Master Assassin of the Ronan

Chapter 46. Fiery Jade Stone (2)

The next day.

Flonica Territory.

Flonica’s estate was located in the heart of a mountainous region thick with trees.

The lord’s castle stood tall with a steep canyon at its back, while the residents’ homes lay in front.

Yan Flonica had just returned to the estate after resolving an issue caused by the Menkers brothers.

As usual, he devoted himself to swordsmanship training until midnight.

…A gaze watched him from afar.

“Ruben.”

Uncharacteristically, Tina called out to Ruben in a serious tone.

She was perched on top of Kuze’s head in the form of a sparrow, while Kuze bit his lip.

“As reckless as I may be… I can’t endorse a teenager going off the rails like this. You know who the head of the family is, right? It’s Seiren.”

“Young master, as far as this matter is concerned, I actually agree with Miss Tina. We should hurry to Kapotini where the disguised residence is. We don’t have time for this.”

“……”

Their response showed they couldn’t understand.

It was natural.

After parting ways with Yan during the day yesterday, not only had Ruben stayed at the nearest accommodation, but he had also infiltrated Flonica’s estate under cover of night.

‘Explaining it would be pointless.’

Ruben’s actions weren’t because of Yan.

On the contrary, it was better to avoid contact with Yan.

That way, Yan could grow into the ‘Silver-Haired Rebel,’ or rather, the ‘Silver-Haired Punisher,’ as Ruben knew he would in the future.

“Let’s start moving.”

“No, seriously, where are we going?”

Still, he remained silent.

Instead of answering, Ruben lowered his presence even further using Dark Ripple.

In that state, he skirted around the Flonica lord’s castle and ventured deep into the canyon.

Unable to abandon his duty to protect the young master, Kuze followed with a worried expression, while Tina flapped her wings and flew along, grumbling.

‘According to the information I gathered beforehand, Flonica’s head is currently away. This is our chance.’

To detect the covert movements of Ruben’s group, one would need at least a fifth-star aura mastery.

With the lord absent, Yan was the only potential risk.

‘I’ve pinpointed Yan’s location, so I can explore the canyon freely.’

Tap, tap, tap.

Ruben began navigating the canyon.

Following behind him, Kuze’s eyes grew increasingly puzzled.

Though it was clearly Ruben’s first time here, his movements were confident and unhindered.

‘What are you looking for, my lord?’

From the start, it seemed Ruben had a specific goal. His search followed a set pattern.

Countless caves dotted the canyon. Each time Ruben entered a cave, he only checked the left wall. He didn’t go any deeper and didn’t inspect the right side.

‘There are more caves than I expected. We won’t get through them all even if we stay up all night.’

After about an hour of examining the caves, Ruben finally gathered Tina and Kuze around him.

“Are you finally going to tell us what you’re looking for?”

“If you tell us, we can help too.”

“……”

Silently, Ruben glanced back toward the Flonica lord’s castle.

They still hadn’t detected any suspicious activity from Ruben’s group.

“What exactly are you looking for in an empty cave? Ugh, I’m so curious.”

Tina, frustrated, pecked the cave wall only to shake her head afterward, appearing slightly dazed. She flapped her wings in exasperation.

As Tina mentioned, there was nothing in these caves.

Even common beasts had been exterminated by the Flonica family long ago.

Generally, where monsters dwelled, there were valuable resources for humans. In other words, no monsters meant no useful resources here.

But that assumption was wrong.

Ruben was a time-rewinder.

Even if something seemed worthless now, he knew exactly what items would multiply in value in the near future.

The only problem was remembering the precise location.

Finally, Ruben revealed what he was searching for.

“If we’re going to save time, it’s best to tell you. I’m looking for a red tree.”

But he provided limited information.

Since he was using knowledge acquired before he rewound time, he couldn’t reveal everything honestly.

Telling them everything would only make it harder to convince them.

“A red tree? But young master, as soon as we enter a cave, you only check the left wall.”

“That’s right. You two can search other caves the same way. Only look at the left wall as you enter.”

“Only the left wall…?”

“If you spot a red tree branch clinging to the left wall like a mushroom, call me right away.”

A tree growing attached to a wall?

It was a concept they couldn’t quite picture, so Tina and Kuze exchanged blank looks. With Ruben’s instructions so matter-of-factly given, their curiosity only grew.

“That’s it? I thought you were looking for bandits to slay or something. So we’re just gathering plants? Well, that I can follow, of course.”

“…Hmm. Surprisingly straightforward. Understood, young master.”

They quickly agreed to Ruben’s instructions, relieved that the task wasn’t as dangerous as they had feared. Each took a different direction to begin the search.

Ruben also resumed his search, heading toward a new cave.

