Episode 2-a. The City Where Night Never Comes, Tebris (5)
The fact that night never came meant that, while the city looked dazzling and brilliant from afar, up close it only revealed the gloomy shadows on the faces of its residents, dimmer than the lights themselves.
In this eternally bright city, the locals hustled to squeeze money out of the swarming tourists, but there wasn't much laughter on their faces. Their clothes were finely tailored, adorned with all sorts of precious metals that screamed wealth, yet they wore no expressions of happiness.
With no night to end the day, time marched on relentlessly without pause. The closer they crept to death with age, the harder their faces grew. Children still smiled and bounced around with energy, but teenagers' grins turned awkward. Those in their twenties, now mature, had lost their smiles entirely, greeting us with faintly sorrowful looks. Middle-aged folk carried naked fear in their eyes—what if death struck suddenly?—and there were no elderly residents at all.
No one in this city could survive to old age. Middle-aged people simply lived in dread of dropping dead at any moment. In short, hope had long evaporated from their hearts. After a century of this unchanging scene, they'd stopped even looking up.
Without night, they couldn't sleep. Without sleep, they couldn't dream. Most had never known sleep in the first place, so dreams were a foreign concept. The city's dreams had been deferred for a hundred years, never blooming for anyone.
It was now the sixth day. We were counting dates out of obligation, really. In this unchanging light with no drowsiness to signal time, skipping a day or two by mistake could turn us into ghosts of the city too. Fear of that kept us diligent.
So far, we'd scouted crowded spots like gambling dens, entertainment districts, bars, and shadowy abandoned alleys beyond derelict houses. And that barely covered half the city, so combing everywhere in the remaining time was impossible. We had to pick the likeliest paths and push through.
"Today..."
I spoke up just before we left the inn together.
"Hmm, the twins will stay back and rest at the inn today."
"“Ehhh~?”"
The kids would wait here first.
"Grab some snacks and play board games or whatever. It's a gloomy spot anyway, and we'll be moving fast—too much for you two."
"Then can we eat the stuff hyung's been stingy about saving?"
"Can we dip in oppa's secret sauce too?"
The kids grumbled a bit regretfully, but soon flashed playful grins as they asked.
"Yeah. Pig out and relax—I'll be back before too late."
"Yayyy! I'm going for chocolate! What about you, Tori?"
"Cookies for me! We'll eat 'em all so oppa can't have any!"
I chuckled softly at the kids dashing off toward the snacks with doot-doot-doot pattering feet.
Turning to the remaining two, I continued.
"We'll stick together as a trio today. Circling the whole city is pointless anyway, so I picked spots that seem promising."
"Hmm. Where're you thinking, leaving the kids behind?"
"The red-light district first."
Today, we'd hit the seedy crimson streets we hadn't bothered with before.
"Th-the red-light district sounds a bit sc-scary..."
"Not asking you to lose your virginity there. Grab any useful reagents. Old man, bring your axe and shield."
"Right. Let's move. Lingering just cuts our search time."
Horn nodded at my words, grabbing his axe and shield. Aberly, uncharacteristically sulky, packed reagent vials from the table one by one.
The red-light district of the city where night never fell. Even under clear skies pouring sunlight, no questions needed on how that red glow created such a dank vibe.
"Hmm. Impressive—they've domed the sky to block light and make it dark."
"Yeah."
Tebris's district was capped by a massive dome creating artificial shadow, strung with red lanterns below. "Night never comes" didn't mean zero darkness everywhere; seal it off like this, and shadows formed. Of course, no fatigue or sleep came regardless, so it was pointless unless for this purpose.
We strolled through it.
Along the streets, pleasure houses blasted moans—no soundproofing on purpose. Women more scantily clad than those seducing on the bright streets beckoned wildly. Drifting men let hands graze their crotches amid toothy smiles, then followed into shops. Soon enough, they joined the chorus of dank cries filling the air.
As we walked, Horn eyed the surroundings slyly and asked me.
"Ain, those women—they're city residents too?"
"Uh, you didn't know?"
"Why the hell would I know this stuff? Never cared for human customs anyway."
Fair enough.
