The Quick-Witted Swan (2)
“So that little brat named Max really has some kind of technology, Oppa?”
“Yeah. It’s impossible to bring over every single function from the museum. I still can’t touch the core systems, since they’re built around the system itself. My management rank is only Level 4 for now, too… though who knows. Maybe once it reaches Level 1 or 2, I’ll have another trick up my sleeve. Still, honestly, I wasn’t all that interested in the other functions. From the moment I saw it, the only thing that caught my eye was the mana hologram.”
“It really is technology that doesn’t exist on the continent. I can see why. If I’d seen it, I would’ve gone crazy too. Especially after Oppa went around roasting and grilling every reporter in Lindel, there were already a lot of guilds researching in that direction… and now they’re completely ruined. That whole sector….”
“No. I was planning to get help from the guilds that had already started research. What we have is exactly that—a technology. It’s still not enough to commercialize.”
“Wouldn’t asking for help from all over actually put you at a disadvantage?”
“Nope. In fact, I don’t mind letting the image technology itself out. Of course, the later it happens, the better it is for us, but the important thing isn’t the video—it’s where that video gets broadcast from….”
“Ahhh. So the control tower’s inside the museum.”
“Bingo. In the end, censorship is done from our side. This isn’t an interactive medium like social media. If our little shrine starts researching it, I guess it wouldn’t be impossible, but I don’t really think it’s necessary. There’s nothing better than a stupid box for turning the public into idiots. That’s why the big shots have always used it, right?”
“That’s true. Scandals with celebrities, sneaking laws through behind everyone’s backs… making刺激ive broadcasts to turn people into idiots… I guess that old saying about the public being cattle and pigs didn’t come out of nowhere.”
“What nonsense. Cattle and pigs? They’re customers who bring us their precious licensing fees.”
“Somehow that sounds even more unsettling.”
“You’re imagining things.”
Maybe it was because he wanted Jihye and me to be able to talk more comfortably, but once the important business was over, the masters of each guild left the room.
Of course, it wasn’t because they were lazy or didn’t care. It was probably the result of the trust they’d built up over time.
The museum control device, strictly speaking, belonged not to Blue but to an individual, so Kim Hyunsung handing over all authority was only natural.
This is why I love you, you idiot.
Kim Hyunsung wasn’t stupid.
He understood better than anyone how much money this would make and how enormous the ripple effect would be.
And yet he hadn’t brought it up separately, which only confirmed it—there really was no greed in him at all.
No matter how many times I thought about it, choosing him had been the right call.
In any case, Kim Hyunsung had entrusted me with everything regarding this matter.
Jihye was the same.
That was why she and I were talking here like this.
As for Jihye, it wasn’t as though she had been given absolute authority like I had, but…
Still, that’s amazing.
For an ordinary civilian with no real combat ability to hold nearly all the authority at such an important negotiating table was something that would be hard to understand by continental standards.
Not only did Park Yeonju trust her, but Lee Jihye herself was the kind of person who could produce results, and that made this possible.
She took a sip of tea to wet her throat, and then I saw her open her mouth right away.
“So, how much are you going to give us?”
“Well.”
“I got permission not to worry about the investment amount. Our guild master seems eager to get on the Lee Kiyoung train no matter what it takes. The guild executives all feel the same way, too… so you know how much Black Swan is expecting from me, right, Oppa? I shouldn’t even need to say it.”
“So what you’re saying is that Jihye noona wants me to preserve a little dignity for you?”
“If you want to put it bluntly, then yes. I think I’ve earned that much. I’ve been bending over backward for you in every possible way. Even if I’m hopelessly into you, getting tossed aside here would not feel good at all. Of course, if my authority grows, that’ll only benefit you more, so it’s a win-win.”
“Come on… what you’re saying isn’t wrong, but you should be honest about it. It’s not like I was the only one who profited all this time. You used my name plenty, too… to be precise, we’ve both been winning this whole time, but you’re making it sound like you were the only one who sacrificed anything. That kind of stings.”
“Aww, Oppa….”
“You know that kind of cutesy stuff doesn’t work on me, noona.”
“I know. I was just grasping at straws. So, what are you going to do? Stop teasing me and decide already.”
“Hmm….”
She really did look anxious.
Rather than worrying about what would happen if she didn’t get what she wanted, it felt more like she was testing how much I valued her.
Needless to say, there was no reason to slight Lee Jihye.
Besides the fact that Black Swan had a direct connection to us, there were plenty of reasons to keep her as an ally.
She was capable by nature, and our styles matched well enough that keeping her close was the obvious choice.
“Do whatever you want, noona.”
It was a line I’d wanted to say at least once for some reason.
“Really?”
“Of course. As long as it’s ethical.”
“Naturally. I’ll price it at about three percent above what the guild is expecting.”
“How much is that?”
“Five percent?”
“Hmm….”
“That’s too much?”
“The opposite. It’s surprisingly too little. It’s not like Black Swan didn’t participate in the dungeon conquest… let’s round it out neatly to ten. Thirteen percent in total should do it.”
“You’d really be okay with that?”
“Yeah. Honestly, my conscience is pricking a little, too. If I swallow everything whole, it’ll give me indigestion. You’ve got to divide things properly, in moderation, to stay safe. If you get greedy and keep gobbling it all down yourself, who knows—some beast with the Heart of Yin might come flying out of nowhere and shoot you in the chest.”
