"Boss, buying meat!"
Standing in front of a butcher stall near the Fourth Street of the West District of the Zaun Entresol Level, Durin shouted.
A burly man wearing a white tank top, lying on a rocking chair inside the butcher shop, immediately opened his eyes. He glanced at Durin before slowly standing up.
"How much do you want, and what cuts?" The butcher walked to the counter, his burly frame bringing a gust of wind, and a fierce, murderous aura washed over Durin.
"Tell me how you are selling this pork first," Durin asked, licking his lips slightly.
On the butcher's counter lay several racks of ribs, strips of pork belly hung above, and large chunks of congealed pig's blood sat in steel basins, all filling the air with a rich, gamey stench.
But Durin didn't find it unpleasant; instead, he felt a strong desire to Devour it.
Perhaps this was also a side effect of the Darkin power.
Hearing Durin's question, the butcher, chewing on a toothpick, replied in a muffled voice: "Pork belly is 10 copper circle coin a catty, ribs are 16 copper circle coin a catty. If you want the pig's blood, I'll sell it to you for 3 copper circle coin a catty; I'm about to close up shop anyway!"
"Alright then, give me three catties of pork belly, three centimeters wide, and five catties of ribs. And give me three catties of pig's blood!" Durin swallowed, as if only by consuming this fresh flesh could he find satiety and intense satisfaction.
Although his eyes were almost glowing green, his reason still overcame his inner craving for fresh flesh.
The butcher nodded; he couldn't be bothered to ask why Durin was buying so much—he was just open for business. He picked up a bone cleaver, chopped off the ribs, packed them into a large plastic bag, and handed it to Durin.
"That'll be 1 silver lun coins and 19 copper circle coin in total."
"Okay!"
Durin took one silver lun coins and 19 copper circle coin from his pouch, handed them to the butcher, and took the large bag of pork.
After the purchase, Durin left the Fourth Street of the West District and headed toward the public elevator.
It was now around eight or nine in the evening. Under the shroud of the pitch-black night, the neon lights and the signs of the shops on both sides of the street brought a strong visual impact, colorful and dazzling.
However, when Durin passed a music store, he suddenly stopped and looked at the shop name: 10GIA.
Throughout the day, many people had already noticed the Darkin Harp on his back. It really wasn't safe to just wrap it in black cloth. Besides, back at Hope House, those little brats had even tried to reach out and touch it.
This served as a reminder to Durin that he needed to buy a backpack to put the harp inside. This would not only make it easier to carry but also relatively safer.
So, after Durin entered the music store, the staff inside didn't come over to disturb him.
People who love musical instruments always like to walk around by themselves first, talking to the instruments in their minds and admiring their appearance.
At a glance, all kinds of instruments came into view; one could even describe it as dazzling.
Grand pianos, upright pianos, and even beginner electronic keyboards occupied more than half of the store's space, while the rest was filled with violins and various long and short horns and clarinets.
Durin browsed through the prices of these instruments, which were shocking.
Performance-grade violin, maple material, priced at 18 silver lun coins.
Professional-grade violin, spruce material, priced at 20 silver lun coins.
Demacia antique violin, made in Demacia, priced at 18 gold cogwheel and 7 silver lun coins.
The antique violin priced at 18 gold cogwheel was separated by thickened glass. Durin only took one look before turning his gaze away.
Durin silently sighed in his heart; as expected, learning musical instruments was a money pit in every world, the kind that was bottomless.
After walking around, Durin couldn't find an instrument bag suitable for the harp, so he found a staff member and asked: "Excuse me, do you sell backpacks for small harps here?"
As he spoke, he turned around to let the female staff member see the corner of the harp he was carrying.
The female staff member was about to reach out to take it down and look, but Durin immediately stepped back, shaking his head apologetically, and said: "Sorry, I have a personal hygiene quirk. Just compare it and find a backpack of similar capacity. The material needs to be cut-proof, fireproof, and waterproof."
The female staff member, who was experienced, nodded and agreed: "No problem, please wait a moment."
After speaking, she headed toward the warehouse inside the shop.