"Most come from outside. Some by choice, sure, but usually they're debt-sold, or kidnapped by bandits and turned slaves."
Slavery wasn't outright illegal here. The process might be, but launder it right, and the higher-ups looked the other way.
"Shouldn't the state handle that?"
"Like the big shots care about the little people."
Just women spreading legs for men—no real value otherwise, at least to the elite.
"...Fair point."
"Especially after ten days here—they turn full brothel whores, never leaving the city."
Just pretty slaves, red-light girls. After ten days dragged here, escape was abandoned; they dazed like junkies, seducing men with hazy stares. No way the busy, noble grand mages got dispatched for one city's woes. Not certain it was even solvable.
The hero and saintess followed the plot's path, so side-city issues were minor lore, lost in the grand narrative's light, sinking into sticky shadows.
I thought that as I headed to a pleasure house.
"Why there?"
"Gotta check inside. Say we're just browsing—they won't refuse. If they do, offer Aberly's virginity as payment."
"...Wh-what?"
"Kidding, you idiot."
Horn and I dragged a protesting Aberly inside. Flashing axe and sword at approaching near-naked women sent them retreating quietly. They lacked the guts to die, just scraping by.
Time passed.
Hours under red lights left me faintly dizzy, but we poked through house after house, hunting anything suspicious.
No shop refused a look inside. Owners were locals; whores, trapped outsiders. Even hopeless, maybe they welcomed adventurers fixing the city.
No blocking us investigators.
And then.
After scouring the brothel quarter awhile.
"No service without purchase. Pick a girl, pay, and enter."
"Come on, extra tip to just look around?"
Our first refusal at a larger house.
"One at a time, pick and enter assigned room. Rude adventurers caused incidents—staff safety rule now."
"Hmm... fine then."
The guard shook his head even at bribes for a peek. Naked women watched our exchange fearfully.
I nodded and backed off, signaling Horn and Aberly behind me. No trouble—we slipped away.
Once out of sight in a quiet alley, I turned to them.
"Suspicious, right?"
"Suspicious."
"D-definitely sh-shady..."
A trio's shared gut feeling on this dodgy spot.
"But if it's this obvious, wouldn't other adventurers notice?"
Not many combed every house like us, but a few must have.
"They notice, but what can lone adventurers do? Disrupt business? Storm in blindly?"
"Th-there's no real proof, j-just suspicion, n-no overt issues...?"
"Yeah."
True—no official team, just us randos couldn't push it.
After much head-scratching, one conclusion.
"Guess we pay, take a girl inside, and check."
Storming in risked crime charges if innocent, trapping us past ten days.
Pay and scout discreetly—only way.
"Probably. Can't think of anything else feasible now."
"B-but I... h-have no fighting skills... If it's really dangerous inside, I'll j-just die..."
Horn nodded; Aberly shrank back, shaking his head.
Last night's first rule: No life-risking challenges.
Was entering life-risking?
"Guard didn't seem top-tier."
"If that's the level, we can bust out if needed. Got three magic-resistance cloaks just in case."
Worth the risk for us? We hemmed and hawed around the rule's line.
Time ticked; decision made.
"Aberly, wait here. Just me and old man go in. Hand over all useful reagents."
No combat Aberly—me and Horn, who could protect ourselves, enter. Scout, investigate if shady, bail fast.
"It's 1:30 p.m. now—out by 3:30 max. Two-hour limit with a girl is our window."
"Got it."
"Y-yeah."
They nodded.
"Aberly, check town square clocktower for time. Me and Horn take personal watches inside."
We deemed it non-lethal. Guard was mid-tier; innards unlikely a huge jump.
And if worst-case.
"If no show after two hours, Aberly—you tell the mayor, grab the kids, and GTFO the city first."
Sound the alarm if trouble. Rally a posse, or at least raise hell.
"Let's go, Horn."
"Aye. Stay hidden, quack."
"F-fight-ting...!"
At least we'd tried for Nasatya's traces, for the gray path.
With that, I strode back to the big pleasure house.
"Hmm, back already?"
"Yeah, that girl there."
"She's 3000 tera."
"..."
Agh.
"No even that much?"
"...Here."
"Right this way. Follow me."
Damn. Pricey as hell.