Chapter 185
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Translator: Prime Works
Chapter: 185
Chapter Title: Long Live the Sultan (2)
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Credit card.
For most people living paycheck to paycheck in South Korea, it was something they carried in their wallet at all times.
A plastic card measuring 85.6mm wide by 53.98mm tall, guaranteeing legal credit based on personal financial credibility, allowing purchases of goods and services in lieu of cash, to be paid off later.
But Lloyd had never owned one.
In Korea.
The banks of South Korea.
Not once had they ever approved him for a credit card.
The reason was simple.
‘Why do you think? I was practically a beggar.’
When his parents were alive, he was still a kid.
Pocket money was more than enough.
But once he got a little older?
By the time he was old enough to use a card, his family had gone bankrupt.
He lost his parents in an instant and ended up drifting from one goshiwon to another.
He barely scraped by on day labor gigs, sweating blood to cover living expenses.
Naturally, he couldn’t get a card.
No bank would issue him one.
‘That’s why the only cards I was allowed were a debit card and a transit card.’
Those miserable days came rushing back.
Just watching TV.
Just looking around.
Everyone else seemed so carefree.
Celebrities wore watches worth tens of millions of won like they were nothing.
Even among regular folks, there were plenty who swiped cards for millions every month.
No, even ordinary people fretting over a mere million-won card bill seemed enviable from his position.
Those ordinary people.
Their ordinary worries.
Even that felt like an unattainable dream to him.
‘Of course. A million-won card bill a month? That was luxury to me. I was so hungry. The worst was surviving a whole day on a single pack of ramen.’
There was a time when rainy season dragged on and construction jobs dried up.
That was exactly it.
He naturally mastered the art of stretching one pack of ramen for a day in the goshiwon.
Boil the ramen in the morning and eat it.
But only the noodles.
Leave as much broth as possible.
That was the key point.
Suppress the urge to chug the broth, hold out your patience until then, and lunch and dinner become feasts.
Because you could use the leftover broth.
‘For lunch, I’d dump the goshiwon-provided ramen extender noodles into the broth and fish out just the noodles again. For dinner? Mix in the goshiwon rice and you’re good. That way, one pack of ramen filled the day pretty solidly.’
Or you could dump a ton of rice in with an egg, pour in cooking oil, and make fried rice. Nutrition was a mess, but it was the most filling meal. The heavy oil slowed digestion.
‘The downside was that half-digested feeling lasting all evening, but it beat a stomach so empty it burned all night.’
Remembering those days brought a fresh wave of bitter resentment surging up.
But those hardships were gone now.
The toil of not even having a single credit card was distant history.
Things were different now.
Because.
“Could that golden plaque be…… the one bestowed by the great and almighty Sultan…… the Padashar?”
“Yes, that’s right. Glad you recognized it at a glance.”
“Of course…….”
Gulp.
The restaurant owner’s Adam’s apple bobbed heavily.
Beneath his puffy eyelids full of fat.
His pupils bored into the golden plaque.
It was genuine.
It had to be.
The Sultan’s crest engraved in the center of the golden plaque.
No one could forge or misuse that.
At least not within the lands where the Sultan’s authority reached. It was an absolute law, an unwritten rule.
“So, what would the guest like to obtain with the Padashar?”
The restaurant owner asked Lloyd.
Lloyd grinned.
“Everything.”
“Pardon?”
“All the menu items in this restaurant. Use every ingredient you have.”
“What do you…….”
“Don’t worry about tomorrow. Fry, grill, whatever—just assume business ends here today.”
“You mean use up every stockpiled ingredient and serve it all?”
“Yes, exactly that.”
Lloyd’s smile brightened.
Sweat beaded on the restaurant owner’s forehead.
“But as you can see, this isn’t an ordinary eatery. It’s the most exclusive spot in Ahinsha, frequented only by the wealthiest…….”
“That’s why I came here. With the great and almighty Sultan’s Padashar.”
Swish swish.
