Chapter 49
Chapter 49
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 49
Chapter Title: Holy Blood (3)
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"Ah, Esty! What about the thing I asked you to—"
Before I could even finish my sentence, she strode right up to me and pulled me into a tight embrace.
"E-Estyy?"
I was completely thrown off by the unexpected hug, but she didn't say a word in reply.
All I could hear was the deep, low sound of her breathing right by my ear.
"........"
Esty held onto me like that for a good while before finally seeming satisfied and slowly pulling away.
"Lady Eve."
The face looking back at me was expressionless, just like always.
"As you commanded, I've brought Gang Leader Chen. Shall we go?"
And with that, she turned on her heel and marched ahead.
I stared blankly at her back for a moment, still feeling dazed.
'What... what was that?'
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Black Tiger Gang. The largest and most professional smuggling outfit in the entire outskirts.
Compared to other violent syndicates, smuggling might seem a bit more tame.
But like any group that makes its living off crime, they weren't exactly saints. They had all the same dirty underbelly as the rest. This meeting wasn't about holding them accountable for that, though.
I'd reminded myself of this over and over.
My one and only goal was to get back to my original world as soon as possible.
To pull off the miracle of crossing dimensions back home, I needed far more faith from believers than I had now.
To gather that faith, I'd need to expand our charity work—and that meant massive funding.
In the end, if I wanted to get home even a day sooner, I needed a reliable source of cash, no matter what.
I took a short, deep breath to steel myself.
"Hoo..."
Finally, I pushed open the door to the reception room.
Inside sat a middle-aged East Asian man with his arms crossed.
He'd been waiting in that imperious pose, and at the sound of footsteps, his furrowed brow twisted like he was about to unleash a complaint.
"Wha—...!"
But then he saw something, and his face drained of color.
His fierce expression softened into a gentle one. He quietly uncrossed his arms and placed his hands demurely on his knees.
"...?"
I instinctively glanced back along his line of sight.
But there was nothing there. Esty, following behind, simply stood calmly in one corner of the room as always.
The odd atmosphere made me tilt my head for a second, but I turned back to him and offered a polite greeting first.
"Pleased to meet you, Gang Leader. I specifically asked for you to be brought with all due respect. I hope the trip here wasn't too uncomfortable?"
Gang Leader Chen seemed hyper-aware of something as he glanced around cautiously before nodding reluctantly.
Sweat beading on his forehead, he asked in a voice thick with wariness.
"Just who the hell are you? And why did you want to see me?"
"Allow me to introduce myself: I'm Evania, leader of the Radiance Church here on 13th Street. Feel free to call me Eve."
Gang Leader Chen muttered under his breath.
"Church...?"
He seemed to rummage through his memories for a moment before his eyes went wide.
"Don't tell me... you're the ones who picked a fight with the Salvatore family recently?"
"You mean Don Moretti? Yes, we sorted things out amicably. He's quietly recuperating at our cathedral right now."
At those words, Gang Leader Chen's already tense face turned stark white.
A desperate plea burst from his lips.
"L-Look here, missy! The Black Tiger Gang is a massive organization. Even as its leader, I can't just bend it to your whims on a dime! Right now, my lieutenants have probably realized I've been snatched and are mustering forces. So... so if you let me go now, we can call this whole thing water under the bridge. Hell, we could even sign a non-aggression pact with the eastern outskirts—"
I raised a hand briefly to calm him.
"Hold on a second. Seems there's a bit of a misunderstanding. I had you brought here purely to propose a business deal."
Gang Leader Chen mumbled in a daze.
"Business...?"
"Yes. The Black Tiger Gang are the top experts in smuggling, aren't they? That's why I want to entrust you with a job: take these goods of mine into the city and sell them for me."
I pulled a glass vial from the prepared box and set it on the table.
He eyed me suspiciously, full of doubt and caution, but soon shifted his gaze to inspect the item.
A glass bottle sloshing with purple liquid.
No label, but Gang Leader Chen seemed to guess what it was and spoke up.
"...This is synthetic wine? New product? But synthetic wine's already mass-produced inside the city. Even with the wine tax, factoring in smuggling costs, it wouldn't turn a profit."
"No, Gang Leader. This isn't anything like that. It's the real deal—genuine wine."
Strictly speaking, it wasn't brewed the traditional way...
But since it was made by miracle, the quality should be even better, right?
I couldn't guarantee it with absolute certainty, but I had my reasons for confidence.
Hearing that explanation, Gang Leader Chen pondered for a moment.
"Genuine wine..."
Once he grasped the true value of the item before him, a subtle shift flickered in his eyes.
"Frankly, it's hard to believe. Fresh produce, especially something like grapes with fixed supply chains and planned micro-production... you can't just whip that up easily out here in the outskirts."
To his skeptical tone, I boldly slid the wine bottle closer.
"If you're doubting the composition, by all means, take it and have it analyzed."
I even fetched a glass, uncorked the bottle, and poured a serving myself.
Glug-glug—the clear sound filled the transparent glass with a beautiful ruby-red liquid.
"If you're going to handle the merchandise properly, it'd be good to experience what it is firsthand, don't you think?"
"......"
The gang leader stared silently at the glass in front of him.
He hesitated briefly, then lifted it as if resolved.
"......!"
The moment he took a sip, his eyes widened ever so slightly.
I asked quietly.
"How is it?"
"Hm..."
Chen Wei smacked his lips thoughtfully for a while before continuing.
"Truth be told... I'm no connoisseur of wine. I usually stick to baijiu or huangjiu, and the smuggled booze we handle is mostly rum to dodge the tax. So wine's never really interested me, and it's not something I encounter often... Tough to judge."
