Chapter 88
Chapter 88
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 88
Chapter Title: The Taste of Power
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‘What the hell…?’
Lee Shin froze on the spot.
“My lord?”
Count Aaron asked what was wrong, but Lee Shin was too preoccupied with the message filling his vision to answer.
Lee Shin read the message once more.
[Expand your influence further and build an army for the revival of the Eteun Kingdom!
Then, depose the king and enthrone a new one.
The future of the kingdom now rests in your hands.]
‘…Damn it.’
But that didn't change anything.
What was done was done.
Moreover, due to the Will of the Salseong, Lee Shin couldn't even refuse.
He was now trapped at the center of this massive torrent, the main story…
‘…Is this a good thing?’
He couldn't quite tell.
It was all so sudden, and besides, Lee Shin had no particular interest in the revival of the Eteun Kingdom.
He had only been traveling with Gillaim because the situation had forced him to, and because it helped with his class quest.
‘…’
As his thoughts grew complicated, Lee Shin simply stopped thinking.
It wasn't something he had to do immediately, and Lee Shin wasn't the type to worry in advance.
And given the scale of it all, related quests would soon start popping up for users in Eteun and other kingdoms.
He figured he could just see how things played out and decide what to do then.
‘I'll just focus on my own business.’
Having neatly pushed aside all his worries and concerns, Lee Shin turned back to the Count and spoke.
“Count.”
“Yes. Is there anything you require?”
“There is. It's nothing major. I'd like to stay here for a while and use the facilities of this estate. Is that alright?”
“Uh… Of course, that's possible, but?”
The estate's facilities were available to all residents and users, as long as they paid.
Lee Shin knew that, so his purpose in bringing it up wasn't for confirmation.
Lee Shin put on an awkward expression and said.
“Can I use them for free?”
“Pardon?”
“I have no money. I've been on the run for too long.”
“Ah…”
‘That makes sense.’
Aaron nodded.
Given Lee Shin's circumstances, it was understandable.
He would have had to hide his identity, so he probably couldn't find any decent work. Even if he had, being pursued by the Royal Knights meant he couldn't have kept a job for long.
Of course, contrary to the Count's assumption, Lee Shin had plenty of gold…
But that was something the Count would never know unless Lee Shin told him.
With a chance to score big, there was no way Lee Shin would tell the truth.
“In that case, I shall give you my guarantee token.”
Sympathizing with Lee Shin's poor situation, the Count readily agreed.
Now that he had pledged his loyalty, he was happy to grant such a request even without a quest.
The Count took something from his coat and handed it to Lee Shin.
Guarantee Token
A guarantee token stamped with Count Aaron's official seal. It can be used for various purposes within the territories under the Count's influence.
• HP +1%
• Dignity Stat +7
• Special Skills <Mobilize>, <Levy>, <Immunity> available.
“Show them this and mention my name, and they won't charge you.”
“!”
Lee Shin's eyes widened.
An item with endless uses!
A smile crept onto Lee Shin's lips as he said.
“I'll make good use of it.”
* * *
After leaving the lord's castle, the first place Lee Shin visited was the blacksmith.
Guided by a castle guard, Lee Shin arrived at the workshop of the most skilled blacksmith.
“This is the place.”
“Thank you for your trouble.”
“Not at all.”
The soldier replied stiffly.
His attitude had done a complete 180 compared to when they first entered the castle.
This was because it had become clear that Lee Shin was indeed acquainted with Count Aaron.
In fact, seeing the Count's strangely cautious demeanor, the soldiers shrewdly guessed that Lee Shin's status might be higher than they'd thought.
That was why.
“Please call for me if you require further guidance.”
“Mm.”
The soldier gave Lee Shin a polite bow and disappeared.
Lee Shin watched with satisfaction before heading into the blacksmith's shop.
“Anyone here?”
Looking around, Lee Shin soon made eye contact with a dwarf.
Based on his race and the hammer in his hand, the dwarf appeared to be the owner of this blacksmith shop.
The dwarf, having met Lee Shin's gaze, looked him up and down and asked.
“Hmm? Who're you?”
“A dwarf?”
“First time seein' a dwarf? And I asked who you are. Who are you to come in without permission?”
“I am an acquaintance of Count Aaron.”
“…Are you nuts?”
At the dwarf's profanity, which came out with the speed of a reflex, Lee Shin simply took out the guarantee token and showed it to him.
The effect was tremendous.
“Before I call the guards… Hah!?”
The dwarf was startled.
Artisan-class NPCs were generally strong-willed, but even they couldn't act tough in the face of a guarantee from the highest authority in the estate.
He quickly adopted a polite expression and tone, asking cautiously.
“How may I help you…?”
“I have something I need made. Do you take custom orders?”
“We have a backlog of reservations.”
“I asked if you could do it.”
“…Of course, we can!”
The queue changed with a single word!
This was the taste of power.
Having clearly witnessed the effect of the guarantee token, Lee Shin lifted his chin and asked.
“What's your name?”
“It's Denis.”
“Alright, Dess.”
“…Sir, it's Denis, not Dess.”
“…Right, Denis. How are your crafting skills?”
To Lee Shin's blunt question, Denis replied with a confident expression.
“You won't be disappointed, at the very least.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. I can guarantee it. What is it you desire?”
Seeing his confidence, Lee Shin took out the Silver Thorn from his inventory and showed it to him.
It was the same equipment he'd gotten by tricking Yu Han-seong.
