When we entered the shantytown that surrounded Halros, the first thing that hit me was the disgusting, rancid smell. It smelled like rotten garbage, week-old corpses, piss, and burning shit blended together in an unholy mixture. I gagged when it reached my nose, and that was considering the fact that Mr. Marion's mask completely covered my face. The mask should have reduced the stench, but it still penetrated the thick fabric. Holy shit, I think I'm gonna puke.
Fortunately, I still had some of the smell-eliminating potion I bought from Kath long ago. I quickly dumped the contents of the bottle on my mask. The effect was immediate and the stench quickly disappeared. I sighed in relief.
“You could have left some for us,” Belka grumbled beside me, and I realized Emily was also looking at the bottle in my hand with a bit of longing.
“Er, sorry,” I said sheepishly.
With the abominable smell no longer trying to kill me, I was finally able to assess our surroundings. Ramshackle houses surrounded us on both sides and the road was littered with garbage and literal shit. The air was thick with smoke coming from large barrels, and when I saw what they used as fuel, I gagged again.
But what was more unfortunate was the people. The filthy road that led to Halros' gate was devoid of people, but I could see the wary and hungry gazes peeking in from behind the shutters and windows of the rickety buildings around us. With my fabric sense, I knew there were much more people in the area despite the lack of traffic, but they were all hiding in their decrepit houses. My mood further took a hit when I realized that most of the clothes I was detecting consisted of dirty rags.
“Why are the slums of this city so huge?” I asked Belka. “I know the presence of slums is almost inevitable in large cities, but this is too big.”
“That's because Halros used to be an important trading hub in the kingdom, but when it fell from grace, thousands of people lost their jobs and homes,” Belka replied. “Halros is located near the middle of the kingdom, which means most of the trading routes passed through it. You already know that the southern regions of the kingdom are mostly composed of farmland, yes? Every harvest season, all those produce passed through Halros to be delivered to the northern territories as well as to other countries, and conversely, products from other nations also passed through here.”
“I guess something happened to drastically change the situation?”
Belka nodded. “Seventeen years ago, an attempted coup happened that led to the death of the previous king. The perpetrators failed and the second prince successfully took control of the throne. It just so happened that the governor of Halros during that time was a major constituent of the rebels, who froze the flow of trade and information in favor of the perpetrators when the coup took place. When the second prince took the throne, he sentenced the governor of Halros to death and established a new trading hub on the other side of the Seaden River with cheaper tolls and taxes. As a merchant, I think you already know what happened next.”
Indeed, it was easy to imagine the fate that befell Halros. Merchants would always choose the cheapest and safest paths that would lead to profit. Not only did Halros charge more expensive tolls, but the city was also on the bad side of the new king. Merchants were opportunists, and none would want to deal with a city that had the ire of the king. Halros must've slowly declined while its large population fell into poverty, hence the huge slums.
“Wait, does that mean it's bad if I established my company in this city?” I asked nervously.
“Depends on how you wish to run your business,” Belka said as she eyed me. “You already know Halros is home to lots of criminal activities, which means you'll inevitably become involved with them. Business on the other side of the law is very lucrative, although I don't see you doing it. You're too much of a nice guy.”
I didn't know if Belka was complimenting or disparaging me, but I did agree with her. Based on her stories, the gangs here are ruthless, and I didn't want to commit atrocities just for profit. Besides, I hated criminals. They killed Mom.
“Do you think I should establish my company somewhere else?” I asked. It would be extremely annoying, but if it meant not having to involve myself with the criminal underworld, it would be worth the wait. My factory was operated by puppets that I owned anyway, so I didn't have any running costs that would bankrupt me if I delayed my plans. Hooray for free labor.
“Definitely. Nothing good can come out of Halros, and that applies to everything.”
“But Rella's trading company is based in Halros, and she seems like a nice person,” I hesitantly said, but right as the words left my mouth, I knew they were naive.
Belka barked out a laugh. “Don't let your dick make your decisions for you, Marion. Rella is a looker, but remember, beautiful people in Halros could only be rich nobles, whores, scammers, or crime bosses. I bet Rella is a crime boss judging from the skill of her men, though I'm not sure. Just make sure you don't fall in love with her.”
“Hey, I'm not in love with her!” I exclaimed. “And why does Bran still allow her into the village if she's a criminal then?”
