Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: Shrewd Elf Merchants
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The lizardman merchant seemed a bit taken aback.
It was because the pouch was so small.
"May I check inside the pouch?"
"Of course."
The elf merchant answered confidently, and the lizardman merchant hoped to find the basis for that confidence within the pouch.
But what was inside was just a scrap of iron.
"...Hmm. Sorry, but it's hard to trade with just this much iron."
"...Is that so? How much iron do you want?"
"At least eight times as much."
"What?"
The elf merchant asked incredulously.
"You're saying silk, which is only used for making clothes, is worth that much?"
The lizardman merchant didn't think silk was worth so little.
Clothes made from good silk were comfortable to wear and lasted a long time.
Above all, silk's smooth surface was beautiful in itself.
A skilled tailor using silk could make the wearer look noble.
That's why high-status people wore silk clothes—to constantly prove their rank without words.
But the lizardman merchant didn't explain all this in detail to the elf.
Not all lizardmen were kind.
Some would let fools before them wallow in their own stupidity.
The lizardman merchant said flatly,
"Around here, that's its value."
"This isn't just any iron. It's top-quality iron only found in our region."
"Unfortunately, I can't appraise it."
"No, there's a scale over there. Why not compare it to your best iron scraps?"
The lizardman shook his head.
"No amount of quality iron will convince me at that quantity."
"I'll give you double."
"If you want silk, shop around."
Watching from the side, Hwigyeong nodded to himself.
'Even suckers won't fall for lowlifes like that, huh?'
The lizardman picked up the silk bundle and left, and after he was gone, the elf merchant muttered a curse under his breath.
'Separate from that, I need to keep an eye on what these elves are up to.'
Hwigyeong didn't approach the elves directly. Instead, he passed by, glancing at them, or sent people to scout what deals they were making.
After watching all day, Hwigyeong figured out what kind of merchants the elves were.
They attempted many trades, but actual deals were rare.
However, when a deal succeeded, they made a huge profit.
'They're totally fishing for total suckers.'
Merchants had informal networks, so the elves' bad reputation spread quickly—but not everyone was in those loops.
They targeted newbies or out-of-towners ignorant of local goods and prices, trading at near-scam rates.
'Not good.'
Hwigyeong could understand the elves to some extent.
Their unfamiliar clothes meant they came from far away. Limited goods from afar meant squeezing high profits from few trades.
But the norm was arbitrage on local specialties easy to obtain here.
'Why are these guys preying on newbies?'
Truth be told, Hwigyeong was a newbie merchant too—but as Autonomous City's lord, he charged residents and outsiders for transit passes and stall fees. Plus, former lord Hwiseo had stockpiled plenty for crises.
Hwigyeong was richer than all the market stall owners combined, so newbie status wasn't a big deal.
As a rich newbie, his "goods" were the market itself.
He had to manage the market stably. If these elves succeeded and left, more like them would come, scaring off newbie merchants. Fewer merchants entering meant...
'Less revenue for me.'
A serious problem for Hwigyeong.
Seong-un was also watching the elves closely.
'So there's a player behind those elves.
For a Civilization Clash event, it wasn't just one or two wanderers—it required a certain number of individuals meeting.
'Elves were on the north coast. But I didn't scout it properly.'
Seong-un had mainly scouted the peninsula and continent.
Simple reason: his bugs were weak to cold.
Lizardmen weren't cold-resistant either, and even nomads wouldn't cross the wasteland to the north coast.
'But crossing the wasteland from the north coast is tough too, so I figured I could ignore it for now.'
Seong-un tapped the 'Local Community' tab.
The moment he saw the nickname, another window popped up.
Unlike with Hegemonia, Seong-un debated accepting the chat.
'Any reason to talk?'
The decisive reason to talk with Hegemonia was they had to compete for something valuable. Even if Seong-un stayed silent, full war was unlikely, but a major battle was probable.
'This Eldar, though, is beyond the wasteland. No troops close enough to threaten here.'
But Seong-un accepted the whisper anyway.
'North coast scouting is lacking. Might gain something even from idle chat.'
