The Black Market
"Is this your first visit to the black market?"
Sera flinched at Apte's question.
"Ah, no? We've been a few times."
"Oh my, is that so?"
"No. It's our first time."
Sera stared at me with startled eyes.
It was a look that screamed, You traitor!
"Miss Apte already knows we're first-time visitors."
"...R-really?"
Apte gave a bitter little smile and nodded.
"I could tell from the moment we met. Ah, of course, that doesn't mean I'm looking down on you. Everyone has a first time, after all. If anything, it's an honor for me to be the one to guide yours."
"...Then... yeah, okay. It really is our first time."
Apte asked, as if finding Sera adorable,
"Is there anything you're curious about? I'll answer as best I can within what I know."
"I... I don't really have anything? Lu— ahem, what about you?"
"I heard that visitors' identities are kept in absolute secrecy. Is that reliable?"
"Of course. Guides like us inevitably have our faces known, but our guests' identities are kept under the strictest confidence."
"Do we need to buy masks?"
"Most people bring one along."
So she had figured out we were newcomers from the simple fact that we weren't wearing any.
"I carry spares just in case, so this works out perfectly. Here. I've never used these after buying them, so you needn't worry about hygiene."
Apte unhooked two masks from her waist and handed them to Sera and me.
Sera's was a cat; mine was a fox.
"No need to return them. I have nowhere particular to use them, so please put them to good use."
"I'll make good use of it. Thank you."
"Thanks, Apte."
The moment she received hers, Sera put the mask on.
I, however, examined the inside of mine.
I simply couldn't figure out how it was supposed to be worn.
No eye holes. No breathing holes.
No elastic to hook over the ears, and nothing else that looked like it would secure it to a face.
"Shall I show you?"
Apte asked kindly.
I met her eyes and nodded.
"Yes. How do you put it on?"
"What? You don't even know how to wear a mask?"
Sera answered in Apte's place.
"Here, just press it right against your face and breathe out. It'll stick on by itself."
"Can you see through it? Is breathing uncomfortable?"
"Of course you can see. Breathing's fine too. It's an artifact."
"An artifact. Who made it?"
"Beats me. Never really thought about— wait, no! You, don't use that word. Okay? Seriously, not here."
"Understood."
Unable to call a non-alchemist a non-alchemist, I followed Sera's instructions and tried the mask on.
With a peculiar sensation, as if a fan's breeze had glued itself to my skin, the mask sealed snugly to my face.
I could see perfectly, and breathing came easy.
"Fascinating."
Even my voice came out clearly.
"How do you take it off?"
"Just pull a little. It comes right off."
I tried it at once.
I'd half expected it to tear skin with it, but it slid free smooth as anything.
And a non-alchemist had made something like this?
I couldn't believe it. I put the mask back on and licked the inside.
Just as I thought.
I could feel the traces of alchemy.
Of course. There was no way a non-alchemist could create an artifact this wondrous.
I turned my head toward Apte.
"Miss Apte, are these masks commonly sold in the black market?"
"Yes. They're common enough that a dozen shops right by the entrance sell them."
If there were at least a dozen mask shops, that meant there were at least a dozen people involved.
Of course, one person could have made them all and set up multiple stalls—but even so, that meant at least one such person existed.
Sera hadn't been lying.
There really were true alchemists in the black market.
"I'll put the mask to good use."
"Hearing your thanks twice over certainly brightens the mood of the one who gave the gift."
This time I meant it as teaching material for alchemy, not something to wear on my face. But I'd expressed my gratitude clearly enough, so it was fine.
Thump-thump.
Heart fluttering with anticipation, I set off walking.
About ten minutes later, the entrance to the black market came into view—a riot of red, yellow, blue, and white lights flashing in dizzying succession.
It matched the advertising slogans the guides had been holding perfectly.
"Please have your tickets ready in advance."
"Okay!"
"Yes."
Entry was simple.
Under Apte's guidance, we headed for the VIP entrance, showed our tickets, and that was it.
No identity checks. No registers to sign.
Simply presenting the tickets made everything flow like water.
Whether that applied only to special tickets, I couldn't say—but the ordinary visitors on the other side seemed to be taking considerably longer.
"What will you do about escorts?"
Apte's fingertip pointed to a group of people in black robes standing quietly at attention.
All of them wore pure white masks. These were apparently the bodyguards VIP guests were allowed to bring along.
Sera and I locked eyes through our masks.
I couldn't see her expression or the look in her eyes, but right now we almost certainly shared the same thought.
"We'll manage on our own."
"Oh my. Shall I head back as well, then?"
"Were you originally going to stay with us, Miss Apte?"
"It's the best way to make a statement, after all."
