Aurelia nodded thoughtfully, didn’t press further, stood up, and patted the dust off her skirt.
“Fairly detailed information. Though most of it is hearsay, it gives a general outline.”
She walked over to the cloaked man, crouched down in front of him, and met the eyes of the man slumped on the ground.
Her crimson eyes held no particular emotion, yet he felt an invisible pressure.
“To prevent you from causing trouble for me, this…”
“Dolotov.”
“Mhm, Mister Dolotov.” Aurelia smiled and nodded at him.
“For your personal safety, and to ensure our potential future pleasant cooperation isn’t disturbed, I’ve arranged a comfortable, safe, and absolutely guaranteed place for you to… lay low and rest.”
“R-rest place?”
Dolotov’s voice was strained with tension.
“N-no need to trouble yourself, Miss Aurelia! I can find a place myself! I swear, I won’t run around, and I won’t breathe a word about today! I… I’ll disappear! Right now! Immediately!”
He struggled to scoot backward, trying to get away from this maid who was smiling so kindly and amiably.
But with his back against the broken wooden target, his severed arm in agonizing pain, and his body weak, he couldn’t move far at all.
“Ah, don’t be so distant.”
Aurelia remained crouched, tilting her head slightly with a somewhat troubled expression.
“Look at you, injured so badly. What if you faint in some stinky gutter and get chewed on by stray dogs? Or worse luck, get picked up by the patrolling City Guard Army? That wouldn’t be good, would it? I’m a responsible citizen, I can’t just watch you come to harm.”
“N-no, I won’t! I promise! I—”
He tried to argue.
“Shh—”
Aurelia raised a finger to her lips, making a silencing gesture.
Her voice was soft but carried an undeniable authority.
“Be good, Mister Dolotov. Don’t make things difficult for me. Behave.”
She stood up, her gaze sweeping the dim back alley, finally settling on the wooden door next to the tavern’s back entrance, the one leading to the underground storage cellar.
“That looks perfect.”
Aurelia gestured with her chin towards the cellar door, sounding as if she were helping a customer pick a vacation spot.
“Quiet, hidden, enough space. And close to my workplace, convenient for me to take care of you, bring you food and water. See how considerate I am?”
“No! Please! Miss Aurelia! I—”
Before he could utter more nonsense, a violent wave of Dragon’s Might slammed into Dolotov’s mind.
Within seconds, he was knocked unconscious.
After looking around, Aurelia stood up.
Her right hand transformed into a Dragon Claw once more.
She grabbed Dolotov by the collar of his clothes at the back of his neck and flung him into the cellar.
Using the faint light from the doorway, she pulled out a few lengths of reasonably sturdy rope from the scattered discarded hemp cords nearby.
She tied Dolotov’s hands and feet separately, making sure the knots were tight.
Thinking for a moment, she tore a piece of cloth from his already tattered cloak, balled it up, and used another length of rope to tie it around his mouth, securing the cloth gag in place.
After finishing all this, she stepped out, closed the open cellar door, fastened the latch, and patted the inevitable dust from her hands and skirt.
“Mhm~ Done. That should stop this guy from blabbing everywhere. If that red-haired bastard finds out I’m here, I’ll inevitably have to fight him again.”
She looked at the sky. It was nearly dawn.
Occasionally, she could hear the shouts of drunken passersby on distant streets and the scolding voices of the City Guard.
Aurelia rubbed her eyes.
After releasing the dragonification state of her right hand, a wave of intense fatigue washed over her.
Maintaining dragonification for the first time for so long left her with a feeling of emptiness and exhaustion that made her whole body feel like a tipsy young girl, walking unsteadily.
She practically dragged her feet, leaning against the wall, slowly shuffling up the narrow stairs leading to the garret.
With each step up, her calves felt slightly weak.
Pushing open the door to her garret room and closing it behind her, Aurelia slid down with her back against the door panel and let out a long sigh.
‘As expected, I really shouldn’t overuse it… This feels awful…’
An unknown amount of time passed—maybe only a few minutes, maybe over ten.
Only when that dizzy, spinning sensation subsided a little did she slowly climb to her feet.
Groping her way, she climbed onto her small wooden bed, doing her best not to disturb Helen and Rena, who had just settled down to rest not long ago.
‘Speaking of which, their sleep quality is really high. They didn’t even hear such a big fight?’
Aurelia, by the moonlight, looked at the little priestess and her little brother lying on the bed and sighed helplessly.
‘The world is vast, but right now, rest is the most important thing. Sigh, good night.’
Then, she closed her eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
It wasn’t until around noon the next day that she rubbed her groggy head and crawled out of bed.
She carefully climbed down, using clean water for a simple wash.
The cold water splashed on her face dispelled some of the lingering drowsiness and discomfort.
Looking at her slightly pale reflection in the water basin, the expression in her crimson pupils seemed to have regained their usual clarity, even carrying a bit of the unique vitality of a young girl.
‘…Pah, I’m a tough guy, what young girl? I’m overthinking things again!’
Aurelia rubbed her face, psyching herself up.
After simply preparing some lunch and leaving it for the other two, she carefully opened the door and left the garret.
‘First, let’s see how that guy is doing. Hope he didn’t die in there.’