This time, without request, a video chat was auto-added.
Seong-un accepted.
Eldar spoke.
"Greetings, human."
"......"
Seong-un looked at Eldar.
Eldar looked like a beautiful elf. Androgynous as elves often were, hard to tell gender—but god avatars didn't emphasize it, so Seong-un ignored that.
Compared to players choosing grotesque forms, Eldar's was decent.
The problem was the speech.
'No way.'
Seong-un didn't think Eldar was a real elf from another world. That'd be intriguing, but his concern was different.
Eldar said,
"Ha, speechless at my beauty?"
"Are you insane?"
"......"
"Oh, sorry. I have this habit where thoughts slip out unintentionally."
Not a lie.
He'd just made it up.
"...This elf god Eldar humbly forgives you."
From that exchange, Seong-un pegged Eldar.
'RP player.'
RP—Role-Play. Immersing in a role within the game. In other words, concept zealot.
No benefits; it made chats awkward and drew hate from non-RPers. They did it because it was fun.
This Eldar was immersed as the elves' god.
Seong-un had no issue with RP.
His personality just wasn't flexible enough.
"Since you reached out, let me ask: the elves in my city making shady deals—are they mimicking you?"
"...Even a god can't watch everyone."
"Unintentional, then."
"Indeed."
Seong-un thought that was a lie.
The elf merchants' stats were high—player-tweaked levels.
But pretending to buy some lies could profit if no immediate loss.
Seong-un changed questions.
"Fine, I'll drop that. ...Know a player named Hegemonia?"
"That... insolent... ignorant... god."
Seong-un swore he heard 'rude and dumb' instead.
"I drove that god and her barbaric troll horde from my sacred north coast. Fortunately, you're 'not yet' as rude as Hegemonia."
"Hmm."
Seong-un couldn't tell if that was true.
Hegemonia had fled south but gave no details.
'Probably got wrecked in that Contradictory Prophecy fight.'
But it wasn't just emotional.
No reason to share info for free.
'If true, this RP player's as strong as Hegemonia? Unlikely. Then why'd Hegemonia come south?'
Eldar said,
"Done with questions?"
"For now?"
"Then I shall reveal why this one demanded talk and endured your rudeness."
"Yeah. What's the deal?"
"My elves prepare to rule the continent, but lacks remain. They are capable, yet the north coast is cold and barren. Thus, we must seize resources from other races."
"So?"
A golden glow rose behind Eldar.
"Offer tribute to me."
Seong-un blurted habitually,
"Get lost."
The next day, Hwigyeong dressed lordly and went to meet the elves.
Fortunately, they had enough sense to recognize him.
The male elf with the flashiest decorations spoke.
"You're Autonomous City's lord Hwigyeong, right?"
"Yes. And you?"
"I'm Lionar, leading this caravan."
Hwigyeong eyed Lionar.
Lionar had a slight smirk, making his intentions hard to read.
"Straight to business. You know I didn't come just to sightsee your faces."
"Still, faces worth seeing, no?"
Lionar's words stung Hwigyeong a bit. Elves had appearances humans and kin found beautiful, plus social advantages.
Lionar said,
"Kidding. We know why the lord visits. Our trades yesterday?"
"Yes."
"And you're displeased."
"Right."
"We expected you. So we prepared something."
"What?"
Lionar called an elf merchant, who fetched a small box from the cart.
The box itself was rare—carved wood with iron hinges. Opening it startled Hwigyeong.
Lionar explained,
"Ancient gem from ruins. It splits light into dozens of facets. Mesmerizing just to see. Fits a tribal leader. As an ancient relic, unique now. Accept it, and overlook our trades?"
Hwigyeong silently took the box.
Such gems weren't everyday trade goods, so no fixed price. But its rarity and beauty were real. He knew it could fetch a high price—or just display it to affirm his nobility.
Hwigyeong inspected the gem closely once more, then closed the box.
Lionar said,
"Well?"
"Fine piece. But..."
Hwigyeong dropped it on the ground.
"I'm rich. Bribe? Not even close."