Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Goldrich (1)
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051
Chapter 17. Goldrich (1)
1.
There was no one in the port city of Lith who didn't know about its top ten merchant groups.
"Name one of the top ten merchant groups?"
But if you asked them to name all the merchant groups that made up those top ten, surprisingly few people could.
Instead, there was one everyone knew.
"You know the Goldrich Merchant Group."
Goldrich—that name was known to everyone in the Maple World.
It wasn't because the Goldrich Merchant Group was the best among Lith's top ten.
Most people didn't care much about the rankings of Lith's top ten merchant groups.
There was only one reason they knew it.
"How could we not? They're the richest people on Victoria Island!"
Goldrich's wealth.
And not just any wealth—it was immense.
"All the mesos owned by every merchant in the port city of Lith put together wouldn't even match what Goldrich has."
That was how legendary the saying was.
And Goldrich had two sons.
One was Goldrich Junior.
The other was Jack Rich.
Of the two, the one famous among people was the second son, Jack Rich.
"And Jack Rich, Goldrich's second son, is the most expensive adventurer in the world."
His fame came from his price tag.
It wasn't because his skills were exceptional.
Jack Rich was a fine adventurer in his own right.
A warrior adventurer who had awakened his 1st Circle and reached the 3rd Circle in just one year—his talent was respectable.
He had even received training from Mikhail, the captain of the Cygnus Knights.
But that alone wouldn't make his price tag so high.
"It's all the unique items he's decked out in."
What made him the priciest adventurer was the countless unique items his father, Goldrich, had bought for his son.
Naturally, thanks to those unique items, Jack Rich had collected some standout titles.
Goldrich had even assembled the best experts to form a party for his son's safety.
That was why.
"That's Jack Rich... dead?"
The news of Jack Rich's death threw all the adventurers and pirates on the Nautilus into chaos.
Because they all knew.
"Treasure Island has appeared."
The most valuable tomb had just opened.
Dibo was no different.
"Boss!"
The moment he heard the news, Dibo said,
"Let's go!"
No room for hesitation.
And it wasn't just Dibo.
Ralph was already on his feet, showing his eagerness to head to Lith right away.
Miner was no exception.
She was Captain Kairin's disciple—a pirate.
Her golden eyes sparkling at the prospect of such enormous treasure? That was only natural for a pirate.
"Jack Rich's tomb—we have to raid it."
Finally, even Kiri showed interest.
"Huh? You too?"
Dibo looked surprised.
Kiri, who was the furthest thing from materialistic, interested in this score?
"I met Jack Rich once, a long time ago."
Dibo tilted his head at her words.
It wasn't strange if they had a connection and she wanted to help somehow.
"You have a connection with Jack Rich? That mega-rich guy?"
The only questionable part was having a connection with someone so insanely wealthy that most adventurers couldn't even dream of meeting.
In any case, all four wanted to raid Jack Rich's tomb.
Of course, their opinions didn't really matter.
The one who made the call was El Pam—and only him.
"Boss, why the hesitation? This is a jackpot!"
Truth be told, the four figured El Pam would jump at it.
After all, he'd always tackled Mystic Gates that promised profit—and big profit at that.
In that sense, this one was the best yet—by far!
"Boss?"
But El Pam's face, faced with this opportunity, showed no particular expression.
"I'll think it over."
And true to his word, El Pam pondered.
'This is different from before I returned.'
And rightly so—this situation differed from what El Pam remembered from the past.
'Jack Rich died in that Mystic Gate when the monsters appeared—on that black day.'
Jack Rich hadn't died at this point in time.
Of course, El Pam's own appearance had already altered history in several ways from the past.
So Jack Rich meeting his end wasn't all that strange.
'But there's zero info on the Mystic Gate where Jack Rich died.'
The problem was the lack of information.
And it was a big problem.
Honestly, El Pam's stunning successes so far weren't just due to his skills—knowing about the Mystic Gates had been huge.
It let him manage the risks.
But now that advantage was gone.
El Pam also knew this:
'Jack Rich's forces were top-tier among 3rd Circle adventurers. For him to die means someone trolled.'
There had to be a reason for Jack Rich's death.
'The Black Mage's followers made their move.'
And he knew what that reason was.
If El Pam's party entered that Mystic Gate, would the Black Mage's followers just sit idly by?
Risks everywhere.
'No choice.'
But on the flip side, El Pam had no good reason to turn this down right now.
The Gapor Merchant Group wanted to trap him this time, and the Kania Merchant Group wanted him dead.
Back out?
He could.
'Wherever I go, the danger follows.'
But the threats would come anyway.
So there was only one answer left.
'If the risk is high, just reduce the risk.'
That was what he was pondering.
And after some thought, El Pam reached his decision.
"We're going to Lith."
2.
Port city of Lith.
Lately, one story dominated the place.
"Jack Rich, Goldrich's son, is dead!"
All about Jack Rich.
Of course, no one was mourning his death or offering condolences.
People had one expectation.
"So who'll go into Jack Rich's tomb?"
Who would claim the prize from the priciest adventurer ever?
"Word is Goldrich asked the top ten merchant groups for help."
"The top ten? Aren't they rivals?"
"Better than letting weirdos butt in. Team up with the top ten, raid it, then sort it out after."
