Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Taming the True Ancestor (4)
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1.
Safe return home: complete.
"Quick, quick! Offer these glutinous rice cakes to your concubine!"
The moment we got home, Sion came charging in, drooling like crazy.
"Go change into the bunny girl outfit first."
She bolted to the corner of the room and, with great enthusiasm, put on that bunny girl costume she'd sworn she'd never wear even if it killed her.
For the record, Sion's everyday clothes had been replaced with Arbel's spares.
They were about the same size.
We must never forget.
Once something becomes familiar and taken for granted, the thrill fades.
If you make her wear the bunny girl outfit as everyday wear, that excitement dies too.
Look at Sion.
Every time you offer glutinous rice cakes, she scarfs them down like it's nothing, but when you make her work for it, she loves it this much?
"I-I'm dressed...! Hurry! Hurry!"
"Hey, ask nicely."
"Master...! Please give your concubine the glutinous rice cakes...!"
"Here you go!"
Sion took the cakes reverently in both hands and chomped down with gusto.
Tears welled up in her eyes—whether from the taste or what, who knows.
In the previous round, I was dying to slap her cheeks.
But damn, she looks kinda cute like this.
"That good, huh? Let me have a taste too."
I pulled a rice cake from the paper wrapper, white powder dusting off, and popped it in my mouth.
Soft, chewy, sweet.
Nothing special.
You know the taste, I know the taste.
Three of these for 5,000 Bios? Suddenly feels like a rip-off.
"What are you doing!!!!"
Sion, with white powder on her lips, suddenly glared daggers.
"Human!!! How dare you touch your concubine's tribute!!!"
"……."
Cute? Canceled.
I immediately locked her in a headlock.
"Hey, you little shit, is your mouth the only thing you use?"
"Y-Your concubine was wrong.... J-Just one is fine... but the last one must go to me...!"
"You haven't learned, have you."
"G-Gah...!!!"
As I held Sion in the headlock, I thought to myself.
Information was still sorely lacking.
Why was Isis being so cooperative?
Was she really going to make the Red Jade?
125 million Bios was unreal enough, but was the offer even sincere?
If it was just a throwaway line, why lend me the Stealth Necklace or give advice?
I was clueless about everything.
"No helping it."
Head to the casino, see all their cards, and crush them at poker?
As if.
You only learn their cards after the bet's done.
Betting based on your hand and the table—that's skill too.
And even if I fail, I get another shot.
"Fuck it, let's just dive in headfirst."
"Master... I understand... I'll yield the mochi... please let me go now...!"
The problems were simpler than before, and the tasks clearer.
Steer clear of the messy power struggles, scrape together the cash, then head to Isis—done.
Of course, that didn't mean the difficulty was low.
Ten Universal Currencies, or 125 million Bios.
Time limit: just 19 days.
Considering the 25% Necropolis premium on Universal Currency, getting ten myself seemed damn near impossible.
"So in the end, I gotta scrape up the Bios..."
The sheer amount was enough to make me chuckle bitterly.
My entire fortune right now? 500,000 Bios.
Turn that into 250 times the amount in 19 days?
Even peak-condition Kim Jeong-hwan never pulled off returns like that.
"Sigh, think about it tomorrow."
Today had been ridiculously long.
Any more thinking and I'd burn out.
"Hey, eat the last one."
"...For real?"
I released the headlock and gave the naughty kitten an extra rice cake.
Brushed teeth, cold shower, changed—dive into bed.
Finally time to crash... but.
"Poksoon, what're you doing?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Not sleeping? Lights out and get over here."
Sion, in the pajamas I'd given her, was dithering way over there.
"Y-Your concubine isn't sleepy yet. Go ahead and sleep; I permit it."
"……?"
She edged back slyly, plastering herself against the wall in the corner.
Just minutes ago, she'd scarfed down rice cakes, showered properly, but now she was trembling like a leaf.
"A-A man and woman sharing a bed...! Unthinkable! Prepare a separate bed for your concubine!"