“'Cause we've got no choice,” Belka said as she spit on the road. “Where else would we sell our goods? Besides, Bran has a standing agreement with some of the crime bosses of Halros. Wildpost is off-limits from their operations.”
My eyebrows rose at that. Bran said he already left his criminal past behind him, but it seems he still had a lot of sway.
“If I do establish my company in Halros, what do you think I should look out for?”
“The city is split into many territories, each owned by a gang. If you wish to conduct your business in the city, you'll have to affiliate yourself with one of the gangs,” Belka replied. “They don't allow outsiders to simply reside in their territory after all.”
“Can't I just be a neutral party or something?”
“There's no such thing as neutrality in Halros. To the gangs, either you're with them or against them.”
“What if I just crushed them with my power?”
Belka looked at me with a thoughtful expression. “I don't recommend it. You're a mage, and I'm pretty sure that the governor wouldn't allow someone like you to just rampage around in his city unchecked.”
I sighed in resignation. It seems Halros was the worst place I could have possibly chosen to establish my company in, but I wouldn't give up just yet. I would make my decision after I assessed the city.
“I wish you could have told me all this before I decided to go to Halros,” I grumbled at Belka.
“Hey, not my fault you didn't ask for some advice about it. Besides, I thought you had a good head on your shoulders. Who the heck would want to start a business in this shit-hole?”
After what felt like ages, our convoy finally arrived at the large gates of the city. Rella's convoy stopped in front of us as she talked with the guards ahead, although I was too far away to hear their exchange. Probably to negotiate a bribe or something.
While we waited, my fabric sense detected a set of rags slowly approaching the wagon at the very end of my convoy, the one being driven by Taloress. It seems we've already encountered our first would-be thief.
Taloress, a thief's creeping up behind your wagon, I warned.
What?! Who dares to steal from the Blooming Lady?!
Taloress quickly got up from her seat and rushed to the back of her wagon, immediately spotting the thief. I used my power to see through Taloress' eyes and saw that the thief was nothing more than a street urchin. The child looked no more than ten years old.
The street urchin's eyes widened when Taloress spotted him and tried to run away, but my puppet was faster and caught him by the collar of his shirt. The kid struggled and kicked, even bringing out a rusty shiv to stab at Taloress' wrist, but the paltry blade was useless against the fabric made out of a Grisly Bear's fur. Taloress snatched the blade away. When he realized his struggles were useless, despair washed over the kid's face.
The kerfuffle seemed to have attracted the notice of the guards at the gate and one of them started walking toward Taloress.
Belka leaned over to see what was happening, grimacing when she spotted the kid being held by Taloress. “I suggest you personally mediate the situation. Thieves around here are usually ignored by the guards so long as they don't get caught. But when they're caught, they get beaten badly.”
Belka didn't have to say more before I understood her meaning. The kid would die from a beating administered by a grown man, and judging by the sadistic smile on the approaching guard's ugly mug, he had no intention of holding back.
I quickly got up from my seat and rushed to Taloress' side at the same time the guard arrived.
“Caught a filthy little rat, eh?” the guard said as he looked at the urchin with a sneer. “Give 'im here, young miss, I'll teach the little bastard a lesson to keep his grubby hands in his pockets.”
“There's a misunderstanding, good sir,” I interrupted as I retrieved the poor kid from Taloress' hands. “This kid wasn't trying to steal from us, I called him over so he could tell us all about the city since we're new around here. Isn't that right, kid?”
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The urchin looked at me with eyes as wide as saucers before nodding vehemently at the guard.
The guard looked at me dubiously. “Well, if you say so.”
When the guard finally returned to his post, the kid turned to me with grateful eyes. “Thanks very much, mister. That asslicker would've beat me black 'n blue if he got his fuckin' hands on me.”
I was a bit surprised to hear so much profanity coming from the mouth of a kid, but I guess it was normal in places like these.
“It's fine, although that doesn't mean you're off the hook,” I said, to which the kid's expression turned fearful. “Don't worry, I'm not giving you away to the guards or anything. I just need a guide in the city. I'll pay you.”
The kid's eyes brightened at the mention of payment. “Deal, mister!”
I returned to my wagon with the kid in tow, and when Belka saw him, she frowned. “I know I told you to intervene, but I didn't tell you to adopt the brat.”
“I'm not adopting him, I just hired myself a guide,” I replied.
