Night Market [2]
The black market existed in two parts. The first was physical, and the second was digital.
Throughout all Strata on all worlds, there were countless people who wanted to sell goods with questionable origins or properties. In usual cases, the black markets they created would be isolated and hidden, but that was no longer the norm.
Rather, the entire black market of the Gehenna Complex was controlled by a single organization, and atop that single organization, a single person.
Nightreign was the name of the program one could use to access it online. That was also the name of the company itself. It wasn't hard to explain how they built a digital marketplace that could be accessed from anywhere at any time.
The physical market was much more of a marvel.
Its location was still completely unknown. Despite the fact that it had existed for centuries, nobody had been able to pinpoint exactly where it was.
However, everyone who entered the physical black market went to the same place. It was a single location that could be accessed from anywhere.
When Gio returned to Gastle, the first thing he did was register the coyotes he hunted and find a dealer to sell them to. It wasn't hard, especially for Tier 1 beasts. They sold for cheap, but they could be sold at any time and pretty much anywhere.
Once he'd gotten rid of his catches, he returned home and picked his phone up. Most people preferred to use holowatches, but his previous self couldn't afford something like that, so he was using a dated model.
Nevertheless, it had all the functionality it needed. When he powered it on, the screen popped out into a holographic display in front of his eyes.
'I downloaded Nightreign when I first got back. The layout is similar to sites on the actual Interplanetary Web Network, so it isn't hard to use.'
The digital marketplace was a solid place, but it wasn't for Gio's purposes. If he wanted ordinary materials, it was much easier to use that method. The digital marketplace was just as vetted as the physical one, so scamming was nigh impossible.
For specialized goods, however, Gio preferred searching in person. It was easier to contact sellers who could get him exactly what he wanted that way.
'The physical entrance is also accessible from the digital marketplace. The first step one has to take is creating an account linked to one's identity, so every single person who steps foot on the physical plane can be identified.'
And to get there…
Gio navigated himself to a part of the site with only a single clickable option.
[Enter the market]
The moment he tapped it, he experienced a piece of human technology more advanced than anything he'd experienced since he returned.
This was a mechanism coined by the executives of Nightreign. The ruler of the market struck a deal with all governments to provide them with this technology in return for the market and the company's immunity. Because of this deal, the black market was the most legal place to conduct illegal business, untouchable by anyone.
The reason why the technology was so important could be seen by its form.
As Gio stood there, a scanning light was sent from his phone's camera to paint the wall adjacent to him. It was separated by the light into a grid pattern before Gio averted his eyes.
It was part of the procedure that everyone was used to. While he looked away, the wall transmuted itself, lending to the creation of a pitch-black door in its center.
When the door fully formed, the light vanished as well.
And Gio turned back around to see the closest thing to teleportation that humankind had ever invented.
'Even I never found out how this works. By the time I gained the credentials, the information had already been destroyed. The base concepts, though, should be similar to other warp technology.'
Essentially, rather than transmitting a person from one point in space to another, the technology folded space so one could walk the distance of light years in just a single step.
To calculate everything necessary to accomplish such feats was easy for the onboard computer of a starship, but to do the same at any location on any world for any number of people…?
Even Gio had to shake his head in admiration as he pulled the door open. Gastle was no longer outside. It had been replaced with a completely different scenery.
Gio took that single step, removing himself from his home entirely. When he closed the door behind him, it disappeared from existence, leaving only a mask behind in its place.
'It's customary to hide your appearance here, to the point where they don't even expect you to bring your own mask anymore.'
He put it on while he checked the ping on his phone.
[This code will resummon your door. Do not lose it. Nightreign is not liable for any consequences that may befall those who lose their codes.]
Gio swiped to the side and stored the code in a starred folder. If he did lose it, he would be forced to take one of Nightreign's public gates, which could only drop him randomly in either the 5th, 6th, or 7th Stratum depending on what he chose.
After checking [Memory Book] to make sure it was stored there, he walked into the market.
It was set up like a street market. There were stalls lining both sides of a wide street that split off in countless directions, forming a grid-like city where everywhere one looked, there were goods to be bought.
The blocks of this city were organized so that buyers could easily locate the parts of the city where their specific desired brand of goods was sold. For Gio, who was looking for monster and beast byproducts, he was already on the right street.
'Along with the Blood Serpent Poison, I need three separate toxins, each of which is worth roughly around fifty thousand credits.'
Gio had around 100,000 credits remaining from the black cards he sold, and he'd made another 20,000 credits by selling beast byproducts. That, unfortunately, wasn't enough money.
'Even after I have everything, I need to make the mechanism for it, so that's at least another few thousand credits on parts.'
The money he had was gone, and the money he'd get in the future was promised away as well. He took the time to mourn the loss of his precious savings as he walked the street and looked at the goods being sold.
'It should be the height of whirlpool season in the 4th Stratum's Desolate Sea. If I'm right, these guys selling aquatic monster parts should have…'
He spotted it before the thought could end. He moved through the crowds of masked shoppers like a snake and had it in his hand within seconds.
"Boss, how much is it for this one?"
He asked as he observed the product.
'No obvious discoloration, the thickness looks good… I won't be able to judge its actual toxicity until I crack the seal, but I only need the sleep-inducing effects, so it's fine as long as the purity is good.'
"Price is on the vial. No negotiations."
The vendor's voice entered his ears, prompting him to look at the listed price.
"70,000? You're kidding, right?"
Gio looked into the vendor's deadpan eyes and confirmed that he was, indeed, not kidding.
'No negotiations?'
That was a bullshit saying that only existed to trick newcomers.
As long as it was in the black market, it could be haggled on.
And Gio was damn sure he wasn't about to spend a cent over 50,000 credits on this vial of toxin.