130 – The Red Merchant (1)
For the past few months, the Norba Kingdom had been closing its doors and gathering strength.
Of course, with the demons entrenched in the Norba Kingdom gathering strength, there was no way they could just leave it be, so they had to actively defend against the attacks of the holy knights coming from the Sacred Kingdom.
As a result, the Norba Kingdom had to cede eight territories that they had been able to reclaim since the initial occupation back to the joint attacks of the Sacred Kingdom and Tesnoka territory.
Although humans were currently no match for the demons, the demons had a transcendent power akin to the sacred power used by the Sacred Kingdom, which could freely roam the intermediate realm.
However, while the Sacred Kingdom was steadily reclaiming Norba Kingdom’s territories, the kingdoms of Randon and Kelba remained silent, firmly locking their doors and maintaining silence.
Inside the Norba Kingdom.
“Hoo-“
Kelba exhaled deeply as he looked around.
The interior of the kingdom had become almost a ruin to the point where one might wonder if this place could still be called a ‘kingdom.’
There seemed to be no trace of civilization left, and instead, all that could be seen was something pulsating with a dark red hue, almost like veins.
And beneath that pulsating entity, which resembled veins, there were bodies that appeared human, being drained with each pulse.
And…
…
Kelba, the Lord of Norba Kingdom, the main culprit behind this tragedy, with a stern expression.
“…Is this where all the power has been gathered?”
“Yes.”
Soon, one could see Randon, who was wearing an unpleasant expression.
“This should be more than enough, overflowing even. We could probably summon at least three commanders.”
“That’s truly fortunate. All the people I had to rule over have been drained completely.”
“Don’t worry, Randon. Humans can always be replenished.”
“I trust.”
Watching as humans were sucked dry of their crimson blood like livestock, Randalon nodded without a hint of emotion and asked, “So, are we about to break the seal now?”
“Yes, now that we’ve gathered all the power, there’s nothing left but to go out. Even if those bothersome folks put up a fight, killing them will be easy, so don’t worry.”
“Let it be so. I’ll have to arm the soldiers accordingly.”
“Yes, it won’t take long now. Even if it drags on, it’ll only be a few days at most. When the time comes, I’ll summon the commanders, sweep away the imperial bastards, and exterminate the outsiders.”
Kelba murmured quietly.
Looking at him, Randalon nodded quietly and said, “I hope we succeed this time.”
And so he murmured.
“Yes. There’s not much time left.”
Watching Randalon turn back towards the Lord’s Castle, Kelba, without a word, gazed ahead, or more precisely, at the pulsating crimson veins, and quietly muttered, “Indeed, it is.”
—
As soon as the Red Merchant’s store opened, Kim Hyun-woo, who entered the store immediately, could see only one item listed on the event tab.
[Unknown item] [7,500 stones]
“What is this…”
Kim Hyun-woo muttered in disbelief as he looked at the cash item displayed on the event tab and, out of curiosity, scrolled through but found nothing else.
In other words, the only thing the Red Merchant was selling was this ‘Unknown item.’
“I knew I’d have to spend money this time as well, but… isn’t this a bit much?”
Kim Hyun-woo made a perplexed expression.
Of course, he didn’t really need the proposal ring he bought for 10,000 stones right now, but the idea of spending money on something unknown with the money he could use to extend the labyrinth package for another month made him hesitant.
However.
[Attention! Purchase period is ending in 1 minute!]
“…Crazy.”
As Kim Hyun-woo hesitated, he involuntarily sighed and purchased the Unknown item as the notification popped up before him.
[The ‘Red Merchant’ will visit your territory to deliver the artifact!]
[Remaining time: 1 day, 23 hours, 59 minutes, 59 seconds]
After purchasing the item, the disappearing red stone and the message appearing before Kim Hyun-woo’s eyes.
Confirming that the event tab that was open just a while ago had completely closed, Kim Hyun-woo briefly wondered if he had spent money in a very pointless way, but soon shook his head.
‘Anyway, I had to spend to uncover the secret…’
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, thinking.
‘Well, the Blue Merchant lasted for 3 days, but this time it’s 2 days.’
As Kim Hyun-woo watched the notification countdown dropping by a second from the moment he bought the item, he recalled the notification that had come up earlier.
