Chapter 145 : Intermediary Trade - 1
Chapter 145: Intermediary Trade - 1
Odline Ragna answered in a frivolous voice.
-Ohhh. Lady Magireta. Your voice is as beautiful as ever today.
“Shut up. I’m telling you just in case, don’t even dream of interfering with this quest.”
-…….
“You’ve already lost enough points just from the incident you caused last time. Though, you started off in the negatives to begin with.”
For some reason, the maggot drooped limply.
He looked as if he had taken quite a blow.
-How saddening that you would say such a thing. When will you finally understand my heart……
“Now then, sorry for making everyone wait. I’ll proceed with the Reshuffle.”
-Lady Magireta. Please do not ignore me.
“I’m sorry to my little brother, but you’ll be separated from A as well. It’s unfortunate that the future you worked so hard to see has become meaningless.”
-Lady Magireta? Lady Magireta.
I smiled faintly and answered.
“It’s fine, Noona.”
Since I had blown away about half of Edgar’s greatest weapon.
Whoosh.
The Reshuffle took place.
When I came to my senses, a different landscape from before entered my sight.
The ordinary participants who had been with us just moments ago were nowhere to be seen.
But my companions were still together.
‘As expected, the Thread of Connection’s function is excellent.’
[It’s the Bookmark string.]
‘…….’
[Ah! N-no. It’s the Thread of Connection. Yes.]
Now it was getting confused itself.
That was when it happened.
Karin pointed somewhere with a startled voice.
“Eh? That bastard.”
“Hello. We meet again.”
Edgar?
Why the hell are you here?
“What happened? Did you use some kind of trick when making the trade?”
“Yes. I secretly asked Magireta. To let me stay with you even after the Reshuffle.”
“What…….”
“Why are you so surprised? Isn’t it only natural?”
He continued leisurely.
“I gave up a great advantage this time—Immortality.”
“Gave up? You’ve been reviving just fine thanks to Odline Ragna.”
“Well, that’s true, but as you saw, the performance has significantly decreased, hasn’t it? It’s a fact that I relinquished a great advantage.”
“And?”
“If I gave something up, shouldn’t I gain something in return?”
His eyes sharpened.
“No matter what it takes, I will eliminate you in this quest.”
“…….”
“I don’t want to be hindered by you in a quest where the Shoes appear. That’s why I staked everything on this game. I assumed you had already noticed.”
“…….”
“The future you saw has become useless. Then naturally, shouldn’t I remain on the same team and continue to interfere? I couldn’t possibly miss such a good opportunity.”
I ground my teeth.
Aina muttered.
“What a cockroach-like bastard.”
Edgar merely shrugged.
At that moment, Magireta’s voice was heard.
“Kids, sorry. Some lunatic requested a Reshuffle.”
“Noona, you’re being too harsh with your words.”
“Anyway, where was I……. You’ve all checked the Bulletin Board, right? I’ll introduce the high-ranking Monster who will cooperate with this team. Come in.”
Just like before, the door behind us creaked open.
And the high-ranking Monster who entered was quite a cute girl.
It was impossible to express a Monster’s age by human standards, but at least outwardly she looked to be in her early teens.
Her splendid dress and well-adorned accessories dazzled the eyes.
She sat politely and modestly in the prepared chair.
Then she opened her mouth with a clear voice.
“By Lady Magireta’s request, I have been appointed as the Judge of this game…….”
“Wait, wait.”
“Yes?”
“I said this earlier as well, but don’t state your name. I’ll skip the reason because it’s bothersome to explain again.”
“……? I don’t quite understand, but if Lady Magireta says so, then I shall comply.”
“Right. Everyone, when addressing this child, call her B.”
Earlier it was A, so this time it’s B, huh.
Seriously lacking sincerity.
B smiled so gently that it was hard to believe she was a Monster.
Her eyes curved roundly as she spoke.
“Hi! ……I mean, ahem. Hello. I’m B.”
