Chapter 281 (2): Frozen Land x Market of Darkness

“The Church of Darkness rarely operates in the Chosen Land. Setting aside the rivalry between our faiths, they actually abide by the rules quite well. The Church of Death is different. After a change in leadership, they gradually became active in every corner of the continent. You can find Death followers almost everywhere...”

Senna reached the teleportation circle and retrieved six teleportation stones from her dark domain with a wave, corresponding to the hexagram on the magic circle. “I’m not clear on the collaboration between the Church of Darkness and the Church of Sun, but I can say with certainty that Darkness is incompatible with Sun and Moonlight.”

Those were teleportation stones she had obtained through trade with the Church of Darkness. The Legendary-ranked Dragonblood was excessively cautious despite her incredible power.

Then how do you explain the perfect elves?

Wayne thought.

You came up with that formula.

It is how it is. Only the gods know the underlying reasons.

The teleportation circle activated. Senna was the first to step into it, with Wayne, Veronica, and Silvia following close behind. They emerged in another underground glacial passage. After a few dozen steps, they found another teleportation circle.

As Senna had said, once they found the first circle, it would be smooth sailing. They were moving incredibly fast.

After five teleportations, they found a circle already embedded with teleportation stones, indicating that members of the Church of Darkness were active nearby. After three more jumps, the four of them arrived in the inland region of the Frozen Land, with marks left by the Church of Darkness around.

Veronica spotted an announcement board with the official languages of the four nations: Windsor, Franc, Iberia, and the Rus Federation. Mages of the Church of Darkness warned outsiders that while they could use the teleportation circles, they had to keep them intact. In case of any violations, the Church of Darkness would track down the violators.

“No Prussian,” Wayne said worriedly. “Will the Francan people understand it?”

Veronica cocked her head, confused.

The board stated that a Church of Darkness’s market lay ahead, allowing mages from other churches to barter. Another warning followed, telling everyone to observe the trading rules and cover their faces, not bringing the conflicts of their faiths outside into the marketplace.

In case of any violations... blah, blah, blah...

Wayne suddenly developed considerable goodwill for the Church of Darkness, and by extension, even the scummy Darkness Knight seemed a little more dignified.

Thinking further, he realized that he hadn’t encountered many followers of Darkness. There were only three encounters, and it was already a stretch.

The first time was when he turned into the Death Knight and terrorized Londan. The Church of Darkness had sent members stationed at the local base for some posturing before promptly leaving.

The second time was in the Golden City in the black mountains, where he found the body of the Church of Darkness’s Holy Maiden, Anastasia. The honorable Holy Maiden had failed to reinforce the seal and ended up sacrificing herself for peace. Wayne felt ashamed for studying her body without her permission. It wasn’t the proper way to do it.

Then again, she hadn’t refused, either. That should count as tacit permission.

Speaking of which, Anastasia was currently flying toward the Frozen Land while wearing Pale Nest and the yellow robe.

The third time was also in Londan, when the messenger of Darkness had attempted to awaken the Darkness Knight by force, showcasing his unwavering loyalty and choosing death over retreat.

“As expected of the teacher in charge of students’ discipline, the Goddess of Darkness is strict in ruling and skilled in taming her subjects. Outside of being a sadist, she doesn’t seem to have any shortcomings.” Wayne muttered as he put on a black robe and followed Senna into the teleportation circle.

Well, there was one major flaw: the determination to awaken the Darkness Knight was a threat to Silvia and Veronica. The messenger had intended to kill them. Wayne kept that in mind. If he ever got the chance, he would make the Goddess of Darkness pay.

The goddess could do whatever she wanted to her knight to tame him. Wayne wouldn’t care. But involving his master and fiancée? The goddess was in the wrong.

Someday, he would make her pay with blood.

The teleportation circle pulsed with light, transporting the four of them to a dim town. Deep underground, the town was shielded in a hemispherical magic barrier that looked like a flipped bowl. Countless mages dotted the barrier like stars in the sky, unleashing fifty shades of black.

The town was silent, with many houses vacant. Occasionally, crimson eyes would appear, but the moment Wayne looked their way, they would retreat, refusing contact by drawing the curtains.

Following the signs, the four headed toward Darkness’s market.

“Master, why must we go there? Shouldn’t we head directly to the next teleportation circle?” Silvia enunciated the words clearly, especially the word ‘master’. She hoped that Senna would realize her mistake and recall her past disdain for love, sparing her son.

“No rush. We must visit the market first for the surprise!” Senna said cryptically.

Wayne hated cryptic people. He flipped through Senna’s thoughts and learned that there was a divination house in the market, connected to a mysterious trading space. If they were lucky, they might be able to trade with those from other dimensions.

