The laughing Billos let out a short sigh.
"Huuuuuu."
He had subconsciously done it.
Cale watched him sigh before nonchalantly commenting.
"I guess it is quite a headache."
"…Mm."
Billos contemplated it for a moment before nodding his head.
"I guess so, young master-nim. But it is still okay."
"Because you participated in the restoration of Puzzle City?"
"Yes, young master-nim."
The Flynn Merchant Guild had no head right now. Billos was in the process of becoming the head but the chaos caused by the numerous deaths in the House of Flynn was not easily settling down.
"His highness gave our Merchant Guild an opportunity as well."
He was thankful that the Flynn Merchant Guild could participate in the large business of restoring Puzzle City.
"It is because his highness trusts you."
Alberu approved of Billos's abilities after having worked with him multiple times. It was his trust in Billos that made him allow the Flynn Merchant Guild to participate.
"That's a relief."
Billos could not hide the bitter smile on his face.
'Everything feels so futile.'
He felt empty right now.
'…No matter what…'
He had wanted to become the merchant guild leader of the Flynn Merchant Guild no matter what it took.
He wanted to get past the situation of being shunned for being a bastard and desired to get his abilities approved.
That process had been going well.
'It started after I met the young master-nim.'
Billos had built his power since building that relationship with Cale, being placed in charge of taking care of the magic devices from the Whipper Kingdom and other tasks.
And then things ended up like this.
The Merchant guild leader and his half-siblings were no longer in the Flynn Merchant Guild.
The only person to help the merchant guild rise up from this chaos was Billos, the person who had to run away while injured.
'It is tiring.'
His body was still in pain.
However, he was not tired because the situation was like that.
It felt as if something, something that was making Billos move, had disappeared.
His dream of becoming not just the Flynn Merchant Guild's leader but the greatest merchant had not changed, but Billos couldn't help but be tired.
He subconsciously spoke in a weakened voice.
"Really, it is a relief. At least his highness trusts the Flynn Merchant Guild when it is like this."
"I told you it is not the merchant guild but you that he trusts."
Plop.
Cale pulled a document out of his pocket and threw it on the table.
Billos looked at Cale, wondering what this document was, before he heard Cale speak in a nonchalant voice.
"And I trust you even more than he does."
"…Excuse me?"
"Take a look."
Billos subconsciously gulped.
His instincts were telling him something.
Cale Henituse. Just like that time when he realized that the 'trash young master' wasn't really just trash…
Something he couldn't pinpoint, a sensation that he could not be sure about was visiting Billos right now.
Billos's hand was shaking as he picked up the document Cale had placed on the table.
"Shh."
Cale nonchalantly commented as he opened up the document.
"I've already talked to his highness and our territory."
Billos's pupils were shaking as he read through the document.
The word, mines, caught his attention. It was followed by the sizes and output rates of the mines.
"… Y, young master-nim-"
His voice was shaking as he called out to Cale. His hands clenched around the document.
"What is it?"
Cale nonchalantly asked Billos.
"You are the only merchant I have to do things. You know that."
"…Ha."
Billos let out a short sigh.
"Ha, haha-"
And it soon turned into laughter. A smile appeared on Billos's swollen face.
It made him look quite hideous but he didn't care.
"…It is not just one or two mines."
There were numerous pages to the document.
"Yeah."
Cale looked out the window. He had stealthily come here so people of Puzzle City did not know that he was here.
He observed the site that was full of people hard at work despite the end of the year having cold weather. He then started to speak again.
"The work might end up involving many regions or even kingdoms. Even though I am the owner of the mines, I will not be able to check on them all the time."
He would be busy running around to numerous worlds.
"That is why I have no choice but to get you involved."
He needed people he was sure about being on his side in this mines issue.
And if it is Billos…
'He is trustworthy.'
Furthermore, Cale felt the level of trust Billos had for him after Billos came to find him in his extremely injured state.
"…Young master-nim."
Billos clenched his eyes shut.
