The market was alive with the sounds of haggling rchants and the chatter of shoppers. But more importantly, the place was filled with mixed scents of exotic spices, grilled ats, and freshly baked bread.
Adrian walked through the bustling market, chewing on so tasty kebabs while scanning the various shops and stalls. He was looking for a place to sell the equipnt he had acquired from raiding the poacher’s base.
He stopped at a few stalls, examining their wares. One shop had a collection of swords and daggers, and another offered potions and magical trinkets.
Adrian evaluated the quality of the items by price, trying to gauge which shopkeepers would give him the best price for his loot without having to reveal the goods.
As he moved deeper into the market, he noticed a group of soldiers clad in silvery armour. They weren’t the ordinary bunch. One look and Adrian could say they didn’t belong on the first floor.
The extravagant weapons they carried scread they weren’t there for fun either. The soldiers moved with an air of authority, and the crowd around them parted quickly, stepping out of their way to avoid any trouble. That was enough for him to know they were so big shots.
Adrian paused, watching the group from a distance. He overheard snippets of conversation from the people around him.
"Did you see them? They’re from Olympus. From Lord Poseidon’s faction to be precise. Only they use the silver armour."
"I wonder what they’re doing here."
"I heard they’re asking strange questions at the shops. Sothing about certain weapons with a rather strange mark."
Adrian’s ears perked up at this. He knew exactly why the Olympus soldiers were asking about specific weapons. They were trying to find out who had attacked the poachers, without directly revealing their own involvent with the poacher network.
After all, the connection between Olympus and the poachers was a well-kept secret, known only to a few. In the eyes of the public, the Olympus was a strong group with a bad temperant, but their heart was in the right place.
Despite knowing why the group was there, Adrian wasn’t bothered by them. He had taken precautions to ensure his actions couldn’t be easily traced back to him. As for the marking they were talking about, Adrian had gotten rid of those weapons so it would be difficult for the soldiers to find them.
Ignoring the army, Adrian continued walking but, like the rest of the crowd, he stepped aside to let the soldiers pass. He stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the group to move away before he resud his search for a suitable shop.
As the soldiers approached, Adrian kept his head down, blending in with the other shoppers. The soldiers didn’t pay him any attention, their focus was on the shops and stalls. Adrian listened carefully to their conversations as they passed by.
"Have you found anything yet?"
"Nothing concrete. Just the usual junk."
"We need to be thorough. They won’t be able to hide forever."
"Stop talking like we have forever to look for those accursed thieves. Lord Bellerophon will have our heads if we don’t find them by sunset."
Adrian smirked inwardly. He had been ticulous in covering his tracks. The equipnt he wanted to sell was unmarked, and he had made sure not to leave any identifying features that would lead to them being identified as stolen goods.
He watched as the soldiers continued their search, moving from one shop to another, asking their questions. It was then he noticed their leader, the only one without armour, just a bunch of weapons strapped to his legs and back.
As the soldiers walked past through, the leader glanced briefly at Adrian before continuing on. Adrian could see the intensity in his eyes and knew he was no ordinary guy.
Once the soldiers were a safe distance away, Adrian resud his walk through the market. He finally found a shop that looked promising.
The sign above the door read "Ivan’s Armory," and the window displayed a variety of high-quality weapons and armour. Adrian stepped inside, greeted by the clinking sound of tal and the sll of leather.
The shopkeeper, a burly man with a thick beard, looked up from behind the counter. "Welco. How can I help you?"
"I have so items I’d like to sell." Adrian approached the counter, retrieving a couple of swords from his inventory and showing them to the blacksmith. "Quality pieces from a recent acquisition."
Ivan raised an eyebrow as he opened the bag, inspecting the contents. He nodded appreciatively.
"These are nice. Where’d you get them?" Ivan asked. "This one doesn’t look like it is from the tower."
"I bought it from the outside shops," Adrian smiled slightly. "I found a better weapon during the trials so I’m selling this to get so money."
"Hm, I see. These are not bad per se," Ivan chuckled, closing the bag and setting it aside. "I can offer you a good price for these. Give a mont to tally up their worth."
As Ivan assessed the equipnt, Adrian glanced around the shop. He saw more weapons, armour, and various magical items. It was a well-stocked place, clearly catering to serious adventurers and hunters.
"I can give you fifty Asgardian coins for these," Ivan finished his calculations and looked up. "How does this sound?"
’Asgardian coins... hm, I have never heard about those before. At least I get to know the value of so of the coins I have.’
With a puzzled look on his face, Adrian told Ivan that it was his first ti in the tower and he didn’t know about the value of the coins. Hearing that, Ivan laughed heartily.
"No problem, my friend. Let show you." He pulled out several different coins and laid them on the counter. "These here are Asgardian coins. They’re quite valuable.
This one is an Olympian drachma, also worth a lot. And these are Vedic rupees. Each has its own value and can be used in different parts of the tower."
He continued, "Since the first five floors of the tower are under Asgard’s protection, we use Asgardian coins as our primary currency. Although most establishnts also use the points system to avoid confusion."
Adrian nodded, listening carefully. He realised that so of the currencies he got from the poachers were the ones Ivan told him about. But there were a couple that he still had no idea about.
Adrian smiled. "Thanks for the help. I appreciate it."
"No problem. Always happy to help a fellow adventurer," Ivan smiled back. "Take care out there."
They completed the transaction, and Adrian left the shop with a lighter bag and a heavier coin purse. Suddenly, he collided with a tall figure and stumbled backwards. It was the leader of the group he had seen earlier.
For a mont, Adrian panicked thinking the Olympians found out about his involvent with the poachers? He slowly retrieved Hydra’s fang, ready to attack the man. But to his surprise, the soldier extended a hand to help him up.
"I apologize," Bellerophon said, his voice steady and polite. "I didn’t see you there."
Adrian took the hand, allowing himself to be helped to his feet.
"No problem," he muttered, still wary of the towering giant of a man. "I can’t expect everyone to be on the lookout for a small guy like ."
Bellerophon nodded before entering Ivan’s shop. Adrian watched Bellerophon disappear inside, his heart still racing from the encounter.
He believed himself to be quite strong. But just by touching Bellerophon’s hand once, he knew the man wasn’t soone he could afford to ss with. Adrian took a deep breath, calming himself.
’I’m not fighting him... not for now, at least.’
However, as luck would have it this eting would spark a series of events that would let them face one another sooner than later.
Just as Adrian had sensed the power raging within Bellerophon, he had gotten a whiff of Adrian’s strength as well. Usually, when soone bumped into him on the lower floors, they would be begging for rcy even before he said sothing.
However, Adrian was different. Bellerophon could sense him being wary of the Olympian, but he wasn’t scared like the rest. The mortal had piqued his interest and seed suitable for the role his father, Poseidon was looking to fill. With his mind made up he called a couple of his soldiers to him.
"Find out who that man is," Bellerophon instructed. "If possible, try to recruit him in the faction."
"My lord, but he seed quite weak-"
Hearing those words Bellerophona grabbed the soldier by the neck and snarled, "Are you saying you have better eyes than I do?"
"N-No, sir... that wasn’t my intention..."
Bellerophon threw the soldier back and instructed the rest. "Whoever manages to recruit the boy will be given a promotion. I don’t think I need to explain more."
"No, sir!"
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