66. Gray Market (2)
“Is it the gray market?”
“okay. Do you remember the last time I said I didn’t know about black markets?”
After Forrest poured the drink, he handed one to Oliver and asked.
“Yes·····. But he said he knew something similar.”
“I have a good memory. Gray Market is just that. Strictly speaking, it’s more like a side branch from the black market rather than similar.”
“Will you come with me?”
“Yeah, I understand what you don’t know. It’s a relatively recent story. It’s kind of the product of a sales strategy.”
Forrest went on to explain. Judging from the way he spoke, he seemed to know a lot.
“The gray market is a place that sells small or low-grade goods among the goods circulated in the black market. Someone arbitrarily called it Gray Market, and now that’s the official name.”
Oliver took a sip of the drink that Forrest had given him to think for a moment, then asked.
“If it’s a low-grade item, what specifically are you talking about?”
“We also deal with small treasures, relatively low-grade information, medicines, moonshine, magic items, and human emotions and vitality, as well as some black magic books.”
Oliver was intrigued at that moment.
“A black magic book?”
“Yeah, but it’s not that great. If you say they sell it there, it’s just a basic book.”
It sounded like steam, but Oliver didn’t show any signs of that at all.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
No, I was rather excited. Even if I couldn’t get satisfactory results right away, I was able to take the first step.This process was also a great pleasure.
“…are you okay?”
“Yes? Oh yes… So, are there any places that handle higher-grade items?”
“of course. For convenience, it is only divided into black market and gray market, but it is further subdivided into invisible grades. There are certainly places that handle higher-grade items. However, the problem is that it is not easy to find. Security is tighter than you think.”
“What can I do to access a higher tier market?”
“You have to spend a lot of money to get an invitation, or you have to get acquainted with a tycoon who has a connection with the black market. For example, a person involved in a crime firm. They are the most certain.”
“Is it because the crime firm is managing the black market?”
Forrest paused for a moment at Oliver’s question.
“… it’s half right, half wrong.”
“…?”
“It is true that crime firms are deeply involved in the black market, but they do not manage everything. The black market is more abstract and complex than that. Not as a single entity, but as a cluster. So it’s not easy to understand all of them… It can be dangerous.”
Oliver looked at Forrest’s feelings.
Regardless of whether the story itself is true or not, Forrest’s feelings were sincere.
It was surprising. When we first met, I knew more than I expected, considering that I didn’t know anything.
More than just what they picked up.
“okay.”
“Okay, anyway, let’s get back to the topic. The places I’ve introduced aren’t bad for first-time visits. Although the quality of the goods may be slightly lowered, it is not very dangerous. You can also replenish your emotions.”
With those words, Forrest held out a note with directions and a strange business card.
On the business card was Forrest’s F sign.
“Here is a map of the location and a passable ticket. Write the recipe once and burn it. If it leaks, your credit will suffer.”
Oliver nodded and put the note and business card in his arms.
“Thank you for the gift.”
“It was nothing. I can introduce myself to you thanks to the job well done. I hope you like it.”
“Yes, I already like it……. So, can I tell you this time?”
“Oh, I had a question. Something?”
“Before I took on the mission, I was supposed to tell you, at least, how Forrest gathers information when I succeed and return. Can I hear you now?”
“ah····. right. Did I make such a promise? Well, okay. It’s not that great.”
“thank you.”
Forrest poured the drink back into the glass before speaking. Even in Oliver’s cup.
“Well·····. There are many ways to get information, and if it’s surprisingly easy, it’s easy.”
“Oh, is it?”
“Think of it as a kind of snowball. It rolls when the conditions for gathering some information are formed. Then, you will gather information. In my case, it started with the broker’s union.”
“A broker’s union?”
“Yeah, because of the nature of this job, everyone is interested in information. Rapidly changing circumstances, incidents, new people, etc. So the same union brokers just share a certain level of information.”
“You just want to share?”
“Only a certain level of information. More confidential, detailed information is traded between individuals. with money or information. Or they make a connection between themselves.”
“Well····. okay. So, do you get all the information through a broker’s union?”
“It is not. They are partners, but at the same time competitors. If you just rely on it, you will only fall behind. Everyone has their own more lines of information. In my case, I use solvers and informants.”
“In terms of information? By any chance, are you talking about Miss Coco?”
“Oh, then I saw that you two had met.”
“Yeah, on the way home yesterday.”
“It’s one of the information dealers who do business with me. If there is a story worth selling, I will come to you, or I will go and ask for it.”
Oliver nodded with interest, like a child listening to an old story.
“then····. Do you only get information from brokers’ unions, solvers, and informants?”
Oliver looked at Forrest and asked. Exactly, I looked at his emotions.
“·····no. I don’t use it often, but I have another line.”
“Oh, where are you?”
“An organization called Heimdall.”
“Heimdal?”
“Yeah, it’s a group of magical hackers who deal with the World Tree.”
“World tree…? Magical hacker…?”
As Oliver asked a new question, Forrest let out a small laugh.
“I don’t know. Well, no one really knows. A warlock who only trained underground wouldn’t know much more.”
“Can you tell me?”
Forrest checked his watch.
“Well····. I’m sorry, can I do it later? A guest is coming soon.”
