Chapter 82
Chapter 82
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Cute Little Dual Personality Shenanigans
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─Crash!!
The wine glass slipped from Dennis's hand—the same Dennis who loved his booze more than anything.
"Drug bread?"
"Ah, no, I never said anything like..."
"Look at that guy's nostrils. He's not just snorting it—he's slathering it on like lotion."
─Crunch.
"He said he's making drug bread and selling it somewhere—North Korea or whatever? I heard from Azabel about that spot on the back of Dennis's head where they did CPR. That's where he's peddling it."
─Crunch crunch.
Dennis's already massive muscles bulged like they were about to explode.
"No, that's not it! I never said that! Mr. Ballua. D-don't you recognize me?"
The drug pusher thrust out his chest, badge dangling, pleading to be remembered.
"Who the hell are you to spout nonsense at my friend?"
"I-I'm from Thailand..."
"Get lost before I kill you."
"Eek!"
The drug pusher bolted without looking back.
From the look in his eyes, it wasn't Dennis that scared him off—it was the pistol peeking from Camar Grandpa's jacket.
"Hmmm."
I expanded my senses, and sure enough, the bodyguards lurking nearby were gearing up to rush in.
"Ga-eul."
"Yes, Dennis."
"Back when I was poor, I'd always keep a single 5-euro bill in my wallet for a cheap glass of wine on the way home from work."
Dennis's huge hand reached over and ruffled Snowy's head on my shoulder. Her tiny ears vanished for a second, then popped back out perky as ever.
"Then I got married, and Belle was born. Even though I had plenty of money by then, I'd still hit my usual bar for that cheap wine."
Dennis was sharing a rare, gentle story.
"One day, the 5-euro bill was gone from my wallet. Turns out little Belle had snuck it out, but she kept lying to my face, insisting she hadn't. I gave her a good scolding."
"Ha... ha. Isabelle sure is something."
Dennis's hand, which had been petting Snowy, now headed my way. Cold sweat trickled down my back.
"Ga-eul. Lies destroy trust with others. Trust is like a sandcastle—hard to build, easy to crumble."
"I'm sorry..."
"Kuhuhu. Good, as long as you get it."
Dennis patted my head with a hand the size of a pot lid.
"Phew..."
He knew all about the nonsense I'd spouted.
💬 Comments — LullabySomething Party leader got scolded lololol — Dullureuya Lmaoooo sulky party leader is insanely cute, screenshotting forever — Military Secret 1q2w3e Hey Kim, share the good stuff "Delete it."
— Non-Participating Mayo Rice Zooo~oom — Eong Base Meat Eong Eong Begging pose is kinda sus lol — Queen's Foot Mat Taxidermy time~ Taxidermy time~ Taxidermy time~ "You idiots, protect Ga-eul..."
— PC Bang Treadmill Machine Radelri Lmao just trust us we'll guard ya — Red Parade For real lol — dhgkaak *Cha-ching!* ⭐ Sponsored — Acorn-Picking Ga-eul Lol third-person is canon, this is peak TripleNet otaku life ─Hiss, hiss.
"Whew—damn. Life's tough just to eat."
— Footrest Unfiltered lol do that off-stream — Non-Participating Mayo Rice Lmaooo this is why we stan our baby "Haa—I dunno anymore."
— Dullureuya Squishy cute — Eong Base Meat Eong Eong Dunno? Was that cigarette smoke or a sigh billowing out?
"Oh, right. Here."
"Huh?"
In Dennis's hand dangled a sheet of paper fluttering in the sea breeze—the fourth treasure map we'd been hunting for.
"Whoa, what? Where'd you find it?"
"There was that huge wine glass on the stage, right? You can draw wine from the spigot next to it. I'd drained it pretty low, and I spotted white paper at the bottom, so I fished it out."
"Wow! Thank you, Dennis."
"Kuhahat. No big deal."
— Footrest What about Arthur then? — Red Parade Where's our king Arthur up to? "Huh? Yeah, good point."
Glancing at the viewer chat, I hurried back to the party hall. There stood Arthur, lost in thought right where we'd left him.
"Arthur! We're back."
"You're here. While you were gone, I nearly finished piecing it together. It's just one hypothesis among many, but worth a shot. True discovery comes after countless failures, so don't worry too much."
I tried to tell him we'd found the fourth map, but he barreled on like it was urgent.
"We need to find a jet of water that mirrors laughter—and the most likely candidate is a fountain."
"No, Arthur, we..."
"'Jet of water' and 'laughter' are code for a popular meeting spot fountain where crowds gather. But key here is 'diminishing.'"
"Arthur, hold on."
"In the old days, they used siphons—no power needed—to move water, then carved high aqueducts to feed fountains. Supply wasn't steady like electric ones, so it could dwindle. And the most famous? Trevi Fountain."
"Arthur, we found the fourth treasure map."
"So we'd head to Rome's Piazza Venezia under that theory—what'd you say?"
"We found it. The treasure map."
Seeing Arthur's blank expression hit me with guilt.
"...Where?"
"That big wine glass on the stage. Dennis found it under the glass while drinking."
"Heh, so the 'clowns guzzling booze and cackling' were those fools."
"Looks like it."
Following Arthur's gesture, I saw a crowd of all ages laughing and chatting.
"The guy who made this mess was Wayne Dickens, right?"
"Gasp."
