Chapter 1907 – 1907. Dark Moon
What kind of power does this cherry tree have? How can I use it?
I was curious as I looked at the faintly glowing cherry blossoms.
Even now, seeing it with my own eyes, I don’t know exactly what kind of power it has. The only thing that’s certain is that this cherry tree is definitely not ordinary.
Crack, crackle.
The faintly glowing cherry blossoms suddenly lose their light. The cherry blossoms that bloomed from its gaunt body fell silently to the ground.
‘…Did it die?’
It was hard to tell since it wasn’t a living creature but a plant.
‘If it dies from just this, then that’s all it is.’
I picked up a fallen cherry blossom petal. It was a petal with a vivid pastel pink color, typical of cherry blossoms.
‘The petal itself seems ordinary.’
I looked around and injected mana, even using lightning, but the cherry blossom petal didn’t react. It was just an ordinary cherry blossom petal.
‘I don’t know. There’s too little information.’
The corners of my mouth turned up. Rather than being frustrated by the lack of information, I was excited. Even if I didn’t know the exact identity of these saplings, it was clear that they were trees from the Spirit Beast realm. It would be rewarding to research them myself and uncover the unknown. I might even gain magical achievements in the process.
I took the cherry blossom petal and put it in my pocket.
• • •
The next day, I contacted Marik, the manager of the real estate brokerage company, and met him.
Looking at his strange expression, it seemed he had roughly grasped the situation. This was his defeat. Marik had tried to raise the price of the factory by pitting me and Gillian against each other, but neither of us were the type to solve things with money alone.
“I’ll buy the factory for 400 million credits.”
“Hmm. So, in the end, I couldn’t sell it for the asking price.”
Marik handed over the contract. It was not me, but Yuria, who received the contract first. She quickly scanned through it.
Marik seemed less motivated than when I first saw him. He leaned back in his chair and said,
“Mr. Gillian was quite capable. Regardless of his character.”
“…Well, he seemed like a capable smuggler.”
I had gained quite a bit from killing Gillian and raiding his workshop. Just the cash alone was worth several hundred million. I even thought that it might be more profitable to find and kill guys like Gillian than to run a business.
‘If I recklessly kill and steal, I might become a target myself. Besides, there aren’t many guys like Gillian.’
It meant that I didn’t have to worry about money for the time being.
“Master, there are no problems with the contract. You can sign it as is.”
“Haha. We at Huground are a leading company in this industry. We value our trust with our customers more than anything. We’re not some third-rate company that plays tricks with contracts.”
That was bullshit.
There was a common saying that the big corporations of Neo London had no conscience. It meant that they would not hesitate to screw over even their customers if it was profitable. But there was no reason to argue about it here. I just nodded casually.
“I see.”
I also took a look at the contract. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Yuria, but if I just listened to her and signed it, Marik would definitely look down on me.
I signed the contract. I took a picture of the contract and we each took a copy.
Since we were done, I got up from my seat. Yuria opened the office door for me. I was about to turn and leave when he spoke.
“This glamorous city is like a den of beasts.”
Marik said. I just turned my head to look at him. Marik was wearing a bitter smile.
“The beast that wins today might become tomorrow’s meal.”
“Is that a warning?”
“It’s advice for my client. I may look young, but I’m not that young. Of course, how you take my words is up to you.”
“I’m different from you.”
“I understand. Please take care.”
• • •
I had acquired the factory. It wasn’t over. It was just the beginning. I needed to find magic engineering machines to put in the factory, and I needed to find blueprints for the products to produce and sell.
‘Should I start by imitating existing products?’
Releasing innovative products and taking over the Neo London market! That was just a pipe dream. Innovative products? Considering the long history of Neo London, there were hardly any innovative products left.
Even if I did create something innovative, it would be troublesome. The big corporations wouldn’t just sit still. If they knew I was a powerless businessman, they would try to take it away by any means.
‘I’ll imitate minor magic tools. Of course, I’ll have to modify them so I don’t get sued.’
I could think about products later. Thanks to what I got from raiding Gillian’s workshop, I had some leeway.
“Master, I’ve prepared tea.”
She brought a teapot and teacups. I immediately noticed that it wasn’t the usual black tea I drank. I smelled a sweet cherry blossom scent instead of the deep aroma of black tea.
Inside the transparent teapot, cherry blossom petals were steeping. The brewed tea was a pretty pink color.
“I brewed tea with the cherry blossom petals you gave me. I’m very satisfied with the quality.”
Yesterday, Yuria had asked for some cherry blossom petals, so I had given her some. I didn’t expect her to brew tea with them.
