The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - LLD Chapter 56: Whereabout (3) (Part 1)

Ian’s regret aside—
There was also the need to prepare for a potential battle against the Monarch of the Abyss.

‘The medicinal herbs to heal Serapia…’

As I was organizing my thoughts, it happened.

“Then this humble one shall continue investigating this man called ‘Ian’ and will report back immediately if I uncover any significant details.”

It was Adelon’s voice.
He was the type to catch on quickly even without being told—quite perceptive, that Adelon.

“Also, could you help gather the medicinal herbs I’m about to list?”

“Ah, yes! Just give me a moment!”

Adelon swiftly pulled out a memo pad from under the counter and got ready to write.

I recalled the ingredients identified through Predatory Instincts [S] that could improve Serapia’s condition and began listing them one by one.

“Flame Heart, Sungrass, Magma Elixir, Dawnfire.”

Even by name alone, these herbs didn’t sound ordinary.

“Uh…”

Adelon’s face grew grim as he wrote them down.

“These… won’t be cheap.”

“How much are we talking?”

“At the very least…”

Adelon dragged his words as if doing mental calculations.

“You’re looking at 20,000 gold per herb.”

What a ridiculous amount.
Still, I had expected it. And frankly, it wasn’t a problem for me right now.

I pulled out 100 platinum coins—100,000 gold—from my inventory and placed them on the counter.

“Huh?!”

Adelon flinched in shock.

But he wasn’t surprised by the inventory.
His widened eyes were locked on the 100,000 gold.
A true merchant through and through—seems the gold was more shocking than the spatial storage.

Before long, his eyes turned toward me with a hint of reverence.

“Think you can get them?”

“M-May I ask… what you’re planning to use them for?”

“Is it hard to get them?”

“It’s… somewhat difficult. It might take some time.”

Apparently, money alone wasn’t enough to secure them quickly.

That was exactly why I was entrusting this to Adelon.
If I tried to get them myself, it would take too much time.

“Is it urgent?”

“It’s to treat my little sister.”

Adelon’s eyes widened.
Not because he didn’t know I had a sister, but because he hadn’t known she was ill.

I was already infamous in Frecce as the black sheep of a count’s family, so naturally, people knew about Serapia.
But her condition was another matter entirely.

Adelon grew quiet, deep in thought.

Just when I was wondering what he was thinking—

“You can leave it all to this humble one!”

Adelon declared boldly.

“I’ll sweep across the entire continent and bring them back as fast as possible!”

“I’ll pay you generously—”

“Absolutely not! A reward? Preposterous!”

“Still, I am taking up your time…”

And at a time when he should be focused on sales, no less.

“Oh please! Do you know how much revenue you’ve brought to us, Lord Adrian? This is nothing!”

Of course, it was something.
But Adelon didn’t seem to care in the slightest.

“If you tell me more about your sister’s symptoms, I’ll even hire a top-notch alchemist and have the medicine prepared as a complete potion!”

He was going that far?

“So don’t worry about a thing, Lord Adrian! Just focus on your own affairs!”

Adelon thumped his chest with pride, urging me to trust him.

His intentions were obvious, but I didn’t feel bad about it.
One thing was clear—Frecce was undeniably on my side now.

And since he offered to handle it, I saw no reason to refuse.

I pulled out another 10 platinum coins—10,000 gold—and placed them on the counter.

“This should more than cover the commission. You can use the rest however you see fit.”

“T-This much…?!”

Adelon’s eyes bulged at the amount.
After all, 10,000 gold wasn’t exactly a trivial number.

But considering I’d made a massive profit selling Rex meat at 5,000 gold per 100 grams, this was nothing.

Adelon gulped hard.

“This humble Adelon!! From this moment forth, I pledge to serve Lord Adrian with my very life!!”

He bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle.

◆ Adelon’s Affection towards you has significantly increased!

A semi-transparent notification appeared before me.

◆ Adelon’s Affection towards you has reached [Friendly]!
◆ A [Friendly] character will display basic goodwill toward you.

◆ This individual will prioritize your needs above their own and treat you with care and consideration.
◆ However, maintaining this relationship requires ongoing attention. If neglected, their affection may quickly decrease.

That affection skyrocketed the moment I handed him money.
Typical of a merchant—gold speaks louder than anything.

“Just keep it up like this. I’ll be going now.”

“Yessir! Travel safely! And if you ever need this humble one, just call for me!! No matter when or where—I’ll drop everything and come running!!”

And with that—

Adelon’s back remained bowed until I was completely out of sight.

The cost of Serapia’s herbs and commission…
It ended up exceeding expectations.

Which meant that, at present, the amount of money I had left was—

‘Roughly 3,000 gold.’

That was basically broke.
Nowhere near enough to found and operate an allied army.

But more importantly—

‘The Dark Merchant Group…’

There was no way to compete with the Dark Merchant Group in terms of capital.

‘So the Dark Merchant Group is moving faster than expected.’

In other words, the emperor was acting more swiftly than anticipated.

The Dark Merchant Group is deeply involved in the politics and economies of various kingdoms.
They operate as a hidden force behind the curtain, backed by political sponsors and noble allies.

Even the armies of these kingdoms are little more than puppets of the Dark Merchant Group.

But—

‘Not yet.’

The reason: the emperor’s full-scale activities wouldn’t begin for another ten years.

That meant the emperor’s preparations to consume the entire continent would only be complete in ten years.
Even though the Dark Merchant Group was making early moves, that didn’t mean they were fully prepared yet.

They were likely only laying the groundwork now.

‘We have to stop them before they expand their influence.’

Translatin_Otaku

•