Chapter 16
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Episode 5 - Anomalous Market [1] ─────────────────────────────────
After that thought came to me, I couldn't help but look back once more, feeling that sensation I had felt in Sohel.
'It's not impossible that he's the third transmigrator; however, I have no idea how to confirm it.'
The reason I could suspect that Sohel was also a transmigrator was due to details she left behind.
For example, her strange confidence in me, as well as her knowledge about the Passage.
This time, remembering that guy's appearance and the moment our gazes crossed gave rise to this thought.
'There's no rush for now. If he is a transmigrator, then I'll discover it sooner or later.'
Taking advantage of the fact that I was alone with Doyle, I asked him; perhaps he knew who that guy was.
"Do you know who that long-haired guy was?"
Doyle's thoughts seemed to wander for a few seconds before he shook his head.
"I don't know. He's also one of the new employees; in fact, he should have been at the entrance ceremony as well."
"New."
"That's right. I think he's one of the first four, just like you, Superior Sherlock."
I pursed my lips while letting my thoughts wander before asking.
"What's his name?"
Doyle remained silent for a second before saying,
"Gerhman Michelle."
---
After a long workday of nothing but paperwork alongside Doyle.
The sun had set, and the star-filled night, along with the rise of a blood-pink moon, illuminated the darkness.
'I can certainly feel the effects of this moon on my Supernatural Power.'
In this world, at times there were moons of different colors that affected Supernatural Powers, as well as the emergence of new Passages.
However, the latter required several conditions, and the black moon was one of those requirements.
Looking at the moon one last time through the double glass doors, I closed the curtains and turned on the apartment lights.
Then I sat down, with a notebook on the small table in front of me and a normal pen.
'The leader of Dawne School said he would send me to a Passage with two members of the School. That means they are very familiar with the characteristics of an Eternal, so within three days I need a Supernatural Object of the Eternal Path; however, I don't know where to get one.'
After confirming the dates, as well as the name of this city and various places, I realized something unexpected.
"I transmigrated to a time in the past before the protagonist and his story began."
This era was called
"It is the year 795, and the story of the novel begins in the year 878 of the next era, while the era of the United Empires ends in the year 1368. There are more than a thousand years of difference between both eras and stories."
Not long ago, while I was working today at the real estate agency, I discovered this fact.
The next era after the United Empires was called
'Fortunately, I'm not in the era before the United Empires, because in that era Anomalies walked freely in the real world, and there were hidden Outer Gods, as well as conflicts between churches and various gods.'
That era was known as
After the era of Chaos and the stability of the Empires created by the Anomalies of that era, and the seal that led to the emergence of the Passages, this era began.
After processing the information about the year and era I was in, I also came to think about why I transmigrated to this era and year; however, I left it for now.
I lowered my gaze and looked at the notebook. The reason I wanted to receive an answer to a question was simple.
'Since I don't have time to find a Supernatural Object of the Eternal Path, and for obvious reasons the locations and places I knew from the novel don't exist in this era and year, and I also don't know where there are sellers of Supernatural Objects, I can only wait for an answer from this notebook.'
In any case, I couldn't ask the Supernatural Registration Department for a Supernatural Object of the Eternal Path for obvious reasons.
First, I need Phantom Passes, which would basically be like Merits or Contributions on Earth, and second, it would be too suspicious to look for a Supernatural Object specifically from the Path that the Department had given me.
Taking the pen, I then opened the notebook's cover and wrote on the first page.
…
Where is there a black market that sells Supernatural Objects of the Eternal Path?
…
After a few seconds, the notebook closed by itself, and after another second it opened again.
This time, beneath the written question, there were new words, only an address.
…
Lower District of Karth.
Broken Mirror Street, number 13.
…
After reading the response, I looked for a city map in my room, where half of it looked like a research area combined with a laboratory.
After obtaining the map and positioning myself correctly, I then searched for the address, and after a few seconds, I found it.
"It's not that far; it must be because the Supernatural Registration Department is here, and there are illegal Anomalies protected by the Department, which is why they can't obtain Objects or Fragments without Ghostly Passes."
After making a supposition, I arrived at the answer quickly.
Then I put the map away, and after memorizing the address the blog page had given me, I left my apartment, and after a minute I reached the pedestrian crossing of the street.
When I looked at the sky, the blood-pink moon illuminated all the streets with increasing intensity.
For a moment, I thought.
'The blood-pink moon only has the effect of altering Supernatural Power and a small possibility that weak Anomalies are born into reality.'
After looking to both sides of the street with no sign of any carriage or steam-powered vehicle in sight.
I decided to walk. Then, remembering where I had to go, I headed south for about ten streets, then I had to turn right and continue for three streets before turning left and continuing for about five streets, passing through a park and arriving near an upper-middle-class neighborhood.
