Chapter 10

Chapter 10

#10. If You Can’t Get a Job, Start Your Own Business (Part 2)

“Should I believe his words? Or is he hiding his real intentions?”

Through the max-level passive skill on my body, I read the expression of Knight Dominic (likely Valkyrie) and didn’t sense any lie.

“So, does this mean the original history’s disappearance isn’t happening now?”

I started to get confused.

Still, I thought joining their party was a sound judgment.

“I’ve heard that Manager Polly of the inn once served high knights and His Grace the Duke in the battlefield back in High City.”

So I cautiously brought up the topic.

“Yeah, that’s true. Though I retired due to old age, not only me but other knights from High City all owe Polly big time.”

Thanks to building some rapport through K-omakase, the conversation flowed smoothly.

“By any chance, could I also serve the knights like Polly?”

“You?”

“Yes. As you might already know, I’ll be leaving this inn soon. I thought traveling around the Northern Region with the knights wouldn’t be bad.”

“Why go through such trouble? Our journey will be extremely dangerous and exhausting. Besides, haven’t you been about to receive the rank of baron? And you’re quite wealthy too.”

A reasonable question asking why bother with unnecessary hardship.

The knights’ expressions looking at me were filled more with pure curiosity than suspicion.

“…Even the Duke cutting steak diligently felt the same way.”

“I was an adventurer before coming to the North. Though my rank was low, I enjoyed that lifestyle.”

While speaking, I added explanations to prevent any possible misunderstandings or prejudices beforehand.

“Ah! By the way, I’m not an adventurer sponsored by the Empire. Please don’t misunderstand. In the first place, someone of my low rank couldn’t even cross the threshold of the Empire Guild.”

“Frankly, I don’t care. But it seems you have a bit of wanderlust, huh?”

Fortunately, they didn’t seem to mind much.

“Yes, I thought I’d settle down a bit after coming to the North, but it turns out I can’t stay still.”

Even if I join the party, there’s no guarantee I could prevent the Duke’s disappearance. Still, I couldn’t just sit and watch either.

“Well, I understand. Both you and I have that restless spirit. That’s why I haven’t quit my position as an executor even though I’ve reached grandparent age. I just feel sorry for not giving proper affection to my family.”

Apparently, my explanation sounded quite plausible to the knights.

“I’m good at other things besides cooking. My healing magic and leadership skills are top-notch.”

I kept persuading without stopping.

“In battle, I might not be much help, but I’m confident in my stamina and strength. I can ride horses too. At least, I won’t be a hindrance.”

Pretending to want to relieve my wanderlust by joining a knight party with proven credibility rather than amateur mercenaries or adventurers.

“We would actually welcome someone like you…”

My job hunting was almost successful.

Finally, my luck stat seemed to kick in after a while.

Glancing back, Ariana who had finished her steak also nodded seriously.

“Still, I can’t give a definite answer right here. We need to discuss it and inform High City as well.”

Valkyrie took my request quite seriously and positively.

“Yes, I can wait.”

It leaned towards 90% success. I clenched my fist in joy inside.

Creak!

Just then, the inn door opened roughly.

“Huff… Huff… Cough!”

A man dressed as an adventurer entered through the violently opened door.

He looked like he had traveled a long and perilous road, covered in sweat and dust, with small wounds scattered across his body drawing attention.

Clomp clomp clomp

The adventurer quickly walked towards the knights inside the inn.

“Hm?! Sir Doyle?”

Valkyrie and the other knights seemed to know the adventurer-dressed man.

Judging from the “Sir” attached to his name, he was presumed to be a knight.

“Big trouble has occurred.”

The knight named Doyle said that and began whispering something into Valkyrie’s ear.

“!!”

After hearing Doyle’s explanation, Valkyrie showed a completely different stern expression and whispered something else to Ariana sitting next to him.

Whoosh!

With that, Ariana and the knights stood up in unison.

“Your joining our party will have to be postponed. Here’s your change! Also, I think we won’t be able to visit often from now on.”

Valkyrie threw two silver coins at me and left the inn with the knights.

