SWNOVELXO Chapter 40
The Royal Capital’s Black Market is located in the eastern district, where numerous entertainment facilities are clustered together.
Similar to the city of Elacton, the eastern district features establishments such as brothels and gambling dens. One of its notable features is an arena that closely resembles the Colosseum, said to have been built by the Roman emperors on Earth.
Unlike the southern district, which is constantly bustling with adventurers, the eastern district is noisy in a different way.
Within a corner of this eastern district lies the so-called Royal Capital’s Black Market.
“…Didn’t get much sleep?”
“Yeah, couldn’t quite fall asleep last night.”
Yesterday, I witnessed an overwhelming, almost sci-fi-like scene, making it difficult to sleep. Now, I had found my way to the border between the southern and eastern districts, feeling tired.
Noticing my state, Aina, who was walking beside me, voiced her concern.
“You’re not going to tell me it’s because you were too nervous to sleep, are you?”
“No, it’s something else.”
Even though it was still early in the morning, the streets were crowded with people. Caravans that had arrived at the capital overnight poured in as soon as the gates opened.
However, compared to the other districts, the eastern district, known for its entertainment facilities catering to the residents of the capital, was relatively quiet. As I forced my groggy mind to stay alert, I saw a few people who were drunk and sleeping in the streets for the first time in the eastern district’s alleyways.
“It’s kind of creepy.”
“Hmph, there are places much more dangerous than this in some regional cities, places where it’s not safe for a woman to walk alone, even during the day.”
Even in the city of Elacton, there were areas that made your skin crawl—damp, dark, and eerie, even in broad daylight.
These areas, known as slums, were where people lived who didn’t even have money to buy food for the next day.
And this was true even in the Royal Capital, the pinnacle of prosperity… In fact, even in Japan, a place more advanced in science and technology than the world of Asphial, there are shady areas, even if we don’t call them slums. It seems that such places exist in every world and in every era.
“The Black Market is in the center of the eastern district. If we don’t register early, we might not be able to sell anything by the evening. Let’s get going.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
—
The name “Black Market” might suggest that the goods sold here are illegal or contraband, but in reality, that’s not the case.
The Black Market simply exists outside the kingdom’s and guild’s control. The items sold here are all legitimate.
“It’s quite lively, isn’t it?”
“And this is just the crowd registering to sell in the evening. When the market opens, there’ll be twice as many people.”
The Royal Capital’s Black Market had the atmosphere of an upgraded version of the street festival I had previously participated in. Instead of grand stores made of stone and wood lining the main streets, there were slightly upgraded stalls spaced out evenly along the market.
“There are still some free stalls available.”
“We don’t need a prime spot. The purple potion will sell just fine.”
One unique feature of the Royal Capital’s Black Market is that many of the more robust stalls, unlike the simple ones at a street fair, are available for daily rental.
About 60% of the market consists of these rental stalls, and they can be booked for the day.
You can apply to rent these stalls through an office run by a private company that manages the market, but unfortunately, the prime spots had already been reserved.
—
“Here, this is the potion’s appraisal certificate.”
“I’ll just place it next to the potion, but we should keep an eye out for thieves.”
Unlike the street festival, the stalls were already set up here, so all Aina and I had to do was place the single potion on the shelf.
Some people put up handmade signs or decorate their stalls to attract attention, but Aina and I kept it simple. We just placed the potion on display with the guild-issued appraisal certificate next to it.
Since we’d pack up the shop as soon as the potion was sold, there was no need for elaborate decorations.
By around three in the afternoon, the crowd was starting to gather—customers who came to the Black Market to hunt for hidden gems were arriving, and many were waiting outside.
“There are a lot of people here.”
“Maybe a merchant brought in some amazing goods?”
As we waited for the signal that the market would begin, Aina and I found ourselves with nothing to do inside the stall.
The neighboring stalls were still frantically setting up their merchandise or struggling to finalize prices. But since we only had one potion to sell, we had no such dilemmas.
Instead, what piqued my curiosity was the growing crowd outside the market. A throng of people had gathered near the entrance, forming a human wall that seemed on the verge of causing a commotion.
Why were they in such a rush?
Puzzled by the scene, I sat in my chair, waiting for the market to officially begin.