Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: The Jeweler's Request
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ "First off... I have the Nus bracelet you're looking for."
In response to the Jeweler's bombshell statement, I nearly scooped her up like a doll and gave her an airplane ride.
But if I'd actually done something that stupid, it would've wrecked the favor I'd built up over hundreds of thousands of coins, so I barely held back.
"Really?"
"Yeah... But I didn't expect you'd already gotten your hands on the ring and necklace too."
"I got lucky."
"Yeah... really... incredibly lucky... It's uncanny."
The Jeweler explained that something like Nus's Life Flower Ring, whose crafting method had been made public, was just mass-produced knockoffs borrowing Nus's name. In other words, peddlers gathered wildflowers by the roadside, gave them some magical treatment, and sold them off.
But the Nus necklace was one of a kind in this world. There might be crude replicas imitating it, but nothing infused with Nus's true essence could be replicated.
Thus, the necklace Hee-sun Noona had was the one and only genuine "Nus Necklace" in the world, and there was no other way to obtain it.
"Well, Druids are hero classes under the Myriad Ghost Realm, after all."
Just as Cultists were hero classes of the Myriad Demon Realm faction, Druids were hero classes belonging to the Myriad Ghost Realm.
It made sense that the World Tree would try to kill me over some ridiculous excuse about kidnapping its daughter. How furious must it have been when I snatched away their one-of-a-kind class?
"Anyway, the bracelet isn't something you can just luck into. I definitely have it, so it's only obtainable from me... Or maybe the very fact that we met like this is proof of your high Luck... In that sense, Luck played its part. In the end, is everything decided by fortune...?"
Luck, or the flow of causality. The Jeweler fell silent, pondering it deeply. She closed her eyes, lost in thought.
Throughout our conversation, she'd oddly emphasized Luck. As if... acquiring Nus's bracelet required tremendous fortune.
"More than that, turning a Druid into a slave... Your Luck is too good. Unnaturally... suspiciously good..."
For a split second, the Jeweler's eyes seemed to gleam. Like she was trying to sense something...
I'd had a similar experience before.
When I tried to buy the Parasite Spore, the poacher had looked at me with eyes just like that... Maybe it was a way to check someone's stats. Some privilege unique to NPCs?
"Hmm... I see. Getting the ring and handing it to the perfect class... And that class just happening to be a Druid, earning you the necklace as an achievement reward... It all falls under the realm of Luck. And among the humans I've met... you're the second highest in Luck."
Wait, second? That means there's another human surpassing 666 in Luck?
Could there really be a 777 on the side of the benevolent gods...? This might be intel on my ultimate enemy.
I leaned in close and asked about the first human.
"I'm second, you say...?"
"Yes... second."
"Then the first... doesn't happen to have Luck of 777, does it?"
"Exactly... Curious, aren't you?"
"Of course. I'm dying to know. Please... won't you tell me?"
"Hmm... If you're asking that earnestly... and since you're a Cultist... Alright, the first is..."
Just as the Jeweler was about to whisper about the existence with Luck 777, her eyes wavered. At the same moment, a bright light flashed into and out of her body.
"Ahem. Better keep quiet. They're telling me not to speak carelessly. I have my position to consider. Can't blatantly break the rules when they're drawing the line like this. Understand."
"Ah... Yes. Got it."
She clammed up about Luck 777.
It seemed the benevolent gods had directly pressured her. Or maybe mentioning other players' info was against the rules, and some admin interfered. Either way, no dice on 777.
Luck 777... Terrifying just imagining it... What the hell kind of bastard is it?
Male or female...? I didn't even know its gender. I only vaguely sensed its existence. All info on Luck 777 was thoroughly blocked. Hopefully, it was the same for them regarding me...
Age, nationality, name, even gender unknown... One thing's certain...
Me and that player with Luck 777—we'd keep clashing until one of us died. To survive, I'd have to hunt it down and kill it myself. I'd prefer to avoid it if possible... but no avoiding it.
A bastard with 111 more Luck points than me... The world would just hand it everything on a platter, right? Probably not clawing through hell like me for opportunities... Pisses me off thinking about it...
Imagining that prick picking up the opportunities I'd bled for while lounging in some room made my blood boil with injustice.
This damn greenhouse flower... I'll show it how tough weeds really are.
Of course, it might be suffering like me... but since I'd have to kill it with my own hands anyway, I decided to just hate on it blindly. Its sob story wasn't my problem.
