Chapter 161 – Chapter 5: Vanishing Footsteps – 4
We crossed the brothel and headed to the black market.
The ‘black market’ in Taildon, which I had only heard about through rumors, was surprisingly just a large field.
Even though it wasn’t a scene like a market with goods on shelves, I thought it would be full of merchants who seemed to hide their faces and sell strange items.
Rather than giving it a secret feel, it was just an outskirt where sleazy merchants spread out their tents and stayed for a while.
Walking through a field where the smell of livestock excrement and the smell of meat smoke are mixed.
After walking a bit, I could see carts lined up in a corner next to a small hill.
Ruyev pointed in that direction.
“Are you planning on getting a carriage here?”
“Okay.”
At that moment, I was also seeing a vision.
Because there was the back of Posao loitering near the carriage.
The guy was waiting for the owner of the carriage, and soon a merchant appeared from the tent.
[What are you doing in front of my carriage?]
[Well, I’m trying to go to Gold Bulk.]
[Gordburg? How many people?]
[Two, two people including me.]
[You’ve probably already heard the story, right? 7 gold per person.]
Challang.
Posao immediately took out the money and gave 14 gold to the merchant.
The prediction was correct.
That guy was also looking for a carriage to escape from Taildon in this black market.
“… Posao found a carriage here.”
“Did you see a memory?”
“Yes.”
“Then are you planning to go out the same way as that guy?”
“Because that’s the surest way for now.”
Finding another method costs a lot of money and time.
No matter how you think about it, it was best to just follow the footsteps of Posao and follow his footsteps.
“But there’s a problem. “I don’t have enough money.”
The price suggested by the merchant was 7 gold per person. The price is as much as five times the existing toll fee.
It was a scary price, but it was no problem for Posao. Since he already stole all of Tia’s money, he willingly gave her about 14 gold.
On the other hand, there are three people on this side. Everyone needed 21 gold to head to Gordburg. But if just one person can escape with the money I have in my pocket right now, I’m lucky.
Luyev stroked his chin as if he already knew.
“It costs a lot of money to pass through the gate without identification.”
“…”
Should I close my eyes and go back to Lily’s aunt and ask her to lend me some money? No, it seemed like her aunt didn’t have that much money either.
If you have to, there may be a way to go alone… There was no plan in my head to leave Ruev and Marie behind.
It was a time when I was lost in worry.
“What are you doing in front of my carriage?”
I heard the voice of the man I had heard in the previous vision. He looked back and saw the merchant looking down at us with an unhappy face.
I did exactly what Posao said.
“I want to go to Gordburg.”
The merchant’s expression changed when he heard those words. He looked at me fiercely, asking how he knew that, and then asked in a slightly agitated voice.
“How many people?”
“There are three.”
“10 gold per person.”
There was a very big difference from the price I heard at Memory Welcome.
Judging by the merchant’s attitude, it seemed like he was just trying to chase them away by charging exorbitant prices. Because our clothes definitely don’t look like rich people.
But I came this far and couldn’t give up.
“From what I heard, it was about 7 gold.”
“That’s the price they used to charge in the middle of winter. Now the quarantine has become so strict that there is no way.”
“Then here, 30 gold.”
I reached into my pocket and roughly grabbed a few gold coins.
The merchant opened his palm with doubtful eyes, wondering if he really had that much money.
Of course I don’t have that much money. And I had no intention of giving that much in the first place.
My goal was just to grab this person’s palm once.
Jinglang.
What fell on the palm were three gold coins.
I asked for 30 gold, but only 3 gold was given, so the merchant’s eyebrows furrowed greatly.
“Are you kidding? “Don’t you know how to count money?”
“The rest is covered by medical expenses and medicine.”
“… “What?”
He pointed to the tent behind him with his thumb.
“Isn’t your son very sick?”
The merchant was silent. At the same time, he was looking at me like he was facing a monster.
It was fear.
I was afraid of me coming out of nowhere and talking as if I knew everything.
“You… “What is it?”
“I’m just a doctor passing by. The details are fine. How will you deal?”
He had no choice.
Since Tailden’s doctor had gone on a campaign with the lord, there was no one here to look after the sick.
The merchant, who was thinking with a stern face, motioned to us.
“Follow me.”
When we entered the tent, there was a child lying on the floor, whimpering. He was the son of a merchant.
His complexion is dark, and he sweats a lot. The diagnosis didn’t take long because I had seen all the symptoms of common diseases while dealing with the village elders.
“Luckily, it’s not a serious illness. “Where did you drink rotten water?”
“Rotten water?”
“A lot of small bugs live in rotten water. “It went into the body.”
I quickly found things nearby that could be used as medicine. Herbs were commonly found in spring, so it was not difficult to obtain medicinal ingredients.
I immediately made the medicine using a kettle, a knife, and finely ground herbs. The merchant soon became suspicious of his skills, which a quack could not do.
