Chapter 111 109 - Exploring The Underground

Once Milo had realized this fact, the twins seemed to laugh at his reaction. They went on to explain that around 1 year ago, the man who owned the carousel discovered the gate in the storage area they entered from, He chose to reach out to a private gate crashing crew. These private crews were less common nowadays due to the GAA running extensive background checks on gatecrashers and using magic satellites to detect gates. Back when the gate was first discovered, these satellites hadn't been invented yet. Since only the boss remained in the gate, the magical energy signature given off by the Underground was too small for the association to determine it was a gate that needed to be closed.

After hiring the private crew, the man worked with them to clear out all the beasts aside from the boss. It took the crew a long time to successfully capture the boss without killing it, but now it acted as a sort of mascot for the black market found within the gate. It was also relatively friendly to the people who ran the market, due to it recognizing them as the ones who fed and cared for it.

Milo was amazed by the ingenuity of the man who was the reason for the Underground's existence. It wasn't common for someone to use a gate to their advantage, most people feared the terror that could be found within but the man turned it into an investment.

According to the twins, the man passed away a year after the Underground was established due to old age, but his family still received compensation from the group that ran the market.

After explaining how the Underground came to be, they went through a few rules as well as how the market worked. There was a sort of tax that would be added onto the price the items were purchased for, this was what was used for the upkeep of the market. These taxes were also used to pay the family of the Underground's founder. The people who ran it were members of the original crew the man worked with, so they made sure that the man's wish would remain. It was also crucial that the location of the Underground not be revealed to the association, while this meant that the Fellowship could access the market, it also meant that it wouldn't be shut down for all the gatecrashers who used it.

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If members of the Fellowship were discovered in the market, they'd also be labeled as criminals. While the Underground wasn't sanctioned by the association, everyone knew that the Fellowship was evil and wouldn't tolerate them using the market. There was one case where a group of Fellowship members were using the Underground to purchase elixirs for the evil group. Once it was discovered by the leaders of the black market, they captured and killed the cult's members in order to send a message that the Underground was off limits to them.

Overall, this made Milo like the idea of the Underground even more, it was like a secret society for gatecrashers, and it still recognized the differences between evil and good. In cases like these, that line would often be blurred but Milo was thankful that they tried to keep it clear. Once the twins had finished telling him about the Underground, they started to walk through the streets.

Inside the town most of the shops were more akin to market stalls, being inside of tents rather than buildings. As they walked Milo took note of tons of different products he saw; there were equipment stalls selling armor and weapons like any other shop outside of the Underground, along with these there were shops dedicated to beast parts, some for essence cores, elixir shops that sold various recovery potions and more. Seeing all the different things for sale, Milo vowed to return whenever he thought of something he might need, as it would prove to be a valuable resource to him.

As the team continued walking, the twins entered a tent that seemed to be selling elixirs. The shopkeeper was an older woman which shocked Milo a bit. In order to enter gates one had to be awakened, Milo figured that there would be awakened people who were elderly but hadn't considered them to be the type to enter a gate.

The elderly woman seemed to recognize the twins and welcomed them in, even giving them a hug when she saw who had entered. After greeting her, the two of them introduced Milo to her. Apparently her name was Viola, she originally owned a medicine shop before the dimensional doors opened and after she became awakened she found out she had a knack for creating elixirs. After the people of the Underground discovered her talent they invited her to open an apothecary there so that she could help gatecrashers to stop the dimensional doors. She agreed and this was where she currently was.

Milo also found out that she was a friend of the twins' mother. This was why she and the twins were so close, she had assisted in raising them and commonly baby sat them when they were kids. In a sense she was like an aunt to the two of them.

Once the twins got everything they needed, they said bye to Viola and continued to window shop looking at all the things that were for sale. Eventually they came across one of very few permanent structures found inside the Underground. Milo inquired about what it was used for and the twins informed him that this was where the council in charge of keeping the Underground up and running stayed at. They lived there and would only leave the gate the Underground was found in in order to buy essentials. Milo took note of its location and then continued on.

While walking through the streets lined with market stalls, Milo couldn't help but think about how his friends would think of the Underground. It was a place he planned to introduce them to after they graduate, it could even prove to be somewhere where Zach could purchase food for Waki. Avery would love it as well as she could purchase materials for her creations. Overall, he was sure his friends would love this place as they would all be gatecrashing after graduation.

Eventually Milo came across something that intrigued him, one of the stalls was labeled "Fortune Telling." Milo was confused seeing a fortune teller in a place like this, why would they open shop in a black market for gatecrashers? Milo shrugged and entered the tent to see if it was the real deal. When entering, he saw a young woman sitting at a plain wooden table. She gestured for Milo to take a seat and then put her hand out.

Milo activated his inspect skill and saw that her ability was one that allowed her to see into the nearby future. He wasn't sure how far ahead she could look but this was most likely why she opened shop here in the Underground. With her ability she could tell gatecrasher what lay in store for them and maybe even change their decisions so that they could change what fate had in store for them.

He paid a man at the entrance the fee for the reading and took a seat before placing his hand in the young woman who was reading the fortunes. She then asked his name and after giving it to her she closed her eyes. Her hair seemed to begin to resist gravity and began to float a bit as she activated her future sight. After a short amount of time she began to speak.

"I see you forming a new bond, one that will be strong, it seems as though this bond will start while you are away on a trip."

Hearing this Milo wondered if it could have to do with his trip with the guild he was about to leave for. She still kept things vague however just like every other fortune teller would, almost as if to keep her act up, even though she could see exactly what would happen.

"This bond will be key in overcoming trials in your future…" She continued. "I also see great pain, and anguish. Flames of evil will swallow your happiness for a time, this pain will lead to either your downfall or a rebirth, allowing you to surpass everyone."

Milo was worried after hearing these words but decided that anytime evil looking flames made an appearance he would be sure to avoid it, this was the only way he could truly stop it from ruining his future.

"If you aren't careful this pain and anguish will drag you into despair. Stick close to your friends you make along the way, they will be the guiding light who will help bring you out of this pit."

After finishing her fortune telling she let go of Milo's hands. She seemed extremely calm considering the sheer weight her words contained. Milo guessed this was because of how often this happened. After thanking her for the reading, he left the tent and returned to the twins.

After Milo left the tent, the young woman attempted to stand from the chair she was sitting at causing her to stumble. The man at the front collecting the fee for her readings saw this and rushed to her side. Once she collected herself and stood back up, tears could be seen streaming down her cheeks. "That poor boy, his future holds many trying times. I pray that he heeds my words and is able to overcome the ordeals he is destined for," she said aloud.

After getting his fortune read, Milo looked for the twins and found them in a group surrounding a cart that Milo hadn't originally noticed. He made his way over and could hear the crowd cheering. He walked over and his eyes widened. A sign could be seen, "guess which cup contains the ball and win a prize" it read. When he got close, he could see why, one of the prizes was a beast egg. This was a chance for Milo to finally use his Beast Whisperer ability.