The main streets were lively filled with people walking around. The shops were beautifully arranged, placing their best items in the eyes of the customers who looked at them delighted. On the other hand, the pleasant smell coming from the restaurants and cafés was a bit overwhelming.

As I walk further into the city the people begin to decrease and the happiness begins to fade. The buildings were made with less quality and everything seemed less inviting. The shops were humble and slightly dirty. The place was filled with bars and drunkards that walked around without a path in their minds after swallowing all their sorrows and regrets. 

Against the concrete walls, people dressed in extremely cheap clothes glared, suspiciously, at the invaders of their territory. I pull my hood harder in a pitiful attempt to further hide my face. 

'So this is the rotten cherry...' people from all the trades walked around, from noblemen that came out of the bars to poor kids who begged for money. 

Finally, after a long walk, I reach my destination. A tall building made of thick dark red bricks was grandiosely standing before me. The agglomeration of bystanders around the building rose and I could easily understand they were none other than guards, hiding sharp swords behind their large attires. For regular people this place was nothing more than a successful bar, however, for the people who entered through the right side door, this was their gateway. 

The strangers glared at me suspiciously yet no words were said. I knock six times on the door and a man with the appearance of a mercenary opens the door cheerfully. 

"What do ya want? Did you lost your way kid?" I could smell the tobacco and alcohol through his breath as he spoke. 

"It is a lovely day for a picnic," I state while rising my head just to see his big and deep scar on his left cheek. His eyes widen in surprise.

"Indeed. Come on in kid," the man chuckles as his attitude changes completely. 

'Was he pretending to be drunk?' as we enter the building I observe his behavior and somehow I knew he had been sober all along. 

As we walked down the somewhat dark and long halls that had several locked wooden doors, I could feel the pressure in every single pace I took. As my lungs inhaled the gingery fragrance from the incenses on the top shelves my body began to feel lighter but my mind more precise. There were eyes and ears everywhere, staring at me, glaring at me, analyzing me.

'I'm surrounded,' I thought. I never expected this to be easy but I didn't think it would be this overwhelming either. Knowing I will be caught the precise moment I do anything these people might not like is more than terrifying. Truthfully, I am not scared of death itself as I have greeted it several times, however, the thought of being tortured makes me shiver in fear, 'Calm down, breathe, you are fine,' I keep on thinking inside my head.

The man stops in front of a door and stops while his deep brown eyes stare into mine. I couldn't tell what was inside of his mind but I needed this, I needed to get in, no matter what. 

"I am in need of some flowers. Tulips to be exact," at my statement the man grins, amused, and opens the big wooden door. 

My eyes blink as they get used to the bright red light that covered the room. Walls painted crimson red while the floor was hidden by a heavy yet furry dark brown carpet. The smell of ginger disappears, giving birth to a fragrance I had never smelled before: the mixture of several heavy incenses. 

I couldn't help but gasp as I looked at the size of the room I was in. Several men and women, of all ages and gender, were behind stalls, showcasing their products patiently, just like a carnivorous plant waits for its prey. 

'It's like a city...' I couldn't help but think this was more than just a mere business made by an organization, 'Heck, this is a world of its own!'

"Keep walking forward and you will reach the tulip garden, make sure to knock two times," the man closes the door and lights up his cigarette right before heading to a small bar on the right.

In my 2nd life, I overheard Marquiss Verne talking about a "special garden" in the capital.

'A garden with a flower for any type of need' he said to Duke Criswell.

At the time, I couldn't understand what he meant since flowers cannot possibly fulfill any needs, however, after some months I managed to catch two of the guards talking, as they came back to the estate after a late night of drinking.

'And you know, that prick wants to go there again tomorrow,' one of them said as he leaned his body on the other.

'He must've bought all of the black market by now... These rich people and their spending, if I was rich I would spend it with Emma!' the other one chuckles.

'Why? She's a prostitute dude,' he lets out a loud burp.

