Chapter 235: Training, IV; Schematic

The beast's plaza was packed with wooden stalls but was open from above as they don't need a roof with it. Inside the Hive, there was no rain, nor sunlight, just wind from the massive vent of the dead volcano.

The stalls were carefully placed meters apart from each other. It was to accommodate the massive beasts that chose to roam the market.

Ned was small for a human, he was almost unseen along with the beasts. Ned noticed their currency. To his surprise, it wasn't mana stones or coins.

What they were doing was a barter system. Each item's value was the same between seller and trader. The simplest form was food for a portion of food; a blade for a blade; stone for a stone. But the more expensive an item is, the more value of the item was needed for the trade to be successful.

If hunters learned that mana stones were used as decorations here, they will sure to raid this place.

From the Hive to the surface, there were a lot of secret entrances that even Ned does not have an idea as to where the exact position of these said entrances.

Items sold were different in appearance. Just like how humans sell pieces of monster parts and Cores. Beasts on the other hand sold human weapons, armors. Ned even saw a horseshoe sold for three bags of what appeared to be a plain rock?

A goblin, like other goblins that were looking the same, was selling weapons, rusty, new, blade, bows. His trade was assorted. But for Ned, their Grade was all the same.

It seemed that even beasts were preparing a war of their own, Ned thought.

He cut a path along with a stall while grazing an arachne—which Ned gained a glare, and left—and proceed at the southern part of the market.

The southern part wasn't brimming with beasts buying and onlookers. Ned concluded, that this part of the market wasn't booming with the rest since most of the traders were shoons.

Just like Khiccaal, their tentacles were wiggling under their chins. Some were green, pale green, light blue in skin color.

Ned wasn't interested in the item they were selling. Most of it was from spoils of war, and if it's not fully broken, then one could get a rusty one.

Ned decided to leave the market and rest but his attention was caught by an item displayed by one of the shoon.

An old shoon. They all looked the same, but this one in front Ned was having a hard time moving his arms, and his tentacles were unmoving as if tired. Perhaps, dead already.

"Odlom twan ist mit, halooman?"

Ned's focus wavered as he kept on staring at the item on sale that he forgot to even translate the shoon's words.

Ned shook his head as the Shoon kept on muttering beastian words.

"Do you want this item, human?" The old shoon spoke once again.

The beast knew that Kon Sas Koron has invited a new human into the Hive. So aside from the beasts, Ned saw the moment he entered the market, most of the beast was not surprised to see Ned.

The item the shoon was referring to was resembling a pistol of modern earth. It has a grip made of iron, a slide in metallic silver. But the frame was different, it was awkward to look with its bulky appearance, almost like a belly full of grown man's food with an extra layer of fat. Its trigger was tiny, enough for Ned's finger to make a sounding click.

Ned rubbed his chin while bent closer at that item. The other item around it doesn't catch Ned's attention.

"What's this?" He asked. Nodding toward the pistol-like item.

"You tell me," the old shoon said. "It is human making, human. Found it decades ago before Kunchiin ended up here in the Araneum."

"Hmm," Ned hummed. Looking at the milky white eyes of the shoon who referred to himself in the third person. "Where did you find this, Kunchiin?"

"Land of metal," Kunchiin said. "Land of dancing light, land of no soil, only metal  Kunchiin noticed."

"Where exactly is that?" Ned asked.

"Kunchiin was a cub like human that time, human," the shoon said. "Long ago to remember. Old Kaka and Old Lala, and I being a Baba that time found it after the war of metal."

Ned sighed. He seemed too old to remember where he has gotten the pistol.

"How much?"

Kunchiin burst laughing, the tentacles started to wiggle but it hardly moved under his chin.

"Human said how much," he said. Too loud he was asking for someone to notice him. None came to his plea. He sighed. "Not how much, human. But what else."

"What else?"

"Yes!" Kunchiin the old shoon replied. "What else you got to trade with this?"

His long and black fingernail pointed at the pistol. Aside from rainbow stone beside the pistol, a dried root, nothing was worth it to Ned.

Ned considered if he wanted to trade. But with a thought, his mind pulled mana stone out of his ring.

The shoon, although no pupil, his milky eyes widened looking at the mana stone over Ned's hand then narrowed as he looked back at Ned. He shook his head.

"Funny, human," Kunchiin said. "Look around you. Look like I need mana stone?"

Of course, Ned thought. If they could afford to use mana stones as a source of light why would they use it for a trade? On the surface, perhaps, humans would kill for this. But here?

Mana stone here, no matter the count, doesn't have any monetary value.

Ned sighed. Aside from the mana stone, he doesn't have the proper item to trade for the pistol.

Ned was curious as to why there was a pistol here and wondered how does it operate. He wanted to trade to check for its schematics. But he doesn't have the item for it. Surely, he can't trade the Butterfly even if it's broken. As far as Ned remembered, even broken, the Butterfly could still block attacks. Obviously, not the Praha's Cube. Or the Record Cube Edward has given him. Also not the Tokens.

Ned sighed.

And not the mysterious boxes floating invisible inside the ring. He can't even touch them.

Ned's eyes glared with silver.

Of course, he thought to himself.

With another thought, a steaming ham and cheese appeared out of nowhere to his hand.

Ned was reluctant at first. But later on, made up his mind as he handed the ham and cheese to the old shoon.

"How about this?"