I flung the covers wide open.
"Cut the bullshit and get in here."
"......Ugh."
"Get over here!"
I scooped up the reluctant Sion, blankets and all, in a big hug.
She'd whined about no hot water, but post-shower, she smelled like sweet body wash.
"Heh heh heh... this one's so soft and squishy!"
Softness rivaling Arbel's!
I wanna pet her like crazy!
"Eep... eeep...!"
"Relax, relax. Yeah? Why so scared? Who's gonna eat you?"
I pulled Sion close, brushed her hair aside, whispered in her ear—her shoulders stiffened rigid.
I could read her mind clear as day.
But I had no intention of laying a hand on her.
Think about it.
Adult man and woman locking eyes and spending a hot night? Nice.
With a beauty like Sion? Double nice.
But never forget.
No matter what, Sion is the final piece of the Premium Route puzzle.
What if I fool around with this stray fake True Ancestor, piss off the real deal, and she poisons the whole pot?
Undead Arbel would be born.
Can't go through that bullshit twice.
Moderate affinity management is essential.
"Heh heh, so warm."
"Ugh... ughh...!"
But a body pillow? Can't resist!
Arbel on the left, fake on the right.
My bed life's gotten pretty luxurious.
"Human...! I-I have a proposal. You're planning something lewd with your concubine anyway, right?"
"Nope."
"Don't lie! No man can resist a beauty like your concubine!"
"I'm telling you, no."
"I-Instead... hear my proposal...!"
A proposal?
Hmm, intriguing.
Me, Sedric.
Look tough on the outside, but deep down a softie who can't say no to a pretty girl's offer.
"What's the proposal?"
Sion wriggled free and said,
"Don't touch your concubine... touch that one instead? She can't resist anyway; no consciousness."
The fake pointed straight at Arbel.
*Crack*
I flicked her a brutal chestnut.
"Owowowow.... It hurts... hurts...!"
Sion rubbed her head furiously like a squirrel grooming its fur.
"How dare you strike your concubine... uwooh...!"
"Shut it."
Damn, got my hopes up for nothing.
Still, warm on both sides—nice...!
Undoubtedly the most luxurious sleep since entering Necropolis.
2. 📡 PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT 📡 'Proud workers of Necropolis, good morning everyone. Another spirited dawn has broken. The time is now 5:00 AM.' "Ah... fuck... no... shit...!"
I dragged myself out of bed to the usual shitty street broadcast.
First thing I'd do as a 1st Rank Mage? Hunt down whoever wrote that script.
Feels like I just closed my eyes, and morning's here already.
Wanna sleep more...
"What the."
Felt stuffier than usual, so I flipped the covers—and there...
"Hmnya...!"
The fake, curled up fetal-style, was stuck to me like gum.
"Ah damn, no wonder the bed felt off..."
She'd always liked tight spots before.
Habit of wedging into corners, apparently.
"Arbel, good morning. Mwah!"
"...Ugh, ughh...!"
Wanna sleep more, but no time.
Gave Arbel her routine cheek smooches—mwah mwah.
Got up, stretched.
Bought pork dumplings from the mandoo shop downstairs for breakfast, sat at the desk.
Time to tackle the postponed dilemma.
The simple yet desperate worry any modern person would get.
"So, how the hell do I make money?"
Hoped sleep would spark genius ideas—nah, nothing.
Rough estimate with prices and all...
100 million Bios is about 1 billion won.
Problem is making 1.25 billion in Necropolis, worse than Cambodia.
"Why no dogshit meme coin futures here in Necropolis...?"
The more I think, the bleaker it gets.
"Tch, borrow from Eiming ham?"
Thought it over...
Even if Eiming's a bro, he won't just hand over 100+ million Bios no questions asked.
If he were that reckless, I wouldn't respect him as boss.
Last resort if all else fails.
Same for Ceres the crone.
Especially her—too suspicious; hate begging prematurely.
"Borrow max, then multiply at the casino?"
Now that's tempting.
Game at the casino, clear the route too?