The knights disappeared like an ebbing tide in an instant.

“Damn…”

Looking at the empty chairs and half-eaten food, I stood there dazed for a while.

The feeling of an almost secured job being postponed was incredibly disheartening.

‘Did my luck stat fail?’

Somehow, it felt like getting hired and then having it canceled the day before starting work.

‘Or did my luck stat correction cause the joining to fall through?’

My feelings were complicated. For no reason, I started worrying about my previously ignored luck stat.

‘No. The luck stat is merely a supplementary number. I shouldn’t rely on it too much.’

I forcibly dismissed thoughts related to the luck stat.

Instead, I pondered the event that just happened.

‘100% related to the disappearance incident!’

This was a typical cliché at first glance. My intuition judged it the same way.

‘In this situation, I should shift from employment to entrepreneurship.’

The thinking didn’t take long, and the execution of Plan B was swift.

I trudged out of the inn and headed somewhere.

The direction I was walking was towards the carriage waiting area in Haven.

* * *

In this world, long distances are traversed by horses and carriages.

Of course, those without money walk no matter how far the distance is.

But I have quite a lot of money right now.

Moreover, being possessed by a character who put all their points into production and crafting gives great bonuses to equipment and materials.

That is, if I want to carry many items back and forth, horses and carriages are essential.

“Are these all the carriages available for immediate purchase?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“By any chance, do you have any top-tier horses from the Magic Realm?”

“Even with money, such precious horses cannot be obtained. Winter Hawks are strategic materials directly managed by High City.”

At the carriage waiting area in Haven, I was having a conversation with the manager.

Even if an inn is large, it can’t possibly store carriages.

Therefore, carriages are usually kept at these carriage waiting areas located on the outskirts of the city.

“Hmm…”

And in such carriage waiting areas, there are always carriages whose owners have disappeared.

Whether the owner got addicted to gambling, got involved in a quarrel and died, couldn’t pay off debts and had their belongings seized, got involved in smuggling or tax evasion and ended up in jail, etc…

There were many stories.

“I’ll take this one.”

Among them, I chose the largest and sturdiest-looking carriage along with the two horses attached to it, then handed over a bag of silver coins to the manager.

“Ah! I want to modify this horse and carriage. Could I rent a warehouse?”

“Of course! Just let me know!”

The manager, counting the silver coins from the bag I handed over, nodded like a puppy’s tail and guided me.

“This one is the largest and has the best location. It’s closest to the guard post, so petty thieves won’t dare come near.”

The warehouse the manager led me to.

After moving the carriage into the warehouse, I nodded satisfactorily.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Not at all! Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

“I need to gather materials to modify the carriage…”

“We have plenty of carriage-related parts here.”

“No, I’m looking for something more special.”

“If so, perhaps we should commission adventurers?”

“That’s necessary too, but time is short. I should start by looking for merchants staying in Haven.”

At first, I thought about using the adventurer guild in this city like when I made Arad Salt.

However, I’m short on time right now.

“According to what the staff at Polly’s Inn said, they haven’t left Haven yet.”

Fortunately, Duchess Ariana of the North and the knights are still in Haven. But we don’t know when they’ll leave.

“From now on, any items for Baron Jin will be stacked directly in this warehouse.”

“Uh… I’m not a noble yet…”

At my words, the waiting area manager bowed deeply like a serf addressing a lord.

“Anyway, I’ll be going now. I need to brainstorm how to modify this carriage.”

After dismissing the manager, I stayed alone in the warehouse and examined the carriage I had just purchased.

Various skills like max-level carpentry, alchemy, magical engineering, mechanical engineering, etc., came to mind.

“Of course, I can’t create everything from my max-level skills right away.”

On one hand, I felt slightly frustrated and regretful.

This is an era 100 years before the Silver Age 1 where magical engineering developed.

Similar to how a smartphone developer couldn’t make smartphones in an era 100 years ago.

My alchemy and magical engineering are the same.

“Still, I can probably mimic them somewhat clumsily.”

