Wolking around while holding an empty plant pot was weird, but somehow things I've never seen before —even though I saw everything three times or more— were so noticeable to me.
One was selling soil, other seeds, and other kinds of vitamins… I was noticing everything related to agriculture, just because I was holding a pot.
"Does it work in everything?"
I titled my head a little then put the pot and every other thing I bought for it in my pocket before taking out the key I took from that witch stall.
And like before, I started to wander around… going through the same endless street over and over again.
After half an hour, different things started to catch my eyes… not a single one of them was something I thought that it would be related to a golden key.
It was all toys.
Different sizes, textures, functions…
Terrifying toys, to put it in better words.
"What could a key do with toys?"
And if I was searching for the golden tickets then likely it wouldn't be something everyone sees and buys casually in a festival.
Or it would?
Maybe the more casual the thing the more it was hidden?
"I'll have a headache at this rate."
Golden key, golden key, golden key—
Oh,
Music boxes…
It's a toy that needed a key!
"Music, music—" I hate anything related to music in these places but the reality was too harsh for me. "I have to find something."
After looking at the stalls for some time, I gave up and tilted my head to look at the sky. A lantern flickering in white catched my attention, reminding me that I didn't look for a flickering lantern for some time.
Long Off, Short On, Long Off, Short On.
It was the opposite theme of the last one…
Under it, there was an old, dusty stall containing pieces made of wood, with a young boy standing behind it.
One who looked older than Hero by two years or so.
"How can I help you, Sir?"
"I need a music box."
"Hmm— I don't think that we have this here." He searched under and beside the stall, then showed up again, fully dusted. "All I could find is this."
"..."
It was literally just pieces of wood that are not well polished and look like a box that a child may have shaped.
But there was a key hole on the surface, so I decided to buy it.
"I can't process the payment by this." He looked at the ring as if it was something he would never be able to deal with. "coins will be better."
"But I don't have cash."
"I can't do anything about it."
"Wait a second." I remembered that I've got Hero's savings with me. "How much?"
I have to make sure to give it back to Hero after, or I would look like a man who steal from akid.
"Four coins."
"...?"
Wasn't it too cheap? All the rest sell me things with numbers more than thirty…
Or they just had that same idea my colleague had and thought that I was some wealthy man and tried to take my money?
"Here we go." I gave the coins to the child, plus three. "I'm taking this."
"Thank you!" His eyes lighten up. "Let me give you another thing!"
Well,
I didn't need anything else but didn't reject the gift either.
"Here."
A seed appeared in his open hand before me.
"Seed?"
"It is a beautiful flower. You may need it."
"Thank you."
I put the seed and the music box in my pocket and turned to go, but the boy seemed to have something else to say
so I stopped.
"Sir, Sir!"
"Yes?"
"Are you planning to go to the Carnival at the end of the week?"
"Yes. But unfortunately I didn't get a ticket yet."
"Why?" He seemed too confused. "You can buy it from anywhere."
"Really?" I was the confused one this time. "I searched everywhere but found nothing."
"You can find it if you walk one hundred steps in that direction."
"...?"
"The one who sells it is a lovely old man, he could give you a discount."
"Right. Thank you."
I patted his head then went in the direction he mentioned. It was really there, the tickets' stall.
Too obvious even though I was there too many times.
"I surely messed everything up."
Agh—
Should I shout or something?! What kind of feeling I was experiencing after spending more than seven hours going around myself in this crazy place, just to find it there, too obvious and accessible?!
"Golden tickets please," I might seem like a helpless man but who cares. "More than ten."
"That will cost you alot." The old man was smiling widely. "How much do you have?"
"This."
I showed him my ring.
"Oh, why did such a wealthy guy like you come here to buy it?"
"Do I have other options?"
"Through the app?"
"Do you have apps here?!"
Woh—
What?!
"Why not?" He simply laughed, making me feel more miserable. "You don't look like an old man but this old man knows more about technology than you!"
"I just had a very bad day."
I inhaled, then looked around. Observation hit me when I noticed that everyone around was looking like a normal human being. The goods were still weird as always but the atmosphere? No. It felt normal.
Normal, Ha…
When did I start to see things this way?
"What's up?"
"I feel terrible." I answered the old man, not giving the whole conversation much attention. "Seeing weird things isn't comfortable."
"Yeah. We have those from time to time."
"...? Those?"
"Didn't you just pass by one someday? Those creatures that always look like humans without features or simply don't like humans at all."
"Did they show up here in the festival more often?"
"Yes, every year… but the number this year is unusual."
"..."
What were the chances that we, the people who were trapped here, were those creatures?
"These are your tickets." I wanted to ask him about what they do to the creatures he talked about but fortunately, I didn't have the chance to. "How many?"
"eleven. This is all I have got for today. You are helping me to go home early."
"Here's the payment then." I swiped my ring in front of the black box he took out of his drawer. "Have a nice time."
When I turned and decided to find the map to get out , I remembered that I must make sure of what I've got first, so I opened the envelope.
Seeing what was there made me speechless, then without a notice, I shouted in the middle of the street like a complete crazy creature.
Yellow envelopes!!
The same as the damned yellow envelope that appeared to me before.
"This system will be my end."
With a deep inhale, I got to the near wall and opened it one by one, trying to see if there's something else I should know.
"Eight for individuals." Those have luxurious papers inside, with gold font letters. Two were the same but for two individuals, and the last was for ten people.
Then when I took mine from my pocket, I ended up feeling terrified because it was all gold with white letters.
VIP ticket.
The system made me come here to find a ticket when it came to me without even moving a finger!
Ha…
"Calm down, Nathan. Calm down."
Every time I tell myself to not trust this thing but I end up in this situation over and over again.
"I'm going to sleep for the next two days."
I pulled the map I found the moment I saw it. And when I went to the place mentioned in it, I nearly got a heart attack.
That blue man from the Disaster Management Authority was there, picking a paper as if he was ready to get out.
For some reason, he seemed a little frustrated, like someone who didn't get anything out of coming here.
"...!" Wait—
Frustrated?
I took off my hat and the cheap ring immediately and put on the white mask. I didn't get the chance to see what it turned out to be and I didn't care much about that.
There was a thing that I thought that I must do, so I did it.
"Haha" I stepped in the alley, laughing while looking at his expression turning serious. "Where do you think you are going?"
He didn't say a word, and I noticed that he was about to get out of this situation by just reading the paper and waiting.
I laughed,
Making the 'crazy' figure take over.
"How could you do this, you ungrateful creature?"
"...?"
"Here." With a movement that looked like a magical trick. A yellow envelope appeared between my fingers. "You need this, Right?"
"..."
"Take it as a deal. Next time I'll get something from you."
I stepped closer, put the envelope in his upper pocket, then simply I walked out of the alley.
That man didn't show a trace of fear, he was as what Silas described them: qualified and clever. If I was in his place just now I wouldn't just take the envelope like that, I would simply read the paper and escape as fast as I could.
"I hope that would help, though."
I gave him the ticket that ten could go with it. At least he could save his colleagues with it.
But how could he know that the tickets are here?
"Ah, how did I know that he needed the tickets in the first place?"
It was all my instincts, so I couldn't give a reason.
"Time to sleep, no more thinking."
When I looked at the alley again, no one was there. So I took a paper and read it.
This time it has got one line.
"No. I don't have one."
Three minutes later, I was in my room again… with noise outside as if the building was on fire.