Though the canyon had quite a few caves, by splitting up, they could check all of them within two hours.

They would find the ‘red tree’ Ruben was looking for.

‘A red tree filled with fire energy, growing in the deep canyon near the Flonica estate. Fiery Jade Stone.’

That was what Ruben sought. Before his death, this was the only verified habitat. At least, according to what Ruben knew.

-Fiery Jade Stone? I don’t know if it’s a tree or a stone, but is it really such a valuable resource?

‘Of course.’

The Fiery Jade Stone was valuable for two reasons.

The first was its economic worth.

Within five years, it would become a special construction material widely used throughout the continent.

While the reason behind its popularity was somewhat unpleasant, regardless…

‘Securing resources in advance is crucial.’

In short, it meant he could sell it exclusively when demand surged.

‘But there’s another reason that matters more to me. Five years from now, the Fiery Jade Stone can prevent the Roincrow Extermination.’

-Roincrow Extermination?

‘It’s an event where the entire previous generation of Roincrows living in Elder Gillifield’s Arboretum died. Only after the extermination did they discover that the Fiery Jade Stone was the preventive measure.’

That was the result of extensive research by Elder Gillifield and Phynik.

‘In fact, in about three years, Fiery Jade Stone production will become feasible. So, stopping the Roincrow Extermination can wait until then. But…’

-But?

‘There’s a ‘benefit’ I can only gain if I do this now.’

The benefit he referred to was an extraordinary one that only a single person in the world could attain.

At this moment, only one other person besides Ruben knew the true value of the Fiery Jade Stone.

That person was none other than the peerless merchant ‘Tis Kingven.’

Nicknamed the ‘Merchant from the Future.’

It didn’t mean he’d truly come from the future, of course.

He had simply grasped the fortune that had fallen upon him with a supernatural sense for opportunity.

Years ago, Tis had obtained a Fiery Jade Stone crystal by chance and, with an even greater stroke of luck, realized its incredible worth.

‘He said there are exactly two Fiery Jade Stones to be found in this canyon. Tis Kingven himself confirmed it before I rewound time.’

-Have you met him before?

‘No.’

Later, after successfully commercializing Fiery Jade Stone, Tis published a memoir detailing his life.

He provided a full account of how he discovered Fiery Jade Stone, and Ruben remembered several passages vividly.

-In the recent commotion that’s shaken the continent, the ‘Silver-Haired Rebel’ Yan. Though his head will soon be displayed, for now, his rebellion is still being suppressed, so I must tread carefully when I mention it.

I later learned that the place where I found the Fiery Jade Stone seedling was actually on the territory of Yan’s cover family. How did I know? Who can say?

Luck, I suppose.

In any case, this was back when that rebel was hiding in a family, dreaming of overthrowing the Empire in vain.

At that time, I was madly collecting every strange tale and rumor in existence, and the most plausible among them was about the ‘Fiery Jade Stone.’

The value and effectiveness of the Fiery Jade Stone are now so famous I’ll skip them.

In any case, the rumor claimed that Fiery Jade Stone grew somewhere in a rugged canyon near the family Yan hid in.

So I packed up that day and left, combing through every cave in the canyon.

And eventually, I discovered a Fiery Jade Stone seedling…

Ruben, knowing all about Yan and Tis, could easily fill in the gaps in Tis’s story.

Tis had collected the Fiery Jade Stone here while Yan was disguised as Flonica’s noble son.

In that sense, it was now Ruben, not Tis, who came from the future. If he could find the Fiery Jade Stone, that was.

-Secrets of another world… Intriguing. So tell me then, what hidden value does this ‘Fiery Jade Stone’ hold? What will you do if you find it?

‘It’s simple. I’ll find two Fiery Jade Stones here. I’ll plant one in Elder Gillifield’s Arboretum and sell the other to Tis Kingven.’

Money.

That was Ruben’s objective.

The main estate of the Assassin Blade Family had enough wealth to surpass that of most royal families.

Their network of ‘base warehouses’ scattered across the continent provided assassins with funds and weaponry for missions, and the Imperial Edict Office also provided financial support.

‘But I’m not in a position to receive any support.’

He was just beginning his undercover life as a Ronan. Plus, what Ruben planned to do next would require deceiving both the Emperor and the Edict Office.

So Ruben needed vast funds that he could freely access at any time.

-You’re planning to make a fortune? A smart move. But why are you planting it in the Arboretum? You said the extermination won’t happen for five years. Once Fiery Jade Stone production begins in three years, you could get it cheaply and use it then.

It was a valid point.

Ruben had already considered it. He had a different possibility in mind.

‘In the previous timeline, Fiery Jade Stone was commercialized by Tis Kingven. At that time, he found two Fiery Jade Stones. But in this life, he’ll only get one.’

