After being let out of their meeting room, Northern decided to take a look around, not because he was particularly interested in whatever they had managed to build, but because he needed to kill time somehow.
Or perhaps he was interested, after all.
From the open hallway that hosted the door to the meeting hall, Northern walked straight, tracing his steps through his memory of how they had reached here.
After the hallway, he took the stairs down and opened a door that revealed the view of the main hall before his eyes.
Murmurs and noises from different sources resumed.
The place was like a bustling marketplace.
Shelters were scattered here and there, and people were engaging in all sorts of business and conversations.
One particular vendor was selling items for soul cores.
Northern was tempted to meet him since he had some beast-rank soul cores with him, which could fetch him some very good items.
But he instantly killed that thought.
‘I have quite a lot of items. I’m not in a rush to get more…’
He was pretty okay with everything he had right now.
He moved forward, looking elsewhere. Another vendor was selling makeshift armors.
‘For guys that don’t have enough to get real items, huh…’
Somehow, Northern’s mind was drawn to Braham’s subordinate from before.
‘But is it really possible that some people do not have items…’
He paused for a couple of beats, then looked at the lean-framed boy selling the makeshift armors.
He was also selling a few other items: plates, bowls, cups, chairs.
They were all arranged around him while he was seated in the middle, very close to the pathway of the hall adorned by a faded red carpet.
Northern approached the vendor and looked down at the items and the boy.
“Do you want to buy this mundane armor?” The boy smiled with his eyes. “Ahaha, I doubt you’d want this mundane armor. The one you have on looks pretty cool already.”
That’s right; the Eternal Twilight armor had an almost flawless appearance, its white tunic and cape giving off the feel of a divine hero.
Although the white clothes had seen better days, perhaps lost their purity in the process, they were still far better than these makeshift items the boy was selling.
And the seller didn’t need to be told that much.
“You can buy other stuff. Let’s see, we have, ehmm…”
He glanced around, looking for something that might pique Northern’s interest.
“Oh, yes, there’s this… it’s an alarm clock.” He brought up a rectangular wooden box with glass.
It must have been constructed with materials scavenged from the surplus in the castle and other magnificent buildings around the capital.
Northern didn’t even concern himself with the thought and simply stared at the alarm clock indifferently.
‘It’s a magnificent thing. I can’t help but wonder who created it.’
“What do I pay with?” he asked.
The boy’s eyes glowed with enthusiasm. “Anything, anything you think you can part with. It could be an item that is useless to you. Anything would do just fine.” For a second, he looked desperate.
And it didn’t get past Northern.
The boy stared intensely at Northern, waiting for a reply.
A couple of seconds later, however, his brows furrowed slowly. A spark of recognition ignited in his eyes as he looked at Northern.
“It’s you!” He suddenly shouted as he remembered clearly.
Northern looked at the boy and raised a brow, glancing back and forth before pointing to himself questioningly.
“Me?”
The boy answered immediately, “Yes! You. It’s you, from the academy gate. Do you remember?”
Northern frowned slightly. ‘He’s from the academy? I had no doubt that he was a native of this continent.’
It was natural to think that everyone here was a native of Stelia; the starlock continent, and the heroes of justice with their party members were students.
Moreover, this boy looked nothing like a student.
His hair was rough and tangled, black stains stippled across his face, and his clothes were no different from rags.
Braham’s subordinate from before was a hundred times better off.
‘Even though I don’t know him, I’m curious…’
Northern allowed an accommodating smile. “I’m not sure I remember you. Please, can you remind me?”
The boy’s eyes flung open, as if butterflies had flown out of Northern’s face and flushed his own.
There was something about Northern’s approach that pulled him in like a whirlpool.
He quickly shook his head and lowered his gaze before responding.
“I’m Ellis Ruthworn…” He said, looking away.
Northern arched a brow. ‘Uh-uh… what’s with that reaction?’
He refocused on the boy, recalling the name he had provided. “Ellis, eh? Ellis, I am…”
“Northern,” the boy said quickly before Northern could complete his sentence.
Northern stared at him for a couple of seconds, his expression blank.
“O-okay… Ellis, thank you for remembering me.”
Ellis nodded, but his eyes stayed fixed on Northern.
‘Okay, this is getting weird…’ freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
Northern looked around, visibly growing uncomfortable.
“Well, I don’t think I’ll be needing the clock. I just wanted to figure out how trade works here… Well then… I guess I’ll be going…”
He said awkwardly, slowly moving his steps away.
Actually, he didn’t just want to inquire how business was done here. He had also wanted to strike a deal.
After all, he needed someone to help him with all the somewhat-useful-but-useless-to-him items he had.
‘I guess I have to look for someone else.’
Before Northern could fully turn away, Ellis shouted, springing forth to his feet. “Please wait!”
His voice rang through the hall, causing a momentary silence.
Northern couldn’t help but freeze.
A second later, everything returned to how it was, the usual chatters and noise.
Then Northern turned around and looked at the boy – Ellis, with a deep frown.
“You better have an explanation for why you shouted like that.”
Ellis frowned back, his face carrying unyielding determination.
“I had found it wrong that a prince from Luinngard was in the Academy, despite the calamity that had befallen Stelia… however, after seeing you and hearing that Luinngard Empire is unaffected by this incident, I can’t help but think, perhaps something is going on…”
Northern’s frown darkened. ‘What’s this bastard going on about?’
“Listen, I don’t care about your secrets or plots.” He lowered his head ninety degrees. “Please help me… I need your help!” He yelled… again.