Chapter 3: Underground City and Black Market

"Gramps!" Dio excitedly called out to his grandfather when he arrived home because he brought good news with him.

However, he was welcomed by a kid's groaning inside the room where they brought wounded people.

He peeked on the slightly opened door and saw that the kid he helped earlier was writhing in pain. He immediately opened the door wide and stood next to his grandfather.

"What happened?"

"Good thing you're here, Dio. Can you help him? The poison spread too fast because it was put in his open wounds."

"How about the antid—" he couldn't continue what he was about to say when he saw the grim expression on Archie's face. "You couldn't."

He sat beside the kid and covered his hands with his eyes. He could feel the surge of power coming from his core towards his hands as he focused the mana in his fingers. He calmed the kid first. He made his sensory nerves numb for a moment so that he wouldn't feel pain temporarily. Removing a poison from the body would hurt a lot so he had to do that.

When he saw the look of relief in the boy's face, he moved his hand to the biggest open wound. He once again focused his mana in his hands as he pictured the poison slowly being absorbed by him. He continued to do that procedure to all of the boy's open wounds until all the poison was absorbed.

His complexion turned pale and he was sweating profusely all throughout the process but he knew that he couldn't stop. He was breathing heavily when he stopped and pulled his hand away from the last open wound.

"The kid. . ." Dio said as he panted when he saw his grandfather walking towards him. "Please treat the kid first."

Archie then handed him a towel and went to the boy's side. He quickly washed his wounds and bandaged it.

After making sure that the boy was asleep, Archie went to check on his grandson who was currently in his room. He saw that Dio finally had his breathing stabled and his complexion looked better.

"Pure ricin. It was powdered ricin."

Archie clenched his fist when he heard Dio's words. Pure ricin was a highly potent poison; it was rare, because it's hard to create but it could be found in any forest in low concentrations.

"It was in the hands of a bunch of kids in the back alley," Dio added as he rested his head on his bed's headboard.

Who would sell pure concentrated ricin to a bunch of kids? Where would they even find the money to get such a rare thing?

Archie's thoughts started to flow as he watched his grandson's shaking hands.

"The black market, Gramps. Those kids are the apprentices of a merchant from the black market."

Archie sighed. Dio might look young and innocent on the outside but his mind works better than any adult. He was sharp and sometimes vicious which made Archie want to move him away from violence.

"Dio, I'll close the store. I need to go somewhere."

Dio gave him a thumbs up. "Just come back home safely."

He smirked when he heard him. "Of course. Nothing could harm me in this place."

Dio chuckled before he waved him goodbye. Archie's expression changed into a cold one once he left the house.

It was a silent night and the moon was hiding in the clouds which made the roads of the south city darker than it usually was. There were no lamp posts in the area where Archie had stopped, but he could hear the faint sounds of the people below.

He knocked on the door. A peephole opened to check on him before the guard said something, "When the night comes. . ."

"The underground is our home."

The door opened after the guard heard Archie's words. He bowed his head when he received Archie's identification plate.

Archie Romanov. He might look like a benign old herbalist, but he was one of the influential people who kept the South City from turning into a chaotic city.

Archie slowly trod the way towards the room where the merchants of the black market held their meeting. The people, eight in totals, had a shocked look on their faces when they saw him enter.

"Mr. Archie, can you tell us what caused this unannounced visit?" Ryan Carter, one of the top merchants in the black market who served as the chairman that ran the south city from the shadows asked him as he took a seat beside him.

He took a small bundle of cloth out of his pocket then put it into the table where the merchants gathered. "My grandson was poisoned by that thing." Archie's cold voice echoed around the room.

"What is this?" Ryan carefully opened the bundle and his eyes grew wide when he saw a package of ricin.

"How was your grandson?" He immediately asked the old man.

"He was resting, now. Fortunately, I was able to make him vomit the poison he ingested."

"I'll immediately investigate this matter!"

Archie nodded his head before his eyes landed on Cairo Monde. "I shall take my leave, now."

Cairo stood up and smirked. "Let me escort you out."

Archie ignored Cairo but he let him take the lead. They were silently walking along the hallway when Cairo spoke, "you think that kind of threat could stop me?"

Archie's lips curved into a sarcastic smile. "Of course, not. I was just reminding you that I won't interfere as long as my Dio won't get involved."

"It was your grandson's fault for acting like some hero."

"Now you're blaming the victim?" Archie sneered. "I'll see you next time."

Cairo glared at him before opening the door. "Please keep yourself safe until then."

Archie sensed a threat in his voice but he chose to ignore it. As long as he could keep those people in check, he could create a less chaotic environment for Dio and that was all that mattered to him.