Chapter 41

Chapter 41. The Smell of Money (1)

"Loracus... you say?"

Caitlin asked, seemingly puzzled. She quickly tried to gauge Isaac's true intentions.

In truth, no matter how much she considered it, it seemed unlikely that Isaac would have a large amount of Loracus. Given the nature of a wandering Grail Knight, it was impossible to own substantial assets. This was connected to the virtue of poverty, a symbol of the Grail Knights.

Caitlin wondered if this Grail Knight, known for his vow of poverty, was now being greedy for money.

'Is he just trying this out because he doesn't understand the market?'

Caitlin thought it was possible.

Although Grail Knights emphasize poverty, that doesn't mean their journeys don't cost money. Hunger and cold could naturally make one wish for a more comfortable journey. However, unlike mercenaries who directly ask for money, it was common for them to sell goods acquired during their travels.

It seemed this Grail Knight had a similar idea.

"If you bring it now, I can offer you the highest current market price..."

"I don't have it with me right now. And the amount is not certain either."

"So, you mean to say you will have it in a month?"

"Yes. And just so you know, it might be a lot."

Caitlin couldn't help but laugh at Isaac's words.

After all, he was just an individual. Even if Isaac arrived with ten carriages, it would not be a burden for the Golden Idol Merchant Group. The volume of goods circulated by the syndicate was at least a hundred times more. Moreover, according to Caitlin's investigations, the only belongings Isaac carried were what he had on him.

"The price of Loracus might rise significantly in a month. Why do you insist on selling at the current price?"

Isaac answered with a kind smile, as if he had been waiting for this question.

"I don't play with money. I can't sell it right now because I don't have it, but I also have no intention of making an excessive profit just because the price has gone up."

Caitlin had no way to verify if his words were sincere. Ultimately, she thought this naive Grail Knight was clumsily attempting to do business.

But she also considered another possibility.

'Is he thinking that the price of Loracus will fall?'

This was a recurring thought whenever the price of Loracus surged. As quickly as the craze came, it could also rapidly decline. However, there were no signs of such a trend at the moment.

'If this Grail Knight has information I'm unaware of and senses a crash...'

Caitlin estimated the potential losses the syndicate could incur. Even if the price of Loracus fell to half, or even to a tenth of its current value, it would not be a problem. At such levels, the syndicate would have to worry about its entire volume of transactions, not the amount an individual like this young, impoverished Grail Knight could handle.

Considering the original reward she had intended for Isaac, it was a significantly smaller amount.

'It seems I'll have to give this naive Grail Knight a fair deal, even if he doesn't profit much.'

From Caitlin's perspective, as long as the job was properly completed, a bit of a loss was worth the transaction.

"Can we officially set the date to one month from now?"

"Yes."

"The quantity will be marked as undecided."

Isaac nodded. Caitlin instructed Vihik to draft the contract.

[The Golden Idol Merchant Group will purchase all Loracus brought by Isaac in a month at the current price.]

The current price of Loracus was also accurately listed next to the contract. Caitlin wondered if Isaac had considered the cost of transportation and storage of the goods.

Isaac's proficient review and signing of the contract seemed oddly skilled, which concerned Caitlin, but she didn't dwell on it too much.

"With this, the contract is established, Mr. Isaac. The Golden Idol guarantees this contract. Violators will be subjected to a legitimate claim for damages through the guaranty."

[You have been hired as a mercenary for the Golden Idol Merchant Group.]

[Luck slightly increases.]

[Discernment slightly increases.]

Upon being hired as a mercenary for the Golden Idol Merchant Group, Isaac was blessed. It was a privilege exclusive to the followers of the Golden Idol faith, not granted by other syndicates. However, since it was not a high-level contract, the benefits were not significantly prominent.

After finalizing the contract, the first place Isaac headed to was the slums of Sør.

In this era's capital market, it's a zero-sum game. If someone gains more, it means someone else inevitably loses more. Especially in times like these, when a specific item disproportionately becomes a trend, there are bound to be losers.

The slums of Seor were filled with such people.

Merchants who originally dealt with other items but suffered great losses due to not catching onto the trend, mercenaries who greedily dove in hoping to make a fortune, and barbarians whose hungry bellies shone with dangerous intent roamed the dark alleys and between sewers.

It was a stark contrast to the lively flower market.

'This is where the Golden Idol Merchant Group's informants were murdered.'

Isaac didn't wander aimlessly. He first received all the information the Golden Idol Merchant Group had been investigating, which eventually led him to the slums.

The information suggested abnormal capital flows not just in the sunlit markets but also in the underworld. The informants were murdered while investigating this.

'Too many suspects to count.'

Given the murderous glares, it seemed many had suffered losses due to the Loracus craze. Even a slight bump could earn a lethal glare.

Isaac, remembering his conversation with Caitlin while observing these lethal intents, pondered.

'But after I find him?'

'Excuse me?'

'After I find the guy hoarding Loracus, what then? Ask to have him taken out?'

'Oh, no. How could I ask such a barbaric task of a Grail Knight? I'm just curious who is buying up all the Loracus and for what purpose.'

'Really, if it's just for ornamental purposes, they're just throwing away a fortune.'

'Well, if that were the case, they wouldn't have harmed our people... But that's valuable information too.'

Loracus had ornamental value but were practically useless except for their effect in lowering magic resistance. Unless one was gathering them to hunt liches or dragons, there wasn't enough need to disrupt the market prices.

'There's something more...'

Behind the Loracus boom was certainly not just market disruption but a hidden secret. The Golden Idol Merchant Group must have been curious about this, hence hiring Isaac. If they could control it, they would, but if there was a profit to be made, they needed to know.

