Part 2 Chapter 140: You Think Great Blackie Can't Tell Sweet Potatoes Apart?! / 864
TL: Hanguk
[You have arrived at Black Tower Floor 75.]
Having finished their play rehearsal, Sejun and the group came to find a Land Deed.
"Kyoot.. Kyoot.. Kyoot.."
Laughter kept spilling from the mouth of Iona, who was dangling from Theo's tail. During the final scene of the rehearsal, there had been multiple NGs, and she had gotten to kiss to her heart's content.
Sejun and Iona had been helping each other with their dates, and Sejun had kept creating NGs by making smug, over-the-line expressions every time Theo and Iona had their kiss scene.
"Vice Chairman Theo, how about it? Feel any Pull?"
"Puhuhut. Great Hybrid Chairman Park, trust me, Vice Chairman Theo, and wait just a moment, meow! Meow...."
While Theo extended his Golden Front Paw to detect Pull,
Grrrr. Kking?! Kking?!
[Grrrr. What are you looking at?! You wanna pick a fight with Great Blackie?!]
"Hey, punk. Don't take your frustration out on others for no reason."
Kking! Grrrr. Kking! Kking!
[Great Blackie isn't taking out any frustration! Grrrr. You! Your gaze toward Great Blackie is impure! Bring it on!]
"Park Blackie, you're the one who messed up your lines."
Kking! Kking! Kking!
[Great Blackie could have gotten it right! It's infuriating! So frustrating!]
Having flubbed his lines during the play and failed to earn a single Roasted and Dried Sweet Potato, Blackie was taking his frustration out on others and picking fights left and right.
Kuehehehe. Kueng...
[Hehehe. If Cuengi and everyone are gonna eat together, that's 1,000 Tower Coins, 2,000 Tower Coins...]
Cuengi was checking the menu board at a nearby street stall and pulling money out of his Allowance Pouch.
[Soy Sauce Flavored Locuster Green Onion Skewers - 0.3 Tower Coins]
Judging by the amount of money he was pulling out and the menu prices, it looked like he was about to buy out the entire stall.
For reference, the Locust meat, green onions, and soy sauce sold at the stall were all products distributed by Sejun Company. The Cat Wandering Merchants handled the supply.
A short while later.
Kuehehehe. Kueng!
[Hehehe. Dad, eat this! Cuengi bought it with Cuengi's allowance!]
"Oh. My Cuengi, you're giving some to Dad too?!"
Kuehehehe. Kueng!
[Hehehe. That's right! Cuengi has lots of money! Cuengi can buy Dad anything Dad wants to eat!]
Cuengi handed out the Soy Sauce Flavored Locust Green Onion Skewers he had bought at the stall to Sejun and the group, and
Kihihit. Kking?! Kking! Kking!
[Hehe. Big brother Cuengi, you have lots of money?! Then buy Great Blackie sweet potatoes! Great Blackie saw them selling sweet potatoes over there!]
"Heehee. Big brother Cuengi, Taecho wants that building over there!"
Blackie and Taecho began pestering Cuengi to buy them this and that.
Kuehehehe. Kueng! Kueng!
[Hehehe. Got it! Pick out whatever you want!]
Cuengi stepped up generously, but
"I'm sorry, but this isn't a sweet potato. It's an elixir called a yacon. And the price is 10 million Tower Coins."
"You want to purchase this building? Hmm. How about 150 million Tower Coins?"
What Blackie and Taecho had picked out were amounts that Cuengi's allowance could never cover.
And then,
Kking! Kking!
[Don't lie! You think Great Blackie can't tell sweet potatoes apart?!]
Crunch!
Kking?!
[Huh?! It really isn't a sweet potato?!]
"Wh... Do you know how much that costs?! Pay for it right now!"
"Ah. I'm sorry. How much did you say it was?"
Blackie had bitten into the yacon, and Sejun stepped in to compensate for it.
Kueng!
[Give a discount!]
Kking!
[Give a discount!]
"Give a discount!"
"Hmm. Then I'll let it go for 145 million."
Kueng!
[More discount!]
Kking!
[More discount!]
"More discount!"
"No, I mean, at this point... Fine. I'll knock off the last digits. Let's call it an even 140 million Tower Coins."
