Chapter 28: The Dark Side of the City

Aileen lifted the floorboard, revealing a somewhat narrow stone staircase leading downwards.

There was no light in the corridor; the damp, chilly air rushed at them with an acrid, rotten smell as soon as the exit was opened. Vilyric frowned slightly but said nothing, as the adaptability of this body was quite remarkable.

“Is this place the stronghold of the Ghost Thieves?”

At this moment, Bangs instantly replied.

“The stronghold of the Ghost Thieves wouldn’t be simply connected to the slums like this; otherwise, they would have been found and eliminated long ago. The route Aileen has is not about this passage. You’ll understand in a bit. Let’s go.”

Aileen nodded and pulled out an old match from her pocket. After lighting it, she led the way at the front, with the four of them following behind. Bangs, without hesitation, took up the rear, likely to prevent any unexpected incidents.

This narrow path was obviously excavated by hand, with the stone walls on either side being uneven and the ground beneath their feet being rough and unstable. It was clear the builders hadn’t put much thought into it and simply dug it out carelessly.

The cramped walkway wasn’t long, but there was a slight downward slope. Even at a slow walking pace, they reached the end within just over half a minute.

There was a rusty metal ladder extending upwards, built against the stone wall.

Aileen gestured behind her and started to climb the ladder.

Although she hesitated at the sight of the dirty-looking handrails, such a place was too confined for spreading wings or using any levitation magic. So, she climbed up anyway, knowing that the protective spell, “Feather Cloak: Glareya,” covered even her palms, so she wasn’t worried about getting dirty.

On top of this ladder was another hidden floorboard, leading into a room. While it wasn’t particularly lavish, it was definitely more solid and intricately built than the ramshackle wooden house Aileen lived in. At least the main structure was made of stone, so there wouldn’t be issues with wind and rain seeping in, and the furniture was fully furnished.

However, there were no other people around. It seemed like no living creature had stayed there for a long time, as thin layers of dust had already accumulated in the corners.

Before long, Bangs, who had been last in line, climbed up and surveyed the surroundings, seemingly sighing in nostalgia.

“This place hasn’t changed at all. Aileen, is your contact still that guy?”

The girl turned back to glance at Bangs, silently shaking her head.

“Roderick died. He probably passed away from a poaching incident about half a year after you went missing. Compared to your disappearance, others saw him literally sliced in half by a magical beast. You know, in this line of work, such incidents are commonplace. No one can be sure they’ll come back alive next time.”

“Is that so? Even that old guy… Well, enough about that. Let’s get out of here.”

“Alright, follow me.”

As she pushed open the door, it looked like they were in a closed space rather than an open area. Above them loomed the dark, hard stone, likely deep underground. Aileen picked up a torch hanging on the wall, lit it, and led the three of them down the dim alley.

Before Vilyric could speak, they turned a corner, and the scene before them suddenly opened up.

“Oh… This is something~”

Even with Vilyric’s temperament, standing on the high platform and witnessing everything below made her unable to hide her surprise.

Flickering lights from stars and magic lamps sparkled like fireflies at night, providing illumination to the vast marketplace.

They had stumbled upon a colossal underground trading market.

The man walking ahead turned around, and his nostalgic voice echoed at that moment.

“Welcome to the shadows of Demon Town, the paradise for poachers and criminals— the Underground Black Market Trading Area. As you can see, they don’t sell anything legitimate here, so you ladies should prepare yourselves mentally.”

“Illegitimate items? Like what?”

Bangs shot an expressionless glance at the black-haired girl who asked the question.

“For instance, various types of drugs, poison, **, banned substances, alchemical products with unknown uses and origins, forbidden spellbooks and magical artifacts. Oh, and of course, the poachers’ favorite specialty— those plundered, valuable alien slaves.”

“Oh~”

The Priestess elongated her tone, then looked hopeful.

“Indeed, that all sounds quite improper. If there’s a chance, could you take me to see it?”

“?”

Unable to help it, Bangs’ lips twitched. He thought that after hearing all this, the black-haired girl, despite her somewhat nasty personality, would at least display a shy or disgusted expression, but now she reacted just like those habitual criminals.

What exactly were they here for, investigating the Ghost Thieves and that matter…?

Ignoring the somewhat strange gaze from Bangs, Vilyric looked down at the bustling crowd, which seemed even more lively than the market above in Demon Town, at the entrance of the underground market, and eagerly asked the two guides.

“So, what’s next? Should we just go look for your new contact directly?”

Hearing this, Aileen turned around, also giving the two girls a somewhat subtle glance before shaking her head.

“I don’t know where the contact is. This underground market is organized by several large poaching factions in Demon Town, and it’s a mixed bag inside. It seems the Ghost Thieves have encountered some issues recently. According to the rules, even we external contacts can only leave a signal in designated areas. Once the contact sees it, they will come looking for us. So… I wonder if you two can understand?”

Vilyric frowned, her silver-blue eyes momentarily locking with Aileen’s before she quickly averted her gaze. The Priestess spoke up.

“Searching? Where do we search? Are we going directly to your home in the slums?”

“Of course not.”

Aileen pointed to the stone house connected to the passage behind them.

“This is the rendezvous point for the contact to come after they see the signal. Normally, the contact wouldn’t just randomly go to a member’s home. I seldom come down to the black market.”

“I see…”

It’s just a gang of petty thieves, yet they have their own protocols in place.

“How long do we have to wait? You wouldn’t let us sit here for several days, right?”

This question was clearly something Bangs couldn’t answer, considering he had distanced himself from the Ghost Thieves for over a year, and many things had changed since then. He looked at Aileen, seeking her input.

After a moment of hesitation, she finally provided an answer.

“I can’t be sure, but under normal circumstances, as long as I use the most urgent signal, the contact should come right away. It should take anywhere from a few hours to a day.”

“But one thing is certain: you can’t linger around here. If they notice anything unusual, my line of communication will be completely cut off.”

The gray-haired girl’s gaze swept over Bangs, then finally settled on Vilyric and her companion. This time, she didn’t shy away from staring at the Priestess.

“So, before we begin, I think it’s necessary to confirm what your purpose is for this trip. Is it merely to investigate the hiding place of the Ghost Thieves? Or is this a large-scale extermination operation with more forces already assembled at the periphery, preparing to take action?”

“Hmm…”

This question warranted a proper response.

It seemed Aileen wasn’t aware that the Ghost Thieves were the culprits behind the abduction of the Moonshadow Royal Family Younglings, escalating tensions between both sides. Bangs hadn’t informed her either, likely to avoid worrying her or hoping she would stay as far from the storm’s center as possible.

Vilyric also had no intention of bringing it up either. To put it mildly, there was a subtle sense of discomfort and questions she still hadn’t figured out.

Most critically, while Bangs seemed to trust Aileen entirely, to Vilyric, she was merely a stranger they had just met. A healthy level of caution was still necessary.

So, she needed to choose an appropriate response.

One that would not only justify their actions but also serve as a test.

   

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