NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4
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[Translator – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Zain]
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The girl with silver hair that seemed delicate still maintained a neutral expression. Upon closer inspection, her arms and legs were slender. She appeared young, and it was highly unlikely that a child like her would have conquered a dungeon to obtain magic stones…
‘She must be from a prominent family.’
A sudden thought flashed through Amer’s mind. Among the nine imperial families, there was one with a hereditary trait of having silver hairs.
A shabby robe, clearly an attempt to conceal her appearance.
“A shabby robe… silver hair…’
Two pieces of information formed in Amer’s mind. Pure conjecture. But if, by chance, the daughter of that family had ran away with the family’s treasure, the magical stones, the pieces seemed to fit together.
“…I’ve been impolite. I never thought this would be such a valuable commodity.”
“…”
“Alright. Our guild ‘Wing’ intends to purchase these magical stones. But first, let’s introduce ourselves properly. I am Graumitz Amer, leader of the Magic tower Guild ‘Wing.’ If it’s possible, may I know your name?”
“Re…”
“Yes?”
“Ren.”
“Ren, your surname… No, such trivialities don’t matter. You don’t need to mention your family. Let’s proceed to the transaction. How much are you willing to sell for? All of them?”
“All of them.”
“Oh my, that’s quite a lot.”
Amer, trying to maintain composure, felt a cold sweat on his forehead. It was disconcerting not being able to read the other party’s expression during negotiations. Moreover, in this situation where an audacious response was given without hesitation, determining the price was a dilemma. He couldn’t gauge whether to quote high or low. The only thought occupying Amer’s mind was that he had to somehow secure the deal.
“Bring out all the gold and jewels we have in the guild.”
After sending a signal to the guild members around, Amer pretended to examine the magical stones.
We can’t let her think that we can’t afford the stones.
“How much were you planning to inquire about?”
“The price is on your end.”
“How about 50 ounces per piece? For the ones in good condition, we could go up to 80 ounces.”
Upon hearing this, Ren paused for a moment.
“To buy just one of these, commoners like us would have to save up relentlessly for ten years.”
The words of a merchant she had met earlier came to Ren’s mind.
For an ordinary human like Ren, the money earned from a year’s work amounted to about 10 ounces of gold. It would take 10 years to save up 100 ounces.
“But aren’t the magical stones you brought larger than this?”
“Mock me again, and you’ll die.”
“Ha, hahaha. I jest. But honestly, even if our ‘Wing’ pooled all our money together, we couldn’t afford them all.”
“Then buy as much as you can.”
“However, Ren, judging by your attire, it seems you don’t want your identity exposed… Our guild prioritizes customer confidentiality, but if you roam around selling magical stones, rumors will spread.”
“…”
“Oh, by the way, just a thought. I hope you don’t misunderstand. I’m not trying to threaten you; I’m genuinely concerned.”
With a friendly expression, Amer slowly approached Ren. It wasn’t a comforting statement, yet there was truth in what Amer said. It wouldn’t be wise to wander around openly selling these difficult-to-move items.
Renee nodded in affirmation as a sign.
Shortly after, two wizards arrived in front of Amer, placing a box down.
“As you can see, this is all of it. It’s just shy of 2,000 ounces in gold. But considering the situation, it might be best to conclude the entire transaction here.”
“Get to the point.”
“As part of the entire deal, I was considering adding a few more valuable items. How about it?”
“What items?”
“We have plenty prepared. They’re mostly gems, if that helps.”
“Is their value certain?”
“There might be some variance, but most of these items have a history of previous transactions.”
“They should be easy to sell.”
“You need not worry about that.”
“Alright.”
“…Well then, let’s take a look.”
Contrary to Amer’s expectations of Renee having more deliberation, her response was straightforward. Amer smiled, feigning nonchalance. It was a smile tinged with pretense, but Renee seemed unbothered by any of Amer’s facial changes, emitting a small sigh as if dismissing such expressions.
After the brief conversation, Amer guided them upstairs. The top floor, the 9th floor. Renee followed Amer with her belongings.
On the 9th floor of the Matap, apart from the two wizards who had just ascended with Amer, there was no trace of any other human presence.
“This is our Magic tower’s warehouse.”
Amer stopped after explaining, allowing Renee to take a brief scan of the space.
Contrary to expectations of a cluttered collection of dusty magical tools, the area was adorned with neatly arranged vibrant-colored chests and jewelry. If a human emperor were to create a treasure vault, it might look somewhat similar to this.
Renee had no way of knowing why the leader of Magic tower had arranged such a space, but knowing wouldn’t change anything. Quietly, she tapped the heel of her shoe on the floor and observed the items.