'But she gives better handjobs than I give myself!' they both started laughing.

"The Garden" was the name everyone used for the black market in the capital since, all their products and services, were associated with a special type of flower. As the time passed and as both guards got drunk I began to pull some of the pieces together: 'Roses' were for contracting assassins, 'Tulips' were for buying slaves and 'Sunflowers' were for purchasing drugs and 'Orchids' for poisons. 

As I wandered through the room I noticed how ignorant I was. In here, one would sell almost everything starting from cheap aphrodisiacs, to expensive forbidden weapons.

'No idea why that would be sold,' I notice some items that resembled trash being sold in a couple of stands further ahead.

I stop at a thick, metal door and do what I was told. Soon after I hear several different sounds, almost as if someone was unlocking the several padlocks they had placed on the door. A tall bald man opens the door and, after not seeing me in front of him, looks down. 

"Are you here to see the Tulips miss?" he grins as he sees my figure and I couldn't help but feel a shiver run down my spine. 

"Yes," I reply and the man leads me downstairs.

The smell of blood, feces, and urine intensified as we walked further down right before a big iron door is opened. I see several men, women, and children chained to walls inside their cells, their bodies were poorly treated, filled with wounds, bruises, and malnourished. As I passed through the cells I could see the fear in their eyes as mothers held their children tightly as if it would be the last.

'Is he dead?' I noticed a man lying on the floor without moving and the dealer saw it as well. He clicked his fingers and, as we walk inside a small room, the sound of the bars being pushed are heard.

If I had discovered this place in my 1st life I would've done everything I could to tear it down, no matter how poorly the Duke had raised me I knew right from wrong but now I'm not even batting an eye to these people who are on the verge of death and despair. They neither bother me nor make me feel uneasy, it is almost as if my mind had become a foreigner to kindness.

'It wouldn't matter if I saved them either way. It will all go back in three years,' the man serves me coffee in a somewhat expensive cup as my brain assesses the future possibilities.

"Show me your strongest Tulips," I sit on the comfortable couch as he sits in a chair in front of me.

"Of course," his smile widens right before he clicks his fingers again. He drinks a bit of his coffee while I glare at him, confused. Even then, I remained quiet since I didn't want to cause any problems in this place, "I can't help but wonder what a young lady might need a Tulip for" he mockingly asks.

"I'm sure that, a person with your experience, is able to know with a glance, no?" I reply politely making the man chuckle.

"I should tell you our prices are high... Not something a simple salary will cover," his amusement turns into a threatening aura.

"If you thought I didn't have the money then you wouldn't allow my entrance in the first place," I smile politely, however, soon after it disappears as I see his grin, I knew exactly what was traveling through his mind.

'He didn't invite me in because he thought I had money... He did it to sell me,' I quickly realized the true intentions of the man standing before me.

I place a medium-sized pouch on the table while he looks at me displeased. He opens it just to see several gold coins shining brightly. His eyes glare up and down at me and, right after lighting up a cigarette, he chuckles.

"Such a waste..." he mumbles, "But I don't want to be involved in the disappearance of a noble girl," he leans back and exhales deeply.

Several minutes pass and I am startled by the sound of chains scratching the floor. Soon after I am greeted by eight different men whose bodies looked able to break a tree with one arm. Behind them was a man with a mask and a thick black bat. They looked miserable but, even then they didn't seem willing to fight for their freedom against these two weak men controlling them.

'Were they drugged?' their expressions were dull, almost as if no soul inhabited their bodies. I had never seen anything like this.

"These won't do. I need someone who can blend in while being strong and smart," I frown as he scratches his bald head in conflict.

"We have one that might fit the criteria but he hasn't been controlled yet. It would take at least a week to get him ready," he states.

"Take me to him, I will see for myself," we both get up.

"Alright. Get rid of them," a person appears from the shadows and starts taking the rejected slaves back into their cells alongside the other masked man. I couldn't even see his face or stature but I knew that he wasn't the only one lurking in the shadows of this place.

