Chapter 59
“Hey~! Hey~! Over here!”
The voice became louder as Seong-Hwi’s footsteps grew closer and the carrot shook even faster. Seong-Hwi arrived at the cell and stared at the one shaking the carrot. It was a cute rabbit beastfolk about a meter tall with soft white fur and upright pink ears. He had black eyes, a stubby tail, and two buck teeth. He was wearing tattered clothes but looked clean otherwise.
“Nice to meet you! Are you a human?” the rabbit beastfolk asked.
“I am. Do you have business with me?”
“Look at this!” The rabbit beastfolk pointed at a metal food tray filled with carrots in his cell. “I don’t know what kind of stereotype you have of us, but not all rabbit beastfolk love carrots!” The rabbit beastfolk hopped and continued, “You’re in charge of our food, right? I wanna eat meat, too! This is harassment!”
“This is my first day on this floor. I’m not the one who gave you that,” Seong-Hwi replied.
“Your first day? Where were you before?”
“The sub-first floor.”
“Oh, I see. You’re one of the humans who recently came in, huh?”
The rabbit beastfolk crossed his arms and nodded. Humans had been going around the stables lately and spouting complaints as they took care of jobs most goblins hated.
“In any case, I’ll get you some meat next time,” Seong-Hwi remarked.
As he was about to leave, the rabbit beastfolk hurriedly said, “Wait, wait! Let’s talk! I’m Thumper. Thumper the baby rabbit!”
“You... don’t look like a baby rabbit,” Seong-Hwi mumbled.
The age of beastfolk was difficult to estimate based on appearance, but the rabbit beastfolk who introduced himself as Thumper did not seem like a baby rabbit.
“What’s your name?” Thumper asked.
“Miroslav,” Seong-Hwi answered.
It was the name of the man whom he was disguised as with the Myriad Cheoyong Mask.
Thumper tilted his head and said, “You’re lying, aren't you?”
“What?”
“Hehehe, I knew it! You lied, you liar!” Thumper sang as his ears perked up.
What’s going on? I’ve never heard that rabbit beastfolk were adept at detecting lies. Is it his skill? Seong-Hwi wondered.
Thumper might have listened to Seong-Hwi’s heartbeat with his twitching ears, but Seong-Hwi had complete control over his body. Like those trained by special forces could control their heartbeat to fool lie detectors, Seong-Hwi could do the same.
“Well, I suppose names aren’t important when making friends. But know that lies won’t work on me,” Thumper said.
“I’ll... keep that in mind,” Seong-Hwi remarked, his interest in the rabbit beastfolk piquing. He asked, “How long have you been imprisoned here, Thumper?”
“How long? Hmm... I think it’s been a few years. I’ve probably been on this floor the longest.”
Thumper talked about various things with Seong-Hwi, excited to have someone to chat with. Trophy Hunters rarely chose him because he looked too weak. Even when they bought him to hunt, he always eluded the hunters with his sensitive ears and fast legs for a week and returned. He returned nine times; he could be freed once he survived one more time.
Seong-Hwi smirked and asked, “The prey will be freed once they survive ten times, huh? You don’t seriously believe that, do you?”
“Of course not! We’ve just met, lying human friend, but I’d rather trust you than a goblin!” Thumper winked at Seong-Hwi and continued, “I’ve seen a few who’ve survived ten times in the canned hunts, and they’ve disappeared from their cells. Only the goblins would know whether they were freed or turned into Karma.”
Seong-Hwi knew the goblins wouldn’t keep their promise.
Because the freed prey might return to take revenge.
There would be no problem if they came to take revenge alone, but the chances of that happening were severely low. Since it would cause problems if they got help from friends, families, or clans, the easiest way out of those problems was to kill them; dead men told no tales.
That aside... he’s been on the sub-second floor the longest, huh? He might be helpful, Seong-Hwi thought as he stared at Thumper touching his long ears.
He needed to find the entrance to the dungeon he was looking for. He was not the Explorer King, Enrique Vidal—he couldn’t find a hidden dungeon in the limited time. He knew a dungeon was hidden somewhere, but pinpointing it was a different story.
Since he’s been here a long time, he should know about rumors or suspicious places.
Seong-Hwi was determined to become Thumper’s friend.
***
Seong-Hwi went away after a long chat with Thumper.
Thumper’s smile disappeared as he looked at the cell across from him and asked, “What do you think about that human, Chlor?”
A pair of emerald will-o’-the-wisps floated in the cell.
“His bloodlust is... too thick,” Chlor said.
“Are you saying he can’t be trusted?”
“I can’t be sure. That human is... too complex. It’s as if... he has several personalities.”
Thumper thought silently about what Chlor said and nodded. “Keep observing him from now on. I’ll trust your eyes.”
“Okay. I’m going to get some rest. It’s been a while since... I’ve used my eyes. I’m tired.”
The pair of emerald will-o’-the-wisps went out.
Thumper called, “What do you think about that human, Tigrinus?”
A growl sounded from a distant cell. “He’s impressive. I exuded bloodlust mixed with some Tiger Pressure, but he easily deflected it. He has abundant battle experience and is used to bloodlust.”
“Do you think he could defeat Warden Chanagita?”
“The power I feel from him is undoubtedly less than Chanagita’s. His stat caliber must be low. But...” Tigrinus slurred.
“But what?”
“Could he... win? I’m not sure. That human is hiding something. I just don’t know what.”
Thumper fell into deep thought after getting Tigrinus’s opinion, his ears twitching.
A coarse voice sounded from a different direction, “Chwik. The time to carry out our operation is approaching, Thumper. You saw the state Tutobure was in, didn’t you?”
