Five souls… he now had five souls under his belt. It wasn’t much – not really. In fact, it was nothing compared to the collections of his older brethren, like Gaunter who had several worlds’ worth of souls in just one pinky. It wasn’t much, true, but it was a start. And, already, Jin could feel the difference in power. He wouldn’t be reshaping reality on a grander scale any time soon, but the more souls he had, the easier it was to collect more, which then created this positive feedback loop that only added more and more to his growing power.
More importantly, he now had enough power to create his first demon. It wouldn’t be a powerful demon, just a Whispering Imp, but it was still an epic milestone. Not that he was going to make one, since doing so would essentially set him back to square one, but it was the fact that he could that made Jin so giddy as he walked back to his cart.
It was midday, but the sun could hardly shine through the heavy clouds that lingered overhead. The road was quiet and the air was cool. And the breeze that blew from the high mountains smelled faintly of old trees and moist earth. Dried leaves fluttered in the wind, carrying with it the scent of early spring. The City of Choza awaited him in the distance, the scents of suffering and sorrow beckoning him onwards.
“Hey, Lok, did you miss me, boy?” Jin smiled as his immortal mule neighed and bobbed its head in excitement as he neared it. He reached for the mule’s head and ruffled its fine hair backwards. The mule neighed once more and Jin could only chuckle. “Oh, I know; I’m excited too. I can’t wait to stretch my legs and make a few deals.”
Behind Lok was his cart, filled to the brim with all manner of items he’d bought or found in his journey, jewels from the hot and arid land of Parsa, dyes and cloths from the temperate Empire of Vhis, bracelets and necklaces from the cold and harsh lands of the Vloknar, and several bags of low-grade and high-grade Spirit Rice he nabbed from the Blade Wind Sect during Hideo’s little rampage. Honestly, he didn’t need to sell any of this stuff, but the activity itself was nice and relaxing. And it was a good way to practice his conversational skills with people, without actively trying to eat their souls.
Smiling, Jin leapt up to his cart’s front seat and sat down. “Let’s go, Lok; the city isn’t getting any closer.”
The mule responded with a neigh, before trotting forward. The City of Choza was about an hour or so away at the speed they were travelling and maybe half that if Lok bothered moving any faster. Then again, Jin saw no real need to rush anything. Wherever he was in the world, pain, suffering, rage, and anguish were abundant, even if it came from… less savory sources, like wild beasts and primitive minds.
Over the course of the travel, Jin encountered only very few people on the road, most of which were farmers who were looking to sell their produce in the city or farmers who’d already sold their produce. Kind gestures and a few hellos were sent his way and Jin eagerly returned them; positive emotions did feed him… somewhat, but it wasn’t nearly as sating or as delicious as negative emotions or souls. In fact, positive emotions were outright unpalatable.
He steered clear of them whenever possible, but, considering the myriad of emotions humans cycled through in a day, it was inescapable.
After an hour or so of travel, Jin finally reached the outskirts of Choza. The city itself was a lot smaller than the central cities of the Nihono Empire. Instead of solid brick walls, erected around the settlement was a series of tall wooden palisades that would hardly protect it from an actual siege. Then again, it was probably built to stop thieves and other criminals from easily escaping the local authorities. There were two entrances, a single gate in the eastern side of the city that served to welcome passing travelers and merchants, such as himself, and another gate in the western side of the city that was used only by Adventurers, Cultivators, and Mages who deigned to venture into the frontier lands beyond.
Jin was fairly sure the only reason the city of Choza was even founded was to provide temporary shelter and housing for all the people who wanted to venture into the unknown. After all, most of the businesses within the city itself came in the form of taverns, inns, and hotels.
Armed guards patrolled the lower part of the walls. They gathered specifically near the eastern gate to act as both an assurance for passing merchants and farmers, and as deterrence for banditry. But, there were very few bandits in these parts, due to the presence of the Blade Wind Sect that acted as the single largest deterrent force in the entire region.
