Free Web NovelChapter 17: Soragon Bazaar
The misty, dull grey-black fog covered most of the muddy roads and unpaved paths.
Even though Edgar and Andrew departed first thing in the morning, it still took them four and a half hours to reach the Soragon Bazaar.
’Finally here.’ free𝑤ebnovel.com
Edgar thought to himself as he looked at the silhouette of the Bazaar through the murky fog.
’I am glad we didn’t have to deal with any thieves on the way.’
He turned his head to look at Andrew, who was walking a step behind him.
"You alright with the weight of the bag?"
Andrew smiled.
"This is light work." The young boy flexed his muscles. "Back home, I used to plough the fields with my father."
Edgar nodded.
"Keep an eye out for thieves."
Even though they were close, they couldn’t afford to lower their guard.
After a few more minutes of walking, they finally saw the enormous fortress walls of the Soragon Bazaar.
The walls stretched almost twenty metres high, with heavy crossbows and night lamps hanging over the edge.
With their stone texture, they looked sturdy enough to stop a tsunami.
’This must be a Level 4 Fortress or perhaps a Level 5...’
Edgar mused inwardly while wondering when his fortress would have this type of security.
’With my steady growth, it shouldn’t take too long.’
At the end of the stone road, a narrow underpass served as the path leading inside the fortress.
A group of soldiers stood at the entrance, checking visitors for weapons.
"State your name and your reason for visiting the Bazaar."
A soldier asked while checking his body.
"Edgar." He replied. "I am here to trade and buy necessary items."
The soldier took the dagger hanging from his waist and said,
"You can take it back once you leave."
Edgar didn’t rebuke or argue. He simply let the man keep it.
The soldier stepped aside after checking Andrew and confiscating his weapon as well.
The duo walked through the underpass, and Edgar couldn’t help but let his eyes wander across the walls.
On both sides stood statues of naked giants with one eye and four arms.
The lower halves of their bodies were carved into the side walls, while the upper halves extended across the ceiling, creating a dome-like structure.
"They are called Grugg Giants, young master." Andrew explained after noticing his curious gaze. "It is said that they used to rule the southern region before humans took control."
Edgar frowned. "How did humans even defeat giants?"
Andrew let out an awkward laugh.
"I don’t know." He replied honestly. "My father used to say that we made up stories like that to make ourselves look superior."
"Reasonable deduction." Edgar nodded casually. "We humans tend to make ourselves the masters of the universe even when we are weak."
He didn’t dwell on the giants any longer as they entered the Soragon Bazaar.
’Woah...’
The Bazaar wasn’t anything like he had expected.
The place looked as though clusters of buildings had been stacked on top of one another.
Narrow streets stretched throughout the entire area, packed with people moving about.
’It really is a bazaar...’
Edgar was seeing so many people for the first time since arriving in this world.
The feeling overwhelmed him for a moment, but he quickly regained control of his emotions.
’Alright, time to work!’
Edgar had only taken a step forward before he was completely stumped.
’But what should I do first?’
"We should go to the church first." Andrew suggested from behind him. "They are the only ones who can give us coins in exchange for Nightmare Stones."
’So there is a church...’
Edgar nodded and let Andrew lead the way.
The young boy happily walked ahead with a small smile on his face.
The narrow streets, lined with small shops on either side, made it difficult to move around.
Edgar bumped into several people as they walked.
His gaze, however, drifted toward the clothes worn by the crowd.
Most of them wore handmade robes of myriad colours.
A small fraction wore clothing crafted from the skins of Nightmare monsters.
From exotic silver fur coats to blurry black leather garments, there was no shortage of different styles.
’Given how hard it is to kill a Nightmare that large, and how most of them wearing it have plenty of fat on their bodies... leather and Nightmare fur must be expensive.’
Edgar began wondering if he could start a business selling Nightmare clothing.
Most of the shops had thin roofs or none at all. There were no shades over the streets either.
"This place would smell like hell on a sunny day." Edgar mumbled softly.
Andrew perked up and turned around. "What’s a sunny day, young master?"
The blonde blinked in confusion. "You don’t know what the sun is?"
The young boy shook his head. "Never heard of it."
’Ah, right. This world doesn’t have the concept of a sun...’
"It’s nothing."
He wasn’t in the mood to explain the magical thing call sun.
Andrew didn’t probe further and continued walking while Edgar fell deep into thought once again.
’Come to think of it, if there is no sun, then how are people even alive here?’
The thought still baffled him.
Without a sun, the world should have fallen into an ice age long ago.
Plants, trees, oxygen, humans; literally nothing should have survived for so long.
’...What a mysterious world.’
Edgar rubbed his temples as he noticed the shops becoming less frequent.
More and more lavish houses and bungalows now occupied the area.
After walking for almost fifteen minutes, Andrew finally stopped.
"We are here, young master." He announced. "This is the Church of Lady Night."
Edgar raised his head and looked at the tall church constructed entirely from black marble.
Its design was closer to modern architecture from his previous world, complete with colourful stained-glass windows.
But what truly froze Edgar in place was the statue standing in front of the church.
A statue of a lady wrapped in a flowing creamish-white gown, her face hidden beneath a veil.
It created the illusion that she was wearing her own skin as a dress.
There was something unsettling about her elegance.
It was like a saintness carved from marble and blood, impossible to look away from once seen.
A thought suddenly struck Edgar’s mind when he saw her.
’...Is she a Nightmare?’
