CHAPTER 46: NIGHT VALLEY CITY

"Hehehe, isn’t it amazing? Here, everything has sellers—even humans," said Sister Lisa.

"What? There’s human trafficking too? Is that even allowed?" Richard wasn’t surprised by this, but he pretended to be, wanting to know more.

"Of course, it’s not allowed, but there will always be black markets that are hard to eradicate," Sister Lisa replied.

Richard only smiled quietly at that.

The reason it was so hard to stamp out was most likely because those in power also profited from such businesses.

"By the way, Sister Lisa, isn’t it dangerous to buy those wild beasts? Couldn’t they attack their owners?"

"Not always. Many of those beasts were raised in captivity, so they’re somewhat tame. As for the wild ones, people usually buy them for research or entertainment, so they keep them locked up."

"Ohhh..." Richard nodded.

This beast market was outside the city, but even after passing it, the city walls were still quite far away.

Of course, many other businesses lined the road to the city, with the most common being pleasure houses guarded by beautiful women.

Night Valley City seemed overcrowded already, so many couldn’t find a place to open businesses inside.

When they finally arrived in front of its towering 50-meter-high walls, Richard realized just how tall they were.

Even the gates were 40 meters wide, yet despite their size, people still crowded desperately to get in.

And that was only one of its gates. In fact, there were more than fifty.

The good thing was, there was no entry fee. Perhaps only during these few days, since the city had become a destination for people from three provinces.

Once through the gate, Richard finally saw clearly the grandeur of this vast city, so wide that the walls on the far side couldn’t be seen at all—which meant they were extremely far away.

However, faintly, Richard spotted a rocky hill in the distance, a sight that made him narrow his eyes.

How could he forget that he had been brought from that rocky hill?

But seeing it from afar clearly meant nothing. He focused on his surroundings instead, observing the newcomers who looked different from those of Apple Town.

In this city, that ancient atmosphere was less pronounced—people’s clothes were more vibrant, the buildings painted in various colors, and life itself seemed so lively.

"Richard, let’s eat first. I’m far too hungry," said Sister Lisa, and Richard nodded without protest, for he felt the same.

Sister Lisa stopped the horse carriage in front of a large restaurant that seemed inexpensive, since many outsiders were eating there.

The food sold seemed to consist of meat soup and roasted meat, but the most intriguing thing was that they had ice for their drinks.

Sister Lisa picked a table and ordered two servings.

"Here, we can drink iced water. You’ve probably never tried it before. Even in Apple Town, it’s hard to find. Bringing in ice from other regions is practically impossible, but in this city, there’s no shortage of Magi with ice powers," explained Sister Lisa.

Richard only chuckled at her words, feigning curiosity.

Their order came quickly.

Along with two bowls of soup and two roasted meats, there were two pitchers emitting a frosty mist.

Looking into the pitchers, Richard saw water mixed with chunks of ice.

Though ice was common on Earth, he hadn’t tasted it in over seven years in this world.

Without hesitation, he drank the iced water first, which instantly refreshed his body.

Sister Lisa did the same, drinking first.

"Amazing, isn’t it?" she said.

Richard only nodded and began to eat.

"You heard? Damon’s corpse has been found in Apple Town. They said it was without eyes and a brain."

Richard suddenly caught an interesting conversation from the table next to theirs.

"Really? Was Damon killed? Who killed him?"

"No one knows. His body was apparently dumped in a noble’s carriage. Some people said that earlier, he’d been wandering around villages near Apple Town."

"Hmph, perhaps he provoked someone he shouldn’t have. In Night Valley City, he could act like a tyrant because he was protected by many noble families, but elsewhere, there are plenty who could kill him—and they wouldn’t be afraid."

"..."

Sister Lisa, who also heard this, furrowed her brows.

She didn’t seem unfamiliar with the name Damon.

"Richard," she said quietly.

"Mm? What is it?" Richard asked, pretending to be surprised.

"You were wandering around yesterday. Did you see a Magus fight?" Sister Lisa asked.

"No..." Richard shook his head.

"Sister Lisa, do you know this man named Damon?" he asked.

Of course, it was natural for him to ask since he’d heard the talk about Damon as well.

"Not personally, but I know quite a lot about him from my aunt."

"Ohhh..." Richard grew more interested.

"He did bad things for Wren. Wren is the governor’s son. He’s one of the ones who will fight in the finals," added Sister Lisa.

"Wren..." Richard repeated the name.

He hadn’t expected to get this information from Sister Lisa.

Now, he knew who the true mastermind was.

Though he had no interest in getting involved, since his focus remained on his own growth, knowing was better than not knowing.

And Wren had no idea that it was Richard who had killed his lackey.

Richard continued eating, finishing his meal quickly.

But truthfully, he still felt unsatisfied—he wanted more.

Without telling Sister Lisa, he called a waiter and ordered another portion, surprising Sister Lisa enough that her expression turned uneasy.

But Richard calmly pulled out a few copper and silver coins.

"Sister, I’ll be paying," Richard said casually.

He knew Sister Lisa’s finances were limited. Naturally, he couldn’t let her pay for everything.

"You?" Sister Lisa was stunned, taking a coin and examining it closely.

"Where did you get this?" she asked.

"I have power. Earning money isn’t difficult for me," Richard replied calmly.

"You didn’t rob anyone, did you?"

"I did rob, but what I robbed was a group of criminals who deserved to suffer."

Lisa, "..."

.