The decaying city carried a decaying stench, like rotten food drawing flies. In the slums far from the city center, street vendors hawked their goods at the top of their lungs. Canfor was a city forgotten by the kingdom, and this vile, despicable place was the only thing keeping it alive.
This slum was one of the main routes connecting to the neighboring city of Alderbu. Wealth plundered by Canfor's bandits was often sold to Alderbu through here. Food, clothing, and holy water that purified curses were the best-selling goods in this lawless slum, which was why bandits and merchants were far more active here than outside.
On the sewage-ridden streets, bandits gathered to discuss who they should sell their stolen goods to. Thieves clutched their daggers and watched passersby like venomous snakes. Merchants who came here were surrounded by bodyguards, terrified that their goods and money would be robbed.
Only Denolan seemed out of place. He looked completely at ease, like a seasoned black-market trader. The clay jar in the twenty-year-old's hands was wrapped layer after layer in black cloth, concealing whatever was inside.
"Hey—" A man crouching by the roadside called out to Denolan. "Kid, where are you from?"
Denolan looked around and said, "Are you talking to me?"
"Of course—" the man said in a sleazy tone. "What's in that jar you're holding? Gold, jewels, or clean food?"
"N-None of those..." Denolan answered timidly. "It contains decayed soil from Elrina Forest..."
"Ah—" The man suddenly understood. "So you're a country bumpkin selling materials. Get lost... get lost... Just looking at you makes me sick."
"Oh..." Denolan simply replied before hurrying away.
The streets within the slums twisted in every direction, and there were several sleazy-looking men like that at every intersection. These people were loafers entrenched in the slums, making a living by extorting passing merchants.
Compared to bandits who robbed travelers along the roads, they lacked courage. Compared to nimble-fingered thieves, they lacked skill. When they encountered wealthy merchants who had hired adventurers as guards, they would bow and greet them in hopes of getting a tip. When they met desperate criminals, they would take a detour and avoid them at all costs. Denolan had privately nicknamed them the maggots of the slums, but there was never any shortage of people like them in the darkness...
Following his old memories, Denolan arrived at the black-market shop that specialized in buying and selling holy water. As usual, nothing had changed. The wooden counter stood about ten centimeters above the ground, and the pitted earthen wall displayed the day's prices for holy water.
"May I ask if Lord Abelato is coming today?" Denolan asked quietly.
"Lord Abelato isn't coming today. The price of holy water is based solely on what's written on the wall..." the clerk behind the counter replied.
"Then I'll sell all this holy water..." Denolan handed his jar to the clerk. As he watched the black strips of cloth being unwound from the mouth of the jar one layer at a time, his heart grew tense. Only after the cloth had been completely removed did the old man in the shop pour the holy water from the jar into a magical container inside the store.
The holy water glimmered with a clear white light. Then, a bottle-shaped symbol gradually appeared within the dark container.
"Second-grade goods—" the clerk called out. "One Kralimaya Gold Coin!"
"J-Just one..." Denolan asked weakly.
"Just one. Phantom Thief Bernard has been appearing frequently lately, so the price of holy water has been fluctuating greatly. One gold coin is the highest you'll get."
"Can I exchange it for silver coins..."
"Sure." The clerk readily tossed a bag of Kralimaya Silver Coins in front of Denolan. Counting carefully, there were more than four hundred silver coins inside.
"Ah... only... one Kralimaya Gold Coin..." Denolan sighed deeply.
After leaving the shop and looking at the passing pedestrians, Nolan clutched the bag of silver coins to his chest and murmured thoughtfully, "Not enough... not enough... This is nowhere near enough..."
"Bastard—take your hands off me!" A young girl's voice rang out from the street corner. Denolan secured the silver coins against his chest and rushed toward the sound.
In a narrow alley, the man who had stopped Denolan earlier was now shoving a young girl around. The girl had silver hair and blue eyes, with a pair of silver earrings hanging from her pointed ears. A dark hood covered her body, and her exposed skin was as smooth and white as the finest milk. Judging by her appearance, she was clearly descended from a Forest Elf.
"An elf—showing up in the black market..." The man grabbed the girl's arm and said with ill intent, "Tell me, which merchant caravan did you escape from? Uncle here will definitely help you regain your freedom..."
Slap— The girl struck him across the face. "You're the slave! My teacher is Miss Oyana. If you know what's good for you, let me go!"
"Oyana?" The man said shamelessly, "I know her! There's a madam named Ouyangna in Alderbu, but I didn't know she had elves doing that too—"
As he spoke, he pulled the girl into his arms, his filthy hands groping up and down her body. She struggled desperately to escape, her fair face flushing red. Her slender legs nearly buckled beneath her from the exertion.
"Let me go—" The silver-haired girl twisted her body, trying to escape the man's clutches.
"Baby~ Don't move around. Be careful, or the knife in my arms might stab the wrong place—" the man threatened.
"No... no..." the girl cried helplessly. "Someone, save me~"
"Bastard, take your filthy hands off her—" Denolan shouted as he charged forward and punched the thug squarely in the face.
"It's you, kid!" The man fell to the ground, clutching his nose as he howled, "You damn country bumpkin, I'll remember you!"
"Remember it, then!" After straightening her clothes and hood, the girl kicked the man in the groin. "I'll make you remember! I'll make you remember!"
"Stop kicking him! Stop kicking him!" Denolan grabbed the girl's right hand and hurriedly fled from one end of the alley.
"Y-You... why are you grabbing me? I haven't beaten that guy enough yet!"
"What are you still beating him for... That guy's a local thug, and you're an elf. If his companions show up, you'll definitely be sold into slavery!" Denolan said as he ran.
"Let go—" The girl violently shook Denolan off. "Are you even a man?"
"You... you..." Denolan was at a loss for words. He stopped running.
"A real man should protect girls! What's there to fear from a few street thugs?" The girl pulled her hood down to conceal her long ears and silver hair. "Not a single man I know is as cowardly as you! Someone like you is a disgrace to human men!"
"B-But I saved you..." Denolan stammered.
"So what? Do you expect me to offer myself to you? Country bumpkin, toad—" With that, the girl turned and walked toward the other side of the street.
"I..." Denolan was secretly hurt and prepared to leave the black market when a familiar voice rang out again.
"You little brat—I finally found you!"
The voice of the thug from before came from behind him again, but this time, he had not come alone. Denolan quietly pressed himself against the wall and saw dozens of middle-aged men surrounding the elf girl. The man who had been beaten earlier was their leader, while the others were his companions.
"You little brat... You've really got guts... You beat me and didn't run. You even dared to stay here... I think you're too lonely and want to have some fun with my brothers."
"W-What do you want..." The girl backed away step by step until she was forced into a corner with nowhere left to retreat.
"What do you think we want..." The thugs chuckled.
"Whose money is this! Whose money fell on the ground—"
A shout rang out, followed by the sound of hundreds of silver coins scattering across the ground.
"Money—Boss! Money!" One sharp-eyed man spotted hundreds of silver coins scattered nearby. Under the winter sunlight, the coins gleamed with a dazzling shine.
"Money—money—money—" The thugs scattered in an instant.
"Go—go—go—hurry—" Seizing the chance, Denolan grabbed the girl's hand and ran toward the other end of the alley.
"Boss, that woman ran away with a man!"
"What? She ran?" The lead thug shouted. "Brothers, chase them—"
Before you continue