Chapter 295: The Changed World
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 295: The Changed World
The changed world brought about many changes. To be precise, human and Green Skin cultures and ways of life were slowly beginning to mix. There were Green Skins who wandered through human cities with permission, and humans who visited Green Skin settlements.
Surprisingly, the existence of humans working under Green Skins was also revealed, the most prominent example being the humans in production roles in the Brother's Land. Contrary to what other humans imagined—that they must be living like slaves—it was revealed that they received a great deal for their work. In fact, the revelation that they were treated far better than their counterparts in the South and West was enough to cause quite a stir.
It was only natural that these people became the most important clients for information brokers and black market dealers. One couldn't imagine how much effort was expended just to make contact with them.
‘Lee Ji-hee.’
That was the name of the person Lee Sung-eun had met to acquire his latest information. To be precise, Lee Ji-hee and Lee Sung-eun had been quite close back on Earth. Through a friend of a friend, he had discovered that a woman he once adored was living in a Green Skin settlement. Then, through another friend of a friend, he had been continuously arranging secret meetings.
In a way, it was an opportunity granted by chance.
After some time, they finally had a dramatic reunion, and he couldn't imagine how shocked he must have been to see her with a swollen belly. To think she was living with a key figure in the Brother's Land settlement. Of course, back on Earth, he would have done anything for Lee Ji-hee, but now that so much time had passed and those feelings had faded, he felt nothing special. His only thought was to flatter her and get what he wanted.
“Have you been well?”
“It’s been a long time for you too, Oppa. I never imagined we’d meet in a place like this. Haha.”
When Lee Sung-eun glanced cautiously at Lee Ji-hee’s stomach, she lovingly stroked her belly.
“Ah. I got married over here. We haven’t had the ceremony yet, actually… that man is just so busy… Hoho. But it all worked out well.”
“I see. That’s great… Is he a Green Skin?”
“No. He’s human. A human who’s quite trusted in the Brother's Land. To be precise, you could call him an executive. He hasn’t been formally appointed yet, but the work he does is so important that you have to see him that way.”
“................................”
“That they don’t discriminate based on ability.”
“It might sound like nonsense, but it’s all true. In fact, among the executives of the Brother's Land, there are three humans, including my husband. One is still young, but I’m sure she’ll become a key figure after a little more time passes, you know? The other one is a bit scary, so I’ve never gotten close, but my husband says she’s not a bad person.”
“Huh…”
A world where one was treated according to their ability was something he had only dreamed of. In truth, aside from a small number of truly talented individuals, quite a lot of humans were, knowingly or not, influenced by personal connections and various other external factors.
Useless customs remained, like a promised spot in a clan being nullified because of a connection from Earth, or one’s region and academic background being considered when opening a business deal. For Lee Sung-eun, who had mastered the art of leveraging such connections, the human world was easier to live in, but there were certainly advantages to the Green Skins’ way of life.
“So, what’s this about? I’ve gotten a lot more free time since the alliance was formed, but I’m still a tied woman… He won’t like it if I stay out for too long. And the fact that I’m living in the Brother's Land is a secret, too. It’s been a while since I’ve been out in the city, so it feels a bit wrong to be killing time here…”
“Ah… right… First, would you accept this?”
Lee Sung-eun slyly presented a box he had in his coat. As expected, Lee Ji-hee’s face brightened. It was a set of jewels he had found by chance on a past expedition. It wasn’t a valuable item and had no worth as equipment, but the finely cut gems would surely please a woman’s eye.
“Oh my… you didn’t have to. Well, since it’s a gift, I’ll accept it gladly, Oppa. Thank you.”
Seeing her smile, he thought she was still as pretty as ever. The way she kept peering into the jewelry box made her look genuinely thrilled, which made him certain that his choice of gift had been perfect. It was something she couldn’t have obtained in a Green Skin settlement. While she might be able to find a large chunk of gemstone, she would never have seen one so exquisitely crafted. The gift he had prepared was absolutely the right call.
