Chapter 46
“Black market?”
“I know it opens at the end of each month, but I don’t know the exact location.”
After a long time, I returned to [Mouse Hole].
Without any preamble, I dove straight into the main topic.
“Heh, there’s actually something you don’t know, huh?”
Lobel chuckled and pulled out a map.
“This time, the black market will be held here in the Rosen Factory Complex. It used to be a really big place, but after a massive fire, it was abandoned and is practically a defunct factory now.”
“The fire was just a pretense. The real reason is that the factory owner ran off with funds during the war, making it hard to maintain the place. The fire broke out when the workers, who hadn’t been paid, started rioting.”
“…That’s accurate.”
This is also a side quest.
It doesn’t affect the main story, but it’s still an event within this world.
For someone like me who has played through every detail of ‘Valdeon Saga’ to exhaustion, these elements are second nature.
“Honestly, it’s amazing. With the kind of money it took to run this business, moving it would’ve been a hassle, but it vanished overnight.”
Lobel muttered as she fiddled with her tail.
“That’s because he didn’t run away.”
“I’d like to learn that kind of skill… huh?”
“The factory owner, Banjers Rosen. His funds are still in that abandoned factory. He didn’t run off; he hid them.”
“Wa-wait! Hold on, wait a minute!”
She clamped a hand over my mouth.
Her eyes, slightly visible, were trembling like crazy.
“Th-that’s true, isn’t it…?”
“Mm-hmmph mmm-mm.”
“Oh.”
Lobel removed her hand from my mouth.
Her small hand had a faint smell of fresh leaves.
“Why would I lie?”
“Because it’s not exactly cheap information!”
Well, what I’m saying is practically a treasure map.
“Ugh… just how much could I charge for this….”
“Why would you sell it?”
“Huh?”
“We’ll go get it ourselves, Lobel.”
“H-huh?!”
Lobel’s tail shot up stiffly.
“Are you serious?”
“Let me turn it around. Is there a reason not to go?”
“Well….”
“This kind of information isn’t safe to spread. If this amount of money suddenly floods the market, we’ll be stepping on toes.”
So only between us, only among those we can trust, should we share the loot.
“But still….”
“If you guide me now, it’s a fifty-fifty split.”
“What are you waiting for? Lead the way!”
Lobel grabbed the doorknob and dashed outside.
***
[The Tomb of Banjers Rosen]
A quest taking place in the hidden underground mansion of the Rosen Industrial Complex.
It’s one of the ‘must-do newbie quests’ to solve the early-game money problems.
The money here is enough to buy decent equipment and items.
‘While the official setup involves unravelling the mystery of Banjers’ hidden underground mansion in a detective-style mini-game.’
There’s no time to gather clues or hints now.
“…Was I really necessary?”
Lobel sighed, sounding somewhat deflated.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
Since entering the underground mansion,
I’ve been quickly unlocking locks and making my way forward.
“How do you know all these passwords?”
“I have my ways.”
“…You should be the informant, not me.”
The solutions to these mechanisms are fixed across all playthroughs.
Which means I don’t need to waste time piecing together the clues lying around here.
‘This mansion should be a little bigger.’
When there were no guides, I wasted about four hours here.
Thinking back on it still gives me chills.
“This is the last one. If I open this vault door, there’s money inside.”
“I don’t see any lock here, though?”
“There isn’t. Only the person with the key can open this one.”
“A key?”
“See that hole in the centre of the vault? You have to bleed into it.”
The lowest floor of the underground mansion, the fifth floor.
Here stands a single massive door.
A vault made of supreme magic steel that only a direct descendant of ‘Rosen’ can open.
“It could be considered a sanctuary left behind by Banjers for his descendants.”
“Then, there’s no way to open it, right…?”
“Of course not.”
Lobel’s face twisted in frustration.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not that it can’t be opened; there’s just another way.”
“What’s that?”
Without hesitation, I drew my sword.
“We break it open.”
This quest is actually one you can receive from a descendant of Banjers.
[Shall we explore the hidden secrets there together? If you protect me, I’ll give you half of whatever we find there.]
The problem is, that descendant is the kind of guy who, upon seeing the money, betrays you.
[Th-this is my grandfather’s money! You won’t get a single cent!]
They say the wealth of a family lasts three generations.
Banjers’ descendant is fairly well-off.
Even so, he draws a sword rather than part with any money, which is infuriating.
‘I’m taking it all this time around.’
I stood before the vault, sword in hand.
“You’re joking, right?”
“I’m not.”
“This is supreme magic steel, you know? That kind of sword won’t leave a scratch.”
Lobel covered her mouth with her hand and laughed quietly.
