After preparing everything Arthur wandered through the streets of Latus trying to find anything else useful then the ones he had already bought, he did hear rumors that illegally sold magic tools and items mostly are extremely powerful because normal powerful items and magic tools are taken by the Rupus's republic for research and study. The strongest mage of each race was allowed to challenge the current Republic Leader for his position, with 5 great mages as the elders and helpers of the Republic Leaders [mostly crazy about magic study, magic tool study or artificial study]. After wandering through the streets he discovered an odd, but not particularly an suspicious shop selling weird items. Entering the shop Arthur didn't kind anything unique or odd in particular, but he owner's stare gave him a different story. Raven had caught on to the topic by then and told Arthur to speak with the shop owner.
The old man answered Arthur's questions in an oddly calm manner till Arthur asked about illegal products and if the owner knew where the black market was located by any chance. The owner seemed oddly calm even to that question which caught Arthur and Raven's attention instantly. Soon Arthur found himself following an old dark elf down to an dark basement light up by another but Sun stone fragments that was only enough to see where he was stepping. Soon Arthur and the old man were in an room with artifacts and magic tools scattered everywhere, some tools and artifacts were seen by Arthur on the main street, while some were completely unknown to him, not only that everything was oddly at least 1.5 times stronger than what he had seen. The things were stronger, but also expensive to an certain extent. After leaving the Black Market, Arthur reunite with his group and started to travel using the Dragon Rider Carrier Service to travel over the Volcanic Mountain of Azadal and to it's foot town Valh. Then they traveled to the closest city of Afrados, Nil.
After reaching Afrados's territory not only Arthur, but the whole crew was in shock. The terrible state the place was in, even if it was an outer line territory of Afrados it was clearly ignored. Arthur was once more reminded of his father and the happy faces of the people may they we common folk or nobels, but what it was now really send shivers down his spine. They traveled deeper into the Afrados territory only to be faced with blood stained walls, broken glass, injured civilians, dead bodies and many more gruesome things no one should ever want to see in there life. Reaching Afrados's capital was a horror, not before it was in an horrible state unlike everything they had seen, but before it was not. The capital of the Kingdom of Afrados was Saitua or the land once titled as the capital of the Holy Empire during the Holy Era. It was all like a distant memory that had came back to him suddenly, everything looked like it had stopped in time except no one had the strength to smile again. Arthur stopped his tears from falls to prevent looking suspicious, booked a room and left Athina with her escorts and headed to the Pearl White Castle that felt like an lost part of hus life, he had spent his childhood in that place, but it still felt so odd now. He some of the artifacts he bought to turn himself invisible and hide his presence, entered the castle and explored the place with old memories floating in his mind flashing his own childhood to him, but it still felt oddly foreign as if it the atmosphere had changed heavily.
Wandering the castle he reached what once was his parent's room, entering it to see dust covered the room he remembered his parents once living at, everything was as he remembered it to be in his memories. Then he picked up a photo of his family or what it once was and saw a face he didn't remember. He took the photo in his Magic pouch tool that uses magic to increase it's storage space while decreasing the weight. As he wandered the place he came across his uncle's room, oddly in a terrible state. Curiosity got the best of him and he entered the room to his uncle sitting on his bed with his face as if he had aged 50 years since he last saw him. This was really odd because Arthur remember that it was his uncle who was trying to kill them, but the man in front of him looked to be on his death's bed more then a tyrant who killed his own brother and took the Afrados Kingdom to it's fall. Things were not matching up at all, it was getting ominous, really ominous. Arthur was so lost in mind that he subconsciously started walking towards his uncle, slipping on the ragged carpet waking his uncle up.
Within a few seconds Arthur was held down by a blade at his neck, his uncle standing over him with a face that can only be described as pure fear. Arthur had his hands tied, if he ran he was be sliced by his uncle without knowing the truth, if he revealed his face not even he knows what would happen and he had to think fast. With no other way Arthur lowered his cape revealing his face while his uncle continued to grumble something in the lines "Show your face, demon, were you sent by those monsters". Arthur was expecting an exterme reaction, but for sure it wasn't seeing an man more then twice his age crying like a baby. Arthur was completely caught off guard as his uncle fell to his knees grumbling about not being able to save his parents and how Arthur had inherited his father's blonde hair and his mother's blue eyes. Without even being able to react Arthur was in his uncle's arms while his uncle cryed his eyes out, begging him forgiveness non stop.