24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 183

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 183

 

Episode 183. What’s This About Now? (3)

 

The unfamiliar being who lightly jumped down from the Griffin slowly walked toward me.

 

Just the fact that they arrived here riding a Griffin was telling enough, but even their elegant gait as they stepped gracefully on the ground was extraordinary.

 

Pure white hair fluttered softly over a pristine white robe that wrapped around their entire body without a single pattern.

 

Even the fingers holding the horn and the fingernails were all a clean white color, as if drained of all pigment.

 

Even the crisp uniform glimpsed inside the robe was white.

 

The name tag attached to the uniform was also white, but the name was embossed, making it somewhat distinguishable.

 

‘The name is… Siena.’

 

If I had to pick the only part of Siena that wasn’t white, it would be her mysteriously silver-tinged eyes.

 

So if I were to describe Siena in just one sentence…

 

‘A mysterious beauty…?’

 

Even thinking it made me feel a bit embarrassed.

 

Honestly, I know it’s not the right thing to think about in a situation where I don’t even know what’s going on.

 

But she has such a perfect appearance that it’s hard to call her human.

 

To think that a human who looks like a pure white sketch without a single color could be beautiful.

 

No matter how strange it was, I couldn’t deny that Siena was a beauty with overwhelmingly mysterious charm.

 

At that moment, a sharp voice filled with wariness reached me once again.

 

“This is a restricted Livestock Pen. How did you get here?”

 

A stiff tone that seemed somewhat businesslike.

 

It carried naked hostility, quite different from the generous evaluation I had made of this person.

 

“I’ll ask once more. How did you get here?”

 

I just gulped without answering.

 

…I mean, what could I say?

 

I came here looking for traces of Brother, but since I had no means of transportation, I blew the horn and a horde of monsters came rushing.

 

Among them, the scariest one, Brutus, stepped forward, and when he said he knew Brother, we talked and I realized this was the Livestock Pen?

 

Before explaining all that, what Siena was asking me was ‘how did you get here?’

 

I couldn’t exactly say I was Babel Tower’s super wildcard with the awesome ability to drop anywhere.

 

I had no idea where to start explaining for this person to understand, or rather, how much I should reveal.

 

So what I chose was to just keep my mouth shut and pretend to look innocent.

 

“Do you have an entry permit?”

 

It didn’t work.

 

‘That makes sense.’

 

Unlike the brilliant appearance I had admired, Siena seemed like a rigid and inflexible opponent.

 

Since it didn’t seem like we could communicate, normally I would back off here and come back later…

 

‘But that would be a bit of a waste.’

 

I rolled my eyes slightly to survey behind the Griffin.

 

The horde of monsters that had disappeared all at once with the appearance of the Griffin and Siena were no longer visible, having returned to their respective islands.

 

I could see monster silhouettes on both the lava-flowing island and the snow-covered island I had seen.

 

Seiporamonium has different climates on each island, with monsters suitable for each environment living there.

 

This meant that the monsters being bred were being raised according to their respective environments.

 

It was also proof that the monsters in Gates and scenarios weren’t just naturally occurring, but were dispatched from here.

 

Of course, if I left here, the information would end here too.

 

‘But I’ve encountered Siena.’

 

This was a very cold judgment.

 

Not because I was enchanted by Siena’s appearance, but because Siena seemed like a quite important clue.

 

There was a high possibility that Siena was the caretaker managing this ‘Livestock Pen’ or someone connected to it.

 

She was even a woman who used the Griffin I had been searching for as transportation!

 

I stared at Siena’s silver eyes and swallowed.

 

When the Assault Team clears the scenario, they’ll visit the 67th Floor as planned, so I’ll need to come once more for reconnaissance then too.

 

‘It would be good to do that in advance.’

 

But while I was reaching my conclusion, perhaps tired of waiting, Siena reached inside her robe.

 

“If you don’t answer, I’ll handle this according to regulations.”

 

What she pulled out was a pure white whip.

 

But it wasn’t leather—it was a whip with a brutal appearance made of connected chains.

 

Siena struck the whip once on the ground—it seemed imbued with magic power as it glowed faintly silver—and took a step toward me.

 

I tensed momentarily at her resolute expression that looked ready to split me in half at any moment.

 

‘What are you hesitating for, Lee Hae-won?’

 

I steeled my resolve.

 

Right, I’ve been imprisoned five times already and survived well enough to be doing reconnaissance like this.

 

If I’m going to gather information anyway, let’s do it properly.

 

Since my conclusion was decided, the attitude I could take here was clear.

 

“…I…”

 

“…”

 

“I don’t know anything… Where is this place…?”

 

Pretending to be clueless and blinking innocently like an idiot.

 

Upon hearing my answer, Siena seemed flustered as she frowned and tilted her head.

 

I lowered my eyebrows and made a tearful expression as I spoke.

 

“I just lost consciousness, and when I suddenly opened my eyes, I was in this place…”

 

“Are you joking?”

 

Siena snapped with a cold face.

 

She looked even more menacing because her face had no blemishes, spots, or even a flush.

 

Well, even I thought it was an absurd excuse, so I didn’t expect her to believe it.

 

I took a step back while sniffling more.

 

“I’m just…”

 

“Do not step back.”

 

Ah, Siena is so resolute.

 

She’s so cold it makes me feel a bit lonely.

 

“From now on, if you move even one step, I’ll consider it insubordination and execute you immediately.”

