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Chapter 705: Karma and Retribution (2)
—C-Customer!
Yenta Varangkula.
The son of the black-horned Yegot, and the assigned guide of Planet Ship Owner Jeong Yeongwoo.
The moment he arrived in front of Yeongwoo, his eyes widened as his fingertips trembled.
—W-What in the world happened here?
“Ah, if you’d come just a little later, there would’ve been a huge problem. We’ve got a time limit now.”
—A time limit…?
In response, Yeongwoo raised a finger and pointed toward ‘Muro’s Roar,’ briefly explaining what had just happened.
And he also spoke about Sevio, the new prisoner who had joined them.
—Sevio… Don’t tell me you mean that Sevio from the Twelve Sword Assembly?
As expected, Yenta, being from the underground layer himself, knew the name Sevio well, and soon the person in question, crouched over in the distance, wriggled his mouth.
—That’s right. This body is Sevio Fonta.
—N-No, just what in the…
“Is the Twelve Sword Assembly really the problem right now? Mohir’s going to start moving again in an hour.”
At Yeongwoo’s words, Yenta wiped the sweat from his forehead.
—Then you should hurry. The exit is…
“Exit?”
—…Excuse me?
“Why do you think I came here? To visit the black market.”
—B-But, Customer…
“Is the black market that far from here?”
When Yeongwoo asked while looking around, Yenta turned back toward the path he had come from.
—There is a portal leading to the black market in the outer area of the Gray Zone.
“Then we can get there quickly.”
—Surely… you’re not planning to finish everything you originally intended before leaving?
“Isn’t an hour enough? Anyway, the only thing I have to do on the surface is sell this guy off, so the chances of running into Mohir are low. At that point, we’ll be using the trade zone.”
—Then the things you need to do here right now are…
“Use the communications station, purchase a ship and ship cannons. And the liberation district wanted posters.”
At this, Yenta made a slightly troubled expression.
—Uh, that’s… quite a lot.
“Then we’ll just have to hurry that much more.”
As soon as Yeongwoo finished speaking and actually started walking, Yenta jumped in surprise and tried to support him.
—Are you really alright?
Even now, blood was continuously pouring from Yeongwoo’s neck.
“This’ll heal if I walk around a bit. Just hurry and guide me. Next time, surviving really will be difficult.”
* * *
Muro, the master of the Gray Zone.
And Mohir, the strongest machine swordsman.
After encountering not one but two giants, Yeongwoo instead felt his mind growing more at ease.
“This is actually a relief.”
When Yeongwoo suddenly muttered this, Yenta, who had been walking ahead, turned around.
—What exactly is a relief?
“That I got to meet ridiculously strong bastards early on.”
—……
“Anyway, doesn’t this basically mean the two most dangerous guys in the underground layer are tied up inside that tavern?”
—Depending on how you look at it… I suppose that’s true.
“Then at least there aren’t any other dangers now. For at least an hour.”
—Strictly speaking, forty-eight minutes.
After finishing the conversation like that, Yenta pointed toward a massive arch-shaped structure visible ahead.
—That is the portal leading to the entrance of the black market.
“A portal? But it’s not open.”
—That’s because no toll was paid. Unlike the upper layers, the underground layer has no infrastructure services, so nearly every facility charges a usage fee.
“What a harsh place. So broke bastards walk all the way to the black market from here?”
—Of course. Though there are other methods as well.
“Other methods?”
—It’ll be faster if you see for yourself.
With those words, Yenta tossed an oil coin beyond the arch structure, and astonishingly, the moment the coin passed through the structure, it vanished without a trace.
Paaat!
“……Huh?”
—The portal accepted the toll.
And then, the lower half of the structure truly turned bright blue as the portal formed.
And almost simultaneously.
Rustle, rustle!
The bushes near the portal suddenly began shaking violently.
“What’s that now?”
At this, Yeongwoo widened his eyes while moving his hand toward the Bastard Sword, and the suspicious bushes lifted up all at once, revealing legs sticking out beneath them.
Some bastards had disguised themselves as bushes while waiting for the portal to open.
—That’s how you use the portal when you don’t have money.
“They wait around here all day until someone else opens it?”
—Yes. Of course, it’s the kind of thing where you could lose your life if you’re unlucky…
In the meantime, the bushes had already disappeared inside the portal.
—If they hurry like that, they can slip into the black market before getting stabbed.
“They’re complete thieves.”
—Thanks to them, the portal’s going to close soon. Hurry!
Yenta shouted urgently as he quickened his pace, and in response, Yeongwoo grabbed both Sevio and Dots simultaneously before throwing himself beyond the portal.
Taaat!
Then the portal’s characteristic sense of dissonance enveloped his entire body, and soon an open area paved with stone flooring appeared.
Clank!
The steel boots wrapped around his feet collided with the rocky ground, producing a harsh sound.
“Huh? What the hell.”
[Translator - Night]
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Then, after lifting his head to look ahead, Yeongwoo had no choice but to blink in confusion.
Contrary to what he expected, all he could see were tents set up throughout the open area and shabby street stalls.
“This is the black market?”
When Yeongwoo asked, Yenta shook his head.
—This place is a kind of market too… but it’s not the black market.
“Then?”
—The black market is this way.
The place Yenta pointed toward was none other than underground.
Looking closely now, there was a stone staircase leading downward at one side of the open area.
“Wait, we’re already in the underground layer, and we’re going even farther down?”
Sure enough, scattered near the stone staircase were the bush costumes worn by the bastards who had cut in line earlier at the portal.
That really was the entrance to the black market.
—Fortunately, there’s a communications station near the entrance, so we should visit there first.