Making a statement in a place where identities were supposed to be hidden.
Curious what she meant, I looked deeper into the black market.
Sure enough—beside people dressed in lavish clothes and masks, guides clung one to each party.
I might not know which noble houses they came from or what they did, but I could tell with certainty that they were nobles who did something, somewhere.
"Of course, there are VIP guests who prefer to move quietly. But most go about it that way."
"Besides showing off, are there other advantages?"
"The best one is that you don't have to keep flashing your special ticket. The treatment you receive changes, you see."
What kind of treatment changed was something we'd find out by experiencing it ourselves.
Sera and I nodded at the same time.
"Then please continue guiding us."
"It would be my honor. In that case, how shall I address the two of you?"
"I'm Seri."
"What!? You—you...! Grr... Then I'm Roro!"
"Miss Seri and Roro... heh heh heh... ahem. Forgive me. I shall call you Miss Seri and Miss Roro, then."
The black market's scenery was simple to describe.
A broad street lined on both sides with every kind of shop, orange lanterns hanging before each storefront—exactly like a festival avenue straight out of a Japanese anime.
Take that scene and crank the splendor past all reason, and you'd have the black market before us now.
"Whoa."
The moment we stepped inside, I understood.
Apte's assurance that we'd have no choice but to spend money was the absolute truth.
Sera might be another matter, but for someone like me who needed all sorts of materials, the black market was paradise itself.
I couldn't tour every shop, though.
My immediate goal was to sell the potions I'd made.
To sell potions, they first needed appraisal—so we decided to stop by the appraisal office first.
"The first auction has already begun, and the second is scheduled to start in one hour and fourteen minutes. The fifth auction is the last; after that, the black market's lights go out. So the finest goods tend to appear in the fourth, while the more... delicate items usually come out in the fifth."
By "delicate items," she almost certainly meant goods tied to crime. Slaves would be the prime example.
"Can we put up anything at all for auction?"
Apte's lips worked for a moment before she smiled, looking rather troubled.
"Not truly anything, I'm afraid."
"Where's the limit?"
"As long as it isn't something extraordinarily precious—like a dragon's heart—it should be fine."
"Why is that?"
"Because fights break out."
If an entire dragon's heart went up for auction, a fight would indeed be understandable.
"So it's happened before."
"Yes. In the past, the Third Calamity put an artificial dragon's heart on the block, and a tremendous brawl erupted."
Sera startled and shivered.
I remained calm. I'd known for a long time how magnificent alchemists were, so composure came easily.
Still—our master's name turned up no matter where we went.
And what was an artificial dragon's heart, anyway? From the sound of it, it seemed tied to the process of synthesizing a Philosopher's Stone. Would I be able to synthesize one someday myself?
I engraved Aaron's greatness into my mind once more and nodded.
"I understand."
Not long after, we arrived at the appraisal office.
It was bright, clean, quiet, and luxurious—like stepping into the luxury wing of a department store. Countless private rooms stood ready, carefully designed to protect each client's privacy.
"Only one person may enter an appraisal room at a time. Which of you two will go?"
"I'll go."
Sera nodded without any particular protest.
"Very well. Miss Roro and I will wait here."
"Huh? No, not me— Lu, ah."
Sera clamped a hand over her mouth and looked at Apte.
"I didn't hear a thing."
"...Th-thanks. Ahem. Anyway, Apte and I will wait here."
"If you get bored, feel free to look around. I've got quite a bit that needs appraising."
Apte looked at Sera.
The glance said she would follow Sera's lead.
"Uh... then maybe an hour? We'll look around for about that long. The second auction's in roughly an hour and ten minutes anyway, and an hour should be plenty to finish the appraisals, right?"
"Yes. That works."
I parted from the two of them and headed into the appraisal office.
Another guide waited inside as well.
Every bit as courteous and gentle as Apte, the guide led me to an empty room.
"Would you care for a beverage?"
"Something sweet, please."
"For sweet drinks, Amberdew milk tea, Luna wine, and Sunflower ade are the most popular. Which would you prefer?"
"Luna wine. I like the name."
Once I'd settled on a drink and entered the room, an elderly appraiser wearing a monocle greeted me.
"Good day. I am Rowen, the appraiser."
He gave off the air of a master bartender who would be polishing glassware behind a bar.
For some reason, it was a visual that inspired trust.
"Hello."
I bowed my head to Rowen and took a seat.
"Please set out the items you wish appraised one by one. I shall proceed with the utmost accuracy and speed."
"Yes. Thank you."
I untied the bag strap secured with an Explosion Potion and began taking out potions one by one.
"For now, show me just one bottle. There's no rush—you may set the rest out after your drink arrives."
