pass Required
Michelle, with a dazed expression, was looking around her surroundings.
“Wow…”
She even let out a gasp of admiration.
She wasn't the only one. Adellian and Piontek were also walking around, looking at their surroundings in a daze.
‘I can see why.’
It was new to me as well. The scenery of the Black Market was so different from that of a typical market. It was even different from the one I had experienced during the Leonhardt era. The current scene was like…
‘An Eastern world’s market.’
The uniquely shaped buildings and the red lanterns hanging in front of them created a somewhat mysterious and decadent atmosphere.
Crash!
And a chaotic mess, like a garnish, was added to the atmosphere.
A shop door was smashed, and a person came tumbling out.
“Where do you think you’re causing a ruckus?”
A gruff voice came from inside the shop. Following that, a person who seemed to be the owner of the voice walked out of the shop with a fierce expression.
‘Huh?’
It was a person who seemed somewhat like a woman to be called a man, and somewhat like a man to be called a woman. They boasted bulging muscles and looked down at the fallen person.
“W-when did I ever cause a ruckus?”
The fallen person answered while flailing. His voice was filled with a sense of injustice.
“What? Coming into my shop and asking my customers strange questions isn’t a ruckus, then what is?”
“I just asked, that’s all.”
“‘Just’ my ass. I ought to rip your tongue out.”
The person of indeterminate gender spat at the fallen person. And then, they also spewed words that proved they worked in the Black Market, saying, ‘You son of a bitch! What are you looking at! Is this a show?’
“Ugh.”
The man, who had fallen and had spit on his face, cried out in pain.
“Shouldn’t we help him?”
Adellian said, stepping forward.
I grabbed her arm.
“Huh? Wh-why?”
“This is the Black Market.”
“So what if it’s the Black Market?”
“Have you forgotten what kind of people come here?”
“……”
Adellian’s head dropped.
The people who come to the Black Market are mostly criminals. They don't feel sorry for the misfortunes of others. On the contrary, they find it amusing. Or they calculate if there's anything to be gained by exploiting the misfortune.
Therefore, Adellian’s act of kindness doesn't fit in here. In a place where having three eyes is normal, having two is abnormal.
‘If we get involved for no reason, we might attract unwanted attention.’
Since danger floats around like air here, it was necessary to be careful with our actions.
“Doesn’t that guy seem a bit strange?”
Just then, a man who was watching the commotion pointed at the man in trouble and said.
“Ah… is he strange? Are there only one or two idiots looking for women here?”
A man who was listening from the side reacted nonchalantly, as if to ask why he was thinking so much about it.
“Think carefully. What kind of moron comes into a bar looking for a woman? And of all places, in the Black Market.”
“Ah! That’s right. They’d go to the red-light district or the auction house. They wouldn’t do something stupid like asking here.”
“Exactly. I think that guy is…”
The gazes of those around them changed. Their eyes were fixed on the man who was in trouble.
“Don’t get involved.”
I warned everyone, including Adellian.
“U-ugh!”
The man in trouble hastily got up and started running. Three or four men started running after him.
“Why… are they doing that?”
Adellian, unable to understand their situation, looked at me.
“People are money.”
“Huh? People are money… Are you saying they’re going to catch that person and sell him?”
I nodded at Adellian’s question.
“Then aren’t we in danger too?”
Piontek, who was next to her, asked.
“It’s fine as long as we don’t act awkwardly.”
“Are you sure that’s enough to be fine?”
He said with a face full of fear and a stiff posture.
“Act naturally. Naturally. Then it’ll be fine.”
Entering the Black Market meant being a member of a large organization. That's why they don't target each other. Attacking a member of another organization was the same as declaring war on that organization.
“Th-then.”
Odekerkh, who was on high alert and scanning his surroundings, spoke in a trembling voice.
I looked at him and gestured for him to speak comfortably.
“W-what d-do we do now?”
“Ah? Ah…”
I took the pendant out of my pocket. Naturally, everyone’s eyes were drawn to the pendant.
“What’s this?”