'And I trust you even more than he does.'
Those words suddenly flashed in Billos's mind.
His hands clenched around the document.
Billos opened his eyes again before energetically responding.
"I will make sure to do a good job."
"Yeah, that's enough."
Cale looked out the window again before continuing to speak.
"First."
It was at that moment.
Ding ding!
Notifications went off in Cale's pocket.
"Young master-nim?"
Billos could see Cale scowl a bit.
It didn't look as if he was angry; it looked more like subtle annoyance and weariness.
'What is going on?'
Cale touched the area around his eyes with one hand and continued to speak while Billos was wondering what was going on.
"I guess I'll need to meet Commander Toonka."
Billos's face stiffened.
"…Are you thinking of putting a mine-"
"Roan can't digest all of them anyway."
These mines of different types were all the largest in size.
It was impossible for the Roan Kingdom to handle all of these on their own, and even if it was possible and all of the mines were placed in the Roan Kingdom…
'Then the other kingdoms will form an alliance to go after the Roan Kingdom.'
Based on what he has seen, the kingdoms of the Eastern and Western continents would do that easily.
"I'll chat with his highness first."
"Yes, young master-nim."
Ding. Ding!
Billos flinched at the continuing noise but chose to slowly ignore it after seeing Cale ignore it as well.
"Then I will see you again soon."
"Yes, young master-nim. I will go to the Henituse territory."
"Okay."
Cale finished his meeting with Billos and slowly pulled the mirror out.
< ...I was just wondering if you've been well... …Are you sleeping? >
Ding ding!
< S, sir, are you perhaps angry that I spoke so... informally...? - Sincerely, the trying to be tactful CP >
"Haaaaa."
Cale couldn't help but sigh whenever he saw messages from CP.
"…I guess he is pushy and enthusiastic…"
And…
"…He is cooperative as well, but..."
Ooooooooong-
The mirror vibrated and a new message appeared.
< The God of Death is busy for a while. He is quite frazzled right now because Ba-whatever and Guar-whatever had a fight. So please figure out the issue of the gate on your own. >
Cale ignored it.
He didn't ever really need that god anyway.
Click.
He walked out of the room in the inn where he was chatting with Billos and walked into the next room.
"Human, are you done with your conversation?"
"Yeah."
Raon instantly flew over to Cale's side. He then pointed out the window.
"Everybody is working so hard on the construction!"
"Of course."
The construction experts were chosen by the kingdom but the regular workers were mostly picked from Puzzle City and the nearby territory.
There were even people who volunteered to help with the restoration in order to restore their home.
"Hmm."
If Puzzle City was being rebuilt anyway…
It would be nice if it looked great.
The crown prince would probably restore Puzzle City into a magnificent city if he had enough money.
Ding ding!
Cale sat down on a chair and crossed his legs after seeing another notification.
Tap.
He then placed the mirror on the table.
Ding ding!
He checked the message.
< Hello...! Cale Henituse-nim...! My name is CP...! I'm messaging because there has not been a response... (Tilts head)... Sir, d, do I not have a chance? That's.... Not good... - Sincerely, CP who is sending a proper and respectful message >
'Something's off.'
Cale felt that something was off with this world that kept calling itself CP.
"Human, why do you have such an unsettled look on your face? That's the look you have right before you help someone!"
Cale ignored Raon's comments and made a comment.
"I will go to the Central Plains."
Ding ding!
< D, do you mean that...? For real? For reeeeeeeal...? Oh my... Thank you very much, sir! >
"However."
Cale continued with a stoic gaze.
"I will go there in two weeks."
He was planning on resting as much as possible before going.
'Well, I don't need to rest because it wasn't very hard for me in Xiaolen.'
Ron still had his cast on and could not go right away after taking it off. He would need to rest a bit before going.
< T, two weeks later is fine, sir! It really is f, fine...! >
The mirror continued to vibrate but Cale ignored it.
"I also have another condition."
< ...Please... please tell me, sir! I will do my best...! >
The mirror continued to vibrate.
