Chapter 58
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: A Variable
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Even after Dion’s party left the racetrack, the large, lizard-headed man continued to wander around the gambling den.
Sometimes winning money.
Sometimes losing money.
Sometimes borrowing money.
Sometimes lending money.
He loitered about the racetrack until, eventually, closing time came, and only then did he depart.
He then entered a tavern in the bustling downtown area.
“Hey. A bottle of clear rice wine over here.”
“…One moment, please.”
The burly man was dressed in shabby rags, a sight that would make anyone doubt he had any money to his name.
But the owner didn't check for payment.
As if it were a familiar routine, he simply took out a bottle of liquor and handed it over.
“Thanks.”
*Clatter.*
After emptying all the mana stones from his pouch, the large man took the bottle and began to walk again with heavy steps.
Through a dark alley.
Down a tall flight of stairs.
Along a secluded path.
Down, down, and further down he went, finally arriving at a dilapidated hovel.
It was a place in the slums on the lowest level of Yeosu Fortress, so uniquely wretched that even a beggar would hesitate to stay there.
*Sssk.*
…At least, that’s how it appeared on the outside.
But after the large man stepped inside, the scenery changed completely.
A pond where koi fish swam.
A roof adorned with tiles.
A wall shrouded in mist.
A spacious and serene mansion appeared, so vast it was hard to believe it existed inside the cramped hovel.
The large man was not surprised.
He simply approached the pavilion in the middle of the pond.
Or more precisely, the person sitting there smoking a long pipe.
“Ah, my friend, you have come.”
“Yes, Master.”
“As I always say, ‘Master’ is too grand a title for this old man. ‘Senior’ would be more than enough.”
“Haha, please do not put this humble junior in such a difficult position.”
In front of the man who had spoken without even turning around, the burly man let out a hearty laugh and took out the bottle of wine.
And then, *plop*.
He stuck his hand into his empty mana stone pouch.
*Whoosh.*
There was certainly nothing in the pouch.
Yet when the large man pulled his hand out, a faintly glowing golden bead was nestled in his palm.
He dropped the bead into the wine bottle with a soft *plink* and respectfully offered it with both hands.
“Please, drink.”
“You go through so much trouble, my friend, because of this worthless senior.”
“Trouble? Not at all. I am only sorry to have you stay in such a humble place.”
“Enough. For a fugitive, this is a luxury.”
Just as the large man’s expression turned to one of pity at those words, the Master, who had picked up the wine bottle with his small, delicate hands, suddenly perked up his fox ears as he looked at him.
“My friend, have you had some fortunate encounter?”
“What do you mean?”
“The mark of the Three Calamities that shadowed your face has faded. Did you not know?”
“…!”
Startled by these words, the large man took out three dice from his pocket and rolled them.
He stared at the dice for a moment, as if he couldn't believe his eyes.
Then, as if remembering something, he let out a short gasp.
“…It seems this junior has met a benefactor today.”
Among all the people he met at the racetrack, one group remained particularly vivid in his memory.
Especially the young master whose fortune he could not read, who bore a fate that defied Heaven.
The large man spoke seriously.
“I must invite that young master here.”
“…And why is that?”
“If my fate changed because of him, couldn't he change yours as well, Master?”
“No, do not do that.”
“Master?”
After hearing the large man’s story, the Master, who had been lost in thought with his chin in one hand, quietly shook his head.
“‘Man proposes, God disposes.’ No matter how hard a person tries, the will of Heaven cannot be changed.”
“But my fate has changed, has it not?”
“That is precisely why I say this.”
*Tap.*
He tapped the ash from his pipe.
His eight tails swayed gently.
The Master finished his words in a low voice.
“For a single individual to be able to change the will of Heaven… means that merely becoming entangled with them could be a disaster.”
“…!”
“So, leave it be.”
If it is fated, you will meet again without seeking them out.
If it is a disaster, you will face it eventually, no matter how much you run.
Just let things flow as they will.
