City of Witches

༺ Protection (4) ༻

1.

The sun had already set at that point.

When they opened the door to the contact point…

Siwoo was astonished.

Perhaps because when they came in, it felt like they did it in a rather secretive way? Or perhaps because this place was hidden from the rest of the port?

Before they opened the door and entered, he thought that the place would have a black market-like atmosphere, just like the Blue Snake Junction.

Contrary to his expectation, the place felt like a normal night market one’d see in Busan or Ulsan.

The interior was much more spacious than he expected.

“Woah…how big is this place?”

“Should be around 2,000 pyeong¹around 6,661 square meter.”

Considering that a football field was 2,200 pyeong²around 7,272 square meter, it was safe to say that the place was twice as big as what Siwoo had expected.

Maybe because the place wasn’t always available all year, most of them only set up temporary stalls. Said stalls were lined up in rows of five.

Some of the shops used a whole container as a stall, perhaps trying to imitate real shops.

The ceiling, which was ten meters high, didn’t resemble your usual warehouse’s ceiling with hoists installed here and there. Instead, there were mercury lamps up there, reminding Siwoo of an arcade more than anything.

Obviously, this place had a more modern feeling to it compared to the one he visited in Border Town.

“The place is more spacious than I thought. Also, there was barely anyone entering from outside, but there are a lot of people inside, huh?”

“Well, like I said, the entrance won’t open all the time, so the moment it opens, nearby witches…or, I guess there are some who came from faraway places as well…anyway, they’d immediately come here to do their business.”

After hearing Sharon’s words Siwoo looked around the place and noticed the witches who were wandering around.

Most of them wore modern clothes, but it wasn’t a hard thing to distinguish them from normal people.

Then again, when they had a face of supermodels and perfect body proportions, who else could they be if they weren’t witches?

There was a living example of it right beside him even.

Even so, he could only see around ten of them here.

Disregarding the areas that he couldn’t see at a glance, there should be at least fifty people in this place.

“Alright, I’m going to look for everything that I need to buy, so don’t wander around the place, okay? Keep close to me!”

“I won’t do that, I’m not a kid.”

“But, what if a random witch gives you candy and drags you away?”

“I told you, I’m not a kid.”

Sharon let out a giggle as she teased Siwoo.

After that, they began to visit all the stalls in their way, carefully looking for the things that Sharon needed to buy.

There were a bunch of strange items to Siwoo.

The variety of the items alone made the small magic tool shop he once visited in Tarot Town pale in comparison.

Actually, it wouldn’t be surprising if the items here had better qualities than in that small shop.

The stall that Sharon currently visited was a jewelry stall.

Seeing the pair approaching his stall, the merchant, who had only been sitting quietly without trying to draw in any customers at all, greeted them in a relaxed voice.

“Welcome to my shop, pretty witch, kind sir!”

The merchant was an old man with white hair, there was a monocle hanging on one of his eyes. From his demeanor, it was obvious that he was used to dealing with witches.

And from the materials of the stall and the display stand, it was clear that he wasn’t selling half-assed products.

Pretty jewelries that would dazzle anyone’s eyes were being displayed on his stall.

“So, what is it that you’re looking for?”

“I’m looking for some gems. The ones that are suited for elemental magic.”

“For offerings? Then, you came to the right place! Our Ruby Atelier definitely wouldn’t disappoint you! We sell all kinds of precious metals and gems from all over the world!”

Compared to the merchants that Siwoo met in Gehenna, he looked different.

He felt experienced…somehow.

Even though he was dealing with a witch, he looked confident and he had a relaxed demeanor.

When he saw him standing next to Sharon, he also didn’t seem to be surprised. Instead, he also greeted him without showing any particular emotions.

To cast her elemental magic, Sharon needed some kind of ‘offerings’ depending on which element she intended to use.

Of course, the better the offerings, the stronger the magic she’d cast. And among different kinds of offerings, gems such as these were of the highest qualities.

It followed the timeless classic tropes in fantasy where shiny, where eye-catching stones would hold some kind of connection to the mystical powers.

“Do you have anything specific in mind?”

