The Dawn of the New World Chapter 1576

'Unfortunately knowing that information does not limit the 'suspect pool' by much since most mark bearers in the city are children of Ancient Clans and other such powers so any one of them could have created the doorway,' Hao Xuan concluded before moving on to the next question.

"Tell me more about the market."

"Ah yes, the crown jewel for all traveling servants!" with a puffed-out chest Longtrouble motioned towards the shabby street with far too much pride.

"Night Markets are miniature worlds created by our masters. They exist parallel to the physical realm so anyone with the right artifact can open a doorway and enter."

'Parallel to the physical realm??'

"Is this place within the Umbral Planes?!"

Longtrouble let out a loud belly laugh, "Hahaha no! Well...a little? It is 'technically' within the Umbral Planes AND the material realm at the same time. It would not be possible for such a place to exist without the help of one of the Old Gods."

"Oh..."

'That does not explain much at all but then again, can't expect much more from a low-level guide.'

Longtrouble continued, "There are thousands of such Night Markets all across the many Worlds out there. Here we can buy and sell almost anything we want, ask for help from other servants or offer assistance in exchange for Cursed Gold, speak to the local Champions, and some of the larger markets even allow you to return to the Sanctum!"

Hao Xuan was quite impressed by what he was hearing.

'So these Night Markets are like a central hub for the servants of the Old Gods. But-"

"What about the Black Market of the inner sanctum?"

Longtrouble was a little surprised to see Hao Xuan knew about that.

"I keep forgetting you bear the mark of the Nine. Somehow you don't know about the basic Night Markets but the Black Market was already in there, huh?"

'In where? I see he is quite envious of my position, as lowly as it is compared to many others.'

"Yes, I was told about the Black Market by a senior," Hao Xuan openly stated, garnering a sullen headshake from the goblin.

"Must be nice to have such powerful seniors.... Anyways, the night markets are local so they only carry items that are found within the physical regions they are connected to. This means each night market is unique and different from all others. There are many thousands of Night Markets but only one 'Black Market' which is found within the Sanctum itself."

He pointed towards the largest storefront in the market which was located in the center of the street. It had a nice and clean entrance that, unlike all the other shops, was lacking any signs or boards bearing its name and purpose.

"In every Night Market there is one place that is connected to the Black Market. But not just anyone can enter, you need to have at least 200,000 cursed gold to get inside."

"Hmm, is that right..." Hao Xuan muttered under his breath while eyeing the building.

There were hundreds of creatures walking in and out of every shop but that was the only one that was devoid of any and all visitors.

'So the Night Markets are akin to domestic markets and the Black Market is an 'international market' that covers all of them. Makes sense that's where most of the dealings would also take place. I guess I need to get in there, huh?'

Despite his many reservations, Longtrouble took Hao Xuan through the whole market and explained what each store and vendor specialized in and most importantly, who could be trusted.

Everything from rocks and sand to living beasts could be bought and sold here.

But there was no such thing as 'peacekeepers' here so it was not uncommon for people to get scammed or even killed in certain cases if they were carrying something that was far too valuable for their status.

The 'tour' ended along with the street where two buildings stood facing one another. The one they were in front of just happened to be the only inn within the Night Market.

Hao Xuan could hear a lot of voices inside and many creatures going in and out in a hurry.

"This is the last stop," Longtrouble exhaled lightly while tapping its walls, "You can rest here or eat and drink if you have the gold to spare. You will also find the bounty board inside where you can place a request or answer one if you have the capability. It's also a good place for meeting other servants!"

Hao Xuan pointed at the building across the street which was just as deserted like the Black market building but at least this one had a signboard above with a drawing of a green gemstone.

"What's in there?"

"That? You don't need to worry about that," Longtrouble waved his hand since he wasn't in the mood to keep this up for much longer.

But Hao Xuan wanted to get his money's worth. He walked up to the goblin and placed a hand on its tiny shoulder. His palm was almost as wide as his whole back.

"But I do worry my friend," he smiled at Longtrouble, "I worry that even after receiving such a hefty gift your heart is not in it. Should I take them back?"

As Hao Xuan began to tighten his grip around the goblin's neck he jumped back.