Chapter 8 -
After leaving the academy, Eugene and the others headed towards the Grand Market. This market is located in the center of Neo City, sprawling to a size of four miles, hence its name.
After twenty-five minutes, they managed to reach the market center.
"Wow! This is the first time in my life I've seen a market this big!" That was Eugene's reaction.
Fred said with a simple smile, "You're right. It's a very large and beautiful market."
"Let's stop being amazed and start exploring this place!" Rim spoke, her excitement evident.
"How could you live in the capital and never have gone to the market?" Eugene asked curiously.
"Who said I lived in the capital? I'm from Lee Ji Village," Rim answered.
"Lee Ji! The village directly beneath the Land of the Giants?!" Eugene's question was filled with curiosity and astonishment.
"Yes, that's the one," Rim replied.
"Well, why did you come to the capital?" Fred asked her.
Rim responded, "My parents lost our house due to debt. My mother died in a rockslide, so I came and settled in the capital. After that, I applied to the academy, as you saw."
Eugene spoke up and said, "So all of us have either lost our parents or are in debt. What about you, Fred?"
Fred raised his head, looked in the opposite direction, and began rubbing the back of his neck. "Well... my parents... we have... problems."
Eugene asked in a curious tone, "Problems? What kind of problems?"
"Well, let's change the subject," Fred replied with a tone of sadness and buried pain.
They began moving among the market stalls. "The Grand Market truly lives up to its name!" Eugene said after more than thirty minutes of walking.
The market was extremely crowded. The sounds of merchants, horses, steam trains, giant buildings, streets sloping downward, and machines making strange noises filled the air.
Eugene kept walking, bewildered, unsure what to buy. He had money because the academy provided a monthly financial allowance for its students.
As for Ren, he was very nervous. His hands were trembling, his heart was beating fast, and sweat was pouring from him. The thought of being amidst all these people was terrifying to him. What if he fell? Were his clothes okay? Did he look ugly? A thousand questions swirled in his mind.
Rim, however, was the opposite of Ren and Eugene. She moved between shops, buying clothes and jewelry. "I want one of those, and those, or... that dress is beautiful! How much is it?"
As for Fred, he had come only to pass the time and had nothing to buy. He went to a bakery and kept eating the famous "Yellow Sun Bread," a well-known bread in central Neo City.
After a while, an idea came to Eugene: "Why don't I go and buy something that could help me with farming? But wait..." He looked right and left. "There's nothing related to farmers here! Why?"
He started wandering, hoping to find a store for farmers. After a while of searching, he saw Professor Alex.
"Hello, Professor!" Eugene called out to him.
Professor Alex quickly turned towards him. Eugene went over and greeted him.
"Eugene, what are you looking for?" Alex asked him.
"And how did you know I was looking for something?" Eugene answered his question with another question.
"Well, it's logical that you came to the market to buy something. And after what happened yesterday, I suppose you're looking for something to either ease the burn or help you with farming."
Eugene was shocked by Professor Alex's words. "He's really smart! He deserves his title as a professor at the academy."
"Anyway, you won't find anything related to farmers here."
Eugene asked curiously, "Why?"
Alex answered, "Use your head, boy. Farmers are a minority in society, and most of them are either students at an academy like you, criminals, or belong to an organization. So it's natural that there are no resources here, because who would buy them?"
Eugene felt really stupid after Alex's reply.
"Anyway, come with me. I'm going to buy some things," Alex spoke, looking at Eugene.
Eugene then asked, "Where will you find the resources?"
"The Black Market."
"Does Neo City have a black market?" Eugene asked again.
"Why do you ask so many questions, boy?"
Eugene replied, "You know, I'm new to the capital and I want to learn from you, since you're a strong and experienced farmer."
Alex was pleased with Eugene's answer and began ruffling his hair vigorously.
"Hey! Stop that! It was neat, why are you messing it up?"
As they walked, Eugene asked again, "Why is Neo considered the capital?"
"Because it's located far from the borders and close to many primitive farm regions."
"Primitive farms... Are those the areas where primitive resources are farmed?"
Alex answered, "Yes."
The air was cold as they entered the tunnels leading to the Black Market.
"Achoo! It's cold!"
Then Eugene saw something resembling an underground city: residential buildings, clowns, the smell of gasoline and fires.
"It's more like a prison!" Eugene thought to himself.
They began walking among the stalls, with brokers trying to get them to buy from them.
"Hey! We have rare resources at a cheap price!"
"No! Don't listen to this lunatic! Our resources are pure, not corrupted!"
"What about you who says his resources are corrupted?!" The two began to argue, and Eugene and Alex paid them no attention.
They then arrived at a shop.
"Wait here," Alex said to Eugene.
"Okay, I'll stay here."
Alex went inside. While waiting outside, Eugene began to hear sounds of hitting and cheering coming from his left.
These sounds caught his attention. He went towards them, wanting to see the cause of these cheers and screams.
"Come on! Come on! Get up, you scoundrel!"
"I bet a lot of money on you!" It was the sound of the crowd forming human walls around two people. Eugene moved through them to see.
Two people were fighting each other, and both were farmers. One had white hair, the other brown hair.
"What is this?" Eugene asked in confusion.
