Noah passed through the main market road and turned towards a narrow alley. As he went further in, it got narrower and darker.
Some of the dregs of the society, the goons, thieves and homeless street rats lined the alley and gave menacing and cautious looks at Noah, seeing a young boy with full body armor.
After walking a few meters, the narrow road opened into a broad market.
It was filled with hustle bustle and the street vendors screamed their lungs out, selling their products. And most of the vendors and people were the demi-humans.
Beast men, orcs, dwarves, goblins and many other races along with a few humans were roaming around wherever the eyes went.
This was the hidden side of the city that not many ventured into as it was the biggest black market of the city.
Noah went further ahead and stopped in front of a rundown shop.
The glass panes were not cleaned in ages and the moss had covered most part of the wooden frames and the board with the shop name 'Globo's den' at the top was inclined and about to fall any moment.
Noah pushed the door open as the door bell above chimed and a short man of about two feet with long pointy ears and wrinkled grey skin, long and pointy nose, and large eyes behind the round glasses rested above the nose bridge, looked up towards the young man entering in the shop.
He was the owner of this old shop, the famous black market dealer, the grey goblin Globo.
"Globo! How're you doing?" Noah hollered as he asked Globo.
"Tch!" Globo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Skip this formality. What do you need?"
"Come on man! Can't I just visit a friend?"
"Never! You selfish bastard! You'd never come without the need of something to extract from me!"
"Haha! Come on man! You're hurting my feelings! We have a long history of selling and purchasing, we're basically business mates!"
"It's been only a few months since we know each other and you've only ever scammed me. you are the avalanche of loss for me!" Globo exclaimed.
"Just tell me what you need and go away from my shop!"
"Alright! growing a relation takes time, I understand!" Noah said in a helpless tone as Globo clicked his tongue.
"I needed a detailed map of the forest of corruption, and I know no one else other than you would have such a thing!" he said with a wide smile.
"Do you think I'm the marshal or what!? I don't have that kind of valuable thing." Globo denied vehemently.
"Come on! Why are you lying! I know you have the things that even the marshal won't have! I need it urgently! I'll pay you the price."
"Hahaha! You and pay! I won't give it to you even if I had it! But unfortunately, I don't have it!"
"What a shame! I thought I'd trade the mana stone of the nightmare class Screelowa. But since you don't have it, what can we do!" Noah said with a sad face and turned around as he started walking towards the door.
Globo was shocked hearing about the mana stone. He started getting nervous, if Noah really had the stone, then it would be a real loss for him to let it walk away. "WAIT!" he yelled.
"I just remembered, somebody did sell a map to me a few days ago!" Globo said.
A wide grin spread on Noah's face. He quickly hid his smile and turned with a surprised look towards Globo.
"Really!? Great, I really need it!"
"But first show me the stone!"
"First the map! What If you're lying to see the stone. It's not a safe place to show your treasures in the open you know!"
Globo gritted his teeth in anger. He wasn't shocked at Noah's shamelessness.
He sighed and decided to take the risk one last time.
he went inside and after a few seconds came out with a rolled leather cloth in his hand. He opened it on the desk for Noah to see.
It was a genuine and very detailed map of the outer zone of the forest.
Noah was ecstatic, he wanted to laugh out loud but kept his emotions in control and didn't let them out on his face.
"But this is only the outer zone map! What about the other regions?" Noah complained as if he was lied to.
"When have the other zones been explored! No one has a map of those regions! What kind of adventurer are you if you don't even know that!"
"Still! You never said you only had the map of the outer zone. I told you I needed a map of the forest not only one region!"
"You bastard! I know where you are taking this!"
"I'll give you the stone when you bring me the whole map. Till then I'll be borrowing this! Here is the payment!" Noah put a gold coin on the table as he rolled the map and put it inside his armor.
He didn't wait and rushed out of the shop without sparing a glance at Globo.
"YOU BASTARD! You dare to scam me again!" Globo yelled at the escaping Noah, but it was no use as he was already out of his sight.
'Why the hell did I ever got saved by this bastard!' Globo gritted his teeth in anger.
He had been saved by Noah on the streets from some thugs who were about to steal his caravan full of materials.
From then he was indebted to him and Noah would always take things from his shop at discounted prices and sometimes with the promise of paying later.
But he never charged him as he owed his life to Noah and though he was angered, he still had a soft spot for him in his heart and let him do what he wanted.
Slowly a smile spread on his face and he shook his head as he started laughing out loud.
He moved back inside the room which was full of cuboidal boxes piled up on top of each other into a mountain. He waved his hand and one of the boxes floated towards him. he opened the box and pulled out another rolled leather cloth.
He untied the knot and the cloth opened. It was another map, and a complete map of the forest of corruption.