After checking the timer, Yenta began rapidly descending the stairs first, and Yeongwoo had no choice but to follow behind him.
“What a bizarre journey.”
—…You still call this a journey? I’m breaking out in cold sweat so badly my legs are going numb.
“We’ve still got an hour to spare anyway.”
—It’s forty-five minutes now. And besides… I’ve truly never seen anyone survive after becoming Mohir’s target.
“Of course not. Anyone who survived would’ve left the Black Zone. Anyway, looks like that bastard’s pretty famous around here.”
—If someone is strong, they naturally become famous in the underground layer.
“Then someday my name’ll be rolling around the underground layer too.”
At the end of the staircase sat a cylindrical device that looked almost like an elevator, and Yenta stepped inside first.
—This is the last part. Once we go down, we’ll be in the black market district.
“Don’t tell me this thing’s another one of those devices that goes deep underground like those waterways.”
—That’s correct.
“Crazy. So there’s basically an underground second floor.”
As Yeongwoo shook his head and stepped into the device, Yenta suddenly kicked the lever attached to the floor.
Kwaaang!
Just as expected, the cylinder carrying Yeongwoo’s group dropped into the ground.
Whooosh!
At a speed close to free fall.
—KRAAAAAAH!
Dots, who had never experienced such rough treatment before, screamed first, and then Yenta also let out a short groan before barely managing to clamp his mouth shut.
Then at last, a sound like a lock engaging came from outside the cylinder, and from that moment onward, the falling speed rapidly slowed before finally coming to a complete stop.
Kuuuuung!
“We’ve arrived?”
Now, all that could be seen ahead was a wide corridor.
—Yes. The black market is at the end of that corridor.
Soon afterward, Yenta cleared his throat and took the lead.
“So the black market’s up ahead? Surprisingly, I don’t see any guards.”
—Because in the black market, survival depends entirely on one’s own strength. If someone appears to be a guard, they’re usually the private soldier of some merchant.
“Then bastards like Mohir could just come here and take whatever they want.”
—In theory, yes. But in practice, that’s difficult.
“Why?”
—Because there’s no way to know who else may be present in the black market. No matter how strong Mohir is, he isn’t the strongest in the universe, is he?
“This place is really that dangerous…?”
—The absence of law means the absence of surveillance. There are quite a few retired or hidden powerhouses in the black market.
Around then, the massive corridor leading toward the black market finally came to an end, and Yeongwoo’s pupils expanded to their limits.
“My god.”
Because the black market he witnessed beyond the corridor was another gigantic world unto itself.
With a ceiling that looked to be at least a hundred meters high, an endless space filled with every kind of passerby, merchant, and makeshift stall stretched out ahead.
And beyond that stood countless buildings both large and small.
“This isn’t a black market. It’s basically an underground city.”
—There’s a reason they even deal in ships here.
“Well, yeah. The market would have to be huge for that. So that means there are hangars somewhere around here too.”
—Correct. For now, please come this way.
The place Yenta guided Yeongwoo to was not far from the entrance of the black market.
A device resembling a public payphone had been installed at one corner of the market, and according to Yenta, this was the communications station.
—You know the channel code, right…? You can open a communications channel here.
With those words, Yenta inserted an oil coin into the communicator, and soon a holographic keypad appeared in front of the powered-up device.
Paaat!
“Ah, so I just input it here.”
After rolling his eyes around for a moment, Yeongwoo entered the Earth Ship’s channel code.
Soon, a signal tone rang out for a while, and then a communication screen appeared where the keypad had been.
Pipit!
It was at that moment that Earth and Acting Captain Mantero’s faces appeared on the screen.
The current situation on this side was being transmitted through the window of the helm.
“Hey, can you hear me?”
「What the hell, there was no news so I thought you died.」
Earth scratched his chin while asking after him.
At this, Yeongwoo continued while glancing behind him.
“That’s not entirely wrong. If I can’t finish everything here within forty minutes, I really am going to die.”
「What the hell are you doing over there this time? And why did your group get bigger again?」
Earth tilted his head after spotting Sevio, so Yeongwoo dragged him in front of the screen.
“Ah, new guest. Get a good look at his face. He’ll be sticking around with us for a while.”
「On our ship…?」
“Yeah. Anyway, that’s not the important part.”
Around then, Yenta had begun tapping the timer impatiently, so Yeongwoo hurriedly got to the main point.
“Did we get any contact from the Salzeo side?”
「Yeah. As a matter of fact, the young master contacted us saying the trade preparations are complete.」
“Really? Then tell him to come to the Black Zone since I’ll finish preparing the trade within an hour and head back up. Also tell him I’ll have the trade opened and be waiting there.”
At once, Mantero sensed something strange and cut into the conversation.
—Wait a moment, Ship Owner. Aren’t you already in the Black Zone? What exactly do you mean by heading back up from somewhere…?
“Ah, that’s a long story. Just tell him to come to the Black Zone. I need to save time if I want to make it back alive, so that’s all for now.”
After quickly ending the communication, Yeongwoo turned his gaze back toward Yenta.
“Alright, preparations to sell off Salzeo are done. So where do we go next?”
Then Yenta pulled out a leather map from his pocket and pointed toward the noisy interior of the market.
—Next is the purchase of a ship and ship cannons. There are quite a few related stores, but since we don’t have much time, we won’t be able to check all of them.
“So, what are the options?”
—You may choose one of two. Either you look at stolen goods from famous brands, or…
“Is the other option that monster ship you mentioned last time?”
—Yes. That’s correct.
At this, Yeongwoo answered as though there wasn’t even anything to consider.
“I already have Salzeo’s ship, so why would I buy another similar one? Let’s go buy the monster ship. That’s what I came here for in the first place.”
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