5.
So, what did I end up doing? Well, a friend told me to just keep doing what I've been doing. After all, there's no reason not to heed a friend's request if it's for the sake of friendship.
To be more specific about what I'm doing.
"We're admitting our defeat...."
I've been traveling around the world, making the merchants of various cities kneel.
"Here, we offer tributes as a token of homage, please look upon our city with mercy…"
A hundred citizens proposed a trade with me at once. The trade items? Nothing much. I won't visit their city for the next six months, and in return, the citizens offer a big bow.
[The port city of Bataran acknowledges your victory over them.]
[With this, you have become a merchant who has made six cities kneel.]
[The citizens of the city are very dissatisfied with this trade!]
[You are very satisfied with this trade.]
[Once again, you alone have reaped tremendous benefits.]
The Gold Heaven World is falling into ruin because of me, an irregular.
It's like a kind of famine.
The cities I arrive at invariably have their secrets exposed. Unable to bear it, the citizens surrender unconditionally, leading to dire hunger. In short, a year of calamity befalls the city.
['The Cat that Bit a Gold Coin' screams for it all to stop!]
Suddenly becoming a walking famine, ['The Cat that Bit a Gold Coin'] was pushed further into a corner.
Already, six port cities had fallen. Regrettably, there was no one who could stop me.
Bounty hunters skilled in combat came at me in droves once. A group of seven mercenaries all donned tiger skin cloaks.
[The mid-sized group 'Those Who Can Fight' proposes a trade.]
[1. For the next 30 minutes, both parties agree to exchange physical blows.]
[2. After 30 minutes, a total settlement will be conducted.]
[3. At the time of settlement, the amount of physical damage received from the opponent will be considered a loss.]
[4. The amount of physical damage dealt to the opponent will be considered a gain…]
This is the Gold Heaven World. Even for a brawl, mutual consent is needed, along with a contract to define the terms.
The result?
Do I even need to say? I mean, beyond the hologram, Merchant God was still streaming tears while the Count was nonchalantly crunching on potato chips. Could there be a clearer distinction between victory and defeat?
『The sixth city has also fallen smoothly. It's a cause for celebration.』
『Meow… Meoooow…』
『How many cities are left in that world now? Seven? Six? Even if six hundred were left, it's only a matter of time.』
For your information, the conversation happening now was not a recording but a live feed. Every time I swept through a city, the Count would strike a deal with the Merchant God and extort 'something' from them. This live conversation was also a spoils of plunder.
Our tower's economic manager is indeed meticulous…
『It's time to admit to a complete defeat. No matter how much you resist from here, it will only ruin your heaven. For now, Death King generously accepts a big bow and retreats, but who knows what will happen in the future.』
『What wrong have we done to you!?』
The cats exploded in indignation.
『We were just quietly continuing with our small businesses! Meow! This is the tyranny and violence of a mighty Constellation! We will not stand for this! Meow! We will formally protest!』
『What wrong did you do? For starters, if I use my skill more than a certain number of times in a day, I get penalized with cat ears sprouting on my head.』
『What's the problem with that! Cat ears! Aren't they cute!』
『Additionally, there's also a penalty where using the Universal Shop beyond a certain limit causes a cat tail to grow, isn't that so?』
『The cat tail boasts a perfect curve both anatomically and evolutionarily! The fact that we gave even insignificant human races a chance to taste such a divine creation deserves gratitude, not disdain!』
『When I purchased the item named 'World Peace,' didn't it end up screwing me over?』
『Ah, it's quite laughable that a grown adult seriously bought a product named 'World Peace'. I included that phrase with the intention of teaching you a lesson to mature a bit; it wasn't meant to be taken so seriously. Meow. Isn't that also an experience and a lesson?』
The cats vigorously waved their arms in agreement.
『Indeed!』
『That's a correct statement, meow!』
『Whether a count or unemployed, what kind of customer is this! It's not even funny! We are the real masters here!』
『Be grateful! Hurry and express your gratitude for our existence! Bow your head and thank us for granting you skills and for imposing penalties on you! Bow down! Offer a sincere, deep bow!』
『Even cats have their pride!』
『Meow! Meow! Meow!』
The Count nodded deeply.
