NOVEL NEXT Chapter 46
“Underground market?”
“I know it’s held at the end of every month, but I don’t know the exact location.”
After a long time, I visited the [Mouse Hole].
I jumped straight to the point without beating around the bush.
“Heh, there’s something you don’t know, big brother?”
Robel snickered and then pulled out a map.
“This underground market is held at the Rosen Industrial Complex over here. It used to be a huge place, but after the great fire, it was abandoned and is essentially a derelict factory now.”
“The fire was just an excuse. The real reason was that the factory owner skipped town with the funds during the war, making it hard to manage. The fire also erupted because workers who hadn’t received their pay revolted.”
“…That’s accurate.”
This issue exists as a side quest.
It doesn’t affect the main story but is still an incident within this world.
For someone like me, who has devoured the ‘Valdeon Saga’, such elements are as familiar as my own name.
“Wow, that’s impressive! With that kind of cash flow, moving would have been a pain, but it just vanished overnight!”
Robel fidgeted with her tail as she mumbled.
“Well, it’s not like he ran away.”
“I want to learn that kind of skill… Huh?”
“The factory owner, Vengers Rosen. His money is still hidden in that abandoned factory. It’s not that he ran away; he just concealed it.”
“W-wait! Hold on a moment!”
She clamped her hand over my mouth.
I could see her slightly revealed eyes trembling like crazy.
“Is… is that really true, big brother?”
“Mmmpff.”
“Oh.”
Robel removed her hand from my mouth.
It smelled like fresh leaves from that little hand.
“Why would I lie about something like this?”
“Because that’s information worth a fortune!”
True enough, what I just said was practically a treasure map.
“Ugh… how much should this kind of info sell for…?”
“Why sell it?”
“Huh?”
“Let’s go get it ourselves, Robel.”
“W-wait?!”
Robel’s tail stiffened up.
“A-are you serious, big brother?”
“I’ll put it differently. Why wouldn’t we go get it?”
“Um…”
“Information like this isn’t good if it gets spread around. If this kind of cash suddenly floods the market, it’ll get stepped on in no time.”
So, it’s best to keep it among those who know.
Sharing it only with trustworthy people is the smartest move.
“Still…”
“If we go together, it’s 50-50.”
“What are you waiting for, big brother? Show me the way!”
Robel grabbed the doorknob and stepped outside.
*
[Vengers Rosen’s Tomb]
A quest taking place in the hidden underground mansion of the Rosen Industrial Complex.
This is one of the ‘mandatory quests’ a newbie must do to solve initial funding issues.
The money from here could cover most equipment and items.
“Technically, this is a mystery mini-game where you unravel the secrets hidden in Vengers’ underground mansion.”
But right now, I don’t have the luxury to collect clues or hints.
“…Big brother. This is really what I needed, right?”
Robel let out a deflated sound, sounding a bit empty.
Click_clack! Click_clack! Click_clack!
Upon entering the underground mansion, I was swiftly unlocking mechanisms as I advanced.
“How do you know the password here?”
“There’s always a way.”
“…I feel like you should be the one doing the information gathering, not just me…”
The answers for the mechanisms here are fixed for each playthrough.
That means there’s no need to combine clues scattered about.
“The mansion has to be a bit larger.”
I wasted about four hours here when I didn’t have a proper strategy guide.
Thinking back, it’s quite harrowing.
“This is the last one. If we open this vault door, the money will be inside.”
“I don’t see any locks here.”
“Because there aren’t any. Only someone with the key can open it.”
“Key?”
“See that hole in the center of the vault? You have to bleed into it.”
The lowest level of the underground mansion is the fifth floor.
Here, there is just one door standing tall.
A vault made of extreme demonic iron, which can only be opened by someone who carries the blood of ‘Rosen.’
“You could say it’s an ark Vengers left for his descendants.”
“Then isn’t there no way to open it?”
“Of course not.”
Robel’s face contorted in despair.
“Don’t look at me with those eyes. There’s no way to open it, but there are other methods.”
“What’s that?”
I didn’t hesitate to draw my sword.
“Smashing it.”
Originally, this quest could be received from the descendants of Vengers.
[Shall we uncover the secrets hidden within? If you protect me, I’ll share half of what we find.]
The problem is that as soon as that descendant sees the money, their eyes go wild and they betray you.
[Th-this is our grandfather’s money! I won’t give you a single penny!]
They say wealth doesn’t disappear until the third generation.
The descendants of Vengers are pretty well-off.
Yet, the fact that they would draw a weapon just because they didn’t want to part with money is infuriating.
‘This time, it’s mine.’
I stood in front of the vault, sword in hand.
“Big brother, are you joking right now?”
“I’m not joking.”
“That thing is made of extreme demonic iron, right? Your sword wouldn’t even scratch it!”
