Chapter 107 – Welcoming the 10th Blue Moon

Wandering Merchant Association Headquarters on the 75th floor of the tower.

“What?! Information leaked?”

“Yes. There was a lackey of Grid among the Secret Inspection Bureau agents.”

“How did you manage the agents?!”

Mason, the president of the Wandering Merchant Association, grew angry at the report of Vega, the director of the Secret Inspection Bureau.

The Secret Inspection Bureau was a secret spy organization created for the Wandering Merchant Association. Yet, to think that an agent, who was supposed to steal others’ information, was instead bribed by Grid and leaking information…

“…I apologize.”

“So, did you catch the agents bribed by Grid?”

Since everything would leak even if they changed the operation unless they caught the spies, identifying the spies was the most urgent task.

“Yes! We captured a total of 9 people, including 5 regular agents, 3 intermediate agents, and even Deputy Director Itos, and we had them confess all the information they passed to Grid in the interrogation room.”

“Even the deputy director was bribed?!”

Mason asked back in surprise. A position like the deputy director would know most of the Secret Inspection Bureau’s information. It was safe to assume that all of the Secret Inspection Bureau’s information had passed to Grid.

“Yes. And it seems the young master’s safety has also been compromised.”

“What?! Jeras? Where is Jeras right now?”

“That is… under Itos’s instructions, he was deployed to an infiltration mission on the 55th floor of the tower… but contact with the agents was cut off three hours ago. It is highly likely he was taken hostage.”

“Mmm…”

He was troubled. Grid was highly likely to demand various things in exchange for his son’s life.

‘What am I supposed to do?’

While Mason fell into deep thought,

Slam!

The door of the association president’s office burst open, and animals entered with Iona in the lead.

***

The loneliness that rushed in after the harvest festival ended. Se-jun quickly shook off his depressed mood and began doing the necessary work. When depressed, it was good to move one’s body.

“I should cut green onions.”

Se-jun began cutting the green onion leaves that had grown overgrown because he hadn’t cut them during the harvest festival. He planned to cut green onions in the wide green onion field until he was exhausted.

Slash. Slash.

Green onion leaves being cut rapidly. Se-jun cut the green onion leaves much faster than before. It was the effect of his agility rising by 22.5 during the harvest festival. Now, the highest stat among Se-jun’s stats became agility.

While Se-jun was focusing on cutting green onion leaves,

Slash. Slash.

Other rabbits were also seen cutting green onion leaves next to him. The rabbits’ hearts were also similar to Se-jun’s. They were moving their bodies to shake off their depression.

As he worked in the green onion field like that, his depression gradually faded.

“Phew. Let’s stop here for today.”

When Se-jun, who had been farming with the rabbits until late at night, said,

“Ppi-ik!”

“Pya-ah!”

“Ppyap!”

The rabbits began to disperse toward their own houses. Now the rabbits were building houses here and there on the surface, not just in the cave.

“I should wash up and sleep too.”

When Se-jun went to the tap to wash his face and headed home,

A sharp glare.

At the gaze glaring at him, Se-jun felt a sting on the back of his head.

‘Let’s ignore it.’

Although Se-jun tried to ignore it,

Flutter. Flutter.

The black dragon statue flew over and landed on the roof of Se-jun’s house.

And

-Hmph!

He glared at Se-jun again.

“Phew. Lord Kaiser, what’s wrong?”

Se-jun, finding it difficult to ignore him any longer, looked at Kaiser and asked.

-What do you mean why?! I couldn’t see my granddaughter because of you!

“Aileen?”

-Yes. Do you like that only you met her?!

“Aileen is in the administrator area, so how could I meet her?”

Se-jun, who did not remember what happened when Aileen appeared due to the shock, only felt wronged.

“Ah! More importantly, please have this.”

Se-jun took out a bottle of Fire Carrot Liquor that he had kept in the subdimensional warehouse. When he fainted and regained consciousness, he discovered nine bottles of Fire Carrot Liquor in the subdimensional warehouse. Theo had packed them.

