Chương 36: Bar...
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[The market]
"W—what even is that?" one of the refugees stammered, eyes wide with fear as they stared at Ryuk.
"The machine didn't s— sound. Could it be an old visitor?" another whispered, trembling as their gaze shifted from the kiosk to the ominous figure.
"Shut yer yaps!" Someone halted their murmurs and, looking over, it appeared to be one of the elderly among their group whom was sat against a wall near the entrance. "Have you all forgotten what the store clerk said?" he began as he turned to eye them. "Have you paid attention, you would have known about the rules and the protection provided by the market." The old man turned his gaze back to Ryuk, sharpened. "We won't be harmed as far as I know." He closed his eyes to resume his nap
Meanwhile, the old man's comment eased a few nerves. He was right; the market was a wonder in itself, the security system might have held some truth to it due to the earlier scene that occurred against the penguins. The refugees who had distanced themselves from Ryuk took the old man's words to heart, gradually stepping forward to return to their places.
Ash, Misty, and Brock observed the gangly, long-limbed figure in the distance. In his low voice, Brock questioned, "Come to think of it, are they related by any chance?" He compared Kazuhiro and the eerie figure as they both shared the similarity of having long limbs and an uncanny appearance.
"I wonder which world it came from. That looks so cool," Ash replied, his eyes fixed on Ryuk, filled with curiosity.
"It's not, you moron! Whatever it is, it's creepy and ugly. Can't believe such monstrosities live in such worlds," Misty said, shivering slightly.
"As if we don't have an ugly monster in our world," Ash retorted, giving Misty a sideways glance.
"Say that again, you punk," Misty hissed, cracking her knuckles and preparing to give Ash a piece of her mind. Brock quickly intervened, placing a hand on her shoulder to calm her down.
"We can't make a fuss here. Remember what that store clerk said about those... what do they call 'em... penguins? Anyways, if any harm is inflicted, it triggers that defense mechanism against the culprit," Brock reminded them, his tone serious.
Misty took a deep breath and relaxed her fists. "I guess you're right," she sighed, frustration still lingering. She side-glanced at Ash, only to see him stick his tongue out at her. She shot him a glare, and under gritted teeth, she muttered, "I swear you won't be safe once we leave here."
Meanwhile, Ryuk's presence continued to draw attention. Refugees returned to their activities, but some curious teens dared to approach him, questions spilling out.
"Are you related to that guy at the counter?"
"Which world did you come from?"
"Are you a bird? Why the feathers?"
"You got hot elf chicks in your area?" one teen asked, adjusting his glasses.
Questions rolled, but Ryuk didn't answer any of them. He was more focused on his surroundings, especially when his gaze landed on the backs of two people in front of a machine. His curiosity piqued, he decided to approach.
"This machine didn't react, so that creature must be an old visitor."
"Yeah, and it looks similar to the guy at the counter. They must be connected somehow."
"I think so, but which world did that originate from? My guess might be World 2, 3, or 11 since they mentioned mysterious beings and monstrous creatures."
"It might be."
Ryuk leaned in closer, casting an eerie shadow over them. "Ho? What is this?" he asked, his voice causing the two to jump in fright.
They spun around, eyes wide with fear. "S—shit!" one of them stammered.
Ryuk ignored them as they scrambled to the floor in fright, his attention fixed on the kiosk machine's screen. He hunched down, scanning the list of numbered worlds. One of them was expanded, displaying more information. "Interesting..." he mumbled as he read the expanded content. He later turned to one of the teens on the floor. "How does this work?"
"J—just scroll with your finger and click on a number. Fuck! Don't eat me!" The teen closed his eyes and shielded himself, forgetting about the market's protection in panic while the other crawled away.
Following the teen's instructions, Ryuk scrolled through the various worlds, expanding each number to read more. His intrigue grew with every line until he reached world number 4. He chuckled, and the sound later grew into a full-blown, sinister laugh that echoed through the market, causing a ripple of fear among the onlookers.
Gradually, his laughter died down, replaced by a wide, amused grin as he stared at the screen. "Fell into the wrong hands of a human," he read one line under his breath. He chuckled again, the words amusing him greatly. "I wonder who that could be," he mused, his smile broadening, already knowing the answer.
Ryuk continued scrolling through the list of worlds, his curiosity insatiable. He'd heard tales that the list spanned over a thousand worlds, but the machine showed only fourteen available. As he reached the last entry, world 14, something else caught his attention. His gaze shifted to the aisles, where a figure emerged, and the sight surprised him greatly.
Step. Step. Step.
Kazuhiro returned to the counters, carrying bags filled with Crazy Dave's order. Upon reaching the counter, he placed the bags on top and went behind to settle the payments.
Not wasting time, he began scanning the items. "Man, sure a lot has changed the last time I got here," Crazy Dave remarked, looking around wide-eyed.
"Nothing much has changed, just the addition of a bulletin board and a slight increase in visitors," Kazuhiro replied, his tone steady as he scanned another item.
"Oh, it's just that it's been weeks and all. All that time travel stuff made me really hungry."
With the final scan, Kazuhiro turned the screen to show the total. "With 50 boxes of pre-made tacos, the total comes to this amount. Would you like to trade for them or pay in currency?" he asked.
