Chapter 96
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 96
Chapter Title: The Paradise Artifact Frenzy
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Cascadia had once hosted its own merchant guild.
But as the territory staggered, all the savvy traders fled, and now someone was finally sniffing around.
Of course, there was no reason to give those who bolted at the first sign of trouble a second chance, so the vacancy had gone unfilled.
"I've done a little investigating already. Cascadia is sorely lacking in merchant guilds right now."
"That's true. Establishing a branch isn't easy."
It required substantial funds and infrastructure to take root.
"Would you permit it?"
At her proposal, I closed my eyes and pondered quietly.
If Melissa vouched for her credibility, she was worth trusting—but it wasn't something to decide on the spot.
So, I opted for my secret weapon.
"Why the paper...?"
She tilted her head as I prepared paper and a quill.
"Pick one or two."
"Pardon? Ah... I'll go with one."
I then drew a ladder on the paper.
Two vertical lines crossed by a messy array of horizontals.
I marked X's at the bottom two spots and quickly filled it in.
Aurora, who had watched blankly, let out an exclamation.
"Wow... so it wasn't entirely nonsense..."
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, just that you're crazy... Oh, slip of the tongue. Hehe."
Her innocent smile sealed my decision.
"Yes. I'll approve the branch."
It hadn't landed on X.
"Can you imagine a businessman deciding deals with a ladder game?"
"It's right here. And if there's fallout, Melissa handles it, not me."
Luna and Aurora exchanged stunned glances at my bold reply.
"Who do you plan to put in charge of the branch?"
"I'll send my secretary for now. But in a few weeks, I'll take over personally."
Her eyes sparkled.
Three days after she left.
The 30 artifacts I'd handcrafted sold out in the Empire.
A single one had already stirred massive rumors—now 30 were out there.
The reactions and hype exceeded my expectations, swelling into a tidal wave.
Once the extra features I'd added leaked, it only grew bigger.
The hottest topic in the Empire's high society lately revolved around a certain artifact.
The Empire brimmed with nobles and organizations.
Yet only 30 had successfully acquired one.
Some won by luck on a whim after hearing the rumors; others schemed relentlessly to claim theirs.
There had been plenty of pressure along the way.
Leveraging status or other influences.
Attempts to rig the lottery occurred, but Aurora ensured it stayed remarkably fair somehow.
And then.
The unanimous verdict from those who obtained them? Astonishing.
Users shared their experiences in society circles, fanning the flames higher.
Inquiries flooded Planetaria Trading Company for more stock.
Aurora, ever trustworthy, firmly stated the creator had no plans for additional production.
But a problem arose.
They started demanding the creator's identity directly, bypassing Planetaria.
A trend sweeping high society, yet you don't have one?
Nobles could be oddly rigid and peculiar about such things.
In that sense, Melissa—unlike me with my past-life memories—was no proper noble at all.
The fuss wasn't limited to nobles.
Magic towers and magitech guilds tested the artifacts firsthand, then probed their principles and structure relentlessly.
With so few available, even the towers could only analyze the one they'd luckily snagged.
Dozens of mages now huddled around a single artifact.
They'd reviewed reports before, but mages insisted on seeing it with their own eyes.
They couldn't storm the Berner family demanding a peek, so they had no choice but to acquire their own.
Following the prior magic tower conference, mages from various towers gathered again, glaring at the artifact in the table's center.
"So this is the Paradise Artifact."
"Paradise, huh. Quite the grandiose name."
The tower lord who secured it shook his head at the scoffing mage.
"Don't underestimate it. We've tested it—it's no child's toy."
"What? So the rumors are true?"
"True enough... spot on, really."
"See? I knew it."
"The rumors undersold it. Illusion Tower Lord, give it a try. We've already done ours."
"Fine, we'll pass it around."
"No, now it supports multiple users at once."
"Ridiculous. High-quality illusions on several people simultaneously?"
The Illusion Tower Lord—the top specialist in illusions—placed a hand on the artifact quietly.
Exactly 30 seconds after activation, he opened his eyes.
"Insane... what the hell is this?"
The tower lord muttered, hands trembling.
"Well?"
"How? How do you pack this much intricate data into something so small? It defies reason!"
"Even you don't know, Grand Mage?"
"This is a data issue—no Grand Mage could crack it. We need to tear it open now!!"
As he lunged to disassemble it, elders and tower lords from other towers tackled him.
"Let go!! As Illusion Tower Lord, I have a duty to inspect the internals!"
"Buy your own then! You break it, you own it!"
Reselling or destroying your own was fine, but with so few, caution ruled.
In the end, they resorted to magical probes instead of physical teardown.
Three hundred million cell was pocket change for mages.
Magic devoured gold.
Research routinely burned hundreds of millions, even billions.
Yet they treaded carefully.
It wasn't the money—it was the artifact's value.
They all agreed: this impossible tech wasn't worth a mere 300 million.
Having scanned the mana flows, their eyes turned to the Black Tower Lord.
"Hey, Black Tower Lord. Feels like necromancy sealing it?"
"Necromancy?"
"Yeah. Seems blocked for spirit magic scans. Can you crack it?"
"Hah. What do you take me for? Hand it over."
The young-looking woman clicked her tongue and reached out.
Vast necromantic mana poured into the artifact, proving her Grand Mage status.
"Necromancy seal... clever, but foolish."
"Foolish?"
"Everyone knows necromancy covers wide areas, right?"
"Of course. That's why your tower never loses magitech duels."
"Shut it. Wide coverage means low density—inefficient for security spells, especially against fellow high necromancers. Interfering should be ea—huh?"
She tilted her head while explaining like a professor to students, probing the seal.
"What? Problem?"
"Hold on."
The Black Tower Lord frowned, pressing her hand firmer.
Then tilted her head again.
"Why's the structure like this?"
"Issue?"
"It's necromancy, sure... uses necromantic mana... but the method's completely alien..."
Even as a 6th-circle Grand Mage, she couldn't grasp it.
"What... the barrier's this solid?! No interference at all?!"
Breaching the necromancy defense was key to internals.
Her face twisted furiously, as if pride hung in the balance, pouring effort in.
"This way? No... or this...?"
She racked her brain, but no answers emerged.
Rooted in necromantic mana—the same source—yet incomprehensible.
Like insisting 1+1=3 when it's 2; it denied all her knowledge, darkening her expression.
The others waited, knowing only she could breach the necromancy guard.
Finally, she spoke.
"One thing's clear."
"What?"
"No cracking it right now."
She turned the artifact over.
And added,
"Nothing I can figure out or understand on the spot. Needs proper study."
Kudangtang!!
Other mages swarmed, pinning her.
"No funny business, Black Tower Lord."
"Where do you think you're going?"
"Damn it! I need to investigate! I'll return it soon!"
"Like hell. Grab this lunatic!"
"Aaaah! No! At least the creator's name!"
Stern pillars of the world outside, they were mages thirsting for new knowledge within.
Even if it veered into magitech rather than pure magic.
The artifact shone solo, but the new multi-user feature earned extra praise.
"Like this, right?"
Early prototypes allowed one per artifact.
Not this version.
One unit now supported up to five simultaneously.
Various upgrades factored in: Planetaria sourcing more materials, blending magitech and necromancy expanding possibilities.
An ordinary day.
The teleport gate's safety checks neared completion, soon linking to other regions.
[Young Lord Leon. This is High Priestess Navel.]
A letter arrived from Navel—the saintess, or rather, self-proclaimed high priestess—I'd met before.