Sorceress Mortalia.
In the game, the items often referred to as the “Mortalia Series” were associated with an ancient mage who was none other than Mortalia herself.
Each item was a must-have for any player nurturing a mage class, some even considered as ultimate items. Mortalia held significant importance within the lore of the Midland Quest, her creations coveted by many.
Moreover, she wasn’t just any powerful mage but a dark mage.
In the contemporary era, her knowledge and artifacts were deemed incomprehensible, leaving a legacy that transcended the realms of magic and embraced all sorts of mystical arts, such as the blood magic used by Draupnir, for instance.
『As for the being that crafted these mysteries, there’s not much I can tell you. Your achievements are indeed remarkable, but not sufficient to earn this knowledge. However, I can share her name. What you discover based on that name will be up to you.』
The name Mortalia was the answer to a question asked to the Goddess of Justice as payment for a request, revealing the intriguing identity of the creator of soul manipulation magic.
『Young great warrior of the Warrior God, I do not know why you seek this entity, nor do I intend to interfere. Just remember, forbidden knowledge always has its reasons. If you value your life, refrain from digging too deep.』
Despite the ominous warning, Khan disregarded it as worthless.
The notion by Alpha, that nothing but void exists beyond Midland, negated Khan’s slender clues entirely. A grand magus, after peeking outside the dimensions, confidently stated that beyond it, there was nothing but void, not even the ancient gods.
Although not fully convinced, this made Khan reconsider his approach and strategies.
‘Step by step, from the beginning.’
The inception was ‘the being who invented the art of soul manipulation,’ which was indeed Mortalia. Some speculated her true nature to be that of a dragon, such is the mystery surrounding her existence…
‘There’s hardly any information about her in the game. Only that she’s an ancient being who has reached the transcendent state and… that the magic used by the Mage Tower to manipulate space originated from Mortalia.’
That alone was reason enough to investigate.
Not just any entity capable of meddling with space through magic, but a transcendent being versed in the art of soul manipulation could undoubtedly shed light on the secrets of his possession.
Maybe, there might even be a direct correlation.
‘Let’s not get too entangled in this enigmatic game system. Focus solely on the definite phenomena of dimensional travel and possession.’
His first step towards unraveling these mysteries led him to the artifacts in the black market. Eto dismissed it as mere rumors, instantly debunking his statement, but Khan knew better.
The artifacts going up for auction were a certainty, spread by the operators of the black market themselves. It was a form of advertising.
‘We have precious items for sale, would you really not show up?’
That was the message. Indeed, wealthy enthusiasts and mages from across the continent were bound to flock to it.
‘The competition will be fierce. The prices are going to soar.’
Khan estimated the money he had at his disposal and sighed, shaking his head.
By general standards, he too could be considered wealthy. His earnings from previous tasks were substantial, not to mention the gold given by Hern in lieu of the royal reward before leaving the North, and the cheque from the Mage Tower in exchange for the magical tools and research notes left by the puppeteer and Ashes.
‘Yet, it’s still far from enough.’
Even so, competing with the continent’s magnates was out of his league. His only advantage was monopolizing the information that the artifact belonged to Mortalia.
Given the artifact’s value remained undisclosed, competing wasn’t entirely hopeless. However, there’s always a gambler willing to stake everything on their luck.
And if such a reckless individual won the artifact…”
I suppose we’ll need to have a proper one-on-one conversation then.”
“Huh? What do you mean all of a sudden…?”
“I’m talking about this whole situation. Anyways.”
Walking side by side with Eto, Khan glanced at him, seeming surprised.
“I can’t believe you made it all this way on foot, and even carrying luggage at that.”
“Haha… Well, I’ve always been told that if you’re going to be a merchant, you might not need to know how to fight, but you better have the stamina to run away.”
“Whoever said that is quite wise.”
“That’s true…”
Eto’s ambiguous agreement was intriguing, but Khan decided not to pry further. He had initially been reluctant to get involved with him anyway.
‘It doesn’t really matter now that we’ve come this far together, I suppose.’
Eto had eagerly proposed a request as soon as Khan showed interest in the black market, asking for escort across the Potsral Mountains to Bates to safely sell his goods. Khan had reluctantly accepted. And now, they were nearly past the Potsral Mountains, with Bates in sight.
Despite vowing not to get involved, they ended up traveling together to their destination.
‘It couldn’t be helped.’
After all, Khan was in need of money for the auction, and the reward was too generous to refuse. Above all.
‘If you’re thinking of participating in the auction, let me lend you a hand. How does that sound?’
Being granted permission to participate in the black market auction—something inaccessible to most due to their status—was a reward in itself and, caught off guard, Khan had found himself nodding in agreement. Despite the risks of associating with this ominous fellow, the reward was undeniably valuable.
Khan, gathering his thoughts, gazed deeply towards the now-visible city of Bates.
‘It’s been a while.’
Bates was so lacking in defenses that to call it a city seemed a misnomer. Even small villages tended to erect wooden barricades against outsiders, yet despite its size, bates had not a wall or fence to speak of.
No wonder it was known as a lawless city.
