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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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‘It’s strangely quiet.’
After several days of investigation, I noticed something odd. It was quiet. Too quiet. The main heroines were suspiciously inactive.
By now, there should have been some movement from the Holy Empire, the North, and Petenburg to capture me. But there was nothing, as if nothing had happened.
Considering they had already made a bold move by blocking the dungeons, their inaction was strange.
They had declared war by cutting off my income source, and now they were doing nothing? It didn’t make sense.
‘Was I wrong?’
Perhaps the dungeon curses weren’t a declaration of war. I couldn’t rule out that possibility.
The thought of the chilling cold, the malicious poison, and the agonizing blessings still made my blood boil, but perhaps it wasn’t intentional.
The thought broadened my perspective, increasing the possibilities.
‘The curses weren’t aimed at me? Or was it Draken’s interference? Or…’
Of course, I wouldn’t find the answer by just thinking about it.
The surest way was to ask the heroines directly, but that was too risky. They might have set a trap.
‘I can’t fully trust them yet.’
I didn’t want to be suspicious, but I had no choice. They had doubted my fidelity without proof in previous loops, so we were even.
So, instead of confronting the heroines, I decided to head to Elvenguard, one of my strongest allies.
I needed to consult with Mia, the Oracle who held sway over Elvenguard.
‘Should I stop by Basel first?’
I had business with Tay. I needed to check on her.
Basel.
The City of Water.
It used to be a quiet tourist town, known for its magical stone crafting. But now…
“What is this?”
“…Magnificent.”
“Is… is this Basel?”
It had changed drastically.
Before, there was only one tall building, like a magic tower. Now, there were at least four more, surrounded by a sprawling cityscape.
“Are these all branches?”
According to the passersby, all these buildings belonged to Tay’s workshop. And since she held a significant stake in them, they were practically hers.
Tay, overwhelmed by the increasing demand, had taken drastic measures. She had decided to take on apprentices.
Several master craftsmen, who had been thriving before Tay’s arrival, now bowed their heads and sought her tutelage.
After rigorous evaluations, she selected a few apprentices and put them through harsh training.
Within a month, four apprentices were promoted to assistant craftsmen, each managing a branch workshop to handle the workload.
‘With the increased supply and demand for magical stones… she must be very busy.’
Magical engineering was at the forefront of technological advancement, and dungeon raids were more active than ever.
Even already processed, top-grade magical stones became twice as efficient after being handled by Tay, so it was no wonder she was swamped with work.
‘It wasn’t like this in the previous loops…’
In previous loops, Tay’s talent had awakened later, just as the market was expanding, around the time the loop ended. I hadn’t anticipated this butterfly effect.
Tay’s workshop was probably generating more revenue than the entire city of Basel now.
“What brings you here?”
“I have someone to meet.”
“Someone I know?”
“No, you wouldn’t.”
Kali, clinging to my side, looked around curiously. She seemed unfamiliar with the changed cityscape of Basel. But some things never changed.
“…Water?!”
“Hey, hey! Don’t pull my ears! It hurts!”
Undecided had a panic attack whenever the tide came in and jumped on my head.
This blood ghoul trait would probably never go away… I sighed and let her ride on my back.
Kali, walking beside me, glanced at Undecided with a slightly envious look. It seemed her legs were tired from all the walking.
We arrived at the main workshop.
“Greetings. How can I help-… Ah! This way, please.”
The employee’s attitude changed instantly when he saw the black mana stone. He led us to the VIP waiting room.
The black mana stone, which I had removed from my old sword, now served as my identification.
“Do you know one of the craftsmen here?”
“No, I know the manager.”
“Ah… do they have a professional manager?”
“Not exactly professional. She’s the founder of this workshop, so she’s involved in management.”
Kali looked puzzled, as if she couldn’t understand. It was understandable.
This workshop’s growth wasn’t due to investments, it was purely Tay’s funds that had built these buildings and expanded the business. But did she really have enough money to open four branches?
I was a little surprised.
“If you reveal that you’re Kali-”
“I know, I know. I won’t reveal my identity unless you allow it. I’ll pretend to be an orphan you picked up. I remember.”
“Good. Then…”
The elevator doors opened, and a copper-skinned girl rushed out. Tay, looking as energetic as ever.
“Investor…!”
“Hello, Tay. It’s been a while… things have changed a lot.”
“Hee hee! Right! The workshop has gotten so much bigger!”
“Indeed…”
Not just the workshop. Tay herself had grown much taller than I remembered, surpassing even Undecided.
She had lost her childish figure, too. I could feel the difference as she hugged me tightly. Of course, she was still a child.
