Kelsein was located in a meadow with vast planes encompassing its surroundings.

Many villages naturally formed around it, constructing countless winding roads. People could be seen going in and out at all times, even throughout the night.

The roads in and out of the city had lights on each side of the street, creating a serene mood. The lights were created using sunstones that absorbed the sun's energy during the day and released it as light during the night.

Although one might think that these stones were expensive, they were anything but that. While they did occur in nature, most sunstones on the market were mass-produced using magic, making them the cheapest of the unique stones.

Thanks to this, most streets, people, and homes had light at night, making things much easier.

In the Fourth Gate City streets, two heavily dressed figures were walking at night, their actions and appearances not garnering any attention. One of the figures was tall and slightly muscular, while the other seemed relatively short, its body still in its growth period.

“Will, where are we going at such a time? From what I heard, father would be executed in five days, so why are we not going over to save him?”

Asked the tall figure, seemingly confused about their actions.

The short figure stopped briefly, glanced at him, and spoke.

“It’s impossible to save Father with our current status; even if we somehow entered the royal palace, meeting with the Emperor and explaining the situation is impossible for now. As to where we are headed, just wait.”

These two were, of course, Adam and William. They had left Rose behind due to her young age, although William himself was just two years older than her, but Adam didn’t even think about that.

His younger brother had changed a lot since he last saw him; a year had passed since he last saw him, so he wasn’t as suspicious, but he still felt weird about it. How could his young and innocent little brother become so vicious, smart, and a mage at that?

He had decided not to think about it lest he burn his brain. After all, although he was relatively sharp, he was too lazy at times to think too much, mostly spending his time training his aspect and aura.

William had already consolidated his aura, taking his advancement very seriously. Although he was still experiencing the aftereffects of his actions, things got better as his body strengthened. The mana potions he needed to consume had also lessened as his vessel became more robust.

As for his aspect, William had become a bit more proficient at it, but he knew it would take years for him to use it properly. After all, compared to high-class nobles who had treasures since birth and awakened their aspect at a very tender age, he didn’t have that much control.

Since it was a new experience for him, he would do things step by step. He still had time to grow properly and utilize his knowledge of the future. However, he noticed a major blockade in his advancement over the past few days: the hormonal changes in his body.

He felt more rowdy and had a harder time controlling his emotions. Regressing into a teen body had affected his mentality greatly. He also noticed that some memories of his were fuzzy at best, which made things much harder for him.

Rose had also awakened her aspect, but she only used it to have fun and not to fight. Her aspect was called [Fire Dancer], allowing her to produce fire strands that moved along with her and showcased their beauty when she danced.

It was thanks to this aspect and William's talent in singing and playing instruments that allowed them to survive for that long while being orphans with no backing, but of course, Rose had developed her aspect to be much more than just a dance later on, being able to use it in combat to cause catastrophic damage to her enemies with her nimble movements.

William couldn’t forget the hard times they had experienced, vowing never to allow such a future to happen again.

Seeing that Adam had nothing more to say, William continued walking, with Adam following right after.

Entering a secluded alley, William suddenly approached a wall, shocking Adam.

“What are you doing?”

He asked, confused by William's actions.

William looked at him, stretched his hand, and touched the wall, his hand passing right through.

“This is the entrance to the black market. Don’t forget that I asked for gold and platinum coins from the Hidden Master; of course, it wasn’t just for our living; we are going to be spending them here.”

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Spoke William as he passed through the wall, ignoring the amazement of his elder brother.

Adam stood there for a few seconds, dazed, but suddenly hurried inside the wall, not wanting to lose sight of William.

As soon as he touched the wall, the feeling of breaking through water encompassed his whole body, and soon after, he found himself staring at a set of stairs heading down, William waiting for him patiently with his back on the wall.

Seeing that Adam had entered, William started descending the stairs, not waiting for him to ask anything. Adam hurriedly followed behind him, catching up and walking next to him.

Soon, the stairway expanded, and the two of them were greeted with a majestic market.

Countless stalls were stretching in a straight line, each unique and magical. Magical artifacts, unique treasures, and different creatures could be seen everywhere, with heavily dressed people inspecting the merchandise.

The ceiling seemed like the sky, but if one looked more closely, one would see countless small sunstones dotted around, acting like stars. Although the place looked like it was outside, it was underground.