"He's from a mountain tribe in the north and he is very dangerous. A couple of my guys died trying to catch him," the man lets out a long sigh as we walked down the halls.

We reached the cell where he was staying. Isolated from everyone else, alone and fully chained, a young man slightly older than me glared at us just like a predator to his prey. From the looks of it, he was extremely underweight and weak due to the environment he was in. His dark brown eyes looked ready to rip our necks apart while his platinum hair shone brightly when the flame of the torch flickered to it. His body was covered in heavy bruises and some superficial wounds. Both his feet and hands were chained to the wall, however, his neck carried a heavy metal collar I had never seen before.

'Run,' my gut yelled deep down inside every time his eyes connected with mine, 'He's already gone,' I couldn't help but to sense that he was no different than a beast, having lost all his reasoning.

"Open it," the seller looks at me dumbfounded while frowning his brows deeply, "Do I need to repeat myself? Open it," I glare at him.

"He's dangerous, if you die, it's your own fault kid," reluctantly, he opens the door and allows me to enter. I knew this was suicidal but I needed to see him closely, I needed to connect to him in any way since that would be the only way for me to achieve my goal.

He was alone in this dark dreadful place and, as I saw his bruises closer I found myself pitying him for being in this situation, however, I am not benevolent enough to buy him and free him for nothing but pure kindness.

The boy stood in his place quietly, watching me, waiting for the moment to strike, and, once I was close enough, he jumps on me. His hands grab my neck right after pushing me down onto the concrete floor. My hood fell, allowing my black hair to be exposed, and, for a moment, he flinched.

"I warned you," I could hear the seller mocking my difficult situation. I actually think that, after that harsh fall, he must think that I am nothing but a dead corpse right now.

I focus my light blue eyes on him as his grip tightens. I could feel my body beginning to ask for oxygen but, instead of struggling, I just placed my hands on top of his, adding more strength into it while a kind smile was created on my lips. His eyes widen in surprise as his expression portraited his confusion.

I didn't fear death, in fact, if I could die today I would feel thankful since this is nothing like being burned alive, yet I knew this was nothing but a silly desire that would never become true.

"W-... W-... Why do you want to buy me?" his voice was low and rough making me wonder when was the last time this man had drunk water or even eaten something decent.

"I-I..." I tried to speak but his grip was too strong. Noticing it, he releases his hands and straightens his body as his knees were locking my body in place. I cough several times, "I need you to protect me for three years, after that, you are free" he frowns, showing me that he was suspicious of my proposition, "I can just get someone else if you are not interested", I glare at him coldly.

His eyes were analyzing me closely, observing my body and memorizing my expressions. Slowly I get up and lean on the wall while trying to catch my breath. The seller opens the door and approaches me while holding his torch.

"I told you he needed training, let me show you the rest of my merchandise," the bald man places his hand on top of my shoulder and begins to send me away, forcefully. Something wasn't right and I could feel it.

"I'll do it," the slave says loudly.

"What did you say little shit?" the man lets me go and heads towards the boy rushedly. As he was about to beat him up I grab his arm.  Accidentally he drops the torch on me and I quickly fall back. Understanding the situation I was in, I quickly get up and regain my composure.

"He is mine now, I'm sure the amount on your office will suffice, isn't that right?" I smile coldly after placing my hood over my head once again, "Let's settle our business."

"Come again whenever you need, we have new merchandise every week," the bald man smiled happily as we left the small room after everything had been settled.

"Let's go," I say to the slave as he covers himself with a dirty hood provided by the seller. Even though his hands and ankles were now chainless he still had a small collar around his neck. According to the man, the matching ring I received was used to control slaves, every time you wished to punish them I just needed to squeeze it and electrical shocks would be sent to the collar.

I tried having the seller explain to me how it worked but he refused to tell me.

'Secrets of the business,' he stated coldly. The only thing I can assume is that this is some ancient object with some magic.