To breach the magical barrier of the black market, Lance traded two claws from a Dark Young—still wet with blood—for an entry ticket from a pair of swamp trolls.
The trolls hissed with delight, patting Lance on the shoulder with their rough, calloused palms, like butchers who had just found fresh meat. In return, they also gave him a map—tattered, filled with scribbles, but its details were brutally accurate.
Without wasting time, Lance recited a short incantation, opening a flickering bluish-purple portal, and stepped into Barbados.
The warm Caribbean wind immediately slapped his face. Barbados, a small island nation, had white sands and crystal-clear turquoise waters. Behind all the tourist brochures, there was a rotten secret at its heart. Its population was less than 300,000—over 80% of whom were of African descent—but none of them knew what crawled beneath the quiet pier during the darkest nights.
The House of the Infernal Glories did not actually tarnish the beautiful land of Barbados. It merely clung to the edge of the island's reality. Barbados was just a door, as thin as a mosquito's wing, leading to a rotting space in the folds of dimensions.
With the tattered map in hand, Lance walked down a narrow alley between fake souvenir shops and piles of trash. The smell of salt mixed with the stench of rotten fish.
At the end of the alley, Lance found an antique shop: its paint was peeling, the sign was crooked, and behind the foggy window, an old black man with gray hair stared boredly while spinning a coin between his fingers.
No silly password was needed. Lance simply held up the entry card in front of the old man's face. The old man clicked his tongue softly, looked up, and then reached for a black wooden staff. He tapped the plain wall beside him three times. The wall cracked, emitting a cold white light, and then split open into a pulsing light door, as if alive.
Lance tucked the certificate into his pocket, bowed slightly in a lazy gesture of respect, and then stepped through the light door.
The corridor behind it was cold and long. Dim light dripped down the walls, casting strange shadows on the stone floor. On either side stood guards—not human. There were tall, slimy-skinned figures, floating eyes in glass domes, and multi-legged monsters breathing like steam engines. They stared at Lance silently, their pupils glowing faintly.
Lance pretended not to care, even though his palms were sweating beneath the sleeves of his black robe. He walked straight ahead, hearing the echo of his own footsteps in the winding corridor.
Suddenly, the corridor opened up, revealing a blinding white vista.
Before Lance, a vast expanse of ice stretched out, thin cracks appearing at several points, as if the earth itself was threatening to break apart. The gray clouds in the sky hung low, almost touching the ground, slowly swirling into a giant vortex—a dark tornado lurking in the belly of the sky. Right beneath that vortex stood a black castle with a broken tower—its stones seemed to whisper.
This is the dark market of magic—House of the Infernal Glories.
Lance stared at it for a moment, letting a shiver crawl down his spine. Then he turned back to the gate, finding a line of giant mounts. White rhinos, but their horns glowed with a purple sheen, their eyes shining softly. They looked fierce, capable of swallowing a human head whole, yet these creatures were docile, hardworking, and complaint-free.
Lance climbed onto its back, feeling the warmth of the creature amidst the cold mist. Without being commanded, the white rhino let out a low grunt, stomped its feet, and then began to run along the frozen ice path, leaving heavy footprints that quickly vanished in the wind.
In less than two minutes, the palace gate loomed before Lance. He dismounted, patting the side of the creature's neck—marking in his mind to find out how to buy it later. Who knows, it might be bred in the palace courtyard.
Inside, the main hall was already bustling. As soon as Lance stepped over the threshold, the sound of an auction hammer split the cold air.
"Agreed!"
"Three phoenix feathers sold to Mr. Goat!"
Lance stood at the edge of the hall, blinking. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, suppressing a bitter laugh.
The scene before him was truly a carnival of monsters. There was a goat standing upright, wearing a purple velvet cloak, a cigar jutting from the corner of its mouth. A plump owl in a grand wizard's robe stood next to a crocodile man, blood dripping from his torn chest. An ostrich with wild eyes stretched its long neck, eagerly staring at the auction stage, as if participating in the bidding.
There was no need to worry about the terrifying appearance of Voldemort, for no one in this room looked unthreatening, where the stench of rotten sweat and the smoke of black incense mingled together.
Of course, that didn't mean all the participants were monsters, but many people, like Lance, chose to hide their true appearances behind masks, cloaks, or even cheap camouflage spells. Some wore horned hoods, while others hid behind an illusionary mist, with only their eyes reflecting the dim light of the torches on the stone walls.
After all, this was a dark market where no one was responsible, and those who came and went were all ruthless individuals. The smell of old blood, hot metal, and cheap perfume clung to the air.
If there were any good items being auctioned, they might be cut up as soon as they left the house. Some men in long coats appeared to be checking hidden weapons beneath their cloaks—just in case.
"Congratulations, Mr. Goat!" The auctioneer, with a bone mask on his face and a pirate hat on his head—which looked a bit oversized and adorned with crow feathers—enthusiastically congratulated, his voice screeching like a rusty knife scraping against glass.
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[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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