"Dammit! Barman! Where's my f**king beer?"
"Shut your damn piehole already. Beer, beer, beer. Here's your damn beer!"
"Hahahaha~ Old Toothless… I didn't think the operation would go that smoothly.
f**k yeah! We're all rich, stinking rich!"
"Have, have you heard, the old called the Venomous Queen is on the loose with her gang of Butterfly bandits again."
"True or false?"
"True! I tell you, those ladies sure pack a mean punch. Best not to anger them."
"Bahahahaha~... Are you serious? Is the famous La Diva performing tonight at Fantasy house? Great! Just great! This time, I must watch her show!"
…
Within the massive space were all sorts of drunken bandits, goons, and thugs seated about with countless bottles scattered across their tables.
Some were sleeping in a drunken state with one hand on their weapons. When you live here long enough, your weapon becomes an additional limb, always ready to take a life.
The room was smoky, with countless people having cigarettes in their mouths. Some didn't even bother taking out their cigarettes before drinking.
In the space, many focused on heated discussions, mainly talking about all matters pertaining to the town, as well as other major matters concerning the Mainland as a whole.
Some were seated at the bar in front, and others chose to place their butts on the many wooden chairs beside the many round wooden tables, which all looked worn out and broken.
One look and anyone could see the owners of this place didn't put much thought into maintaining the pieces of furniture here.
Duct tape, buckets turned upside down and placed underneath one of the table legs to even it out, and many other quick fixes were done.
But who could blame anyone for this?
It was only a few seconds since Bain walked in. And yet, many had gotten up to throw punches when their conversations saw eye-to-eye.
Sure enough, many lifted their bottles or gave way, acting as though they were deaf and blind to it all.
Bain showed no fear while walking toward the front bar. A few gave him a brief side-eye glance, holding their glasses of whisky close to their lips.
.
"A room? Well then, you're just in luck. Fortunately for you, one of our guests turned up dead today. Now, aren't you the lucky one?"
Pah!
Bain slapped the bills lightly, turning to the sides to follow the lean and lazy-looking man now leading him away.
The floors creaked, and the noise never died, even after heading upwards. This alone showed just how boisterous those downstairs were.
"Here you are… 4th floor, room 239… Last door room on the right."
Tci-chang!
The man opened the door, leaving the key to Bain's disposal. But just before he was about to leave, the slender man who always had a lazy look on his face suddenly turned solemn.
"Dear customer. Remember, you only have this place for 3 days. By then, you either renew your payment or face the consequence."
The warning was clear.
Don't look at his seemingly innocent face and think of him as weak.
Believe it or not, they had many ways to force him to a dead corner.
With that, the man resumed his lazy demeanor, closing the door with a smile on his face.
"Remember, dear customer… 3 days…"
~Bam.
The door was shut, and Bain was all alone to catch his thoughts.
It was already 7 P.M. And for now, he decided not to leave his room till tomorrow. As for food, he did take some items like fried corn and nuts from Ryu's home. Additionally, he bought 3 sandwiches.
On the way, he also learned a bit more about the Mainland.
Firstly, the mainland had only 4 types of plants/factories permitted by the Absolutes. And that was power, fuel, water, and sewage.
One shouldn't forget that most criminals did have jobs and professions before being sentenced. And many of them were geniuses or above-average workers too.
.
Again, power/electricity, sewage, fuel, and water were the only things large-scale plants/factories allowed to run.
For weapons, ships, vehicles, and all other major gadgets, these were brought in from the outside world, mainly second-hand products.
And once they arrive, the major forces, arms dealers, mercenaries, and 'merchants,' scramble for their share of the pie.
Shipments are loaded, and many gangs attempt to steal what they can rather than buy them.
That said, provided one does not have a factory or any business plant size, then they were good.
Here, there were glass makers, paper makers, and other sorts who only sold their businesses around their neighboring towns and cities. There were also mechanics and repairmen around too.
Bottom line, the only things not permitted were the making of firearms, cars, and ships.
~Creak. Creak. Creak. Creak.
The floor sang wherever Bain walked.
He saw old and fairly new blood stains that decorated the room wherever he looked.
There was a bed with ugly sheets and a T.V connected to an old cd player.
Bain pressed the remote, and sure enough, it showed a static and disturbing black and white image.
If he wanted to watch anything, he would have to get a CD imported from the outside world. There was no streaming here.
The Hotel didn't even provide this much. But that's okay.
Bain washed his face with flowing water from the bathroom tap and headed to the bed to offload his bag and take a few bites of food before heading to bed.
Bang. Bang. Bang!
The sounds of gunshots and reckless driving sprang up from outside now and then. But Bain was already immune to this, a fact that would shock many.
Would a normal person have the same reaction as him when it was their first time here?
Tick-Tock. Tick-Tick.
Time flew by quickly, with Bain already sound asleep after closing his bedroom window.
The night was very peaceful for its first quarter. But by 1 A.M, Bain's eyelids shot open to the strange noises coming from the room beside him.
Danger!
…