I felt the shopkeeper’s face stiffen frighteningly as I finished speaking.
Fortunately, it seemed that the first code I chose from the VIP external access code list was still valid.
“Well, VIP external access codes are not changed frequently.”
“…I see. Please wait a moment.”
“Yes… Ah!”
As if I remembered something, I quickly pulled out a mana stone from my pocket.
“Would it be okay if I paid with this?”
“…!”
This was not only a means to facilitate future transactions but also a test to see the level of Darel.
“P-Please wait! I’ll be right back!”
The shopkeeper, her eyes widened as she looked at my mana stone, hastily took it with trembling hands and disappeared in a hurry.
“If she refused to accept this cheap gem, I would have been disappointed.”
I felt fortunate to have a discerning eye, as I would need to continue trading in the future.
“Well, this is just the beginning. No need to be nervous.”
I let out a small sigh.
The place I had come secretly to sell mana stones was none other than the information guild “Darel.”
The empire had numerous information guilds, and I had a list of decent ones in my head.
I knew which guilds collected the most social information, which ones were good at espionage and catching adulterers, and which ones were deeply associated with the underworld guilds.
Each guild had its own specialties to maintain its lineage, but among them, the top was undoubtedly Terentium, to which I belonged.
Terentium spread its roots not only in the empire but throughout the continent, acquiring information from other countries faster than the imperial palace. It also had excellent judgment to understand the movements of underground forces by combining the given information.
Most importantly, the first-rate agents of Terentium, known as the elite information agents, were the core force. They successfully carried out any mission they received.
And, the one closely following Terentium, known as the best information guild on the continent, was Darel.
During my active days, it had already established itself as the second in command. So, when I asked the officers, they said that one day it suddenly appeared, boasting a gold mine and offering exorbitant salaries to agents of other guilds, thereby exploding its growth.
The officers were very regretful about this because they thought that not only was it frighteningly competitive, but it also seemed to imitate Terentium in a strange way.
A guild shrouded in secrecy, not revealing its leader. It was difficult to get requests, and the costs were extremely high.
That was very similar to Terentium’s characteristics.
Moreover, they had been trying to scout Terentium’s guild members countless times, which was annoying.
‘Of course, there were no information agents who left Terentium, loyal as they were.’
Anyway, Darel’s specialties were social information and commercial activities.
While others may not know, I also knew that Darel had its own upper echelon.
That is, for me, who had to secretly carry out business, this was the best guild to entrust with missions.
To make big money, I ultimately had to target the nobles, and major deals were often made through social connections.
Naturally, building connections and proposing deals were often accomplished through social activities.
So, the only choice for me, who couldn’t reveal my identity, was to contract with a trusted expert, hide my identity, comfortably earn money, and give them their share.
“W-We appreciate your patience! Our master is waiting upstairs.”
“Master?”
I nodded my head, hiding my surprised expression under the robe.
Seeing her address the person as “master” instead of “boss,” it was clear that she was undoubtedly the guild leader of Darel.
“I didn’t expect to meet the guild leader right away.”
With each passing moment, I became more convinced that this was Darel’s headquarters.
“Oh, please pack the cake. I’ll take it when I leave.”
Following the shopkeeper, I remembered and said without forgetting, and she smiled and nodded.
Then, with a polite bow, she said, “You can go in here.”
Feeling a nervous excitement, I stared at the heavy door in front of me.
* * *
A space filled with a subtle mint scent.
The man sitting in front of a long table looked at the mana stone in his hand.
The pink mana overflowing from the gem looked mediocre and of low quality, but it contained powerful and highly pure mana to the extent that such qualities did not matter.
Despite its small size, the amount of mana it contained was minimal due to its size, but its purity was comparable to the highest-grade mana stones mined in the Belus Kingdom, which glittered with a golden hue.
‘I haven’t heard any news about the discovery of a mana stone mine.’
Could it be that a jackpot had been hit somewhere he didn’t know? Despite rapidly expanding his network of information, he felt dissatisfied knowing that he had not yet fully mastered it.
Then it happened.
With a click, the door opened, and a figure in an ash-colored robe entered.