A short man in tattered clothes standing next to him turned and said, "It's a street fight."
"Street fight?" Eugene repeated the man's words in a tone of amazement.
"Yeah, these two, as you see, are fighting, and these people are betting on who will win."
"What's the reason for the fight?" Eugene asked.
The man in tattered clothes answered, "No one knows. They're just betting."
"Go to sleeeeeeep!" The voices of the men who had bet on the brown-haired one rose.
"Too bad, you lost," the man in tattered clothes spoke, then looked at Eugene and said to him, "Listen, kid..."
Eugene turned to him and said, "What?"
THUD!!
And then he saw a powerful punch hit him right in the stomach. Eugene crashed into the crates behind him.
"Hey! You! What are you doing?!" Eugene yelled at him.
"Don't take this lightly. I want your money," the man said.
Eugene said, "What money are you talking about?"
The reply from the man in tattered clothes: "You think I'm a fool? You're from the Sun Academy. I know that academy gives money to its students. So give me your money, and I won't hurt you."
Eugene replied to him in a nervous but confident tone, "Then come and take it."
The man frowned, his features twisting in anger. "Then don't blame me for what happens to you!"
The man charged at Eugene. "Luckily, he's not a farmer!" Eugene thought to himself.
Eugene kept running right and left, with the man chasing him.
Soon, people began to cheer and shout.
"Hey! Run, you little bastard! I bet 100 bronze coins on you!"
Eugene picked up a small stone from the ground.
"Oooh no!" Eugene said as he fell to the ground.
The man said with victorious and joyful features, "Hahaha! How will you escape now?!"
Eugene smiled a sarcastic smile, then threw the stone towards a pile of barrels stacked in a pyramid.
The man looked back to find all the barrels falling on top of him.
Eugene stood up from the ground.
"Hah, looks like you're the one who's going to lose today!"
"Yeeees!" Cheers erupted everywhere.
"Yesssss!" said the man who had bet 100 bronze coins on Eugene.
Thwack! Alex hit Eugene lightly on the head with a punch.
"Didn't I tell you to stay away from the store?"
"Heehee... Sorry, I wanted to see what was happening here."
"Yes, and you ended up doing the same thing they were doing!"
Eugene apologized again. "Sorry."
Alex said to Eugene, "Well, let's go back now." He started moving towards the exit passage.
"Wait! I forgot..." Alex turned around and took out from his bag a purple, crystal-like circular piece.
Eugene looked at it and said, "Ah! What is this thing?"
Alex replied in a sarcastic tone, "Calm down! It won't explode on you!"
Eugene calmed down and said, "So what is it?"
Alex continued, "It's an ancient treasure, used to create something like vacuum rooms."
"Vacuum rooms? What are they for?" Eugene asked again.
Alex continued, "It's an invisible barrier that helps block sound and smells, and provides more concentration, so you can farm without disturbance or distraction."
Alex gave the piece to Eugene.
Eugene took it and began to contemplate it.
"Hey! You can admire it later!" Alex shouted. "Let's go, I'm getting hungry!"
Eugene put the piece in his left pocket.
"Help meeeee!" A voice came from Eugene's left.
Eugene looked towards the sound and found a group of boys. Their clothes were luxurious, clearly from wealthy families. There were fifteen of them, and they were beating a homeless man. His clothes were torn, and his teeth were in a very bad state.
The boy called out to Eugene, "Didn't you hear me? Get them away from me!"
One of those people looked at Eugene: "What are you looking at, you weird-eyed guy?!"
Eugene turned around and continued walking.
"Hahaha!" The group of boys laughed loudly.
"Hey! Where do you think you're go— AAAH!" One of the boys, the largest one, hit him in the stomach.
Eugene quickened his pace to get away from them.
"Dammit... If only I had the power, I'd beat them all up! No... Even if I had the power, they're rich. They could file a case against me and I'd be thrown in prison!" He thought to himself, his features mixing sadness with anger.
Eugene looked around: poor people, gangs, poisonous things, street fights.
"Is this the city known for its beauty and sophistication?!"
Eugene was upset by the situation. He continued on his way until he left the Black Market. He continued on his way, looking around again: rich people, happiness, beauty, and sophistication.
How could these scenes and this situation hide such an ugly and chaotic place beneath them?
"Hey! Kid, why are you late?" Eugene raised his head to find Alex, Fred, Ren, and Rim waiting for him.
Alex continued, "Don't tell me you got into a fight with someone again!"
"Fight?!" Fred and Ren said at the same time, looking at Alex.
Alex looked at them: "Ask him to explain it to you."
Eugene reached them, and they boarded a giant steam train equipped with a magical air conditioner inside.
Eugene sat by a window, with Ren next to him, and Fred and Rim behind them, and Alex behind them.
"The train will now depart for the Industrial Station. Fasten your seatbelts!"
The train started working, emitting steam from its chimney.
Eugene sat, contemplating the Grand Market, the people walking, and the sun that was almost setting.
And then Eugene glimpsed something strange, something like glitches, and a word appeared:
That He Is Watching All Of You
This word sent shivers down Eugene's spine and piqued his curiosity intensely.
What does this word mean?
End of Chapter 8