There was mostly jewelry and gems that nobles would fancy.
“These gems aren’t bad.”
She didn’t particularly harbor personal desires for jewelry, but as Amer mentioned, such gems were easy to convert. Their value wasn’t likely to depreciate easily.
“This necklace was worn by the daughter of the Elaha family, executed during a coup half a century ago. It’s a rare treasure obtained from the boss during last year’s expedition in the ‘Cursed Deep Swamp’ dungeon.”
As they moved, Renee halted in front of a black pearl.
“This is the ‘Living Black Pearl.’ It emits a baby’s cry if poison is nearby. Nobles who fear poisonings favor this. Most of those nobles are rather dubious individuals, but regardless, it’s a work crafted through alchemy… Oh my, you seem quite uncomfortable, Ren. Well, alchemy is considered an unsanitary discipline, so many people have aversions to it.”
As if trying to avoid discomfort, Renee quickened her pace.
“This tiara is made of a 4-carat diamond. It was a treasure bestowed by the prince when he rescued the lost second prince from the ‘Spider’s Keep’ dungeon… Not interested? And that one… it’s not much. The ‘Crimson Love Stone.’ Let’s pass on that too. The next ring is…”
The clicking sound of her shoes stopped again. When Amer turned his head, Renee was standing in front of a red heart-shaped gem.
“…The Scarlet Love Stone?”
“Oh, are you interested in this? This is also a magical stone. Rather than a gem infused with magic, this stone artificially injects magic into the gem… Perhaps it’s a gem that brings love. In my view, it’s not particularly necessary for you…”
“Details.”
“Pardon?”
“Please explain to me in detail.”
For a moment, Amer was taken aback and fell silent. His face slightly furrowed, seemingly not understanding the situation. The silver-haired girl remained expressionless. Her intentions remained unreadable from what was visible on the surface.
A few seconds of silence passed.
“Umm…”
Soon enough, Amer, as if joyous, began speaking. His lips curved into a sticky smile as he uttered his clumsy words.
“Well, there’s not much to explain. When mana is infused into this gem in front of someone you love, the spirits within the gem grant eternal love between the two. You’ll receive boundless love until death.”
“Exceptions?”
“It’s not as flimsy as having exceptions.”
“Against anyone? Can you guarantee it?”
“I stake our Magic tower’s name and affirm it.”
“I’ll take this.”
As Renee made her decision, Amer discreetly swallowed his dryness, then pretended to ponder. Afterward, Amer’s second smile was one filled with malice, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.
“Do you truly like this?”
“Absolutely with this gem.”
“Ah… Well, I didn’t mention it thinking that you’d like it… Unfortunately, it’s a bit difficult to offer this. Unlike others, this gem holds a hefty price. It’s valuable enough to exchange for an empire because with this single gem, one could even capture the heart of the Emperor. It’s our Magic tower’s top treasure. I’m sorry, but this might be challenging. It’d be better to see other things…”
“I need that.”
“…While I understand your sentiment, that particular gem is not possible.”
“How about this then?”
“What?”
“This… What about this?”
A hesitation crept into Renee’s previously blunt expression.
From under her robe, the girl pulled out something…
“Why do you…?”
Before Amer could express his amazement, a question burst out. There was nothing more surprising left. While words were uttered in such a manner, his mind was cheering for this unexpected turn.
“All you managed to swindle, Leader.”
“She’s clearly clueless. People like her who have no idea of the world need a wake-up call.”
Watching the silver-haired girl leave the Magic tower with light footsteps, Haim, a member of ‘Wing,’ settled down beside Amer. Haim sighed, a mixture of concern and resignation, staring at the ground.
“Oh, I don’t know. That’s not at the level of deceit, right? What you give away is a sealed demon gem.”
“So what? She wanted it herself, right? Besides, it’s actually expensive. That thing, it’s so strong that it can kill most creatures instantly. I don’t know who that blunt and unlucky kid fancies, but the other party’s going to be quite unfortunate.”
“Human lives are not a joke. That child will really die.”
“Don’t act like you’re feeling guilty now. If you wanted to stop it, you could have said something earlier. It’s a lie.”
“…”
“Besides, isn’t it somewhat okay? At least they won’t suffer much after they die.”
At the words ‘they will die,’ Haim’s brow furrowed. He wanted to argue, to express his thoughts about what kind of mindset this person had. But it wasn’t a rational conversation. He slowly began to understand that.
As Amer stood up, he smirked darkly. His smile was closer to that of a torn monster’s grin than a human’s.
“What’s with the seriousness? It’s something to celebrate. Come on, we’ve finally reached the top.”
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[Translator – Jjescus]
[Proofreader – Zain]
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