‘Meet the Red Merchant.’
Just as Kim Hyun-woo was questioning himself, the thought of the notification that had come up struck him.
After pondering for a while, Kim Hyun-woo seemed to recall something and opened the territory window.
—-
Territory of Lartania.
Territory Development: 4512
[Development details available!]
Yeong Ji-min
[Humans: 33,817]
Secondary Building
[Magic Engineering Research Institute] [Under Construction] [95%]
Owned Buildings
[Castle LV3↑]
[Wall LV5]
[Residential Area LV5]
[Blacksmith LV5]
[Barracks LV5]
[Tavern LV5]
[Market LV5]
[Lumber Mill LV5]
[Restaurant LV5]
[Tannery LV5]
[Stone Workshop LV5]
[Trade Post LV5]
[Secondary Wall LV5]
[Inn LV5]
[Administrative District LV5]
[Paved Road LV5↑]
External Buildings
[Mercenary Guild LV1]
[Wizard’s Tower Branch LV1]
[Blacksmith Guild Branch LV1]
Owned Military Forces
-Regular Soldiers: 1,000
-Guards: 200
-Squire Trainees: 200
—-
＜p class=”a”＞From Noble mtl dot comKim Hyun-woo frowned as he gazed at the floating Territory Window in front of his eyes.
“It’s still not completed.”
The reason was clearly that the Magic Engineering Research Institute, which he had started building a month ago, was still not completed.
Of course, he was well aware that constructing the Magic Engineering Research Institute required an exorbitant amount of labor and resources, but he couldn’t help feeling frustrated that despite diverting all manpower to the research institute without raising the levels of other buildings, it still remained unfinished.
“Admittedly, it always took a long time even when playing the original game, but this is a bit excessive… Well, considering its size, it’s somewhat understandable.”
Kim Hyun-woo, gazing at the notification stuck at 95%, shifted his gaze to the outside.
On the eastern outskirts of the city wall, there stood the ‘Magic Engineering Research Institute,’ which clearly stood out from other buildings with its overwhelming difference.
Watching the people attached to the construction work as if they were ants in front of the massive structure, Kim Hyun-woo sighed leisurely, knowing that the building would be fully constructed by tomorrow or the day after.
“The Crimson Merchant, I hope to see him soon.”
Soon, Kim Hyun-woo found himself unconsciously pondering while watching the time spheres floating on one side of his vision.
####
Merilda, with a very tired expression, could finally return with red eyes after almost a month of absence.
Of course, if she had the mind to teleport from the red dragon’s lair to here, Merilda could have made it in three days, but the reason it took longer was due to the battle.
Yes.
Merilda engaged in battle within the red dragon’s lair.
And not just for a day or two, but for over a week…!
Thanks to thwarting the red dragon’s plans twice, she was enraged, and on top of that, there was a past incident where she barely escaped, carrying a precious photo collection that made her swear to kill the real Merilda. Through the relentless pursuit, Merilda endured a very painful week.
…Well, the cause of that painful week was indeed Merilda herself.
Anyway, after escaping from the week-long battle exhausted, it took about a month to resolve everything, thanks to some rumors that could clear her name.
Arriving with red eyes after that time, Merilda could listen to the Four Kings with a light greeting.
“Although it’s been a month, congratulations, Leader. It seems like we can proceed with the plan.”
“R-really? But I feel like I didn’t do it properly…”
“Even if it wasn’t done perfectly, you got the desired outcome at the crucial moment. So, it’s not a big deal if you didn’t do it perfectly.”
“…R-really? What did I get, exactly?”
“The response of the Lord of Lartania.”
“…Response?”
“Yes. This plan hinged on the Lord’s reaction, and fortunately, the Lord’s response was positive. So, we can proceed with the plan. Congratulations, Leader.”
Merilda couldn’t help but brighten up at Rieu’s words.
“But I haven’t been able to hear properly since last time. What’s the plan? You said you would inform me based on the initial response.”
However, with a puzzled expression, Merilda soon asked.
In response to Merilda’s question, Rieu grinned and took out a small vial from her bosom.
And then.
“For mating.”
“…What?”
“For damn mating.”
Merilda froze.