“Then you better hide him from the guards. They don't allow people from the slums to enter the city,” Belka said.
I had the kid squeeze himself inside my wagon in between two crates where he wouldn't be spotted even if the guards conducted an inspection. After giving the kid a stern threat that I would surrender him to the guards if he laid his hands on my products, I closed the tarp.
Rella's convoy soon started moving again, and to my surprise, the guards waved us in as well without requiring any proof of identity anymore. Rella must've vouched for us.
“Just as I thought, that woman is definitely a crime boss or someone higher up the ladder,” Belka muttered, much to my chagrin. I didn't know if I should feel flattered that a crime boss had her full attention on me or if I should start packing up and start legging it to another city.
When we entered the city proper, the sight of ramshackle buildings was replaced with structures built with stone and concrete, although that didn't mean the situation improved much. The place was still dirty and filled with trash, but at least it wasn't as bad as the slums outside. The road was paved, but it was filled with potholes and uneven bumps that made my seat shake violently like a massage chair going nuts.
Belka told me we entered through the southern gate, and the place we were in was the residential district of Halros. It did not look great. The buildings in this place looked one step away from looking just like the slums outside. Building maintenance didn't seem to be given much importance in this place. Instead, they focused on security, as evidenced by the numerous patrols of guards roaming the twisting streets.
But what set the city apart from the slums outside the walls was the large presence of people. There was a lot more traffic in the streets compared to the slums, sometimes even clogging up the roads, but I noticed that the people made sure to keep out of our convoy's path with fearful expressions. Rella must be famous around here, although I didn't think it was the good kind of fame. I felt a smidgeon of anger at the thought of doing business with a criminal all this time, but I ignored it. I had no proof yet that Rella was a bad guy, so I would have to reserve my judgement for now.
Rella had already briefed me on our itinerary during our travel. She would first escort me to an inn inside the inner city to let me rest after a long day of journey, then she would give me a tour of the city tomorrow and help me with any tasks I needed to do.
As for the others, they'd be coming with me to the inn, but then they'll be going on their separate ways after that. The Night Wardens told me that they would be meeting with their captain, who was currently in the city. They were going to bring Emily with them and let her witness what being a Night Warden entailed. She'd be acting like an intern.
Of course, Belka wasn't going to let the young huntress go with the Night Wardens on her lonesome, so she'd be following along with them to make sure Emily stayed safe. Which meant Taloress and I would be the only ones staying in the inn. And I guess Mr. Marion, too.
With no obstructions barring our path, our convoy quickly cut through the residential district. Throughout the trip, my fabric sense detected thousands of people moving about the city like swarms of ants, and I eventually shrank the radius of my fabric sense to about twenty meters around me. I wasn't actually overwhelmed with all the information flooding in from my fabric sense anymore, which I assumed was because of my improvements over the past weeks, but sensing thousands of clothing at once was annoying.
We soon arrived at another wall that enclosed the inner city of Halros. If the outer wall of the city was a huge circle, then this inner wall was a smaller concentric circle inside it. There was another gate manned with guards, but one glance at Rella's convoy was enough to quickly let us in.
Again, the environment changed, but this time, it changed so abruptly that I thought I got teleported to another city. The inner city was beautiful.
The moment we entered the gate, the first sight that greeted us was a huge plaza as big as a football field. The entire floor of the plaza was made out of smooth white tiles and the borders were lined with neatly trimmed bushes and trees. In the middle of the plaza was a huge marble fountain lined with gold and silver filigree that spouted crystal-clear water. There were very few people in the entire square, but all of them were dressed richly. And unlike the downcast and despondent people walking the dirty streets in the outer city, everybody had huge smiles on their faces as they strolled around the plaza, laughing and talking about inane subjects. What the fuck?
I sent a confused glance at Belka. I thought she said the city was poor because the place was no longer a trading hub, but the sight of the inner city said otherwise. But when I saw the look on Belka's face, I quickly shut my mouth. The woman looked livid.
“Look at these pieces of shit,” Belka said with a scathing glare as she spit on the pristine ground. “Clean water is a scarce and precious resource in the outer city, some even selling away their bodies just for a few pails, yet they have the gall to build a fucking fountain just for the sake of their enjoyment.”
Emily remained silent beside me, but I knew she had the same thoughts as Belka by the way she clenched her fists tightly.
