Rumours

When Arthur trekked back through the jungle trail and reached the bus stop, he checked the time on his cell phone and it was almost twelve noon. It did not take as long as he expected to locate Blue Lake and he even managed to get a positive result from his visit. He got the name of his next destination, Caroline Shore!

However, before he traipsed to the other side of town, he needed to nurse his stomach first. It was already lunch time and his stomach knew that very well. Unfortunately, the bus wasn't particularly cooperative that day. He waited for 15 minutes before a vehicle came ambling down the road.

Arthur wished that it wouldn't have arrived because the bus was going towards the industrial area from the city and he needed to take the bus that was going the other way. Arthur slumped against the bus stop pole and waved for the bus to move on, he was not getting on.

Another 15 minutes later, finally his ride had arrived. Arthur hopped onto the bus and realized he was the only passenger. He was shocked at first but soon came to the reason why. It was still working hours so naturally there wouldn't be people leaving the factories.

This probably meant that they had canteens in there or else the workers would have flocked outside to enjoy their lunch break.

As mentioned above, Blue Lake and Caroline Shore were on the other ends of Armana. There was no direct route connecting these two locations, which meant that Arthur had to take a detour back to the city and then took a different bus to get to Caroline Shore. Arthur did not mind the extra schedule because he planned on using the pit stop at the city to find something to eat.

As the city hub, it would offer a greater variety of choice compared to Blue Lake that had nothing and Caroline Shore which catered mostly to tourists.

Arthur got down at the bus station and found a quiet seat at the cafeteria attached to the building to enjoy his meal. Halfway through his meal, a pair of youngsters took the table next to his.

Even though they were one seat away, they were talking so loudly that Arthur had no problem hearing their conversation. Initially, Arthur tried to tune them out as he focused on the preparation that he might need to do before departing for Caroline Shore.

Then one of the youngsters said something that caught Arthur's attention. "Hey, did you notice that strange building that just popped up in town? The one that looked like a store but didn't have a discernible store sign."

Arthur couldn't help but perk his ears up. That sounded like the description for The Midnight Emporium. It did show up out of nowhere and certainly did not look like a family home. The sign for the Midnight Emporium was so faded and inconspicuous that the kid might miss it entirely.

He leaned in closer, trying to hear what they were saying even though he could hear them perfectly well.

The other one replied, "Oh yes, I know the exact building you're talking about." Then he asked, "What kind of building do you think it is? If it's a shop, what kind of stuff do you think it sells? Shall we frequent it one of these days?"

Even though Arthur was tasked to look after the Midnight Emporium, he had no answer to these questions either. He really didn't know what to do should these kids show up at the shop. Was he going to chase them away or allow them to tour the shop that was completely empty?

"Are you sure you want to go pay the place a visit? It looks shady just from the outside, what if it's just a front for some dark organization to launder money?! That might get us into serious trouble and danger," The other young man said with a warning in his voice.

Arthur who had been following their conversation did not know whether to laugh or cry. He had to admit, the young man has some serious imagination. Although if this was going to help keep these meddling kids away from his business, Arthur was not going to volunteer information to change their thoughts. He could use the peace and quiet especially since he still hadn't mastered running the Midnight Emporium.

"You know what, you have a point. It could be dangerous with just the two of us..." The other youngster said before adding, "How about we find a bigger party then? We can make it an adventure! We'll watch each other's backs as we unveil the secrets of this mysterious place. It can be quite fun."

Arthur almost collapsed in his seat. What happened to the good old quality of staying out of trouble? Arthur could not help but shake his head at the rambunctiousness and boisterousness of today's youth.

He was considering butting into their conversation to give him a warning when a third voice joined in the discussion, "Hey, were you guys talking about that mysterious building that seemed to appear out of nowhere recently?"

Based on the way the two youngsters welcomed the new guy into their fold, Arthur believed they were all friends. After he sat down, the newcomer began in a provocative tone, "I have some juicy details on that place, would you like to hear about it?"

"Come on, stop playing games with us. Spill the beans already!" The other two ganged up on him, looking like they would not hesitate to force the news out of him. That was what he deserved for trying to fish for their attention.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you." The guy surrendered. "According to the rumours I hear from the streets, the place is actually a clinic."

"Wait, a clinic?!" The two guys reflected the shock and surprise that were also on Arthur's mind. Since when did the Midnight Emporium turn into a clinic?!