『Now, I believe you fully understand why I'm determined to deal with these double-trouble felines, Kim Gong-ja.』
My friend.
You seem to have a lot of pent-up frustration….
"Hmm."
It was already night.
After conquering the seventh city, I unfolded the map.
Following Count's plan to subjugate dozens, hundreds of cities seemed easy. It would just take time, not a difficult feat.
However.
"It's strange."
From beyond the hologram, Count tilted her head in confusion.
『What is strange?』
"The Cat that Bit a Gold Coin… I mean, the Merchant God, is nowhere to be seen. Even though it seems like I'm moving around, I've been heading to major cities, you know? The seventh city I just conquered, and the sixth port, was the most prosperous city in this world."
In the Gold Heaven World, there are only port cities.
Whether it was deliberately designed this way to facilitate trade, or because the majority of the world is water. Seas. Clusters of islands are gathered, and villages and cities are established along the coastlines.
There's no such thing as inland. There are mountains, but no villages are placed on them. Without exception, [all places where people live are adjacent to the sea].
"I thought I would see the Merchant God in the largest city."
『See? What do you mean by see?』
"I mean, literally visible to the eyes. The owner of the last stage was a tree. A World Tree that could cover an entire city and then some. If it's heaven, I thought it would make sense for the god to be visible anywhere."
『Hmm….』
The Count furrowed her brows, as if the idea was novel to her, and it was clear from the space between her eyebrows that she had never thought about it that way before, and probably never would.
『That's an interesting perspective.』
"Yes, well. So, I thought the Merchant God's main residence would be in the largest city. But no matter how much I search, it's not there. It's strange, really."
『Perhaps the last stage was an exception? Each god to their own. These ones might have built their hideout far away, giggling while watching humans destroy each other.』
"Could that be the case?"
『Absolutely, no doubt about it.』
I glanced at the hologram.
『What, what are you staring at!?』
The cats flinched.
『Don't think that looking at us like that will scare us! We're not afraid of something like you, meow!』
『Really! You'll regret not negotiating with us when we are bowing and being submissive! Ah, you should have just accepted a good deal and ended it there!』
『That ship has already capsized! There's no soup left!』
『No soup! No soup! No soup!』
But really, how about that chant….
Even though they look like cats on the outside, they are still Constellations. A powerful Constellation that governs the 70th-floor region. I checked to see if the cats were unable to manage their expressions and gave away their feelings, but as expected, there was no such fundamental mistake.
"...."
I looked around carefully. The waves lapped gently at the dockside.
Come to think of it, when I first arrived at this stage, I was at the dockside as well. Although, at that time, I turned my gaze towards the streets rather than the sea. [Every village is a port]. Could there be a clue hidden in that fact?
"The Cat that Bit a Gold Coin. The Cat that Bit a Gold Coin, huh. Gold coin...."
Lost in thought, I wandered the beach when suddenly, the moon rising in the night sky caught my eye.
It was a full moon.
"...."
A thought crossed my mind.
Carefully managing not to let my emotions show on my face, I casually spoke to the Count.
"Nisha."
『Hmm? It's the first time you're calling me by my real name. Well, you've been calling Patricia by her real name for a while now. It's quite late, to be honest. With this, you're the only person who calls both Patricia and me by our real names. Normally, those who are close to me despise Patricia, and those who are close to Patricia despise me, but you're quite unique.』
"It's a great honor. Anyway, Nisha. You're watching me like watching a movie over there. Is it possible to do a [rewind]?"
『Hmm? Well, I suppose it should be possible?』
The Count turned her head and spoke.
Murmurs. From my angle, someone was conversing in a blind spot to the hologram, well, obviously consulting with the [Wand of Ages].
Soon after, the Count turned back to me.
『It's possible.』
"Then, although it might be a bit troublesome, could you please check the night sky from last night, the night before, and the nights three and four days ago? There's something I want to confirm."
