Chapter Five: First Arrival at the Aquamancer Star (Part Two)

After entering the water, the Phantom Thief let out a long sigh of relief. “Thank goodness, nothing went wrong. We’re finally safe.”

Glutton paused in surprise, looking at him curiously. “What do you mean? Was there any real danger just now?”

The Phantom Thief chuckled. “Of course. Do you really think the name ‘Demon Water Star’ was chosen at random? The ‘demon’ part is there because the surface waters are extremely perilous.”

Glutton was puzzled, but didn’t press further. His attention was quickly captured by the bizarre and fantastical sea creatures swimming all around them, their strange forms enchanting him completely.

The ship dove directly into a massive underwater cavern shaped like a yawning maw. As soon as they entered the depths, the vessel abruptly accelerated. Just as Glutton opened his mouth to ask a question, a bright white light appeared in the distance ahead. In the blink of an eye, the ship shot toward it and plunged into that luminous spot.

An enormous underwater city, so vast it beggared belief, unfolded before Glutton’s eyes. It was easily half the size of Rage Martial City. Airships darted about like industrious ants, weaving through the city. Glutton could hardly imagine that Demon Water Star was home to such a modern metropolis; he had expected nothing more than a cluster of ramshackle underwater caves.

Above the city, the water shimmered a brilliant blue. The radiance filtered down from above, mingling with the white glow from three artificial light sources suspended high overhead. To Glutton, the city was breathtakingly beautiful—nothing like the subterranean black markets he’d imagined.

It seemed the city’s space was sealed off from the ocean by a magnetic shield. Glutton marveled at the sheer scale of it, silently calculating the staggering cost of maintaining such a barrier.

The Phantom Thief laughed, docking their ship at a port on the city’s edge. The two of them then boarded a shuttle and made their way to a hotel near the city center, perched halfway up a tower over a hundred meters tall—about the height of Glutton’s own family’s stronghold.

The moment they entered the hotel lobby, Glutton was dumbstruck once again by the multitude of strange and exotic beings. He felt like a country bumpkin visiting the city for the first time. Dozens of creatures milled about, at least twenty different forms. A four-meter-tall giant resembling an elephant—entirely non-humanoid, similar to the elephants he’d seen on his ancestral planet—stood on all fours, its long trunk appearing metallic. The other creatures were even stranger, opening Glutton’s eyes to an entirely new world.

Beside him, the Beast Master nudged Glutton. “Don’t stare at people like that. There are over two hundred intelligent species in the Sea of Death alone, and with so many immigrants from the Winged Folk’s Domain, Demon Water Star is home to hundreds of sentient races. It’s rude to gawk. Cause trouble, and if someone challenges you to a duel, I won’t be able to help you.”

They booked two human rooms—with the hotel requiring guests to specify their species, the service was remarkably comprehensive.

Settling into a room noticeably more comfortable than anything at their base, Glutton asked curiously, “Why are there so many non-human races here? I remember that the Caro Empire didn’t have any at all.”

The Phantom Thief shook his head with a wry smile. “As the Gale Empire says, ‘Those not of our kind must have different hearts.’ In human-controlled space, it’s nearly impossible for non-humans to survive. Most fled before humanity conquered these stars, and many intelligent species were wiped out resisting our expansion. Our xenophobia is so intense that no non-human dares—or is able—to live in our territory.”

Hearing this, Glutton let out a deep sigh.

The Phantom Thief smiled. “Enough of that. Rest up. Tomorrow, I’ll take you to the trading grounds.”

The next day, when Glutton emerged from his bedroom, he found the Phantom Thief already waiting in the lounge. The Phantom Thief grinned. “You’re finally up, kid. Hurry up—we’re almost late for our appointment.”

The next two days, they rode a shuttle that descended all the way to ground level. In modern cities, there was an unwritten rule: the richer and more powerful you were, the higher you lived. Skyscrapers were the symbols of status, while the ground was now the domain of the poor—sunlight rarely touched it, forever blocked by towering buildings. With airships in common use, height was no longer an obstacle, and even the transportation system was tiered.

The shuttle stopped before a large doorway piled high with airship wreckage. The ground was a veritable junkyard; only benevolent lords like the Kuang family of War Star would spend a fortune to send cleaning ships to clear the refuse. That was one reason the Kuang family had the planet’s popular support.