But

[Fire Carrot Liquor]

A liquor made by soaking carrots that absorbed fire energy for 100 years in soju.

Upon consumption, it increases the fire property affinity of the carrot and burns away body wastes.

If magic power was below 100, as a side effect, the body could not handle the fire energy of the carrot, so the fire energy of the carrot burned the body along with it.

Producer: Red Tower Farmer Udon

Expiration Date: 500 years

Grade: C+

Because of the option that the whole body would burn as a side effect if magic power was below 100, Se-jun could not drink the Fire Carrot Liquor. So he gifted it to Kaiser, who loved alcohol. Of course, he wanted something in return for the liquor.

-Ahem. You rascal, Park Se-jun. At least you are a human who knows manners.

As Se-jun took out the Fire Carrot Liquor, Kaiser’s voice became much softer.

Glug, glug, glug.

The black dragon statue poured the liquor from the bottle into his mouth.

Silence.

-Keuu. Good. The feeling of the esophagus heating up is not bad.

Although it was Fire Carrot Liquor with fire energy enough to burn the body, for Kaiser, it was merely heat enough to warm his throat briefly.

“Shall I give you more?”

-Of course! One bottle doesn’t even tickle my liver!

“Here it is.”

Se-jun quietly handed over the Fire Carrot Liquor to Kaiser.

By the time he had handed over 5 bottles of Fire Carrot Liquor like that,

“Um… By the way, Lord Kaiser. The scale you gave me as New Year’s allowance seems defective. It disappeared after I woke up. Please give me another one.”

Se-jun spoke while showing his left arm. Se-jun had quietly handed over the carrot liquor just to create the atmosphere to bring up this topic.

-What?! No way?!

At Se-jun’s words, Kaiser used magic to examine Se-jun’s body. And a powerful magic reaction remained on the back of his head.

‘It was Aileen.’

Aileen’s energy was felt from the magic power. Proud. So proud. Although it wasn’t a strong magic, he was proud of his granddaughter who had grown to the level of destroying the scale embedded with his own magic.

-Sure. I will make one more.

Kaiser, who became in a good mood, readily agreed.

Spit.

The black dragon statue spat out a black scale.

“Thank you.”

-Ahem. If you’re grateful, bring out some more liquor.

“Yes. Here it is.”

Se-jun handed over two bottles of Fire Carrot Liquor to Kaiser. Originally he planned to keep only one bottle, but as things went smoothly, he gave two bottles to Kaiser and still had two bottles left.

Entering the house, Se-jun placed Kaiser’s scale on his left arm and engraved the black dragon tattoo again.

“It feels reassuring.”

Se-jun fell asleep while admiring the black dragon tattoo that would protect his life.

***

“Lady Iona?”

“Hello. President Mason.”

“Yes. But what brings you here?”

“I would like to know how the punishment of Grid is progressing.”

“That is…”

Mason began to speak about the fact that there was a spy of Grid in the Secret Inspection Bureau and that his son was currently held hostage by Grid.

“Is this the association president’s office, meow?”

“Pyak?”

While Iona and Mason were conversing, Theo and the Black Rabbit, who followed Iona, wandered around the president’s office and inspected it.

“Oh! This seems expensive, meow!”

Theo naturally put items in the president’s office into his bundle as if they were his own. He was no different from a thief.

And

“Pyak!”

The Black Rabbit sat on Mason’s rocking chair for resting,

Creak. Creak.

playing while rocking back and forth.

‘They really have no manners.’

Mason glared at Theo and the Black Rabbit, who dared to openly steal items and play in the office of himself, the president of the Wandering Merchant Association. He was burning with rage, but now was not the time to get angry.

“Lady Iona, I have a request.”

“Kyu-kyu-a request?”

At Mason’s attitude of making a request after handling work like garbage, Iona reached stage 2 of the angry Kyu.

“Lady Iona, please calm down and listen. If you rescue my son, when Grid withdraws from the 55th floor of the tower, we will supply the goods we provide for the reconstruction of the Rabbit Kingdom at a 10% discount.”

“Is that so?”

