Act Like a Boss, Mr. Swallow

Chapter 4

***

[Translator Jjescus]

[Proofreader Zain]

***

The girl with silver hair that seemed delicate still maintained a neutral expression. Upon closer inspection, her arms and legs were slender. She appeared young, and it was highly unlikely that a child like her would have conquered a dungeon to obtain magic stones

She must be from a prominent family.

A sudden thought flashed through Amers mind. Among the nine imperial families, there was one with a hereditary trait of having silver hairs.

A shabby robe, clearly an attempt to conceal her appearance.

A shabby robe silver hair

Two pieces of information formed in Amers mind. Pure conjecture. But if, by chance, the daughter of that family had ran away with the familys treasure, the magical stones, the pieces seemed to fit together.

Ive been impolite. I never thought this would be such a valuable commodity.

Alright. Our guild Wing intends to purchase these magical stones. But first, lets introduce ourselves properly. I am Graumitz Amer, leader of the Magic tower Guild Wing. If its possible, may I know your name?

Re

Yes?

Ren.

Ren, your surname No, such trivialities dont matter. You dont need to mention your family. Lets proceed to the transaction. How much are you willing to sell for? All of them?

All of them.

Oh my, thats quite a lot.

Amer, trying to maintain composure, felt a cold sweat on his forehead. It was disconcerting not being able to read the other partys expression during negotiations. Moreover, in this situation where an audacious response was given without hesitation, determining the price was a dilemma. He couldnt gauge whether to quote high or low. The only thought occupying Amers mind was that he had to somehow secure the deal.

Bring out all the gold and jewels we have in the guild.

After sending a signal to the guild members around, Amer pretended to examine the magical stones.

We cant let her think that we cant afford the stones.

How much were you planning to inquire about?

The price is on your end.

How about 50 ounces per piece? For the ones in good condition, we could go up to 80 ounces.

Upon hearing this, Ren paused for a moment.

To buy just one of these, commoners like us would have to save up relentlessly for ten years.

The words of a merchant she had met earlier came to Rens mind.

For an ordinary human like Ren, the money earned from a years work amounted to about 10 ounces of gold. It would take 10 years to save up 100 ounces.

But arent the magical stones you brought larger than this?

Mock me again, and youll die.

Ha, hahaha. I jest. But honestly, even if our Wing pooled all our money together, we couldnt afford them all.

Then buy as much as you can.

However, Ren, judging by your attire, it seems you dont want your identity exposed Our guild prioritizes customer confidentiality, but if you roam around selling magical stones, rumors will spread.

Oh, by the way, just a thought. I hope you dont misunderstand. Im not trying to threaten you; Im genuinely concerned.

With a friendly expression, Amer slowly approached Ren. It wasnt a comforting statement, yet there was truth in what Amer said. It wouldnt be wise to wander around openly selling these difficult-to-move items.

Renee nodded in affirmation as a sign.

Shortly after, two wizards arrived in front of Amer, placing a box down.

As you can see, this is all of it. Its just shy of 2,000 ounces in gold. But considering the situation, it might be best to conclude the entire transaction here.

Get to the point.

As part of the entire deal, I was considering adding a few more valuable items. How about it?

What items?

We have plenty prepared. Theyre mostly gems, if that helps.

Is their value certain?

There might be some variance, but most of these items have a history of previous transactions.

They should be easy to sell.

You need not worry about that.

Alright.

Well then, lets take a look.

Contrary to Amers expectations of Renee having more deliberation, her response was straightforward. Amer smiled, feigning nonchalance. It was a smile tinged with pretense, but Renee seemed unbothered by any of Amers facial changes, emitting a small sigh as if dismissing such expressions.

After the brief conversation, Amer guided them upstairs. The top floor, the 9th floor. Renee followed Amer with her belongings.

On the 9th floor of the Matap, apart from the two wizards who had just ascended with Amer, there was no trace of any other human presence.

This is our Magic towers warehouse.

Amer stopped after explaining, allowing Renee to take a brief scan of the space.

Contrary to expectations of a cluttered collection of dusty magical tools, the area was adorned with neatly arranged vibrant-colored chests and jewelry. If a human emperor were to create a treasure vault, it might look somewhat similar to this.

Renee had no way of knowing why the leader of Magic tower had arranged such a space, but knowing wouldnt change anything. Quietly, she tapped the heel of her shoe on the floor and observed the items.

