# Chapter 140. Light and Shadow (3)
—
“Whoa, crap! You scared me!”
“What the—?! Where did you come from?!”
“There was definitely no one next to us just now!”
A boy’s voice rang out of nowhere.
The three street vendors, who had been chatting mid-conversation, flinched in shock.
Once they saw who had spoken, they let out a sigh of relief.
“Oh, it’s just a kid.”
“I thought someone from the cult overheard us.”
“Kiddo, you shouldn’t sneak up on adults like that. No manners. Shoo, shoo.”
Ray turned his gaze to the side.
Looking at the three booths lined up in a row, he pulled a large-denomination bill from his pocket.
“A customer, are you?”
“I knew right away from the way he carried himself that he was no ordinary kid.”
“Same here. I just pretended not to notice. Well then, young master, what would you like to know?”
The adults, who had just moments ago played the part of gruff and indifferent street vendors, instantly transformed into eager salesmen.
Ray bought a large balloon from booth 1 and asked,
“The ball that was on top of the trailer earlier—was that the artificial sun?”
“Oh! Thank you kindly. Yes, that’s right. That ominous-looking orb that looks like it could cause mass destruction if it rolled down the street—that’s the artificial sun.”
Next, he bought a bunch of candies from booth 2 and asked,
“And they’re going to float that in the sky?”
“Yes, exactly. According to the priests, the current sun has grown weak and is often hidden by clouds, so the artificial sun will drive away all the shadows that blanket the world.”
The vendor quickly handed over the change and continued,
“They say a world will come where everyone can live happily without worry. It’s called… um… what was it… Para… Para…”
“Paradise.”
“Yes! That’s it! The word slipped my mind for a second since it’s not something we hear often.”
Ray then moved on to booth 3 and purchased a teddy bear.
“Uh… I don’t attend the temple, so I’m afraid I don’t have much to tell you.”
“Refund, please.”
Leaving the crestfallen vendor behind, Ray returned to booth 1 and picked up a stick of cotton candy.
“When they say they’ll float the sun in the sky, is that meant figuratively?”
“Hmm… I’m not entirely sure, but I don’t think it was a metaphor. I’ve heard the priests mention using magic to make that sphere float.”
Ray tilted his head.
The sun he knew emitted such intense light that one couldn’t look at it directly.
*‘To drive away shadows, it would need to shine brightly…’*
Unable to contain his doubt, he voiced it.
“But the orb I saw earlier didn’t emit any light.”
“Ah, that’s…”
“I’ll answer that! I know all about it!”
Ray moved to booth 2, where the reply came from.
The vendor began packing the snacks Ray had pointed to into a bag as he spoke.
“That’s why the cult is looking for someone. A Saintess who can breathe light into the artificial sun.”
“A Saintess?”
“Yes. I don’t know all the details, but sometimes the cultists wander the streets with strange detectors of some sort.”
Ray nodded as he accepted the snack bag.
Then, absentmindedly—
“A-Aren’t you curious about anything besides the cult?”
He moved to booth 3 again.
“Do you know anything about the rainbow?”
“Huh? The rainbow? Well… not really…”
“Then never mind.”
“W-Wait! If you just buy one more thing…!”
After several rounds of purchases and brief exchanges,
*‘Artificial sun, Saintess, Day of Judgment.’*
Ray was able to piece together a general outline of the group known as the cult.
“If you’re interested, I recommend attending a service for yourself. Weekend services are open to non-followers too.”
“I’ll think about it.”
With that, Ray stepped away from the booths.
*‘I have way too much stuff now.’*
His arms were full of balloons, a teddy bear, candy, snacks, and chocolates.
Of course, it wasn’t because he needed them.
He had simply bought them to interact with the people without relying on artificial emotions.
*‘Now what am I supposed to do with all this?’*
If he walked around carrying all this, he’d look like the Pied Piper, trailed by greedy children from the street.
Scanning the area briefly, Ray spotted someone sitting on a bench in the plaza.
