The City of Tears was a place with a mysterious aura, with tall and narrow buildings that were much larger than those of ordinary human cities, such as Holinda. Moreover, since it was located in what seemed to be the interior of a colossal cave, it was always nighttime. As such, the streets were even darker and more dangerous than in ordinary human cities. Filled with mercenaries prowling the shadows in search of easy prey and foolish mages to deceive.
Kaizen walked through the streets of this city where it never stopped raining, and the sound of the water dripping incessantly created a monotonous and mesmerizing melody.
The dark rocky walls in the distance looked very wet, with drops of water constantly running down them, forming small waterfalls that flowed into the lake that surrounded the city and grew larger every year. The streetlights in the suburbs were few and dim, and this lack of lighting away from the large center created strange, distorted shadows everywhere. And Kaizen had the strange feeling that he was being watched as he walked through these streets.
The few mages who crossed Kaizen's path in this area away from the center wore thick cloaks, and some even wore rubber boots to protect themselves from the constant rain.
The roofs of the houses and shops around him were made of stone and mortar to keep the water out, but it was still difficult to keep everything dry.
Dark alleys look particularly treacherous. These deep pools of dark water remind me of the kind of portal the Eye of Hermodr used to attack the capital. Kaizen reminded himself as he walked.
Yes, the suburbs of the City of Tears were bleak and oppressive, with an unpleasant climate and a damp, suffocating stench that permeated everything. It was definitely not a welcoming place, except that the mages in the center seemed so content in this place, perhaps because they had never seen Midgard. Well, Kaizen couldn't blame them for being happy, since they were using magic freely, without any fear, which wasn't very common in the Human Realms, precisely because players couldn't use abilities in cities most of the time.
"I'm home at last." Kaizen said as he stopped in front of a large entrance to the old sewer system hidden in a dark alley. "Well, there are actually no monsters guarding the entrance. That's good news."
After handing the bag of coins to the drow, Kaizen was able to get the information on where one of the entrances to 'The Den' was located. He knew that this kind of deal would be difficult to keep in real life, it would be more likely that the drow would just lie about the location of the entrance and then disappear with the money, but Kaizen decided to give it a vote of confidence, as his mission was updated when the drow gave him the location.
The smell Kaizen smelled when he finally reached the spot marked on the map was simply horrible. The stench of decay and sewage mixed with the humid and stuffy air of the city.
"Urgh! This is terrible... This explains why there is no house nearby. But if this is the only way for me to continue the mission, there's nothing else I can do." Kaizen thought, snapped his fingers to ignite a fireball, and entered the sewer system.
Kaizen made his way through a dark, wet tunnel, the sound of dripping water still echoing. The darkness was almost complete, and Kaizen could barely see his own feet as he walked carefully. He continued in silence, trying not to make any noise with his footsteps, and though he didn't know exactly where he was going, there was only one way to go.
Finally, after almost fifteen minutes of walking, he came to a brick wall.
"Shit. A dead end." Kaizen said immediately, but he wasn't going to settle for that.
[Activating the class skill <Analyzing Eye>].
Examining the wall for a moment, Kaizen found a brick that stood out among so many others. This brick was larger than any of the others, and this difference would be almost unnoticeable to ordinary people in the dark. Kaizen approached the wall and pushed the brick hard. At that moment, the brick wall opened up, revealing a narrow passage.
Kaizen increased the amount of flame hovering over his palm, illuminating further and moving forward. The passage led him into a large, brightly lit corridor with lanterns hanging from the walls. The air was heavy with the smell of smoke, sweat, and mold, and Kaizen soon began to see people of many different races gathered together, running everywhere and crossing his path like a crowded train station.
These people were hooded and avoided eye contact with each other, so Kaizen put on his hood as well and began walking in the same direction. It wasn't long before he found stalls where some vendors were haggling with buyers for the small creatures locked in glass jars and cages.
A couple of armed mercenaries crossed Kaizen's path, which had him on the alert, only they didn't seem to have noticed his presence.
There is no doubt about it. I have entered the cave.
Kaizen knew he had to be careful here, for a single mistake could be fatal.
With the help of the <Analyzer Eye> again, Kaizen searched the aisles of the black market for something that even he didn't know what it was. A clue, a person, an item, anything. He listened to the business going on in the various stalls, trying to overhear a conversation that might help him find the person he was looking for.
After walking down several corridors until the corridors began to empty, with no stalls and no people, Kaizen noticed a lone stall from a distance. This stall was large and protected by some sort of magic field that was visible when using <Analyzing Eye>. There were many cages of strange wild animals in front of the stall, while a man was smoking next to it, apparently protecting the goods for trade.
...
Edited by: DrHitsuji
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