Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: A Foolproof Investment (1)
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‘Black Mana Stone.’
What Regen handed to Greg was the item they had obtained after conquering Skelji in the rabbit burrow.
‘Back then, Greg had transferred ownership to me.’
He wouldn’t have done that without knowing its uses.
Greg had felt that Regen had contributed more to conquering Skelji than he had.
“I never thought of it as mine to begin with. That’s why I gave it to you.”
“I know. You said as much back then.”
“And I figured you’d be better at handling the black mana stone anyway.”
“Have you ever handled a black mana stone before?”
“No.”
Of course. Ordinary mana stones were usually snapped up by mages first.
Greg’s gratitude mixed with his uncertainty about how to use it made sense.
“Here, take it. This is meant for your armor, Greg.”
“……My armor?”
“When you explained Dragonite earlier, you mentioned mana responsiveness.”
“That’s right. How well mana transmits is the most important factor for weapons.”
The pricier the weapon, the more it used special ores instead of regular ones.
In those cases, mana responsiveness took top priority.
By contrast, black mana stone was the complete opposite of such materials.
“Black mana stone is different from regular mana stones. Unlike the ones that respond well to mana…….”
“I know it has the property of repelling mana.”
“Exactly.”
It was a material that absorbed some mana while reflecting the rest.
The worst possible material for weapons.
“But when used in armor, it creates the ultimate synergy. It absorbs and repels even spells.”
In other words, it could make bulletproof armor.
Limited to mana-based attacks, of course, but it would be the most efficient armor possible.
“……Is there enough to cover the whole suit?”
“Yes. Skelji wasn’t called an ancient specter for nothing. I analyzed it, and…… this amount would be hard to find even on the black market.”
“Even with money, it’d be tough to get.”
“Yeah. With this much, you could approach a noble house directly and get a premium price.”
“…….”
Greg fell deep into thought.
A quick calculation must have flashed through his mind.
“This is probably better used on your protective gear, Regen…….”
“I have Flexis’s cloak, so I’m fine.”
“…….”
“This cloak would clash if paired with black mana stone. No matter what you say, my decision stands.”
“……Haha. It’s almost too good to accept.”
“Just keep leading the charge and tanking for me like always. Oh, and one more thing—you’ll need to protect your armor from getting blown off by my bombs.”
He couldn’t afford another incident where Greg’s armor flew off after unleashing a secret shot.
In every way, Greg’s armor was perfect for it.
“Thank you, Regen.”
Greg finally nodded.
He alternated between gazing at the armor he had repaired and the black mana stone, pondering how to smelt it.
‘Now for this one.’
Seria wore a troubled expression too.
She spent most of the gold she earned on her brother.
That left her unable to afford materials like Dragonite.
‘Her usual twin daggers were just high-purity iron.’
Pure iron in DAT.
Might as well use a pure gold sword—something veterans carried for laughs.
‘That was literally for messing around, and hers were on that level. In this world.’
On the flip side, Seria had pulled off monstrous feats with those twin daggers.
Regen was honestly excited to see what she could do with proper gear.
“Regen.”
“Yeah?”
“If I refuse here, it’ll just hurt your feelings.”
“Haha. You got it.”
Fortunately, Seria decided to accept the Dragonite after some thought.
Regen was relieved he didn’t have to persuade her. He’d been wondering what to say next.
“I’ll make sure to earn my keep.”
“Perfect.”
Greg smirked at the two of them.
“Alright. Both of you, pack up and come back in two days. I’ll have the daggers done by the time the Tower opens.”
Clang!
The sound of Greg’s hammer echoed through the forge, signaling the start of work.
* * *
All the preparations that could be made were done.
Now it was just a matter of waiting for Greg to successfully complete the two items.
“You still haven’t left, Jack?”
……Regen hadn’t expected this guy to still be slacking off.
“No, I just needed to let you know before you headed to the Tower, right?”
“……Obviously, the sooner the better for this kind of thing.”
Jack was the one Regen had planned to send north for intel.
He’d spotted him loitering around the fountain square in Middle Street.
“I even gave you an advance.”
“What? ……I can’t tell if you’re a thief or a mage. That was payment for the previous info!”
“Oh, was it?”
Jingle—
The guy knew exactly what he wanted.
“Advance of 5 gold. One extra gold per solid piece of info you bring back.”
“Hehe! Now we’re talking!”
“But it has to be better than the last info I asked for.”
“……What?”
“Gather every rumor you can from the north. I’ll judge what’s useful.”
If not, the Delbach recommendation was off the table. Regen added casually.
‘Truth is, I don’t need every scrap of northern intel.’
But after sending him off nicely to gather info, how could he tolerate the guy throwing a tantrum for more gold?
“Oh, since I’ve been slacking, I’ll give you one piece before I go.”
“What is it?”
“Hard to explain with words.”
Whoosh—!
