Chapter 106
Chapter 106
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: uly
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Rumors Spread
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Rumors about the Adventurer Village spread like wildfire.
At the time, the Dabo organic series was the hot topic, so news that it had sold for over ten billion, along with talk of the dungeon and the village, exploded in popularity.
The live stream hosted by the dungeon saw its views skyrocket as well.
Reactions to the words the dungeon had uttered during the broadcast fell into three main camps.
1. What? I don't know. Scary.
2. If it's really programmed to feel emotions, shouldn't we treat it with respect?
3. So what?
Originally, opinions on NPCs skewed toward the second and third camps, but after the dungeon's meta commentary, the number of players in the first and second camps surged.
'I just want to live quietly and peacefully with my mom.'
Seol Do-yoon replayed the end of the dungeon's live stream once more.
"......"
She kept looping the same segment in silence when suddenly a notification pinged on her communicator.
mnrlㄴ : Brought the item you bought at auction to the promised spot.
Checking the alert, Seol Do-yoon's hand trembled slightly as she pulled up her bank balance.
The flashy number, bloated from blowing nearly ten billion, had shrunk pathetically in an instant.
She had dumped stocks like clothing and electric vehicles that were about to tank, leaving her account nicely padded.
Lately, peeking at that balance had been her greatest joy in life, but now she had gone from rich to rags in a heartbeat.
It was all because of the delay in getting tipped off about auction items.
If only she'd known sooner, she could've done a discreet private deal.
'It's fine. It's a good investment.'
She'd splurged on a legendary item, so now she just had to earn it all back.
Seol Do-yoon closed the video and tapped into Han Su-hwan's chat.
The dungeon had used the Adventurer Village as a perfect conduit to spark interest in the Happy NPC group, and now it was time to fan those embers into a roaring blaze.
* * *
"Ooh, the crowds are really picking up, huh?"
Dun marveled at the players starting to trickle into the Adventurer Village.
Things were organizing faster than expected, with systems and management structures falling into place, bringing the village to life.
"Hey, Dun. I thought being put in charge meant I'd be handling the Dabo stuff and getting things structured there..."
It was Han Su-hwan, who had assumed the "Get this place structured" comment he'd overheard via Shared Eye near the end of the Dabo stones was meant for him.
He'd figured being in charge meant wandering the Dabo stones, sightseeing, and building a village.
But no, he'd been handed the Adventurer Village.
"Oh, that wasn't meant for you, old man."
"Tch, I know. Took me long enough to figure it out. Anyway, didn't we agree to change how you call me? Try 'Uncle Su-hwan.'"
"Su-hwaaan~"
"...Fine, just stick with 'old man.'"
The resigned old man Han Su-hwan let out a long sigh.
* * *
Ludio Domain in the Altoid Barony.
The domain's residents pulled out their shovels to harvest the Mazia grass they'd cultivated.
"Lately, the Mazia fruits just aren't growing right..."
The fruits, which used to ripen every week or so, had been coming in meager lately.
They had to tribute the Mazia fruits to the domain lord, Count Altoid, to receive food rations for their families.
Lately, he'd slashed distributions claiming poor harvests, leaving most residents down to one meal a day.
And now even the Mazia fruits were failing, making the future look utterly hopeless.
In a domain, the lord ruled as he pleased, so they had no choice but to swallow the injustice of having all their hard-earned Mazia fruits seized.
They didn't even dream of saving money.
If they could just get proper rations for their full day's labor, they'd count themselves lucky.
"What do we do? The Mazia fruits aren't growing."
"The count's steward won't let this slide..."
"Anyone stockpiled any food?"
Everyone murmured anxiously over the pitiful harvest.
But worrying wouldn't make the fruits grow.
Time passed, the tribute deadline loomed, and the residents laid out their barely scraped-together Mazia fruits before the count's steward.
"Hmm...?"
The steward gazed down at the shabby sacks, stroking his thick jowls and the beard beneath.
"This all? The quality's abysmal."
He plunged a hand into a sack, pulling out a fruit for inspection.
Small and wrinkled, it was an eyesore.
"Forgive us. We'll meet the quota next time, come hell or high water. Please..."
Gesen, Count Altoid's steward, hardened his smile as he looked down at the pleading resident.
"There's a saying: Don't feed those who won't work. I'm no charity case."
"Lord Gesen, please... If we don't get rations this time, my family will starve. I haven't eaten in three days. Just this once, show mercy..."
In the end, domain representative Melena knelt before the count's steward.
If they got nothing, the children would go hungry.