'First, I should find the ones who killed the informants.'

Freshly bathed and well-rested, Isaac seemed out of place in this location, looking every bit the gentleman. And naturally, flies are attracted to such gentlemen.

"Sir! Please take a look at what I have!"

Children darting from the alley surrounded Isaac, pushing all sorts of trinkets at him, urging him to buy. Roasted rats, pigeons, and peculiar stones of dubious origin... But their real goal lay elsewhere.

One of the kids made a move towards Isaac's coin pouch at his waist. Just as he quietly tried to cut the string and steal it, Isaac's hand caught the kid's wrist.

"Ouch!"

Without even twisting the kid's arm, a scream erupted. The other kids, startled by the cry, backed away. The scream drew the attention of the street to Isaac.

"Hey, what are you doing? Why are you bullying the kid?"

Prompted by the kid's scream, a group of men gathered around as if they had been waiting for an opportunity. They were barbarians, loitering around a large cauldron over a fire, seemingly more interested in finding fault than in any sense of justice.

Seeing the large knife that could slaughter a cow, Isaac let go of the kid's hand, from which blood was now streaming.

"You, you hurt this kid's hand..."

"It's just a scratch, don't freak out."

In reality, it was a reflexive action of Isaac's left hand that had nicked the kid's hand. The men quickly realized the wound wasn't deep, but the atmosphere didn't lighten.

Isaac surveyed his surroundings. In the dim alley, with almost no bystanders, and no one likely to come looking even if someone were to be killed.

"Hey, pretty boy. Hand over everything you've got..."

"Let's skip the clichés and get straight to the point."

Isaac spoke as he loosely drew his sword from its sheath. Allowing the children to swarm him, causing a scream, waiting for the men to gather—everything was intentional.

"If any of you are believers, raise your hands now."

***

Isaac's swordsmanship was deadly.

Especially in a fight against multiple opponents, it was difficult to end the confrontation without killing someone. Given the lack of stamina in situations where he couldn't use tentacles, it was more advantageous to kill one opponent at a time.

In that sense, Isaac thought he might have to cut down one or two to make the rest comply. However, as soon as he confidently drew his sword, the men immediately dropped their weapons and raised their hands.

"What? Are all of you believers?"

"Yes... These two are followers of the Codex of Light, that one over there is a follower of Elil, and the rest of us follow the Golden Idol."

After knocking down the ones trying to flee, Isaac began his interrogation. Surprisingly, none of them were barbarians. Strictly speaking, it wasn't that there were no barbarians at all. The one who claimed to be a follower of the Golden Idol had abandoned his faith out of fear of going to hell due to breaching a loan contract.

"Why do you look like barbarians, then?"

The men cautiously looked around before answering.

"It's more intimidating that way, you know?"

Isaac sighed deeply. By their actions, it seemed unlikely these were the men who killed the Golden Idol Merchant Guild's informant.

"Recently, there was a murder in this alley. A Golden Idol Merchant Guild informant. Anyone know anything about that?"

"We..."

"Save the unhelpful comments like 'I don't know' or 'I'm innocent.' Just tell me what you know."

Reluctantly, the men began to speak.

"We might have seen the person you're talking about. The Golden Idol Merchant Guild folks have a unique way of speaking. They seemed interested in what we were selling, so we just shared some information."

"What were you selling?"

"Well, it's not like we're robbers or anything, despite what you might think..."

"You're threatening people with knives?"

"We just wanted to recommend some good products. That's how men on the streets become friends, right?"

"Oh, so it's a forced sale."

Isaac recognized their scam. They intentionally created a threatening atmosphere and then suggested reconciliation, forcing overpriced goods on their "new friends." This way, they could avoid being arrested for robbery, and there was no risk of bloodshed or death.

In a way, they were naively criminal.

"Why? Were you trying to sell roasted rat meat too? Did the informant look hungry?"

As Isaac inquired, the men exchanged glances before someone finally spoke up.

"Sir, you're aware of how well Loracus are doing these days, right?"

"Loracus?"

Isaac was puzzled by the sudden shift to Loracus.

"Yes. But as you know, people like us or those without much can hardly get a hold of anything in this market. There's a limit to buying a single Loracus and starving."

Being a small investor is tough, whether in this world or another. Isaac found himself nodding involuntarily.

"So?"

"So, instead of starving ourselves to buy Loracus, we decided to pool our money and create our own group. If we sell the Loracus and make a profit, we agreed to share the earnings."

Isaac was somewhat impressed. They were attempting a basic form of a fund. However, his admiration didn't end purely as such.

"Who?"

"Pardon?"

"You don't seem smart enough to set up such a scheme amongst yourselves. If you were that clever, you wouldn't be here trying to rob people. Who told you to do this? And what's this about forcing sales?"

The man, previously enthusiastic, became hesitant and pulled something from his pocket.

A wooden coin crudely carved with a loracus symbol, a "Loracus coin."

"Holding this Loracus coin entitles you to a share of the profits whenever our group sells the Loracus. We've already received several payouts."

Isaac's expression turned complex.

"So, if I buy this Loracus coin."

"You get a share of the profits proportional to the number you own!"

"And why are you trying to sell it to me?"

"Because with the money from the sale, we can buy more Loracus coins..."

It seemed they intended to sell the coins at a slight markup over what they had paid, hoping to turn a profit.

"How much did you buy?"

Hesitantly, the men pulled out a substantial number of Loracus coins from their pockets. Seeing the worthless coins, Isaac felt a headache coming on.

'The Loracus price surge wasn't the only problem.'

Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, even hostage-taking.

Greed was slapping the citizens of Seor in the face.