NOVEL NEXT Chapter 11
< Chapter 11 >
Today, a tactical nuke has been posted in the otherwise peaceful Otherworldly Gallery.
Title : Doesn’t this look familiar?
(Photo of a cat with a silhouette similar to a tactical nuke)
ㄴFor a moment, I thought it was a tactical nuke
ㄴPlease erase this from my mind!!!!!!
ㄴReally, an unused brain is a blessing
ㄴHow much? Bidding.
ㄴ13 silver, all I have, possible?
ㄴDo you think that’s possible, you idiot lolol
“Sigh.”
I can’t even cut out these trolling posts.
Cleverly uploading similar pictures to torment the users’ minds.
It’s pitiful, but there’s no way to sanction these guys who slip through.
Banning them just for not liking it would be asking for trouble.
After casually downvoting and then slipping out to browse other posts, an interesting bait caught my eye.
Title : But it’s about time something happened at the auction house
Why isn’t anyone doing anything?
ㄴIs the auction house really untraceable?
ㄴMight be, don’t know the details
ㄴSomeone try buying 3,000 dwarf-made weapons and food for 300 days
ㄴYou loser lolol How much money is that
ㄴIf you resell it, it won’t cost much
ㄴWhat about the fees?
ㄴNo idea.
ㄴYou’re nuts lololol
Title : The first to be fossilized at the auction house is stupid for real
Warned them but they still did that shit lolol
ㄴFor real lolol Boldly declaring armament to the continent lolol
ㄴIf you’re confident in fighting, go ahead lolol
ㄴEven the demons wouldn’t do that shit lololol
ㄴWhat if the demons did?
ㄴDemons… using dwarf-made weapons…?
ㄴUh… no way
ㄴWhat happens if demons start arming?
ㄴWe’re fucked lolol They’re lethal even without weapons, yeah;; thank goodness dwarves don’t get along with them
ㄴWhat if dwarves and demons get along?
ㄴWill you stop jinxing us, damn it ?!!!
ㄴCould that happen? Calling dwarves weapon-dependent shorties and mocking them lolol They’re like oil and water from the start.
ㄴIf they get along, no one on the continent can stop them…
ㄴDwarves = hate demons, demons = hate dwarves
ㄴPhew lolol
ㄴAgreement in disdain lololol
ㄴBoth too proud to do anything about it
ㄴBetter if demons ally with humans and elves lolol
ㄴPossible?
ㄴThink that’s possible? lolol
ㄴDark elves wouldn’t stand for their territory being threatened, and demons don’t get along with elves either lolol
ㄴWhat if dark elves and humans join hands?
ㄴThen elves and beastmen would protest, right? lolol
ㄴBeastmen really hate demons and dark elves lololol
ㄴCan we declare war with confidence if we call dragons?
ㄴDo you know where they are?
ㄴLet’s ask the gallery
ㄴWow, you’re a genius, where do you live?
ㄴXDXDXD Going to ask the gallery and come back
ㄴLoser lolol Why are you asking for your address in the galler
ㄴNothing for beastmen?
ㄴThe Dark Furry Society welcomes them
ㄴHonestly, if the fur’s glossy, it’s damn attractive
ㄴYou’re furries…
ㄴHide yourselves!!!! Furry alert!!!!!
ㄴTake cover, take cover !!!!
ㄴHow can you resist fluffy fur lolol
ㄴLosers, all of them lololol
Title : Anyway, Being Armed Seems Dangerous
So, did Moderator know all about this? ㄷㄷ
ㄴMaybe?
ㄴThat’s why he told us not to do anything stupid.
ㄴ’Just wanted to chat in the gallery, you know?’
ㄴModerator stopping wars just to engage in gallery activities lolololol
ㄴConsidering Moderator’s actions, it’s hard to see it as a coincidence ㅇㅇ;;
ㄴFor real; You might think Moderator is just into naughty pictures without a second thought, but he probably thinks a lot.
ㄴHe does seem to think a lot about those naughty pics XDXDXD loser lolololol
ㄴThis dude writing posts just to get reactions from naughty pics is hilarious lolol
ㄴNot managing the auction house because he’s too busy looking at naughty pics?
Amidst a myriad of suspicions, brain farts, and conspiracy theories, I felt a bit guilty.
It’s true, I haven’t been managing the auction house well because of the naughty pics.
Feeling a bit pricked, I hurriedly opened the auction house and skimmed through the transaction history.
“Hmm….”
Nothing seems off?
As I flipped through a few pages, records of someone purchasing war supplies appeared.
“Eh? Look at this dude?”