One of the local guards held up a hand and stopped him as he neared the eastern gate. “Halt!”
Jin adopted a smile and did as told. Lok, fortunately, understood human speech quite well. The guard approached, spear in hand. Jin noted the archers, stationed on wooden towards that gazed down from above the palisade. The guard was definitely drunk, slurring as he spoke, “State your business here.”
Jin peered into the man’s soul and found a sickening love for alcohol that overwhelmed almost everything else. But there was also pain and regret and a self-awareness that made the man hate himself. His very soul was in anguish, mourning the very recent deaths of loved ones. More than once, it seemed, the guardsman attempted to join them, but his friends stopped him each time. The scars along his wrists and the mark around his neck could attest to the crippling loneliness in his soul.
The guardsman’s physical shell reflected the pain and torment of his soul. He reeked of alcohol and swaggered in his steps. His face was flushed red and stains marred his armor. His eyes were unfocused and his gaze was distant. His name was Juzou and death lingered in his heart, mind, and soul.
Jin breathed in and smiled. Claiming this soul would be easy.
What a delight it was that the first person he’d talk to already smelled so delicious.
“I am naught but a humble merchant, good sir,” Jin gestured behind him, prompting the guardsman to take a look at his wares. Though clearly hungover, Juzou still had enough of a brain in his head to look over Jin’s goods. “I’m here only to sell my wares to the good people of Choza. For, you see, I have travelled the many nations of the world, to the farthest realm of Drakara in the West, to the frozen reaches of Vloknar, and I am certain many would relish the opportunity to see my wares in the market square.”
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Juzou grunted and nodded, turning away from Jin’s cart. He didn’t seem interested in the foreign goods, but – then again – most people weren’t exactly drawn to them. Even the Spirit Rice was a commodity that rarely found its way onto the plates of the common man. “Not a lot of merchants visit this town; what brings you all the way here, mister….”
“Jin… my name’s Jin, friend,” Jin said, smiling. “And I didn’t come here for any particular reason; I simply go where the road takes me. From here, after a few days or so, I might just visit the famed city of Amekure to the north.”
Juzou, the guardsman, nodded, before shaking his head and turning towards the gate. “Let him through!”
The wooden gate was pulled open by guardsmen on the other side, revealing the bustling city on the other side. Hundreds of people milled about their business, workers and craftsmen toiling in their workshops, embroiders and cloth makers in their looms, and blacksmiths working their forges – so many people, so many souls. Jin smiled and nodded at Juzou. “Thank you, good man.”
“You better not be causing trouble in the city, alright?”
“Oh, of course not; I am but a humble merchant, after all, here to sell my wares.”
Jin marked Juzou’s soul as he entered the city. The man’s soul was a high priority one, since the man himself could succeed at suicide at any moment, which meant his soul might just end up in the afterlife, instead of Jin’s belly. And yet, as he passed through the busy city streets, the presence of so many tortured and anguished souls made themselves known to Jin’s periphery – so many possible meals to choose from. It took quite a bit of self-control to not drool in front of so many people.
The buildings within the city weren’t especially tall, but they were built so efficiently as to maximize space. Roofs were joined and entire structures became one at certain points. It was interesting. He passed by several inns and taverns, and saw the Adventurers, Mages, and Cultivators that lingered within them – foreigners and locals alike, joined together before a journey into the frontier. Their souls were heavy with excitement, fear, and uncertainty, especially the younger recruits who’d never before had the pleasure of knowing the denizens of the Emerald Hell.
Even Jin was apprehensive of venturing into that horrid place. Still, he could understand why so many people braved the myriad of dangers that lay in the frontier lands – ancient and crumbling ruins, hidden treasures, secret knowledge, and troves of legendary weapons, Spirit Beasts and so many more things that Adventurers, Mages, and Cultivators could want.
However, almost all who ventured into the Emerald Hell did not return. Those who did return almost often left something behind – usually a limb or two.