Jack removed his eyepatch and looked at Regen with his left eye.
“……!”
Jack’s left eye had turned pure white.
It wasn’t just discolored from lost vision.
Faint mana leaked from it.
Soon, something echoed in Regen’s mind.
—What do you think? My specialty.
—……What is this?
—Mages say that after training, they can read minds. I can do the opposite.
—Transmitting language…… through the eyes?
—Yeah. Now you can communicate back too.
—……Special constitution, huh.
Fortunately, it was a familiar ability.
—Link Eye. No wonder you wear the eyepatch.
—Yep. No point showing it around normally.
Not a bad ability.
He lost vision in one eye but gained one-on-one communication via mana.
It was an innate ability, perfect for an info broker.
‘Being able to share info discreetly is huge.’
Plus, people unfamiliar with it were easy playthings for Jack.
—Usually, when the link first forms, uncontrolled thoughts flow to me. It’s surprisingly profitable!
Thoughts transmitted directly.
Those unaware of the concept unwittingly handed info to Jack.
Even if controlled, stray thoughts were hard to block completely.
—……Hold on. What’s this?
Jack, reading thoughts as usual, furrowed his brow.
—……What the hell do you think about all day?
Regen was a bit curious himself.
He’d quickly sorted unnecessary thoughts when linked.
But he wondered if some uncontrolled ones slipped through.
Surely his DAT playthrough memories hadn’t leaked.
He tensed slightly.
—The noisiest mind in the world.
—……Haha. That your answer?
—Yeah. Too many thoughts. Tangled, knotted…… looping endlessly. It’s insane. You okay in the head?
—What can I do about it? Let’s wrap up the mind-reading.
—Fine. Any more and my head’ll explode.
Jack shook his head once, then refocused the eye link.
—Happened to read the thoughts of a kingdom knight at a tavern.
—……For real?
—Yeah. Guy was wasted, rolling on the floor. Drunk thoughts get messy—not noisy like yours, but sticky. Anyway, not useful.
—Get to the point.
—Thought it was a bust, but I snagged something good. That Ferma guy.
—Yeah.
—He said a mage named Alice might carry out executions.
Regen’s eyes widened.
—Whoa. Don’t startle suddenly—could break the link. Careful.
—Only holds while eyes meet? So yesterday, with that drunk guy……
—What can you do? It’s how I live.
This time, Jack sent a memory fragment instead of thoughts.
A tavern alley. Jack facing a passed-out knight, eyes locked. It replayed in Regen’s mind.
—……Urk.
The guy puked midway.
Even as just Jack’s memory, the disgust transferred over.
—Believe it or not, I work hard.
—Got it. So, about Alice……
—Exactly what I said. Also, good to know your name’s circulating in the palace.
—…….
—By the way, you already know this mage Alice!
—Yes.
—Good. After the expedition, go find her. Might learn something.
Regen nodded.
Alice, the survey team leader who’d cleared the rabbit burrow with them, executing death sentences?
Post-expedition, his next steps were clarifying.
—……You weren’t just slacking here. You came to tell me this?
—Yeah. Heard you recommended me to Delbach. Got the contact from them.
—Fast workers.
—That’s my prepared gift upon hearing the news. Hope you like it.
Slide—
Jack covered his left eye with the eyepatch.
The faint mana cut off, revealing his normal face.
“Not bad.”
“Yeah? Heh heh. My left eye’s pretty nice-looking.”
“……Password or something?”
“Hehe. Trade secrets are best kept secret.”
“Got it. Anyway…… this left eye was decent.”
“Heh heh. Picky. Well, I’ll be off.”
“Alright.”
No wonder he’d packed his bags.
Regen hadn’t expected him to deliver the intel before leaving.
“Oh, and……”
“Yeah.”
“……Thanks. Heard you recommended me to Preton directly.”
“Promised, didn’t I?”
“First time belonging somewhere. Feels weird. Heh heh. Anyway, really off now.”
Jack stood, dusted his rear, and headed north.
Regen watched his back for a while before returning to his lodging.
‘More useful than expected.’
And the content was pretty substantial.
‘Alice as an executioner…… My name floating around means she reported on the rabbit burrow.’
His mind raced.
‘If Link Eye works on Alice too…….’
A plan for his next return started forming.
He might even need to bring Jack when meeting her.
* * *
“Regen.”
The next day.
The day the Tower opened, Regen packed and headed to the forge.
“Done as promised. Armor with smelted black mana stone…….”
Greg showed the dagger next.
Regen assumed it was Seria’s, but Greg said it was his.
“For self-defense. The sheath means it won’t clash with your cloak normally.”
A black-bladed dagger. Mithril with smelted black mana stone.
“You never know when facing something wrapped in mana. Could be a one-shot kill.”
Regen smirked and nodded.
“Thank you. I’ll put it to good use.”
He knew from years of experience.
In the Tower, surprisingly, nothing was useless.