The next day, as the sun rose in the secret realm, Petra opened her groggy eyes and rolled back and forth. She lay on a small cloth bed, one designed for a single person.
After sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and looked around, temporarily confused by her surroundings. She looked at the unfamiliar ceiling, and then it clicked. She remembered that after yesterday, they had left the forest, so they decided to temporarily set up camp at the crossroads before moving on.
Mm, after all, they didn't want to be the first to explore those three 'trial-like' areas, so it was better to wait for some cannon fodder.
Petra collapsed back on the bed, then rolled over and off, landing onto the floor like a salted fish. After popping up, she stretched, then began doing some morning exercises.
Left, right~
Left, right~
She finished, then stepped forward. Her eyes turned, looking back and forth, finally finding a set of clothes left here, presumably by Mell, not too long ago. After changing from her white nightgown into her little witch's costume, she picked up the fat frog and plopped it in her hood, then found the small snake who had wound around a nearby light fixture to sleep.
After stuffing it in her hair, she moved to the door and opened it. Her small feet pressed into the wooden floor as she passed a window. Petra could feel the warmth from the floor, heated by the light from the window. Her brow raised, slightly surprised by the efficacy of her 'experiment'.
After the door opened, it led to a short hallway where six other rooms filled the floor. There was another large window at the end of the hall, and a few small but strangely minimalistic pieces of furniture hanging around here and there.
Petra skipped down the hall and reached the door opposite the window. After opening it, this door led to a set of stairs that led downstairs.
Before descending, she looked to the side, where she promptly saw Wind through one of the open doors. Wind was head-first in a pile of papers, sleepily leaning over a desk. The pen hadn't even fallen out of her hand, clearly displaying her dedication despite her exhaustion.
Not only was she still recovering, but she was also currently tasked with working with the portion of the ant army that had entered the secret realm with them to create a preliminary map of their surroundings. Now that they were out of the fog, this became a lot easier.
Petra did not disturb her.
She hopped downstairs and appeared on the first floor.
The first floor was a circular room with a counter, four cabinets, and an assortment of display cases that all faced a door leading outside. There were two windows next to the door, and a number of interesting things were openly displayed.
She scanned the decor, and once she decided that she was satisfied, she moved on.
Behind the counter were two small figures. These were three little girls that looked seventy parts similar to herself, with long green hair, each styled differently, and big black eyes. If not for a few difficult-to-discern oddities that appeared on each girl, it would be hard to tell that they weren't human. These were the ant avatars, or at least the ones representing the symmetrophilic, the perfectionist, and the myrmecophobic personalities.
Symmetrophilic: "See, See-see, See! See-see!" (Damn it bitch! Stop moving things around!)
Perfectionist: "PA-pa, papa-pa! PA!" (They look better like this! What's the point in having eyes if you don't use them! Skinny brat!)
Petra had no idea what they were saying…
It wasn't that she couldn't check, but she just didn't care.
Her eyes turned.
Throwing those three to the back of her mind, she looked at Mell, who was also lingering around with Rose and Lira on the first floor. As she approached, she could hear Mell, the head maid, giving the two red-haired cats a set of instructions, asking them to go and collect a few things from the surroundings.
Both cats gave a synchronized nod before departing, their tails fluttering behind their backs as they left.
Petra paused, and soon, Mell discovered her and took the initiative to walk up.
After saying a few things, Petra understood that the two overly energetic cats were sent out on a hunt for food. This was supposed to burn off some of their early morning energy.
Because Lilly and Luna were not here, they didn't actually have a cook, so it would inevitably fall on Mell to make their meals, at least, while they weren't using their rations or cheat pills. Petra's cooking was poisonous, and Wind was too picky, leaving only Mell, who had grown up as nobility, a commoner, and a slave, all in the span of around ten years.
She was actually quite experienced despite not being too old.
After listening, Petra nodded. Mell would follow Petra around while waiting for the duo to return.
Petra had no complaints about this anyway.
She shook her head, trying to wake up just a little more, then began the day.
After trotting over to the door, she reached up and turned the signboard to the open-for-business state!
With a smile, she stepped back.
* * *
Time passed.
The fog stirred, and soon, a young woman stepped out of the waterfall of fog.
She appeared with the grace of a warrior, and the aura she released was clearly that of a young master. This woman had short, messy black hair with azure eyes. She had a fit body and twin chains coiling up her arms that disappeared into her large sleeves. She wore a hooded blue cloak with the hood pulled up, and from every angle, this was a graceful beauty with a fit physique.
Her face was both kind and friendly, but there was also a hint of unnaturalness to her smile.
If not for the strange way she held herself and the clothing that didn't seem to fit completely, then one might just misunderstand this individual. In fact, this was Nellio Azurefell, the young master of the Azurefell family!
Mm, or at least, he was, before Petra erased the male half of the bloodline from their family.
Behind him, the fog stirred once more, and soon, two more figures emerged. These were Lalume and Nenl Azurefell, who had both returned and decided to stay in the end after learning what had become of their family.