Since the reconstruction of the Rabbit Kingdom required a massive amount of money, Iona’s ears perked up in interest.

At that moment,

“Meow, meow, meow! Leave negotiations to me, who learned from the god of trading, President Park, meow!”

Theo shouted bravely. Right now was the opponent’s crisis. It was time to use the trading skills Se-jun used against the raccoons a few days ago.

“Who are you?! Who are you to interfere?!”

When Theo, who had been behaving annoyingly since earlier, interfered in the conversation between himself and Iona, Mason exploded, unable to contain his anger.

But

“Puhuhut. If you ask who I am, it is only natural to answer.”

Our Theo was simply glad to have an opportunity to introduce himself.

“This body is the great Black…”

“He is the outstanding wandering merchant, Theo.”

Iona introduced Theo briefly. There was nothing good about spreading rumors everywhere that he was a subordinate of the Black Dragon.

In particular, he had just stolen Mason’s items. Revealing his identity would lower Se-jun’s reputation.

“What?! Why does a wandering merchant take that side?! I am the president of the Wandering Merchant Association!”

Mason got angry at Theo’s words.

“Don’t worry, meow! I am not on Iona’s side but President Park’s side, meow!”

“What?!”

“Let’s finish it with a cool deal, meow! In exchange for saving your son, free! How about it, meow?!”

“Nonsense! 15%!”

“Give it for free, meow!”

“20%!”

“Give it for free, meow!”

‘What was with this guy?’

Mason, who had risen to this position from a bottom-tier wandering merchant, was flustered looking at Theo, who consistently yelled ‘free.’

He was a guy truly lacking common sense. An attitude that didn’t even consider the opponent’s profit margin. He wondered how Theo had become an outstanding wandering merchant when he didn’t even know the first thing about negotiation.

‘Does he have backing?’

Considering he was traveling with Iona, it was possible, but knowing Iona’s personality, she was not one to carry around such baggage.

“President Theo, let’s go.”

It seemed things wouldn’t progress this way.

“Meow?! What do you mean, meow? The bargaining hasn’t ended yet, meow!”

“Is that so? Then there’s no choice. I will go straight up to the 99th floor of the tower from here. Se-jun’s lap… kyut.”

“That cannot be, meow!”

Theo flared up at Iona’s smile. There was no threat greater than this for Theo.

“Then shouldn’t we finish the trade on the 38th floor of the tower quickly?”

“Understood, meow! Iona, you must resolve the issue on the 55th floor of the tower and come up too, meow!”

“I understand. I promise.”

“Then I will go, meow!”

Having obtained a promise from Iona not to go straight up to the 99th floor of the tower, Theo hurriedly went down to the 38th floor.

***

271st day of being stranded.

“Only a few hours remain until the Blue Moon.”

Se-jun said as he ate cheese soup and baguette bread for dinner. Welcoming the 10th Blue Moon since being stranded, Se-jun’s heart was very relaxed. Because he trusted Aileen.

Fortunately, Aileen, who was sleeping soundly due to the aftereffects of polymorph, opened her eyes in the morning.

[The administrator of the tower asked if it was true that you didn’t remember the events during the drinking contest.]

“Yes. I must have blacked out because I drank too much.”

[The administrator of the tower got angry, asking why you drank to the point of blacking out.]

Aileen was briefly shocked that Se-jun did not remember his meeting with her, but considering it an opportunity to create a good first impression with Se-jun again, she thought it was rather for the best.

“Please take good care of me today too.”

[The administrator of the tower bragged to trust only her.]

After finishing the conversation with Aileen like that, Se-jun only cut green onion leaves and did not harvest crops today. It was to increase the probability of the Blue Moon’s energy permeating the crops.

And when about 1 hour remained until midnight,

“Guys, to your positions.”

Se-jun sent the rabbits and poison honeybees to various fields. It was to not miss the crops imbued with the Blue Moon’s energy.

A moment later, the Blue Moon rose. However, as time passed, Aileen did not appear.

“…Aileen?”

Se-jun hurriedly called Aileen.