The Archaic System 28 Bazaar

"Has the lord been pleased with my performance," I took a bow.

He looked down on me from his position in the pavilion, "Indeed you have surpa.s.sed my expectations. Although, you may not have it so easy in your next fight," As he spoke he looked over at Captain Sauer.

"Kid just because you have had some success doesn't mean you can face me, HAHA," said Sauer boisterously.

"We won't know till we try," I responded coolly.

Suddenly, Sauer's face went cold and an evil gleam flickered in his eye.

Then Morrow said, "We will give you three hours to go get your wound checked out and prepare for the fight. Afterward, I would like to have a moment to speak with you. I ensure that you will find it worth your time."

"It would be my pleasure," I said as I turned and exited the fighting arena. I went back to the practice arena were an attendant gave me 13 gold coins for my win and directed me to a physician who st.i.tched and bandaged my wound. After applying a special ointment I basically had all movement back in my arm and it affected me very little.

First I wanted to go check my odds for the fight at the gambling house and collect my previous winnings. After waiting in line and getting up to the attendant I presented my gambling ticket for my fight with Silent Killer. After checking the attendants eyes looked shock for a second then put the gold in a sack and handed it to me. "Here are your winnings."

I appreciated the attendants decorum, even if I was the finalist 59 gold was a substantial amount.

I asked, "What are the odds for the final fight?"

The attendant promptly responded, "7 to 1 in favor of Captain Bo "Grizzly" Sauer."

"Swee," I couldn't help but whistle aloud.

Even after beating all my opponents while barely suffering one injury my odds were still that low. Even lower than my first match. I thought about it for a moment then placed a four gold bet and left the gambling house. I didn't place a higher bet because I knew from my past life that if the gambling house had to pay out over 30 gold Sauer and Morrow would be notified and that usually didn't end well for the person betting.

With my last bet even though I received 59 gold my bet was 29 gold and 50 silver. With 2 to 1 odds this meant the gambling house only paid out 29 gold and 50 silver. Just under the amount that would make the gambling house manager notify Morrow and Sauer. I bet 4 gold on 7 to 1 odds because the payout from the gambling house would be 24 gold, but if I bet 5 gold the payout would be 30. All of my bets were carefully calculated to get the most gold with smallest amount of risk.

Next, I went over to the native section to see Valerian. As I was entering I noticed a somewhat familiar silhouette. I stopped pulling my cloak around me and moved to the side so I could get a better angle.

Then I noticed the red stripe running down the G'eth's arms and the large thorns sticking out from his shoulders. c.r.a.p its Cratagus! I didn't expect him to come here and I don't have time to deal with him at the moment! However, he is the only one who would recognize Valerian and me. I quickly went to where Valerian was sitting. Luckily a wall of the arena obstructed Cratagus's view of Valerian's seat. If he saw him he would definitely start trouble.

Valerian looked over at me as I sat next to him and I could tell he was about to say something loud and stupid.

I quickly said, "Shut up," in a quiet tone.

Valerian got a hurt look on his face.

"Cratagus is here."

Quickly his face went from hurt to shock. He spun his head around.

"Where is he? Let's go teach him a lesson."

He is really too hot-headed sometimes.

"No, absolutely not. We cannot let him see either one of us. It will be detrimental to the plan."

"Oh yeah, I guess you are right."

"You are gonna have to leave the arena for now. While you are out I need you to find a way to make sure Cratagus doesn't watch my fight with Sauer. This is important you can't screw it up. When you are done just go back to the Inn"

"Gotcha, I understand," Valerian responded.

We then quickly made our way out of the arena ensuring Cratagus didn't see us. So far my plans were moving forward flawlessly, however, Cratagus could be a very serious problem. For my plan to succeed I must win over Alexander Morrow's trust and I can't do that if he finds out I'm close with any of the native races, including Valerian. This is why I have been coming to the native section hiding under a cloak. This is also why Cratagus could be a huge problem as he could reveal my relations.h.i.+p with the G'eth. I could only leave it up to Valerian, even if he seems like a moron sometimes he hasn't let me down yet.

I still had about two hours before the fight with Sauer and pondered over ways I could improve my strength before the fight. Even with the essence I gained during the previous fights I still don't have enough to level up again. I have been practicing my techniques and poses for Quicksilver Blade all day and don't think that will help significantly improve my strength in a short period.

I looked up in exasperation. I just can't think of anything that would significantly improve my strength. I stared into the sky. Based on the position of the sun it should be a couple of hours after midday. Hmm... there is normally a bazaar in the market district around this time.

I decided I might as well head over there to take a look around. At the very least it wouldn't hurt and maybe I could come across something that can help me. I made my way through the streets towards the bazaar. As I was walking I looked around taking note of all the activity in the village. Overall, it was a fairly bustling, the basic shops and amenities had been set up. You could find a variety of products and lots of foods due to the fertile land on the plain.

Other than the frozen and desert areas most of Agartha is fertile and there are plants similar to the ones on earth that can be farmed. Clearly, Alexander Morrow provided the villagers with the descriptions of the edible plants and what their counterpart on earth is. Even if his intentions are not pure he did set the foundation for a strong village in Agartha.

It only took me about 15 minutes to reach the bazaar. The bazaar was especially busy with all kind of unique products to Agartha in all the different stalls. There were some things that were similar to things from earth and others that were completely different.

The good news is that most people don't know the true value of the things they have so I could find myself a few treasures if I get lucky.