Adam couldn’t help but be in awe, but William continued forward, not fazed at all by the sight.

Snapping out of his daze, Adam followed, trying to maintain his disguise. He had noticed that everyone here seemed to be hiding their identities through artifacts, clothing, or other strange means. The only people who didn’t seem to care were the stall owners, as they sold everything with smiles on their faces.

William looked around and noticed that the stalls were slightly different from what he had remembered, but then again, he had not entered at this time period; to begin with, he just hoped that the person he was looking for was there.

As the two brothers walked deeper into the black market, they passed by various stalls with vendors trying to catch their attention. They saw a stall with different potions and elixirs, another selling enchanted jewelry, and even one selling rare and exotic ingredients for mages to use in their spells.

William seemed to know exactly where he was going as he easily navigated through the bustling crowd. Eventually, they reached a more secluded area with fewer stalls and peddlers. Here, William saw a familiar stall, and he couldn’t help but smile.

If anyone who knew the future William was here, he would instantly have shivers when looking at his smile. It was the same mischievous smile he always plastered when things went his way.

In an instant, William headed towards the stall, his eyes falling on an elderly man selling different instruments.

Looking at the elderly man’s still-healthy complexion, William couldn’t help but be happy.

This old man had given him his instrument when he and Rose were running away, singing and dancing in the streets.

Back then, William had used countless street scraps to make instruments to play. Since he had liked music since he was young, his parents had brought a music teacher just for him, so he was adept at many musical instruments, but the lute was his favorite. Taking pity on a young child with potential, the old man had given him a high-grade instrument.

He was his life’s savior because, without his assistance and connections, he would have never become the guild leader of the Bard Guild.

William was not only the Hidden Master but also the leader of the Bard Guild. He had first become the leader of the Bard Guild before becoming the Hidden Master. All of this happened because of this old man, trader Bill. Of course, this status meant nothing when the kingdom fell to the demons.

No one truly knew Trader Bill’s real identity, but everyone just called him Bill, and he was the largest investor and trader in Kelsein; even the entire Black Market was his, but no one except a few knew about it.

If trader Bill hadn’t given him a letter of recommendation for the bard guild after seeing him perform, then he and Rose would have long been found by Max Byrd and his lackeys.

However, his real reason for coming here wasn’t just the trader but the person next to him.

It was a young boy of a similar age, barely over 14–15. He had bright blue hair, and his face screamed mischief, prompting people to have the urge to punch him, but no one would be able to do so.

The young man’s name was Jesse Ward, one of William’s old acquaintances and the future leader of the night market.

Seeing the two of them together, William quickly hid his smile and headed to the stall, Adam following him.

They approached the stall, William acting as if he was interested in the things for sale while Adam looked around in wonder.

All the items in front of them were instruments with different intricate designs, from flutes to lutes to harpsichords, and even unique instruments that made no sense, such as the golden bowl, which produced a sonorous sound when struck with a bottle.

Just as William was about to stop acting interested, he noticed an instrument that caught his interest. It was the same instrument trader Bill had given him in his previous life, a rather large lute that seemed to be similar in height to him, having a rather bulky frame with a rich black color and purple outlines.

He remembered it quite well; after all, this instrument had been with him for more than half his life, but sadly, it got destroyed during one of his fights with demons. From then on, William didn’t have time to search for a new one; however, seeing his old instrument now, a sense of longing encompassed his whole being.

Grabbing the instrument, William looked at Trader Bill and asked about the massive lute, making the scene of him holding it comical, but he could pick it up with ease due to his upgraded physical strength.

“Old sir, how much does this instrument cost?”

His question made Trader Bill smile as he showed two fingers.

“It's two gold coins, young lad; any more than that, and that poor masterpiece wouldn’t land its hands on any bard.”

He spoke, his eyes glowing slightly.

William realized that he had miscalculated due to his emotions.

Indeed, the instrument wasn’t simple, and no ordinary person would come here to buy it. Bill even gave it to him back then, thanks to his musical talent, expecting it to be used properly.

Trying to recover from his oversight, he directly paid the two gold coins to trader Bill and started making small talk. Adam stared dazedly, not understanding the situation.

Adam knew quite well how good William was at singing and playing instruments; however, he knew this wasn’t the time for them to go shopping. Their family was in danger; their father was about to be executed, and they had no idea where their mother was.