Chapter 300
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 300
Chapter Title: Gold Vein
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The moment Gilenoi Jake made his entrance, Jun's first impression was one of sheer immensity.
Of course, even at his age, Jake boasted a rather massive frame.
From what Cloi had once mentioned in conversation, great wealth meant nothing if your body was too frail to protect it.
But Jake had cultivated his health through exercise alone, not by amassing mana to grow stronger.
Look at him now—wrapped head to toe in artifacts brimming with mana to safeguard his flesh.
Yet beyond all that, Jun couldn't shake the sense that Jake loomed like a giant.
It stemmed from an unconscious intuition of the life the man had led.
By now, Jun himself was pounding at the wall of level 8.
Level 8 was widely accepted in scholarly circles as the absolute limit for a human body.
And Gilenoi Jake was a titan who had pushed that boundary to its utmost in his own realm.
Now, that titan was addressing him.
"Your eyes have some fire in them, at least. More than my own kids, anyway."
"What was I like, then?"
"You're the exception."
"Right?"
"You've got a good eye for paths worth treading. Lucky you, stumbling onto that gold coin."
With that, Jake fixed his gaze on Jun once more.
"I've heard all about your exploits, every time."
"......Allow me to introduce myself properly. I'm Jun, leader of the White Whale Mercenary Corps."
"Hmph, nothing new there. Same old story I've always heard. Enough of that—sit down. Word is you've brought something big this time. The rights to Merdein, right?"
"That's correct."
As the two took their seats, Cloi, who had been watching, poured tea and set it before them.
"You've never shown any interest in the White Whale Mercenary Corps until now. Why the sudden curiosity?"
Jake let out a scoffing laugh at Cloi's question.
"I've been interested for ages. You've just been hiding them away like some treasure chest."
"Urgh......"
If Cloi had wanted to, she could have summoned Jake while Jun was still underground.
Or made the introduction to Jun directly.
But as Jake said, she had kept the White Whale Mercenary Corps strictly separated from him.
"If you were so curious, Grandpa, you could've come yourself."
"With my youngest clutching them like she wouldn't let go, hugging them to her chest—should I have pried them away at my age just to check?"
Cloi, at a loss for a retort, simply nodded.
In truth, around the time she returned from Blackout with impressive results, her other siblings had started taking an interest in it too.
And naturally, their eyes turned toward the White Whale Mercenary Corps.
Cloi had fended them off all this time with threats, scoldings, and mockery.
"The reason I'm interested now is simple."
"Merdein."
"Hmph, exactly."
Jake pulled an herb from his pocket and popped it into his mouth.
Chewing it like tobacco instead, the sharp scent wafted through the air as he munched away, then let out a light sigh while gazing at the ceiling.
It was as if he were reminiscing about the past.
"When all those ground-pounders were scrambling into Blackout, I turned around and smashed the backs of their heads to claim this spot. I crushed them so thoroughly they couldn't even dream of protesting, sending them tumbling off the cliff."
"......"
"But there was one thing I lacked. Do you know what it was?"
"Hm...... If I may venture a guess, honor of some kind."
"Honor, eh? More precisely, authority. Even with the ridiculous moniker 'Golden Hand' and all the wealth it brought, I couldn't buy it."
So things were different now, then.
Jake, still staring at the ceiling, turned his sharp eyes back to Jun.
"Do you know why?"
"Because it's unrealistic."
"Hm?"
"It's something money can buy, but the price is so absurdly high it's impossible. Things like that can't be had for money."
"Ha! Exactly! Money is finite, but human greed is infinite! That's why money can buy many things, but never everything!"
He burst into laughter, then abruptly cut it off and resumed chewing the herb.
"Authority's the same. Those who hold it are clever. They know full well that the immediate sum I offer pales against the profits they'll reap by clinging to that authority themselves. And they won't sell it cheaply."
So if you can't buy someone else's, you have to make your own.
But if even buying an existing one is prohibitively expensive, how much more would forging a new one cost?
"It would have been impossible without some stroke of fortune. I waited my whole life, but none came."
No, fortunes had come knocking several times. But Jake hadn't been ready back then.
That was why he'd come all the way here on foot at the mere mention of Merdein.
"Reclaiming Merdein. For decades, all sorts of arrogant fools tried and failed. Most gave up. But the opportunity fell right into my lap—the one who'd been watching from afar. And it was brought by the very boy my granddaughter had been doting on like a treasure."
He simply had to see for himself.
"So, are you satisfied now that you've seen me in person?"
"Satisfied? More than that. If I restore Merdein to its former glory with my own hands, my authority will soar beyond the heavens."
"Then......"
"I came to say thank you."
Jake.
One of the empire's wealthiest tycoons had come in person to express his gratitude to Jun.
This was no small matter.
In this industry, looking down on someone lightly could get your nose bloodied. And the one who knew that best was showing this attitude.
Do I even need to sell the Merdein rights?
Jun briefly entertained the thought, then dismissed it.
No. When they're being this friendly, I need to haggle harder and take more.
Would Jake have come purely out of selfless thanks?
He probably meant it to some degree, but the man was a born merchant.
He'd already sniffed out what they wanted and moved accordingly.
"You're after the Merdein rights we hold."
"Haha, hahaha! Remarkable. Are you sure you're a mage? I can't believe you're the same species as those airheaded fools!"
