Chapter 40: FRIH - 40
Martin glanced at Frieren, then hesitated, abandoning his attempt to mention items popular with men. He simply raised an eyebrow.
There was a brief silence as Martin's expression remained composed, but the glimmer of intent behind his eyes didn't go unnoticed. A subtle arch of his brow, paired with the faintest tilt of his chin, suggested implications he didn't want to voice aloud in the presence of a young-looking elf.
Ronan was puzzled. "Like what?" Martin's glance seemed suggestive... potions? Were those openly sold? His thoughts began to spiral. Wait, this was another world... It was legal here... He'd see what they were; hopefully, he was overthinking. He didn't need them anyway; he had a cheat code.
His mind flicked briefly to the kinds of items sold discreetly behind counters in Earth's seedier alleys and clinics, his brows twitching as he tried to imagine fantasy equivalents. But in this realm, alchemy and magic mingled freely, and perhaps what was taboo elsewhere was simply pragmatic here.
The corridor leading to the interior stretched before them, oddly narrow at first. Dust motes floated lazily through the dim light cast by arcane lanterns nailed into the warped wooden walls. The air had grown heavier, infused with the earthy scent of dried herbs and the sharp tang of alchemical ingredients reacting faintly in the background. As they walked, the tight passage echoed each footfall with a hollow cadence.
After fifty meters, the space opened up. Ronan saw Old Dick – old and... peculiar.
A cluttered chamber spread out before them, lit by strange violet crystals embedded into the ceiling, casting odd shadows over every surface. Behind a counter that looked like it might collapse under its own weight stood a figure both unsettling and fascinating.
What was that humanoid... thing? A mutation? Why were there two spheres on his head?
The spheres pulsed faintly, almost like heartbeats, encased in a translucent membrane that shimmered under the shifting lights. Ronan felt the hairs on his arms rise. The being's eyes were small and sunk deeply beneath thick folds of wrinkled skin, barely visible beneath the dangling bangs of greyish-blue hair.