A child ran in front of his cart, startling his trusty mule, Lok, who neighed in annoyance as the kid laughed and joined another group of children. Jin merely shook his head and chuckled to himself as his mule snorted and huffed. “Don’t think too much about it, Lok; it was just a kid… a dumb kid, who didn’t bother looking at what was on the road.”
He’d never been fond of children. Their souls were too pure and too light, and – even if they were put through agonizing pain and torture – he simply couldn’t devour them as he could adults. Jin still wasn’t sure what the age limit was, but the youngest soul he’d eaten was about twenty-five years old. Aside from the issue with their souls, children were loud and obnoxious, and annoying.
It didn’t take long for Jin to reach the market square, where other travelling merchants had already set up their tents. He found a quiet little corner, near an old tea shop, and decided it was as good a place as any; sure, it might’ve been a wee bit far from the busiest areas of the market square, but, then, Jin never really cared much about actually selling his stuff. What he wanted out of this were good old interactions and conversations with the mortals that surrounded him.
Setting up his tent didn’t take too long and, by the time he was finished, a small crowd of curious people had already gathered around him. Most of them were native Nihonins, but there were a few northerners and southerners among them as well, likely Adventurers, based on the arms and armors they carried. Several children gathered in front of the crowd, including the same kid who ran in front of his cart, earlier. Jin flashed them his brightest smile and unveiled his merchandise. “Welcome, one and all, to Jin’s Worldwide Emporium, where you can buy trinkets, items, and all manner of things from all across the known world!”
A little bit of glamour aided a lot in capturing the attention of the audience and drawing in several passersby. The crowd grew and their eyes were either fixed on him or his wares, most of which were probably rubbish, but it was their exotic and foreign natures that captivated most. Though, Jin did carry several items and artifacts that would fetch a hefty price if he sold them to the highest bidder – spirit weapons, sealed spells, cultivation scrolls, and soul gems.
“What’s that, over there?!” Someone from the crowd pointed at the glimmering form of a curved, richly decorated, and highly ornate Parsan Tea Kettle. It was made entirely of porcelain and etched with gold and silver threads that were arranged in intricate floral patterns.
Jin smiled and pulled the kettle up for all to see, eliciting several “oohs” and “ahs” as he held it up left and right. The item seemed to have caught the attention of the rich folk, who stood out by their dress. “This is a Tea Kettle, used by noblemen and noblewomen from the dry and arid lands of Parsa. It is displayed in the courts of Princes and Kings, and is used to serve fellow noble guests and acquaintances. It is called a Dallah, the tea kettle for nobility and royalty. And you can have it too, for the measly price of 100 Mon.”
At that, several rich-folk stepped forward and began bartering and bidding over the tea kettle’s price, much to the enjoyment of the crowd. Eventually, the richest of the nobles, bid 300 Mon for the tea kettle and cowed his fellows. Jin peered into the fat man’s soul and found much greed, lust, and pride. His name was Matsumoto Arima, owner of the Matsumoto Hotel and the richest and most powerful man in Choza. His soul would be a fine addition to his collection, but his soul definitely wouldn’t be easy to obtain.
Powerful and prideful men were, in general, difficult to make deals with.
After Matsumoto Arima left, the crowd pushed forward and so began several hours of haggling, talking, and selling. By the fifth hour, almost everything Jin put on display was gone and he’d gathered around 1,500 Mon – not too shabby. Then again, money meant little to him. The sun was slowly setting in the distance and the other merchants in the square were already packing up.
As the crowd thinned and parted, an entirely new group of people appeared and approached him. Jin raised a single brow at their choice of attire – kamishimos and katanas, dangling from their hips as they approached. Cultivators, he realized immediately, from the Blade Wind Sect – Late Stage Foundation Establishment Cultivators.
He grinned at them, even as they began to draw their weapons. “Welcome, gentlemen; may I interest you a few foreign wares?”
This day might just prove to be interesting.