=== POV Eris, two days after arriving at the blackhole ===

 

“Our break has been long enough. From today we will start our investigations. Ishina and I discussed our next steps and some details, and we came to an agreement. We quickly realized that the research was going in different directions, so we would form three teams. Our first team consists of Myam and Nyam. You will go to the Sun admirers together and tell them about the current situation. Here, these documents will explain your visit."

Crete handed the two dryads some documents and pieces of a record.

“The second group consists of Viczien and me. We'll look for Lyam. Don't worry Eris, he's safer with me than with you, near the Blackhole."

I hadn't said anything, but Crete just explained to me why Viczien should stay with her.

“And the last team consists of Ishina and Eris. Eris, Ishina will explain the complete details to you separately."

Crete turned back to the two dryads.

"Come on, I'll explain your job to you on the way out."

She pushed the two dryads in front of her, and at the same moment, Ishina came up to me.

"Follow me. I'll explain our plan to you."

She signaled to me to follow her.

I followed her down the long corridor in the subterranean vault under Ishina's house. Only at the end of the hallway, at the last door, did we stop. This was the room in which Ishina and Crete forged the so-called plan.

She opened the door and let me in.

All kinds of documents and papers hung on the walls in the room. Immediately a card caught my eye that was hanging on the wall opposite the door. Ishina also noticed this and immediately explained to me what was on the map.

“This is a card from the Blackhole. The vacancies are the centers of the four syndicates. Their areas are not open to the public."

She talked about the four large empty spaces that I noticed the first time I looked at the map.

"You have to know that these syndicates can also be equated with the criminals of the four humanoid races that live in this region of the continent."

Four races?

She walked past me and pointed to the first free spot.

“This is the demon HQ. They do not differentiate from one another whether it is a vampire, lust demon or one of the other demons."

She pointed to the next spot.

“This is where the orcs live. Unlike the demons, who deal with a little of everything, orcs mainly deal with living beings, even orcs, humans, and other races. There is also a huge arena where they let prisoners fight against each other. Crete has already mentioned that you became acquainted with the "legal" side of the orc arenas."

I paused for a moment when she talked about the orc arenas. My only thought was that the horror wasn't over yet. But in the end, just because one arena was destroyed, I had to accept that it wasn't over.

“This empty spot belongs to the humans. They trade with goods and information. Whether it is monster material, cursed items, and so much more is traded by them. The information is often about secret actions and actions by governments, high offices or religious institutions."

No matter in which world... people remain people...

I looked down at myself.

...Although I am no longer human...

“The last stain belongs to the elves. They deal with special kinds of herbs."

Ishina started telling me more details, but most of it was uninteresting. She talked about the origin of the Blackhole and some important trade routes. She also said that both noble families and heads of state bought the Blackhole mostly through intermediaries.

"Hey, did you let Eris know?"

Crete entered the room and immediately turned to Ishina.

"Not really. I told her about the Blackhole first."

Ishina answered immediately.

"Then I'll explain the rest."

Crete came over to me and lifted Viczien off my back, then approached the map.

“Ishina has already told you that the elves are in this area, right? What do you have to look for there? Well, we don't know, so we have or rather you two have to investigate it."

She paused for a moment before continuing.

“There must be a necromancer in the elf district, he is responsible for the attacks, but that is more the business of demons, so we don't know whether the necromancer is an elf, a demon, or something else. All of it is our guess. The poisoners are actually enemies of the demons down to the blood, so we exclude the demon district."

When she talked about demons, her gaze moved between Viczien and Ishina. I followed their gaze between these two.

"Ishina, do you want?"

Ishina immediately nodded to Crete's question.

“I already know that Viczien is partly a demon, but that's not the problem. If you want to be specific, I'm an estranged demon. Many years ago, no, more like centuries, I served the king and the first queen... At that time, people and demons lived in harmony, but all of it was a very... very... long time ago. Their empire fell apart, and so did the trust among the four humanoid races break apart."

A small demon tail emerged from behind Ishina's back.

“I'm of mixed blood between a vampire and a time demon. The vampire blood is also the reason for the missing horns. And I don't have the rather pointy ears of vampire due to the genes of the time demons. However, the strange thing is that I can also feel the blood of time demons in Viczien, although it shouldn't anymore because they went extinct hundreds of years... Unless... It's an examination for another time.

My appearance is similar to that of a human, except for my demon tail, which allows me to easily wander between them, but elves are smarter, more cunning, so I need you to investigate their side."

I had a lot of questions, but I didn't know how to ask Ishina directly.

"Ah!"

Crete noticed my look.

"You are becoming a real rarity, even if only from the outside!"

Crete took something from the top drawer of a cupboard behind her. It was a box made of wood, the exterior of which was lavishly decorated.

Crete slowly began to open the box in my direction.

I could immediately see vials of different colors and sizes.

"This is?"

I asked her in a completely incomprehensible manner how these vials could make me a rarity.

"These are transformation potions."

She pointed to the three small green vials.

"Transformation potions... What does it transform you into?"

Crete just grinned but waved me off. She switched to the other, the white vial.

“This large vial is a knowledge potion. The first vial gives you a different shape for a short time, while the knowledge potion gives you the knowledge you need to use your transformed body and more."

She winked when she said that.

“It is important that the transformation potions only last 2 hours and that we only have three. The knowledge potion, on the other hand, lasts about a week, so you could take it right away."

Crete put the box on the floor and nodded to Ishina.

"All right, I'll leave now. You can discuss everything else between you two."

I watched Crete and Viczien leaving the room. Ishina closed the door behind them so that I could no longer follow them with my eyes.