The decadent fountain wasn't the only thing that showcased the wealth of the inner city. As we further progressed through the clean and well-maintained streets, we passed by beautiful shops and businesses that catered to high society. There were large opulent buildings that functioned as casinos and auction houses, fancy brothels with beautiful women leaning outside the windows, and opera houses where plays were performed.
The place reeked of wealth and opulence, but instead of finding it beautiful, I found it extremely distasteful. I couldn't comprehend how the people living here could continue with their decadent lifestyles while the rest of the city toiled under poverty. It was as if they were acting blind to the plight of the people. Maybe that's the purpose of the inner wall. So they wouldn't have to see the suffering of the people.
Belka, Emily, and I were in bad moods when we finally arrived at the inn I was supposed to stay in. The large building was as gaudy as the rest of the establishments in the inner city, and the stablehands quickly offered to bring our wagons inside their parking areas.
“I'm not going inside there,” Belka said as she glared at the fancy inn. “It's time for us to part ways for the moment, Marion. I'll meet you at the Moldy Barrel three days from now. It's a tavern near the north gate of the city. Bring the urchin you picked up earlier as a guide to the tavern so you don't get lost, and no matter what happens, don't trust anybody in this godforsaken city, you got it?”
“Alright, I'll be extremely careful,” I replied seriously. Kazimir approached a moment later and bid his farewell to me, seeing as this would probably be the last time we would see each other. Kazimir also leaned in to whisper his thanks for sparing him and Samantia, although the woman didn't seem as grateful as him as she glared at me. Not like I really cared much. I was just glad the Night Wardens were finally out of my hair for good.
Our farewells were short, and after all was said and done, I bid Emily good luck in whatever she planned to do, whether she would stay as a hunter or become a Night Warden.
I watched the slowly retreating backs of my companions, and as they completely disappeared from view, Rella approached me.
“Finally done with all the tearful goodbyes?” she asked with a wry grin. “I didn't know you were a sentimental man, Mr. Marion.”
As I faced Rella, I no longer found it in me to participate in her light banter. After everything I just witnessed since entering the city and hearing Belka's words, I no longer thought of Rella as some sweet innocent lady who worked as a simple merchant. Seeing her sweet smile reminded me of Belka's warning.
Trust no one.
“I think I'm going to retire to my room early, Miss Rella. The trip was pretty tiring,” I said.
Rella noticed my reluctance to engage in light banter and easily acquiesced. “I understand very well, Mr. Marion. Even I had a hard time after my first time traveling to your remote village.”
Lies. You're a damn augmenter.
“I'll be leaving you to your rest, then,” Rella continued. “If you need me, you can speak to the employees of the inn. This establishment is one of our trading company's business partners, and they have quick means to contact me.”
I nodded in understanding and after thanking Rella for her services, I quickly entered the inn along with Taloress, who had been hovering behind me all this time.
That lady seems nice, Master, Taloress commented.
No, that lady is just pretending to be nice, I replied.
What?! Is she trying to fool Master?! Then I'll go and kill her right now!
Stop! How the heck did you even go to that conclusion so quickly?! No, we will just let her be and do our own thing. I came here to establish my company, but I'm starting to have second thoughts. I'll be assessing the city first and see if establishing our company here is still feasible, and if not, we'll be leaving quickly.
The interior of the inn was very opulent, filled with beautiful paintings, fancy couches, and fragrant flowers, but I ignored all of those and headed straight for the reception counter, where a beautiful woman was stationed with a bright smile.
“Welcome to the Golden Mare Inn, honored customers,” the receptionist greeted with a bow, showing no weird reaction to our masks. “Lady Rella has already booked two rooms for both of you.”
The receptionist placed two keys on the counter, labeled with the room numbers. As I picked up the keys, I decided to start my goal of gathering information. “Thank you, miss. By the way, I heard you are a business partner of Miss Rella's trading company. May I ask the name of her company?”
The receptionist hesitated for a moment and looked uncertain at my question, but she quickly gathered her wits. “Lady Rella is a major stockholder of the Hartman Trading Company.”
“This is the first time I've heard of that company. Can you tell me more about it? I'm new to the city, you see.”
“The Hartman Trading Company is the biggest trading company in Halros. They mainly deal in entertainment and security, although recently, they've also started entering the clothing industry,” the receptionist replied.
