As the librarian pulled the door open, he and Zay stepped through, and Zay's eyes widened in astonishment.
The street before them stretched wide and long, constructed from an intricate blend of red brick, gleaming silver steel, and violet-hued stone that pulsed faintly beneath their feet. Above, thick wooden beams arched across the open air, each strung with glowing vines that carried white aura through their veins, illuminating the entire space with an eerie, unnatural brightness.
Zay took several slow steps forward, his eyes scanning every detail. Behind him, the librarian followed without a word. As they moved deeper into the space, Zay instinctively turned to glance back. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the door they had entered through had vanished completely. In its place stood more of the same surreal streets, all lit by those haunting veins of white aura and framed by arched beams.
He glanced around, noting several paths branching off in different directions. Above each one hung a hovering sign etched in a script he couldn't read, flickering faintly like starlight trapped in glass.
The librarian let out a dry, forced cough to get his attention.
"Don't get too amazed. This is just the lobby of the market," he said. "Each of those paths leads to a different district. Can you read Hesyan?"
Zay tore his gaze away from the branching avenues and turned to him. "I am not familiar with that language... Is that what these signs are written in?"
"That's correct."
There was a brief pause. Zay's gaze drifted upward. The sky above stretched wide and clear, unnaturally still, with a single, vibrant orange moon suspended at its center. It hung low, almost too close, casting everything in a slight orange glow, blending with the white aura.
'What's with the moon? Why is it orange? This isn't a Sequence, so why does it feel like one?'
The librarian removed his top hat and gestured lazily to a path off to their left.
"That's where you'll find the Resonance Shards. If it's Resonance Echo Scrolls you're after, they're sold one street over," he said, pointing toward the neighboring avenue.
Then he adjusted the collar of his trench coat, rolled his shoulders with a quiet breath, and gave Zay a single nod.
"Well, Vines, I'll leave you to it. Enjoy."
With that, he turned and made his way toward a shadowed path marked by a sign glowing softly above it. The letters shimmered in the strange script, and Zay narrowed his eyes as he tried to interpret them. But even with the help of the Resonance Lens, the characters refused to yield meaning.
'How strange… A language even the Resonance Lens cannot translate? Was it invented solely for this place?'
He stood still for a moment, curiosity tugging at him, but the question would have to wait. With a soft sigh, Zay turned and headed toward the path where the Resonance Shards were being sold.
He made his way down the path to the Resonance Shards district, eyes scanning the surroundings, and quickly noticed several individuals clad in long black trench coats. Each one wore gloves and a mask that concealed their features. As he passed, their heads turned, and a few of them met his gaze directly.
"Never seen that person before."
"Who invited him?"
"It could've been Loco. He brings in strangers all the time."
"Maybe... but doesn't that kid look a little young to be here?"
It was obvious to Zay that they were talking about him. He turned his head slightly and spotted five figures seated together in front of a large marble building. The windows were shattered and chained, the glass long since gone. A heavy steel door, also wrapped in chains, with a small sign above it inscribed in Hesyan.
Two of the individuals appeared to be tall, though it was difficult to say for certain since they were all seated. The taller-looking pair had a board set up between them and seemed to be in the middle of a chess game.
Zay's gaze lingered on the board, and he suspected the game had more at stake than simple entertainment considering where they were.
'That has to be a form of gambling, right?' he thought, before turning his attention away from the group.
He noticed several people gathered around various merchant stands. Each merchant had two people dressed entirely in white—tunic, trousers, gloves, and mask. Their uniforms bore no identifying marks. No insignia, no name tags, nothing at all. Zay assumed they were the guards, or whatever passed for law enforcement within the Sinners Night Market.
"How much for this Fire-Fox's shard?"
"That one is thirty gold."
"D-damn. What does it give?"