There was mostly jewelry and gems that nobles would fancy.

These gems arent bad.

She didnt particularly harbor personal desires for jewelry, but as Amer mentioned, such gems were easy to convert. Their value wasnt likely to depreciate easily.

This necklace was worn by the daughter of the Elaha family, executed during a coup half a century ago. Its a rare treasure obtained from the boss during last years expedition in the Cursed Deep Swamp dungeon.

As they moved, Renee halted in front of a black pearl.

This is the Living Black Pearl. It emits a babys cry if poison is nearby. Nobles who fear poisonings favor this. Most of those nobles are rather dubious individuals, but regardless, its a work crafted through alchemy Oh my, you seem quite uncomfortable, Ren. Well, alchemy is considered an unsanitary discipline, so many people have aversions to it.

As if trying to avoid discomfort, Renee quickened her pace.

This tiara is made of a 4-carat diamond. It was a treasure bestowed by the prince when he rescued the lost second prince from the Spiders Keep dungeon Not interested? And that one its not much. The Crimson Love Stone. Lets pass on that too. The next ring is

The clicking sound of her shoes stopped again. When Amer turned his head, Renee was standing in front of a red heart-shaped gem.Follow 𝒏ew stories at n𝒐velbin(.)com

The Scarlet Love Stone?

Oh, are you interested in this? This is also a magical stone. Rather than a gem infused with magic, this stone artificially injects magic into the gem Perhaps its a gem that brings love. In my view, its not particularly necessary for you

Details.

Pardon?

Please explain to me in detail.

For a moment, Amer was taken aback and fell silent. His face slightly furrowed, seemingly not understanding the situation. The silver-haired girl remained expressionless. Her intentions remained unreadable from what was visible on the surface.

A few seconds of silence passed.

Umm

Soon enough, Amer, as if joyous, began speaking. His lips curved into a sticky smile as he uttered his clumsy words.

Well, theres not much to explain. When mana is infused into this gem in front of someone you love, the spirits within the gem grant eternal love between the two. Youll receive boundless love until death.

Exceptions?

Its not as flimsy as having exceptions.

Against anyone? Can you guarantee it?

I stake our Magic towers name and affirm it.

Ill take this.

As Renee made her decision, Amer discreetly swallowed his dryness, then pretended to ponder. Afterward, Amers second smile was one filled with malice, the corners of his mouth almost reaching his ears.

Do you truly like this?

Absolutely with this gem.

Ah Well, I didnt mention it thinking that youd like it Unfortunately, its a bit difficult to offer this. Unlike others, this gem holds a hefty price. Its valuable enough to exchange for an empire because with this single gem, one could even capture the heart of the Emperor. Its our Magic towers top treasure. Im sorry, but this might be challenging. Itd be better to see other things

I need that.

While I understand your sentiment, that particular gem is not possible.

How about this then?

What?

This What about this?

A hesitation crept into Renees previously blunt expression.

From under her robe, the girl pulled out something

Why do you?

Before Amer could express his amazement, a question burst out. There was nothing more surprising left. While words were uttered in such a manner, his mind was cheering for this unexpected turn.

All you managed to swindle, Leader.

Shes clearly clueless. People like her who have no idea of the world need a wake-up call.

Watching the silver-haired girl leave the Magic tower with light footsteps, Haim, a member of Wing, settled down beside Amer. Haim sighed, a mixture of concern and resignation, staring at the ground.

Oh, I dont know. Thats not at the level of deceit, right? What you give away is a sealed demon gem.

So what? She wanted it herself, right? Besides, its actually expensive. That thing, its so strong that it can kill most creatures instantly. I dont know who that blunt and unlucky kid fancies, but the other partys going to be quite unfortunate.

Human lives are not a joke. That child will really die.

Dont act like youre feeling guilty now. If you wanted to stop it, you could have said something earlier. Its a lie.

Besides, isnt it somewhat okay? At least they wont suffer much after they die.

At the words they will die, Haims brow furrowed. He wanted to argue, to express his thoughts about what kind of mindset this person had. But it wasnt a rational conversation. He slowly began to understand that.

As Amer stood up, he smirked darkly. His smile was closer to that of a torn monsters grin than a humans.

Whats with the seriousness? Its something to celebrate. Come on, weve finally reached the top.

***

[Translator Jjescus]

[Proofreader Zain]

Join our Discord for release /invite/dbdMDhzWa2

***