Chapter 45 – Winning People (9)

After completing the license issuance and the reading of the magic engineer declaration, I walked straight out of the city hall.

In the midst of that, I carelessly tossed the golden compass at Heimdall’s feet.

‘Heimdall would have noticed, right?’

It was an unavoidable action, and an action that had to be done.

This was because Odin and Herman Melville were also present at the certificate issuance ceremony, which was also called the birth ceremony of a magic engineer, as it was an event even more important than the exam itself.

‘Baldr, Sif, Hermod, and Eir, they said…’

Standing behind them, from left to right, were the first, second, third, and fourth in order.

Because Odin’s four children, excluding Heimdall whose confinement must have just been lifted, had also participated in the event.

Since I felt them staring intently at me as I passed by Heimdall, I had to make it appear as though I had completely cut off ties with him.

At least on the surface.

That was the best way for both of us to avoid their checks right now.

‘It doesn’t matter if they suspect it’s just a show. We won’t have any exchange for the time being anyway.’

For the time being, I would communicate with Herman Melville through Natasha, and there would be no direct exchange with Heimdall.

In the end, since Herman Melville was connected to Heimdall, I would end up exchange messages with him as well, but looking at Natasha’s meticulous handling of things, it seemed unlikely that our tails would be stepped on.

In the first place, I did not know if they were aware of the relationship between Heimdall and Herman Melville, but those two men, who made even me nervous, could not possibly be so careless.

However.

‘He will clear up the misunderstanding on his own, right…?’

Heimdall seemed to have realized the intention behind throwing the compass onto the dirty dirt floor, but I could feel the gaze of his escort, Carlyle, searing the back of my head.

It seemed he thought I had publicly abandoned his lord, Heimdall, in front of all the citizens, Odin, and his four children.

Although I wanted to tell him that was exactly what I aimed for, I did not look back, thinking Heimdall would take care of it.

Because there were many eyes watching, I had to perform every single action and speak every single word with intent and meaning.

“Natasha, there is a place I need to stop by before we leave.”

“Where? Is it that tavern you mentioned yesterday?”

Because there were many eyes watching, we dropped formal speech and held hands, as we had agreed.

Although sweat broke out in each other’s hands and our hearts throbbed with tension, that stemmed from the vigilance of not knowing who might be watching from where.

“Not a tavern, but a liquor store. Didn’t we agree to raise a toast together all night when we return?”

Of course, Natasha already knew where we had to stop by before leaving, but the reason I deliberately blurted out the destination aloud was to plant the perception that I was a loose cannon.

One might ask what the use of acting like a loose cannon now was, when I had even grasped the prestige of being the top scorer magic engineer.

However, there was a huge correlation between skill and conduct.

A person who was the top scorer magic engineer while also having cautious and heavy conduct.

A person who was the top scorer magic engineer but whose conduct was light and dissolute.

It was obvious whom a person of power would guard against more.

‘There are days when my loose cannon-like past comes in handy.’

In that sense, the past that Aylen Vale had lived worked positively in times like this.

Holding hands like that, we walked straight into Jack Daniel’s liquor store amidst the hospitality of the people.

For reference, it took two hours just to get there.

Ring-

“Welcome.”

As we opened the door and walked inside, Jack Daniel was organizing liquor bottles on the display stand.

“Owner, I have arrived.”

“Hmm? You are…”

Smiling at him, who stopped organizing and turned around as if he remembered my voice, I spoke.

“Surely you won’t say you don’t remember?”

At that, he burst into laughter as if he had expected it, and slowly opened his mouth.

“Of course I know, Aylen Vale. Aren’t you the great figure who defeated Leona Melville, the granddaughter of Chief Engineer Herman Melville, and proudly took the top score in this magic engineering qualification exam!”

Did he hear my name from Namiya, or did he come to look at my face when the grades were posted?

Seeing that he was open for business, I thought he wouldn’t have done that today, so I asked.

“I knew by looking at the Eternal Embers golden badge on your chest representing the top scorer magic engineer, what else would I have looked at? How on earth did you take the top score with that brain of yours?”

“Ah…”

Hearing the reply, I felt like hiding in a mouse hole.

But from my perspective, it was a mistake I could easily make.

Because before pinning the badge, I was from a common nameless Ember, and everyone had recognized my existence by the ‘yellow armband’ first.

However, now the golden badge in the shape of Eternal Embers on my chest exuded a greater presence than the yellow armband wrapped around my arm.

It was a point where one could realize the social prestige of a magic engineer, regardless of origin.

‘It’s a bit… bitter.’

Yet, my mouth tasted bitter.

It was true that I was liberated from the shackles of my origin. But to put it the other way, unless one had a token issued by a metropolis like the Immortal Ember, no matter what great qualities they possessed, rookies would all be ignored in the same way.

This would also cause a major setback in the Ember development plan.

Since I wore the badge, there was no problem for me, but our Ember citizens who were not magic engineers would merely be rookies in other Embers.

While I was smiling bitterly, Jack Daniel spoke.

“Actually, your profile and portrait have already circulated widely among merchants and entrepreneurs.”

“Pardon? What do you mean by that?”

“You are the top scorer magic engineer. The one who suppressed the granddaughter of Herman Melville, the Chief Mechanical Magic Engineer who oversees the magic engineering department. Isn’t it natural for those with power and money to pay attention to where power is born?”

Creepily enough, it was true.

Since I had to be tailed by those sent by Odin’s four children simply because I possessed Heimdall’s compass.

Just as I thought that there might be even more people watching me besides them, he continued speaking.

“Ah, in sense of that, the same goes for the fifteen-year-old boy, Will Ford, who took second place.”

“The boy’s portrait must have circulated as well.”