“Now, drink.”
He put the medicine into the child’s mouth and poured it. Soon, the frown on his face cleared up, and he began to fall asleep.
“Are we done?”
“I stunned the bugs in my body for a moment. At night, your child will complain about needing to go to the bathroom. Check to see if there are any bugs in there. If there is, everything is better.”
The merchant was saddened as he looked at his son’s face.
“I can’t believe I slept so comfortably…” . “This can’t be right.”
“So, what is your promise?”
“… Good.”
He nodded.
“Come out to the market at night. “Once I confirm that my son is completely cured, I will take the carriage and go there.”
“I’ll be waiting.”
It is difficult to put a price on saving lives. Even if that merchant had 1 million gold, he couldn’t revive the dead child.
It was very lucky that I was able to cure my troubled son with only 27 gold.
As we left the black market, Ruyev tapped my shoulder.
“Good job. Ritz. “I saved people’s lives and got a carriage.”
“…”
Did I do well?
This ‘ability’ passed down to him by his father was both a curse and a blessing.
By being able to delve into a person’s past, identify their weaknesses, and negotiate, I was always able to gain the upper hand.
I think I understand why people in the world were afraid of my father. If my father had been a villain without blood or tears, this world would have already become hell.
That’s why my father imprisoned himself. And he protected his own world and cherished his words.
On the contrary, Posao did not. The pig lived only to satisfy his own desires. In the end, the father did not recognize the bastard as his son until his death.
Then I…
How should I use this precious blood of my father?
* * *
Night has come.
We packed our bags and went to the market. When even the people who were wandering around disappeared and soldiers with torches began to appear one by one.
Come closer. Come closer.
A merchant appeared in the darkness pulling a large cart. He silently motioned for us to get on board.
The way the merchant passed the quarantine station was to turn us into ‘sacks of food scraps.’ The bag he brought with him had a very bad smell, and he explained that he would just have to stay in this bag until he passed the quarantine.
I tried to hide it, but there was nothing I could do, so I threw myself into the sack. Ruev and Marie also went in one by one with sad faces.
Finally, the merchant tied the straps around his sack tightly and covered it with straw. And he was warned not to make a sound even if he was hit with something.
I felt like I was going crazy because of the bad smell of livestock excrement, but as time went by, it became bearable.
“Stop.”
The wagon carrying the cart finally arrived at the quarantine station.
The soldier asked the merchant.
“Where are you going?”
“I’m going to Gordburg.”
“What did you put in the back? “Aren’t you carrying something strange?”
Suddenly the soldier removed the straw. And then I saw a shadow slowly reaching out in this direction.
The merchant said urgently.
“Uh oh. You shouldn’t do that.”
“Why?”
“That’s a bag that holds food scraps and feces. It’s used as fertilizer in Gordburg…”
“Ahh! Fuck!”
Only then did the soldier, who must have smelled the scent, scared and retreated. And he waved his hand busily, not daring to check.
“Please pass by.”
“Then please excuse me.”
“Shit. “What I just ate is coming out again.”
All right. All the same.
I hear the sound of passing through the gate, and run for a while in silence.
When I left my body on a rattling cart and ran for a long time. Finally, the carriage stopped.
“Now, get down now.”
One by one, the merchant released the sacks that had bound us.
I never thought the night air would be this sweet. If I had stayed in the sack just a little longer, I would have suffocated and died.
Ruev and Marie seemed to have felt the same way, as if they were asking with their eyes whether it had to be like this.
“Are you always stealing people like this?”
“It depends. “There were a lot of guests today, and we had to leave right away, so this was just the easiest to prepare.”
Ruyev spat and became irritated.
“Tsk. “I can’t do it twice.”
“Everyone says that, but is there anything easy in this world?”
He said as he returned to his seat.
“I’ve used a variety of methods while doing this, but you guys are in a better situation. “The last time I took out a pig-like bastard, I put him in a coffin and ran for a day.”
The carriage started running again.
The merchant spoke with amusement, recalling his old memories.
“I still remember. He was a fat man with a stutter who came with a very pretty girl. Because they were particularly close, at first they thought they were father and daughter? Or I thought it was just my uncle and niece. Because there seemed to be a big age difference. But for some reason, when I heard them talk, they seemed almost like a married couple. “Isn’t it truly amazing?”
“…”
“It was like a love escape. Yeah, those guys had to run very far. If I were that girl’s father, I would have ripped off the fat guy’s head right away. There are no thieves…”
“Hmm.”
Luyev, seeing my face, intentionally cleared his throat loudly and interrupted his conversation.
“I’m thirsty. Can I borrow some water?”
“Ah, here.”
He took the bucket of water handed to him by the merchant and handed it to me.
He quenched his thirst without saying a word.
It was an extremely dark night.
