Chapter 48: Where Do They All Keep Coming From?
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 48: Where Do They All Keep Coming From?
Creeeeeak—
I pushed open the door, which was adorned with intricate patterns, and stepped inside. The room was filled with weapons—armor, shields, and swords—all crafted from the processed materials of various unidentified monsters.
Inventory that hadn't yet been put out on the display stands was neatly organized throughout the space.
"Welcome, Lady Theodora."
"Good work, Alfred."
An elderly Beastkin man with salt-and-pepper hair, dressed in a sharp suit, bowed politely to the young Beastkin lady who was leading me inside.
The Beastkin woman with golden fur was named Theodora Lymain.
She was the young mistress of Auction Lymain and the precious youngest daughter of Renart Lymain, the head of the "Golden Glove" merchant syndicate based in northwestern Calax.
"Hey, Direwolf."
"Calling a person a Direwolf is a bit much."
"Then you should've just told me your name."
"Aven. Call me Aven."
"But why are you speaking so casually to me?"
"What about you?"
"I'm the owner of this place."
"You're not my owner, though."
"That’s… true."
I had intended to leave Auction Lymain since there wasn't anything worth buying, but this young boss had suddenly gotten riled up by my muttering and was now demanding to know what I wanted to buy.
Was it really something to get so defensive about? I couldn't tell if she was just petty or actually being kind.
"What exactly is it you want to buy? Auction Lymain has everything. We'll obviously have whatever it is you're looking for."
"The materials I want aren't exactly common, so I wasn't sure if you'd have them here."
"Are you looking down on me right now?"
"No, that's not it. I just happen to want something unusual."
"Then tell me what it is!"
Well, the conditions I needed were a bit complicated. First, the material had to be raw, without any chemical alterations. Leather that had been tanned using lye or tannin was useless to me.
Naturally, anything that had been heated over a fire or post-processed was also out of the question. It also couldn't be something that had decayed naturally over time. A little bit of wear might be okay since I could restore it while using it, but fresh was always best.
It had to be small enough to fit in my mouth, or at least have a density that human jaw strength could bite through.
As a standalone material, it needed to provide a certain level of utility when integrated into my body, but eating something too powerful was also a problem.
Just like when I first used the Direwolf Alpha's muscles, it might put too much strain on my other organs. Among the things I'd consumed so far, the Ursus muscle fibers and the Orc Chieftain's muscles produced the most power relative to their volume.
I was managing fine now because I was consciously regulating their use, but muscles that generated power beyond my control would put too much stress on my skeletal structure. It would be great if I could eat bones too, but would they really provide something like that?
"What on earth are you using them for that requires such specific conditions? At Auction Lymain, the finest masters in Calax process top-tier materials using the most perfect methods. If you want raw stuff, you should go to a dismantler."
"I figured a place like this would have everything. That's why I said I'd just be going."
"Answer the question. What are you going to use them for? High-quality raw materials… are you planning to take them to another Labyrinth City to sell?"
"Of course not. They're all for my personal use."
More importantly, were there other Labyrinth Cities? It had been two months since I fell into this world, and this was the first I'd heard of it.
Regardless, Auction Lymain didn't sell raw materials that hadn't been processed at all.
And it seemed their inventory was slightly different from what I was looking for. They mostly sold materials with high durability or special properties—like carapaces, scales, and hides—intended for crafting weapons and armor.
Of course, I could use hides or scales if I swallowed them, but my throat wasn't exactly that wide. It was a bit of a shame.
"Can you even make weapons or armor out of monster muscles or organs…?"
"That's not how they're used."
"Then what? It's not like you're eating them."
"I am, though."
"Wait, what…? You're eating them?!"
Aside from those used as food or alchemy ingredients, most monster organs—including eyes, hearts, muscles, and blood—were simply thrown away.
Most people had no way to utilize biological muscles and organs, but for me, the story was different.
"The workshops that collaborate with Lymain throw away dozens of tons of that stuff as trash every month. Most of it is ground up into feed for livestock monsters, or if there are no issues, it's spread on fields as fertilizer."
"What a waste. I wonder if I could get some of that for cheap."
"But why would you eat that? Did you get some kind of Bizarre Eating Curse?"
"Nothing like that. I just obtained a very useful skill."
"How?"
"Watch closely."
I stepped toward Theodora and pulled down my lower right eyelid to show her. Then, I swapped it with the Umbra Valkyrie's eye. Theodora, who had been watching intently, let out a small gasp, her ears twitching in surprise.
She reached out with both hands, grabbed my cheeks, and pulled my face close to stare into my eye.
"An Umbra Valkyrie…! That eye! How did you do that?!"
"It's a skill. I can use what I eat. If I eat muscle, I can use that monster's muscle in my own body. You said I smelled like a Direwolf, right? It's because I ate a Direwolf Alpha once."
"That’s…! You, you weren't Beastkin?!"
"I mean, no matter how you look at me, I'm not. I don't have ears or a tail."