『Sounds more productive than crunching on potato chips. Sure.』
The Count waved her fan, her eyes scanning the void.
Though invisible to me, images from the past few days were now visible to the Count.
"Are you watching?"
『I have them all displayed.』
"Please check the moon."
A flinch.
The cats turned to look at me in unison.
But it was too late. No longer needing to manage my expression, I immediately asked.
"Is there any change in the shape of the moon?"
『.....』
"By any chance, has it been a full moon continuously without any changes?"
Slowly, the Count nodded.
『Correct. Not a single movement. A clear full moon.』
Just as I thought.
『Meow! Now that I think about it, negotiating doesn't seem like a bad idea…!』
『Surely, there must be conditions even for an unconditional surrender, right?』
『Customer! We will seriously engage in surrender negotiations from now on!』
The cats started to panic. The Count, clueless about the situation, tilted her head in confusion.
However, I, paying no attention to that, enhanced my vision. Aura infusion. With sight beyond human limits, I gazed up at the full moon.
'Nothing there.'
Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything on the surface of the moon.
No, in fact, it wasn't even a real moon. Unlike Earth's moon, this moon had a spotless surface. It wasn't even spherical but flat. It was merely something that took the shape of a moon.
'That place is not the hideout. The cats are not there. Then…'
I quickly scanned my surroundings.
According to my reasoning,
1. Heaven has a Constellation that governs it.
2. Souls can always feel and see that Constellation, anytime and anywhere.
3. The souls here invariably live adjacent to the sea.
4. Therefore, the Constellation might reside in the sea.
If the sea itself is the Constellation, all problems would be solved. However, the Constellation of the 73rd floor is [Cat]. Not [Sea]. Nor is it any sea-related creature.
Could it be living in the deep sea? Building a base in the deep sea, or perhaps moving around in a submarine? That could be possible. But in that case, the souls couldn't always feel or observe the Constellation.
'A god that can be easily seen by simply looking out at the sea.'
The waves crashed against the sea.
'Not the deep sea, nor somewhere in the open sea.'
The dark night sea.
In the middle of the pitch-black water surface, brightly reflected.
'Just something that anyone in a seaside village, where people live, can easily see.'
The full moon.
The moon in the night sky was reflecting white.
Like, a round gold coin.
"—-Indeed."
I smiled.
"I've found it."
And without hesitation, I stepped towards the sea. Splash, ripples formed. The ripples did not grow more intense but remained gentle. Splash. Splash! I ran towards the spot where the full moon reflected on the water's surface.
『Nyaaaaaa?!』
The cats chorused in alarm.
『No! No! Wait, let's make a deal! Let's have a trade!』
『Customer! Count! VIP guest! We will offer a 50% discount on all items forevermore! Isn't that enough? Could you please accept our surrender!?』
『60 percent! 70 percent! 80 percent!』
『We will give a discount of up to 90 percent, so please stop your friend…!』
Surprisingly, when I dived towards the surface where the gold coin reflected, what welcomed my face and body wasn't the cold seawater.
I only felt the touch of water momentarily on the surface.
Soon after, a distinctly different gravity from that of water caught me.
"H-h-he's hereeee, nyaaaa!?"
I landed, thud, on solid ground.
There was no underwater palace like in the tales. The moon reflected on the water was a kind of portal, a gate. Passing through the moon on the water's surface was directly entering the dwelling ruled by the Merchant God. The [Gold Coin] was the [Full Moon], and the [Cat that Swallowed a Gold Coin] was indeed the [Cat Living in the Full Moon].
"Emergency! Emergency!"
"What do we do…?"
"D-don't be scared, meow! What's the difference between dying once or twice!"
"It's all over now!"
Cats gathered in a stark white space, huddling closely together, shivering and trembling. The sight of the colorfully marked cats gathering and quivering together was, well, unexpectedly touching.
"Hmm."
I smiled warmly. After all, I had come as the nutcase representative of our tower.
"Greetings, brethren."
And there's a certain elegance that only a nutcase should possess when dealing with other nutcases.
"Do you perhaps know the way?"