“A dagger with performance at least comparable to this.”
“This is… Huh!”
Denis, who had been examining the equipment with a casual expression, saw his eyes widen.
The quality of the equipment Lee Shin had presented was higher than he had expected.
“Can you do it?”
“Well…”
“Hmm, if you can't, then I suppose…”
“…I-I can do it! However, I'll need some materials.”
“Materials?”
“Yes.”
To meet the performance Lee Shin demanded, he explained that he would have to use a lot of expensive materials.
Denis spoke cautiously, considering the client's finances, but Lee Shin didn't seem to care.
In fact, he encouraged it.
“It doesn't matter. Use as much as you want.”
“Really?!”
“Yeah. Don't worry about the money.”
‘It's not my money anyway.’
It'll just come out of the Count's treasury later.
If word got out that he was spending money like water, the affinity he'd worked so hard to raise might drop, but since they were in the same boat now, there was nothing the Count could do about it.
At most, he'd get a warning and that would be the end of it.
Regardless of Lee Shin's irresponsible inner thoughts, Denis grew excited at the prospect of using rare minerals without regard to cost and asked.
“Then, may I mix in some mithril?”
“Do it.”
“And silver and adamantium…”
“Do it all.”
“Thank you!”
And Lee Shin continued to fuel that passion.
“Oh, right. While you're at it, I'd like you to make some armor, too. Can you do that?”
“Of course! What kind are you looking for?”
“Something light and easy to move in. It's fine if the defense is a bit low, as long as it has high mobility and many additional options.”
“I'll keep that in mind.”
“And…”
“Is there more?”
This was the main point.
“Do you happen to know how to enchant?”
“What kind?”
“Transfer. I want to move the enchantment from this dagger.”
“…?”
The enchantment Lee Shin was referring to was the notoriety-locking curse on the <Blood-Rusted Dagger> he had been using for a long time.
When he first obtained the dagger, its performance wasn't bad for equipment available at that level.
But as Lee Shin's level rose so rapidly, it had clearly become equipment unsuitable for his level.
However, he couldn't just give up the curse-locking option, so his only choice was to preserve the option and transfer it to another piece of equipment.
“Ah, are you looking to have this removed?”
“No? I said transfer it. The curse must absolutely not be removed.”
Denis asked with a look of astonishment.
“What? Why would you want to keep this ominous thing…?”
“I have my reasons.”
If this disappeared, Lee Shin really wouldn't be able to go outside.
“Can you do it?”
“I can't, but I know someone who can. I'll introduce you as soon as the equipment is finished.”
“Good. How long will it take to complete?”
“One day should be enough.”
“Then I'll be back tomorrow.”
“Yes.”
[Material costs, labor, custom order fees, etc. A total of 7,000,000 gold will be charged to Count Aaron.]
‘…I guess I did spend a lot.’
Lee Shin paused for a moment at the commission fee, which was much higher than he'd expected.
It seemed to be the result of using expensive materials and costly labor at the same time.
‘…’
Lee Shin stood still for a moment, wondering if he should modify the order, but his hesitation was brief.
‘Who cares.’
He gave it to me to use.
Besides, he didn't set a limit, so it must have meant I could use it however I wanted.
…Of course, this was a gross distortion of the other's goodwill, but Lee Shin was unaware of that.
On the contrary, having come up with a plausible excuse, he now began to spend money with abandon.
Enough to make the Count grab the back of his neck when he later received the bill.
* * *
After leaving the blacksmith, the next place Lee Shin headed to was a shop that sold equipment ranging from intermediate to high quality.
Jeong Yu-ra asked.
“Equipment? Didn't you just order some?”
“I'm buying some for you guys, too.”
“What? Is that okay?”
“Why not.”
Since he was already spending, Lee Shin decided to go all out.
‘I'll get all the equipment sorted out now… and I should go to the general store, too. I need to buy some potions, gunpowder, and poison.’
“Why poison…?”
“It's good for killing people. If I buy some now, I'm sure I'll find a use for it someday.”
“…Normally, you wouldn't?!”
Despite Jeong Yu-ra's retort, Lee Shin, who had experienced firsthand the usefulness of poison, was determined to buy some.
*Bang!*
Lee Shin kicked open the shop door and entered majestically.
“Shopkeeper, out here!”
“…!?”
The shop owner was startled by the group of people bursting in with a loud noise.
But his expression soon changed to one of 'What kind of lunatic is this?' as he approached Lee Shin.
It was understandable, as the Edgar estate was known for having some of the best security in the Eteun Kingdom.
Causing a disturbance in the estate would get you dragged away by the guards immediately.
Not even high-level adventurers were an exception.
“Who are you to suddenly…”
“This is who I am.”
“What is that… Gaaah!?!”
[The other party recognizes the guarantee token.]
However, the backing Lee Shin had was far greater than the shop owner imagined.
It was none other than the highest authority in this estate!
The moment the shop owner recognized the guarantee token, he prostrated himself.
Then, with an extremely polite tone, he asked.
“…I-Is there anything you need?”
“I'll look around myself. Don't bother me. Go wait outside. I'll call you when I'm done.”
“…! Ah, yes…”
Despite Lee Shin's extremely domineering tone, the shop owner didn't make a peep and went outside the store.
In effect, he had been kicked out.
“Why would the lord give something like that to a person like him…”
[You have wielded power against a resident.]
[Count Aaron's reputation has slightly decreased.]
Thanks to him, Count Aaron's reputation was falling without him even knowing it.