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< Chapter 3: Giant Slave in the Small Village (3) >
“Hmm……”
Although it was usually difficult to determine the age of a small folk like Shai from appearance alone,
the village chief of Florin, Valentine—whose long white beard flowed down past his chest—looked like someone whose experience could be recognized at a glance.
Behind his large-lensed glasses, his constantly moving eyes were fixed on something very specific.
Mushrooms.
More precisely, high-quality truffles.
“This is truly amazing. I haven’t seen truffles of this quality since I was a child.”
“Right?”
Seemingly satisfied with the chief’s reaction, Rotem chuckled and pulled up a chair.
Of course, both the chair and the house itself—including the ceiling height—were far too small for a giant like him.
So every time he moved, Rotem had to carefully worry whether he might break something.
It wasn’t without reason: Valentine’s house was packed with shelves filled with herbs and potions of all kinds.
“The ones you brought yesterday weren’t bad either, but this is on a completely different level. Where did you find them?”
“I happened to find a truffle colony.”
“What? Near our village?”
“Yes.”
“That can’t be. If something like that existed nearby, I would’ve known. I’ve been here for years…”
Valentine’s round eyes narrowed sharply.
“…Hey. Don’t tell me—you went into that cave?”
“Hmm.”
Rotem’s answer was neither yes nor no.
Hearing that, the chief suddenly stood up.
“Hey! How many times did I tell you not to go anywhere near there?! That place isn’t just dangerous because of monsters!”
“I know, I know. If I’d really been running around that place, do you think I’d be standing here fine? You said yourself the truffle colony shouldn’t be told even to your own children.”
Rotem spoke casually, but it wasn’t enough to erase the suspicion in Valentine’s eyes.
“…Are you serious? I’m saying this again just in case—you absolutely, under no circumstances, should go near that cave. Got it?”
“Alright, alright, I got it.”
Even after getting his confirmation, Valentine continued staring at him for a while.
Eventually, his gaze returned to the mushrooms on the desk, and they finally moved on to business.
“So. You want to sell these to me?”
“More like I want to sell them to the village. Didn’t the Calpheon Adventurers’ Guild send a bulk order request for potions last week? Isn’t that why you were suddenly asking for these yesterday?”
“What about supply volume and frequency?”
“That depends on the request.”
At Rotem’s bold answer, Valentine let out a laugh of disbelief.
“…Just how big a truffle colony did you find?”
“Come on, stop probing. So are you going to make the deal or not?”
“……”
The chief stayed silent for a moment, alternating his gaze between Rotem and the mushrooms.
Rotem thought he was calculating something—but he was mistaken.
“Rotem. Are you trying to leave the village all of a sudden because you’re collecting money like this?”
“Eh?”
“You know what that adventurer who left you in my care said, don’t you?”
“……”
Of course he knew.
Because he knew, Rotem nodded without hesitation.
“I know. Don’t worry. I’m not planning to leave the village anytime soon.”
“…Well, if that’s the case, fine.”
“So. How much?”
A sly smile spread across Rotem’s face.
Valentine sighed briefly and examined the mushrooms again.
“250,000.”
“300,000.”
“270,000.”
“300,000.”
“280,000.”
“Hey! You know better than anyone, don’t you? Who taught me this stuff? 300,000.”
“…290,000?”
“300,000!”
“Alright, fine! 300,000! But you must guarantee at least similar quality next time.”
“No need to worry about that.”
Smiling in satisfaction, Rotem extended a large hand.
Valentine stared at it for a moment, then reluctantly accepted the handshake.
Of course, his small hand could only manage to grip Rotem’s index and middle fingers.
“Oh, Chief.”
Just as Rotem was about to leave, he turned back suddenly.
Valentine paused while packing mushrooms into his bag.
“Hmm?”
“That dwarf who came with the Cian Merchant Group the other day—is he still at the inn?”
“The dwarf… the weapon merchant? He should still be there. Why?”
“Nothing, I’ve got something to buy. Thanks.”
“Buy? From a weapon merchant?”
But Rotem had already closed the door before hearing the question.
Valentine simply set the thought aside and continued packing the truffles.
They were truly excellent quality.
[Done.]
As always, when the “work” ended, the low-grade truffles—once soft, rotten, and partially decayed—had completely disappeared.
In their place, perfectly smooth, top-grade truffles rolled across the rock.
“Good. Nice work.”
While the Black Spirit was working, Rotem had been nervously scanning his surroundings.
In his hand was a hand axe purchased from the Cian Merchant Group’s weapon dealer, ready for any possible attack from a “corruption entity.”
[If you’re that worried, just leave it to me.]
The shadow’s advice pierced his anxiety, but Rotem shook his head while packing the mushrooms.
