LIGHTNOVELONLINE (Vol2)49. Cleanse
Vik enters the room. "Time is up," he says.
Ava teleports out of the room, leaving me with Vik. Vik hands me a storage ring.
"It's a gift for patrons with more than 50000 gold spendings. You wouldn't want to carry that by hand. There's a metal plate within that ring, come back to another 'Luxurious' auction and present that plate to receive discounts." says Vik and bows.
"Oh...Thank you." I reply and return the bow.
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Two robed men stomp on one young teenager wearing a red leather vest. The teenager was the lion bidder in the auction.
"You dumb fuck! We gave you five months' worth of income for a noble, how the fuck did you lose the bid?" One of the robed men says.
"I-I was just...I-I don't know, I couldn't control myself with that sum of money." the teenager says. "Besides, you said that most are sane enough to not buy the sword."
The robed men look at the bruised boy in disbelief.
"This is why I told you not to trust a young spoiled brat."
...
The teenager attempts to sneak away as the robed men ponder their move. He then notices me from afar and looks at my hand.
"Wait! That guy! He was walking out of the auction building and has that gold storage ring given by Luxurious. He is as tall as the tiger bidder, he might be the one who got the sword! Go after him!" The teenager says and points at me.
The two men gaze at me and both stop what they were doing.
"..."
They look at one another and back at me. "That guy..."
"..."
"W-What?" the teenager says.
"Nevermind, we accomplished our goal." one of the men says.
The duo left in a hurry, leaving the confused teenager with his treasures from the auction.
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10 minutes ago...
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I leave the auction building and hide in an alleyway, putting on the mask. It sticks perfectly and feels comfortable, at least the old lady wasn't lying about this part.
With my new look, I wrap the cloth around my face once more and proceed to walk towards the exit.
The suffocating sweat fills the air from the crowds. Suddenly, a blood-curdling yet familiar abnormality draws me in. I shoot my gaze to my right and notice a few dark silhouettes behind a building.
I can see...and feel it; There are demonic humans behind that store. They show no hostility. Any being with demonic mana can detect one another unless the involvement of concealment techniques.
We have eye contact for a short while before they left in a hurry.
I noticed them eyeing my ring. Did they mistake me for another demon cultist?
...
I quickly leave Lophine and go back to the surface. Dawn struck. Orange paints the deep sea with street lights lit around Libra. Many people roam beneath the tall towers and across bridges, scuttering home.
Leaving Luxurious places me on a bridge. The bridge connects three towers which also has a relative connection with other bridges.
"Mommy, it's cloth man!" a naive girl points at me from afar.
"Sh! Don't point at people! Let's go." the mother pushes the girl's hand down and pulls her away.
Two options are open for me. I can either go back to the old couple or go my own way.
The problem is...I have no idea where to go. Demon cultists hide and evade extremely well, and so is Arsto's criminal group.
Among the herds of bandits in Rodgof, the most infamous is "Despair". They pride themselves on sadism and inflicting as much despair as possible on their victims. The group was also created by Arsto. Although Arsto created the group, the real ruler and leader is a man called Rafi. He leads all the operations and tactics behind the scenes.
Those are what I know. After Arsto's death, Rafi took full authority of the group and all hell broke loose.
Even after 800 playthroughs, I still don't know much about "Despair"...
Their activities include human trafficking, drug trafficking, assassinations, forced prostitution, and many many more...
They are the king of the underworld.
!
The matters regarding the suspicious entry into Rodgof come to mind.
...
I decided to return to the old couple and "fall" into their trap. That's the quickest way for the perpetrators to reveal themselves.
I return to the tower where their carriage was parked beside. It's an accommodation tower. By asking for the desk receptionist, I acquire the old couple's room.
"Why did you tell him to explore the city? What if he escaped?" Natur whispers.
"Escape? To where? He would be more sceptical if we restrict his freedom." Muis whispers back.
Despite a wall and a door between me and the old couple, I can still hear their conversation.
I knock on the door a few times.
Some shuffling can be heard and the door swings open. "Hello, did you enjoy your time in the city?" says Natur with a bright smile.
I return the smile and say "Yes."
"Come, we made dinner," Muis says and guides me to the dining table. I comply obediently and eat the porridge.
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"Poisoned" body status has been applied.
The player will fall into a coma in 2 hours.
Due to the presence of demonic mana, the coma is shortened to 3 hours.
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My nose itches and my body feels slightly colder.
They prepare a room for me to sleep in. Right beside their bedroom. The accommodation tower provides a big home with a living room, toilet, kitchen and three bedrooms.
"Arsto, I've been wondering, where do you plan to go?" says Muis.
"Not sure, I will decide tomorrow," I say.
"Ah...alright. Goodnight then, sleep tight," he says and left.
The bedroom is as tiny as my rented apartment back on Earth. Only enough to fit a small kitchen at the corner, a mini toilet at the other corner, a bed, some wardrobe, television and a table.
But in this room, only a bed and wardrobe are here.
I sit down on the bed and bring my inventory panel up.
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[Game Inventory]
(The user may take items out of the Game Inventory but cannot put things in.)
Gold: 27,600
Materials:
×40 Requiem Wood
×1 Gear Chest
×1 Art Chest
×1 yellow mana stone
×200 orange mana stone
×1000 blue mana stone
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[Physical Inventory]
Storage Ring(36/5000)
×1 Blade of Eternity
×1 Weird Rock(?)
×1 face mask
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Once I click on "Art Chest", a small red chest pops in mid-air and falls to the ground with a thud.
!
"Woah...in the game, the chest automatically opens..." I mumble.
I pick the chest up and slide the cover open.