“ah····.”
Oliver groaned in disappointment.
He checked the watch himself, but quite a bit of time had passed.
Unfortunately, Oliver nodded obediently.
I’ve already heard a lot of interesting enough stories, so it was inappropriate to bother more than this.
“All right.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll give you an answer later when I can afford it.”
“no. I got a lot of help… ah!”
Oliver, not getting ready to leave, began to search inside his arms.
“What are you doing now?”
“Wait. I have something to give you. I don’t know if it will help Forrest-sama.”
With those words, Oliver took out a bottle of potion, ledger and papers he had obtained from the enchanter’s workshop.
Forrest was interested.
“This·····?”
“I found it at the Wizard’s Workshop. I don’t know, but I think it will be useful.”
With that said, Forrest looked more actively at the books and documents. The emotions of joy and pleasure shone, and among them, when I saw the potion, a little shock and surprise also shone.
“…do you really get it from the mage workshop?”
“Yeah, I just picked it up because it was there. I don’t even know if it’s right.”
“Right····. I thought it was a gift-giving day, but it was a gift-taking day.”
“I am glad that you are happy.”
“Thank you so much. Will you come right away tomorrow?”
After thinking for a moment, Oliver shook his head.
“no. Forest-sama showed me a good place, so I will go there tomorrow.”
“Good. Well then, see you later.”
After shaking hands with Forrest, Oliver came out.
When I went out to the street, I looked again at the map that Forrest gave me.
The map showed a traditional market in District T.
It was a little strange that Gray Market was in a traditional market.
Well, it’s not that important. What was important was the fact that the mission was successful and that it was not a black market, but that I was able to go to the gray market, which is a side branch of it.
I wanted to go right away, but I was tired because I had worked all night, so I decided to go to sleep.
This kind of luck has already come… Really looking forward to tomorrow.
***
The greater the expectations, the greater the disappointment.
It was a phrase I saw in Joseph’s journal in the past.
It was a phrase I wrote when I couldn’t conquer Weinham due to the intervention of a pharmacist and had to share it with the Dominique and Anthony families.
At that time, Oliver only understood the meaning of this phrase, but did not agree with it.
It has been a long time since I left the family, and I could relate to that statement.
I felt sorry for Forrest, who took care of me, but the Gray Market he introduced gave Oliver a huge disappointment… Or maybe Oliver was expecting too much.
My heart raced with anticipation while I was giving a business card to the gatekeeper disguised as a fruit seller around the complex traditional market in District T, but when I went inside, my expectations quickly turned into disappointment.
what to say… Am I supposed to be too ordinary?
The gray market, which was installed secretly inside the traditional market, was very similar to the traditional market outside.
It’s good, it’s similar, it’s just the same.
Stalls stocked with fruits, butchers with meat hanging from them, carts that stopped with strange medicinal herbs, etc.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
No, it wasn’t a big deal. To be honest, the traditional market was fun. Either bargaining or soliciting.However, the products sold did not meet Oliver’s expectations.
As Forrest said, in the gray market, young or old men who looked like warlocks were selling emotions and vitality extracted from small stalls, but the quality was very poor.
As if forcibly squeezed.
And as for the poor quality, it was the same with black magic items such as gluttonous bags, leather masks, watcher’s eyes, and energizers.
It was very crude compared to what I saw in the work of the Joseph Family or the puppeteer Glyph.
I’ve never made some of these, but I thought Oliver could make it better than this if I asked him to make it right away.
Well, in a way, it was natural. What was in this market was, at best, something to be sold to third-rate shoplifters.
Oliver was expecting too much because it was connected to the black market.
A side branch is just a side branch.
Still, Oliver decided to purchase some items for experience.
Because I was too scared to go back like this.
I bought each extracted emotion and vitality, and also bought a black magic item to look at.
A leather mask, a bag of gluttons, and a watcher’s eye.
Oliver had the same thing now, but it was a well-made item, so it was a shame to use it for experimentation, but I rather bought one for research here.
Thinking about it that way, I even thought it was better. If it was something like this, I didn’t think it would be too much of a waste to look at it and destroy it.
After putting the emotions and black magic items in the bag he brought, Oliver decided to spend the rest of his time exploring the Gray Market.
Taken from n̲o̲b̲l̲e̲m̲t̲l̲.̲c̲o̲m̲
Nothing intriguing, but still, just in case you use another gray or black market next time.Going deep inside, I noticed something a little different.
There were places selling old watches, stuffed animals with strange looking animals, elixir made from the vitality of animals, cheap pilgarets and even books.
It wasn’t just a book about black magic or demons, it was a strange book with only pictures of naked women.
Anyway, Oliver looked around the gray market and bought an additional leather belt and case to store the test tubes, and left the gray market.
After leaving the family, although exhausting, he has never been bored or disappointed in anything, but Oliver felt that way for the first time and headed home.
My pulse went limp and I lost all my energy. At that moment, Oliver felt something.
It was a fleeting moment that seemed to split a second into hundreds, but I definitely felt something.
Similar to the Lightning Wizard I met in the past, no… Pure and powerful magic that cannot be compared.
I was never mistaken, but when I turned my gaze, an old man was sitting at the end.
“Hello. young friend… Did you come to look at the book?”