“Oh? The clothing industry?” I asked in amusement. I had a hunch that they were selling the clothes made of monster materials that I sold to Rella a long time ago.
“Yes, the Hartman Company has recently introduced a new series of premium clothing made by a mysterious Artisan. The clothes were magnificent works of art that quickly became the center of attention of the local nobility. Some of the nobles wanted to know the identity of the Artisan, but the Hartman Company had been extremely adamant in keeping it secret,” the receptionist said, then her eyes inadvertently went to my attire. Her eyes suddenly widened. “Ah, I see our honored customer is one of the lucky few who were able to avail of the Artisan-made clothing.”
An intense sensation of pride suffused me at the receptionist's words. Knowing that the quality of my creations had been recognized was truly a good feeling. “Hehe, indeed, Miss Receptionist. The Artisan must have been a truly talented one to create such masterpieces!”
After tooting my own horn for a few moments, I finally thanked the receptionist for her help and went to my room, my mood somewhat lightened after the revelation. Even Taloress and Mr. Marion looked happy for me.
When I opened the door to my room, what greeted me was a luxurious space filled with exotic furniture and beautiful designs. The ceiling was high and had an elaborate chandelier hanging in the middle. The chandelier had little bulbs that emitted a soft yellow light, and based on my mana sense, the thing was operated with magic.
“They don't hold back when it comes to displaying their wealth, huh,” I muttered as I surveyed the room. Taloress followed and looked around in awe.
Master, the furniture here is beautiful! We should take them back home to decorate our domain!
That would be stealing, so no.
I simply wasn't admiring things as I walked around the room. Belka's warning kept nagging at my mind, so I kept my focus on my mana sense to try and detect anything weird about the place I'd be sleeping in.
So far, I've detected several magical devices around the room, although they didn't seem to be anything suspicious. They were simply convenient devices used for daily tasks, like a magical toilet with a modern flushing mechanism and a heater built into the wall to keep the room warm and toasty.
The room seemed to be safe, although it was still possible that one of the devices was for spying or something. I wasn't exactly sure since I had no know-how about magical artifacts. Fortunately, I could easily counteract any listening devices since I could communicate with my puppets mentally.
Taloress, stop playing with the teacups and sit over there. I'm going to lay out our plans for the following days, I said as I sat on one of the soft couches.
Are we going to purge this entire city of evil people?! Taloress asked excitedly. I can go now if you wish, Master.
No, I do not wish it, I said with emphasis at the battle-crazed puppet. Although I'd like to do that as much as you, that would make things extremely hard for us. Remember, our objective in coming to this city was to establish our company. It seems the place was not as good as I hoped for, but I will still try to assess the place and gather some information.
How are we going to do that, Master? Mr. Marion asked. I am sure Miss Rella will limit the information Master receives in her tour and will only show what she wants Master to see.
I know that as well, which is why I plan to do some scouting tonight, I announced. It would be suspicious if Mr. Marion left his room in the middle of the night, not to mention that the inn is being watched by several people.
When Rella and I parted ways earlier, my fabric sense had detected some of her men in her convoy going inside some of the shops near the inn. I initially thought they were just going to buy some things, but they were still there even now, watching the inn. Rella must have decided to leave me some secret security to keep me safe, seeing as how this city is filled with unscrupulous elements. Not like she had to.
So here's the plan. Mr. Marion will be staying in the room and pretend to sleep, while I'll be riding Taloress to scout the city. We'll pretend that Taloress is just out to do some errands for Mr. Marion to keep our watchers from getting suspicious, I said. Then starting tomorrow, we proceed with Rella's tour.
Yay! Master is finally going to come inside me! Taloress exclaimed.
Oi, that sounds extremely inappropriate, I chided.
With our plan decided, I quickly exited Mr. Marion's body and entered Taloress. Riding Taloress for the first time was a bit weird since I was used to Mr. Marion's larger body. With Talores's smaller frame, I had to squeeze myself in really tight or else her body would enlarge in weird places. People would look if Taloress walked around with a weird bulge on her back.
Don't worry, Master. I could give you more space if I increased the size of my boobs and butt. It won't be suspicious, and from what Selise told me, humans like them!
What the hell is that girl putting in your mind, I muttered, but I didn't stop Taloress. My position was pretty uncomfortable and I wanted at least a little space to move around a bit.
After Taloress finished enlarging her assets, it was finally time to see the true face of Halros.