Thanks to Baekjo's noble sacrifice, Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong were able to pass through the main gate safely.
"Peep-!"
Baekjo's mournful cry was heard from afar.
Although he couldn't help but feel sorry for the sight of it being dragged away in a cage, Cheon Myeong could only watch from afar like this.
'I will definitely get you back.'
Of course, he had no intention of putting Baekjo up for auction and selling it to soone else.
If the internal search was over, he would either cancel the auction and bring Baekjo back, or if that was not possible, he was planning to get it back even by knocking down the guy who had bought Baekjo.
With that thought, Cheon Myeong was sending off the departing Baekjo, but hearing Baekjo's cry, it seed that his thoughts had not been conveyed.
"Can we go in now?"
Cheon Myeong, who had turned his head from Baekjo, asked the warrior.
"Yes, you can go in. However, you must give the sword you are wearing on your waist before you go in."
"I'm not very keen on entrusting my sword to soone else."
"The sword you give us will be safely stored at the Black Night Gang. We will return it to you as it is when you leave after the auction is over, so there will be no problem."
"..."
"This is for the safety of the auction, so we ask for your cooperation."
Cheon Myeong looked at the warrior without a word.
And after a while, Cheon Myeong took out the sword he was wearing on his waist and held it out to the warrior.
As Cheon Myeong obediently handed over his sword, Yu Eunseong also took out the sword she was wearing on her waist and gave it to the warrior.
"Thank you."
"..."
"And when you go inside, please wear this."
Saying that, the warrior held out a mask to the two.
A strange-shaped mask that seed to be used in a Beijing opera.
Although Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong had received the masks, they had a face that did not understand why the warrior was giving them this.
"Among the guests attending the auction today, there are also those who do not want to reveal their identity."
"..."
"This is a mask we have prepared for such guests. Of course, if you want, you can take off the mask, but usually, people wear it."
As the warrior added that explanation, Cheon Myeong could now understand the purpose of this mask.
A black market was a place that existed to sell items that could not be easily sold in the world. Such items would naturally have complicated circumstances, and there would also be items that were dangerous just by possessing them.
So by wearing a mask like this, wouldn't it be difficult to easily know who had purchased the item?
Hearing the story, it seed that the auction of the Black Night Gang had a lot of the characteristics of a black market, so Cheon Myeong was able to imdiately understand the warrior's words.
'Are all the people inside wearing masks...'
Then it would be difficult to find Man Jeokseon.
Since what Cheon Myeong knew was only Man Jeokseon's wanted poster, and he had never actually t him, if he were to cover his face with a mask, it was highly likely that he would not be able to recognize Man Jeokseon even if he were right in front of him.
'I'll have to rely on my senses.'
It seed that he would have to find Man Jeokseon through his gait, gestures, or suspicious actions.
Of course, that would also be difficult if there were many people inside, but for now, that seed to be the best.
"I see, I understand."
"Then I will guide you to the venue. Please follow ."
As the warrior said that, Cheon Myeong put on the mask he was holding. Although it was a little stuffy, there was no particular problem with his vision or breathing.
At the mont Cheon Myeong was about to move his steps, wearing the mask, Yu Eunseong suddenly called Cheon Myeong from behind.
"Young Master."
"...?"
Is there a problem?
As Cheon Myeong turned his head to that side, Yu Eunseong was still standing without putting on the mask.
"Why?"
"..."
"Is there a problem?"
"That... the mask I'm holding is not to my taste."
"...What?"
"Could you please exchange yours with mine?"
"..."
This is a little embarrassing.
Although he wanted to ask, 'Is that so important in this situation?', since it could be sensitive for a woman, he would not.
Cheon Myeong took off the mask he was wearing and quietly exchanged it with Yu Eunseong's mask.
***
Thump- thump-.
Two people wearing a red mask and a white mask were walking, following the warrior.
If the red mask was characterized by fierce eyes and sharp teeth, reminiscent of a goblin, the white mask had a pinkish tinge on the cheek part, so it seed to be reminiscent of a woman wearing makeup.
"..."
The people wearing the red mask and the white mask were Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong.
Although at a glance, just by looking at the masks they were wearing, one might think that the red mask was Cheon Myeong and the white mask was Yu Eunseong, in fact, that was not the case.
Although it would have been so originally, since Yu Eunseong had asked Cheon Myeong to exchange masks, Cheon Myeong was currently wearing the white mask and Yu Eunseong was wearing the red mask.
'I don't know.'
Although it was a thought that ca to him now, why on earth had Yu Eunseong asked to exchange masks?
Although Yu Eunseong had said that the white mask was not to her taste, wasn't it usually the other way around? Even if one were to think generally, a woman would not usually prefer a red mask that looked like a goblin.
But to refuse a white mask that could be said to be feminine and to deliberately change to a red mask that looked grotesque even to him, a man... it was as if his and Yu Eunseong's genders had been switched.
'Her taste is quite unique.'
Although he had accompanied her on this journey to find out more about Yu Eunseong, it felt as if he had beco more unable to know about the person nad Yu Eunseong in a strange part.
"We have arrived."
At that mont, the warrior who was walking ahead said and stopped in front of a certain pavilion.
A pavilion of a quite large size at a glance, Cheon Myeong could imdiately know that an auction was being held here.
"Please go in."
"..."
Yes, what is so important about a mask in this situation?
Cheon Myeong decided to focus only on retrieving the Three Sacred Treasures and moved his steps.
Creak-.
The door opened and Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong went inside.