Robel covered her mouth and chuckled.
“Big brother, you have a silly side too!”
“Hmm… Shall we make a bet?”
“A bet?”
I pointed my finger at the vault.
“If I smash this open, you’ll increase my share by 20%. If I can’t break it, you can have all of it.”
“All of it?!”
“Since you can’t even open it anyway. You can have the rest even if you swallow it all yourself; I won’t have anything to say about it.”
“Swallow…”
I could hear the sound of her swallowing from here.
“Fine! Since you proposed it first, you won’t back out later, right?”
“Don’t worry.”
A smirk formed at the corner of my mouth.
“I’ll definitely break it open.”
“Ehehe! I’ll cheer you on!”
I channeled my fierce intent into the hand holding the sword.
A bloody aura wrapped around it.
Swiiiiiiiiiish!
No matter how strong extreme demonic iron is, it shouldn’t be weaker than divinity armor.
[Killing Aura • Breaking Sword]
The killing intent engraved gold into the surface of the vault, smashing through it with raw power!
Ka-BOOM!
With a terrifying noise, the vault cracked open from the center.
Crash!
Soon, the vault door was shattered into dust.
“…Huh?”
Robel’s eyes grew three times larger in an instant.
“What the…? How did this happen… What was that sword just now…?”
“I’ve won the bet, haven’t I?”
“Huh…? A! Argh….”
She moaned cutely while pressing down on her robe.
*
“I’ve never seen a man wield that kind of sword technique before.”
Robel continued to pout her lips in a grumpy manner.
“So you can’t judge a person by their appearance. Think of the 20% as an educational fee.”
“It’s a bit disappointing… but still, that’s an astounding sum!”
Her eyes sparkled as she looked at the coins in her ‘pocket.’
“A magical tool enchanted with [Pocket Dimension].”
Thanks to Robel’s ‘pocket’, I don’t need to do multiple trips to move the funds.
That’s one of the reasons I brought her along.
“Can I leave the follow-up work to you?”
“Don’t worry! I’ll turn it into clean cash without any issues.”
I’ve resolved the initial cash problem now.
“But why did Vengers Rosen hide in such a mansion? And it feels more like…”
“A bomb shelter.”
“Exactly! Even if it was a war, building a place that huge is a bit odd… It’s almost like he’s been preparing to escape for decades.”
The reason Vengers built such an underground mansion can be uncovered if one tactfully breaks through the mansion.
What exactly was he afraid of?
[I have seen. I witnessed the existence of ■■■ that speaks of the afterlife around that enormous round table. The end is coming. Everything is falling apart. All that I have built until now will turn to nothingness. That cannot be. Such a world must never exist. Thus, I will create ■■■. If this comfortable fortress exists, then I can usher in paradise after the end. When that time comes, I shall open the ■■ with my blood to establish a new kingdom. This place is a provision for the future. Come forth, come forth, come forth, come forth, come forth, come forth … (The rest is torn and unreadable.)]
The vault is not a legacy for descendants.
It is a refuge created by Vengers’ madness, half-driven mad by what he saw.
“Anyway, it was an unpleasant place… I felt sticky all over.”
“Maybe because you didn’t clean up?”
“What kind of rude thing is that! Just because I live in such a place doesn’t mean I’m dirty! I wash up three times a day and have never slept with a man!”
Robel shouted, flaring up.
“Sure, sure.”
“Ugh…! You don’t look convinced…”
Not that I didn’t believe her.
I simply didn’t care.
“…Big brother, do you think a girl with no experience with men is a bit off?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well… that’s what they say. People say that if a girl has no experience with men, she’s lacking charm or something…”
Robel quietly added, “But that doesn’t mean I’d pay for it….”
“Do you think that way too?! You really think a girl needs to hug men a lot…?”
“Stop with this nonsense.”
Thwap!
I playfully flicked Robel’s forehead.
“Ugh!”
“Don’t let what others say define you. If an informant like you gets swept away by such nonsense, what’s the use of that?”
“Still…”
“Still, what?”
I locked eyes with Robel.
“You’re attractive enough. Don’t let yourself be trapped by those vile evaluations. Got it?”
“Uh… I-I understand…”
Robel pressed her robe down tightly.
Her tail swayed left and right, and her round mouse ears sank down.
“Hehe… Thanks, big brother.”
“If you’re thankful, buy some of these items I wrote down and send them over.”
I pulled out a prepared list and handed it to her.
Materials that can only be acquired here.
They are essential for me to formally start producing what I want.
“I don’t care about the price. Can you buy them and send them to this address?”
“Of course! But this address… isn’t it Polaris?”
“That’s right.”
“…Big brother, how old are you?”
Hmm.
So…
“Seventeen.”
“……”
Robel’s body went stiff.