In fact, Nenl was even a bit excited! She never knew so many of her brothers could make such cute girls! Her playful eyes swept over Nellio with an unrestrained light, causing Nellio to shiver.
After a swift glare over her shoulder, Nellio stepped forward and looked around.
While trying to get a better understanding of their surroundings, in the background, Lalume repeatedly smacked the brat who was continuously becoming more and more unrestrained!
Nellio examined their surroundings. Seeing no one, she wondered if they were the first to leave the forest. This was a crossroads that split three ways. A massive field stretched into the distance, and a few dozen meters ahead were three separate paths that branched outward beneath the bright blue sky, one leading ahead to the mountains, one leading to the eastern highlands and hills, and one leading to a ravine in the west.
Nellio's heart stirred, and she thought back to the information she had obtained before entering. Each of these areas held a 'pillar' that needed to be lit up before the core area could be entered. These pillars should correspond to the three traits representing the Hellion Family, Pride, Fearlessness, and Loyalty.
Her eyes moved.
There was no indication which way was which, and any signs of a signpost had long since disappeared.
Her eyes suddenly focused on a small building just behind the crossroads. This was a strange place that didn't seem to completely fit in with the surroundings. It actually looked relatively new.
It was a two-story building, with the second floor protruding slightly, like a wooden mushroom. The front door was paired with two display windows, seemingly indicating that this was a medicine shop.
As her eyes scanned the hanging sign, her breathing suddenly hitched.
"Poppy's Potions!"
The exclamation could not be controlled. Both Nenl and Lalume paused what they were doing and looked over, confused. Nellio had a face full of helplessness as she explained to the duo that this was a name synonymous with the troublesome fifth hero, Petra.
Both girls closed their mouths, but they also exchanged a glance.
Nenl: "Do you think the twins might be…?"
Lalume: "It's possible, but I don't remember seeing them before we entered."
Nenl: "I want to go take a look."
Lalume: "Don't forget what Petra did. Just look at the young master's expression…"
Nellio could easily hear their whispers, causing a vein on her forehead to throb.
"Let's go!"
With that, they stepped forward with the determination to ask for directions!
-
Reaching the front door, Nellio held her breath.
Ever since meeting Petra, she had only become more and more aware of the chaos involved with this person. It wasn't just her identity; her entire personality was a mystery shrouded in confusion. Not only could her origins not be traced, but even the power she possessed seemed to be all over the place.
Divination didn't work, and Petra's ability to run away was unmatched!
Looking up at the Poppy's Potions signboard, Nellio thought back to what she knew about this place. It was a small store that would appear from time to time. It seemed mobile at times, but it was also reported to replace existing businesses. The information about it constantly contradicted itself.
As for what it sold, this was a hodgepodge of what she fully believed was Petra's trash.
There was medicine and insects, beast parts and poisons. There were cultivation techniques that seemed to have just been created, likely because Petra wanted a willing test subject. In addition, many new specimens of flora and fauna were reported coming from this place, which also made a few people suspect whether Petra had broken certain taboos.
The strangest part was that this place seemed to be able to appear and disappear at will, like it could actively hide from those with malicious intent.
Nellio fully believed this, because just standing here, she could feel a strange aura trying to affect her perception. If she was not wrong, this was a spell that would only allow people with a need or want to buy to find this place, even if it was right in front of you.
Nellio shook her head, her short hair swaying back and forth as she tried to ignore the strange aura that was seeping out of the walls.
As she reached for the doorknob, a sudden shout from inside caught her attention.
BANG!
"Black shop! This is a black shop!"
The roar was filled with grief and indignation! After the already extremely familiar roar, a second, equally familiar voice soon appeared.
"—Petra's Five Principles of Life, No.1: 'Nothing cannot be traded! If you don't get a price, make one! Equivalence is relative!'" This didn't seem to be directed at the first man, instead, she seemed to be explaining it to someone else.
"Bullshit! This is just called stealing! Also, brat! How can I make a trade when I can't even understand what they're saying!"
"See, see-see! See-see, see! " (Stingy man!)
"Pa-pa. Pa pa-papa! Pa!" (Since this guy isn't going to take good care of it, we might as well!)
"See!? How am I supposed to bargain like this?"
Nellio heard Petra's voice one more time: "You're right, it is a bit unreasonable. How about this: if you put down your spear, I can hold onto it until the transaction is over. That way, you don't have to worry about them taking it in advance, right?"
"Bullshit! How is giving it to you any different from giving it to them! Also! Also! I don't even intend to sell my spear! Black shop! This is definitely a black shop!"
BANG!
The sound of a crash was heard, followed by the click of a tongue.
"Daring to damage my property! Girls! Get him!"
"What!! You kicked that over!!"
"Ah!"
"Damn it!"
"Hey!"
"Fuck!"
BOOM!
Before Nellio's eyes, the front door was yanked open, and soon, a young yet slightly disheveled face was revealed. Despite the two small children that were currently chomping on his head, Nellio could recognize him at a glance: the young master of the Dimebeck Family, Dilen Dimebeck!