They continued their journey toward the city of NUFOG. After spending a long time on the carriage, they finally saw the enormous city gate made of iron, towering at almost 15 meters high and 10 meters wide.
Just by looking at it, the thickness of the gate seemed impenetrable, even by a missile. In front of it stood two fully armored guards holding long spears, who immediately stepped in front of Berto's carriage.
"Stop... we need to conduct an inspection... everyone, get off the carriage!" shouted one of the city guards loudly.
"Alright... alright... relax, we've met plenty of times," said Berto casually as he stepped down from the carriage (the merchant).
"Who are these two? They don't have the permit to enter the city... You two are not allowed to enter!" one of the guards said sternly.
Without further ado, Berto took out a small cloth pouch from his pocket and handed it to the guard. The guard opened it, glanced inside, and quickly counted its contents. He whispered something to his companion before they began repacking Berto's merchandise, which they had unloaded earlier. Soon after, Berto, Furan, and Anori climbed back onto the carriage.
"Open the gate! Let them in... they now have permission to enter the city!" shouted the guard below the gate.
"Yes, sir... opening the gate!"
replied another guard atop the wall while pulling the lever. The gate opened slowly, and Berto's carriage entered the city as if nothing had happened, heading toward the trade market. Furan immediately understood that Berto had bribed the guards.
"Close the gate!" yelled the guard behind them from the top of the gate, and the gate slowly shut again.
"Berto, why did you bribe them? Was it because of us that you paid them? You've helped us so much already..." asked Furan, puzzled.
"Oh, no... not because of you. It's just how things work here. They always make the entry process difficult, and in the end, it's all about money. If there's a faster way, why bother with the long process?" explained Berto so that Furan wouldn't misunderstand.
After a short journey, they arrived near the market. The three parted ways, but before they did, Furan insisted on giving Berto two gold coins from the sale of the herbal medicine, even though Berto initially refused. In the end, he accepted because Furan insisted so firmly.
"Come on, Anori, let's gather some information first, since I don't know anything about this city," said Furan, holding her hand as they walked.
They noticed an inn that caught Furan's attention. It looked quiet but well-maintained and suitable for staying in. Before they could enter, a local resident approached them.
"Hey... what are you doing here? I've never seen you before... are you new here?" the man asked.
"Yes, we just arrived... is there a problem? Why are you stopping us?" asked Furan.
"You're looking for an inn, right? Don't go to this one... there are many rumors that this inn is haunted by a demon. People who've gone inside never came back. Some brave souls who tried staying here... screams were heard at night, and their bodies were never found, even after the guards checked the place. If you don't want anything bad to happen, I suggest you go to a different inn,"
the man whispered before disappearing into an alley.
"Anori, do you still want to go in? I'll go in and check first... if you're scared, you can wait outside," Furan offered.
"Anori is brave... Anori is not afraid of demons... I'll go with you," she replied, though she was clearly scared. She didn't want to be left behind by Furan.
They walked toward the inn, stopping at the entrance. A price list and the name of the inn, DEBAY Inn, were displayed outside. Suddenly, a scream rang out,
"Aaargghh! My leg!"
It made Furan shiver. He quickly opened the door and saw that the innkeeper, a young woman, was sitting on the floor, clutching her leg and groaning in pain.
"Hello, are you okay?" Furan asked.
"I'm fine... I just tripped. Why are you here?Usually, no one dares come in... not even ants dare to enter," joked the innkeeper.
"My sister and I are looking for a place to stay. This inn looks nice and has a unique name... it seems decent and affordable based on the prices listed outside. Why is it so empty?" asked Furan.
"There are lots of rumors about this place... people are afraid to come in because some have disappeared without a trace after entering. I don't know why you'd be brave enough to come in, but the last person died because I killed them..."
The innkeeper smiled broadly, her eyes wide and starting to turn red, making Furan and Anori shiver with fear.
"No... aaarrgh... Anori, quick, let's get out of here..."
Furan tried to run as Anori closed her eyes in fear. Furan quickly lifted Anori onto his hip and ran toward the door. Suddenly, the innkeeper appeared in front of it and shut it tight.
"Where do you think you're going? Ha.ha.ha.ha..."
she laughed menacingly.
Furan fell to the floor, holding Anori, and hugged her tightly as she trembled. Finally, Furan closed his eyes and shouted at the innkeeper,
"AAAAaaaa... please don't kill us... kill me if you have to, but please let Anori go! I don't mind if you take my life, but spare her!"
"Hahaha," the innkeeper laughed amusedly and returned to her normal form, rolling on the floor in laughter.
Due to her laughter, Furan and Anori opened their eyes and saw her laughing uncontrollably.
"You're not going to kill us?" Furan asked.
"No, of course not... relax. I only killed people who had evil intentions toward me. Some even tried to harass me, so I just killed them," the innkeeper said while laughing on the floor.
"Alright, that's enough joking around. As an apology, you can stay here for free, but you'll have to buy your own food. Room number one is the largest here... go ahead and use it," said the innkeeper.
Furan and Anori were silent for a moment, then looked at each other and burst out laughing. They hugged each other tightly.
"Anori, let's stay here since we don't have much money. We need to save for more important things like food," Furan said, relieved.
"Yes, Anori, it's okay to stay here... even though the owner is scary," Anori replied, still trembling a little.
Furan and Anori stood up and approached the owner's desk, thanking her for allowing them to stay for free. Furan reasoned that if the previous people had been killed by the owner for having ill intentions, they deserved it. They chose to stay there because they only wanted a place to stay and had no bad intentions.