Chapter 124: The Marketplace
“Try saying them?” Brown looked up unexpectedly.
The man’s voice sounded a little stifled. It appeared as though he did not understand Russian very well or that the pronunciation itself was not very clear. He hesitated when identifying the name. “Ivan, Naveki, Tonya, wait no right? Let me think about it. It looks like it’s Ivanovich...”
Xiao Lin was the closest to Brown and noticed the old man’s pupils contracting violently when the name was mentioned. For the first time ever, Brown’s staid face had a look of horror and shock.
The man was oblivious to it and muttered to himself to try and correct it. More and more people gradually realized the name and their eyes were full of surprise and shock.
Lolander interrupted the man and said in a strange tone, “Are you sure you didn’t mistranslate? That’s impossible! You must have read it wrong!”
“What did I just hear?” Chloe seemed unable to recover from the shock.
Brown waved his hand and said in an astringent tone, “There’s no need to translate anymore. Ivanovich is probably the correct name. My God, it’s actually Ivan! His name appeared on the slate!”
There was a stark silence in the hall. Everyone’s expression was that of pure shock except for Xiao Lin, who did not understand the meaning behind the name. He shuffled in his seat and asked in a low voice, “Ahem, can anyone tell me who that Ivan is?”
Whoosh!
About a dozen pairs of speechless eyes turned to him, but Xiao Lin’s words had eased the dignified atmosphere a little. Professor Brown rubbed his temples and sighed. “That’s it for today. You wanted a day off, didn’t you, Xiao? I’ll approve it. In fact, I’ll give you all a day off. No, two days off!”
“What about our pay!” Lolander recovered from his shock and was more concerned about his remuneration than the name Ivan.
Professor Brown’s voice was very weak. Not wanting to argue over such trivial matters with Lolander, he gritted his teeth and simply waved his hand. “The remuneration will be paid as normal!”
Lolander smiled and set everything aside. “Let’s head back then. I don’t think you need to worry about it too much, Professor. The name must just be a coincidence, or someone else with the same name?”
On the way back, Xiao Lin seized the opportunity to ask Lolander and the others about it, but all of them either sighed or shook their heads. Even Lolander, who usually liked to joke around, did not say much, but simply asked Xiao Lin to go back and find the information himself. It was clear that everyone seemed to be in awe of that name.
It was not even midday when he arrived at the hotel and Song Junlang was not in the room. In fact, only half the morning had passed. Xiao Lin planned to continue his gravity acclimatization training in the inn, but after thinking about it for a moment, he decided to head to the trade district first and take a look around the city.
He was still unfamiliar with New Washington, but the enthusiastic innkeeper seemed to have noticed his difficulties and took the initiative to present him with a tourist map of the city. As a result, Xiao Lin felt that there were advantages to be gained by ingratiating the Norman innkeeper.
The bustling trade district was located at the center of the city. Various shops were lined on both sides of the streets, and it was easy to tell from the way the vendors dressed that an overwhelming majority were locals. At the heart of the district however, he slowly began to see some colonial vendors, but not all of them were from Judge Academy. At the very least, Xiao Lin spotted several Asians, like him.
The shops they operated were actually supermarket-type stores. Xiao Lin’s interest was piqued and he went in to take a look. The items they sold included bones, skulls, teeth, and jewelry pendants. He spoke with the owner and learnt that they were from Dawn Academy. Those knickknacks were made into simple pendants from beast bones that were hunted by the orcs, and most of them were equipped with mystical properties after some simple spells were casted over it by the orc shamans. It was very common among the beastkin orcs and in Dawn City, but relatively rare at New Washington so they could often be sold at a price several times higher.
Xiao Lin politely declined the other party’s offer and asked about the location where skill books were sold. He then left the supermarket, checked the map, turned left and did a turn before finally stopping at the corner of an alley. It was very old, and the stone bricks were completely covered with vines. It was likely an old site left behind from the Thunder Kingdom and the environment was very quiet, so much so that it appeared like a completely different world from the hustle and bustle outside.
Xiao Lin felt a little strange. Compared to the bustling market outside, the place looked very deserted and it would not have been easy to locate the place if someone had not given him directions.
He pushed open the dilapidated wooden door with a creak, and though the shop was rather small, the furnishings were quite unique. The two floor-to-ceiling windows were covered in old, thick branches and leaves. Some bright sunlight, mottled with the shadows casted by the leaves, lit the wooden floor sparsely.
Rows of bookshelves were positioned in the center. The tops of most bookshelves were exquisitely carved with several small animals, and by the window were two rows of sofas surrounding a round table. At that moment, several men and women were sitting there, sipping their aromatic coffee while holding exquisite books.
Once they heard the sound of the creaking door, they turned their heads immediately and looked suspiciously at Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin was made to feel rather awkward. In any case, it looked more like a private gathering in a small library rather than a skill book shop. Xiao Lin’s mind raced to find some of the English words that he knew.
A middle-aged man stood up first and asked, “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Xiao Lin quickly found the words to phrase his answer, “Someone told me that skill books can be bought here, but I think I might have found the wrong place.”
He was about to leave when a middle-aged blond woman, who sat with her back to him, turned around in surprise and could not help chuckling. “You’re right. This is the place that sells skill books. How did you find it?”
More laughs were heard when Xiao Lin told them about the Dawn merchant who operated a supermarket. The middle-aged man shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. Then, he said directly in Chinese, “So you’re from Dawn Academy. No wonder that old guy suggested you come to me.”
The fluency of his Chinese gave Xiao Lin an immediate sense of familiarity. He released his hand from the doorknob and asked, “Are you also a graduate of Dawn Academy?”
He was a burly man with thinning hair and seemed to have shaved his head not too long ago. Clad in a white shirt, the muscles exposed to the air were swollen and resembled steel bars. Despite his robust looks, he had a kind disposition and smiled before replying, “You can say that. Hehe. Today’s one of the rare occasions I’m a businessman. So, tell me Junior, what do you need?”
“So, he’s your compatriot. We won’t bother you then.”
“Let’s get together another day!”
The others on the sofa heard the middle-aged man’s words and took the initiative to get up and bid their goodbyes. They smiled politely as they passed by Xiao Lin and proceeded to leave.