For thousands of years, since the Kuang family became Lords of War Star, they had decreed regular cleaning days for every city, upholding the tradition for millennia.

The mounds of garbage nearly overwhelmed Glutton as he stepped off the airship, the stench hitting him so hard he almost fainted.

Frowning at the crowd pressing through the filth, Glutton asked, nose pinched, “I’ve been on War Star’s surface before—true, there was little sunlight and some odor, but nothing like this. Do they never clean up here?”

The Phantom Thief just smiled and, without replying, led him to a small door nearby. Inside was an underground transit station. Glutton frowned at the long, pitch-black tunnel stretching ahead—he hadn’t expected to reach the black market via an underground passage like those beneath his own family’s base. He couldn’t decide if these trading places were impossibly ancient or simply impenetrably secure.

Nowadays, underground facilities served only two purposes: military or historical relics.

Soon, a small airship arrived and stopped before them. The Phantom Thief produced a strange card and swiped it on a certain part of the vessel, which opened its door.

He motioned for Glutton to get in. Once seated, the ship shot down the tunnel at high speed. After half an hour, they entered a vast underground cavern, twenty meters from floor to ceiling, filled with small multi-story buildings and crisscrossed by bustling streets. The place teemed with people of all kinds, many of whom Glutton had never seen before.

Their ship stopped in front of a four-story building. The Phantom Thief hopped out with a smile, and Glutton quickly followed. The moment they stepped away, the door closed and the vessel sped off.

The Beast Master, knowing Glutton had a thousand questions, explained, “This is one of Demon Water Star’s oldest trading markets, unchanged for tens of thousands of years.”

Glutton forced a smile. “If this is a black market, why not move it above ground? Why act like criminals? All the goods we brought were honestly hunted ourselves—why come here?”

The Phantom Thief shook his head gently. “Tradition. Many non-human races place great importance on history and ritual, so relocating the market isn’t easily approved. Besides, only regulars can trade here. Without an accredited sponsor, you’d never gain access.”

With that, the Phantom Thief pushed open a large door, revealing a small, old-fashioned tavern inside. Most patrons were human, or at least humanoid—none of the massive, non-humanoid sentients were present.

The Phantom Thief headed straight for an elderly man nearly three meters tall, his skin dark as night. After a vigorous hug, he grinned. “Joseph, it’s been a long time.”

Joseph was far less enthusiastic, replying coolly, “Feels like I just saw you not long ago. Enough chit-chat—what have you brought? Business is slow, so I can only offer eighty percent of the usual price. Don’t try to bargain; your last shipment left me with no profit at all. Ask for any more, and I’ll have to find a new partner.”

The Phantom Thief just grinned. “Dear Joseph, why do you always say that when you see me? But fine, I won’t haggle this time—just give me the usual price. But next time, don’t expect me to agree so easily.”

Joseph snorted. “So what’s the cargo?”

With a smile, the Phantom Thief handed over the beast-hide bag he’d been carrying. Joseph looked surprised, took the bag, then his expression darkened as he asked, “Changed trades, have you? When did you start hunting crystals?”

The Phantom Thief chuckled. “Picked up a new partner lately, so I made a change. Crystal hunting is a lot safer than the old business.”

Joseph said nothing, just snorted and handed the bag to an assistant, giving Glutton a brief glance before turning back to the Phantom Thief. “Let’s hope that’s true.”

He coldly handed over a sky-blue card to the Phantom Thief, then ignored him.

The Phantom Thief cheerfully led Glutton outside. “That’s it?” Glutton asked, puzzled.

The Phantom Thief laughed. “What else did you expect?”

He patted Glutton on the shoulder. “Go straight ahead, turn left, and you’ll find a spot for direct trades. Sometimes people bring things to sell on the spot—if you’re lucky, you might find a beautiful gem or two. Not worth much, but perfect for winning over a girl.”

He handed Glutton a sky-blue card. “There’s a million Gale Empire credits on here. Go buy some trinkets for your fiancée—we probably won’t have another chance to come here. I’m off to see a few old friends.”

Before leaving, he added with a smile, “Be careful—don’t get into any fights. The enforcers here are real experts.”

Thank you.