I looked at the teacup. The cherry blossom tea was perfect, from the fragrance to the color. I could tell it would be delicious even without tasting it.
“This could be a marketable product.”
“Yes. If we call it Spirit Beast Realm cherry blossom tea, we could sell it at a high price. But first, please try it.”
The warm tea entered my mouth. The fragrant cherry blossom scent made me feel like it was spring.
“I like it.”
There was nothing more to say.
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang. Yuria and I exchanged glances.
“Did you have any guests scheduled to come today?”
“No, I didn’t. It’s an uninvited guest.”
Uninvited guests were not welcome. I wanted to tell them to just go away, but that would damage my reputation.
[Detection]
I used detection magic. To figure out the level of the guests outside the door.
“……!”
I widened my eyes and straightened my posture. Detection didn’t work. It was canceled midway. It meant that there was someone skilled enough to cancel my magic in an instant.
‘They rang the doorbell, so they came as guests. I don’t know what their purpose is, but they’re not enemies.’
I sighed and said to Yuria,
“Bring them in. And prepare some fresh cherry blossom tea.”
“Yes, Master.”
Soon, the guests came in. It was a middle-aged man accompanied by a butler and a maid. I quickly scanned them as I got up from my seat. The maid and the butler. Both of them were not ordinary. I couldn’t figure out how skilled they were.
“You’re Eugene Meyer, right?”
Thanks to his arrogant tone, I knew he was a noble. The problem was that I didn’t know his name exactly. A proud noble could take even that as an insult.
Fortunately, the voice of the savior was heard.
-It’s Baron Arphon. I run large hospitals in districts D and F.
“…It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baron Arphon. What brings you to this humble place?”
“I heard you’re a popular mercenary these days?”
“I run a restaurant.”
“That’s enough. Let’s sit down and talk.”
He plopped down first. He wasn’t friendly to me. But he wasn’t hostile either. I sat down opposite him. Judging by his prickly attitude, he hadn’t come to ask for a favor.
“Did you come to commission me? Please make a request through an intermediary. That’s the procedure.”
“A commission? What would I use a magician like you for?”
“……”
I couldn’t argue. He was the one who ran large hospitals in districts D and F, which could be considered upper-class districts. He was overflowing with money, and he also had the title of baron, so it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find a better mercenary than me.
Yuria brought out the newly brewed cherry blossom tea and poured it. She poured tea into my teacup first, as if it were natural. Baron Arphon’s eyebrows twitched at that, but he soon relaxed after smelling the full cherry blossom fragrance.
“Cherry blossom tea, huh? The fragrance alone is not ordinary.”
Tea time was a representative culture of Neo London. There was nothing better than serving good tea to win someone over.
“It’s not just any tea. It’s tea brewed from the cherry blossom petals of a cherry tree that grows in the Spirit Beast Realm.”
“I figured.”
‘…I figured?’
He spoke as if he already knew. He took a sip of the cherry blossom tea and smiled contentedly.
“Even if you get precious tea leaves, if they fall into the hands of a fool, they’re no better than cheap coffee. But this tea has perfectly extracted the flavor of the tea leaves. It’s been a long time since I’ve tasted such delicious tea. Lady, you’re amazing.”
“You flatter me.”
Yuria, who answered briefly, stepped back behind me.
“Gillian was my business partner. Gillian was supposed to sell me a sapling of a Spirit Beast Realm tree, and I was supposed to pay him.”
“…Gillian is no longer here.”
“But you are. I went to Gillian’s workshop, and it was a mess. There were hardly any traces left. If I hadn’t had information that you and Gillian had a conflict over a factory, I wouldn’t have come here.”
“Gillian…”
“I know you killed him. It’s not a big deal. Gillian was a jerk. I expected this to happen. I just didn’t expect him to die while doing business with me.”
I relaxed a little. Being too tense wasn’t good because it made my thinking rigid. Baron Arphon had come to do business with me instead of the dead Gillian.
He didn’t want all three saplings. If it was just one of them, there was no reason not to do business.
“Which sapling are you talking about? The cherry tree? Or the maple tree?”
“Neither. A lilac tree. That’s what I want.”
“I’ll sell it to you.”
“Under the same conditions as Gillian?”
“I’ll decide after hearing them. What did Gillian ask of you, Baron? I don’t think he just asked for money.”
In Neo London, there were things more important than money.
“I was going to give him the title of a sub-baron.”
The qualification to enter the noble society, even as a commoner.
A title that could be called an honorary noble.
“…Even if it’s a sub-baron, a title is still a title. Do you have the authority to grant titles, Baron?”