‘I’m halfway there.’
If Lee Ji-hee had been a man, he would have shared a drink and had a serious conversation, but she was currently pregnant and couldn’t sit for long. Hearing that he didn’t have much time, he naturally felt rushed.
“There are… a few things… I’d like to ask.”
“Ah, it’s about the Blood Dagger Clan at the Adventurer’s Guild, isn’t it?”
Lee Sung-eun immediately nodded.
“I can’t tell you the details, but it’s probably exactly what you’re thinking, Oppa.”
“Is… is that…”
“That’s right, they’re recruiting humans to enter a dungeon with them. I heard that Lady Mev, the Fairy who bore the great Blood Dagger’s first heir, Laveua, is personally making a move. A few of the Elite Orc Swordsmen are already entering dungeons with human clans… Since this is their initiative, they’re moving quite actively.”
“Then the little kid with the crown I’ve heard about in the rumors is…”
“That’s right. That’s Lady Mev. And she’s a proper adult, so you’d better watch your mouth. If you go around calling her a kid to her face, it could be the end of you.”
“Ah… right, of course.”
“Lady Mev is immensely powerful, but she was pregnant during the clan’s growth period, so she couldn’t participate in many battles. I think she’s trying to practice controlling that power and slowly show her will to stand on the front lines now. She’s gotten a lot of rivals recently, too… so Lady Mev is desperate in her own way.”
It seemed she was the type whose stats were maxed out, but her experience couldn’t back it up. There were humans like that, too. Still, she was an executive of the Blood Dagger Clan. She probably possessed a power he couldn’t even fathom.
“Is… is there any way I could get some help?”
“What? No way. My husband wouldn’t like that. And do you really think I can tell Lady Mev what to do? Until you’re recognized as a Green Skin… it’s a bit… you know. Of course, my husband has been recognized as a Green Skin.”
He’d learned another useless piece of information. The way she mentioned her husband at the end of every sentence made it seem like she truly trusted and was proud of him. But what was important to Lee Sung-eun wasn’t Lee Ji-hee’s family life.
“No, I don’t mean asking you to arrange a meeting or pull some strings… I was just wondering if you might know what Lady Mev likes, or what she enjoys…”
In other words, this meeting was a reception to prepare for the real reception. Lee Sung-eun hadn’t expected Lee Ji-hee to be able to do anything for him directly. However, just knowing how to win favor was a huge advantage. Lee Sung-eun looked at Lee Ji-hee again with a serious expression, and she nodded.
His opponent was a Green Skin. Lee Sung-eun was a master of sales and entertainment, but this was his first time meeting a Green Skin. Just as he resolved not to be flustered no matter what answer came, Lee Ji-hee’s lips slowly began to part.
“If it’s just that much… Do you know a card game called Greenstone?”
But he couldn’t help but be flustered by the words he heard.
*
‘I don’t know the details myself, since I’ve never actually played the card game with her. At most, she enjoys it with Lady Kim Yoora, the Goblin Warriors, and her daughter, Lady Laveua. Green Skins have their own civilization, you know. There are many other games besides this one, but the game Lady Mev has been hooked on for a long time is this card game. I should have asked more about it before coming. I’m sorry, Oppa.’
‘No, it’s fine.’
‘Still, I feel bad since you even gave me a gift… You probably know all about the Named Green Skins in the Brother's Land by now, but I’ll tell you about them in a little more detail. That should make up for it, right?’
‘N-No, of course! Thank you! Ji-hee!’
‘Oppa, you scared me.’
Lee Sung-eun let out a sigh as he drew a card. He had been so nervous that he only now realized his mistake. The Fairy in front of him was nodding her head repeatedly, looking incredibly excited, but the Green Flower behind her was glaring at him as if she were a block of ice.