“Can I take a look at your Imperial Topaz?”

Ever since the time when Ancient Egypt was still standing, Topaz had always been associated with the sun.

It was also well known as the gemstone that possessed the most variation of colors.

Among them, the scarlet-colored Topaz was the kind of Topaz that was sold at much higher price compared to other kinds of Topaz. It had another name, ‘Imperial Topaz’, and it was an indispensable offering in rituals that required the element of fire.

“Do you want to go through the catalog, or…?”

“No need. I’ll just take a look at them.”

Sharon’s tone was colder than usual, and she didn’t show any expression on her face.

At a first glance, it seemed like she was an arrogant witch who utterly disregarded humans, but knowing her, Siwoo could tell why she acted like this.

Because the merchant was too formidable of an opponent, she did this so she wouldn’t get duped by him.

It was similar to how women would wear full make up when they tried to refund something.

The realization made Siwoo desperately trying to hold back his laughter.

“Ah, we have a lot of them in stock today.”

The merchant went to the back and came out bringing a wooden box that was covered in red cloth. After he placed it on the stall, he opened it.

Inside, there were Imperial Topaz of various sizes, glowing brightly.

Then, he took out a magnifying glass and showcased those gems to Sharon.

“Can you see that? That beautiful orange-color with scarlet mixed in it, this is the equivalent of a well-aged wine of gems! This one was mined straight from Brazil, and as you can see, from the gem itself and the craftsmanship process involved to produce this piece, it is of the highest quality!”

Sharon wasn’t unfamiliar with gems as she had been dealing with them for the longest time, and she could tell that he was telling the truth.

Aside from the one he showcased to her, she could tell that the quality of the gems in his store was indeed, not bad.

“What’s the price?”

“For gems that are under four carats, the ones on the left, they are 800,000 won each! While those above ten carats, 1.6 million won each!”

“What? Isn’t that too expensive?”

Sharon opened her eyes wide and started to complain.

Due to her shock, the arrogant vibe that she was giving had gone.

Gehenna didn’t have their own mines, so they had always been importing gems from the Modern World, so buying those gems there had always been more expensive.

But, with this kind of price, there was practically no difference in buying it here compared to buying it in Gehenna, and this was what Sharon was complaining about.

“For this kind of beauty? No, no, this is the right price. The market price of Topaz is rising nowadays due to the increase in demand, but there’s just barely any supplies coming in. Imperial Topaz in particular, is worse off compared to other kinds of Topaz.”

The merchant slyly answered Sharon’s complaint without a change of expression in his eyes.

Before she realized it, he had already brought out a scale and placed it on the stall.

“Would you like me to weigh them for you?”

“…Yes, please. I’ll take this one and this one.”

Now feeling intimidated just like someone who entered a department store for the first time, Sharon picked up a few small Topaz and a rather large one.

In total, she bought five Topaz under three carats for 11.6 million won.

And a big 15.5 carat Topaz for 24.8 million won.

For a total sum of 36.4 million won.

Probably since she made a lot of money recently, she figured that she could flex a little, especially since the gems she bought were essential for her.

But, her hands were shaking as she did so. It was clear that the amount of money she spent weighed on her mind quite greatly.

Unfortunately for her, this was the first among the many things that she needed to buy today.

Siwoo thought about paying for her, but he quickly dismissed the thought.

Since she was trying to flex in front of him, it would just displease her if he were to do that.

Besides, if she really was reluctant to pay such a huge amount of money, she’d definitely tell him, so there was no need for him to step forward here.

“Wrap those separately, and next I want to see your Pearls, Aquamarine and Corals.”

“Alright!”

After she bought the offerings needed for the fire altar, it was only natural to buy the offerings for the water, wind and earth altar as well.

Despite the merchant’s glib tongue, she was able to restrain herself and only bought as much gems as she needed.

“Everything is 113 million won in total. Will you be paying using gold coins?”

“N-No, I-I’ll use my card…”

Sharon took the beautiful jewelry box (she paid for it separately) from the merchant’s hand and handed her card over.

Despite the stall having something as modern as halogen lights, for some reason, they were still using an outdated payment method.