"I-I… I thought you were hiding them with magic!"
"Is that why you were acting like this? Because you thought we were the same race?"
"Not exactly, but…"
Theodora's ears drooped visibly.
"Anyway… I did say I'd prepare the materials you need. Is there anything in particular you want?"
"I'd like to look around. I want to visit that workshop you mentioned. You said you collaborate with them, right?"
"Yes, that's right."
"I'd like to take some of the stuff they're throwing away as trash, if possible."
If dozens of tons of high-ranking monster muscles, organs, and other parts useless to others were being discarded every month…
Even if I couldn't take everything because they had other uses, getting even a fraction of it would be a massive help. Though I suppose there would be a limit.
To use even stronger muscles, I'd eventually have to do something about my bones. I needed to eat enough bone to restructure my entire skeleton as soon as possible, but that was proving to be quite difficult.
"For free?"
"Come on, you're a lady from a rich family. You could do a little charity work."
"Hmph. Are you an idiot? Rich people stay rich by never doing charity work."
"Is that so? Then what do you want? It's not like you're short on money."
Theodora stepped closer and scanned my body up and down. She reached out to poke my side, then gripped my forearm with both hands to measure its circumference before finally speaking.
"You. Come to the Labyrinth with me."
"The Labyrinth…? Why all of a sudden?"
"I need a partner. I want to see the Labyrinth with my own eyes. But I don't like any of the guys around me."
"I'm sorry to break it to you, but I'm not that strong of an explorer. I can't give you the kind of results you're probably looking for. It'll be full of inconveniences, and we might not even get to eat properly."
"I don't care. In fact, I'd rather pass on someone who's so strong that I don't even get a proper Labyrinth experience."
"Hmm…"
Did I really need to go to the Labyrinth with someone I just met?
"What is it about me that you like?"
"Ugh, th-that’s…. Anyway! Are you doing it or not? Just say it!"
"Are you at least somewhat strong?"
"I'm not weak. I won't be a burden or anything."
If that was the case, it wasn't a bad deal for me either. If I could obtain the muscles of powerful monsters just by accompanying her to the Labyrinth, it was an easy trade.
"When are you thinking of going?"
"I have a schedule. I can't go until after the day after tomorrow, but come here tomorrow instead."
Theodora handed me a piece of paper. It was a sheet of crisp white paper, something I hadn't seen in a while. On it was the address and a simple map of the monster dismantling workshop that collaborated with the Lymain family under the Golden Glove.
"What time?"
"Around 4:00 PM, I guess. I have things to do before then."
"Fine, I got it."
In the end, I didn't actually buy anything from Auction Lymain. Instead, I'd gained a feisty young lady as a party member and secured a route to easily obtain high-quality materials from top-tier monsters.
"But seriously, you're really not Beastkin?"
"I told you, I'm human."
"Hmm… fine. You can go now."
"Oh, but this is actually pretty nice. How much is this?"
While we were talking, I had been wandering around the warehouse looking at various items. A certain sword caught my eye, and I really liked the way it looked.
The blade was a pitch-black color that didn't reflect a single speck of light, and it was a fairly long double-edged sword.
"That? It's a sword made of Black Adamant. It's probably around 200 gold."
"Ah."
"What do you think? It's a bargain considering the level of craftsmanship, right?"
"Um… I guess."
Could the word "bargain" even exist in the same sentence as 200 gold? Do you have any idea how much money even 1 gold is?
200 gold for a single sword? That's insane.
"What? You think I'm overcharging you?"
"No, it's not that. I just don't have that kind of money."
"What was your budget, then?"
"Roughly… 30 gold."
"...What exactly did you come here to buy?"
"I told you, materials…"
* * *
"Don't be late tomorrow. Time is gold. My time is Rare Metal."
"Yeah, yeah."
Whatever the case, I'd made a significant gain. Dozens of tons of high-ranking monster organs. I was really looking forward to tomorrow.
"I should buy some snacks for Auntie and the kids on my way back."
I'd been wandering around so much lately that I hadn't been able to help out with the inn chores. More than anything, I still hadn't properly apologized to Sera.
Sera herself was kind-hearted, so she didn't seem to mind, but still.
Wait, didn't I give her the baby bird? She seemed to really like it.
"Still, I should get something."
Since I was in the northwest anyway, I figured she'd be happy if I brought back a delicious dessert.
"It's chilly."
It seemed it would be a while before the nights became warm.
"Thank you."
"Have a good one."
With a delicious-looking dessert in hand, I headed toward the inn. The sun had almost completely set; it was about 6:30 PM.
The lights in the first-floor dining area were brightly lit, and judging by the noise, there were quite a few dinner guests.
"Auntie, I'm back."
"W-Welcome! This is the Mounted Goat Inn!"
"What the?"
A woman's voice I'd never heard before greeted me energetically.
"Who is this?"
"Ah, you're…!"
"Wait, you're that girl."
It was the archer I'd met back in the Labyrinth.
Where do these people keep popping up from?