“What brings you here? Let me guess! Not for magical stone processing. You haven’t placed any orders recently…”
“It is about magical stones.”
“Really?!”
“I’ll be entrusting you with an important magical stone soon. So please don’t go on vacation or leave the workshop.”
“Of course not. I wouldn’t go anywhere anyway.”
Tay spoke confidently. I glanced at Kali, who tilted her head. An important magical stone. I would have one soon. Kali probably couldn’t even imagine what it was.
“And who is this child?”
“Child?! Who are you calling a-…!”
“Isn’t she human? A long-lived species?”
“W-Well… yes… but…”
Kali started to protest, then subsided when I glared at her. She hadn’t forgotten my warning. She seemed to be following my instructions faithfully, she wouldn’t reveal her identity to anyone.
“…Just… an orphan.”
“Ah.”
Tay nodded, not prying any further. She seemed to think it was a sensitive topic. But Kali was acting strangely.
She avoided Undecided’s gaze, as if she was afraid of her. Had something happened between them while I wasn’t looking?
“What’s with the sudden expansion? So many branches…”
“We received a huge order. The main workshop couldn’t handle it within the deadline, so we used the investment to expand.”
“Investment? From who?”
“From the client. The Petenburg Foundation. They ordered over three thousand top-grade magical stones. It’s like they’re preparing for war.”
The Petenburg Foundation.
It was technically established by the Petenburg Trading Company, but it was common knowledge that Yulia was the one running it.
Why would she need so many top-grade magical stones?
“Can I see the order details?”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose contract details, even to you. But I can give you a hint. Lean closer.”
Tay cupped her hands around my ear and whispered,
“Each stone has different output requirements. And when you put them all together, they form a pattern.”
Her vague explanation gave me a clue. Yulia wasn’t preparing for war. I had almost forgotten, but she was a skilled magical engineer, capable of incorporating anything magic-related into her creations.
She must have gotten the idea from the other world and the dungeons. The dungeon cores formed a network, exchanging energy.
Yulia was trying to recreate that network with magical stones, placing them strategically around the world to create a system for real-time communication and control.
If she succeeded, she would have access to more information than any intelligence agency. And it could be used for war, too. This could potentially give her unimaginable power.
“Don’t tell anyone I told you this, okay?”
“Of course. Thank you.”
This was valuable information.
Yulia was building a massive network. And its purpose was probably… to find me. A chill ran down my spine.
I wanted to tear up the contract, but she had already received the investment and opened four branches.
Cancelling the contract would ruin Tay. I couldn’t do that. I would have to deal with Yulia directly later.
As I was about to leave, Kali pointed at one of the rings displayed on the wall.
“What’s wrong?”
“That ring is pretty…”
“Ah, that. You can have one. They’re made from defective top-grade magical stones, so they’re not worth much.”
This was ridiculous.
Even these defective stones were incredibly efficient, high-end magical stones by early-game standards.
Magical stone crafting had advanced so much that these were now considered worthless. I was starting to realize what kind of monster I had created.
Kali took a ring, and we left, heading towards our next destination, creating the ‘important magical stone’ I had promised Tay. I only needed one ingredient, Kali’s soul.
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|Kali!!!|
Whoosh!
A spirit burst through space, screaming. The ear-piercing shriek obliterated the ghosts and spirits in the area.
He had sensed it, Kali’s aura, the unique wavelength of her soul. She was nearby.
|If I can just get Kali’s soul! Her soul!|
Luna frantically searched the area.
With Kali’s soul, he could resurrect her. Creating a suitable body for her was no problem for him. That would be a true resurrection.
|Where are you, Kali?! Where are you?!|
But he couldn’t find her. There were traces of her soul, but they vanished abruptly, as if she had disappeared into thin air.
|Aaaaaah!!!|
Then, Luna’s spirit spotted a familiar face. The hateful man who had manipulated Solra into killing Kali, ruining his plans.
As he followed him, he noticed a girl with a strangely familiar face walking beside him.
He recognized her. It was Kali, in her younger form. She was holding the man’s arm, walking close to him, as if trusting and relying on him.
The sight made Luna’s spirit flicker.
|What have you done to my Kali?!|
He tried to pursue them, but a barrier surrounding the building repelled him. It was a barrier that blocked spirits. Luna could only wait, fuming.
A while later, the three emerged from the building.
|Aaaaaaaaagh!!!|
Kali was smiling, her arm linked with the man’s, admiring a ring on her finger.
Luna’s spirit shattered.
|I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you! I’ll kill you!!!|
Luna’s spectral fist passed harmlessly through the man.
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[Your Text Here]
Bro got cucked 😂😂😂