Jack shrugged as if asking why I was questioning the obvious.

“This exam completely defied expectations. Compared to last year, the number of applicants tripled, yet those from humble origins took the top score and second place respectively… your value will skyrocket through the roof.”

“For now, I am just a single magic engineer who passed the exam.”

“My gut is usually quite accurate… you will make a name for yourself someday. I truly envy the person who did you a favor, to the point where you would buy Eternal Thirst for them.”

“Haha…”

It seemed I had truly become a great person.

Seeing that the owner, who used to look at me with pity as a rookie, was now spouting such flattery.

“Anyway, I failed to recognize a precious guest. Back then, I thought you were just an alcoholic rookie who had given up on life, but to think you are the top scoring magic engineer… Honestly, I still cannot believe it.”

“Well, then are you going to give me a discount?”

“I cannot do that. Calculations must always be accurate. Especially when it comes to money.”

Was it an iron rule as a merchant that money calculations must be thorough regardless of who the counterpart was?

He spoke firmly and brought out the whiskey, the Eternal Thirst on which I had placed a deposit.

But.

“Speaking of which… do you know that the deadline was yesterday? A day has passed since the promised date.”

“…!”

I had forgotten about it because I fled with Natasha to the lodging to avoid suspicious people yesterday, but come to think of it, that was the case.

The day he and I had made the promise was the dawn of the exam day, and the one-week deadline was until yesterday when the grades were revealed.

However, I should be grateful that he kept the whiskey without selling it even today, a day later.

“Then, the full price of two gold coins…”

I took out two gold coins from my chest and placed them on the counter.

But.

“Just take it.”

“Pardon?”

“This is my gift to you, who became the top scoring magic engineer.”

From the two gold coins I had just placed to the one gold coin he had received as a deposit.

He pushed a total of three gold coins and the whiskey in front of me.

However, what I did not understand was that there were two bottles of Eternal Thirst, which he had said had only one bottle left.

“Why are there two bottles of whiskey… and didn’t you just say that money calculations must be accurate?”

It was behavior that did not align with his words of just a moment ago.

At that, Jack Daniel spoke in a serious voice.

“On what basis did you believe my words? My words that there was only one bottle of Eternal Thirst and the price was two gold coins.”

“Who would scam a rookie with no money?”

From a common-sense standpoint, would anyone scam someone who had no money?

Jack’s reply to that was chilling even to me.

“No, you are wrong. I scammed you because you are a rookie. Because I do not fear the consequences.”

“…!”

“Actually, Eternal Thirst is worth one gold coin, is scattered in any shop, and the stock owned by the Ember itself is quite abundant. It means everything from beginning to end was a lie.”

At that, I received a great shock.

The arrogant feeling that I, who had been a player, understood this entire world had blinded my eyes.

Furthermore, his words that I became a target because I was a rookie.

“Because I am weak, I had no choice but to be taken advantage of… I was naive. Thank you for the good words.”

Was there not a saying that even a dried squid would yield a drop of water if squeezed?

It was a saying that awakened me, who had defined myself as a rookie and taken other people’s words at face value.

Looking at me with a peculiar gaze, Jack spoke.

“I said it to mean that you should discard the thought that others won’t try to deceive you just because you possess nothing. There is no need to blame yourself too much.”

“Is that so.”

“If you think about it, it is not entirely your fault. You wouldn’t have known what Eternal Thirst looked like or how much it cost, and you wouldn’t have had the opportunity to find out. How could you judge truth and falsehood when there is no information?”

“…”

“Therefore, do not jump into a game where there is no information. This is the entirety of the advice I can give you.”

I was listening to invaluable advice from a mere liquor store owner.

Thinking that I was still far from enough, I asked him.

“But why are you telling me such things?”

At that, for some reason, he placed one, two, three, four… as many as fifty gold coins on the counter and spoke.

“I also want to place at least one debt of gratitude on you.”

“…!”

‘What? Is he not a simple shop owner?’

I swallowed hard, looking at the fifty-three gold coins placed on the counter.

Just how rich was he to bring out that much money just to establish ‘a single debt of gratitude’?

“…Now that I see, you were not an ordinary merchant.”

“Haha, did you only realize that now? I am a crazy merchant, crazy for money.”

A person who was crazy for money, even while spending it without regret.

Certain that he was not a merchant but an entrepreneur conducting a business of immense scale, I asked.

“I want to do business with you, owner Jack Daniel.”

However, Jack Daniel snorted and spoke.

“You want to do business with me? I am sorry, but I cannot do that.”

“May I ask the reason?”

When I asked the reason for that subtle attitude of wanting to place a debt on me while refusing to do business, he replied seriously.

It seemed to be the case whenever we talked about money-related matters.

“Although I phrased it as a debt of gratitude, what I am doing to you is an investment. And you, Aylen, are currently in a position where you cannot give me anything of value.”

“Would it not work even if I gave you the one hundred gold coins I received as the top scorer’s prize?”

“It is impossible. One hundred gold coins is not money to me, and I do not sit at the same table with someone who lacks qualifications.”

“…”

“Your current value is at most fifty gold coins. Do not be greedy beyond this.”

Although he acknowledged my potential, it was merely an uncertain future value.

He meant that since I was currently nothing but a novice without a single achievement, I should not be overly greedy.

‘The fact that I cannot reveal my true skills acts like this.’

Had I said I was upper-intermediate—no, even just intermediate—not only gold coins, but qualifications would have been even less of a problem.

However, because it was unavoidable.

“We will see each other again soon. I will put what you gave me to good use.”

“Yes, I truly hope so. Go safely.”

Gathering the gold coins and the two bottles of whiskey, I quietly slipped out of the shop.

There was still a long way to go.