After briefly brainstorming, I picked up the hammer and saw prepared in the warehouse.

Thus, the serious modification of the carriage began.

* * *

In the past three days, something akin to a black hole in Earth terms appeared in Haven.

This black hole absorbed all sorts of materials sold in Haven.

Herbs, leather, cloth, iron, foodstuffs, wood, magic stones, etc…

It was so omnivorous that it seemed like a huge general store had newly opened in Haven.

Among these various items, the most absorbed by far were ‘magic stones’.

Handling these magic stones caused the miners and merchants of Haven to enjoy a temporary boom.

And the person who created this booming black hole was none other than me, Professor Arad Jin.

“With this, the materials I can obtain through Haven’s Adventurer Guild are complete. The remaining magic stones commissioned to the labor camp will arrive by tomorrow evening.”

“Good work, Lenon.”

Now accustomed to being treated as a baron, I praised Lenon while checking the ten kinds of attribute magic stones piled high in the warehouse.

The amount of magic stones gathered in the warehouse was so much that it formed a small hill.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like everything could fit inside the carriage.

“Not at all. You saved my life, so doing this much is the least I can do.”

Lenon pointed to his chest where he had recently removed the bandages and smiled.

“Then, please call me if you need anything else.”

“That’s settled.”

Was this also thanks to the luck stat bonus?

Lenon, whom I healed on my first day here, turned out to be a fairly well-connected adventurer in Haven.

From the Northern Adventurer Guild to labor camps and merchant associations, he had wide connections, which greatly helped me in starting a new business.

“Still, why are you buying so many magic stones?”

At that moment, Lenon, looking at the magic stones piled up covering more than half the warehouse, couldn’t hold back his curiosity and asked.

“There’s use for all of them.”

“Of course, I know that magic stone powder is used in medicinal herbs. But this is too much.”

“Hmm… Magic stones have more uses than you think. They’re used not only in alchemy but also in magic.”

“Yes, I know. The love magicians have for magic stones is famous. The staffs magicians carry always have large magic stones embedded in them. The witches’ brooms are the same.”

As we continued our conversation, Lenon’s expression grew increasingly puzzled.

Clearly, he didn’t see me as a magician standing before him. After all, a magician should be holding a staff with embedded magic stones wearing robes.

“What’s more, most of the magic stones here are practically worthless…”

Another particularly questionable point must be the quality of the magic stones I purchased.

Most of the magic stones I bought were mid-to-low grade ones that even magicians and alchemists wouldn’t bother with.

“Who says they’re worthless?”

“The whole world says so. Among these magic stones, the only usable ones are probably fire attribute and light attribute magic stones.”

“For those lacking in skill like magicians and alchemists, yes. But to me, they’re very useful materials.”

“Is Baron Jin also a magician?”

“Magician… A magical engineer would be more accurate.”

“Magical… What exactly is that?”

“A half-baked magician. Like a magician who can’t fight.”

Frustrated with explaining, I gave a vague answer to his question.

“Ah…?”

At my answer, Lenon could only blankly nod. He clearly didn’t understand.

‘Magic stones are like coal and oil, nickel on Earth.’

In this era barely stepping out of the Middle Ages, magic stones are used but only to a limited extent.

High-grade magic stones are used to make the wands for magicians and as tools for various alchemist experiments.

Mid-to-low grade magic stones are used as medicinal herbs, dyes, and glowstones.

‘Currently, the only ones who truly understand the potential value of magic stones are the Imperial Royal Family and the Royal Mage Tower.’

However, as the Silver Age progresses and the Arcanepunk world takes shape,

with the development of mechanical engineering, alchemy, and magical engineering,

whether top-grade or bottom-grade, magic stones will be widely used.

Like petroleum and petrochemical products on Earth.

‘And the North is extremely rich in magic stones. There’s a high possibility the Empire planned Duchess Ariana’s disappearance.’

It makes sense why the Imperial Royal Family wanted to make the North a direct-administered territory.

Also why they oppressed and exploited the Northerners who couldn’t forget Lenslet so severely.

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