Finally, I arrived exactly at the street number, where I noticed that next to the residence number there was an alley.
'Could this be the place? I can't confirm whether the Supernatural Power is different due to the effects of the moon right now.'
After a round of thoughts, I decided to enter the dark alley.
After a few steps and an unknown amount of time, I suddenly felt that I had reached the end of the alley; however, I activated my Supernatural Vision and realized that the wall in front of me was fake.
On the other side of the wall were dark and distorted stairs that led to some underground place.
After a few seconds of silence, I went down the stairs, and after a minute of walking, I finally reached the end of them.
The first thing I saw was a door with a slit in it.
'Don't tell me I can only enter if I say a password, a particular name, or certain knocks on the door as a security measure…'
Sighing, I knew this wouldn't be as easy as I had expected.
With no other options, I knocked on the door once and waited for the slit to open and see the eyes of the door guard.
After a few seconds, the slit opened, and a pair of brown eyes appeared.
I also realized that on the other side there were dim yellow lights and the sound of footsteps, like people talking.
I quickly realized that I was in the right place.
After those eyes behind the slit evaluated me, the person on the other side of the door closed his eyes as if recalling something and closed the slit without saying anything.
"...."
For a moment, I felt disconnected because this person didn't ask anything and didn't say anything, just looking at my appearance.
'What, they didn't let me in just like that.'
Confused, I was about to knock on the door again; however, after a second, noises sounded from the other side of the door, and the door opened.
The person on the other side was a man without a beard, with black hair and brown eyes, a muscular body, and tall, close to two meters in height.
The man lowered his gaze and said.
"Although we didn't expect a very famous and well-known figure like Sherlock Holmes to come to our black market, we still suspected that you might come at some point."
"...."
His words left me even more bewildered; however, I considered it for a second.
'The fame and recognition that others give to Sherlock Holmes are influential enough for the Anomalies of a Black Market of Anomalies to give him a pass this easily… who the hell is Sherlock Holmes really.'
Although confused, I did not hesitate to take advantage of this opportunity to 'deceive' this tall guy of almost two meters and nodded.
"Well, here I am."
The man smiled and nodded, then said.
"You can look for a guide at the leader's house, more trustworthy compared to those thieves over there."
The man pointed at several people who were approaching passersby with smiles and great expectations of stealing.
However, when they were rejected, they wrinkled their faces and clicked their tongues while muttering who knows what curses at those people.
Of course, everyone here is an Anomaly, some weak and others considered strong, so these guides did not speak loudly or let their reactions show.
Nodding, the man then continued speaking.
"You also have a 15% discount on your first purchase, that's all, and here."
The man extended his hand and handed me a card.
It was both a key as well as an address and presentation, in addition to the name of the "boss" he spoke about.
'Gabriel Ceres, I suppose this is the owner or founder of this black market.'
After reading the business card and the rest, the man called Derek, also known as Derek the pessimist, pointed toward a particular house or mansion in the distance, saying that it was the boss's residence and that the guides were there.
After moving away from Derek, I looked around.
The black market, honestly, was larger than I had thought.
Additionally, it seemed to be protected by some strange supernatural power that I suspected could teleport this entire place elsewhere.
'If this whole place can be teleported, that doesn't mean what's above will collapse.'
I looked at the ceiling, which was supported by enormous columns of stone and concrete.
The height from the floor to the ceiling was twenty meters, in addition to the ceiling being rocky and the fact that sometimes stones would fall on the heads of one person or another.
It was a fairly large place, perhaps around 250 to 400 square meters.
After walking toward the boss's mansion, I quickly saw the guides and approached one of them.
The guide was a boy of perhaps around 20 to 21 years old, with black hair and red eyes.
'Red eyes, that color is not natural in humans, perhaps he is a humanoid of another race.'
When the boy saw me, he smiled and said.
"Sir, are you looking for a guide?"
"That's right."
"Great, if you hire me, I promise you a low rate compared to the others, it will only be 50 Lines for every three hours."
Surprised, I did not expect a black market guide to be so cheap.
Normally these bastards rob you for more than 100 to 200 Lines per hour and not every three hours.
'I remember that the protagonist was forced to pay almost 500 Lines for being in a hurry to get the last Fragment to Fuse and advance to Path 7.'
Nodding, I took fifty Lines from my right pocket; additionally, just in case, I had brought the revolver that the Department of Supernatural Registration had given me for placing among the top four.
'I also used Probability Phrases to favor myself while I'm here, with the only negative being that I'll be chased by dogs.'
After handing over the fifty Lines, the boy said.
"Thank you, sir, I'm Derrick, some here call me the Cheap bastard."
"...."