Chapter 52: Evan D. Sherden, Hunting for Treasure (2)
Evan D. Sherden, Hunting for Treasure (2)
Shine and Belois were properly dressed now, and they looked like nobles. Being led by the three escort knights, the four children began to wander the streets earnestly. Evan's goal for the first day was to go to a jeweler.
"Please give me this. This too, oh, this too! Wow, the best jeweler in this city is amazing no matter what. I didn't know there would be so many things!"
"It's astonishing. For the first time in my life, Master Evan looks like a typical nobleman, full of real vanity."
"I can hear you, Shine."
Evan and the children went to the largest and most sparkling jewelry store in city to browse for jewelry and other decorations. The rest of the party, who were the escorts, just enjoyed seeing the sparkling jewels.
If it was present, Evan picked it up without hesitation whenever he saw something he knew about.
As much as targeting nobles, Evan was casually picking out a few super-high-priced jewelry trinkets that could only be prepared for a special person on a special day by high-ranking nobles.
"Okay, this one too. There are five in total. Give me everything."
"Master, excuse me, but the price is really high and you cannot pay that much. If the Marquis' Excellency already knows about this, then you can pay for all of this through a long-term installment plan..."
"I'm going to pay for everything here, right now."
Evan lifted his pocket, turned it upside down, and shook it. As gold coins literally poured out of it like a fountain, the jeweler's clerks were so amazed that their eyes seemed to be popping out.
Everyone had thought it was just a pocket with some jewels encrusted on it and some gold coins in it. But it was an 'inventory pocket' with subspace magic! Evan noticed their surprise.
He put up a big smile and started bragging.
"Is this money enough? It was given to me by my father as a gift for my 11th birthday. It is said that it came from the achievement box on the 40th floor of the dungeon."
"40th floor achievement box..."
Although it was slightly different depending on the dungeon, there was a monster named Floor Master on every 5th floor in Shared Dungeons.
You had to defeat the Floor Master to gain the achievement.
It was a monster that, unless it was defeated, would never let you move to the next floor. In other words, it acted as a gatekeeper for the next dungeon floor.
But the reward of defeating it was sweet. When you went down the stairs to the next, a treasure chest called Achievement Box appeared, in which goods of high value, such as gold coins, treasures, and artifacts, were randomly displayed.
Of course, there were cases where it was almost impossible to win.
However, if you were able to win the prize, it was like winning the lottery.
'He's holding an inventory pocket from the 40th floor of the dungeon. The Young Master of the Sherden family is really different! The replacement capacity of the pocket is so much that it is pouring out like this!'
Evan, who had poured out gold coins for a while, smiled as he closed his pocket at some point.
"I can buy all of this with this much. Right?"
"No! There are too many coins, Master. We will have to count them to be precise, but a quarter of them should be enough."
"A quarter? Really?"
"How can I lie to you?"
Evan felt better when he was able to buy the jewels and artifacts at a much lower price than he had thought. He gave a tip to the employee and collected the remaining gold coins.
This pocket was one of the high-end items with an automatic retrieval function for pulled out items. Of course, items that were already in the hands of others could not be retrieved.
"That's how well the Brotherhood Pharmacy is doing," Shine muttered in excitement as he watched Evan pay for the jewels. Belois commented with a snort as if it were natural.
"And also, because the Marquis' Excellency is giving back some of the shares of his other businesses to Evan."
"Oh, I see. The Marquis is also very meticulous when it comes to such things."
"Wow, Evan Oppa, how do you have so much money?"
Meanwhile, Serena, who had never spent money on her own, didn't even understand what Evan was doing right now. Shine briefly explained it.
"The nobility is also rich, but even if you are noble, it will be difficult to spend this amount of money so easily when you are out and about."
"Don't you know that the dungeon city of Sherden is biggest in the country in terms of territory? All of this money came from my father. He cherishes and loves me so much."
"Wow, the chimpanzee Marquis is amazing."
Somehow, she had succeeded in admiring him, but she seemed to have no intention of changing the title of 'Chimpanzee Marquis'. Evan noted this with a bitter smile.
"Then, let's go to the next store."
"Where are you going next, Master? There is no such thing as a useless shop on the royal road."
"I wanted to go to the arms shop, but not today. Today, I'm going to focus on jewelers. Oh, and there is also a café that we have to go to."
"You're going to the jeweler again!?.... That and a café?"
"Yes, a café. A place that sells food, tea and cakes. There are some famous places on the royal road."
'This is very strange. Didn't they say they were going to hunt for treasure?' Shine, who was confused, tilted his head, but Evan didn't intend to explain it right away. Evan urged the group by sweeping the jewelry he had bought in his inventory pocket.
"Let's hurry, because the days are short."
Evan did similar things at the next jeweler he visited. While the party was getting excited by looking at the stylish and bright jewelry neck hooks, rings, bracelets, etc., Evan chose what to buy based on his own criteria.
