After leaving Artun's bakery, Ishtar walked down Sweets Street. Suddenly, a shop caught his attention. It was a jewelry store.
Ishtar looked at the display window where various jewels were showcased. Among all the glittering gems, a necklace caught his eye. It was a necklace made of a grey quartz stone—a Moonstone—hanging from a delicate silver chain.
It immediately reminded him of the Princess's eyes. Because her eyes were the exact same color as the necklace.
It would definitely look beautiful on her, he thought.
He wanted to buy the necklace, but it looked expensive. He might have to sacrifice his entire month's allowance to afford it. But as he imagined how the necklace would look on the Princess's neck, he started to drool. He quickly wiped his mouth with his hand and made up his mind.
He opened the door and walked in.
Ding ding!
A bell with the exact same sound as the one in Artun's bakery rang. The interior was quite luxurious; clearly, this shop would cost him a pretty penny. The jewelry was protected by unbreakable glass, just like in Andor's shop. The owner must value his creations as much as Andor did.
The shopkeeper saw Ishtar and greeted him with a warm smile.
"Welcome, sir."
"Ah, hello. I liked the grey necklace in the window. I wanted to ask for its price."
"Oh, you mean the Moonstone. You have good taste, sir. May I ask who you are buying it for?"
Ishtar's face blushed. He had never bought a gift for a woman other than his mother before.
"Actually... there was a girl I liked. Since the stone looks exactly like her eyes, I thought it would be a matching gift."
The shopkeeper's face turned affectionate.
"Ohyoo! Is that so? In that case, I can make a special discount for your girlfriend."
Ishtar's face turned as red as a tomato.
"No, no! I think you misunderstood me. She is not my girlfriend, just a friend."
"Ohyoo, ohyoo! Youth is such a beautiful thing. Anyway, let's get to the price. Normally, the price of the necklace is 2 silver coins, but for you, let's lower it to 1 silver."
Ishtar felt like he was flying on clouds. He thought he would lose a whole month's allowance, but instead, it would only cost him a figure worth a week's allowance.
"Thank you so much, sir! I thought my pockets would be completely empty today."
The shopkeeper laughed his unique laugh. "Ohyoo, ohyoo! I've wrapped the necklace for you, sir. Here you go."
Ishtar accepted the package with both hands and tucked it into the inner pocket of his jacket. He was going to an unsafe place, after all; it could get stolen.
"I won't forget your kindness, sir. See you later, then."
"Ohyoo! We await your return, sir."
After leaving the shop, Ishtar walked quickly toward the Underground Street. After walking for a while, he arrived at the entrance.
This street was generally populated by drug addicts and the homeless. Everywhere was filled with slums, and a terrible stench permeated the air. Ishtar covered his nose, took out the address paper from his pocket, and started walking toward the location written on it.
Suddenly, an elderly beggar called out to Ishtar.
"Young man, I'm dying of hunger. Please help me."
Ishtar approached the old man, took 2 copper coins from his pocket, and gave them to him. Then, he showed the address paper to the man.
"Uncle, do you know the place written on this paper?"
The old man squinted to look at the paper Ishtar held out. When he held the edge of the paper with his dirty and trembling fingers, the grateful expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by fear. His eyes widened like saucers. He quickly pushed the paper back to Ishtar, as if it were made of fire and had burned his hand.
"T-that place?" the man stammered. His voice had turned into a whisper, as if he was afraid the other shady characters around might hear. "Son, are you looking for trouble? Most of those who enter that shop... Anyway, it's none of my business."
The man tightly clutched the coins Ishtar had given him and pointed to a dilapidated wooden building in the darkest corner of the street.
"It's in the dead end at the end of the street. The place with the rusty iron door. But here is my advice: after you knock on the door, hold your breath and do not look into their eyes."
Without saying another word, the old man limped away as if escaping an invisible ghost.
Ishtar watched the man leave in astonishment. His heart had started beating a little faster in his chest. He checked the necklace in his inner pocket; it was still there. Taking a deep breath and trying to ignore the smell of rot filling his nose, he began to walk in the direction the man had pointed.
As he progressed, the street narrowed even more, the buildings leaning in toward each other as if they were about to collapse on top of Ishtar. He could feel devious eyes watching him from the shadows, but no one dared to approach him; perhaps it was because they knew who his destination belonged to.
Finally, he reached the end of the street, the dead end.
In front of him stood a single-story structure made of black stone, looking more solid but also far more eerie than the ruins surrounding it. As the old man had said, the door was made of rusty iron, and strange, faded symbols were engraved on it.
Ishtar swallowed hard. This place resembled an abandoned dungeon more than a blacksmith shop or a bar. Was this really the place where he could find the materials his father mentioned? Although he hesitated, it was too late to turn back.
He made a fist and knocked on the rusty door three times.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The sound echoed through the empty street. There was silence for a while. Just as he thought no one was there and was about to turn back, a small sliding panel on the door creaked open.
From the darkness, a pair of yellow, cat-like eyes focused on Ishtar.
A hoarse and raspy voice asked, "Password?"
Ishtar was caught off guard. "Uhh... Password? I just..."
The eyes narrowed. "No password, no goods. Get lost."
Just as the slide was about to close, Ishtar remembered the thing that came to his mind, the strange word the girl had given him. He shouted quickly:
"Wait! Isn't the password 'Twilight'?"
The slide stopped. The person inside waited silently for a moment. Then, the locks of the heavy iron door began to unlock with a loud clanking noise.