'Human, what is up with this divine item?"
Raon asked with confusion and slowly tapped the mirror, but… Cale ignored it and continued to speak.
"A limit of seven people is not enough."
< ...M, my goodness...! >
The mirror shook quite a bit.
< … I... I... I am still a baby world, sir...! Seven is already pushing myself quite a bit... Sir...! >
Cale scowled. He felt as if he was bullying this world.
'Wait, even if it is a baby world, it should have lived longer than I have, no?'
The Black Bloods had been plotting away on the Xiaolen Planet for over 300 years. The Blood Cult had been working with the House of Huayans since then, so they should have existed for more than 300 years as well.
'It should be at least 300 years old but it is a baby?
Isn't that too much?'
Cale slowly looked unsettled.
"Human, are you okay? What is wrong?!"
He then saw Raon.
Dragons lived for 1,000 years.
'In a Dragon's point of view, 100 years old is probably still considered an infant.'
Cale soon looked even more unsettled.
He looked at the mirror, sighed, and commented.
"…Do whatever you can to increase it..."
His voice was a bit weaker.
He had originally wanted around 10 people, but…
"…At least increase it by one to make it eight."
He needed a minimum of eight people.
In addition to Cale…
'Choi Han, Raon, Ron, Beacrox, Number 7, Durst.'
And… Sui Khan.
He needed Team leader Lee Soo Hyuk. It would be easy to secretly contact Choi Jung Soo if he had the team leader.
'Of course, there is no guarantee that we will meet Choi Jung Soo there.'
But we will probably meet him.
He felt as if that would be the case.
Cale looked at the silent mirror that was shaking and asked.
"Are beast people considered not human?"
< … No, sir!... Beast people are people too... >
'As I expected.'
Cale nodded his head at this expected response and nonchalantly commented.
"I'll only take one nonhuman so use that to make it a total of eight people."
"Human, why does your voice sound so weak?"
Ding ding!
He heard a notification at that moment.
Cale clenched his eyes after reading the message.
< I, I can do it...! >
Ding ding!
< C, CP can do it...! >
"Haaaaaaaa."
< Sir, I will make sure to live up to your expectations! I will be back with results within two weeks, sir...! - Sincerely, the hardworking CP >
"Human, why do you keep shaking your head like that?"
Cale just ignored the voices of the two children.
Instead, he thought about the list of ten rewards Xiaolen had given him. The items given to his people were all very good items.
"…I'll have to borrow them for a bit."
He would need to borrow some of them.
The Central Plains.
He didn't know how things would go in that place.
"…I'll have to rely on being overgeared."
It felt as if he should take a lot of things that could be useful.
"…Money too."
If it feels like he doesn't have enough strength…
Then it'll have to be money.
"Human, why are you opening your eyes like that?"
Ding ding!
< ...CP... C, can do it! I can be a super strong world...! >
Cale firmed his resolve to take a lot of gold, jewels, and anything else that could be used as money.
* * *
"…My close friend."
Cale flinched after seeing Toonka's gaze.
'What's up with him?'
As he was about to scowl…
Boom. Boom. Boom.
Toonka's large body quickly walked over and opened up his arms.
"You were alive...!"
He then tried to hug Cale.
'What's up with him?!'
As Cale's face tried to scowl even more…
Plop.
A scabbard appeared in between Toonka and Cale.
Toonka's body was stopped by the scabbard. It made him smile.
"Long time no see."
Choi Han completely ignored Toonka's smile.
Cale took two or three steps away from Toonka and started speaking.
"This place looks the same as always."
He was currently in the Royal Palace at the center of the Whipper Kingdom's capital.
"Hahaha! Isn't that why it is great?"
Of course, the loudly laughing Toonka did not know why Cale was here yet.
All Cale told him was that he was coming to visit. However, the Whipper Kingdom instantly responded to welcome them as soon as they received that call.
—
Translator's Comments
Boyfriend Toonka be waiting for Cale.