“…!”
For a moment, he froze, staring at the small figure in front of him.
The information agent, surprised by the fact that someone had come with a code known only to a member of the royal family and even brought a mana stone, couldn’t even say that the person was a child.
‘Moreover, this mana…’
The man looked at the child in front of him with a bewildered expression.
‘Could it be that this mana stone has been directly infused with mana?’
Lia nodded, inwardly smiling. She thought it was a good idea to release all the mana she had been controlling before entering.
Feeling that the conversation would progress faster than expected, Lia quickly observed Darel’s guild leader.
He was a man with thick brown hair and a very imposing appearance.
But judging from the aura of mana emanating from him, it seemed like he had used transformation magic.
“Why the hell would you do such a crazy thing!”
The man exclaimed in frustration.
“Is your life not worth anything?”
“That’s my business. Why are you getting mad?”
Seeing someone react like that at first sight, it seemed like he was a magician who treated mana like his own life, but Lia felt very annoyed. She even felt bad about using informal speech so naturally.
Even if he seemed difficult as a client, he shouldn’t just blurt out words like that.
However, when Lia responded informally, the man seemed surprised and remained stiff.
Shrugging her shoulders, Lia spoke up.
“Do you want to take the request or not?”
“…What kind of information do you want?”
“Not information, I’ve come for a trade.”
“A trade?”
“Yes. I want to sell what I’m holding.”
At Lia’s words, the man hesitated.
“Ha… you’re going to keep making more in the future.”
Seeing him shaking his head as if he were witnessing someone attempting suicide, Lia decided to respond generously.
“Don’t worry. I value my life too.”
“But!”
“Enough. Why do I have to explain everything to you? Are you going to trade with me or not?”
“…Go on.”
Looking at the man swallowing his pride, Lia continued.
“What I want is simple. I’ll exclusively supply mana stones to this place for six months.”
“Six months?”
Lia nodded. She had no intention of being greedy when there was no need.
Moreover, she could earn a sufficient amount of money even if she withdrew after just half a year.
“Sell them through the Delis upper tier. I’ll give you half of the profit, including the commission.”
She added that making such an offer was also a way of indicating that she expected him to keep her personal information confidential.
But the man didn’t seem interested in this astonishing contract condition.
“Delis upper tier, how would you…?”
The man touched his forehead as if he had a headache.
The Delis upper tier was a superficial upper tier that was established with the guild but still didn’t handle any proper products. Moreover, only a few people knew about the relationship between the guild and the upper tier.
However, the other party already knew everything.
“So, are you going to sign the contract with me or not?”
“….”
At Lia’s pressing words, the man’s eyebrows twitched.
Although he had initially spoken informally because he was so surprised, the short reply that came back immediately felt too awkward.
“I’m a busy person. Can you answer quickly?”
“….”
The man quickly pushed aside any unnecessary thoughts and regained his composure.
It was an irreplaceable contract. He could tell just from the attitude of the other party.
Only someone with absolute confidence in the value of money could boldly negotiate terms like this. And that confidence was not just for show. If he could exclusively supply the mana stone, the Delis upper tier would change the market dynamics in just six months.
However, he felt worried that the small client in front of him didn’t understand the value of his mana. But even if he refused, he would just find another guild and make the same offer. So…
* * *
“I’ll do it.”
I inwardly cheered at the man’s words and shrugged my shoulders.
“I knew you would. Let’s write the contract right away.”
The man let out a light sigh and handed over the contract along with the advance payment.
I carefully checked the contents of the contract. There were clauses regarding contract termination and penalties, but they didn’t apply to me, so I didn’t pay much attention to them.
Instead, the amount of the advance payment was even larger than I expected, making me wonder if it was okay to receive so much.
‘Well, he must be confident that he can earn more than that.’
After signing, I handed over all the mana stones I brought and quickly took off the hood attached to my robe.
Since the deal was officially concluded, there was no problem with revealing my face.
However, suddenly I felt the man in front of me holding his breath.
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
This chapter was translated by Bree.
If you like my work please support us in Patreon. Next post will be released on May, 4.
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