Chapter 622: Deal

This looked more like a rural village than a duchy.

"This is my first time in the Hermes Kingdom," Julian said carefully, watching Skreek’s reaction.

The change was immediate.

Skreek’s expression hardened noticeably. His yellow eyes narrowed, losing their friendly gleam. His tail, which had been swishing happily stopped.

"An outsider," he said flatly. "You’re from outside Hermes Kingdom."

The atmosphere changed dramatically. The crocodile-man took a small step backward, creating distance between them. His hand moved subtly toward something concealed in his vest—possibly a weapon, possibly some kind of alarm.

"That’s... that’s not possible," Skreek said slowly, suspicion clear in his voice. "The borders have been sealed for ages. No one gets in. No one gets out. The magical barriers prevent it. So how could you possibly be—"

Julian recognizing the situation reached into his pocket and pulled out another leather bag—this one noticeably larger and heavier than the first. He held it up, letting it clink enticingly, then tossed it to Skreek.

The crocodile-man caught it reflexively, his eyes widening as he felt the weight.

A switch flipped.

Skreek’s defensive posture melted away. His tail began swishing again. His eyes lit up with renewed greed as he quickly opened the bag and peered inside.

"Oh! OH! Well now!" The ass-licking tone returned immediately, even more exaggerated than before. "An outsider! How absolutely fascinating! How incredibly interesting! Why, Sir, we haven’t had outsiders in ages! Decades! Centuries perhaps!"

He clutched the bag to his chest like it was his most precious possession, all suspicion completely forgotten.

"Which kingdom are such esteemed guests from, if humble Skreek may ask?" His squeaky voice was practically singing now. "The Ares Kingdom? The Hades or Apollo?!"

He did a little excited hop, his tail thrashing behind him.

"And you and your absolutely gorgeous wives—" he nodded respectfully toward the three daughters, "—have somehow bypassed the magical barriers that have kept us isolated for so long! Remarkable! Incredible! You must be very powerful mages indeed!"

Seraphine was shaking her head in disbelief at how quickly money had once again transformed this creature’s entire attitude.

Lyanna grinned. "I kind of like him. At least he’s honest about being bought."

Since Skreek was now completely bought, Julian decided to answer the question.

"We’re from the Ares Kingdom," he said. "We’ve been... traveling, and our path brought us here."

"The Ares Kingdom!" Skreek’s eyes somehow grew even wider. "Oh my, oh my! The great Ares Kingdom! We hear stories, you know, from the old days before isolation! Stories of grand cities, powerful mages, complex magical engineering!"

He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to an excited whisper.

"Tell me, Sir, is it true? Are the cities there really made of white stone that glows in moonlight? Are there really towers that reach the clouds? Do mages there really create artificial creatures that can think and move on their own?"

Julian felt nostalgic as he thought of his old kingdom.

"Some of that is true," he said quietly. "Though perhaps exaggerated in the telling."

"Incredible, incredible!" Skreek whispered. "And you’ve come to our humble Hermes Kingdom! Whatever for? Surely there’s nothing here that could interest someone from such an advanced nation?"

Julian’s expression became more serious. "We’re investigating something. The disappearances you mentioned. The strange happenings. We have reasons to believe they might be connected to... certain events that concern us."

Skreek’s enthusiasm dimmed slightly as the serious topic returned.

"Ah, yes, the troubles," he said. "Well, Sir, if you’re investigating those, you’ll want to know everything Skreek knows. And for such generous payment—" he lifted the bag slightly, "—Skreek will tell you everything. Every rumor, every suspicion, every piece of gossip he has heard."

He glanced around nervously, making sure they were still relatively alone in their corner of the market.

"But perhaps not here, Sir? Too many ears, too many eyes. If you’re truly investigating something serious, we should speak somewhere more private. Skreek has a shop, not far from here. We could talk there, away from curious listeners?"

Julian considered this. On one hand, following a stranger to a secondary location was always risky. On the other hand, they needed information, and having privacy to discuss sensitive matters would be valuable.

He looked at his three daughters, giving them a subtle questioning look.

Seraphine gave a tiny nod.

Lyanna shrugged slightly.

Cassandra looked uncertain but didn’t voice it.

Julian turned back to Skreek.

"Lead the way," he said. "But know this—if this is some kind of trap, you’ll regret it very quickly."

Skreek’s eyes widened in what appeared to be genuine shock and offense.

"Trap? Sir! No, no, absolutely not! Skreek values his life too much to try to cheat customers—especially customers as clearly powerful as yourself!" He clutched the coin bags protectively. "Besides, you’ve already paid me very well! Why would Skreek risk that for anything else?"

That logic, at least, made sense.

"Fine," Julian said. "Show us your shop."

"Yes, yes! Right away, Sir! Follow Skreek, please!"

The crocodile-man began waddling through the market, occasionally glancing back to make sure they were following.

As they walked through the crowded marketplace, Julian noticed the stares they were still attracting. Conversations stopped as they passed. Merchants paused in their haggling to watch. Guards at the gate took notice of their movement.

They were definitely not blending in as well as he’d hoped.

But at least now they had a local contact—even if that contact was a shameless, money-obsessed crocodile-man with a squeaky voice.

Skreek led them through the crowded marketplace, walking between stalls and shops. As they walked, Julian continued observing the settlement. The market seemed to be divided into distinct sections—the outer ring where they had entered was bright and bustling, filled with food vendors, cloth merchants, and general goods. But as Skreek led them deeper, the character of the market began to change.

The stalls became more specific. A dwarf—Julian noted with interest that dwarves also existed here—was selling weapons and armor. An elderly elf woman offered potions in glass vials that glowed with various colors. A human merchant had a collection of old books and scrolls.

And the crowds were thinner here.

"Not much further now, Sir!" Skreek called back. "Skreek’s shop is in the quieter section! Much better for private conversations!"

After another few minutes of walking, they reached what could only be described as the darker portion of the market.