The sun slowly settled over the slums, casting long shadows on the grimy streets. Adrian, weary from his excitement-filled day, approached a rundown pub and motel that seemed to have seen better days.
The flickering neon sign above the entrance read "Shady Haven," an apt choice for a place that looked far from welcoming.
Pushing open the creaky door, Adrian stepped into the dimly lit place. 'Looks like the owner spent everything on the neon sign. Damn, this place is dark.'
Thankfully, Kitsune's eyes, which had replaced Adrian's natural ones, could do more than cast illusions as they helped him see in the dark.
The air was heavy with the smell of stale cigarettes and cheap alcohol. The few patrons scattered around the worn-out tables eyed him with curiosity and indifference. After all, one could never be careless around strangers, especially in the slums.
Ignoring the crowd, Adrian made his way to the worn counter, where a grizzled owner with a scarred face stood. The man must have been sumo because he certainly had the build of one, but the missing eye and scarred body confirmed him to be a warrior.
"Looking for a room, mate?" the owner grunted, wiping a glass with a rag that seemed dirtier than the glass itself.
Adrian nodded, his hoodie pulled low to ensure no one saw his face. "Yeah, a room for the night."
"There's no room for secrets here," The owner eyed him suspiciously. "If you want to stay, take off that hoodie."
Adrian's eyes narrowed as he wondered if he should use his eyes on the stranger. But after seeing how many people were eyeing him, Adrian knew he couldn't be reckless and decided to deal with the matter as violence-free as possible.
Besides, a place like the pub should have its fair share of regulars. As such, one of them might notice something was off about the owner if Adrian tried using magic on him, which wouldn't be good for him.
"I prefer to keep some things to myself." Adrian finally replied.
"Fair enough, fair enough," The owner chuckled. "But you see, in my establishment, keeping secrets comes with a price."
Adrian leaned in so no one but the owner could hear him. "You're one greedy bastard, aren't you?"
The owner burst into laughter, slamming the glass on the counter. "You've got spunk, lad! A mystery, I like that! But what I said before remains true."
"What or who I am shouldn't be your concern," Adrian didn't make eye contact, but he shook his head slightly. "Be a good business owner and focus on making money, not where it's coming from."
"Well, mystery man, if you want a room in Shady Haven, it'll cost you a radian shard a day. No exceptions," the owner declared, his grin revealing a few missing teeth along with a couple of rotten ones.
"A radian shard? You're charging premium rates for a dump like this?" Adrian raised an eyebrow. "I could get a room for a week in the central city for that amount."
The owner shrugged, pouring a drink for a nearby patron. "You can try your luck in the central city, see if they let someone like you inside the fancy buildings.
But here in the slums, a radian shard gets you more than just a roof over your head. It buys you some privacy, too. Something you seem to be in dire need of."
Adrian sighed. The owner was correct. In the slums, there was a price for everything.
'I need to work on my act a bit more if I don't want to end up broke in the month.'
Reluctantly, Adrian fished a radian shard from his pocket and tossed it onto the counter. The owner caught it swiftly, with triumph in his eyes.
"Pleasure doing business with you, mystery man. Room 203 is yours," the owner said, sliding a key across the counter.
Adrian snatched the key, his frustration evident. "Yeah, yeah. If I want a drink, it's on the house, right?"
The owner chuckled again. "You catch on fast, lad. For the price you paid... I'd be more than happy to accommodate your request. Enjoy your stay at Shady Haven."
As Adrian ascended the creaky stairs to his room, he couldn't shake off the feeling of being played. He couldn't have paid more than ten lumen shards for this mess of a place, yet he paid ten times that price.
But since he got a lot of money from Victor's vault, spending that kind of money for a day or two should be fine.
Unbeknownst to Adrian, the pub owner had a knack for extracting shards from dwellers with an almost admirable charm. At least Adrian knew the pub owner wouldn't betray a customer.
Why? Because establishments like these were notoriously known for their discretion. It was almost an advertisement that added prestige to the pub.
The higher the price, the more likely they were to keep secrets. After all, if word got out that a guest was sold off, it could tarnish the pub's reputation. Depending on the severity of the scandal, patrons might lose faith in the establishment, and then everything would go downhill for the owners.
'No point dwelling on it,' Adrian mused, putting the key into the lock.
The worn key turned in the rusty lock, and Adrian entered the dimly lit room. The old bed creaked under his weight as he slumped onto it.
"Shady Haven, huh? More like Shady Extortion," he muttered, glancing around the sparsely furnished room. "At least the sheets look fresh."
But before falling asleep, Adrian emptied the loot he gained from the dungeon. While his [Organ Absorption] skill didn't allow him to acquire organs from monsters he hadn't killed, it was a different case when it came to butchering the monster corpses for loot.
"Ten Ratling claws, seven Ratling tails and finally... the prime jewel, the Minotaur's horns," Adrian mumbled, examining the horns. "The horns would have fetched a good price. Sadly, I can't sell them... yet."
Since his own guild was investigating the dungeon incident, they would probably watch for someone to sell the horns. It meant Adrian couldn't sell the loot through a legal channel, as he would be caught as soon as he tried.
"That leaves me with the stores in the slums..." Adrian sighed. "It's not much of a choice, if I'm being honest."
Much like the pub owner, the stores in the slums would also likely try to rip him off. Therefore, seeing the horns was a no-no, as Adrian wanted to keep the dozen radian shards he could get from selling the horns.
However, the loot he gained from the Ratlings was a different matter. Even though they weren't beginner-level mobs, they were far too common for anyone to notice Adrain selling them.
"Still, I should be careful and sell them in the slums," Adrian mumbled as he stretched his stiff neck. "I'll think about this later. For now, let's get some sleep."