-…I see where you’re going with this.

‘Yes, that’s correct. Because I intervened to secure the Fiery Jade Stone first and control its quantity, the future may change. He might fail to commercialize it, for instance.’

-So you’re holding one in reserve in the safest place, just in case. If commercialization fails, you can sell another one later.

‘Yes. But the ideal outcome would be if a single piece led to commercialization. That is essential. It’s the most advantageous path for my revenge as well.’

At that moment, a faint call echoed.

Tina flitted into the cave, flapping her tiny wings.

“I found it! A red tree growing like a mushroom on the rock! Just as you said, it was on the left wall!”

Following Tina, they arrived at a cave at the lowest part of the canyon.

A small ray of moonlight filtered in. And sure enough, there was a red tree growing from the cave’s left wall. It looked almost like a mounted deer’s head.

“Oh…?”

“What? Isn’t this what you were looking for?”

“Yes, it is. But…”

A branch as thick as a wrist was protruding from the wall, with smaller branches extending out.

Upon closer inspection, the outer surface of the branches was covered in intricate patterns resembling flames or clouds. That’s why it was called Fiery Jade Stone.

‘But why are there three instead of two?’

According to Tis Kingven’s memoirs, he found ‘two’ Fiery Jade Stones in the canyon.

Of course, it was impossible to say with certainty that Tis’s records were entirely truthful.

He could have made a mistake or deliberately adjusted the count.

‘No matter. This works even better. As planned, I’ll hide one in the Arboretum, sell another to Tis Kingven, and… keep the last one for myself.’

Someday, it would come in handy.

The Fiery Jade Stone, especially at this stage before mass production, was a natural treasure—a pure specimen.

‘Maybe I can even use it as a rare medicine.’

Step, step.

Without hesitation, Ruben plucked the three Fiery Jade Stones.

It was easy to extract them. He just had to twist the parts attached to the wall, and they came right off.

-Isn’t it just a tree about the size of a forearm? And yet it’s supposed to be a building material? Besides, it looks like wood, so why is it called Fiery Jade Stone? It doesn’t look like a stone at all.

A reasonable question.

The Fiery Jade Stone was a unique plant.

Although it was only as thick as an arm now, if it were buried in soil, it would grow into an enormous tree.

But that wasn’t all. When placed against a rock, it would naturally latch on and perform a ‘fundamental transformation.’

-A fundamental transformation?

It would change the composition of the rock it was attached to.

That was why the Fiery Jade Stone was so valuable.

Just like venom spreading through the body when a snake bites a human’s ankle, the Fiery Jade Stone would entirely alter the substance it was connected to.

‘It’s a “building material with unique properties” that exists nowhere else in this world.’

When the world plunged into turmoil years later, the value of the Fiery Jade Stone as a construction material would be beyond imagination.

Of course, that wasn’t something to consider right now.

‘The issue is the time required for production. Once a Fiery Jade Stone attaches to a rock, it takes at least two years for the transformation.’

Right now, only Tis Kingven knew the value of the Fiery Jade Stone and how to produce it.

That made a deal with him inevitable.

‘It can’t be a simple give-and-take transaction.’

To deal with a man with such a remarkable talent for business that he was called the ‘Merchant from the Future,’ Ruben would have to buy his future.

“Ruben! I found it, so don’t I deserve a reward?”

Tina, tired of being a sparrow, had now transformed into a sleek black hunting dog, scratching eagerly at the wall where she found the Fiery Jade Stone.

Kuze, who had been searching another cave, arrived just in time.

“Young master, are we heading to Kapotini now?”

Ruben responded with a smile at Kuze.

Kuze gulped nervously, unsure of the meaning behind that smile. He hadn’t expected his Ronan life to get this chaotic even before it had fully begun.

“Tina.”

“Finally, my reward?”

Tina wagged her tail furiously.

“Do you like auction houses?”

At that one word, Tina’s tail wagged twice as fast, and her eyes sparkled as she raised her paw toward Ruben.

“Auction house? Auction house! Auction house?”

She repeated the words with a clear meaning.

Tina, a lover of gambling and competition, was also obsessed with auction houses. Most auctions were filled with trinkets and jewels that captured the attention of the Bloodborne.

“But before we go to the auction, there’s something I need you to do.”

Ruben handed one of the Fiery Jade Stones to Tina.

“Fly to Gillifield as fast as you can and secretly plant this. Make sure it shares soil with the Mist Tree.”

“Hey! It’ll take days of nonstop flying to get there!”

“That’s why you need to hurry. Only then can we meet at the Tollois Auction House in time.”

“…To-Tollois Auction House! Wow! Look at me! I’m already shifting into a Roincrow, aren’t I? Just plant this, right, Ruben?”