The merchant placed Sharon’s card under the receipt, then he scrubbed the receipt with a pencil. Korea hadn’t used this method of payment since the 1980s.

As to how they’d receive their money, well, the merchant would bring the receipt to the bank and withdraw the money appropriately, following what was stated in the receipt.

For the final step, Sharon signed the receipt with her name. She let out a sigh, thinking how the box in her hand was too light for something that was 113 million worth.

“I’m okay, I’m fine…this isn’t a waste of money, I promise…”

“I-If you say so, sure…”

“I’ll have to prepare to pay for this much! It’s a necessary expense in the name of magic!”

Even though she didn’t need to, Sharon went on and tried to rationalize her life choices, before going to a tobacco shop next.

Of course she could always go to a convenience store if she wanted to buy some cigarettes, so obviously she wasn’t here for that.

What she wanted to buy was a magic pipe for her rituals.

Since her old pipe was broken by Della, she wanted to get a new one here.

“Welcome!”

Unlike the jewelry merchant, the tobacco merchant was rather rough looking. He greeted Sharon while rubbing his own hands.

Tobacco was a popular commodity among the witches of Gehenna, so tobacco pipe was pretty much a luxury item.

But, for offering specifically, one couldn’t just use any ordinary ones as it would decrease its value.

This was an issue that she had felt over the years, the fact that her self-essence magic was truly a money-eating machine.

Part of the reason why her research stagnated for a good while was because she didn’t have enough money.

“This one’s popular among witches, I tell you! It’s made of the tusk of a narwhal, it’s even embedded with amber to add to its elegance! This is one of the only ten of its kind in this world! Made by the famous pipe crafter from Gehenna, Rond!”

The pipe was around 30 cm long, and the chamber was quite small. It looked like a pistol more than anything.

For reference, its price was 15 million won.

While it was a luxury item, this kind of price was still stupidly expensive.

“Do you want me to buy it for you?”

Seeing Sharon’s whole body start to tremble, Siwoo couldn’t take it anymore and made that offer to her.

He asked cautiously, so that he wouldn’t hurt her pride by accident.

Still, she shook her head and rejected him.

“No, you gave me enough, I don’t want to burden you even more than this.”

“Why don’t we do this? I’ll buy one for myself and while I’m at it, I’ll buy one for you too…”

“No, if you want to buy one, then I’ll buy it for you.”

“Jeez, stop being so stubborn…”

The merchant, who had been smiling amicably up until this point, suddenly stiffened up.

Well it wasn’t a strange reaction, considering that this was the first time he had ever seen a man treating a witch this way.

It made the pair seem like they were a couple instead of a witch and her boy toy.

“I’m not being stubborn, I can pay for everything! Anyway, do you have some tobacco leaves? The ones you’d use for offerings?”

Sharon decisively refused Siwoo’s offer again before asking the merchant that question.

His fluster only lasted for a moment as he soon began to regain his composure again.

“Ah, yes, of course we do! Here they are! We also have scented tobacco leaves here! The popular ones are the coffee-scented one and the cherry—”

“No, just the normal ones will suffice.”

“Alright!”

The scented ones were unnecessary for Sharon since she’d only be using the leaves for offerings anyway.

Besides, she didn’t really enjoy smoking in the first place.

The merchant then pulled out a wrapped piece of paper, unwrapped it and showed her the tobacco leaves she asked for.

“You can give it a touch! These leaves came from the Latifundium, grown with the highest quality of magic water! They can maintain their moisture well and they are the perfect one to use if you want to replenish your mana!”

For around 50 g of those leaves, she had to wring out more one million won.

After that, they went all around the place to look for more things that Sharon needed, and she ended up spending more than 400 million won in less than three hours.

“It’s okay…all of these are necessary…”

“Yeah, you aren’t being wasteful, it’s a necessary expense. ”

“Right? You think so too, right?!”

Seeing how she muttered to herself while holding her card, as if it was her own child, Siwoo patted her back.

While he did that though, he had to suppress his own laughter due to how cute, yet pitiful her current appearance was.

Footnotes:

• 1around 6,661 square meter
• 2around 7,272 square meter