Upon searching the history, they’re openly buying up war items.
Swords, shields, magic scrolls, instant food, cola, cider.
A complete set of war supplies.
“Uh-oh….”
This guy is not going to work out.
I immediately wrote a post in the gallery.
You’re not going to make it.
Preservation ON.
It was time to showcase my years of experience in gallery takedowns.
* * *
“Nobody’s starting anything? That can’t be.”
Count Hessen murmured, rationalizing his thoughts.
Humans have desires.
Not only humans, but other races are the same.
Desire exists everywhere, and the greatest of these desires is the desire for possession!
That’s why Count Hessen was always coveting other territories.
He was in a state of excitement.
A true among true Swordmasters, having reached that pinnacle.
Alone in battle, he could defeat any ordinary foe.
The desire to grow stronger and conquer others always filled him !
“Everyone is like me. They’re just suppressing it in their bodies…!”
Expand your domain and widen your territory.
Everyone must be preparing in secrecy.
War is not something that can be started easily. There’s a lot to prepare for, and one must be ready for all eventualities.
However, Count Hessen was a veteran among veterans, having experienced both the battlefield and war.
He began to purchase all the necessary items for war from the auction house.
“The auction house makes it possible to wage war. And everyone’s just sitting still? Hah. Who do they think they’re fooling?”
The auction house helps take care of all the cumbersome tasks in one go.
Preparations for war that would take months can be completed in a month.
No, even less time than that.
Using the auction house, there’s no worry about supplies being intercepted or the risk of information leaking due to transportation methods!
It’s truly a system designed for war.
And yet, no one’s using it, just sitting idly by?
To Count Hessen, it all seemed like a bluff.
A deception, with everyone secretly holding a knife behind their backs.
Behind a smiling face, they prepare a declaration of war.
That’s the basics of warfare.
“Almost finished.”
Count Hessen smiled as he gulped down a cola.
Drinking the sweet cola as if toasting to victory felt like a pre-celebration.
“When will the preparations for departure be complete?”
“Yes. We’ll be ready to set out in four days.”
“Four days– That’s remarkably short. I’m satisfied. Proceed as planned. I will reward those who distinguish themselves in war accordingly. Position, money, honor, women! Anything!”
“Understood!”
He relayed content that would boost morale to the knights and soldiers.
The morale of the army is always important. Morale alone can turn a losing battle into a victory.
Count Hessen knew better than anyone how to boost morale.
‘Be honest about your desires!’
That’s how you can raise morale!
Promise to provide everything everyone wants. And keep that promise! Don’t lie and show the right path!
If we advance like this and win, swallowing up a domain and reorganizing is not a difficult task!
Count Hessen was competent.
Competent as a veteran of many battles, but there was something even the Count had not anticipated.
“Count.”
“What’s the matter?”
A knight with a serious expression came in and quietly closed the door.
“Have you checked the gallery?”
The gallery? So suddenly?
He thought it was a ridiculous conversation, but the Count of Hessen still accessed the gallery due to the knight’s overly serious expression.
Then, one post immediately caught his eye.
─Moderator
Title : (Breaking News) Big Buyer Enters the Auction House
–500 longswords
–500 shields
–500 spears
–Jerky and other easy-to-eat foods
–3000 cola cans
Someone from the Hessen County of the Osen Kingdom bought them, idk;;;
Who bought this? (Really don’t know)
ㄴNot sure who, but looks like they’re preparing for war for real
ㄴWho bought all that in Hessen County lol scary af
ㄴFor real lolololol
ㄴModerator turning things upside down is hilarious lol
ㄴNo idea who it can be though (Really don’t know)
ㄴWho is it? (Actually know lol)
ㄴLol damn, pinpointing the location and revealing it is savage lol
ㄴHumans won’t be able to arm themselves lol they name the regions after themselves
ㄴAnd other countries are different? lol
ㄴFor real lololol everyone knows which region is ruled by whom lol
ㄴDamn, I’m from the Tesseur Empire, is this for real?
ㄴPosted it because it’s true lol
ㄴOsen Kingdom will be shocked and check this out lol
ㄴWhat’s with the cola?
ㄴDidn’t know cola was a war supply?
ㄴLol really didn’t know lololol
ㄴCan’t fight a war without cola!!!!!!!
ㄴIf you don’t drink cola, you lose energy, you know? Yep
ㄴLol cola is acknowledged
Title : I’m an official from the Tesseur Empire
Lmao, the Emperor issued a decree lol
Check if this is true lol
ㄴThe Emperor woke up in a shock lol
ㄴEmperor: ??? Wtf is this
ㄴOsen Kingdom is also in chaos lol wtf, are we going into full-scale war now
ㄴSent a formal letter to Count Hessen begging him to stop lol
ㄴIf the kingdom and the empire clash now, who would win?