“…….”
“Please do your best to prepare items that suit my taste. I will sincerely and diligently determine the prices.”
We merely nodded.
Magireta swept her gaze across everyone and spoke.
“Questions?”
“…….”
“If not, descend to the human world. You have 10 hours there to purchase items that match this child’s preferences.”
Descend to the human world.
That meant this place was not the human world.
‘As expected, this place is Hell.’
At that moment, Magireta snapped her fingers.
Simultaneously, we were returned to the world.
Including myself, the twenty participants stood in the imperial capital.
Magireta had sent us all here at once.
Berseum nodded as if he understood.
“That Witch at least has minimal conscience. If she had sent us to some nameless mountain valley, we wouldn’t have been able to purchase a single item within 10 hours.”
“Indeed. In the imperial capital, there’s nothing you can’t find. As long as you pay, you can obtain anything.”
“Mason, what kind of items should we prepare?”
At Armelia’s words, I sank into deep thought.
Thanks to the change from A to B, the contents of the Future Diary had become useless.
But judging purely by intuition……
“Wouldn’t jewelry be the best choice?”
“Hmm. I suppose so. B was wearing an extremely expensive-looking gemstone ring on her finger.”
“Yes. She was covered in earrings and necklaces as well. Seeing how she adorned herself with precious metals, she must have great interest in gemstones.”
“In that case.”
She trailed off.
But I knew what she was about to say.
Yes, Tears of the Goddess.
Although the one determining the price had changed, obtaining that tremendous jewel still took priority.
At that moment, the participants cautiously approached me.
“Um, Sir Mason.”
“You know me?”
“I heard from a friend who participated with us. He said you were his lifesaver.”
“…….”
“We can’t even begin to grasp what to do. What kind of items should we purchase?”
I was about to answer absentmindedly, jewelry.
But I quickly changed my mind.
“I don’t know. I don’t know, but…… there is one thing I’m certain of.”
“And that is?”
“We must all bring back completely different types of items.”
At those words, everyone tilted their heads.
As I was about to explain further, Edgar’s voice rang out.
“Excellent. That’s a fine idea.”
“Would you step aside for a moment.”
“I’d rather not. Please don’t subtly ostracize me.”
“Subtly? That hurts. I’m openly ostracizing you.”
“Anyway, everyone please listen.”
He raised his voice toward the participants.
“From now on, let’s decide the category of items each person will purchase.”
“What?”
“Jewelry, accessories, clothing, tools, tableware, ingredients or dishes, toys or daily necessities, and so on. With twenty people, we’ll bring twenty different kinds of items.”
The expressions of the participants changed.
I continued his words.
“First, it’s important to identify B’s taste. If the items we bring overlap, then discovering B’s preferences will be delayed by that much.”
“…….”
“If twenty of us bring twenty different types of items, the probability that something suits B’s taste increases. We’ll be able to tell indirectly when B sets a high price.”
“Then from the next Intermediary Trade onward, we can bring items of the same category.”
“That’s exactly it.”
Only then did everyone nod.
Of course, in this case, only the person lucky enough to bring something that fits B’s taste would benefit.
Since we would each bring items from different categories, everyone except that lucky person would end up at a loss.
But it couldn’t be helped.
We would just have to recover in the next Intermediary Trade.
In any case, what mattered urgently was figuring out B’s taste.
Karin opened her mouth.
“Then let’s decide quickly. We only have 10 hours.”
“Right.”
“First, Mason, you’re taking jewelry, right?”
Since we had coordinated beforehand, she deliberately opened with that.
I nodded.
However, Edgar sharply cut in.
“That won’t do.”
“Yes, it will.”
“No, it won’t. I’ll take jewelry.”
“Why are you picking a fight from the start?”
“When I saw B’s dazzling accessories, I also thought jewelry would be the answer. In that case, there’s something perfectly fitting. Tears of the Goddess.”
At those words, we firmly shut our mouths.
