Black Onyx - Forgotten Magic

When the Auction House disappeared from his sight, Gerald was finally able to relax. On this day nobody followed him, but he still discarded his disguise in a dark alley. It was better to be safe than sorry.

Although he appeared extremely confident and arrogant, he was nervous about his bluff being discovered. As such, he tried to end the exchange as fast as possible.

His amazing Magic Eyes that allowed him to see Mana came in really handy this time. The 'light' that Mana released was not blocked by any physical material, only by distance, and that allowed him to have a weak wall-piercing sight.

Although he had already seen Arthur the day before, he wasn't sure if he should bring it up or if that person being there was just a coincidence. On the second day, though, he became certain that he was being monitored closely.

But now, all that didn't matter anymore as it was in the past. Gerald couldn't wait to get back to his room and finally create that elusive Mana Elixir. He almost couldn't contain his excitement and good mood and so he smiled wherever he went.

It was still early morning so he decided to check out the city, maybe he could find something interesting on the way.

Most of Auralba was built around a hill. The outer walls had a diameter of more than five kilometers and most people lived near the outer ring. Another wall separated the common folk from the nobles and another majestic wall was exclusively for the royal family and their palace.

The king's residence was on the very top of the hill, looking down upon the city like the mighty ruler it was.

Nobody, not even the nobles had access to the royal space unless they were specifically invited to come.

Gerald was, of course, no different. He wasn't even allowed to check out the nobles' quarters. Only rich families, renowned merchants, and alchemists, as well as military officials, had access to the nobles' part of the city.

During his exploration, Gerald came across a watchmaker's shop.

"I can't believe it! I actually found it!" Gerald excitedly exclaimed.

He was looking for a shop like this since the day he came to Geldern. Unfortunately, they didn't have the luxury of selling this kind of goods in a small city like that.

For a month he had to rely on the sun and the big city clock to tell the time. It was incredibly inconvenient and annoying. But now, finally, he could get himself a proper time-keeping device.

Inside the shop, a middle-aged man was surrounded by all kinds of clocks from all sides. Big and small, simple and complex. Most of them were pendulum clocks with different housings. Some were made of simple wood, while others had even silver and gold decorations.

But this was not what Gerald was looking for. Such a cumbersome device was only useful in a home and so he had to chat with the watchmaker for a while before he could lay his eyes on the most advanced piece of technology.

A pocket watch. A small, silver pocket watch, suspended on a short silver chain.

"Beautiful," Gerald exhaled. He got a bit emotional at the marvelous sight. It was the first object that he could consider as a proper use of technology. It was nowhere near the modern standards, but it still managed to move something in his heart, creating a sense of longing for his real home, something he never before thought he would experience.

But he quickly woke up, or better yet, he was rudely woken up by the extraordinarily high price.

He was prepared for the watch to be expensive, but this was too much even for him. 'Five gold coins? This is almost half all my wealth! A day-light robbery!'

No matter what he thought in his heart, the price stayed at five gold coins and bartering was not an option.

'I need to look at this from another angle. It's an investment for the future, I can't be stingy with it!' With a heavy heart Gerald eventually decided to buy it. As he was handing over the money he felt like he was handing over a part of himself.

"Sigh," he exhaled when he was back on the street, the watch deep inside his pocket. "How can a day turn so dark so quickly?"

He continued on his way around the city, his eyes dispirited when he suddenly stopped and his mood did a 180° turn once again.

"I take it all back, it's not that bad after all!" His eyes landed on a sign in front of something that almost looked like a theatre. The sign had the name 'Madam Daisy's Funhouse' written on it, but the murals on the walls clearly depicted what kind of place it was.

Gerald did not have to look twice before deciding what to do. With firm steps, he went right in.

The light inside was much darker than outside and the sun shining through the tainted glass windows had a slight red color.

Murals covered the walls on the inside too, and they were, even more than the outside, revealing of the things that went on in here.

The place was in the shape of a big circle, with fur sofas and couches and with the red sun rays shining down on them. Many scantly dressed young ladies laid on those soft furs, showing off their attractive bodies.

At a glance, Gerald counted at least twenty of them. A few of the girls chatted with young guys and older men, feeding them fruits and wine and laughing at their jokes while showing off their voluptuous chests proudly.

A well-dressed woman, who seemed to be in her mid-thirties, approached Gerald with confidence and smiles, "Hello there, sir! Welcome to Madam Daisy's Funhouse. It is a place where the prettiest flowers from the kingdom are gathered to serve your needs!"

Gerald looked around and nodded with a serious face, "So, as I understand it, this is a brothel?"

The woman kept smiling and stated, "Well, we prefer to call it a house of advanced entertainment and pleasure…"

"So...basically, a fancy brothel?" Gerald casually asked again.

"Erm, well… If that's how sir wants to call it…" The woman felt somewhat awkward by the definitions Gerald tried to push.

"Okay then. Let's get to the point then. What are the rules and what's the charge?" He didn't pay much attention to the woman before him, instead, he was paying close attention to the ladies laying on those soft furs in suggestive poses.

"Oh that's right, sir is here for the first time? We don't have any rules, except one. You aren't allowed to damage property or any of the girls here, as for anything else, do as your heart desires," the woman explained with a smile.

"As for the fee, it's ten silver coins for a girl if you want to just talk, with a service of fruits and wine included. And if you would like something more intimate, it comes to twenty silver for an hour." She read him a few more prices of some extra stuff he could get, such as toys, extra alcohol, fancy rooms…

"I think I got it," Gerald placed a gold coin on the counter and said, "I would like an extra bottle of your fine wine, and uh…give me those two." He pointed at a pair of girls that have been eyeing him and smiling at him since the moment he came in.

They were both really pretty, with nice curves and attractive faces. Just judging from the looks they had to be somewhere in their early twenties.

"But of course. Anything for our customers." The woman slightly bowed, smiling, and then handed over a key to a room before waving to the ladies, "Girls, escort this fine gentleman to his room."

"Yes, ma'am! Tee-hee, this way mister." The girls quickly came, giggling, and each of them hugged one of Gerald's arms as they led him to the bedroom.