They didn't even visit most of the stores, but at the stores where they picked up the jewelry, they picked at least three pieces. In this way, after almost robbing all the jewelers on the royal road, it was already late in the afternoon, and only then Evan realized that they had not even had lunch.
"Isn't everyone hungry? Why didn't you tell me when I lost track of time?"
"I'm afraid of the madness that is controlling you right now, Master."
"I am not hungry, Master. I am fine."
"Oh, then I'm hungry Oppa! Let's go eat!"
These were the reactions of Shine, Belois, and Serena, respectively. Shine was scared by Evan's madness for jewels, and Belois always put Evan first.
"Why didn't you tell me about it, Dain?"
"I thought you weren't hungry. Moreover, both of you looked happy. Shine and Belois too."
From Dain's words, an invisible gratification oozed out. Evan, who had been living at the age of nine since day one in this world, had lost his ordinary life. Thus, he had lost track of time while his eyes had been on the jewels as he was collecting them in a crazy frenzy.
If an ordinary noble's son went out like this, he would have seemed like a fool, but the Evan filter was put on it, so it looked happy in reverse!
Because all the money he had spent today was the same money he had earned, there was no excuse for anyone to question Evan's expenditure.
Dain was just admiring the drastic amount of money that Evan had spent at such a young age!
"Alright, everything's good now. Let's go to the café we talked about. Even if it's not the best, it's counted among the three best ones on this royal road."
"If I'm going there, can I go to the top?"
"There is something I am looking for there."
Evan said something enigmatic, but only Shine was puzzled again. Belois was ready to be with Evan wherever he went, and Princess Serena was enjoying herself. For her, everything that had happened today was an adventure.
"Here it is."
"It's so luxurious, Master! Is this really a café and not a noble mansion?"
"I read the sign correctly outside, Shine. This used to be an aristocratic mansion that was converted into a café."
Until the days of Yo-Ma Great War 2, this café had been a mansion. However, when the owner died, and the place went for sale, a merchant bought it and started a café there for nobles.
At the time of Yo-Ma Great War 2, the process of the fall of the nobility of this mansion was briefly mentioned, and in Yo-Ma Great War 3, it was said that the café had already been established for a long time.
"Well, welcome, Princess!"
It was late in the afternoon, and at this time, the cafés were most crowded. When the Princess entered, all the people who were in the café immediately started whispering.
Of course, there were quite a few nobles who recognized Evan's appearance, walking side by side with the Princess. Even if Evan didn't know it, the rumors that their relationship was very good were spreading like wildfire, and there were some people who believed in them. That had been the King's intentions.
'I didn't want to come here because of this.'
However, looking at the situation, the Princess had continued to bother Evan while roaming on the royal road, and there was no way to avoid being exposed to others' gaze anyway.
The boutique owner, who Evan had visited for the first time, must have been making those rumors in the neighborhood.
'It's okay. Everything will be fine.'
"What is Evan Oppa's surname?"
"I'm a Sherden."
Even while Evan pouted his lips and answered the Princess, the nobles' whispers were heard everywhere.
"Is that purple-eyed little boy, the jewel of Sherden, as in the rumors? Ha, rumors can't ever define the real person. No way, he has an appearance that matches the unrealistic beauty of the Princess! I didn't know he had such perfect teeth."
"I look forward to their future together. By the way, the boy and girl together over there, which household do they belong to? They are no less in beauty than the other two."
"Really, I'm seeing such beautiful children for the first time...Are they of a foreign nobility? Only if I could be with Sherden's son in the royal family...They are from the dungeon city!"
Since Shine and Belois had put on new clothes, they were also getting a lot of attention. Even if they pretend otherwise, both of them were nervous as they were not used to such gazes from others.
Evan called the waiter.
"Yes, Young Master! I will guide you right away. If there is a place you want particularly...?"
"Please guide me to the room in the right corner of the corridor on the second floor. Will you?"
There was also an open terrace, and there was also a large, spacious room, but when Evan nominated one of them, the waiter expressed warmth.
"Master, this room is not currently in use as someone died here."
However, Evan gave a gold coin to the waiter (the smallest tip was in gold coins, as it was a café used only by the nobles) and ordered the room to be prepared.
"I will eat in that room. Surely."
"Well, if you want that, I understand. I will prepare it right away."
"Thanks. Oh, and knights. Please eat somewhere close to us. If I need you, I'll call you."
"Yes, Master."
Already accustomed to Evan's behavior, Dain nodded without question and took two confused royal guards with him to a seat nearby. Meanwhile, their room was also being prepared.
"Would you be really okay? This...This is a room that has rumors of ghosts living in it. It's afternoon now so it's still okay. Or at least I think it will be."
"Yes, it's actually fine by us. So I'll place an order. Let's see, this, this, this..."
Evan made a mistake. It was rare for Evan, who did not have bad etiquettes despite his young age, ordered what he liked to eat and drink without asking the other ones.
