Chapter 112
Chapter 112
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 112
Chapter Title: Hidden Malfran Farm
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-This... Anyone would find it suspicious, right?
In one corner of the wall in the final room Setsuna had entered, a rectangular trace of pure white powder-like residue remained.
It was obviously a door.
"Good job."
Woojin lightly patted Setsuna's head before starting to examine the wall.
Since it was a hidden door, there was no visible doorknob, of course.
"There must be some kind of mechanism somewhere..."
Click—.
It was then.
One section of the wall Woojin was inspecting suddenly shifted.
Startled, Woojin whipped his head around to see Setsuna turning a lever concealed inside the opposite wall.
Woojin nodded as he watched her flash a V-sign with her fingers and grin.
'Without Setsuna, this would've been tough to find.'
Her combat skills were impressive, but Woojin was once again struck by just how versatile her support skills were.
"Let's see..."
Peeking through the open door revealed stairs leading underground.
"Time to check out what they were up to."
And then the smell wafting up from the depths via the stairs.
"Malfran."
Both spoke in unison.
"This... is massive."
Woojin descended underground and fell speechless at the spectacle unfolding before him.
He never could have imagined a space this vast lurking beneath the hidden door in that small room's wall.
The cavern, easily hundreds of pyeong wide, teemed with countless Malfran leaves.
Setsuna pointed at the mana stones embedded in the floor.
"Even with alchemy, they couldn't have carved out a space this big without the royal family noticing..."
As expected, the likelihood that the alchemists and the Esten royal family were working together grew even higher.
'But just making hallucinogens won't be conclusive evidence.'
The monsters they had been creating.
Finding proof of that was crucial.
'With all this effort, it can't just be a simple leaf farm.'
Woojin pushed through the Malfran field, dense as a forest, until another staircase appeared, leading even deeper.
"Perfect."
Click— click—.
As he descended, a sturdy iron door barred his path.
"Hup—."
Woojin drew his sword and brought it down; with a harsh scraaape!!, the door sliced cleanly along a diagonal.
"...Hm?"
Behind the door stood several cages, like ones for holding animals.
The cages appeared clean inside, but when Setsuna activated her skill, they revealed a profusion of bloodstain-like marks.
"Hard to say. These are the bastards who hacked up human corpses to feed their monsters. No telling if they butchered animals or people."
Setsuna shuddered violently, as if she didn't even want to imagine it.
Beyond the cages, the next door opened into what appeared to be a manufacturing room for hallucinogens.
'Guess they bolted in a rush.'
They'd tidied the exterior to conceal the entrance, but the underground interior was a mess, as if it had been in active use until moments ago.
Glass vessels brimming with Malfran leaves still bubbled away, and books strewn everywhere bore witness to the panic.
"Looks like they were brewing hallucinogens here to tame magical beasts..."
Setsuna tilted her head while surveying the manufacturing room.
"What's wrong?"
She began flipping through the books on the desk.
[Analysis]
▶ Deeper understanding of content.
▶ Occasionally uncovers hidden details.
Her pace quickened as she turned the pages, soon zeroing in on the books left by the alchemists.
[Speed Reading]
▶ Rapid content comprehension.
She devoured the dozens of volumes stacked on the desk in moments, closing the final one as she exhaled the breath she'd been holding.
She shut her eyes, savoring the contents, then snapped them open wide and turned to Woojin.
"What do you mean?"
"Right."
"...What? So they were researching hallucinogens here for people?"
Woojin grimaced and bit his lip at her words.
'I've heard there are players using hallucinogens since VR lacks firm restrictions there...'
Malfran leaf hallucinogens worked differently.
They weren't mere mood enhancers; their purpose was taming magical beasts.
"If... they succeed in refining it, could they control humans too?"
A hallucinogen for manipulating people.
"Me?"
Woojin nodded.
Setsuna scooped liquid from a bubbling glass vessel and headed upstairs, returning with various fruits, roots, and the like.
Thud—! Thud—.
She crushed the fruits, sliced the roots, and worked busily until, at last, she placed the ingredients atop the magic circle engraved on the desk.
The notification appeared alongside the circle's glow.
At her cue, Woojin placed his hand on the circle.
[Trait: Blessing of Alchemy] activated.
▶ Contractor can craft alchemy items 20% more effective than standard.
Light flowing from Setsuna's hand linked with Woojin, intensifying the circle's radiance.
Juice made from refined Malfran leaves. Incredibly sweet, with extreme addictiveness—once tasted, escape is impossible. ▶ Prolonged use induces hallucinations. ▶ Effective on humans as well. ▶ Hallucinating targets experience slowed movements and speech. ▶ Primarily responds to clear, distinct sounds.
[Effects increased by 15%.]
▶ Mastering Alchemy skill yields even better results.
Woojin stared at the blue liquid that had formed atop the circle.
"A hallucinogen that really works on humans..."
In that moment, a thought flashed through Woojin's mind.
'The king and ministers back at the palace...'
They'd seemed utterly spaced out.
Looking back, it matched the classic signs of drug users perfectly.
'No way... is even the king hooked on this stuff?'
Until now, it had been treated as a player-on-player issue—folks indulging for kicks.
'But NPCs using it?'
No.
What if they weren't using it—but being used by it?
'The brains behind this scheme... those alchemists could be players.'
Evil Tail was a world of hierarchies.
A realm where the king held absolute power.
'Control that king...'
It'd be no different from claiming the kingdom without firing a shot.
'So... their goal is swallowing the Esten Kingdom?'
Woojin shook his head.
'If so, no need to provoke Tekan. They could've just quietly ruled Esten.'
But they'd incited conflict...
'They want Tekan and Esten to annihilate each other.'
One faction desired both gone: the Antarian Federation's final kingdom.
Darlus Kingdom.
"Hmm..."
With his thoughts coalescing, Woojin paused to breathe and scanned the surroundings.
"It holds water... but one thing nags at me."
"It's too rushed. If they planned to spark war with Tekan, I'd have puppeted the soldiers for the assault instead."
Or, if they needed corpses for monsters, they'd have sourced them from Esten.
'Feels like they were being chased. And...'
Their sudden flight didn't add up either.
'Did the plan fail?'
It seemed probable.
'Meaning... some force got in their way.'
"If players are tangled in more than just kingdom squabbles..."
Thud—.
Woojin set down the vial and murmured lowly.
"Gotta handle it the player way."
Woojin grinned at Setsuna's question.
Woojin sent the note.
Satisfied with the smooth handling, Woojin nodded—though unseen—and replied.
He was curious what Peron would bring back.
"Setsuna, can we whip up a few more of these hallucinogens?"
"Good. Let's make a few extras and head out. We'll list 'em on the black market."
Woojin's plan was straightforward.
A superior hallucinogen to the alchemists' batch hitting the black market...
There'd be bidders aplenty, and the alchemists were bound to be among them.
'That's why we're making extras—to sniff them out.'
With Setsuna's aid, they produced a total of four hallucinogens.
Woojin tucked them into his pouch.
"While we wait for the bastards to bite, there's one more thing to verify."
Woojin reread a specific line from the created hallucinogen's description.
▶ Hallucinating targets experience slowed movements and speech.
▶ Primarily responds to clear, distinct sounds.
"In that zoned-out palace, one guy enunciated every syllable crystal clear."
The one.
Butler Hansen.
"Looks like I need a chat with him."
Crack—.
Woojin rolled his wrists.