Chapter 62
Chapter 62
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Saint Elena Island #3
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The Pure White Tower was divided into several sections throughout its entirety.
Floors 1 through 5 housed taverns, gambling dens, entertainment venues, and auction houses all coexisting for the general public, while from the 6th floor onward, each level had a different setup.
For instance, floors 6 to 9 were Hotel Bruno, floors 10 to 11 featured the upscale tavern known as Enia's Night, floors 12 to 13 held the high-end gambling hall Inia Casino, and floors 14 to 15—
[To what?]
“Something like that exists.”
Luther brushed it off vaguely and pointed to the guidebook detailing the Pure White Tower's sections before continuing.
“And as you can see, from the 16th floor onward, Hotel Bruno occupies several more levels again. Facilities repeat like this up to the 40th floor, but the higher you go, the more luxurious they get, you could say.”
[I see. The auction house is from floor 20 to 25?]
“Right, and High Priest Matriel has rented out the entire 36th floor.”
With that, Luther glanced out the window.
Their current location was the lobby on the 7th floor.
A coin-sized drone dispatched through the window clung to the wall on the 35th floor, biding its time.
[The High Priest's guards will disable the detection magic, and then we send it in?]
“Yeah, but don't rush it... Let's infiltrate around lunchtime to be safe.”
The vicar of the Malkuth Kingdom was a heavyweight even among the notables of the entire southern region.
Yet, wherever such a figure went, they dragged along a train of dancers and guards, making their movements impossible to miss.
[That made tracking their whereabouts much easier.]
[They always head to the restaurant on the 26th floor at noon, right?]
“Yeah, so we'll slip the drone in then.”
They would record the High Priest Matriel's actions overnight and analyze for anything suspicious.
[It'd be great if we catch them in one go, but we'll have to wait and see.]
“True. And... honestly, if the vicar turns out to be a spy, that'd be problematic in its own way.”
If the very person overseeing the ritual was a spy, containing the tidal disaster wouldn't be easy.
‘Of course, if it's the queen or the grand general, that'd be tough too.’
Though the vicar presided over the ritual, the queen's authority couldn't be ignored.
Moreover, the grand general could mobilize a level of military might beyond the other two.
[Anyway, for now, let's enjoy the moment.]
[Let's hurry to the auction house, okay?]
Integra, dressed in a black off-shoulder dress instead of her maid outfit as if adhering to the dress code herself, clung to Luther's arm.
It was heavy.
No, warm and soft.
Incredibly plush, one might say.
But Luther banished the distractions with the mind of a Buddha.
After all, Integra had deliberately hugged his arm tight and was gazing at him with mischievous eyes.
[Ah, 7 seconds passed.]
The pressure on his left arm vanished.
Seizing the moment, Luther crossed his legs instead of standing and said,
“Our target is the vicar, but the auction house is an unmissable event too. There might be good items among those on pre-auction display, so let's check it out properly.”
[Yes, Master.]
[I look forward to Master's discerning eye.]
[So, let's go already, okay?]
Integra began urging him again, as if impatient, but Luther delayed a bit longer before heading to the auction house.
And so, to the 20th floor.
Entering the Barros Auction House, renowned for its history and tradition, Luther immediately furrowed his brow.
“It really exists in reality too...”
At the entrance stood a large booth.
One wall displayed thousands of black cubic boxes, each side about 3 cm, while bunny girl-clad staff handled excited customers.
[What's that place?]
“A propagator of bad civilization.”
[Excuse me?]
“Just take a look.”
At Luther's words, Integra observed the customers and bunny girls.
1. A customer selects one of the boxes on the wall.
2. The bunny girl takes the money and hands over the box.
3. The customer opens the box and despairs.
4. The despairing customer buys another box.
Having witnessed five customers in succession go through the exact same process and despair, Integra tilted her head in confusion.
But right then—
“Ooh! Ooooh! I knew it!”
One customer who opened a box jumped up and down in joy, prompting the bunny girls to applaud in unison.
“Congratulations! It's a super rare!”
“Congratulations!”
“Congrats!”
Amid the staff's enthusiastic cheers, the customer who opened the box was overjoyed to the point of tears, while the onlookers showed varied reactions.
“Give me more! Ten more!”
“Heading into the hundred-pull abyss!”
Some went red-eyed, snapping up boxes frantically, while others, fidgeting amid the rolling despair on the floor, bolted toward the pawnshop next to the auction house.
[What is this? Isn't the gambling hall on another floor?]
This was the auction house, yet the people acted like gamblers.
To Integra's question, Luther replied with a bitter expression.
“That's the bad civilization... The devil called probability.”
It was even more exploitable than the City of Light, but Integra clamped her mouth shut.
Luther's expression was unnervingly serious.
“Already hate DLC microtransactions, but making real-money gacha pulls in-game... Integra, we skip that. Absolutely stay away.”
With that firm declaration, Luther turned his head decisively and stepped forward.
But right then—
[Master, let's try that too.]
[Pick a box, and get a prize based on the orb's grade inside, right?]
It was correct.
But Luther was resolute once more.
“No, let's just go. Gacha is bad civilization, the shortcut to ruin, so never—”
[Stop there. Installing faceplate module.]
Integra pressed her finger to Luther's lips to silence him, winking as a dark blue visor formed, covering his eyes.
“Integra?”
[Allow me to demonstrate the new technique gained from the third fragment. Face the boxes, please.]
At Integra's words, Luther turned to the wall displaying the boxes.
