Chapter 341
Chapter 341
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 341
Chapter Title: New Request
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"Gold? Just gold? Nothing else, just plain gold?"
"Yeah. Just..."
I replied leisurely while browsing the shelves stacked with random junk. This place hasn't changed.
Shelves crammed so tightly that it's hard to move around. On each shelf, bizarre items piled up haphazardly.
Broken electronic watches, spirit beast skulls, two-headed turtles, comic books, crosses cursed by demons, mini cars, detergent expired by about twenty years, diamond cutters, all sorts of herbs hanging from the ceiling.
And a stylish mask decorated with agate stones.
"Whoa, what's this mask?"
A new mask has been added? Should I buy this one?
"Stop fiddling with the mask and answer properly! Just gold, huh!"
[ㄱ촌 ㅈ당ㅗ]. No, the owner of Gold Village Pawnshop—Jeong Euntaek—wrinkled his already crinkled face even more and snapped irritably.
"How much is this mask? The agate one. Oh, and I need plain gold, nothing mixed in."
"No purification or blessings needed? That trash mask is 300,000 won."
"Oh, cheap. This mask is really cool, though? No need for purification or blessings. Plain gold is enough."
"Tch, these days, that's harder to get than those."
Gold in this world is a consumable.
Cultists, shamans, wizards, and priests curse or bless it the moment they get their hands on it, making plain gold harder to find.
I plan to do the same.
By the way, this mask—
"The inside is lined with leather? Feels really nice."
I carefully stroked the inside of the mask.
The base is wood? But what kind of leather is this? Human skin? I can faintly sense some lingering resentment?
Not resentment, more like unfulfilled attachment? What was the intent behind making it? A curse? Ritual? Auxiliary tool for sorcery?
Huh? There's a mark engraved on the leather?
[ᚁ]
Doesn't look like the maker's signature. Sorcery... a rune? Or another language? Hard to pinpoint since it's a primitive symbol.
"So, how much of that gold do you need?"
"Elder, do you know what this mark is? Doesn't seem like a rune."
"Probably Ogham script. There used to be a matching stele that paired with it, but it's gone now. Kid, how much gold do you need?"
Ogham script is ancient Irish. If Jeong Euntaek, with his appraisal trait, says so, it's probably right.
The [Spell Mastery] trait provides an apt annotation.
"Ogham script, then this is Beithe—birch. Ah, so the mask itself is made from birch wood?"
Birch's flower language is 'I am waiting for you.' Combining that with the agate's meaning and the nuance of the Ogham script, the mask's sorcerous imagery is roughly...
[Illusion], [Memory], [Calm], [Healing]?
Its mana is completely depleted now, so no effects, but handled well, it could serve as a medium for sorcery to alleviate madness or rage.
"Hey, how much gold do you need?"
"I'll take this first. Can I try it on now?"
"Ah! How much gold!"
Jeong Euntaek shouted and threw a small pebble from the table.
[System: 'Enhanced Vigilance' activates.]
Ack! What did that elder throw!?
The pebble engraved with [आग]—fire. A consumable artifact that explodes on impact!
[Invisible Hand]
[Neutralize: Fire Element]
With a sizzling sound, the pebble stopped in midair.
"Ugh, Elder! What the hell was that for!?"
"You asking because you don't know? That mask is from a crazy bastard!"
Jeong Euntaek kept grabbing and throwing instant-effect artifacts without stopping.
* * *
After a bit of crashing around, then more tumbling, I apologized to Jeong Euntaek.
"Ugh. My bad."
"Get out!"
"Come on, we still need to talk about the gold."
"Haa... Fine. Can't chase away a customer. So, how much gold?"
"About 400kg."
Jeong Euntaek blinked for a moment, then groaned belatedly.
"...What? 400? You think this is some trading company?"
"Take your time gathering it. And this mask, that bundle of ebony. That's a kirin horn, right? Package those up—and how much per unit for the purified water?"
I pointed to the corner of the pawnshop.
Next to a crate of myrrh, pine resin, and some herbs, there were plastic water bottles. Six of them, 100 liters each.
"Water pollution's bad lately, so purified water's scarce. And those are all reserved anyway."
Water pollution, huh? You damn humans, polluting nature like this?
"Then I need about 20,000 liters too. Can you get it?"
"20,000? Damn, you fake wizard! Planning to fill a swimming pool with purified water?"
Purified water is special water used in rites or ceremonies—a bowl or two at most.
Not something you'd order in tens of thousands of liters.
'Gathering materials isn't easy.'
Jeong Euntaek, who had been scribbling on paper for a while, suddenly asked with an annoyed look.
"You know how much this stuff costs? Even name-dropping Tudor won't get it without a deposit."
"500 billion total, right? I'll send 300 billion through Vasilisa first."
Jeong Euntaek furrowed his brow at my straightforward answer.
"Hah... What have you been up to? Already... scraped together that much?"
"Copied some money with magic."
"Copied money? Heh—whatever, money's money."
Muttering that, Jeong Euntaek scribbled in his ledger.
All items needed to craft the [Golden Hairpin]. Oh, minus the mask.
'If only I could repurpose Akiyama's version.'
Sigh, no dice.
[Destroy the Territory to create a 'Dimensional Gate.']
That was for Akiyama's hometown—the Abyss.
I need a hairpin to my own hometown.
'Well, at least only stuff that can be bought with money, so that's lucky...'
You know those things games sometimes demand?
Like the seven Dragon Stones you can only get by defeating the legendary Dark Four Heavenly Kings guarding the gate of time and space.