He paused to choose his words, then asked again.
"Got any info on this product? Like which facility's grapes from which quarter's harvest it used. Or which company produced it."
I smiled softly and replied.
"That's exactly where my commission comes in, Gang Leader."
Seeming to catch my meaning, he nodded slowly.
"So beyond simple smuggling, you want us to launder the origin and secure sales channels inside the city."
By now, he'd wiped the panic from his face and was showing the cool demeanor of a seasoned businessman. He took another sip of the wine before him.
"Well, first things first... I'll have an expert appraise it to check market viability. Smuggle it in with all that effort, and if it doesn't sell, we're the ones taking the loss."
Even as he said that, he absentmindedly went for another sip—only to look surprised that the glass was already empty.
He'd seen me pour generously, so that reaction made sense.
Chen Wei stared at the empty glass for a moment before turning to me.
"So, if I take the job, what's my exact cut?"
This was where it really began. To a mark now taking the deal seriously, I tossed out my prepared offer.
"Twenty percent of sales. Sound good? And if you handle things steadily, I'm open to adding incentives on top."
Gang Leader Chen seemed lost in deep thought once more.
Of course, twenty percent wasn't high for laundering mystery goods and navigating complex distribution to handle sales.
But if this wine was truly genuine, that changed everything.
Top-shelf products could fetch prices easily surpassing luxury imported sedans—per bottle.
And it was compact to boot. Smuggling efficiency off the charts. Minimal effort for massive profits.
I could read those intricate calculations in his wavering gaze.
It was a huge win for me too, naturally. Even after the twenty percent cut, the production cost was basically zero.
A win-win if he bit. What choice would he make?
A long silence stretched out.
Finally, Chen Wei opened his mouth, resolved.
"Fine. I accept. If this venture pans out, we'll welcome the Radiance Church as good friends of the Black Tiger Gang going forward."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "Boss! You're safe! Any injuries?!"
"Everyone's assembled! Wanna hit those cult freaks' hideout right now?!"
Chen Wei, back in the southern outskirts, waved off his bloodshot-eyed underlings.
"No. Stand down, all of you. But keep your guard up."
He issued orders to his men, acting nonchalant, but inside, his guts were churning.
To think they'd stirred up that ruckus just to turn Black Tiger Gang's boss—Chen Wei himself—into some booze-peddling errand boy!
He hadn't endured such humiliation since his green rookie days, long forgotten.
But oddly... no spark of vengeful thought ignited, not even a speck.
Because the scene he'd just witnessed was still burned into his eyes.
["Gahk... S-Stop...! Please...!"]
The woman—no, the monster—who'd turned elite mercenary Yan twins into bloody pulp without batting an eye.
Those glaring yellow irises still felt like they were piercing him, making his legs quake.
'Why the hell is a monster like that roaming free out in the outskirts...?'
That was why he'd ultimately accepted the saintess's proposal.
Who knew what fate awaited if he refused.
He'd pretended to weigh the business merits, but really, he'd agreed purely to survive.
"Hoo—"
As he calmed his trembling heart, one underling asked.
"By the way, boss, what's with that box?"
Tucked under Chen Wei's arm was an unfamiliar case.
It was the wine handed to him as promo samples when leaving the cathedral. Neatly packed inside were five or six bottles.
He gazed down at them with mixed feelings.
'Guess I gotta at least pretend to sell this stuff...'
That way, the monster woman wouldn't show up in front of him again.
Hiding his resurging fear, he handed the box to a subordinate with instructions.
"Slap Old Continent distributor labels on these bottles and scout buyers in the city. Smuggle four in as promo stock, send one to an expert for analysis. Make sure there're no weird ingredients and confirm it's real wine. And the last one..."
Mid-sentence, Chen Wei unconsciously smacked his lips.
It was bizarre.
This thing had made him suffer teeth-chatteringly—should be repulsive just to look at.
Yet that subtle, profound flavor from the reception room lingered on his tongue.
He'd never cared for wine before, but this felt undeniably different.
'One bottle... shouldn't hurt.'
Yeah, a little reward for enduring a hellish day.
As if entranced, Chen Wei slipped the remaining bottle into his pocket.
And he thought.
Truth was, for high-end liquor tipping into luxury territory, popularity hinged not just on quality but on accumulated prestige and branding over eras.
Especially here—buyers rich enough for real wine were notoriously conservative.
So he figured any unsold bottles would just come back here eventually.
Gang Leader Chen smacked his lips again, pondering.
'No matter how good the quality, a brand-new product won't sell easy.'
So he'd play along as they wanted for a bit, and it'd fizzle out. That was his take.
Now entangled, he'd follow orders for a while. Because to him, the Radiance Church looked like a den of incomprehensible, unpredictable monsters unlike any outskirts outfit before. Even after that humiliating ordeal, he didn't want friction.
'But if no one in the city buys it, what more can they demand?'
At worst, a few weeks of minor hassle, then they'd tire out and leave Black Tiger Gang alone.
That's what Chen Wei thought at the time.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Weeks later.
"What? Pardon?"
I stared at him blankly at first, hearing Gang Leader Chen—the middle-aged man who'd rushed desperately to the cathedral—spill his tale.
Right up until he popped open the suitcase to reveal stacks of bills.
Chen Wei blurted out to me, face frantic.
"That wine from before—give me more stock. The city's...!"
He started to ramble the story, but shook his head in frustration and just shouted.
"No time to explain. Hand over everything you've got left!"