Tap tap tap—
He quickly approached and dumped all the items into their arms.
“Huh?! You’re giving all this to me?!”
It was the same kid who had tugged on his sleeve during the cult’s parade.
Without a word, Ray left the surprised child and their mother behind and resumed walking.
Tap— tap— tap— tap—
As the street numbers rose, the surrounding scenery rapidly declined in quality.
The emotions of the people darkened as much as the gray sky.
Everything seemed to lose its color.
From chromatic… to achromatic.
And then, when a foul stench tickled his nose—
“……”
The boy knew instantly.
He had entered the slums.
Tap.
He paused and checked his map.
The slum area was almost entirely blank.
And that was only natural.
Buildings here were constructed and expanded without planning, and roads that once existed could suddenly vanish.
Mapping the slums was practically impossible.
*‘A small place like Sector 50 might be manageable, but a sprawling area like Sector 36? Definitely not.’*
Ray approached a passerby.
“What’s the fastest route from here to the black market?”
The man, who looked like a slum dweller, weakly pointed down an alley.
Ray entered it.
*‘Voices—lots of them. That way.’*
Navigating the tangled alleyways like an ant maze, Ray followed his instincts.
Eventually, he emerged on the other side.
“Take a look! Just once!”
“Hey, boss! Looking for something special?”
An endless stretch of stalls lined the ground and buildings.
“And this one’s a steal—”
“Wasn’t it cheaper back there?”
And in front of them, a sea of bustling people.
Ray moved through the crowd, calmly observing.
*‘Not too different from what I expected.’*
It was a massive market nestled in the slums.
That was Ray’s impression.
If anything stood out, it was the sheer number of bizarre—and interesting—items scattered everywhere.
And the constant yelling from vendors and flow of people created a strange, vibrant energy in the air.
“From sandworm scales to ghost bug powder! We’ve got it all!”
*‘Sandworm scales?’*
“Magical travel gear, essential for every trip!”
*‘Magical travel gear?’*
“Buy this pill and grow 8cm taller in a day!”
*‘Height growth pills?’*
Each shout made the boy’s head whip around.
He snapped himself out of it.
*‘Enchantment magic?’*
He stared at the vendors’ chests—no circles.
“Even cat treats, right here!”
*‘Cat treats?’*
Screech.
Ray’s head, which had been swiveling, returned to its original position.
…The black market.
A place where you could never let your guard down.
Not only were there countless items meant to lure your eyes, but the proportion of people filled with dark mana was significantly higher than in other districts.
Malevolence.
Scammers.
Thieves.
Muggers.
All kinds of intentions were possible.
Ray pulled his hood down lower and picked up his pace.
Browsing leisurely wasn’t a bad option.
But he had a more urgent goal here.
*‘I need to find a card technician.’*
Only then could he retrieve the money belonging to John and Skyle stored in the cards.
And he’d need to know the total amount to plan his spending accordingly.
“Selling bags with pocket dimensions that fit anything!”
“Legendary knives that slice steel like tofu!”
Ray pushed forward, resisting the vendors’ enchantments.
As the Nostra members had said, it wasn’t hard to find booths or shops related to cards.
But the problem was—they were all closed.
> “The Amon bastards are wiping out card technicians in the black market. They either recruit or kill them. Nothing in between.”
> “They’re trying to choke off our funding. Make it so even if someone steals a card, they can’t use it.”
The Nostra Clan from the north of the sector.
The Amon Family from the east.
The two organizations were locked in conflict.
And the ones from the west and south were too busy fighting each other to get involved.
*‘At this rate, I don’t think I’ll find an open shop.’*
The black market stretched in a ring around the sector’s outskirts—its area was vast.
But with this level of coordination, Ray figured the entire market had probably been purged already.
As he walked and pondered, a gun shop caught his eye.
Creak—
He pushed open the dusty glass door and was immediately hit by the smell of metal and gunpowder.
“A young customer, huh.”
The middle-aged man behind the counter was cleaning a shotgun.
“Running an errand? Looking for something?”