‘The Green Flower seems to be having trouble getting pregnant. So if you ever meet her, it’s probably best not to bring up anything related to that. She seems even more stressed lately, so be especially careful if you happen to run into her.’
The problem wasn’t that he had called Mev the first wife, but that he had mentioned Lady Laveua. Still, he knew that this Fairy held the real power in this expedition. For Green Skins, giving birth to an heir meant gaining tremendous authority. She was practically the mistress of the entire clan.
Therefore, this reception game was crucial. The problem was that he didn’t know what kind of play the Fairy before him preferred. He hadn’t heard whether she liked a nail-biting, close match, a sincere, head-on clash, or if she simply liked to win.
However, Green Skins were a race that loved struggle, battle, and honor. It was probably logical to give it his all.
Lee Sung-eun slowly began to place his cards down.
This deck, which focused on dominating the field and then relentlessly pressuring the opponent without slowing the tempo, finishing with a Goff card, was a deck strong enough to surpass the famously powerful Ivar deck.
It wasn’t without its counters, but one couldn’t help but feel the struggle and excitement from the ceaseless onslaught. Lee Sung-eun quickly laid out his cards.
“Human. What is your name?”
“Ah… Yes. It is Lee Sung-eun.”
“Hmm! I never imagined this would be popular among humans as well! Today, I shall teach this human that there is always a sky above the sky!”
“Ah… yes. I look forward to a good match.”
The information he’d gotten from Lee Ji-hee was spot on. The Fairy before him was incredibly excited. It was impossible to imagine she was the same person who had been looking around with a blank expression until just now. Just as he was anticipating what kind of attack she would make, the Fairy slowly drew her own card.
“It’s a Hakajin card!”
The Hakajin card. The card’s own attack power wasn’t high, but it had a positive effect on the cards around it.
‘Why a Hakajin card here?!’
It was an utterly baffling situation. A completely incomprehensible play. As time went on, a look of bewilderment spread across Lee Sung-eun’s face.
‘It’s a Named Card deck.’
In Greenstone, there were normal cards and Named cards. While there were common cards like the Elite Orc Swordsman card or the Orc Archer card, there were also Named cards like the Blood Dagger card, the Goff card, and the Mirror Blade card. These cards were naturally better than other cards. However, that absolutely did not mean that a deck composed solely of such cards was strong. On the contrary, it was weak. Incredibly weak.
It was common practice to select only a few cards with special functions. This was because Named cards usually consumed a lot of mana to summon.
Though flustered, he continued to fight with all his might. Lee Sung-eun kept defeating Mev’s cards, and a moment later, he couldn’t help but realize his mistake.
“S-s-strong… N-no… you’re pretty good… h-human.”
The sight of the Fairy trembling, desperately holding back tears out of some deep frustration, was staggering. He had never imagined a Green Skin would show such a side. The eyes of the surrounding Elite Orc Swordsmen were growing inexplicably menacing.
‘Losing was the right answer.’
“B-but… the match isn’t over yet, human…”
The Fairy was right. The match wasn’t over. If he tried to lose with all his might, it was a fight he could still lose.
But.
For some reason.
He couldn’t understand why, even though he was trying to lose, the Fairy was throwing the game even harder. Lee Sung-eun was throwing the game as best he could. Yet, the Fairy didn’t seem to realize his intentions and was becoming incredibly flustered.
“H-human… sob… hwaa…”
‘Please, just attack me, please…’
A hellish game was unfolding for them both. The Fairy’s cards had all been sunk, and the game had tilted so far that there was nothing she could do. The only thing left for Lee Sung-eun to do was to sink this Fairy. But he couldn’t sink her. He had no idea what would happen if he did.
‘Please, save me… Someone, save me!’
The cold-eyed Green Flower, the trembling Fairy holding her cards, the menacing glares of the Elite Orc Swordsmen—the entire situation felt like it was tightening a noose around his neck.
It was then. A commotion began to stir from the front.