After leaving Third Avenue, Durin walked directly towards the public elevator.
This was a massive atrium with three vertical elevator tracks rising from the ground, level with the surface. Each track was two meters in diameter, cast from wrought iron, and the area enclosed by the three pillars was the transport channel for the public elevator.
Such elevators were ubiquitous throughout Zaun; it seemed there was one every two to three hundred meters, perhaps private, perhaps public.
These public elevators often roared into operation until midnight, connecting the upper, middle, and lower parts of Zaun's districts.
Therefore, people from different social strata had vastly different needs for the elevators. At this moment, quite a few people were already waiting inside. Each ascent required payment of one copper circle coin.
So, to ensure basic maintenance costs, they usually waited until 50 people were on board before starting.
Durin quickly jogged inside, and after paying one copper circle coin, he stood to one side of the elevator. Not long after, the elevator's protective iron gate was forcefully closed.
The elevator began to ascend slowly, and one could clearly feel the acceleration changing.
"About one more minute," Durin began to calculate the time in his mind, watching the scenery of Zaun constantly change before his eyes, with shadows shifting on his face accordingly.
A gear-driven counter, like a giant clock, had countless gears meshing and advancing step by step. When the most crucial one completed a full rotation, the elevator's speed would decrease, the acceleration changing from fast to slow, and the number "4" displayed in the center above the door would turn into "5" with the crisp sound of a wind chime.
Then, the public elevator completely stopped, suspended firmly in mid-air within the atrium by three steel cables.
Durin had reached his destination.
Boundary Markets.
This place thrived at the border between Piltover and Zaun. For Piltoverianss, it was a black market. But for Zaunites, it was a bustling marketplace.
The market's area was immeasurable; it was filled with shops, neatly arranged on both sides of the streets. The street paving stones were incredibly smooth and clean, and there were even many well-maintained trees, as well as various straight streetlights on both sides of the street, illuminating the vast market down to the finest detail.
Spirits, beautiful women, and wealth were all gathered within this Boundary Market.
"Step right up, don't miss out! Three-tailed white foxes from Ionia, just 3 silver lun coins each! Opportunities like this don't come every day, come take a look!"
"Iron-line snake, one goblet of iron-line snake venom! Only 5 silver lun coins! Where else can you find such good materials? Come take a look!"
Durin walked along the market street, listening to the hawkers' cries and observing the vendors along the way, feeling that the air here made him considerably more relaxed and pleasant.
The air in the Boundary Markets came from Upper City, and even the outside world, flowing through the great cracks in the canyon to this place. Therefore, the air here was much fresher than in the lower levels of Zaun, as if carrying a cool, minty sensation.
As for why Durin came here, it was because it had been a month since his last medicine pick-up. According to regulations, he needed to pick up his medicine once a month. So, he was originally supposed to see the doctor these past two days to check his physical condition.
Since he had taken a leave of absence today, he decided to go along with it.
Most vendors were surrounded by customers, though the majority were just onlookers, only looking but not buying.
A middle-aged man standing in front of a small stall, admiring items, caught Durin's interest. He wore a filtered respirator on his face, and behind him stood two burly bodyguards. Beside the middle-aged man was a young-looking noble lady in a black long dress, with beautiful long black hair cascading over her shoulders.
Most people wore cheap clothes, with many patches of different colors, the kind that had been mended and patched for three years. The middle-aged man, however, wore a brown double-breasted jacket with a tie, white gloves on his hands, and held a black cane. Every move he made was meticulously polite, displaying a noble temperament rarely seen in ordinary people.
Durin understood why these people did this—to display their social status.
Piltowers' social status was largely determined by the fabric and tailoring of their daily attire, which often revealed their wealth and power.
Of course, Zaunites generally weren't as idle as Piltowers; their minds were entirely focused on how to survive in this terrible place or how to earn money to move away.
So, Durin estimated that this middle-aged man, exuding a noble aura, must be from a Piltover family.
This was also thanks to the fact that the order in the Boundary Markets was better than in the lower levels of Zaun. Here, forced buying and selling or disguised robbery were almost non-existent, and even the high and mighty Piltoverianss occasionally came to stroll around.
Just as he was distracted, someone rushed out from the street corner, in a hurry, and directly collided with Durin.
The speed was so fast that it knocked him off balance with a "Bang!"
"Hiss!"
"Ow!"
Durin involuntarily staggered back a few steps. The other person's strength was completely unexpected, and even the "Introduction to Alchemy and Potions" manual tucked in his pocket fell to the ground.
The other person was also stunned, then quickly bent down and picked up the book from the ground: "I'm sorry, I apologize, I was just joking with my friends and wasn't paying attention. Did I hurt you?"
The three people who followed behind, seeing this, probably understood what had happened and quickly apologized as well.
After speaking, she stuffed the book, "Introduction to Alchemy and Potions," into Durin's hand. However, her steps didn't stop, and she turned back, nodding repeatedly to Durin in apology.
Durin rubbed his shoulder, which was throbbing from the impact.
It seemed to have been a girl just now, with short pink hair, not very tall, reaching about Durin's throat, and she didn't even look up at him the entire time. Although her voice sounded a bit neutral, there was a faint, delicate feminine scent about her.
"See? I told you not to bring Powder. She always causes us trouble."
"It wasn't me who bumped into someone, and I was behind you guys. Why should I be blamed for this?"
"Because of your conspicuous blue hair! What if they recognized you? What if they reported you to those damned blue hats?"
"But he clearly doesn't know me! Even if he saw me, what then?"
"Alright, alright, both of you say less. And Mylo, this really isn't Powder's fault."
"Vi! You just favor Powder too much…"
Durin, who was about to leave, suddenly stopped.