As soon as he entered, Cheon Myeong felt that the inside was much darker than the outside, and he could imdiately know that the inside was full of people wearing masks just like them.
'This is...'
Although he had thought that there would not be few people, the number of people who had participated in the auction seed to exceed his expectations.
On top of that, since the inside was as dark as if the sun had completely set, it even felt as if one more unexpected variable had arisen.
'It's a quite unique sight.'
Whether he looked this way or that way, it was full of people wearing masks. On top of that, to think that he was also one of that group.
Although he had not thought that he had lived such a short life, seeing this sight, it seed that he had not lived that long.
"Young Master."
"..."
"What should we do from now on?"
Yu Eunseong asked Cheon Myeong.
Cheon Myeong was also just as frustrated with this situation, but he could not just say nothing as it was.
Since the person in charge of this mission was, after all, Cheon Myeong, he had to give instructions in so way.
"...Although the environnt is poor, we have no choice but to wander around and find Man Jeokseon."
"Then shall we split up and search?"
"No, if we split up rashly, we might not be able to join each other in ti, so it's not good to be far apart."
Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong were also wearing masks.
If the inside had been bright, they would have been able to recognize each other at a glance even if they were a little apart, but since the inside was this dark and the size was also large, if they were to make a mistake, they might not be able to call each other when needed.
Moreover, couldn't this place also be called the den of the enemy?
Although Yu Eunseong was his rival, since he thought of her as a subordinate he had to take responsibility for at this mont, Cheon Myeong wanted to proceed with the work in a direction that was as not dangerous as possible.
"Since we can't see their faces, we have to distinguish Man Jeokseon just by looking at people's actions."
"..."
"So it would be good to go around together and look carefully so that we don't miss any parts that we might have missed."
"I understand."
As Cheon Myeong said that, Yu Eunseong seed to have understood.
"Then... let's wander around as naturally as possible and search."
It would look strange if he were to look around too openly.
Rather, if Man Jeokseon were to feel a suspicious presence from this side, wouldn't that be a failure?
Paying attention to that part, Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong began to wander around the venue.
"..."
Most of the people wearing masks were sitting in the seats that had been prepared in advance.
Of course, although there were also people who were wandering around from ti to ti like Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong, their number was small, and the people who were standing like wooden statues with swords on their waists could be thought of as the mbers of the Black Night Gang.
Although Cheon Myeong and Yu Eunseong were looking for a person who was suspected of being Man Jeokseon, pretending to be looking for an empty seat, as expected, it was by no ans an easy task to grasp this by their behavior.
For example, even if there was a person who showed a suspicious movent, that was, after all, just a guess. Since he had to take off the other person's mask to confirm for sure, if he was not really sure, he could not act rashly.
Flicker-.
At that mont, a light arose from the front of the direction where the seats were placed.
Then, only that place began to be seen brightly in the darkness, and as people's gazes were focused on that place, a person wearing a mask also appeared.
"You have waited a long ti. I am the auctioneer who will be conducting this auction so that you can have a smooth transaction."
"..."
"Although you will not have any particular reason to call , that's right. But still, if you have a reason to call , you can call Ugly Man during this auction."
As the man wearing a mask with a crooked mouth and eyes and a nose that were placed at will introduced himself, a sneering laugh arose from inside.
However, as the person nad Ugly Man appeared, Cheon Myeong could not laugh like the other people.
'Is the auction about to start already?'
If the auction were to start in earnest, he would not be able to wander around like this now.
Although he was wandering around naturally under the pretext of looking for an empty seat now, if he were to do so even after the auction had started, wouldn't the people around him naturally find it suspicious?
'I have no choice.'
The rest of the search will be continued while sitting.
Of course, although the search range would be narrowed if he were to sit, since there would be more opportunities to look carefully, there were also advantages.
Even if he didn't think so, since it was a situation where he had no choice but to sit anyway, Cheon Myeong had no choice but to act so.
"...Let's sit too."
Cheon Myeong said to Yu Eunseong and chose a back seat where he could look at as many people as possible in the area he had not yet searched.
"Then I will introduce the first item! A comb and hair that are said to have been used by the princess of the North Sea Ice Palace, among the won of the North Sea who have an exotic beauty!"
As soon as Cheon Myeong sat down, the auction began in earnest.
As soon as the introduction of the item was over, the sound of shouting out amounts was heard from here and there.
Although the interest of the people here seed to be all on the item in front, Cheon Myeong's attention was, after all, on the people sitting around him.
'...Rather, it seems that it has beco easier to distinguish now.'
Due to the start of the auction, people's actions had beco more diverse than before.
So it could be said that there were more clues.
Cheon Myeong began to observe the actions of the people around him, focusing on that part.
"..."
How much ti had passed like that?
Although Cheon Myeong had found a few suspicious people, he had not yet found a person who he could be sure was Man Jeokseon.
'Is Man Jeokseon among them...'
Or it might be too rash to judge so yet. Perhaps Man Jeokseon was not here from the beginning.
While Cheon Myeong was thinking so, Yu Eunseong, who was sitting next to him, called Cheon Myeong with a slightly urgent voice.
"Young Master...!"
"...?"
At that voice, Cheon Myeong's gaze turned to Yu Eunseong.
"Look over there."
Yu Eunseong, who was pointing to the front and saying so.
Cheon Myeong turned his head in the direction that Yu Eunseong was pointing.
"..."
And at that mont, Cheon Myeong's two eyes, which were hidden behind the mask, couldn't help but widen.
(End of Chapter)
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