Chapter 28: Black Market and What was once human

“..You again, huh. What brings you here today?”

This store was in a pretty secluded location even within the alleyway.

At the time when I arrived in this city, my finding this store was practically a coincidence, but since then, I have been using this place when I want to sell things.

This is probably a place that people with scars use all the time.

It was convenient for me since the old man doesn’t try to pry into my matters and just buys my things straight away.

As for how much he buys it for, as you can tell already, I don’t know the market price, so I don’t really care that much about it.

I am calling it the black market myself, but I don’t know if it is the black market or not.

“There’s quite a bit more today.” (Hikaru)

As I said this, I lined up the things that I got from the explorers.

1 longsword and 2 daggers. Leather breastplate, leather hat, and a roughly made gauntlet.

From my experience until now, all the explorers that died in the 2nd Floor had similar equipment.

The people that normally shouldn’t be coming to the 2nd Floor were pushing themselves and would end up dying.

That’s the kind of impression it gave me.

“Hmm..even this kind of equipment has a demand by newbies. I will buy it.. I would say it will all be for 30 small silver coins.”

“No problem.” (Hikaru)

Each head is around 10 small silver coins.

It is pretty sad when you see it as the price of a life.

By the way, a small silver coin can be exchanged to a silver coin at a rate of 8 for 1 silver coin. A silver coin is normally way too much for a regular lifestyle, so it is rarely used. It would be another story if you were to make a big purchase, but it is possible to go about your life as long as you have small silver coins and copper coins.

“..Also..this..” (Hikaru)

After receiving the 30 small silver coins, I take out the Spirit Stones left by their dead bodies on the counter.

Until now, I have been keeping the stones that the corpses left, so this is the first time I sell them.

For me, who doesn’t really find this world bright, the meaning of these ‘stones that were left by the dead at the end’ is unknown to me.

I could have asked Grapefull yesterday, but I forgot.

That’s why I decided to see how the old man reacts here.

“Stones, huh. They are small. Are they stones of skeletons?”

“..No, they aren’t. They were left by explorers. I don’t know how to deal with this stuff.” (Hikaru)

I decided to be honest here.

I don’t think it is unlawful to take the stones of the dead, but it wouldn’t be strange for there to be a custom of burying them in the proper place.

“Aah, explorers, huh.. Judging from the size, I would say they were newbies. Well, no problem here. I will buy them.”

“There really is no problem?” (Hikaru)

“The people themselves must understand this as well. With them doing a job like being explorers and all.”

“Is there nothing like bringing these stones back to their parents or burying them at graves..?” (Hikaru)

“Hm, well..it is not like there aren’t people like that, but there’s no need for explorers to worry about that. More so for people who die at the 1st Floor or 2nd Floor. They are all people who don’t have anywhere to go to begin with anyways.”

A difference in values.

For example; in Japan, it is mostly cremation, so almost no one questions it, but in Europe and America, there’s apparently people who would go ‘Burning corpses is unbelievable!’.

That’s why I thought there would be practices like those in this world like burying the Spirit Stones in graves or something, but looks like that isn’t the case.

“I can’t do much with stones of this size though. Even so, by using it as energy, it circulates to the world, and their souls are purified.. Well, I am just retelling what others told me.”

“I see..” (Hikaru)

“To think you would be bothered by stuff like this. You are a peculiar one. This city is filled with outsiders, but you stand out from the rest. Well, you are a good customer for me though.”

Saying this, the old man laughed and placed 1 small silver coin.

“If it were like the Spirit Stones you brought me before, they would have gone for a decent amount of coin despite being pure. As for today’s stones, this is as much as they are worth.”

“The Spirit Stones vary in size even among people?” (Hikaru)

“Challenging dungeons is basically changing yourself into a monster or a monstrosity after all.”

“I see.. That much is enough.” (Hikaru)

historical

“Thanks for your patronage.”

I tried to avoid asking too many questions, but I managed to hear important stuff.

In the end, there’s no distinction between the Spirit Stones of people and monsters. At the very least, it can’t be differentiated by their appearance. In this world, people and monsters might be basically the same beings.

The Spirit Stones that were once people were thrown into the same haphazard bag the old man had.

(Small Spirit Stones, especially the transparent ones, are worth little.. For skeletons, you have to defeat 10 in order to finally get a small silver coin.. I see. It is because the 1st Floor doesn’t give that much earnings that everyone ends up heading to the 2nd Floor..) (Hikaru)

“By the way, if you brought the equipment of explorers, that means there should have been identifications, right? What happened to them?”

“Identifications..? Aah, do you mean this?” (Hikaru)

I take out the bluish metal name tags from my pocket.

Necklaces that would almost always be dropped close to the corpses of explorers. I could instantly tell at a glance that these are to show the affiliation of the people and their own information.

If not for the old man pointing this out, I was thinking of ignoring it though..

“That. If you bring them to the guild, they will buy them. Well, a tag from bronze people would only be worth around a few copper coins though.”

Is that guild he mentions the place that manages the explorers?

Whichever the case, I don’t really want to approach that place.

“Then, please buy these too. It is fine to buy them cheaply.” (Hikaru)

“Huh? Hmm, looks like you’ve got quite your circumstances, huh. Well, fine. If we include the extra work, it would be around 1 small silver coin.”

“That helps me greatly.” (Hikaru)

Honestly speaking, if IDs can be turned into money, the next time, I won’t pick them up and drop them tastefully at easier to find places. That way, other people can pick them and take them to the guild.

Anyways, with this, I have managed to secure my lodging fee for a while.

I put the money I got into the Shadow Bag at a place where no one can see, and head to the dungeon.

It is a plain and dark livelihood.

But the current me finds this comfortable.