After opening the cellar door, Dolotov, seeing Aurelia, immediately made muffled “mmph” sounds in his throat.
His body instinctively tried to shrink back, but his back was against the cold, damp brick wall—there was nowhere to retreat.
“Seems you rested quite well, still have the energy to whimper.”
She said, taking a few steps closer and crouching down to meet Dolotov’s eyes.
“Let’s make a simple deal. I’ll give you food and water, help you deal with your wounds a bit, make you more comfortable. In exchange, I ask, you answer.”
Her voice was very soft, carrying that consistent gentle tone.
But to Dolotov’s ears, it felt like a chill shot up his spine to the top of his skull.
He hurriedly nodded, afraid that if he nodded too slowly, this terrifying maid in front of him would change her mind.
Aurelia sighed, then extended two fingers, her movements full of disgust, and pulled out the saliva-soaked, blood-stained cloth ball from his mouth, tossing it casually onto the ground beside them.
“Cough! Cough… Water…”
Dolotov immediately erupted into a fit of violent coughing, then begged in a hoarse voice.
He had been on an escort mission, hadn’t eaten or drunk anything all day, and had been gagged.
Now his lips were chapped, and his throat felt like it was on fire.
Aurelia looked at him, letting him take a sip from the water flask to moisten his throat, then spoke.
“First question. How do you get into the underground black market? What are the conditions? Do you need identification?”
Feeling his throat relieved, Dolotov coughed twice and hurriedly answered.
“Entering the black market doesn’t require identification! Anyone can try! B-but there are rules, though they’re not complicated!”
He caught his breath, nervously glancing at Aurelia’s expression.
Seeing she was still waiting for his answer, he continued.
“I’ve heard there are mainly two conditions. One is having at least Bronze Grade strength… They need to ensure people entering aren’t easy prey, that they have the ability to acquire or protect their goods.”
“The other… you need to have cash on hand. At least, at least one Gold Coin or something of equivalent value. It’s a capital verification, proving you’re not just going in to look around, that you really have the ability to trade.”
He paused, then added, “If you have particularly rare goods, or have a familiar face to vouch for you, the capital verification can probably be skipped. But for a new face like you, one gold coin is the minimum…”
Aurelia nodded thoughtfully.
“Strength verification and cash verification… not complicated. How is strength verified? Press your hand on a big pillar, and it displays something like ‘Combat Rank whatever’? Or touch a crystal ball that shows your abilities and level?”
‘This woman really is a lunatic. What nonsense is she babbling about? Having a delusional episode?’
He was still cursing Aurelia in his heart, but on the surface, he maintained that cowering, fearful appearance.
“N-no, it’s not like that, Miss Aurelia! It’s not that complicated! I-it’s done with the Guild Certification Badge!”
He swallowed some saliva, speaking faster, afraid he wouldn’t explain clearly.
“All measurements of individual or team strength use a common ranking system! It’s Black Iron, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Mithril, Starmetal, and finally, Legendary! Whether it’s a lone wolf or a team, they all use these titles!”
‘Oh~ Tiers, huh? So this guy’s Bronze Grade is basically second to last? That really is pretty weak.’
After mentally complaining, Aurelia gestured with her chin towards him and handed over the water flask, letting him take several more sips.
Seizing the chance to catch his breath, Dolotov’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
He looked at Aurelia carefully, putting on an ingratiating smile.
“Y-you’re so powerful, you must have a very high-grade badge, right? If you just show a little of your strength, they definitely wouldn’t dare stop you!”
Aurelia didn’t answer his question about the badge, just asked casually, “If I don’t have a badge, is there another way to prove it?”
“Uh…”
Dolotov seemed stumped, stuttering for a long time without giving an answer.
“Sigh, forget it, forget it. Looking at your dumb expression, you probably don’t know.”
Aurelia waved her hand and asked the next question.
“How do you get in? Where do you go?”
Hearing Aurelia ask the next question, Dolotov quickly picked up the thread.
“The entrance! Right, the entrance!”
He spoke quickly, trying to make up for his earlier stammering with information.
“If you want to get in, you have to go to the Central District! With the City Guard Army there, it can filter out some of the dangerous, unstable elements. So to enter the black market, you first need to get into the Central District!”
Seeing Aurelia wasn’t pursuing the badge matter further, Dolotov visibly relaxed and spoke even faster.
“Once in the Central District, you need to find a way to go to the Guild! That place is huge, lots of people and eyes, but it’s also the most concentrated place for all kinds of news and connections!”
He licked his chapped lips, trying hard to remember.
“Once inside the Guild’s doors, look towards the most inconspicuous corners of the main hall, especially those with dim light and few people. Look for a… uh… person wearing a large gray cloak with golden patterns along the edges!”
“This person isn’t fixed—could be male, female, old, young—but there’s always someone sitting in that spot year-round, waiting to guide unfamiliar people!”
“So what do I say when I find the person?”
Aurelia asked the most crucial question.
“Just walk straight over and sit opposite them, or stand beside them,” Dolotov answered.
“No need to say any strange passphrase. I’ve heard of some greenhorns trying that and getting thrown out… You just ask directly. No need to speak too loudly, but make sure they hear you. Just ask one sentence—’How do I get down there?'”