However, there was no one to blame it on him. Shine and Belois were his servants, and Serena had never chosen anything to eat in her life!
"Here is it."
"Excellent!"
What Evan ordered was a full-course dish that ran perfectly from appetizer to dessert.
In fact, if you wanted to eat food, it would have been better to go to a restaurant other than this café, but Evan didn't dare do that. The treasure hunt had already begun.
"You have to follow my instructions carefully from now on."
Evan cheerfully talked to his comrades as they looked around the room, which had an eerie atmosphere. He tapped the table to gain their attention.
There was no air conditioning in this era, but the table laid with hot dishes contrasted the cool room.
"Follow me and eat in the same order in which I eat. If the order is wrong, I'll kick you out of the room, so you have to follow me."
"Hehe, this will be fun."
Serena had already figured out that this was also a kind of 'adventure'. Shine and Belois also picked up the tableware.
Evan nodded and ate the whole beef potato quiche, or pie, first. It was a little laughable for the three to follow him exactly.
The slime, Ruby, also ate the quiche along with them.
This event required four people.
"Next is soup."
It was a thin soup with tomatoes and onions. It tasted delicious because the contents were in the right proportion.
The moment Evan slurped the soup down his throat, there was an unknown sound coming from somewhere other than their table.
"Do you hear that? Something's calling out!"
"Whatever it is, I hope it doesn't come out in front of us."
At that moment, Shine was frightened, but Evan responded calmly. It was Shine who immediately understood what Evan was talking about and cried, but the meal had already started, and there was no way to stop.
After that, they ate the dinner in the correct order, from salad, bread, fish, meat, to cakes and tea in the end.
Others enjoyed the taste purely and ate leisurely, but Shine was so afraid that he kept putting the food inside his nostrils instead of his mouth.
[Ah, I am full.]
How long did the meal last? Everyone's teacups were empty (Ruby shared tea with Serena.) The moment the meal was completely over, a woman's soft voice reached everyone's ears.
[Thank you very much for eating the delicious food. I feel like I'm going to fall asleep because I'm full...]
With that, the female voice stopped. From that moment, surprisingly, warmth began to flow in the room.
"Is that all? After the meal, the room seems to be getting hotter," Evan exhaled a sigh of relief.
"You've all done well. The event was successful. But now it's over."
"Event?"
Serena asked. Evan explained, smiling kindly,
"Did you know that there are ghosts in the room here? We just removed the ghosts' resentment. While eating a table set only with things that the ghost liked in its lifetime."
This room had been a bonus event reserved for players who cleared Yo-Ma Great War 2.
The ghost was an NPC who gave a quest as an aristocratic woman from Yo-Ma Great War 2, and whether the player succeeded or failed the quest, he was eventually trapped in this room and starved to death.
However, if the quest was successful, you could meet her one last time, and at that time, she cried out and sang the list of dinner courses she wanted to eat. This was a very sad scene.
'By the way, that was no way a clear privilege... It must have been a privilege applied to the next life that she would lived from then on.'
In Yo-Ma Great War 3, if the player entered this room where she was trapped and died and ate the dinner course in a specific order, the ghost who died carrying resentment would bless the player with a very permanent buff that made it easier in the game to progress!
That was only possible for up to 4 party members, including the player!
'Existence level and skill growth rate were increased by 10% which was a rare growth bonus in the Yo-Ma Great War series.'
In the game, the protagonist's party had to go through almost half of the game until he could get the opportunity to activate this event.
However, Evan didn't know for sure yet because there was no way to confirm whether the buff was actually applied properly. It was a special event linked to the previous progress, and it was not possible to know whether the permanent buff had been applied properly, so Evan could not come to the royal road to test it beforehand.
Even this time, he had visited the royal road by chance.
Evan realized something was happening to him when he saw that his body was warming up comfortably!
"Did the ghost bless us?"
"It's something like that. It's good for your body so there's nothing to worry about."
"Yes, I feel that. I feel very warm."
"Really...It feels like my body is activated. It feels strange."
The ghost blessed Serena and Belois after the mysterious experience. They were quite satisfied with the situation as it didn't turn out badly.
However, there was only one person still showing a terrified expression. It was Shine.
"Well then, what about the ghost we released?"
"Of course. it was alive already."
At what Evan said with a burst of satisfying laughter, Shine dared not refute.
There was one more urgent thing right now. Shine felt like dying at the moment.
Only
"Then can I pass out now?"
"Huh."
Evan replied and was surprised as Shine fell down unconscious on the spot.
Evan looked at him blankly for a few seconds and then started laughing at his state. Evan had thought he was a guy who wasn't afraid of anything, but he came to find out that Shine was scared of ghosts.
'Isn't it cute?' Evan thought.
But he could make fun of Shine later. Right now, he had more important matters on his mind.
"Okay, then, let's take some time to settle today's results."