"Ah, right. Lucky me, I brought these," Dave said, retrieving items from his pockets and placing them on the counter. He leaned in to whisper, "Plant these seeds, and they should come in handy when it comes to fending off the bad guys."
Kazuhiro picked up the packets and examined them. There were four packets in total containing seeds for walnuts, peas, bok choy, and cherries.
Placing the packets on the selling counter, they soon vanished, and the screen beeped, showing an approval mark. "Payment confirmed. You can go," Kazuhiro said, but before handing him the bag, he added, "But before you do, since your sold items were worth way more than the product, I suggest you retrieve a card through the ATM to help you keep track of your expenses and remaining funds." He gestured to the machine nearby and then handed him the bag.
Dave nodded. "Got it. Thanks!" He wandered over to the ATM, humming a tune under his breath.
Having concluded his interaction with Dave, Kazuhiro turned his attention to the entrance. 'A newcomer?' He questioned himself, noting the new presence. He made his way to greet the visitor professionally. Ryuk, noticing Kazuhiro's attention shifting towards him, also decided to approach.
"Welcome to the market. How may I assist you?" Kazuhiro's voice was steady,
Upon being nearby, Ryuk had to look up at the towering figure of Kazuhiro, whose 14-foot height dwarfed his own seven and a half feet. "You must be the one in charge?" Ryuk questioned.
"Yes and no. I do manage the place, but I work for someone I have yet to meet," Kazuhiro replied.
"Interesting. Then, you don't mind if I ask a few questions somewhere more... private?" Ryuk's smile broadened.
"We can go to my office for a private discussion. This way." Kazuhiro gestured, ready to lead the way. However, before he could turn, a voice interrupted.
"Ah, sir," Brock called out as he, Ash, and Misty rushed to Kazuhiro's side. "We've signed the contract. Is there anything we should do?" The three trainers retrieved their adventurer cards from their pockets, showing them as proof of their agreement.
Kazuhiro turned to them and nodded. "If you wish to venture out, you must receive permission from both the staff and the native's approval to visit their world. However, if it's for a mission, it can be bypassed by simply using the ripped note as a key to your travels." He gestured towards the bulletin board.
"I see... okay," Brock turned to his companions. " how about it? Are we ready?"
"Sure am!" Ash replied enthusiastically.
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu chimed in.
"I've seen some pretty interesting notes. I'm curious about their worlds," Misty added.
With their curiosity piqued, the trio moved to investigate the board one last time.
Kazuhiro turned back to Ryuk. "Apologies for the brief delay. Follow me."
"Ain't a big deal. Who knew you'd be so well-mannered," Ryuk said, amused. The two made their way through the labyrinthine aisles, navigating to the supervisor's office.
As they walked, the bustling noise of the market gradually faded, replaced by the quiet hum of the nearby ventilation system. Kazuhiro's elongated strides made it easy for Ryuk to keep up despite his smaller stature.
Ryuk was busy scanning his surroundings, engrossed in the various wares displayed around the market. The more he looked, the more the expanse of the market seemed endless, like a horizon stretching out infinitely. "This place is unlike anything I've seen," he mused, his eyes wide with curiosity. As he walked further, the surroundings began to morph, transitioning into a fancy hallway with a red carpet beneath their feet. "And it's full of surprises," he added.
Creak.
Kazuhiro gently pushed open one of the many doors in the hallway, entering with Ryuk close behind. Kazuhiro moved to his usual spot behind the desk while Ryuk took in the calming ambiance of the room.
"You wanted to discuss something?" Kazuhiro began. "You can have a seat," he gestured to one of the two chairs in front of his desk.
"I'll stick to my usual style." He hovered in place, his eyes gleaming with interest. "Hm, how should I start this? Well I've heard many tales about such domains from old colleagues. The last known and confirmed occurrences happened thousands of years ago in our world."
Kazuhiro listened intently, his curiosity piqued. 'Tales about other domains?' he thought. Could this discussion shed more light on the mystery of the market?
"We, the death gods, have interacted with such anomalies before, but none have come close to what happened in Egypt," Ryuk continued. "They say, inside that gate was beyond anything they could comprehend, pretty much endless like the one we're in." He chuckled a bit. "Unfortunately, those like me were not there to witness such an event firsthand. We only know the stories were passed from those who were there."
Ryuk grinned. "One would think these tales were myths, stories aged into legends for entertainment. Isn't that right?"
Kazuhiro remained silent, encouraging Ryuk to continue with a subtle nod.
"But they weren't just myths," Ryuk said, leaning in closer, his eyes narrowing with intensity. "There is proof that such a place existed. The reason on why the shinigami allied with them in the first place was because of the benefits they provided. What could that be? Well, of course, it resolved the weakness of the death gods and their fears. It made those that came before immortal."
In that moment of pause, Kazuhiro leaned back in his chair, his head tilting towards the ceiling. "It seems the market has existed before, but how?" The existence of the market seemed to raise many questions in his head.
That sentence made Ryuk laugh, his laughter echoing through the room. He doubled over, clutching his thin stomach. "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"
The sound roused Kazuhiro, making him sit back up and face Ryuk. The laughter soon died down, with Ryuk heaving from the effort. He looked at Kazuhiro with a wide grin. "Who said anything about a market? From what I've heard, it was, instead, a bar."
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