5. Mysterious Shops Often Have Good Things
After leaving the Duke’s residence, Mu’en boarded the carriage from the mansion and arrived at a luxury goods store he frequently visited. After ordering the accompanying guards to remain at the entrance, Mu’en secretly slipped away through the back door.
Disguised, Mu’en navigated through the complex city streets according to memory, arriving at the riverside where the upper and lower districts met. Making sure no one was around, he jumped down into a drainage pipe by the river.
A faint smell of decay wafted around his nose. Mu’en frowned slightly, put on his mask, and donned a black robe large enough to completely conceal his build, quickly making his way through the pipe.
“Stop.”
At the end of the pipe, a tall figure stood guard.
“Who are you?”
Mu’en thought for a moment: “A sewer rat.”
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for carrion.”
“The token?”
Mu’en raised his hand, showing the tall figure a black token in his palm with a lifelike rat carved on it.
“Hmm, you may enter.”
The tall figure stepped aside, revealing an even narrower passage behind him.
Mu’en nodded, tucked away the token, and quickly passed by the tall figure.
In the brief moment their silhouettes crossed, through a sliver of light from above, Mu’en caught a glimpse of the tall figure’s body.
It was a corpse-like body with countless maggots writhing on it. Just passing by, one could smell the suffocating stench of decay.
“Ugh, truly fitting for a fantasy world.”
Fighting back the nausea, Mu’en didn’t dare linger, hastening his pace to quickly leave this place.
After passing through the narrow passage, his view suddenly opened up.
A massive underground space appeared in Mu’en’s field of vision. The walls were embedded with stones emitting a soft glow, illuminating the place. People moved about, all shrouded in mysterious black robes.
This was the underground black market located in the lower district of Berlande. It was said that anything could be bought here with enough money—even “anyone.”
“Glad I still remember how to get here.”
Mu’en couldn’t help feeling relieved.
In the original novel, the protagonist was a regular here, visiting every few days, and each time somehow finding great bargains thanks to his all-powerful protagonist halo. Half of the protagonist’s later collection of overpowered treasures were probably still lying around as discarded items on roadside stalls.
However, Mu’en had no intention of “intercepting” these items early. Based on the book’s descriptions and his unreliable memory, he would find it very difficult to identify which items were hidden gems.
Besides, he wasn’t sure if taking things meant for the protagonist would negatively affect the timeline.
“Sigh, since I’ve already decided to be content as a commoner, I shouldn’t think about these things anymore.”
Mu’en suppressed those inappropriate thoughts and began scanning the black market.
Normally, things like sleeping drugs wouldn’t need to be bought specifically at a black market, but the person Mu’en intended to drug wasn’t ordinary—it was the Empire’s third princess, Selicia, known as the Ice Witch.
Blessed by the Snow Goddess from birth, she naturally possessed the ability to control extreme ice, and with the imperial family’s training since childhood, her power was terrifying.
At this stage, even the protagonist was far from being her match, let alone Mu’en, who had neither divine blessing nor much cultivation.
“I don’t want to be slapped to death in bed by Selicia before the protagonist arrives because the sleeping drug failed.”
Mu’en laughed at himself.
Fortunately, he quickly located his target.
At the end of the street stood a shop with an eerie atmosphere. A huge ram-horned skull hung on the sign above the shop, extremely eye-catching.
Thanks to that giant ram-horned skull, Mu’en recognized the shop at once. In the original novel, the protagonist had also visited this shop many times. The shopkeeper was a mysterious person who always sold strange items.
Surely something like sleeping drugs would be available there.
Mu’en opened the door, ringing the wind chime.
“Oh my, a customer finally arrives today. Please, come in.”
The shopkeeper was similarly hidden within a loose black robe, with a hoarse voice impossible to identify as male or female.
When seeing Mu’en, two bright beams of light flashed from inside the shopkeeper’s hood, like a wolf spotting a lamb.
“Young master, what would you like to see? My shop may be small, but we lack nothing.”
“I want…”
Mu’en was going to say he was just browsing, but considering his limited time alone, he decided to be direct.
“I want sleeping drugs, that kind of sleeping drug.”
“Oh?”
Though the face wasn’t visible, Mu’en could feel the shopkeeper’s smile turning mischievous.
“Sleeping drugs, I see, I see. Ah, you rich folks just love playing like this, don’t you? Ha ha, I know a few places that sell nice slaves, would you like a recommendation? Just a small referral fee, and you can get a discount using my name…”
“…Don’t have any? Then I’ll be going.”
“Yes, yes, of course I have! I have the best sleeping drugs here!”
The shopkeeper grabbed Mu’en’s robe to stop him, then quickly turned around and lowered their head, rummaging through various bottles and jars.
Due to the position, from Mu’en’s angle, he could just see the black robe outlining a breathtaking curve.
“This shopkeeper’s rear… is quite full.”
Mu’en stroked his chin, wondering wickedly: “With that figure, could the shopkeeper actually be a beautiful woman?”
Unfortunately, this couldn’t be verified.
Because Mu’en hadn’t finished the original novel, perhaps the shopkeeper’s identity was revealed later, but that no longer concerned him.
Ding ding.
While Mu’en was lost in thought, the wind chime on the door rang again with a crisp sound.
Another figure shrouded in a black robe, unremarkable, entered from outside.
But this time, the figure in the black robe appeared petite, with a faint floral scent.
Probably another woman.
“Hello, do you sell sleeping drugs here?”
“Welcome! Sleeping drugs, of course I… Eh? What did you say?”
“I asked if you sell sleeping drugs here?”
“You want sleeping drugs too?”
“Yes, is there a problem?”
“No, no problem at all.”
The shopkeeper glanced oddly at Mu’en, muttering something about “what a strange day,” and turned around to rummage through the shelves again.
“She wants sleeping drugs too?”
Mu’en’s gaze discreetly swept over the black-robed figure beside him.
“Do women have these kinds of needs too?”
“She’s probably planning to harm someone.”
“Too bad I can’t stop her.”
“I can only hope her evil plan fails.”
“Sigh.”
Mu’en sighed to himself: “What am I thinking? Aren’t I preparing to do the same thing?”
He was in no position to criticize others.
“Oh, found them.”
Soon after, the shopkeeper excitedly pulled out two delicate small bottles, placing them in front of Mu’en and the black-robed woman.
Mu’en curiously picked up the bottle and saw a dark red crystalline liquid flowing inside.
“This color…”
Mu’en was stunned.
What’s with the red liquid?
Were they not worried about people noticing the drug?