"Anyway, back to the point... If you want Nus's bracelet, do me one favor."
"As expected... there's a condition."
"Naturally. If you knew what I sacrificed to get it... you'd be shocked."
The expressionless Jeweler let out a laugh, as if recalling something hilarious. Her face didn't change, but the sound made it a bit eerie.
"What's the condition? If it's too hard... I'll pass."
"Heh heh heh. It won't be too tough for you as you are now."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah... probably..."
"Probably" is the scariest word.
"That makes me uneasy... Give me the details."
"Just... bring me one item."
"Uh... it's not in some dragon's nest, is it?"
"No. What dragon's nest at under level 20?"
"Then what is it?"
"It's... in an abandoned mansion. Go in and fetch me a ring."
"A ring?"
"Yes. The signet ring used by the head of a fallen, vanished house."
A signet ring. The kind engraved with a crest for sealing letters with sealing wax. A symbol of that family.
An abandoned mansion... fetch the patriarch's ring... The backstory alone feels like I've watched a whole horror flick...
This reeked of high difficulty. Why was I already picturing a nauseatingly tough labyrinth? Felt like I'd end up filming a horror movie if I went in...
"Um... sorry, but could you just sell me the Nus bracelet for money? You're not gonna sell it to anyone else anyway."
"Actually... even if it wasn't the Nus bracelet, I was going to ask you... This involves the other Jewelers too."
"Other Jewelers?"
"Yeah... You didn't think I was the only Jeweler, did you?"
I did. The peddlers seemed like there were several from our talk... but I figured she was the sole Jeweler.
"I'm not Santa. Can't roam the whole world. Most merchant NPCs are one per server—think of it that way."
"Ah... So you're the Jeweler for the Asia server?"
"Right. The chicken race of rotten fatalists, mad skeptics, and eternal recurrence nutjobs isn't just in this country—it's planet-wide."
Again. Another headache-inducing keyword. Fatalists, skeptics, gods preaching eternal recurrence... Sounded like Myriad Divine Realm, Myriad Demon Realm, and Myriad Ghost Realm... Important lore bait, but I had no clue right now.
"Uh... I don't really get what that means... Sudden talk of fatalism...?"
"Just a disgruntled dollmaker's mutterings. Don't overthink it. It's just about who survives to the end. Keep struggling like you are."
"Ah... Okay."
The Jeweler glossed over it, cleared her throat, and explained her situation.
"Anyway, the other Jewelers all have their champions... but I don't, so I'm asking you. Help me out, Cultist... In return, along with the Nus bracelet... I'll station here permanently... Deal?"
"Pardon?"
Station here?
What?
"I'll make this my base. Yeah, that works. You'll get guaranteed accessories from me every week. No relying on chance—you'll meet me 100%."
This was a killer deal. Last week in the Missing Persons' Forest, she didn't show, so no accessories. But permanent stationing meant three guaranteed accessories weekly.
It was like earning another "Life Collateral" achievement reward from eating the Black Serpent's Twisted Inner Core. Back then, I got a Black Chip, but one option was the Windcatcher Gold Chip, which stationed a merchant NPC. This was equivalent.
"Give me a room, and I'll live here crafting accessories... Also, up to three mage-line players can learn skills from me. Deal? The skills I can teach are Jewel Inlay and Doll Tuning."
"Whoa..."
This escalated huge. I'd basically monopolize the Jeweler. No-brainer yes. And if I introduced her to alchemist Hellas...? Who knows what synergies.
I've already dumped the mages from Hyosun Girls' High—Hwang Su-min evolved to Witch as Hellas's disciple—into her workshop, hoping for similar gains...
Hwang Su-min, a mage, became Hellas's disciple and evolved to Witch, so I sent the rest hoping for the same. Hellas only took two more talented ones, rejecting the rest... But this was a new opportunity.
Send the rejects to the Jeweler as disciples. Helping her and hosting her was perfect for strengthening the base.
Recycle those mages who could barely fire a few elemental spells before going limp. Imagining them becoming accessory crafters or dollmakers made my heart race.
Had to do this.
Me, Jang Jojun. Black market, underworld, Nightmare, Missing Persons' Forest—I survived places others wouldn't return from. This'll suck balls and be brutal too... but I can do it.
Not arrogance or carelessness. Confidence from experience. The courage to know I could.
"I'll do it."
"Good. Excellent."
I shook hands with the Jeweler.
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