Chapter 143
Chapter 143.
After finishing the deal with the Chinese side.
'Before going to Yongin, I should organize my items first.'
Lee Ganghan moved to the item exchange located within the association to empty Warehouse No. 1 of the Goblin's Black Market.
The item exchange was located in an annex, separate from the main building of the association.
"Is that entire building for item trading? The scale is quite impressive."
"Yes. The security is also tight. High-grade items are expensive goods, each one individually."
Indeed, as Shin Yuri said.
Men of enormous build wearing suits were patrolling the item exchange in groups.
'Since players are ordinary people in reality, they wouldn't be able to break through that level of security.'
Other players except Lee Ganghan couldn't use their abilities in reality.
If they foolishly caused trouble at the item exchange, they would be quickly subdued by those security guards.
"Oh, there, there."
"Isn't that the Heavenly Demon...?"
"Wow. First time seeing him in person..."
When the security guards could be heard glancing at Lee Ganghan and talking among themselves.
"You've arrived, Heavenly Demon!"
From inside the exchange building, Manager Jang Junho greeted Lee Ganghan with a delighted expression.
"I heard from the association president and set everything up in advance! If you place the items on that auction hall stage over there, we'll record and calculate them immediately."
The place Manager Jang Junho guided him to was the auction hall stage.
The auction hall stage located in the center of the item exchange was considerably large, and seemed perfectly suitable for placing items.
'Then let's see... shall I take out all the items from Warehouse No. 1.'
Warehouse No. 1 was linked to Lee Ganghan's inventory.
When he pressed the warehouse-shaped icon at the bottom right of his inventory, a new inventory linked to the warehouse appeared before his eyes.
'There are quite a lot of items.'
Human Race exclusive C and D-grade items that the Chief had been steadily accumulating.
Looking at the numbers, it definitely seemed like it was time for a clean-out.
Lee Ganghan began placing items one by one on the auction hall stage, grabbing whatever came to hand.
"Oh..."
"They keep coming out?"
The item department staff who were dispatched to help with item appraisal and settlement initially watched with relaxed expressions.
"Uh... you're still taking them out?"
"Wait, can that many items actually fit in an inventory?"
"Isn't there a weight limit or something...?"
As Lee Ganghan endlessly pulled out mountains of items, they began to be astonished one by one.
'They keep coming out?'
To the extent that even Lee Ganghan, who was taking them out, was getting tired.
As items continued popping out from the warehouse, the large auction hall stage was soon filled with equipment.
"Uh... Heavenly Demon, you, you can place them near the stage. No, I think you should."
"I'll do that."
Lee Ganghan was able to empty Warehouse No. 1 only after filling up the auction hall stage and stacking items neatly around the surroundings.
"Wow..."
"This is..."
"There really are quite a lot?"
While amazed by the items filling the stage.
"Then we'll begin classifying the items."
The staff began scanning items one by one with scanner-like devices.
When they scanned the equipment, the items became light and disappeared into the scanner.
Beep!
On the monitor floating in the center of the auction hall.
[Human Race Exclusive Iron Sword]
Grade: C (C+ when equipped by human race)
Item names and grades appeared one by one.
If you scan with that scanner, does it automatically register and store them?
"That's quite fascinating. Where does the association get such devices?"
"It's not something we obtained ourselves, but we receive support from FIPA. That trait grade measuring device is also supported by FIPA."
"Ah."
So FIPA was the source providing these fascinating devices.
After watching the staff collect items with scanners for about ten minutes.
"Finally finished!"
Manager Jang Junho reported.
"The collected equipment consists of 200 C-grade items and 100 D-grade items. Since they're all Human Race exclusive equipment, calculating them as C+ and D+..."
Holding a tablet PC and touching the screen here and there, Manager Jang Junho spoke cautiously.
"For now, how about roughly settling C+ at 10 million won and D+ at 3 million won, with additional settlement when the actual sales proceeds for each equipment are added later? Would that be acceptable?"
So C-grade would be settled at 2 billion, and D-grade at 300 million.
It seemed like the purchase price was roughly 1/10 of the selling price.
'I really don't need to worry about TP anymore.'
Lee Ganghan thought this and accepted Manager Jang Junho's proposal.
"Yes. Let's do that."
"Yes. Understood. Ah, and... if item sales become frequent, our budget might not be able to cover everything."
"Ah. Is that so?"
"Yes. Although the government is supporting the Management Office a lot again these days, there are still limits to the budget..."
Right.
We had some troubles in the past because of a certain National Assembly member blocking the budget.
Even if the President pushes for it, suddenly spending money lavishly wouldn't be easy.
"So I was wondering... how do you feel about FIPA participating?"
"Oh. Is participation from FIPA possible?"
"Yes. This system itself is essentially done through FIPA. Moreover, since FIPA has abundant funds, they can purchase all of Heavenly Demon's items."
"I'm fine with that."
If FIPA handles the equipment processing, this side would welcome it too.
Lee Ganghan readily nodded.
"Then I'll report to the association president and contact FIPA."
"Yes. Please take care of it."
After finishing organizing the items, and receiving settlement from the Management Office for all the TP earned in the tower at 120% of the amount, the money amount recorded in his bank account became enormous.
'This... if money keeps accumulating like this, summoning Cheon Seran might really become possible?'
The Last Divine Maiden Cheon Seran, boasting a summoning cost of 999 million TP.
I thought I'd never be able to summon her.
But as the bank account that had been emptied from establishing the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect quickly became abundant, it seemed possible if I saved well.
