Chapter 19 Part3 (1/2)
<chapter 19.=”” clean=”” up=”” -=”” 3=””>
”Guten abend! [1]...Oh my, you came by yourself?”
”h.e.l.lo, Pleine.”
The secret shop's owner, Pleine, always greeted him with the same expression, whether it was when he was level 1 and didn't know anything, or now, when he was level 5 and realized that the events in the Underground Empire aren't progressing as simply as a retro game's scenario.
”Is the hot cocoa good?”
”Would you like some? Ah, I forgot you can't drink it.”
Moreover, she would always be eating something with a blissful expression whenever he entered the shop; she never failed to get under his skin! The red haired beauty set down her cup of hot cocoa, which had been pressed to her lips, and laughed while Lee s.h.i.+n Woo just grit his teeth.
Then, she spoke a bit more seriously than before.
”Last time I said I didn't think you'd be able to gather all that Perium, but how about it? Did you gather 1.3 million Perium?”
”Of course I did.”
Was it time to fight back now? Lee s.h.i.+n Woo smiled faintly and Pleine was sure that he made a lot of money.
”The time between visits was a bit long this time...”
”Ah, that's because I went to G.o.d's garden in between, so I needed some time to gather some more permits.”
”You visited G.o.d!?”
As expected, it seemed as though Pleine's information was indeed limited. Upon saying that he went to G.o.d's garden, Pleine started bombarding him with questions, and Lee s.h.i.+n Woo just replied adequately. When he told her about how he'd asked G.o.d for a quest to kill the undead heroes, she laughed uproariously.
”You made a choice like a hero who's been underground for dozens of years!”
”I'm not actually sure if this was a good idea or not, but...”
”You're probably already aware of this, but there's a limit to the karma she can bestow upon a human. A piece of her grace, the G.o.d's garden which can only be reached by gathering permits is also the same. That's the reason she cannot give you such a tremendous blessing, no matter how much she might want to.”
If G.o.d could unlimitedly bestow her power to others, the curse would already be gone. The reason Lee s.h.i.+n Woo could receive a greater blessing than the other heroes was because he traded his life for it. At the time, he couldn't understand, but now he understood it well, as if it were only natural.
”That's true.”
”What if she doesn't personally bestow that grace, but does so indirectly; and what if that blessing can only be bestowed upon you by using your own karma as a foundation? Naturally, the limitation widens significantly. That's the reason you were able to obtain the information regarding the scattered undead heroes in the Empire.”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo had made that request because he had a rough idea of what would happen. He thought it'd be much more profitable to get the quest rather than an item, but... In terms of results, he'd hit the mark. It was fine if he accepted it like that.
”Pleine, do you know about Ethan Cruz?”
”Ah... if you're asking specifically about him, does that mean you know?”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo wordlessly nodded his head and Pleine looked like she was at a loss.
”You've realized something that the other heroes have yet to realize. But regarding that person... I can only tell you to avoid him. I don't trade with him because I like him. Please understand that I can't carelessly pa.s.s on his information so long as he remains a hero.”
”Is it really ok for a hero to kill another hero?”
”It's not really forbidden. Normally, heroes can't absorb other heroes' strength by killing them, and even if they gain karma from killing them, they'll also acc.u.mulate bad karma, so there's no reason to do something so foolish...”
Ethan Cruz must possess an authority that makes that bad karma beneficial to him, or maybe he has a skill that does it. That's probably enough information. Pleine looked really troubled, so Lee s.h.i.+n Woo just shrugged his shoulders and decided to go on to the main topic.
”Anyway, I have some goods that I'd like to sell this time around.”
”Goods you'd like to sell? Ah, is it food?”
Pleine knew that Lee s.h.i.+n Woo possessed an ability that allowed him to utilize most items, so she quickly came to a conclusion, and sported a deep smile.
”You must've acquired it in a dungeon, so it should be fruit or vegetables. No, is it meat? Both are fine. Because every other hero wants food, you'll be paid handsomely.”
”How about alcohol?”
”Alcohol?”
Pleine's eyes momentarily s.h.i.+mmered, like the stars on the ceiling of a planetarium. At least, that's what it felt like to him.
”Alcohol is sold at an expensive price above ground as well! The unit price is different, the unit price! Please take it out. How many bottles do you have!?”
”You sell goods above ground as well?”
”Oh my. I have to make a living too, so I can't just trade with heroes, who only bring gloomy things, right? You haven't taken the alcohol out yet? What type is it? Whiskey? Rice Wine? Vodka? Ah, but wine would be the best.”
Was it the mood? It felt like Pleine would drink the alcohol whenever he took out a bottle... Lee s.h.i.+n Woo slightly opened his inventory and took out a bottle of wine. Pleine's eyes definitely s.h.i.+mmered like stars this time.
”It's wine!”
”Please take a look.”
”This is from Kerr Century!? There was still a Kerr Century remaining underground?”
”Ah, yes...”
If he told her there was an entire winery still there, it felt like she would take everything he had. Around now, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo realized that the goods he'd brought weren't ordinary.
”Ah, they're not vintage. But this much wine... Mm, alright. It has a premium, so I can give you 20,000 Perium for it.”
”That's not all I have. I have other types, so please take a look at them.”
”Others!? 381... This is a great vintage! This is vintage as well! This isn't... Ah, but it's still great wine. Since only novices are so concerned over the vintage.”
”I have no idea what you're talking about, so do as you please.”
Before he entered the secret shop, it felt like he was going to a wholesale dealer to sell his wine, but now it felt like he was having a sommelier examine his wine.
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo took out all the wine he had, which was a bit less than 50 bottles, and she looked distressed, with the most serious expression he'd ever seen from her... then, she opened her mouth.