Wait, what were the names these guys just called?
Vi? Powder? Mylo?
Durin's long-sealed memories were suddenly stirred. He remembered that before he transmigrated, there was a very popular anime called "Arcane," meticulously produced by Riot Games, with the perspective naturally focusing on events happening in the two cities of Piltover and Zaun.
However, the timeline of this anime was a bit early, because Vi was only 16 when she first appeared, and Jinx, who was called Powder at her first appearance, was only 13.
And Mylo was one of Vi's followers. If Durin remembered correctly, the opening plot of this anime was about an explosion that occurred in Piltover's Academy District, and the perpetrators were the four-person group led by Vi.
Durin suddenly realized, could it be that the events of these past few days were the beginning of the Arcane storyline?
Upon realizing this, Durin suddenly turned, wanting to grab the other party and ask, but found that the figures of the four had already vanished into the vast crowd.
Durin felt a bit lost. Meeting heroes he knew from his memories, it was certainly false to say he had no thoughts, but considering his current situation and the difficulties the other party was facing, Durin instead felt that he should stay away from them, otherwise, facing Piltover's Enforcers, he might not even know how he died.
So, regaining his composure, Durin continued to walk towards the street where the black market doctor was located.
Ten minutes later, Durin arrived at a dilapidated street.
Dark buildings loomed on both sides of the road, weeds poked through cracks in the pavement, and the remnants of decayed billboards lay scattered.
Even for Zaun's Upper City, this street was quite remote and dangerous. It appeared desolate, but the shadows were teeming with shiny, darting eyes like those of rats.
This was a street abandoned by the Boundary Markets, also known as the Back Alley. It was also Zaun's black market, the dark underbelly behind the bustling Boundary Markets.
Typically, all sorts of illicit businesses, hidden by this dark street, quietly took place here at all times.
Durin skillfully turned into a deep alley and arrived at a shop entrance. A plaque hung on the wall, carved with a few crooked words: Death Countdown.
A burly man, covered in tattoos and shirtless, blocked his path.
"I'm here to see the black market Medical Skill. I've been here before," Durin said, sizing up the man. He realized the man was a stranger he hadn't seen before.
Upon seeing that the visitor was an Ionian and dressed in simple clothes, the burly man couldn't help but show a hint of disdain: "You say you've been here before? Do you have an appointment? Kid, this is the Back Alley, not a place for you to wander around."
In the perception of many, Ionians were all paupers and pushovers, constantly muttering about things like 'man and nature' and 'environmental protection.'
Durin glanced at the man, sighed, and said helplessly, "You must be new here, right? I'm an acquaintance of the doctor. I never need an appointment to come here."
"No entry without an appointment!"
The burly man bellowed, slamming his hands together, producing a series of whooshing sounds.
"Chem-Tech?"
Durin's pupils suddenly constricted. He had clearly seen that the burly man's arms were assembled from brass and wires, with green liquid flowing through plastic tubes, and even the inner sides of his forearms were covered with exposed wiring.
"Hmph! If you want to get in, you'll have to ask if I agree!" the burly man said in a deep voice, staring intimidatingly at Durin.
Just as Durin was hesitating whether to make a move, a conciliatory laugh came from inside the house: "Alright, Durin, come on in!"
Only then did the burly man purse his lips and step aside to clear the path.
Durin stepped inside and looked around.
This was actually a clinic, filled with scissors, scalpels, tweezers, hammers, and various mechanical parts. A bookshelf embedded in the wall was stacked with bottles and jars of all sizes, containing all sorts of strange medicinal herbs or live organisms.
The only doctor was sitting at a workbench, illuminated by a lamp, fiddling with a large iron pot that was boiling in front of him, repeatedly stirring it with a wooden spoon.
The air was filled with a strong smell of herbs and onions.
To be precise, it was a super-large Toad Witch Doctor, sitting upright. Its corpulent body had disproportionate limbs, and its dark blue skin was covered with large and small wart-like pustules.
The Toad Witch Doctor wore a string of unpeeled onions around his neck, and a thick, tall blue turban wrapped around his head.
"When did you get enough money to hire a bodyguard?" Durin asked casually.
The owner of this clinic, to be precise, was a witch doctor, and also the "black market doctor" Durin was introduced to by the necromancer. Generally, people doing business in the black market tended to be very secretive, but this Toad Witch Doctor seemed afraid that others wouldn't know, even adding the prefix "black market" to his name, saying it made him seem more impressive.
In fact, it did attract many Piltover to seek Medical Skill. They believed that witch doctors were more authoritative than regular doctors and could better treat some strange illnesses.
Of course, this Toad Witch Doctor did have some skills. He could always boil a pile of strange herbs into a soup, feed it to the patient, and they would usually be fine.
Over time, his reputation grew larger and larger.
Durin even secretly inquired and found that the consultation fee alone for this Toad Witch Doctor to see a patient was 20 copper circle coin, and this did not include the treatment process.
"Hehe, you know, I do research here and always need some strange materials. Besides, this is Zaun's Back Alley, and having someone to ensure I won't be disturbed is also a good thing."
The Toad Witch Doctor shook his head and said, "But let's put that topic aside for now, Durin. I told you that you must come here for an observation once a month. Now let me check your physical condition."
"It seems you care about me quite a bit."
"No, you're just a perfect medical specimen to me. Heheheh~" The Toad Witch Doctor let out a strange laugh, his two catfish-like tentacles waving wildly. "To be honest, if I hadn't still maintained my humanitarian conscience, I would have wanted to dissect you to see what your internal organs have become... But doing that would be equivalent to indirect murder. I am a witch doctor; I only save people, I don't kill people."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Durin sighed and said calmly, "Then I'll trouble you. Please begin the examination!"