“That metaphor is a little weird, but I get what you mean. I’ll push for even more investment money, then, since you’re being so considerate. And as for the dungeon side….”
“I think fifty-fifty is the right split there.”
“Ohhh.”
“The museum control device is basically my personal achievement, but I don’t plan to claim the museum itself, noona. We did the conquest together. Without Black Swan, I wouldn’t have gotten it in the first place.”
Truthfully, I did think the museum itself belonged to me, but no matter how shameless I was, I couldn’t ignore the concerns of an ally entirely.
Relationships like this were the kind that could break over something trivial, so when it came time to give, I believed you had to be decisive about it.
Besides, the control device is mine anyway.
Even if we split a great ship in half, I still held the helm and the pilot. There was hardly any need for further explanation.
“Then we’ll handle a little more of the remodeling cost for the Crack Museum. Since we’ll need to separate the partitions too, that’ll take a fair bit of gold.”
“Of course it will. This is the first dungeon theme park in the world.”
“Dungeon theme park feels a bit off… honestly, ‘Kangwon Land’ seems more fitting….”
“Don’t you dare say something like that anywhere else….”
“Of course not.”
“Anyway, let’s end that conversation here. Is this enough for you to save face?”
“Yes. More than I expected, actually.”
When I glanced at Jihye, I saw the corners of her mouth lifting. There was a faint smile there, but for some reason it looked like she was holding back laughter that was about to burst out.
Happy, huh.
There was no reason she wouldn’t be.
I wasn’t sure whether she was pleased because she’d been allowed to save face, or because she was happy with the favor—if you could even call it that—that I’d granted her, but personally, it seemed closer to the latter.
She was doing her best to keep her usual expression, but it seemed she couldn’t help her face softening.
That’s a new expression.
Maybe it was because she really was my soul-level partner, as the system had officially certified, but even though we hadn’t spent all that long together, there were still things I could read.
Could she be tied to me in the first turn, too?
I entertained a useless thought for a moment, but I couldn’t keep it going.
Jihye was inching closer to me.
“Why are you coming so close?”
“Hmm?”
“Don’t get too close, noona. I’ve got one eye attached to me these days. It doesn’t seem visible right now, but… I have no idea when it’ll pop out.”
“An eye?”
“Yeah. Just know that much. Anyway, it looks like we’ll be arriving soon. Looks like there won’t be enough time for me to spend a nice long stretch with our Jihye.”
“It really does. I was talking to you and suddenly it’s already Lindel. It’s been a while since it was just the two of us… maybe we should’ve spent a little more time together, just the two of us.”
“Talking business with noona is basically private time, isn’t it? Talking about how the world works and….”
“Gossiping is the most fun.”
“Agreed. Anyway… see you next time. Actually, I guess we’ll keep seeing each other anyway, what with the museum and all. You’ll be in charge of that, right?”
“I’m not sure what’ll happen with the internal power struggles in the guild, but there’s a high chance I’ll end up handling it. I was the biggest contributor to this agreement, after all. Well, see you tomorrow, maybe. I won’t come out to greet you on purpose so that Miss Hayan won’t get upset.”
“Yeah. Do that.”
I could feel the carriage slowing to a stop, so I immediately rose to my feet.
When I opened the large carriage door and stepped outside, I saw An Gimo and Sun Heeyoung greeting the Black Swan members.
But they weren’t the only ones.
I also saw Dialugia awkwardly shaking hands with someone, and a cluster of women gathered around Park Deokgu.
There were quite a few people, so it looked like the greetings would take a while.
That was when one of them came running up and thrust something that looked like a gift into my arms.
“Um… thank you so much for what you did during the expedition.”
Jung Hayan, who had already been edging toward me, saw that and immediately rushed over.
Of course, the woman who handed me the gift slipped back into the carriage the moment she saw Hayan approaching.
I couldn’t remember helping her with anything, but apparently she thought I had.
I was a little disappointed that I hadn’t been able to check her unique quirk, but it didn’t feel bad at all.
So I’m still alive, huh, Lee Kiyoung.
I wasn’t as universally popular as Park Deokgu or Kim Hyunsung, but it seemed I did have some mass appeal after all.
In any case, the members of Black Swan kept waving until the carriage disappeared from view, and that was how we made it home.
Everyone walked along familiar paths without hesitation—except for one person who still hadn’t quite adapted.
“Come here, little shrine attendant.”
—Yes….
It was the first time he’d ever stepped beyond the outside world. Probably because everything was so new, he kept looking around once we reached Lindel.
When I quietly held out my hand, he took it.
That was when a loud cry rang out from far away.
“Dialuria!”
Just from the tearful shout in Dialugia’s voice, it was obvious who the main character running this way was.
“Toltol!”
The one who had waited for me with such desperation had come to greet us.
She seemed a little bigger than before.
Even so, the sight of her sprinting on all fours was adorable.
Needless to say, she had not chosen the dramatic reunion with her mother.
She ran right past the tearful Dialugia, which was almost heartbreaking to watch.
Just as I reflexively opened my arms as if there was nothing else to do, I caught sight of her suddenly twisting direction.
“Huh?”
What I saw was almost unreal.
—Aaaaaaaaaagh!
Dialuria’s full-force body slam landed squarely in Max’s chest.
“Kkeueeeeeeeeeek!”