These other dimensions included the Divine Realms in the Astral Plane, the inner world that mirrored the Chosen Land, the Vassal Realm of the ancient god, Heaven, Hell, and more. Setting aside the high-level dimensions, the trading space could also be connected to the Pope in the Papal State.

First, though, luck was a prerequisite. Not everyone could enter the trading space, and it didn’t open at all times. Based on what Senna knew, everyone only had one chance in their lifetime—there was never a second chance. Moreover, many had tried and failed to enter the space like Senna herself.

Wayne didn’t like it. It was too dangerous. What if the random matching opened a door to the Lord of Lust while she was bathing? Wouldn’t he be fucked?

“The trading space protects trading participants,” Senna explained. “No one can keep you there even if you enter a Divine Realm.”

“How about the gods themselves?”

Senna couldn’t answer that question without real cases to reference. In her opinion, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to meet a god.

Wayne still found it a bad deal. He had nothing worth trading. Why would he waste a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity so carelessly? Besides, the trading space sounded sinister. It was way beyond the Church of Darkness’s capability. He would even go so far as to speculate that it had divine backing—perhaps from more than one god.

In fact, it might even be an ancient god’s game.

Under his insistence, Senna could only give up. Still, she believed that her master had excellent luck and might gain benefits through the trading space, so he needn’t be so cautious.

Not only did Wayne refuse to partake in a trade, but he also talked Silvia and Veronica out of it. It was too risky, and they shouldn’t let their curiosity get the better of them. Since they were already here, though, they should at least look around.

***

The streets in Darkness’s market were narrow, with dim yellow lights on both sides barely illuminating the assortment of strange items displayed at the stalls. There was a strange scent in the air, a mixture of spices, herbs, and unknown substances that invigorated Wayne’s keen sense of smell. The odor seemed unpleasant at first, but became quite fragrant when he smelled it again.

The stalls on both sides were selling all sorts of goods, all related to magic. There were sealing scrolls made with yellowed paper, crystal balls swirling with purple light, rare alchemical potions, strange herbs of unknown purposes, and so on. At a glance, everything seemed high-grade in a mysterious way.

There was no price tag. The vendors would assess the buyers’ offer, and if they found the trade agreeable, they would exchange wares then and there. If not, they walked away amicably.

At the moment, vendors were playing cards in small groups, chatting and boasting with no concern for business. Wayne was puzzled. The market was only three hundred meters from one end to the other, and the streets were narrow, with few customers walking around. How did the vendors support themselves? Did the world of magic follow the wisdom of making big deals that would sustain one for three years?

Senna told him telepathically that those able to trade here weren’t ordinary mages. The vast ocean prevented the small fries from reaching this place, so all of them were Gold rank or above. That was why there was no need to worry about buying fakes. The key was determining whether the offers were equivalent in value. With good luck, it was possible to get a bargain.

Wayne shook his head, uninterested in the trading. After taking a few steps, though, his attention was caught by a pixie trapped in a glass bottle.

A bottled pixie!

He had never seen something like her.

The pixie was ten centimeters tall, wearing clothes woven from green leaves. Her appearance resembled a miniature elf with two pairs of transparent wings like those of a dragonfly. Each time they fluttered, fluorescent powder fell.

The pixie was staring at him with watery eyes, expressing her yearning for freedom.

So cute! I want it!

Veronica’s eyes lit up, rooted to the spot.

Wayne sighed in resignation, turning to Senna. “How much will that be worth?”

“It’s a scam. The pixie has an owner. After you buy her, she will fly back on her own.”

“Never mind then.”

Wayne dragged Veronica away. She kept looking back every few steps, watching the cute little thing grow distant with longing.

At the other end of the market, Senna found the door to the divination house and opened it. Inside the tight little place were one table and two chairs. A dark-skinned elf dressed in a black robe had covered her eyes with black cloth. Before her sat a crystal ball enveloped in white mist. When the customers arrived, she raised her hand and gestured for them to take turns sitting down.

The divination was free, no charge whether it was accurate or not.

Wayne was observant enough to tell that the dark elf wasn’t an actual person. Her porcelain-like face was rigid, and mechanical sounds could be heard from her joints, marking her as a magical puppet.

“The world of magic is too narrow-minded. If I had such skills, I could get any wife I want.”

“What are you mumbling about, bastard?”

“About earning money to support my wife,” Wayne said instantly.

While speaking, he looked around but didn’t see the trading space. Senna let Silvia take the seat first since she wasn’t interested. She had once received divination here, and the result was inconsistent with her current situation—it was the opposite, in fact.

You have a bright future,

the fortune teller had said.

Bright? She didn’t even have her freedom!