This passage was drier than the previous one. The mud underfoot gradually thinned, revealing the original bricks and stones. The stench of the sewage had also lessened, though it was still quite nauseating.
At the end of the passage, there was another downward staircase. Down it was an even older, abandoned sewer pipe. The riverbed had been dry for many years, its bottom covered with compacted sand. At that moment, many people were walking through it.
Some wore masks or hoods, while others made no disguise at all, strolling around either openly or timidly.
The raised platforms on both sides, which were originally for people to walk on, were occupied by vendors, who each spread out a blanket, sat on the ground, and displayed all kinds of goods.
The lighting came from oil lamps hanging on the wall at intervals, their dim, flickering light casting a half-light, half-dark atmosphere over the entire pipe. People in uniform, probably the organizers' staff, were responsible for maintaining order and refilling the oil lamps.
Carlo stopped in his tracks. "This section of the pipeline was abandoned after the river was built because it was too shallow and couldn't keep up with the city's expansion. Now it's being reused, with people setting up stalls."
Isaac surveyed the stalls on the raised platforms on either side. "Is there anything I should be aware of when buying things here?"
"The rules of trading are universal, only the black market is a bit more shameless. First, don't flaunt your wealth; second, don't easily believe quoted prices; third, always ask about the origin and efficacy of the item, even if the other party isn't telling the truth; fourth, if something feels off, just walk away. Don't linger thinking you're getting a bargain; some people prey on those who like to take advantage."
Isaac went down into the river. The raised platforms on both sides were about waist-high, similar to tables, allowing him to see the items displayed on the stalls.
Some stalls displayed jewelry, tableware, or oddly shaped statues and ornaments, while others displayed books and scrolls.
"If you're looking for Wonder, there are plenty. Just ask around; many people will claim to sell Wonder." Carlo gestured with his chin forward. "But eight out of ten are fake, and of the remaining two, one is a defective product with questionable efficacy."
"So you can only rely on yourself to see for yourself? If there were people in this kind of place who specialized in appraisal, there would probably be a good market for it."
"There's a market for it, but it also makes you a target for counterfeiters. You might get followed and beaten up any day," Carlo said. "Some organizers do offer paid authentication services, but they're not cheap, and they only guarantee the authenticity of the authentication results, not that the item you buy is worth the price."
Isaac understood. He walked among the stalls, looking at several, but couldn't figure out what was going on.
Some vendors quoted exorbitant prices, but the efficacy was questionable, only saying "it is said to ward off evil spirits." Others were simply fakes. Although Isaac didn't have much experience in appraisal, he had handled some antiques at Palmer University and could tell that the so-called "ancient amulets" were clearly newly made imitations.
Isaac stopped in front of a used book stall. Dozens of books were laid out on a rug in front of him, their covers crumpled and clearly quite old.
Several of the books looked familiar to him. Isaac recalled that some of them seemed to be in his adoptive father Edward's collection, with identical covers.
"What's this book about?" Isaac asked, pointing to one of the books.
The stall owner glanced at him and said, "It's a historical record from an ancient empire, written quite early, and it's no longer available on the market."
Isaac flipped through the books but didn't ask any further questions. His purpose in coming to the black market tonight wasn't to hunt for old books, but he did make a note of this stall.
He wandered through most of the tunnel and looked at many stalls, but still couldn't find anything he felt was worth buying.
"It's not easy to find a unique Wonder that you truly like," Isaac sighed.
Carlo was examining several dried geckos, whose purpose he didn't know. "That's natural. The advantage of the black market is that you can directly acquire good items without approval or worrying about others taking them. But the disadvantage is that good items don't appear regularly, so some people come here every now and then to try their luck."
"However, today might be a bonus for you as a newbie, as something really good has appeared."
Carlo tilted his head, Isaac followed his gaze. Not far ahead, there was a stall surrounded by five or six people, a rare sight in the black market.
He walked over and saw an open wooden box in front of the stall owner. Inside the box was a ring with a dark silver band, a plain band with carved patterns, and no gemstones.
The stall owner, speaking in a low voice to the onlookers, explained, "This is Holy Relic blessed by Morzul, the ' God of Ghouls.' You know the Ghoul Cult, right? Those are the guys who worship corpses; they worship this god."
Isaac silently listed three problems: First, Morzul's official title is " God of Decay "; second, only a minority within the Ghoul Cult worships Morzul, and they worship immortality, not corpses; third, Morzul is considered unresponsive, and prayers and sacrifices directed at Him receive no response, so whether blessings are still effective is a big question.
A single introduction contains three problems; it doesn't seem very reliable at all.
The onlookers had various expressions on their faces; some looked doubtful, some frowned and examined the stall, while others seemed to have their interest piqued by the stall owner's words.
One of them asked, "What's the use of this ring?"
"It can make people..." the stall owner said mysteriously, "... stay forever young!"
Another onlooker frowned. "How can the God of Ghouls grant eternal youth?"
The stall owner chuckled, "Those vampires in the south are said to stay young forever, right? Ghouls eat even more than vampires, so they're even younger!"
Upon hearing this, Isaac almost lost his composure.
However, some of the onlookers actually looked thoughtful, seriously considering whether this statement made sense.
Carlo, always eager for drama, chimed in, "That doesn't make sense either. Vampires drink the blood of the living, while ghouls eat the flesh of the dead. How can they be the same?"
The person who had been deep in thought suddenly realized, "That's right!"
The stall owner was somewhat displeased that someone was disrupting the business. "You don't understand. The God of Ghouls's ability is to take the power of the dead and give it new life; it's called a cycle."
This aligns with Isaac's initial understanding of Morzul's powers. The God of Decay governs the cycle of life and death, with decay and rebirth being two sides of the same coin. From this perspective, using the power of the dead to nourish the living and maintain their youth makes sense.
But the guy who'd been enlightened seemed to have had a sudden awakening, and pressed on, "Then how can you prove that this ring was truly blessed by the God of Ghouls? Is it really effective?"
The stall owner patted the wooden box. "Hey, this thing came from the Ghoul Cult, how could it be fake?"
The onlookers looked at each other in bewilderment.