Merchant's Land

The woman then smirked as she rubbed her hands and white suit. Mark then looked at her with a solemn expression as he asked, "Who are you?"

The woman's eyes then brightened as she said, "I am Nora, a businesswoman here", she then looked towards Mark with slightly curious eyes as she asked, "Now then, can you introduce yourselves?"

Nora noticed Mark's cautious expression as she smiled and said, "Don't worry, you come from the other side of the fortress city right? Well, consider sheltering you as thanks for protecting us here."

Mark's cautious look was now gone, but he was still on guard, you never know what's the true self of a person.

Nora didn't mind that at all as she waited for Mark's introduction. Mark then sighed lightly as he said, "I am Mark Creed, this is my sister Jeanne, This is Elaine, Ariel, Isabelle, Irina, Liza, Layla, Jane, Feina, Fe, Thea, Silvia, Gabrielle, Charlotte, Lucy, and Lance."

Nora then nodded as she smiled, "Well then, let me take you to my residence, Lea, inform them."

Just as Nora said that, a woman that had medium length hair and at the backside of her head, her hair was tied into a small ponytail. Just as that, she also had two hair clips on the left side at the front of her face, preventing her hair to cover her beautiful faded-purple eyes.

In comparison to her figure, she won't lose to Isabelle, which means K-cup breasts. She then lightly said, "Yes madam."

At that time, various armored vehicles arrived causing a shock to Mark and his group, including the other soldiers and survivors. Seeing their shocked expressions, Nora grinned whilst saying, "Get in, we don't have much time."

Without further ado, Mark and his group including the survivors each went to ride on each of the respective vehicles. One vehicle was enough to fit 20 people if fit properly.

"You lot will ride with me", Nora then said as she led Mark and his group to a vehicle with Lea and a driver. As they went inside, the driver then immediately started the car and drove off quite quickly.

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The driver then stopped the vehicle in front of a properly cleaned mansion. The gates of the mansion then opened and the driver drove through.

As Nora and Lea got out of the car, Mark and his group followed. They then were met by maids and such things which were a new flavor to them.

When they drove through the shockingly rich and beautiful city earlier, Mark was confused. Why were there no zombies, even a single one? it has confused Mark incredibly, just how?

"Hehe, you're confused about why there are no zombies right? Well, I'll talk to you about it later", Nora then said as she walked with the maids towards the mansion as she continued, "You have until sundown to do anything you want but you must come back immediately come back after then, no matter what."

Mark then grew even more curious at why there were no zombies at all. It was impossible for them to kill them all since there would be a new zombie everyday.

What's more, she said to come back immediately after sundown, why did she say that? that's the most curiosity-striking thing Mark has ever heard.

"Mark", Irina then wanted to ask Mark about something. But before she could say anything, Mark then said, "Let's go, let's take a look at this city, we have to learn the truth properly, let's go."

Mark then led his group and walked along with the paths and sidewalks. He was then mesmerized at the city due to its flavor. It had a rich taste to it.

He was shocked to see many people walking around freely, he did not understand why there were no zombies at all. He then thought, 'Does this have to do with the so-called abilities?'

Deciding to drop the thought, he then looked towards the market area and saw people bartering yo each other. As he saw that, he then looked towards his back seeing the girls and Lance as he asked, "Let's go to the market, shall we?"

The group then simultaneously nodded as they followed Mark closely whilst they walked towards the market. They then saw various people bartering for something, but then they heard that the currency wasn't money at all.

This arose questions in their minds, 'If it's not money, that what is it?'. They then walked towards a stall and asked the owner, "Umm, Excuse us, but, what is the currency here?"

The owner was an old man. He then laughed lightly and with a raspy and quite unclear voice, clearly showing the result of his age, he then said, "Ho ho! Are you new here?"

He then smiled as he clasped his hands and continued, "Well, it is not money, but something else. That something else can protect you here."

Pulling out a cylinder, the man then showed it to Mark and his group but did not let them touch it. That cylinder had a seven-segment liquid-crystal clear display LCD on it.

It was similar to the one's that calculators have, but the numbers are glowing in green color. Mark then asked, "May I know what that is?"

The old man then held it tightly as he said, "We have no idea what it is, but the being who gave each of us this cylinder-like object said only one thing, this is our Chronos Tempus."

"Chronos Tempus?", Mark then had a questioning tone. Just at that time Lance then whispered towards Mark, "Both of the words literally means time"

"Time?", Mark was getting more and more confused, 'If each of the words means time, wasn't one word enough? why make it two?' (A/N: Idk, to make the name longer?)

The old man, who saw their confused expression then sighed as he added, "We don't understand the concept either."

"But all we know is, we have to protect this with our lives or we will die, I'm sure you will be handed one of this later on, maybe..", his voice at the last part was barely audible. Just as he said that, he looked at where the sun was as he said, "It's almost sundown, you better get back to your houses right now, be safe, I don't want you to die."

He then picked all the things from his stall and walked away towards a small house. Mark and his group were still very confused. Why was the name of their currency Chronos Tempus? why was everyone telling them to go back at sundown? Why are the zombies not appearing? How do their so-called currency protecting them?"

Deciding to ask these questions to Nora later, they then walked away from the market and walked towards the mansion that Nora had. They did not leisurely walk towards the mansion, they quickly walked towards there. They were not curious about what would happen and will never be, they do not want their curiosity lead them to their deaths after all. They were also not stupid.

They then arrived at the mansion and were met by no one? well, no one except for the maids. Where were the guards? Where were the other survivors?

Mark was getting more and more confused now as one of the maids then said, "Sir, we should head inside right now, we shouldn't risk our lives"

Mark then thought in his mind, 'Again with this life-risking at night thing, what the fuck does that mean?', Marl then stopped thinking about as they followed the maids immediately heading towards the mansion.

As the maids opened the door, they then immediately closed it as soon as Mark and the group entered. They didn't just close it like locking a door, no, no, that would be an understatement.

They had like thirty fucking locks and they locked it one by one. And, oh, that doesn't stop there. They then blocked the door with some furniture and drew some kind of circle there.

Lance and Mark then thought in their minds, 'Magic circle?'. They then looked behind their backs and saw Nora smiling bitterly as she said, "Alright, I have a bit of explaining to do."

She then led Mark and the group towards the living room and one by one, they sat on the sofas and chairs and stared towards Nora who was crossing her arms elevating her breasts as she laid her left leg on her right leg.

She then looked towards them seriously, "The truth is—", but before she could say anything, a strong knock on the door sounded and a huge growl descended as a completely dark and hugely monstrous shadow passed through the windows and into their faces.