Pov: Zane
So, an entire day went by. Fang Yuan and Madara didn't bring me any good news. They searched thoroughly, but in the end, they couldn't find a place where I could sell my magic stones and items.
Of course, I told them to keep looking.
Even if they had to ask adventurers, I told them to find somewhere.
After talking with them and having lunch, I entertained myself by watching what my clones were up to. I started checking through their vision, as if I were watching security cameras.
To my surprise, most of them were inside the dungeon.
'So that's why my experience gain has been increasing so much. I'm about to level up.'
Probably soon, some clones will come seeking evolution.
The only ones not hunting in the dungeon at the moment were Fang Yuan and Madara, who were still carrying out the mission I gave them, and Frieren and Akitsu, who remained in the city.
They seemed to enjoy staying in town way more than the others.
Frieren especially liked walking around, analyzing everything around her. She's probably explored almost the entire city by now. And of course, she attracted attention wherever she went.
As for Akitsu, she was completely in love with socializing.
She made so many friends in such a short time it's hard to count.
But her closest friends were the girls from the Ganesha Familia.
They met up again today to drink together. I watched them for a while and then contacted Akitsu.
'Akitsu, how are you feeling?'
[ Huh? Master? ]
'What is it? You didn't like me contacting you?'
[ No, of course not. I was just surprised. What do you need, Master? ]
Akitsu excused herself and went to the bar's restroom.
'Nothing really, I just wanted to know how your friendship with the Ganesha Familia girls is going. You all seem pretty close. Wasn't it a bit too fast?'
[ I met them at the dungeon entrance and ended up becoming friends. I saw them and started a conversation — it was easy. I just had to act friendly enough to win them over. ]
'So you're pretending to have fun just to get on their good side?'
[ Of course. The taste of those drinks is awful, but I always say I like them, and they get happy when I drink a lot. I don't get it. ]
I honestly didn't expect that.
'You're definitely the best actress I've seen so far. You should give Frieren some lessons so she can fool the Loki Familia members better.' Well, in the end she did earn their trust by acting like a clueless child.
[ Well, I'm just doing what you asked. Speaking of which, Master, I found out something today while chatting with them. ]
'What is it?'
[ Apparently, there have been murders inside the dungeon. One of the girls was part of the group that found the bodies. ]
'Is that such a big deal?'
[ She said the group that was killed belonged to a very important Familia called Loki Familia. ]
'Oh, I see. Loki must be furious. But how do they know it wasn't monsters?'
[ She didn't give many details, but said they found one of those black masks at the scene. So I assumed someone wearing that mask was involved in the murder. ]
'But maybe one of the victims was wearing the mask.'
[ True. But it's still very suspicious. I didn't find out much more than that, but you should be careful, Master. The Loki Familia is probably investigating, and that mask... ]
'I get what you're saying. Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Go back to the table and enjoy yourself a bit more with those girls. Oh, and gain their trust — I want you to join their Familia.'
[ Are you sure, Master? ]
'Yes. The Ganesha Familia is large and influential. I need someone inside to gather information.'
[ Alright, I'll keep that in mind. It may take a few days, but I'll make sure it happens. ]
'No need to overdo it — it's not as hard as it sounds. Just talk to them and say you don't have a Familia and would like to join the Ganesha Familia.'
[ That easy? ]
'Well... maybe not that easy, but it's worth a try. Good luck, Akitsu.'
[ Talk to you later, Master. ]
Watching through Akitsu's eyes, I saw her lightly slap her expressionless face in front of the mirror, then a friendly smile appeared.
"So she really was acting all along. I honestly thought her personality had changed and she was enjoying herself. That was unexpected."
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POV: Fang Yuan
As I walked through the city, I arrived at a place that looked like the kingdom of promiscuity. I asked a man before entering what the place was called, and he replied, "Entertainment District."
By the name alone, I understood it was where people came to enjoy themselves. With prostitutes.
All I could see were bars and women dressed in revealing clothes. But I just kept walking, refusing to make eye contact with any of them. I didn't want to be approached.
My only goal here is to complete Master's mission.
When I saw this place, I thought it might be where I could find a black market or someone willing to buy Master's goods.
I kept walking, and women looked at me like I was prey, which made me uncomfortable. 'I should ask someone if they know of a black market around here.'
It's a risky question...
People will probably refuse to answer.
I stopped in the middle of a street full of bars and hotels. Looking around, I saw many beautiful women. I also saw some men, but they were all accompanied — even in broad daylight.
Then I walked up to a bar door, where a tanned woman was standing.
When our eyes met, she smiled at me.
I approached, and the woman licked her lips. I could tell what she was thinking.
"Excuse me, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure~~ What do you want to know?" she said in a friendly tone.
I got straight to the point. Master said he doesn't mind if we ask people about a black market.
But something told me it was a bad idea to ask this woman — she seemed a little dangerous — so I changed my question.
"I can't sell items or magic stones at the guild since I'm not part of a Familia. I wanted to ask if there's anywhere around here that buys these things at a fair price. A large quantity."
"..." The woman looked at me, unsure how to respond.
After staring at me for a moment, she burst out laughing. "Hahaha, are you stupid? There's nothing like that around here. And I don't think you'll find a place like that in this city. Maybe if you go to another city, you might be able to sell all those items."
"Another city?"
"Yeah. You could probably sell magic stones and items in other cities. Maybe even for a better price."
"Hmmmm..." I rested my chin in my hand, thinking.
Master never told me there were other cities in this world. Should I ask him for permission to leave the city?
"So, since I answered your question, how about you have a little fun with me?" The woman stepped closer and tried to grab my shirt collar, but I caught her hand.
I stared coldly into her eyes and said, "Please, don't touch me."
"..." Her cheerful expression vanished, and she looked visibly irritated.
But I didn't care.
I turned around and walked away.
'Master, I'm going to look around the so-called Entertainment District a bit more, but it doesn't seem like there's a black market here either. However, I did hear something interesting from a woman.'
[ What did she say? ]
'She said it might be a good idea to visit another city to sell items and magic stones. According to her, they'd pay very well. If you allowed me to—'
[ We'll talk about that later. I'm dealing with a problem right now. ]
'Understood. I'll continue my search.'
I cut off contact with Master and kept asking around in the Entertainment District.
In the end, I didn't find any useful information.
I left the district.
As I walked through the city, I overheard a conversation.
"Hey, did you hear the Loki Familia is planning an operation in the dungeon?"
"Operation?"
"Yeah. Apparently, some of their members were killed by one of those masked people in the dungeon. They're looking for whoever did it."
"Good. I was starting to get worried. Things were getting out of control."
As soon as I heard that, I remembered the "problema" Master mentioned.
'I see.' I smiled.
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Next chapters: Chapter 30 - Find the killers. / Chapter 31 - "Swap" / Chapter 32 - Sekhmet Familia? / Chapter 33 - That's a problem. / Chapter 34 - Nervousness, guilt, and disgust.