Cale winced at the stunned six-year-old dragon’s yelling, which in turn startled Bilose, who wondered if he shouldn’t have asked. Raon and Bilose weren’t alone, however; Hilsmann, Ohn, and Hong had their heads on a swivel, every bit as interested as the other two. The incessant cacophony of the gambling devices continued to blare throughout the building, and there were no potential eavesdroppers close by.
At length, Cale gave his response. “Think about how the Sinten Merchant Guild reached their current position. That’s your answer.”
Bilose hung on every word, but he was still visibly confused. Cale merely smiled at him.
How had the Sinten Merchant Guild achieved their success? The guild had shot up through the ranks over the past decade. Thanks to their unmatched relationship with Mogor’s imperial family, they had significant political sway. Both Bilose and Cale knew about this, but Cale had an additional piece of information.
We found the Fire Crystal in the pope’s secret stash.
Though the necklace was widely known to be in the Sinten Merchant Guild’s possession for the last ten years or so, Cale had discovered it among the pope’s belongings. What could that mean? Either Sinten offered it to the pope, or the pope ordered the guild to procure it in the first place. One of those two options was bound to be the truth. Either way, that revelation would plunge the Sinten leader into uncertainty.
The current relationship between the Church of the God of Sun and the Mogor Empire explained everything for Cale. Word has it that the Sinten Merchant Guild’s got a great deal of political clout. They’ve got their fingers in two major pies: the church and the Empire. And that would prove their greatest vulnerability from here on out.
As Cale thought things through, a certain image sprang unbidden into his mind: the leader of the merchant guild flopping like a fish caught on a hook. Cale wasn’t about to settle for taking a ton of the man’s money; he couldn’t give up a bargaining chip so easily. Plus, he had his hands on two of the guild’s pressure points this time: the necklace they’d offered to the pope and their participation in the slave trade.
It didn’t take a genius to deduce how the Sinten Merchant Guild had risen rapidly from where it stood a decade ago. That was precisely when the Alchemist’s Bell Tower stopped using orphans and children from the slums. It was reasonable, then, to assume the Sinten Merchant Guild had been one of the primary sources of the alchemists’ next experimentation subjects. That perfectly explained the guild’s rapid growth.
‹I’ll collect about that much too, human!› Raon said in Cale’s mind, still reeling. ‹Where do you plan to spend that money? Buy me some apple pies!›
Cale idly nodded. Sure, why not? He’d already decided how to use a portion of the profits.
He had created two copies of the information he’d gathered through Ron and Frizia regarding the Sinten Merchant Guild. One was the copy he’d provided to the crown prince; the other was intended for the alcoholic alchemist and the cat knight Rex, both currently lying low in the Empire while gathering their forces. Needless to say, Cale would pass on their copy much later.
Before that, I’ll take them for everything they’ve got.
Cale would take his time squeezing every last coin from the Sinten Merchant Guild. That was the only way he could forget the abject despair he saw in the faces of the people imprisoned in the traffickers’ basements.
I’ll be getting more than just money out of this. Fantastic. It was quite a favorable plan.
‹Human, why’re you suddenly smirking like a scam artist? I only need one apple pie!›
As usual, Cale tuned out Raon’s commentary, instead directing his attention toward the other figure whom Bilose had pointed out.
“It seems that’s the person they sent for it.”
Cale’s eyes locked on the individual baited by the other jewel, the Night’s Exultation. The man was a priest on the younger side, dressed in the robes of his station. Based on the heap of implements he carried as he rushed through the golden door, he seemed to be a healer. Adorning his robes was the crest of the God of Sun.
Karo had the second-highest number of the God of Sun’s believers on the continent, though nowhere near as many as the Empire. Most people were under the belief that the Night’s Exultation was stored in the God of Sun’s church in Vegas. The jewel had quite a deep meaning to it.
But the bishop offered it to the pope in exchange for his position.
The second individual snagged by Cale’s bait was the bishop of Karo’s Church of the God of Sun: representative of the church’s Karo branch and the most likely candidate to succeed the pope in the coming years.
This man would become a guiding light for Saint Jack in the future, as well as his reliable supporter—though not by his own free will. Cale wouldn’t give him a choice. After all, Jack would be the next pope of the Church of the God of Sun.
‹Human! What kind of con are you cooking up that’s got you grinning so much?›
Perhaps influenced by the vibrant city around him, Cale couldn’t help but laugh. Now that he was in a festive mood, it was time to take action.