Then Integra whispered affectionately.
[Access code: X-ray Vision.]
[Scanning initiated.]
As Integra's voice ended, Luther's eyes widened.
Beyond the visor, the scene turned green, and the insides of the boxes became fully visible.
[Don't look at people. You'll just see skeletons.]
As Integra said, both bunny girls and customers appeared as leather-wrapped skeletons.
“What's going on?”
[X-ray Vision, literally.]
[Can't use it long, so hurry.]
X-ray Vision.
See-through sight.
It couldn't pierce everything, but wooden boxes were a breeze.
“Wow, out of all those boxes, only one Super Special Rare. Robbers, seriously.”
Moreover, selling over 100 boxes just restocked more, reshuffling the wall, making real odds worse than 1 in 10,000.
No wonder gacha was bad civilization.
[But it doesn't matter, right?]
At Integra's sly question, Luther grinned and nodded.
“Doesn't matter at all.”
[Hehe.]
“Heh heh heh.”
[Hehehe.]
Exchanging dark smiles, Luther and Integra strolled leisurely toward the bunny girl.
The booth and boxes had anti-magic treatments to prevent this, but X-ray Vision wasn't magic at all, rendering them useless.
“Welcome, sir. How may I assist you?”
“Ten boxes, manual, not auto.”
“Understood. Please select the boxes.”
Unfazed by the blunt request—accustomed to such customers all day—the bunny girl smiled and gestured to the wall.
Ten thousand boxes.
Among them: one Super Special Rare, five Super Rares. Four commons to avoid suspicion and add human touch.
[Shall we begin?]
At Integra's tender yet seductive smile, Luther beamed happily.
* * *
“Super Rare!”
“Super Rare!”
“Common!”
“Common!”
The atmosphere shifted with each box Luther opened.
For the first Super Rare, only the bunny girls congratulated him.
At the second, puzzlement crossed their faces, but they still cheered.
The customers began paying attention too.
Then consecutive commons.
Another common.
Just as expected—the customers' gazes shifted away, the bunny girls relaxed again.
“D-, another Super Rare!”
“Super Rare!”
Two Super Rares in a row.
The bunny girls' pupils quaked, and from the box-hoarding addicts to the timid onlookers, everyone stared at Luther as if entranced.
“Co-, Common!”
“Another Common!”
The bunny girls exhaled in relief.
The suited men who had appeared to watch intently eased their tension slightly.
But the now-spectating customers hadn't.
All eyes locked on Luther's remaining two boxes, swallowing dryly.
And the first of them.
“S-, Super Rare!”
The bunny girl's face paled.
Onlookers erupted in cheers simultaneously.
“Oh! Brother! Knew you had it!”
“Kyaa! So cool!”
Strangers slung arms around him, another clung like a companion, but Luther brushed them off and lifted the final box.
The entire booth fell silent as if by magic.
Gulp.
Only swallowing sounds echoed.
Luther took a deep breath, handed the last box to the bunny girl, who now nodded along—trembling less—and opened it with shaky hands.
“S-, Super! Super Special Rare!”
“Wooooaaah!”
“Uoooo!”
At the bunny girl's announcement, the booth—no, the entire auction house entrance—exploded.
It was the first Super Special Rare of the year.
One Super Special Rare.
Five Super Rares, no less.
Each box cost 1 gold to open.
Commons were practically worthless—barely 10 coppers, not even 1 silver.
Rares: about 50 gold.
Super Rares: around 2,000 gold.
And Super Special Rare's value—
“About 50,000 gold.”
As an auction house, not a casino, they gave coupons usable in-house or pre-registered prizes—most chose the latter.
‘Because some prizes are gacha-exclusive.’
That was the hook that kept you pulling.
“Sir, shall we move to claim your prize?”
A woman in a black suit, clearly the manager, approached with her black-suited entourage.
[Are they going to use force to withhold the prize?]
‘No way.’
This wasn't some backwater casino; it was the auction house in the Pure White Tower.
Moreover, the temple of the goddess of revelry, Redia.
Foolish antics would invite true divine punishment.
“Got it. Lead the way.”
The manager woman forced a smile at Luther's relaxed reply and took the lead.
[Master, what's the prize for Super Special Rare?]
‘No idea. Never pulled one.’
It used to infuriate him, but not anymore.
Luther smiled contentedly, and Integra's eyes widened before she giggled along.
‘By the way, Integra.’
[Yes, Master.]
‘Mind materializing for a sec? So I can touch you?’
Integra blinked once, then nodded with a shy smile.
[Yes, Master.]
[Shall we start now?]
[7]
[6—]
That was it.
Luther awkwardly patted Integra's head instead of the drone, and she froze briefly before blushing faintly and standing still.
Then another 5 seconds.
“Ahem.”
[Ahem.]
Luther and Integra shared embarrassment before looking at each other.
‘No, uh, what? Just because you did well?’
[Hmph, girls don't really like head pats like that, you know?]
[Ruins the hair.]
‘Yours fixes with a finger snap.’
[Still. Hmph hmph.]
She huffed complaints, but her face smiled.
[Anyway, Master, people are staring weirdly.]
“Ahem.”
A man grinning fondly while petting thin air.
Yet, due to his massive win—or perhaps on duty—the suited men just watched without laughing or commenting.
“This way.”
They arrived at a room.
The black-suited men opened a luxurious red door exuding opulence, and Luther's eyes widened.
The gacha box prizes.
Unexpected delights beyond imagination awaited Luther.