Chapter 70
The northern road led to the great river that ran across the Brighton Empire. Goods were loaded onto boats and shipped along this river, and it was also used to travel to other regions. With a station there too, it served as the center of transportation and trade in the capital.
And the western road, being directly opposite of the Path of God in the east, was called the “Back Alleys.” Just because it was the capital didn’t mean only wealthy people lived there. Those who had once been wealthy but had fallen from grace, those who were poor but had come chasing dreams, those who lived by begging off the wealthy of the capital. As with every city, this place too had its lower class and criminals who could barely even be called residents.
Past the shanties where the lower class lived, alleys that saw little sunlight came into view. This was where the shops of information brokers, fences, and fortune tellers were located.
“…I think it was around here.”
A man draped in a pitch-black robe hurried his steps. The hood pulled low over his face made him look suspicious to anyone, but in the back alleys, it was nothing but a common sight. Even though nobody paid him any attention, the man walked with his head ducked low as if worried his identity might be discovered.
As the man timidly looked around, the shop he had been looking for finally came into view.
Pepe. The name scrawled carelessly on the wooden sign was both the name of the shop and of its owner.
The man looked around once, and only after confirming no one was watching him did he open the door and step inside.
The first thing that greeted him was the harsh cigarette smoke. With not even a window cracked open, the thick smoke hanging in the air invaded deep into his lungs.
“Cough, cough.”
Between his rough coughs came a voice, husky for a woman.
“First time here?”
Wiping away the tears that had naturally welled up from the acrid smoke, he saw a woman leaning against the counter, smoking a cigarette. Purple hair and piercings all over her face. This must be Pepe, the owner of this place he had only heard about through rumors.
“The regulars here know to hold their breath before walking in. I can tell how often someone comes by just from how much they cough.”
Pepe cackled, saying the coughing meant she had no need to hang a separate bell on the door. The man hesitantly approached Pepe only after he managed to calm his coughing.
“I came here because I heard this place is the best when it comes to finding out about people….”
“You heard right. And it’s not just people. There’s no better place for digging up whatever information you want to know.”
“The fee?”
“That depends on who you’re asking about.”
Pepe tilted her chin up and waggled the cigarette between her teeth. It was a gesture as if to say go ahead and tell her what he wanted.
“The name is Bezel. A man striking enough that you couldn’t forget him once you’ve seen him. Golden hair and purple eyes. Looks somewhere in his late twenties to early thirties, and his height, well… about a hand taller than me?”
“What person is two meters tall? He’s taller than you?”
“In any case, he’s a remarkably eye-catching man, so it shouldn’t be hard to dig up information on him.”
“Is that all you know?”
The man hesitated as if he was about to say something more.
“Tell me more. Don’t you know where he lives, or who he hangs around with?”
Pepe coaxed him skillfully. The more information she had, the easier it was to find someone. Information drew in more information.
The man slipped a hand under his hood and rubbed his thick eyebrow. His brown eyes, which had been staring blankly at the counter as if troubled, slowly turned toward Pepe.
“He’s the partner of a famous Hunter. Eden.”
Eden…? Pepe’s eyes widened for a moment at the familiar name of someone she had seen just a few hours ago. But she quickly schooled her expression.
She hadn’t heard it directly from Eden, but Pepe already knew through circulating rumors that Eden had recently been going around with a handsome man. Of course, she had only just now learned that the partner’s name was Bezel.
‘Just what kind of person is this man, that he’d be curious about the partner’s information rather than Eden herself?’
Though his intentions were questionable, Pepe’s job was not to pry into him, but to sell information. Without a word, Pepe held up three fingers. The man caught on quickly, pulled out three gold coins from inside his cloak and handed them over.
“Come back in two weeks. I’ll let you know everything about that Bezel guy, from his hidden secrets to his taste in women.”
Pepe flashed a confident grin as she pocketed the gold coins. The man nodded, adjusted the hood pulled over his head, and left the shop.
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