As the Master elegantly spoke and tilted the wine bottle, the large man could only bow his head in assent.
***
Was it a blessing in disguise?
The gates between the two high-level territories were soon reconnected.
Thanks to this, Dion’s party was able to reach their destination sooner than expected.
An unusually stuffy atmosphere.
A perfectly spherical structure.
Sections separated layer by layer.
Transparent walls and ceilings in various places.
It was a territory that looked less like a city and more like a part of a labyrinth, or perhaps a giant spherical puzzle.
—The Underground City.
“So, the treasure you’re looking for is here.”
“That’s right.”
“How very reassuring.”
Parsha stared at Dion with an expression about three times more blank than usual.
In Odobaekryeong, rumors of treasures and fortuitous encounters were more common than three meals a day.
And those who were lured by such rumors didn’t just have an eighty or ninety percent chance of ruining their lives—it was ninety-nine out of a hundred.
“Don’t look at me so suspiciously. This information is solid.”
“The fact that you’re looking for it in a place like the Black Market doesn’t inspire much confidence.”
“Ahem, ahem. Isn’t that a bit harsh? This is a legitimate place of business, you know.”
“A place of business that sells *that* kind of stuff for money?”
“Well, that’s, uh…”
An apothecary displaying everything from dried mice to monster testicles, with no indication of whether they were for consumption or medicinal use.
An antique shop selling all sorts of junk, from broken pots to torn books.
Rusty hammers and daggers still stained with blood.
Looking at the stalls filled with junk that could hardly be called merchandise, Naru subtly averted his gaze.
To anyone, the scene looked less like a market and more like a junkyard where people desperately tried to sell off trash that others had thrown away.
In fact, that was the truth.
The Black Market was a dumpster for the lowest class of society, teeming with swindlers, thieves, fences, and above all, crawlers.
“In all my life, I have never even heard a rumor of anyone finding a decent item in the Black Market.”
“That’s probably because you’ve never used the Black Market. There are actually quite a few useful things here, you know.”
“Then please, name even one of these ‘useful’ items.”
“Hmm, hmmm… Well, you see, ‘useful’ is relative to price and efficiency.”
Parsha, who coolly stated that a place like this wasn't even worth searching.
Naru, who actively argued that even cheap goods had their own demand.
Watching the two of them debate, Dion was suddenly reminded of a memory.
‘Even if I don't know the first thing about the world, I know enough not to expect anything decent from a black market.’
[By conventional wisdom, you are correct.]
‘Conventional wisdom?’
[Have you ever heard the saying that there are pearls to be found in the mud?]
‘No, that's a new one to me.’
[Then you would do well to learn it now.]
“Heh… heheheh.”
“…?”
“…My lord?”
“Ah, don’t mind me. I was just lost in an old memory.”
Dion smiled warmly.
It was from when he had just begun his second life.
He had been ignorant and far more reckless than he was now.
A smile bloomed on his face as he recalled the fond memory of wandering through this very Black Market, piecing together cheap equipment one by one, just as The Voice had advised.
Thus, Dion spoke in a slightly more cheerful tone than usual.
“Honestly, Parsha’s right. 99.9% of what’s in this Black Market is trash.”
“My lord! That’s…”
“But every once in a while, you find them.”
“…?”
“The 0.1% of decent items, and the 0.001% of treasures that could be called a fortuitous encounter.”
“…Do you really think that makes sense?”
“When both the customers and the merchants have terrible judgment and sell things without appraising them properly, anything is possible.”
Parsha narrowed her eyes.
Any item that was even slightly useful would typically be sold to a legitimate shop.
What was sold in a black market like this was stuff that not only proper shops but even fences would ignore—things simply picked up or stolen from anywhere.
But not all treasures were dazzling.
Especially among items and relics found in the Labyrinth, many appeared shabby on the outside.
Someone with no eye for quality might mistake one for junk and sell it in the Black Market.
There was just one problem.