 

Siena added while caressing the chain.

 

Wow, she’s really good at saying menacing things.

 

She didn’t care at all about my lost memory victim concept—truly not even a speck of flexibility.

 

‘I have no choice but to follow obediently for now.’

 

Resisting here would only cause unnecessary commotion.

 

What if I really got executed and she found out I was an immortal who doesn’t die, making her even more suspicious?

 

Running away was also an option, but then it might become difficult to return for the reconnaissance I promised the Babel Management Bureau.

 

I looked up at Siena like a cat in boots with my shoulders slightly hunched.

 

“…Should I go?”

 

Only then did Siena stop caressing the chain.

 

After staring at me quietly for a moment, Siena silently walked over and swung her whip.

 

“Mmph!”

 

When I looked down at the unfriendly pressure wrapping around my wrists, the chain had somehow become handcuffs restraining me.

 

I followed behind Siena like a criminal being dragged by rope.

 

“…Am I riding that too?”

 

Honestly, this wasn’t the right timing for this question, but I couldn’t help it.

 

‘I’m excited!’

 

What Siena had ridden was a Griffin.

 

So I’d be transported on a Griffin too!

 

I haven’t even tried talking to the Griffin yet because I’m still being cautious, but if that massive Griffin recognizes and remembers me, it should make getting information about Brother’s whereabouts a bit easier later on.

 

‘…Or not?’

 

Is showing myself getting arrested from our first meeting going overboard?

 

But I don’t have any other choice.

 

“If you refuse, I’ll use other methods.”

 

“No, let’s go.”

 

At my awkwardly thrown words, Siena pulled the whip without hesitation.

 

Feeling my wrists being pulled taut, I was somewhat relieved.

 

‘Thank goodness she’s not gagging me.’

 

If push comes to shove, I can shout out a skill and make a run for it.

 

…Of course, I had no idea that instead of riding on the Griffin’s back, I’d spend 30 minutes flying while caught in its talons.

 

* * *

 

With this, I’ve achieved the accomplishment of being imprisoned 6 times.

 

‘Does Babel not give achievements for this?’

 

As a seasoned veteran with quite a bit of imprisonment experience, I looked around the prison with a fairly relaxed mind.

 

This place is also completely white.

 

It’s a prison with such a unique appearance that even I, who’ve been locked up in all kinds of prisons, find it novel again.

 

A square, perfectly rectangular room, a pure white bed and pure white cushion, a pure white door mounted high up out of reach.

 

And even a round window blocked by pure white, densely patterned bars.

 

Unlike typical prisons, through the window as tall as I am, I could see the scenery of Seiporamonium.

 

Throughout being transported here while caught by the Griffin, I diligently stored everything I saw with my eyes in my mind.

 

Below the sky where hundreds of floating islands drift, the land visible only after descending quite far down is exactly where I am now.

 

Square buildings that looked like they were molded from pure white clay and stamped out systematically were packed tightly together.

 

If only their heights weren’t all different, I might have found it bizarre.

 

‘So basically, it looks exactly like it would be the main stage for a scenario.’

 

The place where the Griffin landed after circling the city once was the top of an unusually tall building.

 

That seemed to be some kind of helicopter landing pad… no, a Griffin landing pad.

 

Something rather unique was that all the other buildings’ rooftops also had mysterious symbols carved into them.

 

‘I need to find out what those symbols are.’

 

As it turned out, I didn’t have time to investigate anything.

 

Siena gave me no explanation whatsoever and just dragged me from there to stuff me into this square prison.

 

Well, anyway, escaping the monster Livestock Pen and entering the city is a big step forward.

 

Moreover, Seiporamonium’s prison is even comfortable compared to the prisons on other floors.

 

The sunlight streaming in through the window was filling the fairly large interior space.

 

Of course, the bars were too narrow to allow for serious tanning, but the sunlight felt so good that my body was getting drowsy and relaxed.

 

“Ahh, so warm.”

 

I stretched and plopped down on the bed.

 

My goodness, even the prison bed here is soft.

 

‘What’s with this prisoner welfare.’

 

I sprawled out completely on the bed and organized my thoughts.

 

The Griffin dropped me off and flew away again, so it’ll take quite a while if I want to find it and have a conversation.

 

To begin with, it’s uncertain when I’ll even be able to get out of here.

 

There’s no telling when or who might come here.

 

If Siena had been just a bit more kind, she would have at least given me some guidance.

 

“Tsk.”

 

I clicked my tongue lightly and stared at the pure white ceiling.

 

Then what can I do here that’s both reconnaissance-like and something I can fiddle with by myself….

 

“Ah!”

 

At the thought that struck my mind like lightning, I hurriedly opened my inventory.

 

Pulling out an item from my inventory that had now become almost like a treasure vault, I smiled with satisfaction as I held it in my hand.

 

[Detection Writing Tool (A)

 

A tool that drew the gardener’s brilliant thoughts in green light.

 

Can create maps of areas under Babel’s influence.

 

Depending on the size of the area, it takes anywhere from 1 minute to 3 hours.

 

When the map is completed, the map creator’s current location is displayed, and the marker moves according to movement.]

 

As expected, the basics of reconnaissance is mapping.

 

[Creating a map of the corresponding area ‘Seiporamonium’ will take a total of 1 hour and 37 minutes. Do you wish to proceed?]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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