“It’s fascinating. How does a place like this come to exist and maintain itself…?”
“Necessity.”
“Necessity?”
“From petty thieves to those who’ve assaulted or killed, to merchants dealing in shady activities who can’t operate openly, to mages needing illegal experimental subjects easily, to the powerful wanting to exercise their strength without scrutiny. Bates is a gathering place for their needs.”
“Indeed, you’re smarter than average, enough to make the rumors of barbarian seem entirely false.”
Khan let Eto’s flattery go in one ear and out the other as they entered Bates. In a city without walls, there were no guards to be found. Entering without any inspection, Khan was met with the usual attention that suddenly sprang up around the appearance of a barbarian.
“Since this was an unplanned stop, we don’t have a specific buyer for our goods. We should probably just try selling around here.”
“Why so?”
“The deeper you go, the harder it is to get paid.”
“Um…”
Eto did not bother to ask for the reason and simply nodded his head.
He roughly understood why it was difficult to get paid. Given the nature of this city, a dumping ground for all sorts of criminals, one could guess the kind of people who were the oldest trash living at its heart.
“If it’s not urgent, never stray from the outskirts. At least there are some rules here.”
“Rules?”
“If you’re not looking to settle things once and for all, don’t even touch it.”
Eto’s eyes widened in surprise, finally realizing the nature of the situation he had stepped into. Not to start trouble meant exactly that; if you did, it would only end once everything was settled – implying that every incident in Bates usually ended in someone’s death, or worse.
“But, if I need to enter the black market, don’t I have to go to the center of the city?”
“It’ll be fine then. Because I’ll be with you.”
“Ah! Certainly, you are a great warrior, surpassing even a troll fighter. And seeing how well you know the rules here, you seem to have been in this area before?”
“I stayed here for a while in the past.”
“Then, you must know people in the city? If they are acquaintances of a great warrior like yourself, they must be exceptional as well!”
“I do, but I can’t introduce you.”
“Why so?”
Khan didn’t immediately respond, but after a silent stare, he bluntly said,
“Because the dead can’t buy goods.”
“Eh…?”
Eto, failing to grasp the meaning in time, asked with a puzzled face, and Khan explained the obvious fact in a melancholy tone, “They’re all dead.”
Who killed them? The question reached his throat, but Eto managed to hold it back with a desperate patience.
“Ha-ha-ha…! What a pity. Then, to set up shop, even temporarily, we’ll need to find a booth…”
He quickly changed the subject, and indeed, they found an unattended booth nearby. Startled.
A worker, while wiping down the booth to place goods on it, discovered bloodstains on the lower part and screamed in terror. Anyway, eto finished preparing for his business smoothly and called out with a proud face, “Come take a look at the spices brought in from the Renford Kingdom!”
His unfamiliar attempt at attracting customers was a bit awkward, but fortunately, due to the reputation of the goods, customers quickly flocked to him. There were some who balked at the high prices and spat in disdain, or shifty individuals who tried to steal, but it wasn’t a big problem.
That was because, with one punch that could send a person flying as if they had been hit by a carriage, a barbarian stood by, his eyes wide open, effectively deterring troublemakers.
Moreover, those who had gathered to attend the auction occasionally showed interest. These were the sort of people who wouldn’t hesitate to generously part with a few gold coins.
In Baits, where hardly anyone was engaged in productive work, most resources had to be imported. People were often willing to pay several times more than the outside price. This was especially true for high-quality spices, which were strictly managed even in the Renford Kingdom.
“Give me as much as you have. I’ll pay whatever it costs.”
“No, I’ll buy at a higher price. Just sell them all to me! Please!”
“Shut up! I said I would buy them first!”
“The person who offers more buys it. Who cares about the order?”
“Damn it! Are you looking for trouble?”
“Motherf***er…!”
Of course, there were occasionally customers who, after arguing over who would buy the goods, would turn to drawing blades on each other…
“Just wait and sell to the one who wins.”
“Uh, is that really okay?”
Looking only at the results, the trade expedition was undoubtedly a success.
The profits exceeded the initial expectations by several, no, more than tenfold. After paying the additional wages promised to Pavel and the workers, and settling the hefty sum of gold promised to Khan, eto’s earnings far surpassed any previous income.
‘Phew, with this, even he will have to acknowledge me…’
Eto indulged in a joyful fantasy, a frivolous smile spreading across his face.
However, that smile didn’t last long.
“Make way─!”
“You bastards! If you block the way, you all are getting stabbed!”
Suddenly, a group of swordsmen appeared, scattering the crowd by force. What was more astonishing was that the unruly crowd of criminals dispersed without a word of protest.
‘Who on earth are they?’
The answer to his spontaneous question came from the mouths of people quickly moving away.
“They are residents from the central district…”
Eto stepped back with a fearful expression.
It wasn’t the surprise visit of such a feared entity that shocked him.
‘Is he, smiling?’
The barbarian, who always maintained a grim expression, was now broadly smiling upon seeing the residents from the central district.
“Weren’t they all supposed to be dead by now?”
As if he had discovered an amusing toy, he smiled purely.