"Yes."
Having left me that brief piece of advice, Rowen began the appraisal at once.
He would recognize that these were no ordinary potions, yet his demeanor remained quiet and immaculate.
After my drink arrived and the potions I'd laid out reached about twenty bottles, his brow gave a tiny twitch. At thirty, he swallowed dryly. Past fifty, he removed his monocle and looked at me.
I still had more potions to take out, but I stopped my hands for the moment and met Rowen's gaze.
"Is it too many?"
"...No. The potions are extraordinarily effective, and there are so very many of them... Ah. Yes. I believe I was simply startled by the quantity. Forgive me."
"It's fine. But if the number is a problem, shall I stop taking them out?"
"You have... more."
Rowen's lower lip trembled faintly.
"Shall I reduce it by ten bottles?"
"That would be..."
"Is thirty acceptable?"
Rowen leaned his upper body far forward and whispered softly.
"...I have finished appraising three bottles so far, and each one is worth roughly five gold coins. The ones you've prepared behind them look even more expensive. If you put this many potions of this caliber on the market, it will be difficult to escape the cartel's notice."
By "cartel," he meant a criminal organization, put simply.
It was as good as saying the black market's organizers were the cartel.
Not particularly surprising, really.
Markets like this were usually run directly by cartels in the first place.
That a cartel stood behind a black market the Empire preferred to hush up was a matter worth considering from a different angle—though of course it wasn't my problem to consider.
"Shall we stop at twenty bottles, then?"
"...As an appraiser, I deeply regret saying this, but that would be for the best."
"And you're all right with that, Appraiser?"
It was a vague question, but Appraiser Rowen smiled faintly and nodded.
"I am an appraiser. Ours is the profession that stands closest to the rarest treasures from across the entire continent. For people like us, greed is a sin. Curiosity is a sin as well."
Words that sent his trustworthiness soaring.
"I'll put up just twenty bottles of suitable potions."
Five gold coins times twenty bottles made one hundred gold coins.
One hundred gold coins equaled one platinum coin.
Even accounting for the production costs, that left ninety-nine gold coins in pure profit.
I was more than satisfied with that.
I packed the extras back into my bag, then took out the enhancement potions that looked most expensive along with recovery potions of moderate value.
"Also, there's something I don't intend to sell—I simply want to know what it is. Could you take a look at this as well?"
"By all means. Appraising precious objects is one of my joys; I welcome it."
I produced a small wooden case and showed it to Rowen.
He accepted it with care, opened the lid, and checked the contents.
The appraisal didn't take long.
He prodded it a few times with tweezers, then explained with eyes full of admiration.
"This is a fragment of an earth dragon's heart. And not just any—it appears to be from an earth dragon on the very brink of reaching adulthood."
Just before maturity, a dragon's heart pours out more mana than at any other time in its life. Naturally, an immense amount of mana settles into the heart itself.
"What's it worth?"
"This is not easy to price. It's the sort of item that would appear in the fourth auction—starting bids would begin at no less than ten platinum coins."
Sera would have jumped out of her skin at that sum, but I managed to stay relatively calm.
After all, I'd just made ninety-nine gold coins by selling a mere twenty percent of the potions I'd produced with a single gold coin's worth of materials.
I might only be able to sell them in the black market, but the point stood: potions alone could earn this kind of money.
The economic sense I'd built while traveling the Gidum Empire was starting to warp.
I was also beginning to understand why Aaron had stuffed so much pocket money into my hands.
"With this, I shall conclude the appraisal. All of the goods Your Ladyship intends to put up for auction have been confirmed genuine. The final sale prices of the items may vary slightly, but the fluctuation should not be large."
"Yes."
"We appraisers deliver the goods directly to the organizers. So please, Your Ladyship, simply enjoy the night streets at your leisure."
"Thank you."
I bowed my head and left the room.
It had taken roughly forty minutes, so I had about twenty left before Sera and Apte returned.
Maybe I should look around a little myself.
Just as the thought crossed my mind, the sound of an argument drifted from not far away.
"I told you, it's my ticket!!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?! I clearly saw you steal my ticket just now!"
"Oh, come on... this guy's hilarious. What, you write your name on the ticket or something? Huh? Nope. Nothing there. Not a single mark—so how is this yours? It's mine! How'd you even get in here without a ticket? Huh? Hey! Guards! There's a guy here with no ticket—what's going on?!"
"No, wait— I— ha...!"
I could never pass up a good fight.
"Welcome! What can I get you?"
"One buttered corn and a bottle of Luna wine."
"A glass— pardon? A whole bottle?"
"Yes. Quickly."
Provisions secured, I dashed off toward the scene of the quarrel.