“He was a mess,” Thumper answered.
“Yes. Chwik, chaos soon becomes an opportunity. Now is the time.”
“I agree, but... to carry out the operation, we need the keys to our restraints and the cells. The bunch of keys is on Chanagita’s belt.”
Thumper thought about the human he had just met. An outsider’s cooperation was necessary for their operation, but it was nearly impossible to persuade the goblins of Clan Trophy. As they lost hope, humans began working in the goblins’ place. They seemed easy to persuade since they were considerably dissatisfied with how the goblins treated them.
The problem is whether they’re strong enough, Thumper thought.
They did not have to defeat Warden Chanagita—they just had to steal the keys on his belt.
Time is like a golden carrot. We have to decide as soon as possible.
Thumper’s eyes shone as he munched on his carrot.
***
“We won the bid for the Bryant Hotel you mentioned, my lady,” Gerard said.
“Good. Next, we’ll buy the Oriental Hotel on North Earth. It’s a mid-sized hotel with 258 rooms,” Jurie replied.
“My lady... Are you sure about this?”
“What do you mean? We bought it under an escaper’s name and laundered the Coins several times. Don’t worry, there’s no way they’ll trace it back to us.”
“That’s not what I mean. Why are you buying so many buildings all of a sudden?” Gerard asked, unable to understand.
Jurie was in the Vivienne Information Center, scrolling through her smartphone with one hand and holding a cup of coffee with the other. She stared at the endless building listings on the Network with buy-it-now and auction prices.
“Treasures are just lying on the ground. How could I not add them to my cart?” Jurie answered.
“How do you know they’re treasures and not trash? There are rumors of a coming war against the goblins. Shouldn’t we be buying items instead?”
Buildings would collapse during war, making them nothing but a pile of rocks. However, item prices would only rise; even now, items were scarce in the market because individuals or groups were buying them all, forcing those who needed those items to open item cubes with Karma instead.
“Please reconsider, my lady. This is a gamble. You’ve gone all in on that the war won’t happen,” Gerard said worryingly.
Jurie, who owned the Network that all smartphone D Weapon users used, was extremely rich in Coins. Information soon became money; that fact did not change even in the Mirror World. However, even someone as rich as herself would suffer astronomical losses if her gamble did not pay off.
“It’s okay. Even if I lose, it just means my judgment was incorrect. I won’t blame anyone,” Jurie remarked.
“But there is someone to blame. That Asian swindler.”
Gerard recalled the well-built Asian man with black hair and eyes.
I let him be since I thought he was just a tarot card counselor, but I would never have let them meet if I knew this would happen, Gerard thought.
He had blundered because the man’s words helped Jurie. He had also not done his best in tailing him since countless humans earned Coins through sketchy fortune-telling.
“I’m serious. I’ve decided not to resent him even if I suffer astronomical losses,” Jurie replied as she sipped her coffee, thinking about that man.
“I don’t know what it’s about, but you should keep my words to heart. From my reading, if you do as you’ve already decided... you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”
The man said he didn’t know, but it was as if he knew everything.
And looking back on it now... everything he foretold was correct, Jurie thought.
The man knew she was conflicted and foretold that she would eventually decide. He also foretold she would accomplish her goal but be left with a void that would never fill because of a sudden farewell and the revelation of a hidden truth. He told her the only way to stop it was reconciliation and that she would be eternally free from her long agony.
What if I hadn’t sent information about the Edu attack to Clan Martin?
Before she met Seong-Hwi, she was almost set on not sending the information because of her resentment toward her father. If that had happened, Edu would have been attacked without preparation, resulting in countless casualties, including her father, Remy Martin. It would have fulfilled her goal in a way since she used to resent him to death.
A void that will never fill, huh? I’m not sure. Would it have happened?
She did not know, but the hidden truth about Vivienne’s death shocked her, scrambling her brain. She was conflicted about who to resent: her father, who failed to protect Vivienne, Vivienne, who killed herself using her father’s hands, or this world itself that created the tragedy. She was at least sure she couldn’t resent her father as much as before she knew the truth.
If Father had died because I threw away the opportunity to tell him about the attack... I would have been heartbroken.
Hence, Jurie was eternally grateful to Seong-Hwi for giving her the tarot card reading. She initially thought Seong-Hwi was a swindler after getting his letter about the real estate operation, but stopped doubting him once the hidden truth was revealed, as he had foretold.
I’m certain he has a prophecy specialization D Weapon.
She saw the real estate operation differently after reaching that certainty. She still couldn’t understand his intentions and could only see it as a poor attempt to make it big, but it might become a stroke of brilliance over time.
Even if it flops, I won’t resent you. I’ll think of it as... payment for my father’s life.
Jurie sipped her coffee again. Gerard inwardly sighed after noticing Jurie wouldn’t change her mind.
Huuu, I’d hoped she would save Coins until an item with S-rank potential appeared in the market.
Jurie possessed a sea of information as the owner of the Network, but was weak combat-wise, which was why Gerard hoped she would at least purchase defensive gear with S-rank potential. However, he never expected her to use all her Coin savings on real estate.
“I understand, my lady. The Oriental Hotel on North Earth, correct?”
“Yeah, but I’ll change the name. For all the buildings we buy.”
“All of them? Do you have a name in mind?” Gerard asked.
Jurie lowered the coffee cup and grabbed the letter Seong-Hwi sent through Chaya on the counter.
If you trust my reading and buy the lodgings, you will become a true benefactor. You will become a shepherd, and the buildings you purchase will become a fence for the lambs.