“You’ve got an unpredictable side too, huh?”
“Hmm… then, do you want to make a bet?”
“A bet?”
I extended my finger, pointing at the vault.
“If I break this open, increase my share by 20%. But if I can’t break it, you can keep everything.”
“E-everything?!”
“Since you can’t open it anyway, you could swallow the rest up without me saying anything.”
“Swallow it up….”
I could hear her swallowing hard from here.
“Fine! Since you’re the one who suggested it, no taking it back later, okay?”
“Don’t worry.”
A faint, sly smile naturally formed on my lips.
“I’ll definitely open it.”
“Hehe! I’ll cheer you on.”
I channelled Qi into my hand holding the sword.
A red, murderous aura wrapped around it.
Sssssss—
No matter how strong supreme magic steel is, it’s not tougher than divine armour.
「Killing Qi: Sword Break」
The murderous aura scratched the surface of the vault, and I smashed it open, wedging qi into the crack!
Booooom!
With a terrifying noise, the vault split open from the centre.
Thud!
The door of the vault shattered like powder.
“…Huh?”
Lobel’s eyes widened three times their usual size.
“What…? How did you… just now, that sword, what on earth…?”
“I win the bet, don’t I?”
“Uh… ah! Ugh….”
She groaned adorably, pressing down on her robe.
***
“I’ve never seen a man wield such swordsmanship.”
Lobel kept pouting, her lips twitching.
“That’s why you shouldn’t judge people by appearances. Think of that 20% as your tuition fee.”
“It’s a bit disappointing… but it’s still an incredible amount!”
Her eyes gleamed as she looked at the gold coins in her ‘pocket.’
“A magic item enchanted with [Dimensional Pocket].”
Thanks to Lobel’s ‘pocket,’ there’s no need to make multiple trips to carry the money.
That’s one of the reasons I brought her along.
“You’ll take care of everything afterward, right?”
“Don’t worry! I’ll turn it all into clean money without any problems.”
With this, my immediate money problem was resolved.
“But why did Banjers Rosen build and hide a mansion like that? And instead of a mansion, it felt more like….”
“An air-raid shelter.”
“Right! Even if it was wartime, building something that massive is strange… as if he’d been preparing for escape decades in advance.”
The reason Banjers created that underground mansion could be uncovered if you cleared the place the intended way.
To understand exactly what he was so afraid of.
[I saw them. Those entities speaking of the afterlife at the grand roundtable of ■■. The apocalypse is coming. Everything will be des■■ed. Everything I’ve built up until now will turn to nothing. That cannot be. Such a world must not exist. Thus, I create ■■. With this fortress of comfort, I await the paradise beyond the apocalypse. When that time comes, I shall open ■■ with my blood and build a new kingdom. This is all for the future. Come, come, come, come, come, come… (The rest is torn and unreadable.)]
—Banjers Rosen’s Journal, Page 66—
The vault wasn’t some inheritance for his descendants.
It was a sanctuary created by Banjers’ madness after witnessing something that drove him half-insane.
“Anyway, that place had a bad vibe… I felt all sticky and gross.”
“Maybe that’s because you haven’t showered?”
“How rude! Just because I lived in such a place doesn’t mean I’m dirty! I bathe three times a day and haven’t even slept with a man!”
Lobel shouted, indignant.
“Okay, okay.”
“Ugh… you look like you don’t believe me….”
It’s not that I don’t believe her.
I just don’t care.
“…So, are you put off by a girl who has no experience with men?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Well… you know how they say that if a girl doesn’t have experience, it means she can’t fulfill a woman’s role or that she lacks charm?”
Lobel mumbled quietly, “But paying for it would be a bit….”
“You think so too?! So, a woman really has to be experienced with men….”
“Enough of this nonsense.”
Whack!
I flicked Lobel lightly on the forehead.
“Ow!”
“Don’t let other people’s words define you. An informant like you should know better than to be swayed by baseless talk.”
“But still….”
“No buts.”
I looked her in the eyes.
“You’re plenty charming. Don’t let yourself be trapped by those petty judgments. Got it?”
“Oh… y-yes….”
Lobel pulled her robe down tight.
Her tail swayed side to side, and her round mouse ears drooped.
“Hehe… thank you.”
“If you’re grateful, go ahead and buy these items for me.”
I handed her the prepared list.
The ‘materials’ that can only be obtained here.
These are essential for crafting the things I need.
“Price doesn’t matter. Just buy them and send them to this address, will you?”
“Of course! But this address… isn’t it Polaris?”
“That’s right.”
“…How old are you, by the way?”
Hmm.
Let’s see.
“Seventeen.”
“…….”
Lobel froze on the spot.
—
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