Lloyd waved the golden plaque, the Padashar, right in front of him.
The owner’s eyes wavered.
“Ah, understood.”
The Padashar’s authority was trustworthy.
The Sultan would cover the bill in the end.
Even if it meant using up every ingredient today.
Even if the food bill came to an unimaginable sum for commoners.
The Sultan would pay it all.
In a way, this was an opportunity.
The chance to record the highest single-day sales since opening.
“Please wait a moment. No, allow me to escort you personally. This way.”
Realizing the situation, the owner shooed away his staff.
He personally guided Lloyd to the most luxurious private room.
He smiled kindly, eyes gleaming like he’d spotted gold.
“So, shall I bring all the ordered dishes here?”
“No.”
Lloyd shook his head.
He smiled even more relaxed.
“Serve food to everyone currently in the restaurant.”
“……Pardon?”
“I’m not a monster—how could I eat it all alone? Just give me a reasonable single serving here. The rest, provide to the other guests as I said.”
“But then…….”
“Any reason why not?”
“…….”
None.
It was outrageously extravagant, defying common sense.
But no rule said he couldn’t.
“Understood.”
The owner rushed to the kitchen.
He hounded the head chef and cooks.
Soon, the food arrived.
Ahinsha, the largest trading port on the southeastern continent coast and capital of the Sultanate.
True to its reputation as one of the top high-end restaurants here, the food was no joke.
A feast fit to break the table.
Exotic dishes paraded out one after another.
Lobster as standard, lamb aged in special wine for fifty years, rare jellyfish from the distant Arctic Sea, heavenly mushrooms grown only in the deepest caves, desserts fried in oil pressed from flowers that bloomed once every thirty years.
Lloyd wielded his fork and knife, listening to the head chef’s polite explanations.
And he thought.
‘Man, I want some doenjang jjigae.’
Maybe his tastes were too simple.
They called it incredible cuisine, but it didn’t really hit home.
Still, it tasted good enough.
And it filled him up more than it looked.
He patted his slightly bloated upper belly and exited the private room.
He surveyed the restaurant interior with confident strides.
Murmurs rose from all sides.
Eyes poured in from everywhere.
Naturally.
This was one of the capital Ahinsha’s top luxury restaurants.
Even here, Lloyd was the first guest to use up every ingredient in a single night.
“Everyone.”
Lloyd’s clear voice rang through the spacious, opulent restaurant.
“Today, I have the great joy and honor of providing you all with a meal. But that’s why you must be wondering. Why would I, a stranger to you, treat you to such an expensive feast?”
Everyone nodded slightly.
They’d been curious.
What was the reason?
Was this outsider mad?
No amount of imagination made it comprehensible.
Lloyd’s lips curved up slyly.
“I have just one thing to say. May the glory of the great and almighty Sultan fill every corner! Yes, that’s right. The food you’re eating here today isn’t on me. The Sultan is treating you lavishly. No, he’s buying it for you.”
In his hand was the Sultan’s golden plaque, the Padashar.
Everyone’s eyes widened.
“You all know what this is. Yes, the Padashar issued by the great and almighty Sultan. So every bite of food, every sip of drink you have today carries the grace and generosity of the great and almighty Sultan. So let us shout it.”
Lloyd raised the Padashar high.
He bellowed.
“Long live the Sultan!”
“……Long live the Sultan!”
The wealthy merchants and local lords filling the restaurant echoed hesitantly.
Lloyd’s cheers grew even louder.
“Long live the gracious and merciful Sultan!”
“Long live!”
“Then, to wish infinite glory upon the great and merciful Sultan, shall we all burn the night away together?”
“Long, long live!”
The restaurant’s energy heated up.
The finest food and drink supplied endlessly.
Top musicians and performers were summoned too.
Generous pay guaranteed by the Padashar made them happy.
They poured out their best, immersed in music and shows.
Thus, Ahinsha’s premier restaurant transformed overnight into a lavish club.