"True. If it's tough enough to kill Jack Rich, no ordinary group can handle it. If Goldrich tried solo and lost more people, that'd be a disaster."
To raid Jack Rich's tomb, Goldrich had negotiated with the top ten merchant groups.
Naturally, the Gapor Merchant Group got the request too.
To help with the raid.
"A fine opportunity."
Rakan smiled at the news.
Evis felt the same.
"Things are going smoothly."
And rightly so—for the Gapor Merchant Group, Jack Rich's death itself was a win.
"Goldrich Merchant Group will be in internal chaos for a while. Goldrich Junior's faction and Jack Rich's faction clashing."
The Goldrich Merchant Group would have headaches over the succession right away.
That was why they'd asked the top ten for help.
In this mess, any extra problems could really shake them.
And now opportunity knocked.
"El Pam came back alive too."
El Pam, whom they'd expected to die, had emerged unscathed from that expensive bait Mystic Gate.
Stage and bait, both set.
"A great chance."
Of course, the Gapor Merchant Group planned to use the bait gladly.
Send El Pam's party into Jack Rich's tomb.
"And take out the Kania Merchant Group while we're at it."
The Kania Merchant Group wouldn't ignore that bait.
"Goldrich won't turn down El Pam's party. Their titles are impressive."
Nor did Goldrich have reason to refuse El Pam's party.
"If he refuses."
The issue was, as Rakan said, if El Pam turned down the offer.
"No problem."
But Evis didn't worry much.
"If he refuses, he'll have a reason. Find a Mystic Gate that fits that reason. Wherever El Pam's party goes, it doesn't matter to us."
All the Gapor Merchant Group wanted was for El Pam to bait the Kania Merchant Group into a corner. That was it.
With that, the two wrapped up their talk.
Two days later, El Pam appeared before them.
And El Pam said,
"I've heard about Jack Rich's tomb. My party will lead the way in."
Agreeing readily.
"Entry limit is 48. The vanguard will gather soon."
Evis kindly explained the Mystic Gate details.
But El Pam showed little interest.
He cared about one thing.
"The Mystic Gate is near Ellinia Forest."
3.
Ellinia Forest.
A place where lush green trees stretched endlessly toward the sky, always filled with serene quiet.
But not this time.
Over a hundred adventurers gathered, making it noisier than ever.
And tenser too.
"No approaching."
They were already blocking adventurers who'd heard the rumors.
Surprisingly, the adventurers complied without much fuss.
Naturally.
"Any who approach will go on the Goldrich Merchant Group's blacklist."
The ones controlling the area were none other than Goldrich Merchant Group's adventurers.
"Damn it. Jack Rich's tomb right there, and we can't even get close."
And the Mystic Gate they were guarding was the one making Victoria Island buzz—Jack Rich's tomb.
For adventurers—especially the greedy ones—it was pure torture, mouths watering.
Truth be told, without Goldrich's control, someone would've forced entry long ago.
There had been attempts.
"Arghhh!"
Some adventurers had sneaked in, only to lose arms or legs as punishment.
That was why bloodstains dotted the forest here and there.
Then.
A group approached Jack Rich's tomb, and naturally, Goldrich's adventurers blocked them.
"No approaching."
At that moment, a robed mage adventurer pulled out a coin and showed it.
The situation changed instantly.
The adventurer who saw the coin changed his expression and stepped aside.
"What the hell?"
"Why's he getting in?"
As the other adventurers gawked, an adventurer waiting inside appeared.
"El Pam's party from the Gapor Merchant Group? I'm Henri, the person in charge."
"I'm El Pam."
"Rest at the prepared spot over there."
With that brief exchange, El Pam's party headed to the already-set-up tent.
Afterward, Henri's subordinate asked,
"El Pam's party? That El Pam?"
"Yeah, that El Pam."
The subordinate's face lit up in shock at the confirmation.
And rightly so.
"Survivor of the 100-man gate, returnee from the Eagle Eye Tomb..."
El Pam held special titles at this point.
Titles special enough to make any adventurer shine, even with just one.
Not everyone valued those titles, though.
Henri didn't.
He scoffed at his subordinate's awe.
"Just a lucky bastard."
"Lucky?"
"The guy's never done anything himself. Survived the 100-man gate by sheer luck. Made it back from Hawk Eye's Tomb thanks to the Golden Eye. Look at his record—pure luck every time."
Most adventurers downplayed others' titles.
Especially Henri—a 4th Circle adventurer.
"That luck won't fly in Yellow rank."
To him, El Pam was now a rival of sorts.
No way he'd take kindly to a lucky rival outshining him.
"If I were only 3rd Circle, I'd have gone in myself."
Above all, standing guard while this huge opportunity unfolded pissed him off.
There was another reason for his irritation.
According to reports, the merchant groups answering Goldrich's call had all sent their ace adventurers.
Basically, Lith Harbor's all-star team.
"He'll luck out again with the other adventurers' help. If he's lucky, that is."
As long as El Pam didn't do something stupid, he'd add "Returnee from Jack Rich's Tomb" to his titles.
It wasn't just Henri who thought that way.
Many did.
So naturally, they weren't prepared.
They couldn't imagine it.
"Henri!"
"What is it?"
"The Mystic Gate portal activated."
"What?"
"El Pam's party entered!"
That El Pam's party would enter the Mystic Gate alone.