I quickly raised my arm, hoisting Snowy overhead.
"Ta-da! Thanks to you, Arthur, we avoided trouble earlier. Snowy, you cool playing with Grandpa Arthur?"
"Yeah."
"Snowy says she wants to play with Arthur."
"Ahem. Is that so? Well, can't be helped then."
— Military Secret 1q2w3e Sedative administered — dhgkaak Nerve calmer administered — Footrest Lmaoooooooo With Arthur on the verge of exploding, we barely calmed him down. Peace finally settled in.
"Last one, right?"
— PC Bang Treadmill Machine Radelri Yeah hurry up and read it — Red Parade Hyped I'd stuffed the note in my pocket while rushing to find Arthur, so I pulled it out and unfolded it. Same as before: a single line of text.
『A massive hunger in the dark abyss. Hazy smoke piercing the water's surface.』
"Huh?"
The words hit me instantly.
"Isn't this Herman?"
— Military Secret 1q2w3e Seems right? — dhgkaak Lol solved it instantly "But damn, this is evil. Say we find it—then we gotta go to Herman Melville and be like, 'Treasure map please?' How many people would even do that?"
— Footrest Now that you say it, total dick move lol "Right?"
As I chatted with viewers while holding the map, Dennis wandered over from the food table with a glass of wine, showing interest.
"Stumped?"
"Nah, think we got it. Check this out."
"Kuhahat. 'Massive hunger'? That's Herman, devouring every profitable venture."
Dennis's words boosted my confidence in Herman being right.
"Get it vetted by Arthur last, then go hunt down Herman?"
— PC Bang Treadmill Machine Radelri Arthur's busy lol Off at the food-laden table, far away, Arthur had dragged over a chair and was deep in conversation with Snowy. I couldn't hear what, but Snowy was animatedly kicking her little legs to explain something.
"Hmmm, never seen that guy smile like that before."
"Yeah. He'll miss Snowy once I'm gone."
"Don't fret. Bring her to his observatory later—he'll love it."
"We definitely should."
Finishing up with Dennis, I headed to their table. Their voices drifted over.
"That flower you're eating is a Korean specialty. Hard to find abroad."
"Owner gave it."
Snowy proudly waved the flower clutched in both paws at Arthur.
"Most'd go for hay, but you prefer fresh blooms?"
"Tasty. Try it."
Arthur couldn't hear her, but they were chatting away—it was hilarious.
"Arthur."
"Hm? Come on over. Puzzle solved?"
"Yeah, sorta figured it out. Mind checking?"
Arthur read the treasure map note carefully, pondering briefly before speaking.
"A cancer-ridden whale."
— Military Secret 1q2w3e Lmaoooooo — dhgkaak Savage af lol "Herman, right?"
"Yep. Go find him."
"Thanks!"
Arthur turned back to Snowy like that was that.
"Precious time for Arthur, so let's bail."
— Footrest Aight Herman hunt time — Non-Participating Mayo Rice Coo coo We slipped away from busy Arthur and wandered the party hall for a good while before spotting a familiar elderly silhouette.
"Codename Whale sighted. Over."
— Military Secret 1q2w3e Agent Swear-y Autumn Squirrel, proceed "Shiiit, roger that. Approaching."
— dhgkaak Lmaoooooooooooo — Footrest This household skit is delicious lol Seeing Herman's back, I got the urge to startle him. I crept closer, step by careful step.
"Target nearly in range. Over."
I got so close I could make out every strand of his hair.
⭐ Sponsored — Military Secret 1q2w3e Post-op will be handled by ancestors, over and out "Signal good."
— Non-Participating Mayo Rice Why so tense lol — PC Bang Treadmill Machine Radelri Ga-eul's a vet college girl with military service vibes — Footrest Lol swept through viper squad or smth About two meters from Herman. Staring at his back while walking, I belatedly noticed his fist clenched tight.
"Crack in Herman's mask?"
— Military Secret 1q2w3e If that guy's mask cracks world ends no? — dhgkaak Who'd mess with the perpetual heh-heh gramps? I focused, heightening my hearing. Amid the rowdy songs and chatter, Herman's voice and his interlocutor's rang crystal clear.
"Haha, left my son in charge of a sports drink company, and sales skyrocketed. Looks like he turned latent profits into net gains via basic price discrimination. Quite the success. Must be all that foundational training from his youth."
"Impressive. Fine son you've got."
"Indeed. And handsome like his old man—marriage proposals never stop rolling in."
"...I see."
Whoever was enduring this for minutes on end, I got dizzy just from seconds.
One sly step sideways, and past Herman's back I spotted the other guy—and his "proud" son.
"Drug pusher?"
— Military Secret 1q2w3e Oh shit — dhgkaak Fuck party leader pls hold back "Why call me crazy bitch."
— Footrest You are tho — Non-Participating Mayo Rice True "Fair enough."
— PC Bang Treadmill Machine Radelri ????? — Footrest Unfiltered lol "Anyway, kids. Plan change."
— Military Secret 1q2w3e What was original plan lol just charge in? — dhgkaak Just 'go' lol "Operation name: Dissociative Cuteness from Extreme High-Concentration Nicotine Exposure Dual Personality."
— Footrest Op name wtf lol — Non-Participating Mayo Rice Op name is wild ⭐ Sponsored — Military Secret 1q2w3e Nicotine Squirrel Thunder, charge! "Roger that!"