Piontek asked.
“We’re going to look for someone who knows about this, or someone who uses it.”
“Why are we looking for them?”
This time, Adellian asked.
“To find the guys who hired the Amirios Clan.”
“……”
Everyone’s expression darkened, as if they were reminded of the start-of-term exam. Among them, Adellian looked at me with concern.
“Are you doing this for revenge?”
“Revenge is too emotional an approach.”
“Then?”
“I’m trying a very rational approach called prevention.”
“……Huh?”
Adellian frowned, her face asking what on earth I was talking about.
Whether it was revenge or prevention, finding those guys and crushing them was the same.
But the mindset in carrying out the task was different. Revenge is an emotional movement.
The probability of making errors in judgment from moment to moment is high. On the other hand, prevention is a rational movement. It allows for movements appropriate to the situation.
“Uh… you’re not going to tell us to go around asking, are you?”
Piontek looked at the shop with the smashed door, his forehead wrinkled.
“Heh, what do you take me for? We’re just going to walk around. Naturally. Very naturally.
With our ears wide open and our mouths shut tight. With our eyes wide open.”
If we went around poking here and there asking questions, the ones related to the Hoso Merchant Guild might go into hiding, so we had to gather information as secretly as possible.
Grumble.
“Let’s… eat before we do that.”
Michelle said, confidently raising her hand.
Hmm… we need to move as stealthily as possible, but stealthily, stealthily… is that possible?
A masked Fioren was carefully scrutinizing the man sitting in front of him.
The man, as if displeased with Fioren, had a stiff expression and scratched his forehead.
“So what you’re saying is you want to make a contract with me?”
“Not with you, but with the guild you have.”
“You want to work with our guild? With your whole face covered?”
“This… is because I injured my face badly, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“But that’s what I’m worried about.”
“……”
The man leaned back against the chair and stared at Fioren with a cold gaze.
“Ahem! Ahem! How much will it take? I came here hearing that you’re better than the Hoso Merchant Guild, so I’ll make sure you’re not disappointed.”
“……Not disappointed? How much are you going to give? Are you going to give me 100 million Gold every month? And pay separately when there’s work?”
At the man’s words, the people watching the situation snickered and let out mocking laughs.
Fioren swallowed dryly and assessed the atmosphere.
‘Should I just kill the chairman?’
He thought that if he took out one person, they would listen to him. But he let it go with a sigh. It was because he was inside the Black Market.
‘There’s no need to fight with the guys here unnecessarily.’
If a fight broke out, he wouldn’t just be fighting the guys in front of him. He would have to fight with various organizations within the Black Market. The reason was that the person he was meeting was Nicola Labang, the vice-chairman of the Jordi Merchant Guild.
“You look like you know how to handle a sword, but if you swing that around recklessly, things will get tiring. This is the Black Market.”
Labang, having read Fioren’s eyes, jeered.
“I know.”
“Is that so? Your eyes seemed off. I was just wondering. Then you must know that I’m the vice-chairman of the Jordi Merchant Guild, right? And that our guild is quite sticky in this business?”
At Labang’s words, Fioren swallowed hard.
Seeing this, Labang let out a sly smile and pointed at Fioren with his finger.
“If you know, well, it’s just a confirmation. If you don’t, now you know. The way you’re acting right now is perfect for getting stabbed and dying on the street. If you die here, they won’t even find a trace of you. Phew, I’m telling you something valuable. Isn’t that great?”
“……”
At Labang’s words, Fioren gritted his teeth hard. If it were up to him, he would have wanted to cause a scene and leave the Black Market. But since he couldn’t, he squeezed out all the patience he could muster.
‘If it weren’t for Jordi…’
The Jordi Merchant Guild was an organization ranked ‘Superior’, a high rank even within the Black Market.
The important criteria for determining the rank included the number of members, the number of skilled individuals, and the ability to procure goods. The Jordi Merchant Guild received ‘Fine’ in most of these evaluations. The reason the Jordi Merchant Guild was able to receive a Superior rank was due to its information-gathering capabilities and its alliance relationships with other organizations.