“……”
There were a few customers in the shop.
As Ray surveyed the guns lining the walls and display cases, he recalled Philip’s request.
> “I need a gun. A pistol that fits perfectly in my hand and can be concealed. I couldn’t bring my old one, had to travel light.”
Since the war in Sector 46 had ended and the magic circle was being prepared, Philip hadn’t been idle.
With help from the clan members, he’d acquired decent driving and shooting skills.
> “I should at least be able to protect myself.”
It was a valid point.
Normally he worked with Veronica to gather intel in sectors, but this was Sector 30, not 40.
With its vast size came more danger, and more chance of having to act alone.
Ray pointed to a pistol that matched Philip’s description.
“That one.”
“Manikarov Model 3. Holds twelve rounds, famous for reliability. Good choice.”
“I’ll take it with a box of ammo.”
“Sure thing. Just show me the cash first.”
Ray placed a few bills on the counter.
The shopkeeper held them up to the light, then placed the pistol and ammo on the counter.
“Never seen you before. Doesn’t look like you’re running errands for a gang. Buying for personal use?”
*Click!*
In a flash, Ray loaded the magazine and snapped the gun together.
The shopkeeper, impressed by the smooth motion, still reached under the counter for a loaded weapon—just in case.
“It’s not for me. A friend will use it.”
“Hmph… Most kids your age buy guns on someone’s orders—or they scrape together cash for revenge.”
Click.
His eyes fixed on Ray’s finger now resting on the trigger.
With a damp palm, the shopkeeper gripped his own weapon under the counter.
“Whatever the reason, be careful, kid. The world’s not as easy as you think.”
A warning.
Drop the act now if you’re planning something stupid.
“……”
“……”
A brief silence.
The boy and the shopkeeper locked eyes.
*Whoosh—!*
Ray’s arm shot up like lightning.
The shopkeeper reached for his gun too—but instantly realized it was too late.
*What kind of speed—?!*
In that split second, he braced for death.
*Bang! Bang! Bang!*
Three gunshots rang out in rapid succession.
Still without even touching his own trigger, the shopkeeper stared, stunned.
“…What the hell…”
Ray hadn’t aimed at him.
The three customers inside the store—all lay motionless on the floor, bullet holes between their brows, guns half-drawn.
*Squelch.*
Ray stepped into a puddle of blood and nudged a fallen bag with his foot.
A pile of tools for cracking safes spilled out.
“You should be careful. The world’s not so forgiving.”
Ray said, eyes fixed on the small room behind the counter—
Where a safe was visible.
*
*
After finishing the conversation, Ray quickly left the gun shop.
> “I can usually sniff out robbers in advance… guess I’m getting old. You saved my life. The gun and ammo—take them free of charge. I’ll also give you wholesale prices every time you come.”
But none of that mattered to Ray.
> “More importantly, I want to ask about the current state of the market.”
> “The market? What do you mean?”
> “Are there any card technicians still in business?”
The shopkeeper’s expression darkened instantly at the mention of “card technician.”
> “You don’t know anything?”
> “It’s not something you want to talk about lightly these days… but since you saved me, I’ll explain.”
As expected, the news was grim.
All the card technicians in the black market had either been captured or killed by the Amon Family.
The few who remained were in hiding, too scared to operate.
There was a warning.
> “It’s dangerous to even mention card technicians here. People might mistake you for a Nostra member—and then the Amon goons will come after you.”
The black market belonged to no particular faction—it was a gray zone.
But that didn’t mean all the vendors were completely unaffiliated.
> “Some stalls are tightly connected to certain groups. They act as spies while running their businesses.”
In other words—
Eyes and ears of every faction were scattered throughout the market.
*‘And there are places practically functioning as headquarters for some of them.’*
Ray’s course of action was now clear.
If someone had swept up all the technicians’ —
*Tap— tap— tap—*
All he had to do was go to where that someone was.
The boy’s emotions boiled over in an instant.
Pajik!
The gem’s mana responded, scattering bright yellow sparks in the air around him.