No need to gather crap like that.
"Can you get it all in a week?"
"What? A week? Forget it!"
Jeong Euntaek groaned, but if he tries, he can get it all.
"Ugh... Even if it takes over a week, please."
"Damn! Already going nuts sourcing silver, and now this. What's with all the chaos lately?"
"Hm? Silver?"
"Yeah. Silver. Someone's buying crates of silver and herbs."
Some cultist prepping a ritual somewhere, probably.
"Ah, that's why the herbs and myrrh are stacked separately."
"Yeah. Still short on silver."
Jeong Euntaek scratched his head with his pen.
"You making something? Why the rush? Need it fast?"
"No, not that urgent. Handle the priorities first."
"Whatever you're plotting—Paju's getting restless again lately. If you wanna live long, watch your back."
"Thanks for the concern. Oh, how's Ye-eun?"
"She's good. Told her to stay home tomorrow for mock exams."
"Ah, prepping for college?"
Come to think of it, she's the same age as Hyun-ah.
"Too dumb for college. Probably whine about inheriting this place later. Ugh, hopeless kid."
Jeong Euntaek waved dismissively with a grimace.
Well, everyone shows love for their granddaughter differently.
* * *
Deciphering the Laclrex Grimoire finished three days ago.
Crafting the [Golden Hairpin] isn't that hard.
The problem was in a completely different direction.
[The Golden Hairpin creates a gate to designated coordinates.]
Damn.
Yeah, that's my problem.
I don't know the coordinates of the [spacetime] I lived in.
Without precise coordinates, the [Golden Hairpin] is just a hyperdimensional superweapon that punches random holes in spacetime.
"What if we just punch a random hole?"
Muttering from my mouth. No, the fox mask's opinion.
"Can't do that. Might end up in the Abyss—"
"Even if not home, escaping to a dimension without doom is half a win, right?"
Makes sense in a way.
Reason I'm escaping this world: it's doomed soon.
"This isn't that simple."
If it led to some medieval fantasy world for a new adventure—heart-tightening just thinking about it, but maybe I could grudgingly accept it.
'But if the random [Dimensional Gate] connects near the [Living Flame]...'
The [Living Flame]'s true form is a blazing supernova, temperature 10,000K to 50,000K.
Sun's surface is 5778K for reference. Gate opens—instant doom, no save.
[Source of Life] is way higher tier, but Abyss has beings whose mere existence is trouble.
Petrifying rays, deadly poison, even radiation on sight.
Messing with spacetime in [Cthulhu World]—bad idea.
"Anyway, spacetime expert coming soon—let's hear her out and decide."
Gong Isu from the future arrives in a week.
When I met future Gong Isu at Paju Central Hospital and talked, I wondered why this timing, but concluded there's reason.
'From her view, gotta visit before the dog-giver leaves.'
Maybe other motives, but anyway—room for helpful talk or deal.
* * *
Right after finishing at Gold Village Pawnshop, I headed to Vasilisa.
Need to collect reward for finding the [Mermaid's Egg] today—
'Gong Isu arrives on the 13th, then?'
Plenty of time till then.
What to do? Think of replacement for left hand that still won't move properly?
"Hey, Orb. Been well?"
Vasilisa, closed for a while, reopened.
'Because Shin Woo-jin, who watched Vasilisa, died.'
Not purely happy recalling the incident with Yang Seo-ho, but oblivious Tudor beamed and said:
"Ahaha—He granted my wish! Ah, my love indeed!"
Wish...
Wasn't the wish to move elsewhere? Well, if she's happy...
Lately, [wish] gives me mixed feelings.
"Myth? Why, that? Expression?"
Orb waved his hand in front of my eyes to get attention.
Thick, stylish forearm like twisted rebar, perfectly sculpted large hand waving.
And the pinnacle of a body woven from all worldly virtues.
Where a head should be: a large old CRT monitor.
I faced Orb's unique head and replied.
"Oh, zoned out. Tudor's inside?"
"Mm, yes. Panny, call, Tudor."
Before he finished, a relatively small, slender woman beside him—head replaced by an old lantern, Panny—gripped the skirt of her fluttering classical maid outfit with one hand and toddled toward Tudor's office.
"Cute, but isn't it a bit much?"
"Tudor, told him to."
[=~=] emoticon on Orb's monitor. Troubled expression?
Chatting idly with Orb, soon thudding footsteps—Tudor burst out.
"Oh! Honey, perfect timing!"
Eek, she looks way too happy. Unsettling.
"What? I'm taking a break again soon."
"Eeeh~? If you're really doing that, fine, but hear me out first?"
Tudor approached with a triumphant smile.
At 1.9m, the witch stands out anyway.
Her flashy red hair swirling as she strode elegantly captivating everyone in Vasilisa—but that smile is ominous.
"Tudor, aren't you leaning too flashy lately?"
Tudor ignored my comment cleanly and spoke. Sigh.
"Jeokdu has a request for you."
Pulls out a ridiculous name.
"Jeokdu? Three Heads Society's Jeokdu?"
"Yep. That Jeokdu."
"You think I'd take Jeokdu's request?"
"Yeah."
"Why?"
Tudor replied with a mischievous boyish grin.
"The reward's interesting."
I scratched my head and replied.
"What'd Jeokdu offer?"
"Park Gwang-rim."
Huh?
Park Gwang-rim?
"Park Gwang-rim?"
"You haven't heard from Park Gwang-rim lately, right? Jeokdu's got him now."