The VIP auction took place every February to welcome the New Year. The three-day event was held behind closed doors on the Golden Tree’s top floor. One would be hard-pressed to call it a truly “secret” auction, given that the dates and participants were easily uncovered. While attendees wore a mask as a matter of course, it was still possible to determine their identities by consulting Vegas’s guest log.
This auction was referred to as “secret” because no one had any idea what would be auctioned until the event began. The Golden Tree’s management never discussed the items in the catalogue; the Vow of Death they had taken before a priest of the God of Death kept their lips sealed.
But there are bound to be rumors.
If someone discovered a rare item in the Western Continent prior to the secret auction, and no one could determine its owner, the secret auction immediately came to mind. Accordingly, all sorts of rumors spread among VIPs and regular citizens alike. That was why Cale had leaked some intel to the Sinten guildmaster and to Karo’s bishop of the God of Sun.
“Vice-Captain, come here.”
The vice-captain trotted over when Cale beckoned to him. Though he was swift as ever, the only thing on his mind was the price Cale had revealed to them. Thirty billion counds? Thirty… Thirty! Should I report this to the count?
Because of the daunting amount involved, Hilsmann was debating whether to inform Deruth about it. He hadn’t expected it to be such a hefty sum. Even for a wealthy family, this was astronomical.
Cale whispered in his ear, “Now, Hilsmann…”
“Y-yes, sir?” he stammered, betraying his distraction.
Still, Cale wasn’t the sort of liege lord who made a fuss about such things. They hadn’t even conducted a ceremony for Hilsmann to swear an oath to Cale, so the vice-captain’s greater fealty was only official in his own mind.
“Don’t tell my father about this. I’m collecting this money as an emergency fund.”
Hilsmann couldn’t believe it. An emergency fund? Isn’t this too much to save for a rainy day?!
“You already have some idea of what’s going to happen later this year, don’t you?” Cale added.
The vice-captain gasped. This upcoming year… Though he couldn’t know all of Cale’s intel, he’d caught on to a few tidbits while serving as his escort. The topics Hilsmann gathered the most about were the Empire, the northern alliance, and those bastards in Arm.
At last, Hilsmann realized what the emergency fund was for. He suddenly felt as if he understood Cale’s thought process. He’s stockpiling funds in case Henituse territory or the kingdom itself ends up in dire straits during the war!
Now he appreciated why Cale needed such a large sum of money. Those riches were meant for Henituse territory and Rowoon as a whole. A modest profit wouldn’t suffice for such an issue.
Hilsmann felt Cale truly deserved the title of Lord Silverlight. He never would have experienced something like this if he’d chosen to dedicate himself to becoming captain instead. I made the right decision. He was satisfied with his choice to follow Cale and hone his own strength.
“Very well, Lord Cale. I won’t report it.”
Ohn shook her head at Hilsmann’s energetic reply. She then peeked at Cale, who seemed to think the vice-captain’s acquiescence was business as usual. Hilsmann was touched that Cale trusted him enough to expect his cooperation, but Ohn could guess the real reason Cale was preparing this emergency fund.
I need to make a ton of money before the war so I can live in peace later.
When the war was over, Cale planned to erase the word “work” from his life’s vocabulary and replace it with “slacking off.” He had long since decided to make this a reality, and for that, he needed to make more money.
His exchange with Hilsmann gave Bilose an uncanny feeling. The pair seemed to be discussing a future much bigger than what he’d imagined. So Lord Cale isn’t just stockpiling money because he likes it? I know about the Empire, but is there something else?
Bilose’s intuition as a merchant told him that an opportunity or a disaster would soon strike. When he caught Cale staring at him, he flinched.
“Say, Bilose, why do you think I went to the north? Look for the answer. Then you’ll find the money.”
After hearing Cale’s hint, Bilose felt a light wink on in his head. It only gave off a faint glow, but that was enough for him to realize how he should proceed.
“Please continue to reach out to me if you need anything, Lord Cale.”
The blatantly flattering smile on Bilose’s face signified his resolve. Cale brushed it aside, looking down at Ohn and Hong. The two kittens had grown quite a bit over the last two years to become juvenile cats. They bared their sharp fangs in matching grins to show that they were ready for their tasks.
“Ohn, Hong, go call Ron over.”
“Meeeow.”
The corners of Hong’s mouth twitched as he meowed; he suspected that Cale would give him an interesting task.
He was right.