“I told you. I don’t like fighting. Especially not if it’s something controlled by someone else’s will.”
[…Well, if you’re comfortable that way.]
Watching Rotem pack mushrooms while floating above the rock, the Black Spirit spoke again after he finished counting.
[How much have you gathered so far?]
“Money?”
[Yeah.]
“If I deliver everything today… about 20 million?”
[Hmm.]
The Black Spirit floated down until it was right in front of Rotem.
After a brief pause, its red eyes glowed faintly.
[Still far to go, but progressing well.]
“How much do I need for that ‘next stage’ you mentioned?”
[The more initial capital, the better. If you want safety, you should start with as much as possible.]
Though the answer was casual, Rotem’s response was serious.
“…So the current speed isn’t enough.”
[Not in terms of speed. But this is still the safest method.]
“If there was a way to make money faster while being just as safe?”
The Black Spirit’s blurred eyes suddenly burned sharply.
[What method?]
“You know the Cian Merchant Group, right?”
[The guys from the capital who buy potions and elixirs.]
The Cian Merchant Group of Calpheon.
Led by merchant Enrik Encarocha, it was a massive trade organization controlling one of the most powerful economic networks in the western continent.
It handled everything from trade to guild manufacturing contracts—and even lending operations.
Recently, it had signed an exclusive contract with Florin Village to supply high-quality herbs, potions, and elixirs to the Adventurers’ Guild, bringing great prosperity to the village.
Because demand had surged so much, the village alone couldn’t handle production and had to hire outsiders.
In other words, the very reason Rotem was working here could be traced back to the Cian Merchant Group.
“First, you get personally acquainted with one trustworthy merchant from their organization.
Then, separately from the village contract, you tell them you want to buy certain goods privately—and offer to pay above market price.”
[Goods? What kind of goods?]
“Say…”
Rotem continued explaining his long plan in detail.
What he intended to do, and what he was targeting.
“…What do you think?”
The Black Spirit’s white teeth gleamed in a wide smile.
Instead of answering, it simply smiled—a bright, sharp, white light of amusement.
“Ugh.”
After loading the final bundle of herbs onto the wagon, the dwarf wiped the sweat from his blunt nose and exhaled deeply.
“34… 35… Yes, that’s everything. Thank you, Tulkas. Even though it’s not your job.”
At the merchant’s words, the dwarf Tulkas waved his hand and laughed heartily.
“Haha! Among comrades, there’s no such thing as your job or mine! Call me anytime you need muscle!”
“Thank you!”
Receiving his colleague’s gratitude, Tulkas brushed off herb leaves and dust from his body and sat heavily on a chair in front of the inn.
The loading was done, but negotiations between the merchant’s representative and the village chief still remained, so there was plenty of time left before departure.
Normally he would have gone to a tavern for a beer, but oddly enough, this village had no proper bar.
Even though his sweat had already dried, he couldn’t think of a good place to kill time.
“Hello, sir.”
A massive shadow fell in front of him.
Looking up at the familiar voice, he saw the giant hand of a young giant holding out a mug of beer.
“Oh! You’re the young man who bought the axe last time! Sorry… what was your name again? Ro—”
“Rotem.”
“Oh right, Rotem. What brings you here? Using the axe well? Well, I suppose it’s better if you don’t need to use it!”
“Haha! How about it? Time for a sharpening? I’ll do it for free—consider it fate.”
Though the beer was lukewarm and half-flat, it was still refreshing enough for Tulkas, who had been thirsty.
Rotem sat beside him after finishing the drink in one gulp, like it was cold water, and thanked him for the kindness.
“It’s fine. Thanks though. When are you heading back today?”
“Oh, the manager said he has something to discuss with your chief, so probably later.”
“Same time next week?”
“Yeah, probably.”
Rotem naturally took the empty mug again.
At the same time, the giant subtly looked around, confirmed no one was paying attention, and leaned closer to Tulkas.
“Sir Tulkas… I actually have a personal favor to ask.”
“A favor? What kind?”
“Well, as you know, I’m bound by a contract here. I can’t really go out and shop for things myself.
So I was hoping you could buy something for me next time you come. I’ll pay extra, of course.”
Given how cautious he seemed, it was a surprisingly ordinary request.
Tulkas laughed and nodded.
“No problem at all. So what do you need?”
“I wrote it down.”
Rotem handed him a small piece of paper.
Tulkas brushed off the remaining dust on his hands and slowly read it.
“…Hmm, this is easy enough to get.”
“Oh, and there’s one more thing not written there.”
At Rotem’s lowered voice, Tulkas immediately understood this was the real request.
“What is it?”
After a brief hesitation, Rotem carefully spoke.
“I’d like you to bring me one of every type of general medicine box sold in Calpheon.”