'If FIPA joins in item purchasing, I should handle high-grade items too, not just selling C and D grades.'
When Lee Ganghan was making future item purchasing plans like this.
"Heavenly Demon, you said you were going to the Yongin house during the day, right? That you had an appointment with your father."
"Ah, yes. That's right."
"Then I'll drive you there!"
Saying this, Shin Yuri took the steering wheel herself.
"Ah. Ms. Yuri is driving."
"Yes. I also drive... Well, so don't worry!"
Gripping the steering wheel so tightly that the veins on both hands showed, Shin Yuri repeatedly said she drove well.
"We have plenty of time. You can drive slowly."
"R-right...?"
The car moved at a very slow pace, arriving at the Yongin house more than 30 minutes past the estimated arrival time.
'I wanted to arrive early and wait for my father, but we arrived exactly at 2 o'clock.'
As Lee Ganghan checked the time and got out of the car.
"You're here."
The door of the Yongin house opened, revealing Lee Ganghan's father, Lee Junil.
And behind him.
"Oh. Hello? Heavenly Demon?"
A Caucasian man with a gaunt face looked at Lee Ganghan, waving his hand cheerfully and greeting in fluent Korean.
***
"Ah. Hello."
Lee Ganghan greeted back while looking at the Caucasian man.
He appeared to be in his early to mid-thirties.
His cheeks and chin had unkempt beard growing messily.
His eyes were sunken, his back was hunched, and his face and body were gauntly thin.
'Didn't father definitely say he was coming with that person?'
Since he kept saying 'that person, that person', I wondered if someone related to angels was coming, but the man before my eyes didn't seem to have much connection to angels.
"This is Father Esteban. He's also affiliated with Angels Wing."
"I'm Esteban. Nice to meet you again~"
This person is a priest?
He doesn't immediately match the typical priest image.
A gauntly thin body with sunken eyes.
And seeing that his focus seemed somewhat blurred.
'He gives off a drug addict vibe... but thinking that might be too rude.'
When Lee Ganghan was thinking this.
Click, Click.
With the sound of high heels, Shin Yuri, who had parked the car, walked over.
"Hello, father. I'm Shin Yuri, representative of Agent GLASS."
"Ah. I'm Lee Junil. I understand my son is always indebted to you, representative."
"What debt? I'm the one indebted to Heavenly Demon."
Shin Yuri and Lee Junil exchanged pleasant greetings.
"Oh. Representative? How surprising that an agent representative is such a beautiful woman!"
"Oh my. Thank you."
Father Esteban also seemed to understand Korean completely, as he complimented Shin Yuri on her beauty from the side, smiling broadly.
Esteban was really far from the typical priest image.
The good atmosphere was maintained until this point, but.
"Urgh. Junil... wait..."
When Father Esteban suddenly trembled with both hands and frowned deeply, the atmosphere of pleasant conversation changed.
"What's wrong?"
"Right now, I think we need to start?"
Father Esteban spoke of 'starting'.
"Ah. Already? I understand."
Lee Junil looked at Shin Yuri with an urgent expression.
"Representative, I'm really sorry, but... something came up that Father Esteban and my son need to handle together. Could you wait outside for a moment?"
"Ah. I understand. Then I'll wait in the car. Please contact me when you're finished."
As Shin Yuri, sensing the unusual atmosphere, returned to the car.
"Grrrrr...!"
Father Esteban made a bizarre groaning sound.
Flash!
His two eyes soon became dyed with brilliant white light.
'What, what's this?'
Father Esteban's entire eyeballs completely transformed into flickering light.
As his hunched back straightened to become roughly the same height as Lee Ganghan.
Swish.
With his two flickering eyes, he looked through the open door and surveyed the inside of the house.
Then.
"..."
Step, Step.
Esteban walking into the house.
Just moments ago he seemed like he would collapse if touched, but now each step carried intense weight.
"L-let's go!"
Following father's words, as they followed Esteban.
"..."
He, with his two eyes flickering, surveyed the entire inside of the house.
Then.
Flash! Flash!
Starting from the house's wallpaper, all the furniture and dishes flickered, and soon red smoke flowed out.
Hissss...
'This is... demonic energy?'
It seemed similar to the energy felt when the Heavenly Demon Sacred Blood Formation activated.
But this demonic energy was still remaining in this house?
As Lee Ganghan clicked his tongue seeing the smoke thickly spread throughout the house.
[Disappear.]
From Esteban's mouth, a language he had never heard before echoed throughout.
'It's definitely the first time I've heard these words... but I understand the meaning.'
This was similar to how the tower automatically translates different races' languages.
As Lee Ganghan felt a strange sense of déjà vu listening to Esteban's words.
Flash!
Light burst from Esteban's two eyes.
Whoooosh...!
The red smoke was simultaneously sucked into his eyes.
The flickering eyes seemed to dim for a moment, but soon emitted brilliant radiance again.
'Demonic energy that was completely undetectable, all at once...'
Among FIPA-related figures, there's only one existence capable of this.
Lee Ganghan could roughly guess the identity of his opponent.
Then.
Swish.
Esteban, who had removed all the demonic energy from the house, turned toward Lee Ganghan.
[It's been a while, Heavenly Demon.]
"...Are you by any chance an angel?"
[That's right.]
The one who had been staying in the depths of FIPA headquarters. Constellation 'Angel Kael'.
[I borrowed Esteban's body for a moment.]
He had descended into Esteban's body to visit Lee Ganghan.