‘They have many allied organizations. Yes, I’m enduring this for that reason.’
The Jordi Merchant Guild had established a wider network than other organizations. Fioren wanted to actively utilize this. Both for acquiring information and for handling dirty work. Because it could be done quickly, anytime, anywhere.
‘I just need to raise that bastard Hans up. Then I can become a duke.’
Fioren had bet his life on Hans. That was why he intended to actively help Hans succeed by using the Jordi Merchant Guild. Hans also strongly desired this.
“How did you get into the Black Market?”
Labang asked, wiping the smile from his face.
Silence fell. A chill explored every corner of the room, tightening the string of tension.
“I showed my entry pass and came in.”
“Of course you did. But that entry pass is a fake, isn’t it?”
“……On what basis are you saying that?”
“A hunch. I have good hunches.”
“Driving a person into a corner without any evidence…”
“Hey, who’s driving you into a corner? You walked into it yourself.”
Labang released the killing intent he had been suppressing.
“Who are you? Where are you from?”
“……”
Fioren clicked his tongue at Labang’s question.
At this, Labang’s brow furrowed.
“Do you want to die?”
“To someone who came to make a contract, what kind of behavior is this?”
“Who are you to be talking about making a contract with us? A bastard with his face all covered. Which organization are you from?”
“There seems to be some misunderstanding. I’m not from some organization. And let’s say I did get in with a fake entry pass, as you said. Then the statement that I came from an organization doesn’t hold up, does it? Because if I were from an organization, I wouldn’t need something like a fake entry pass.”
“Maybe it’s a trash organization so they don’t issue entry passes.”
Labang placed a sword on the table. Following that, other members also placed their hands on the weapons they were wearing.
The tension swelled to its peak. It felt like it would explode the moment anyone made a sharp move.
Thud.
With a dull sound, a piece of paper was placed on Labang’s sword.
It was a promissory note.
“What’s this?”
Labang asked.
“A down payment.”
At Fioren’s answer, Labang snatched the paper.
“Is this real? How much is this…”
Labang began to read the number written on the promissory note.
‘50 million Gold!’
At the not-so-bad amount, Labang’s nostrils flared widely.
Fioren did not miss this change in Labang.
“The contract period is five years. The payment for each job will be separate.”
Instead of answering, Labang gestured for his subordinate. He handed over the promissory note and left an order, ‘Check it.’
“There’s no need to check. I brought it myself.”
“If we believed everything people said, we would have gone bankrupt and disappeared by now. Just wait. We have our own system.”
At Labang’s words, Fioren let out a hollow breath. He was annoyed by Labang’s words and actions. But since he couldn't show it, he stood by the window and cooled his head in the cold wind.
A short while later, Labang’s subordinate returned after verifying the authenticity of the promissory note.
“It’s real.”
“Is that so? The central bank must have lost its mind. To be making and distributing notes like this.”
He glanced at Fioren and diligently composed his expression. Then he began to contemplate what choice to make. Normally, he would have just taken the money and dealt with the opponent. But he couldn't do that. The amount was too large to just take the money.
‘To be carrying around this much money means he’s no ordinary guy…’
If it was someone who could easily part with 50 million Gold, the Jordi Merchant Guild would not lose anything by proceeding with the contract. However, he was reluctant to make a contract exactly as Fioren wanted.
‘I can’t trust him. I can’t.’
Even for a criminal organization, trust was important in carrying out work. It was unlikely that the other party would request legitimate work. Therefore, they had to be able to trust each other and keep their mouths shut.
Thud!
Fioren, who had been looking out the window, returned to his original position and took out another promissory note. This time, it was also for fifty million Gold.
“How about you do one job for me right now? If you succeed, I’ll give you double the money I just gave you.”
Labang looked back and forth between the two promissory notes and Fioren. 100 million Gold on the table. An additional 200 million Gold if the requested job was successful.
‘300 million Gold. With this money, I can participate in the Moonlight Festival.’
It was too large an amount to refuse.