The Survival of an Inferior

Someone nudges my arm. 

"Ngh?" I jolt and wipe off the drooling saliva. 

I glance to my right while half asleep to notice the young boy. 

The wagon has a cloth overhead supported by wood. The young boy pushes the cloth aside and light enters the wagon, he points out. 

"Hm? What is it?"

I peek out of the wagon.

An array of blueish-refracted light rays shines into my eyes. Street lamps line one side of the gravel road. Above the lantern is a square device collecting light and converting it into fuel for the lamp post. 

Above us is the deep blue sea, I can see many giant fishes and sea monsters swimming overhead. A monster with a long body and the head of a scorpion with pincers at both sides swirls past above. 

"We passed the security?" I ask the old couple at the front. 

"Ah yes," they say. 

Wait...what?

Rodgof's customs are known to be extremely strict, especially amidst the risk of demonic spies. How did I, a suspicious individual, get past it?

...

For now, I decided to stay quiet and observe the situation.

We arrive at a city with many tall buildings, and several cobblestone bridges connecting the towers scatter throughout the city creating stripes of shadow. Strings of laundry hanging from one building to another. Children run and play across the bridge. Beyond us is a large overpass with a tunnel beneath, on the overpass are stores and a variety of nature. 

The carriage passes through the tunnel.

*WHOOSH!* 

?

Something flew past. It's a flying carriage with "jet engines" attached. 

"Is this your first time in Libra? Those are flying carriages. They are quick and efficient but are very costly. To purchase it one requires 50000 gold and the fuel isn't any less, I reckon it costs up to 1000 gold for fuel and maintenance every month." Muis says when he notices my glance up. 

Libra, The City of Giants in Rodgof as they call it, is a megalopolis with buildings as tall as an average tower, earning their nickname. The sheer intensity of height makes any humans feel as inferior as an ant. 

It is also an extremely wealthy city with a constant supply of mana crystals and rare herbs that grows in the cavern beneath Libra. 

The wagon stumbles across a rock and stops in an alleyway, parked behind another carriage. 

The old couple gets off and carries the boxes. "We will need to deliver these packages. Why not explore the city? Meet us back here by dawn."

...

I nod. "Okay."

Wearing only a shirt that Muis lent me, tattered long pants and a ragged robe that covers my head, I loiter from one alleyway to another, trying my best to avoid any attention. I use a piece of cloth to cover my face from my nose down to my chin. 

Looking up, the tip of the buildings seems infinitely high. Among the towers, some have huge holographic billboards on the wall to advertise anything. 

Together with the billboard are drawings painted on the wall. One particular building has a giant red circle with skull graffiti in the middle splashed on three sides of the tower.

I approach that tower and enter the first level. 

It's a quiet and calm lobby. Couch at one side of the room with a table in between and a vase of flowers. To the right is a device that teleports people to their desired floor on the tower. A lady behind the counter near the entrance smiles at me. "Is there anything we can do for you?" 

Above the counter, the name "Luxurious" is carved in gold on the wall. 

Luxurious is the name of a merchant company that sells all sorts of things. As long as it exists, they will sell it. 

I walk to the counter and say "I want to find some red flowers."

!

The lady glanced at me. "Sure. What kind of red flowers?"

"Something that can captivate a mermaid," I reply.

The lady nods and asks me to follow her. 

What I spoke about was a secret entry password. 

She brings me to a door beside the counter. The door leads to a staircase down. I descend the stairs and approach another door with two men guarding it. 

"State your identity." the man says. 

I bring out a bag of gold in response. The man smiles and replies "Ah...a guest, come in. Enjoy your stay here." they push the door open and light rapidly barrages. 

I nod and walk into the gleaming brightness. Another whole world opens up.

Several other guards are stationed at the entrance within. They let me through. 

Underneath the tall tower, no one would have expected another market to exist down here. In a large and tall jagged cavern is a small village with many stalls and buildings. 

People here are mostly wearing something to protect their identity. But some wanted criminals blatantly reveal their identity in this mysterious place. 

This is Lophine, a black market.

I push through the crowd until I reach a cabin with a mask at the door. 

*EEEE* 

The door creaks when I push it, alerting the woman in the cabin.

An old woman with a cigar in her mouth reads a newspaper with her legs crossed and placed on a table. She lowers her newspaper and glances at me. 

"Oh my...a customer," she says and smiles.

As she gets up, she ties her long grey hair into a ponytail. "So are you looking to hide your identity? Female or male."

"Male," I reply.

She brings draws presses a button on the wall and the wall opposite flips, revealing a wall of face masks.

"Don't worry about the quality, it's made with pure Ratez skin, it's flexible and soft like rubber and can hardly break...unless you purposefully pull it with your entire strength." the old lady says. "In addition, the hair is durable and rough but if you do pull it by accident, I can provide a warranty for a month to help."

She goes up to the masks and takes one off, stretching it to demonstrate her words. "Also, the inner walls of the mask are laced with Lucut, improving your skin and great for comfortability!"

...

This old lady is promoting her mask as if it is a beauty product.