Kueng!
[Too expensive! Not buying!]
Kking!
[Not buying!]
"Not buying!"
The three of them tried Triple Haggling on the building, but
"Then I'm not selling either!"
Kueng?!
[Huh? You're not selling?!]
Kking?!
[Why aren't you stopping him?!]
"This isn't how it's supposed to go...."
The building's owner refused to sell, and they failed. Still, it was a learning experience for the three of them.
While Cuengi, Blackie, and Taecho were getting their brief but intense life lessons,
"Meow! Chairman Park, I found a Pull, meow!"
Theo found a Pull.
"Really? Which way?"
"Puhuhut. That way, meow! Let's hurry, meow!"
"Kids, let's move out!"
Sejun and the group headed in the direction Theo's front paw was pointing.
As they traveled on the back of Cuengi, who had grown to a massive 3 meters,
Munch. Munch.
"Oh. This place makes good food."
Sejun ate the skewers Cuengi had bought and thought,
'It really does look like a sweet potato. No wonder Blackie was fooled.'
"Iona, could you use Appraisal on this?"
"Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Sure."
He asked Iona, who was still in a good mood, to appraise the yacon that bore Blackie's tooth marks.
"Kyoot kyoot kyoot. Appraisal. Kyoot?! Young Master Blackie found something incredible! Sejun-nim, congratulations!"
After checking the yacon's properties first, Iona handed it to Sejun with congratulations.
"Hehehe. That good?"
Sejun immediately checked the properties of the yacon he received from Iona.
[Light-Saturated Magic Amplification Yacon]
→ A yacon grown on White Tower Floor 77 that absorbed an abundance of light power.
→ Upon consumption, the consumer's magic power is permanently amplified at random between 2 to 5 times. (Tooth marks on the surface have caused some damage, but the effects have not diminished.)
→ Upon consumption, the talent Sunlight shall bloom.
→ Usage restriction: All stats 500,000 or above, Magic Power 1,000,000 or above but 3,000,000 or below
→ Expiration: 100 days
→ Grade: ★
"Huh?!"
This is amazing!
He was stunned by the yacon's properties. Honestly, if not for the magic power cap of 3,000,000 or below, it would have been rated five stars or higher.
At the same time, a question arose.
Vice Chairman Theo should have found this first.
Because Theo's Golden Front Paw hadn't detected this yacon.
Ah. Is it because it's too dangerous for me?
The yacon's effects were good, but it would be dangerous if Sejun consumed it. If he got unlucky and rolled a 5x magic amplification...
'That'd be instant death.'
Once he thought about it that way, it all made sense.
Kihihit. Kking?! Kking?! Kking!
[Hehe. Butler! Great Blackie found something amazing, right?! Right?! Then hurry up and give Great Blackie Roasted and Dried Sweet Potatoes as a reward!]
Like a blind squirrel finding a nut, Blackie had stumbled upon the yacon by sheer accident, but he was brimming with pride as he demanded Roasted and Dried Sweet Potatoes from Sejun.
"Alright. Here."
Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
While Blackie happily munched on the Roasted and Dried Sweet Potatoes he received from Sejun as they traveled,
"Puhuhut. Chairman Park, this way, meow!"
"Puhuhut. Chairman Park, that way, meow!"
"Puhuhut. Chairman Park, to the right this time, meow!"
Theo kept pointing his front paw in various directions, following the Pull.
"Vice Chairman Theo, isn't the direction changing way too often?"
"Puhuhut. The Pull is moving, so that's why, meow! But we've gotten a lot closer, meow!"
"Really?"
The fact that the Pull was moving meant there was a high chance someone was carrying it...
'Should I offer to buy it at a high price? But how much should I offer?'
"Iona, how much does a Land Deed usually cost?"
Sejun, who had almost never paid full price for a Land Deed, asked Iona.
"Kyoot kyoot kyoot. A Land Deed? Kyoot... Usually around 10,000 Tower Coins, but it varies wildly depending on the size of the land, what's on it, how much foot traffic there is, and whether there's any danger nearby."
"That makes sense. Even land in Seoul varies wildly depending on which neighborhood it's in."
