The wraith appears in front of us, grabbing the items and inspecting each of them.
“One token for the meat; half a token for the grains, half a token for the vegetables,” he says in a deadpan voice.
I nod, pulling the disks from my pocket and handing them over.
Once we have our bags of food, we continue walking around.
The further we go, the more varied the stalls become.
One section is lined with weapons—blades of different shapes and sizes, some rusted, some freshly sharpened. Spears lean against broken columns. A pair of axes sit embedded in a slab of stone, as if someone had been testing their weight and simply… left them there.
Yet all of them sell for exorbitant prices. The cheapest blade starts at ten tokens—ten points. A sturdy axe costs some fifteen tokens.
Aimaxion’s cycle of desperation continues. The people most likely to purchase weapons are those at lower levels. The higher one’s level, the less likely they are to rely on weapons. Their bodiesbecomea weapon.
Another stall offers armor, though none of them are complete.
It’s bits and pieces of chest plates, gauntlets, shoulder guards. All have been worn and repaired multiple times. Some still carry dents and cracks from whoever used them before. And all of the pieces start at ten tokens.
Everything here has a history. Everything is reused.
Because anyone can be terminated atanytime.
Toward the far edge of the main road, the atmosphere shifts again. The structures here are more intact, the stone less fractured. One in particular catches my eyes. It’s a three storiedbuilding made entirely out of stone. There are six columns outside, each one carved to perfection with scenes of battle.
Compared to the bustling area of the market, the people that enter and exit this building are sparser. They are also less…hurried.
“Nyk,” Moe gasps. “Is that…”
She rips her hand out of mine and runs toward the building, stopping a few steps away from the entrance.
Nestled between the columns is a stone banner with one word carved.
Library.
“Nyk! There’s a library!” Moe’s voice brims with excitement. She glances back at me, beckoning me to her side. “This might just save us from dying of boredom,” she adds with a giggle.
I shake my head, a smile pulling at my lips. Her enthusiasm is contagious, though I can’t say I’m not looking forward to the contents of the library, too.
We enter inside. A big hallway stretches in front of us. There is a wraith present at a desk, currently in conversation with another person.
But behind that desk, a true heaven takes form. Shelves line the walls, carved directly into the rock. There are thousands if nothundredsof thousands of books in here. More than I’ve seen in my entire life.
“Wow,” Moe whispers. “This is…”
“Insane.”
“I wonder what types of books they have,” she mentions.
“You’re looking for fiction, no?” I chuckle since I know her tastes very well.
“That’s a given, so hopefully they have it. But I was thinking more along the lines of cultivation books for you. Now that your meridians are clear it’s time to dive into that.”
I blink, surprised at her words.
“Don’t look so shocked.” She laughs. “I remember what you told me about your library—that you had limited books on cultivation. Perhaps this will help you.”
A strange emotion blossoms in my chest. By the Seven!