"You can check it yourself, but it grants the Arbiter immunity to any kind of fire or flame. It also provides the creature's combat experience and knowledge—information about beasts you might not even know exist. However, attuning to it will take time since it comes from an Abyssal-ranked beast."
The man rubbed his chin, scratching at his beard as he considered the offer. Before he could respond, someone stepped forward and slammed down three golden Cindrel notes.
"That's thirty gold in notes. I'll take it," the man said, his voice cold and eyes dark.
The merchant nodded and retrieved the shard from behind a special glass casing. One of the nearby guards placed a hand on the glass, which vanished instantly, allowing the man to collect the shard.
Zay walked past them, unsure of what he was even looking for. Well—no. He wasn't looking for anything at all. He'd only come to this district for appearance's sake, just as he'd told the librarian. His real priority was Naomi Duskvine.
He simply didn't want his cover story to fall apart. He had already claimed his only purpose here was to buy Resonance Shards.
'I guess I'm now forced to spend some money… on something. Just so it doesn't seem suspicious when I run into him again.'
Zay had no real intention of buying or finding a Resonance Shard. He didn't even know what he was supposed to be looking for.
He wandered a little longer before spotting something so utterly useless that he knew—instinctively—he had to buy it.
"How much for the rock shard?" Zay asked, glancing down at it.
"Well…" the merchant began, lips pressed together in thought. After a moment, he gave a slow nod. "I'll give it to you for nine bronze."
Zay nodded without hesitation. Nine bronze pieces dropped from his Arbiter: Vault into his palm, which he then passed to the merchant in black. One of the nearby guards placed his hand over the display glass. It vanished in an instant, allowing Zay to take the shard.
"Arbiter: Vault," he murmured, and the rock shard disappeared in a flicker of violet aura.
Zay turned around and began walking toward the "lobby" of the night market. After several minutes, he arrived and looked up at the signs, trying to figure out which one he needed.
'It has to be a human trafficking district, right? The task was for me to buy someone, after all.' As he thought about this, another question crossed his mind. 'What if it's not a person of the human race but of another? Would it still be in the same district, or would it be different?'
He sighed deeply, already knowing this would be a pain to figure out. He would have to traverse each district until he found the right one. Hopefully, she hadn't been sold by the time he got there and he had to hope that he had enough money to purchase her.
Zay looked around at the signs and exhaled heavily; he did not want to search every single district in this market. That was when he overheard three people in a small group talking quietly. It was not loud, but loud enough for others nearby to hear.
"I heard they will be selling an elven royal from Sequence Eight tonight at the auction."
The two others nodded at him before one of them spoke up, "Really? I heard they have a Nymar up for auction."
The other nodded to both of them. "Well, let us get moving. We all know the boss has been wanting a Nymar for quite a while. Remember, we have two hundred gold to spend on it even if we have to spend it all. He said it is fine if we go over by fifty, but no more than that."
Zay overheard the conversation and decided to follow the three of them. The group walked toward one of the pathways that had a tent set up in front and circled around it. Zay followed closely, taking the same route as the trio ahead of him. As he passed the tent, he glanced inside and saw someone wearing a clown costume.
'A clown? Really?' he thought, chuckling softly under his breath before continuing to trail behind the group.
They made their way to a large building that resembled a warehouse. Standing by the entrance was a person dressed in a black suit, white gloves, and loose black trousers tucked into black boots. A bird-shaped mask covered their face. The masked individual glanced at the group, nodded, and waved their left hand over a steel door, which clicked open in response.
The group entered, and Zay followed a few steps behind. As the masked person was about to lock the door, they noticed Zay, gave him a nod, and kept the door open.
Zay returned the gesture with a nod of his own and stepped inside. The door closed behind him, and he heard the lock click into place. Looking around, he saw what could only be described as an anthill of people packed into the building. Rows of seated individuals faced a stage illuminated by yellow beams of light. Small windows lined the top of the walls, allowing the orange glow of the moon to mix with the lights, casting a surreal haze over the room.