Chapter 124 – Purgatory Flower Pleasure Palace

Before crossing through the portal,

Rashid began to scan the surroundings with sharp, honed eyes.

“What are you doing there? Aren’t you going?”

Veronica asked, but Rashid’s gaze, guarding the surroundings, remained unchanged.

‘Someone is watching.’

That feeling…

it lasted for a moment but did not persist.

‘It’s gone.’

It was a signal given by his extra-sensory intuition.

There was definitely a gaze watching him.

‘It happened a few times before. It was like that when I was in the Inquisition Bureau, and I felt it when I was at home too.’

At first he thought Zodiac was involved, but there were parts that made it hard to believe he was involved.

The fact that this was the first time this had happened.

And the lack of intervention by a Dharma mage was the basis.

“Never mind. Let’s go.”

Following the waiting Veronica,

Rashid crossed through the portal and headed for the hideout of the Purgatory Witches.

Nebula City.

It was the name of the city built on top of the Sky Island.

The Sky Island was like a city-state; due to its narrow land area, its population density was higher than that of Basilica, and with its developed magitech engineering, it possessed a civilization half a generation ahead.

Because it met the starlit sky, a blue sky could not be seen, but sometimes dense fog rolled in and blended with the dark neon lights, earning it the name Nebula City, the City of Nebulae.

The entire city consisted of a forest of buildings, and the base of the Purgatory Witches here was a massive building called the Purgatory Flower Pleasure Palace.

The top floor of the building took on a shape as if the main hall of an ancient imperial palace had been detached and mounted in its entirety.

Above the skyscraper body erected with glass and steel, a palace-style tiled roof spread wide, and red cloth flowed down long to the ground below piercings attached to the four eaves of the rather uniquely shaped building that was the Purgatory Flower Pleasure Palace.

Upon arriving at the lobby floor, she made contact somewhere.

“It’s me, a guest from the Order has arrived. You said you had something to give? The Spirit-Sealing Jar. He came to collect it.”

“Where? The lobby, of course, where else.”

No sooner had she finished speaking…

another portal opened in front of them.

The one who walked out from there was Jjom-pro Beatrice, who could be called the hand and foot of the Purgatory Madame.

“To think you would come like this. Follow me.”

The two followed Beatrice to the top floor of the building.

The place they arrived at was practically the inside of a palace, decorated to a somewhat excessive degree.

The reception room, adorned with gold, gems, and the highest quality materials, was in itself the height of luxury.

“The Purgatory Madame is out for a moment. So, I plan to deliver the promised Spirit-Sealing Jar in her stead.”

Rashid voiced a slight complaint.

“Shouldn’t what was promised be sent immediately? Did I really have to come all the way to the Sky Island?”

“It was delayed a little due to circumstances.”

“I doubt it’s just ‘a little’?”

As she snapped her fingers without answering, a jar popped out of a gap in sub-space that opened.

It was the Spirit-Sealing Jar they had promised, a jar containing an evil spirit.

“I wonder for what purpose you want this, but anyway, it was promised. Even if rumors about us aren’t good, the promise made by the Witch Leader will absolutely never fail to meet expectations.”

-You have completed the main quest ‘Witch Leader’s Request’.

-Obtained ‘Spirit-Sealing Jar’ as a reward.

Rashid, packing the Spirit-Sealing Jar, stood up from his seat.

“Thanks. I hope we have good deals next time too.”

Rashid continued speaking as he looked around the luxurious interior.

“And don’t exploit the poor souls too much.”

Beatrice stood up with him and offered,

“Would you like to enjoy yourself before leaving? We have a casino here, a pleasure district, and everything a man would like. We pride ourselves on our Hwarak service being world-class. It’s a dream-like place where countless people from all nationalities enjoy themselves. It’s a secret, but many people from the Order visit here as well. Of course, it’s all top secret.”

“And I’d get cleaned out to my very soul. I’ll decline. I have a witch allergy.”

On most floors of the Purgatory Flower Pleasure Palace, various businesses for entertainment were operating continuously without a single day off.

Alcohol, drugs, gambling, and women.

A place perfect for ruining oneself if one fell into pleasure for even a moment.

Moreover, even the sense of time was blurred, making it easy to fall in absentmindedly.

Indeed, there was no shortage of nobles who visited the Purgatory Flower Pleasure Palace out of curiosity, only to squander their entire fortune and leave penniless.

“Then, let’s go.”

Rashid’s gaze directed toward Veronica, who was with him.

His eyes were requesting only that.

A portal.

In the meantime, Beatrice quietly asked,

“You two seem to be quite close?”

Veronica reacted sharply.

“We’re not close at all.”

Ignoring her completely, Beatrice handed Rashid her business card.

“I hear people communicate through transceivers these days? Here is my number. Feel free to contact me whenever you’d like. There’s no harm in getting to know each other since you’re an inquisitor. Or you can call me for other reasons.”

Beatrice glanced at Veronica sideways before showing a smile toward Rashid.

“I would have served you much more kindly and neatly in a situation like this. Because I’m always the best. Not to mention looks, but service and dignity as well.”

Just in case, Rashid kept the business card she handed him.

Afterwards, the two who left the Purgatory Flower Pleasure Palace rode a portal back to where the immigration checkpoint was.

“Give it here. That card that bitch gave you earlier.”