While Sejun and Iona were having this conversation,
"Puhuhut. Chairman Park, just a little further ahead, meow! The Pull is coming toward us, meow!"
Theo thrust his front paw forward and called out.
A moment later.
"Vice Chairman Theo, is it that guy?"
"Puhuhut. That's right, meow!"
Sejun and the group were able to spot a gray raccoon wandering merchant approaching, completely unaware, carrying a bundle bigger than his own body. As if he sensed his own fate, the raccoon merchant's face was dark.
Sejun and the raccoon merchant drew closer and closer.
But then,
"Eek! It's Great Demon Theo!"
Riko, the raccoon wandering merchant who spotted Theo, spun around in a panic and took off running.
"Puhuhut. Where do you think you're going, meow?!"
Theo used Meow-Step to appear in front of Riko and block his path.
At that,
"Eek! I'm sorry! I'll give you everything I have, so please, just don't stamp me!"
Riko frantically threw off his bundle, placed it in front of Theo, and prostrated himself, begging.
Throughout the Nine Towers, there were many rumors about Theo, and among them was one about Great Demon Theo. The rumor claimed that once Great Demon Theo stamped you, your soul would be stolen by Theo.
"What's this? Vice Chairman Theo, you haven't been going around acting like some ruthless merchant behind my back, have you?"
Sejun asked Theo in a teasing voice, reacting to the raccoon merchant's behavior.
"No way, meow! I, Vice Chairman Theo, have conducted my business with great integrity, meow!"
Theo shot back indignantly. Of course, his standard for integrity was entirely from his own perspective.
"I'll give you everything, so please, just don't stamp me!"
"Okay. I won't stamp you. But could I buy a Land Deed from you instead?"
"A Land Deed...? Ah. Could it be this?"
At Sejun's words, Riko pulled out a worn document from his coat.
[Black Tower Floor 31 Land Deed]
"Yes. That's the one. How much?"
"It's a Land Deed that's completely useless to me! You can just take it!"
"Then how about 10,000 Tower Coins for this Land Deed?"
"...Huh?! You're going to pay money for this?"
"Yes."
"I'd love that, but honestly, this Land Deed has been nothing but a headache. You're not going to get mad later about buying land like this, are you?"
"Puhuhut. Our Chairman Park is a cool guy, meow! He doesn't get mad over stuff like that, meow!"
"That's right. That's right. I, Park Sejun, am a cool guy who radiates coolness. Here. Take it."
"You're... actually paying to take this Land Deed off my hands. Thank you so much!"
"No. I should be the one thanking you for selling me the Land Deed. Well then, we'll be on our way."
Whoosh.
After paying Riko 10,000 Tower Coins for the Land Deed, Sejun and the group unrolled the Land Deed and vanished.
"Yes!"
Riko cheered and threw his arms up in celebration.
The Land Deed he had inherited from his grandfather a few years ago. Apparently, it had once been used to grow a crop called kohlrabi, but since no one had farmed it for so long, the land had become nothing but overgrown weeds.
Since the land wasn't being used, he had tried to sell it, but nobody wanted to buy a plot overrun with weeds, so Riko had been stuck with the Land Deed.
Then, not long ago, a letter had arrived for Riko from someone claiming to be a neighbor living near his land. It said they would protect the land on his behalf if he paid a protection fee.
A protection fee for land that was nothing but weeds?
Riko had tried to ignore it at first, but he couldn't.
The name stamped at the end of the letter was Blackmara. Of all places, a terrifying bandit group called Blackmara had set up camp near his land.
So he had been on his way, scared out of his wits, to pay the protection fee, and instead he ended up making money?!
A troublesome Land Deed and Great Demon Theo combining to produce 10,000 Tower Coins. It was a perfect blessing in disguise.
"Grandpa, I'm sorry for resenting you for leaving me such a useless piece of land! I'll pour you your favorite drink!"
While Riko dashed off toward his grandfather's grave with a spring in his step, unlike his gloomy walk earlier,
"Kekeke. You've wandered into our Blackmara's territory. Hand over everything you've got quietly, and we'll spare your lives."
Sejun and the group, having used the Land Deed, encountered Blackmara.
*****
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