ㄴThe empire would probably crush them, but no one wants to fight now yep;;
ㄴArdel wants to expand his territory… and Mazerost is always short of land as well.
ㄴIf humans fight and one side gets destroyed while the other suffers damage, other nations will also make their move lol
ㄴWorld War on lololol
ㄴDamn lol if the demons and dark elves team up against the dwarves, would the elves and beastmen help them?
ㄴThen humans caught in the middle would be doomed lol
ㄴNever war! Never war! Never war! Never war! Never war!
ㄴPlease, anything but war!!!!!!!
ㄴViscount Bellios, neighboring the territory, was shocked and ordered to prepare defenses lol
ㄴDamn lol it’s like war vibes
ㄴThe locals are also startled and asking what’s going on
ㄴFuck, the stocks just crashed!!!!!!!!!!!
ㄴHessen this guy must’ve shorted it lol
ㄴOtherwise, this wouldn’t have happened
ㄴDamn lol did you leverage futures options by 100 times? Chill!!!!!!!!!!!
ㄴLmao, money melting away lol MoneyMeltMoneyMelt lol
ㄴLucky you if you can see it melting lol I got liquidated, fuck lol
ㄴGot expelled lololol
ㄴI got expelled too…
ㄴPlease give me back my stocks
ㄴGoing to kill Count Hessen, ready go
ㄴLooking for raid party against Count Hessen (1/99)
“…Is what I’m reading really true?”
“Yes. Everyone is looking at it.”
The knight’s stern expression told it all.
This wasn’t fabricated; it was the real reaction of the gallery.
All across the continent, every eye was now on the territory of Count Hessen.
In war, information is crucial.
That’s why spies are planted.
So, this incident was the worst-case scenario. Everyone knew about the mobilization before it could even truly begin.
Before thinking about victory, they were already in a situation of defeat.
“What do you think we should do?”
“…It might be best for Count Hessen to present himself in the gallery and explain.”
“That we weren’t planning to go to war?”
“Yes. Since winter is approaching… it could be a plausible excuse.”
His mind wasn’t working well, so he pondered the obvious solution the vice-captain offered.
‘Damn it. I thought the location tracking and purchase history was nothing but a lie. But it was actually possible.’
Because of this, everything was tangled up. However, in a way, it was fortunate.
What if Moderator had blatantly taken someone’s side and thrown information to the Tesseur Empire for their benefit?
Everything would have been lost.
This time, it was rather an opportunity.
A warning to act correctly before losing everything.
Though they lost in the information war, Count Hessen considered himself fortunate.
“Now is the time, before everything is lost. Bring me the magic camera. And… I will post the message myself.”
Count Hessen moved his hands and began to compose the post.
─Count Hessen
Title : It’s Count Hessen…
(Approximately a photo proving himself as Count Hessen.jpg)
The purpose was not for war, but to replace the aging equipment of our soldiers.
The food was purchased in advance in preparation for the coming winter.
Please believe that we have absolutely no intention of waging war.
We ask for your cooperation in normalizing the gallery.
ㄴLol, you expect us to believe this? lol
ㄴAfter all this, looks like they’ll throw the first punch lol
ㄴLmao, he shows up himself lol
ㄴGuess what Moderator said was true lol
ㄴBut for real, weren’t they preparing for war?
ㄴRight? Who buys equipment in bulk like that lol
ㄴFor real lol Who changes everything at once?
ㄴBuying 700 pounds of food. This definitely screams war prep
ㄴPounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds? Pounds?
ㄴKick out the elf spy!!!!!
ㄴDamn lol uncivilized elves talking about pounds????
ㄴDwarves crying lol
ㄴDwarves who used to engrave measurements in centimeters at the forge were shocked lol
ㄴThe pound is a traditional and systematic unit passed down by our ancestors. Don’t dismiss it.
ㄴCrazy dude lol like we wouldn’t mock it lol
ㄴYard, pound, gallon, inch, you’re the only ones using it fuck lololol
ㄴActually, dark elves use it too lol
ㄴFucking hilarious lolol
ㄴSo how will you prove you’re not going to war?
The important point was this.
There’s no guarantee they won’t go to war.
Buying those items naturally led to suspicion.
At that time, there was only one person who could save the chaotic gallery…
–Moderator
Title : Figured out a way to stop the war, yy
It was Moderator, already here with the solution.