“That sounds plausible, but it’s all pointless if you can’t find the treasure, isn’t it?”
“Don’t worry about that. I have a way to find it.”
“Ahem, that’s right. This is where I come in.”
“I was just saying I trust my own judgment.”
“…”
“Besides, if the Guild had that kind of information, there’s no way treasures would be lying around in the Black Market.”
To be precise, he was saying he trusted his [Status Window], but Dion didn’t bother with the details.
He simply spoke nonchalantly to the disheartened Naru.
“In that sense, you big talker, I’d appreciate it if you’d hurry up and guide us.”
“…But you said you didn’t need the Guild’s information?”
“That and this are two different things. There are shops in the Black Market you can’t use on your first visit.”
“So my purpose was just to be a pass to get us in the door…”
Though he became even more deflated after the words of encouragement, Naru dutifully followed Dion’s instructions.
Thanks to him, they were able to enter the depths of the Black Market without much difficulty, stepping into a shop that was particularly secluded.
‘Bringing him was a good idea after all.’
Dion smiled to himself.
The first vassal was a special existence.
To meet them, he needed to acquire a special item that was floating around in this Black Market.
The problem was that it was located in a very obscure part of the market.
Normally, he would have had to buy several useless items to build trust and even complete additional quests just to become a customer at this shop.
It had been a real headache during his second life.
What made it even more dreadful was that even that had been the result of shortening many steps thanks to his knowledge from the first life.
But now, he could skip that entire process.
He couldn't help but feel satisfied.
‘Is this a blessing in disguise?’
To be honest, if the timing hadn't been off, Dion would have come to the Underground City before anything else.
While all his vassals were important, the first one was especially so.
Of course, to fully acquire them, he would have to overcome a series of dangerous and tricky conditions, not to mention the problem of needing the strength to subjugate the vassal.
But the ‘Authority’ the first vassal possessed was worth enduring all of that.
And so, Dion was expectant.
He waited with a thumping heart.
He wondered what face his first vassal would greet him with this time.
And then…
“They say it’s not here.”
“Huh?”
“The item you’re looking for, my lord. I checked, and they said they don’t have it.”
“…Why not?”
“Well, even if you ask me why… They said it was sold a while ago.”
“Sold? That thing? To who?”
Since the start of his third life, up until this very moment, he had laughed off numerous life-and-death crises.
But this time, Dion couldn't help but look utterly dumbfounded.
This was something that hadn't happened in the original history, something that shouldn't have happened.
But what was even more absurd was Naru’s subsequent answer.
“Who did you say?”
“The second young lady of the Vlad family.”
“…The second young lady of the Vlad family?”
“Yes.”
As if asking if he had heard correctly, Dion looked on in disbelief. Naru, his two rabbit ears drooping, replied listlessly.
“—Your fiancée beat you to it.”
***
In a corner of the Underground City, in a mansion that was particularly lavish among many, a girl was swirling a glass of wine as red as blood.
Brilliant blonde hair.
An elegant red dress.
And a flawless, world-class beauty.
A beautiful, noble, and mysterious girl who in every aspect would make a commoner bow their head on sight.
Elise spoke curtly.
“Still no significant findings?”
“It is said that one more rare treasure has been discovered…”
“Hmph, what use is a single item of that level?”
Elise scoffed.
Of course, even a rare item was a precious treasure in Odobaekryeong.
For most noble families, it would be a worthy heirloom to be passed down for generations.
But she was a direct descendant of the House of Vlad, the Blood-Night Demonic Family.
By her standards, being from one of the wealthiest of the Hundred Great Families, a rare-grade item was just common junk lying around in a warehouse.
“Gather more appraisers and raise the reward money. Announce that we will purchase any item that is even remotely extraordinary.”
“…Are you sure that is wise?”
“Money is of no concern.”
With that, she set down her wine glass and added one more cold remark.
“If I can just get my hands on that ‘treasure,’ I’ll no longer have to be swayed by the damn Unlights and can become the heir to the Vlad family.”