Rashid cast a look filled with curiosity.

Veronica hardened her gaze.

“What are you doing? Hand it over already. If you want to keep in touch with me, you’d better just give it to me.”

Witches generally had poor relations with one another.

Since they routinely engaged in envy, jealousy, and mutual checks while living day by day under the eyes of the Witch Leader.

His deliberation did not last long.

Knowing the ecology of witches, Rashid handed Beatrice’s card over, and Veronica burned it on the spot.

With that, she regained the smile she had lost.

“Women from that side are of low quality. Nothing good comes from knowing many of them. So this is the smart move.”

“Are you jealous?”

“Jealous? Please.”

She murmured softly.

“It’s customer management.”

Indeed, from their perspective, someone like an inquisitor would be a precious business client.

Forgetting it cleanly, Rashid bid her farewell.

“Now go. I don’t need you anymore.”

“By whose permission? Hurry along. I’m watching you like this.”

Openly ignoring her, Rashid headed deeper into Nebula City.

“What are you doing? I thought you came for the Spirit-Sealing Jar.”

“I have a sightseeing purpose too.”

With an ‘I knew it’ expression,

Veronica followed closely and ground her teeth.

“What did you come here to do? Tell me honestly. What on earth are you planning to do that brought you all the way here?”

“What else would I come for? I came to shop.”

“Shopping?”

* * *

Nebula City, a magitech bike showroom located in the financial district.

Recalling his past memories, Rashid entered the showroom.

‘The timing never lined up.’

In the game, it was an item that could be purchased without much difficulty if one pursued money,

but if one pursued power or grew in another way, money would be insufficient, making it something that could never be obtained.

That was what was here in this showroom.

“This is a bike shop, isn’t it? Are you buying a bike?”

Before he knew it, Veronica had attached herself to Rashid, acting as his guide.

To be precise, she was monitoring him closely as a penalty for mistakenly acting as his guarantor.

“Isn’t a car better than a bike?”

From the perspective of witches who frequently used portals, cars and bikes did not hold much meaning; they were merely luxury items meant to show off to others.

However, it was different for someone who could not use portals.

Physical distance was always a problem, and to solve this, means of transportation like cars and bikes were indispensable necessities.

Furthermore, if he went to the Dharma Mage Division and was pursued by them,

a means of escape with top performance was absolutely necessary.

Since there was no way she would help him unless she went crazy.

“Is there a bike you are looking for?”

A dealer who appeared out of nowhere approached Veronica and offered a practiced sales smile.

His neat suit and gentle eye smile made him look no different from a witch who bewitched men.

“Not me, that man in front of me. I’m not really interested.”

The dealer’s gaze directed toward Rashid, who was lightly looking around the bike shop.

“Ah, it was that gentleman.”

The dealer had misunderstood because the clothes Veronica wore were high-end and branded.

This was a high-end bike showroom.

It was a place where those with light pockets would only look around and leave even if they visited.

Because for the same amount of money, it was usually right to buy a car.

Approaching Rashid, the dealer naturally struck up a conversation.

“Everything you are looking at right now are sixth-generation bikes. Currently, all the bikes running around Nebula City are these.”

The eye smile remained.

He quickly scanned Rashid without him realizing.

His attire was nothing short of ordinary.

They were plain clothes without any brand logos, and he did not show the leisure or ostentation commonly exuded by customers who entered this place.

However, one thing caught his eye.

He saw the golden absorption transceiver worn on his wrist.

Whatever else he might miss, the dealer was not one to overlook that.

Cementing his smile even further, he continued speaking as politely as possible.

“May I ask what bike you are currently riding?”

Stopping his steps, Rashid cast a gaze at him.

He thought he might be ignored just by looking at his attire,

but contrary to his thoughts, he was trying very hard to make a good impression.

“I think the model was Lynx? That’s how I remember it.”

“A Lynx? Then is it the Sports GT Lynx? It’s a fifth-generation bike that clerics of the Order frequently ride.”

“Yes, that should be correct.”

“Ah… you rode a Lynx.”

The dealer assessed him once more.

The Lynx was a magitech bike that was like a symbol of a cleric.

If he rode that, it meant he was a cleric, but he did not give off that kind of feeling either.

Setting that aside, this city was a place where clerics were not allowed to enter.

“Then may I ask what kind of bike you are looking for?”

“I would like to see the latest model.”

“The latest model? Ah, yes. All the ones here are sixth-generation bikes, and if you go over there, the recently released seventh-generation bikes are on display. Please follow me.”

Rashid followed him toward another section of the showroom.

The place they arrived at had two magitech bikes labeled ‘Brand New’ on display.

“These are our Super Sports line. They are all seventh-generation bikes and have V4 engines. The sixth-generation bikes we saw earlier are all V3, and the Lynx is a V2. There will be quite a performance difference compared to what you rode before. Not just the cylinders, but the performance itself is different.”

The vehicle body possessed a blade-like silhouette.

Low in the front and high in the rear, it looked like a wild beast born to run.

Looking at the two bikes displayed in front of him, Rashid asked,

“Do they have names? Like a model name.”

“Yes, they do. This side is the Super Sports Ninja, and the one next to it is the Super Sports Blade. They are seventh-generation, the latest models equipped with a booster function added since the sixth generation, as well as a magic defense function.”