If it works, perfect exploit strat.
Alright, that's the plan.
"Focus!!!"
Pulled myself together.
Deep down, win or lose, I wanna go this route.
Might as well pick the fun, easy path.
But this ain't Aden; it's Necropolis.
Bet limits way lower than Aden.
More hands, house edge wins—Sion knows that even asleep.
What about PKing low-rank fixers for Tarkov runs?
"Nah, veto."
Plundering those scrubs is decent cash.
But last round proved it—if you bully too hard, they gang up and shank you.
Plus in Necropolis, once you're marked, no escape.
"...Hmm... gotta be some killer way..."
Arms crossed, deep in thought.
One hour, two.
Until the fake woke and slurped a blood pack.
"Ha, fuck!!!! The more I think, the madder I get!!!!"
"W-Why the sudden freakout?!"
Regretting leaving 200 million Bios at Aden casino hurts anew.
Wonder if I could reclaim it?
"Gah...! Waste! Blood from my eyes...!"
With that, one round clear easy.
Or even just the pouch full of Universal Currency!
I'd be at a resort with Arbel and the fake, devouring apple mango bingsu!!!
"That bitch Kisara..."
Moment of ritual hatred.
"Die, Kisara. Fuck Kisara's mom. Bitch with a surname like a beef breed. Kisara's mom can't make kimchi jjigae."
Looking back, all my misery started with her.
Without her, I'd be living happily with Arbel at the Montraven estate by now.
Bored, Sion wandered over, blood pack dangling from her mouth like Capri Sun.
"Human."
"Scram. Master's busy."
"Not that..."
"Hey hey! Busy! If bored, clean something!"
"You know Kisara?"
Huh?
"Wait. What? Say that again?"
"I asked if you know Kisara Yagyu, that vile woman."
Caught off guard.
I'd never told anyone 'touch Universal Currency and Kisara Yagyu hunts you down.'
Common sense: loan sharks alone make you nope out.
Much less 'Paradise Enforcement's chasing me relentlessly'—ruins relationships.
Wasn't idle, though.
Did personal digging.
Gotta know who's after me.
But black market info brokers,
even subtle probes to Ceres or Eiming,
none knew Kisara Yagyu.
"How do you know Yagyu?"
"How could I not? My arch-nemesis who dragged your concubine from the throne."
Something felt off.
This is weird.
Sion's a fake True Ancestor.
Cross-verified fact.
I.e., Twilight Resource Development's lab experiment.
No 'past' for her. <Case 82. █ Year █ Month █ Day.> Puppet estimated to inherit memories immediately upon genetic inheritance. A hypothesis flashed through my mind.
What if the memories she inherited weren't limited to her experiment days?
"You don't have True Ancestor era memories too, do you?"
"Insolent! Your concubine is the True Ancestor herself! Merely lost power temporarily!"
"Cut the crap and answer straight."
"Eek...!"
Grabbed her shoulders tight; her voice faltered.
"I-I do. N-Not all, but fragments... here and there."
"You bitch! Why didn't you say sooner!"
"Y-You never asked! O-Ow...! Let go!"
"Sorry, got heated."
Released Sion.
But how could I not?
One line from her was impossible to ignore.
"What'd Kisara Yagyu do?"
"I told you! The vile woman who dragged your concubine from the throne!"
"So you lost?"
"……."
"One-on-one?"
"F-Fell into her wicked trap."
Lost one-on-one.
"Ha... fuck... nothing ever easy..."
Scratched my head furiously.
Impractical now, but later I'd planned to try killing Kisara.
Ceres the crone, Joker, gather a raid party?
But plug in the hypothesis: Sion inherited True Ancestor memory shards.
200 years ago, apex predator ruling R.C.D. Foundation.
The bio 7th Rank Twilight Resource Development still freaks over controlling.
The one and only Red Moon, Sion Tsukimiya.
And Kisara Yagyu dethroned that monster?
"Ah... head spinning..."
Death Constant was
a way bigger deal than I'd thought.