"Wait, Grandpa. Is that why you came?"
"Half curiosity, half yes. I intend to claim at least a sliver of those Merdein rights."
"Hmm."
Having heard that much, Jun sank into thought.
He'd come to sell them to Cloi in the first place, so it was just a change in buyer—nothing fundamentally different.
No, there is a difference. The offer they'll make is on another level.
Cloi certainly had considerable authority as a future head of the Gilenoi Merchant Guild, but it wasn't comparable to the current guildmaster's.
How much should I ask for?
Or rather, what should I ask for?
Jake waited patiently for Jun to mull it over.
Cloi, standing nearby, shot him a sidelong glance and murmured.
"You always tell me to steamroll them without giving time to think, but now you're all leisurely?"
"The opposite. I'm waiting precisely because I can't afford to be leisurely."
"Huh?"
"You steamroll when their goods aren't worth much. Your time waiting for their agonizing decisions is far more valuable."
"Ah."
"But these are Merdein rights. Especially the slice held by that mercenary corps—small in the grand scheme, but compared to the tangled interests of dozens or hundreds, it's colossal beyond words. I'm saying I'll buy it with money. My time is cheap by contrast."
Honestly, Cloi had never seen this side of her grandfather in her life.
Not even when he began direct dealings with the Imperial Family had he been this candid before nobles.
At that moment, Jun—who had been lost in thought, seemingly oblivious to their exchange—finally spoke.
"I've decided."
"Mm, out with it."
"I want to buy some time."
Jake fell silent for a brief moment upon hearing Jun's response.
About ten seconds later, his face fully shifted to that of a merchant as he regarded Jun.
"Buying time, eh? You'll spend most of it in Blackout, I assume. So you're asking for Blackout rights?"
"Yes. At least three years. Until I've wrapped up all my business there."
"Three years......"
Jun already held substantial Blackout rights through Cloi.
No group in Blackout could dismiss the White Whale Mercenary Corps lightly anymore, nor the domains secured by the Gilenoi Merchant Guild.
Growth unlike anything in history.
Yet why demand more Blackout rights now?
The answer was simple.
No matter how established Cloi was in Blackout, all her authority ultimately stemmed from Jake.
Without his approval, nothing was possible—and he only greenlit what benefited the guild.
Jun was declaring his intent to cross that line.
For his own sake alone. The right to make choices that might harm the Gilenoi Merchant Guild, whenever he chose.
"That's quite the sum you're asking."
"Yes. That's the price for selling my future."
"A massive one. Enormous. In exchange, I've given you the present that made your current self possible."
He was right.
The White Whale Mercenary Corps had entrenched itself so swiftly thanks to Cloi's full backing.
She'd managed the trickiest public opinion.
Brought hard-to-obtain intel.
Watched their backs so they could focus solely on missions.
Seemingly minor at a glance, but each was beyond what Jun could handle alone.
Jake attributed that to the Gilenoi Merchant Guild's support—and meant to fold it into this deal's price.
A merchant through and through.
Of course, Jun had no intention of denying it.
The guild's aid had been pivotal, a plain fact.
But Jake's argument had a glaring hole.
"That way of tallying things won't do. I've sold the Gilenoi Merchant Guild's future in exchange for the present you gave me."
"Sold our guild's future?"
"Yes. Our growth was possible thanks to the Gilenoi Merchant Guild, but another guild with equal support would have yielded results too."
"Hmm."
"Conversely, without our White Whale Mercenary Corps, the Gilenoi Merchant Guild couldn't have grown this much."
Why had the Gilenoi Merchant Guild backed them so fiercely?
Cloi's support played a role, but at root, Jake had permitted it.
And that was only viable because of the profits involved.
"I can say with certainty: without the White Whale Mercenary Corps, the Gilenoi Merchant Guild wouldn't hold such sway in Blackout."
"Fair point. But I wasn't particularly invested in Blackout. My focus has always been the surface."
Jake claimed it was mere pocket change.
Not entirely wrong. The guild profited handsomely, but recouping initial investments didn't scream windfall.
Yet Jun smiled at the rebuttal, as if peering straight into his soul.
"Do you really believe that?"
"Hm?"
"The empire's politics aren't centered on the surface anymore—they're fixated on Blackout. The emperor's gaze is locked there. If a massive storm hits the empire, it'll start in Blackout."
The emperor himself had descended into Blackout.
And that war wouldn't end in a flash.
Knights and soldiers weren't the only ones heading to the battlefield.
Merchants moved too.
Smart as they were, they knew exactly how the war's course would profit them down the line.
"In that scenario, the Gilenoi Merchant Guild has secured a prime spot—closest to the war's commanders. Do you grasp what that means?"
"......"
"Authority. Not from some fake war in the east, but in a true one—the first real war in centuries of imperial history. The Gilenoi Merchant Guild gains the right to stand at the king's side."
And when that war ended, what would the king bestow on the vassal at his side?
"You said you'd devour Merdein for authority. The authority my mercenary corps and I bring from Blackout dwarfs those rights beyond measure."
So, would he buy that future—the boundless capital authority would bring? That was Jun's question to Jake.
"Hmph."
Jake let out a hollow chuckle and glanced at Cloi.
"Not a gold coin—you've brought me a whole gold vein."