"Sorry, but I must follow domain law. What's the point of laws if we bend them?"
Gesen, who had hoarded wealth and food in the warehouse alongside the count's cackling schemes under Ludio domain statutes, spoke in solemn tones.
"But I'm not heartless. Times look tough, so even if you fell short, I'll share a bit from my personal stores."
"!!! Thank you! Lord Gesen, thank you so much!!"
The residents' faces lit up, tears streaming at the promise of food.
They endured the unfair system because, despite the harshness, he occasionally tossed them these bones.
That's why they couldn't decide if the count was evil or not—they just accepted it.
From what the steward and count's knights relayed, the count always complained of hardships, so they bit their tongues through their own miseries.
Sometimes they wondered if their lives were unusually brutal compared to other domains, but they couldn't tell if it warranted outrage, so they stayed silent.
The count and steward always spun plausible excuses.
The tension, worry, and faint anger eased at Gesen's response.
"It was our misunderstanding after all."
"The count does look after us."
"With such a poor harvest weighing on him and the steward, and still helping from his own pocket..."
As sentiment toward the count warmed, Gesen hauled over heavy sacks of rations.
"Here! I cleaned out my stores. Eat your fill at home, and bring better results next time."
"Oh my, this is too much!"
"Thank you, Lord Gesen. Thank you! We're so grateful!"
"Even without meeting quota, this... Next time, even if it breaks my bones, we'll hit it."
Tears flowing, the residents bowed deeply to the steward's mercy.
Hearts full, they piled the sacks high on carts and headed home beaming.
"We're truly blessed. How can anyone be so kind..."
"What noble dips into his own wealth to this extent for his people?"
"But we fell short on Mazia—feels shameful..."
"What are you worrying for? Like Lord Gesen said, head home, enjoy some warm soup and rice, recharge, and work hard!"
"Yeah! Imagining the kids with full bellies just lifts my spirits!"
"But... isn't there a weird smell?"
"Yeah? Probably just nearby manure."
It had been ages since they'd gotten so much food—festival vibes all around.
Grinning ear to ear, the residents got home and opened the sacks.
But the lively mood plummeted the moment they did.
"Mold... and... bugs...?"
The food was rotted beyond eating.
Stifling their shock, the residents stormed off to complain to Gesen.
Gesen fought back a laugh as he faced the protesters and spoke.
He'd used the overflowing warehouse's corner rot as an excuse to "generously" offload it.
"Ah... rotten, you say? My apologies. I only noticed yesterday. Bugs infested my stores—everything's inedible. If I had any left, I'd share, but with it all spoiled, I'm starving too..."
"I see... Understood... No word from the count?"
"Not sure, but his stores are probably crawling with bugs too. You'll need to grow more Mazia to buy food from the next village over..."
"...Everyone's struggling, then. We'll work harder on Mazia so you can afford imports."
"Quick thinker, aren't you? Thanks for the resolve."
In the end, they trudged home empty-handed, clutching only worthless rot.
The dashed high hopes doubled their misery.
Something felt off.
Deeply wrong, yet they couldn't pinpoint it—just frustrating.
Exhausted and irritated, they held their tongues, not wanting to seem whiny in tough times.
"Let's harvest more Mazia diligently so the count can buy food soon."
"If he sold a bit of his jewels, couldn't he get some?"
"Tch! Think he's our equal? Don't twist things with nonsense. We can't demand he sacrifice for us—it's hard enough for us to do that ourselves."
"But we always sacrifice, giving all our labor and harvests. With the wealth from those, couldn't he spare enough to keep us from starving?"
"Tch! Bugs hit his stores too—he's struggling. We just work harder."
"Tch, yeah. Forgot. No other way but to hustle."
Something was wrong.
Frustratingly so.
The unresolved injustice felt dismissed amid the barren circumstances.
What to tell the family? How to face the husband, wife, kids waiting for real food?
Tears welled up.
She wiped them with callused hands rough from grueling Mazia work.
Domain rep Melena dragged her heavy feet home.
"Melena! Come eat some hot soup! I even added beef this time!"
Her husband, Kalian—who'd lost a leg mining magic stones on the count's orders—greeted his weary wife on crutches.
"Wh-where'd this food come from?"
"From that guy."
Kalian nodded toward one person.
In her distraction, Melena hadn't noticed him before.
[NPC Minu]
A handsome man with light brown hair and striking red eyes lounged against a massive food sack.
Minu (aka Dun) flashed a grin as his eyes met Melena's, the domain rep.
"I've got a proposal that keeps you from starving."