After a short while, the female staff member brought back a black backpack about 70 centimeters high and 60 centimeters wide, handed it to Durin, and said: "The inner and outer materials of this backpack are made of genuine cowhide, meeting your requirements. You can also test it on the spot with a lighter and a small knife."
As she spoke, she proactively handed him a lighter and a sharp small knife.
"How much?"
Durin took the black backpack and tugged on it twice; it was very sturdy and had the feel of hard leather.
"75 copper circle coin," the female staff member said with a smile. "We also provide a one-year warranty service. As long as there is a problem with this backpack within one year, we will repair it for free."
Durin took the small knife provided by the female staff member and made a deep cut inside the backpack, but not even a white mark was left. Then he burned it with the lighter, and there were no issues.
Actually, Durin knew very well that these so-called tests were useless, but he was just seeking some psychological comfort for himself.
Because the flames released by the Darkin Stellatu were not of such small power.
Durin took 75 copper circle coin from his inner pocket, handed them to the female staff member, and then untied the Darkin Harp from his back on the spot, carefully stuffing it into the bag.
During this process, the female store manager nearby saw the entirety of the Darkin Harp under the black cloth and said with some surprise: "Sir, I have never seen the style of your harp before. How much did you buy it for? Would you be willing to sell it to our shop?"
Durin quickly shook his head and refused: "No need, it is very important to me."
After leaving the music store, Durin continued to walk toward the public elevator, preparing to return to his room in the lower levels of Zaun.
Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperative. A torrential rain fell from the sky that night. The rain was pouring down, and Durin watched the green rain battering the messy wires, causing them to sway. In the puddles that accumulated on the ground, the false illusions woven by the neon lights were drowned, revealing the broken essence of Zaun.
Green rain mist drifted through the streets, obstructing everyone's vision.
Only at times like this would the streets be empty, without the noisy and crowded crowds.
Durin noticed that a grocery store across the street had a plastic canopy installed at the entrance, with transparent plastic screens set up underneath to protect the various fresh fruits transported from the inner harbor that were displayed on the street from being soaked by the green rain. At this moment, some pedestrians were also huddled there to shelter from the rain.
The grocery store owner was keeping a wary eye on a few wandering Zaun children stealing things, while yelling at the crowd to get lost. Finally, the owner couldn't stand it anymore and chose to move the store's fruits inside, then closed the iron gate.
During this process, Durin noticed a young girl, only a few years old, sneak over to the fruit stand, quickly grab some fruit, and run off into the rain.
"This really is a characteristic of Zaun!"
Durin sighed silently.
Then, after waiting for another ten minutes or so, the rain finally began to ease, and some of the people taking shelter left one after another.
Durin was also worried that the rain would get heavier later, so he carried the bag of meat and the harp backpack and hurried onto the street, rushing towards home in the light rain.
However, the roads in Zaun were full of potholes and standing water everywhere. If Durin didn't want his feet to get completely soaked, he had to slow down and avoid the puddles as he moved forward.
And the figures on the street quickly went from sparse to completely deserted.
Durin walked alone along a relatively secluded street, moving forward by the light of the neon signs lining the way.
Patter!
The drizzle turned everything hazy, and splashes rose from the puddles as they were stepped in.
In this misty, rainy night, two figures abruptly emerged from an alley, blocking Durin's path.
"Stop right there."
Hearing this, Durin stopped and sized up the two men.
Both were men, tall and steady in demeanor, wearing black leather jackets and hideous masks painted with crimson patterns.
One had messy short blue hair and wore blood-red denim leather pants. Around his waist were decorations resembling wires and silicon strips. Most notably, his right arm was a brass limb constructed of metal; under the washing rain, the meshing gears made a rhythmic clicking sound.
The other man wore black pants but was bare-chested. Behind him was a steam-powered boiler the size of a backpack, and his two arms were rusty steam-powered mechanical limbs—'mechanical prosthetics' that completely replaced his flesh and blood arms.
They slowly approached Durin. The blue-haired man reached out with his brass metal arm and said in a soulless voice, "Robbery."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy in the rain.
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