Lloyd stood at the center of that transcendent spending spree.
‘What? It’s not my money anyway!’
Was this the thrill of swiping an unlimited VIP card nonstop?
It was all on the Sultan.
Usage limits? None.
Didn’t they say it took at least six months to meet the Sultan?
That fact thrilled Lloyd.
Strike while the iron’s hot.
For the next six months at least.
Lloyd planned to splurge openly and endlessly.
‘This is sucking the sweet nectar of life!’
Lloyd shouted louder to the crowd.
“Truly thankful, O Sultan!”
“Thank you!”
Original guests.
New arrivals drawn by the news.
All caught up in the extravagance, bellowed at the top of their lungs.
“Sultan! Kingtan! Godtan! Praise him!”
“Praise him!”
As the night deepened.
The spending party’s fervor burned hotter.
♣
Days passed.
Ahinsha’s palace court grew hectic.
More precisely, a high-ranking official’s heart sank.
“What…… is this?”
“The Padashar usage records from the Magentano envoy delegation.”
The junior official replied.
The senior official’s eyes trembled at the records.
“Surely there’s a mistake?”
The amounts looked miswritten.
Maybe a zero or two extra by accident.
The senior official harbored that faint(?) hope.
Reality didn’t care.
It had only been days since handing over the Padashar to the envoy delegation, after insulting them on the Sultan’s orders.
“And in just days, they racked up this insane sum? That envoy delegation?”
Unbelievable.
The junior’s reply was even more so.
“No error in the amounts. And…… it wasn’t the whole delegation.”
“Then?”
“One attendant from the delegation used the Padashar alone.”
“……What?”
Not a group, but solo?
This much?
The senior official’s jaw dropped.
The junior’s slightly quivering voice continued.
“I couldn’t believe it at first either. Verified it two, three times. And…….”
“And?”
“One person—Lloyd Frontera, an attendant—used the Padashar everywhere. He hit every high-end restaurant, ordering until ingredients ran out, and kept buying booze until warehouses emptied.”
“And he ate and drank it all alone?”
“No. Didn’t touch the booze, and gave all the food to other restaurant patrons.”
“To others?”
“Yes. Said it was the Sultan treating them, got everyone chanting ‘Long live the Sultan.’”
“Ha, hahaha?”
“That’s not all. Bought up every bolt of silk in the capital. Hired a merchant ship and shipped it all north to the sea.”
“Silk? Merchant ship to the North Sea?”
“Heard Creemo Port in Magentano Kingdom was the destination.”
“…….”
“Probably routing silk to Frontera Territory via Creemo…….”
“…….”
“And every night, lavish banquets. Not just silk—pottery, jewels, rare goods, all swept up with the Padashar. Then to Creemo Port…….”
“Shipping them?”
“Yes. Thanks to that, this year’s palace budget is…….”
“No way?”
“…….”
“You’re not saying it’s depleted?”
“My apologies.”
“…….”
What kind of lunatic.
The senior official paled.
If the report was true, this was no small matter.
The Padashar, symbol of the great and almighty Sultan’s grace.
When issuing it to Magentano’s envoys on the Sultan’s command, he’d never dreamed of this.
They were King Alicia’s envoys.
So they wouldn’t dare abuse the Sultan’s grace.
They’d see it as a grave insult.
He’d believed that utterly.
That was normal.
That was common sense.
That was the obvious, universal order.
Never imagined some deranged attendant from the envoy would blow through the Padashar like that, acting beyond all reason.
He shot to his feet.
“Stay here.”
“Pardon? Where are you——?”
“Must report this to the Sultan.”
No hiding it anyway.
Better sooner.
Contain it before it blows up.
The senior official dashed to the Sultan’s palace.
That afternoon.
The Sultan’s command came.
“Summon Lloyd Frontera to the palace.”
Thus, the audience with the Sultan—scheduled for at least six months out—happened in days.
Thanks to Lloyd’s flawless spending spree.