The future had changed, but Edgar still intended to secure Tears of the Goddess.
Unable to hold back, Armelia spoke.
“How exactly do you intend to secure that jewel? That is His Majesty’s treasure.”
“There’s a way. Rather, let me ask in return—do you have a way to obtain Tears of the Goddess, Mr. Mason?”
“Of course. For instance, I could wear the Invisibility Cloak I stole from you and steal it.”
“That’s quite a painful remark.”
He continued leisurely.
“But you are all under a misconception.”
“What?”
“Haven’t you noticed? Recall Rule number three.”
The participants must descend to the human world for 10 hours and purchase items that the high-ranking Monster might like. As long as the items are obtained in the human world, anything is acceptable.
Ah.
I clicked my tongue lightly.
Then Benjamin asked.
“What is it?”
“Rule number three states that we must purchase them. Purchase means paying the price for the item, doesn’t it?”
“……!”
“This automatically means we cannot steal them or obtain them through fraud.”
Everyone nodded.
I added an explanation.
“To begin with, the Condition for Passing this game is to rank within the top 50 percent in gold coins after Settlement.”
“…….”
“With that condition, not only how high a price we sell them for matters, but also how cheaply we purchase them. Naturally, the trick of selling stolen goods would never be recognized.”
Edgar said,
“You understand, right? It might be possible for you to steal Tears of the Goddess, Mr. Mason. But you won’t be able to ‘purchase’ it. His Majesty would never sell it.”
“You don’t even need to go that far. It’s impossible to meet the Emperor in the first place.”
“You’re quite knowledgeable.”
“Don’t speak as if it’s someone else’s matter. It’s impossible for you too.”
There was no way the Emperor would grant an audience to an ordinary person like Edgar.
Even if by some miracle he did, there was no chance he would sell Tears of the Goddess for a mere 100 gold coins.
However, Edgar said something utterly unexpected.
“He will grant me an audience. And he will sell it.”
“What? Have you finally gone mad? Or were you insane from the start?”
“Not at all. In any case, I will take jewelry. If you truly can’t accept it, Mr. Mason, you may purchase jewelry as well.”
He crossed his arms and continued.
“If you can obtain a jewel that surpasses Tears of the Goddess, that is.”
“…….”
“If we both purchase jewelry, and if that happens to suit B’s taste……. The jewel you purchase will never surpass Tears of the Goddess. B will have discerning eyes.”
“…….”
“If you don’t mind that, do as you please.”
It was an irrefutable argument.
I ground my teeth before answering.
“Fine. I’ll purchase something else.”
“Mason!”
“It’s alright. If we had proceeded with A as originally planned, I would never have backed down. But now our target is B, whose taste we know nothing about.”
“That may be true, but.”
“More importantly…….”
I gripped the Diary Book in my hand.
And I spoke through Secret Conversation.
[I think I know Edgar’s true identity.]
[What? What are you talking about?]
[Your Highness. What year is it now?]
[…I don’t know why you’re suddenly asking that, but it’s Year 325.]
[Imperial Year 325.]
That meant that much time had passed since the Empire was founded.
[And?]
[Do you remember what Edgar said when we first encountered him at Sienne’s house?]
[He said too many things.]
[The conversation right before we fought him. When we were taking battle positions, what he said.]
While Sienne fought Ian, Edgar had approached us.
When we each took up our weapons and confronted him, he waved his hands and……
[I remember. He said, ‘Please don’t. In terms of the years I’ve lived, it’s been a little over 350 years.’]
[…….]
[Hm? Wait.]
He had lived a little over 350 years.
The Empire was founded 325 years ago.
And just moments ago, he said he would go to purchase Tears of the Goddess from the Emperor.
He claimed the Emperor would not refuse his request.
How could that be possible?
How could an ordinary person like Edgar meet the Emperor and conduct a transaction?
There was only one answer.
He was not an ordinary person.
[I believe Edgar was the Empire’s Founding Emperor.]