NOVEL NEXT chapter 8
8 – Episode 8: Other World Auction House Gallery (3)
The mere opening of the gallery auction house had caused enough ripple effects to shake the Tesseur Empire.
It was incomparable to the era before the arrival of this new commodity.
A single item that surfaced through the auction house was on everyone’s lips.
‘Coca-Cola’
They were all so enthralled with this black liquid.
Someone had commented that, but their opinion had changed after they tried it.
“Coca-Cola is a divine beverage.”
It’s fizzier and sweeter than beer. It even has a refreshing aftertaste.
Why would anyone not drink it?
No one could refute that statement. Among those who had, none had a reason not to, except for those pitiful souls who hadn’t tried it yet.
“What? You haven’t tried Coca-Cola? Are you sane?”
They would regard you with pitiful eyes, even showing sympathy.
Claiming that you haven’t tasted Coca-Cola in certain circles would make you a laughingstock.
A must-try beverage for any noble who knew how to follow the trend! The black liquid!
And so, Coca-Cola started permeating into people’s lives.
In the Oront region, located in the northern part of the Tesseur Empire.
The Duke of Oront frowned.
“Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola. That’s all everyone talks about.”
What in the world is it that makes people so obsessed?
Even in social gatherings, everyone was going on about the same thing to the point he felt his ears would bleed.
He had heard countless times that he should follow the trend and try Coca-Cola.
What on earth is this Coca-Cola?
“Did you bring it!”
“Yes. This is the Coca-Cola.”
To satisfy his curiosity, he had spent a significant sum of money.
Why should he pay one gold piece for such a thing?
They said at the auction house it was being sold for one silver.
When he tried to get it, he had to pay one gold.
Although he couldn’t understand, the Duke of Oront picked up the Coca-Cola.
It was cold. The coolness spreading into his palm wasn’t altogether unpleasant.
“Hmm…,”
At most, it’s just a beverage.
Beverages are something that children or commoners drink. It implies the quality is subpar.
No matter how well it is made, a beverage is a beverage.
It pales in comparison to the wines and beers crafted by artisans.
But Duke Orontes opened a can of cola.
Click—pop!
A curious sound emanates from the novel structure.
Thanks to what he had heard earlier, he wasn’t startled when he opened it.
When he completely opened the lid, he saw a dark fluid inside.
It foamed like a beer… but it did not look all that special.
‘Just dark fluid. It’s nothing more than a beverage!’
Gulp. Gulp.
Duke Orontes chugged the entire cola in one breath.
And then,
“Grrr…”
He let out a groan without even realizing it.
The sweetness and fizz that swept through his body…
The balance was so strong that it seemed as if it were created by a god.
Though it was a brief experience, it was thrilling enough to be engraved in his mind.
Duke Orontes realized the true value of this cola.
“Have you tried this before…?”
“Yes, I have had one try.”
“How much do you think this cola would cost?”
“In my viewpoint…”
The knight serving Duke Orontes, Sir Rowell, pondered and then gave an answer.
“I think even if it costs 5 gold, aristocrats who can afford it will still drink it. If it is established as a part of aristocratic culture, it could command even a higher price.”
“It is worth that much. But how much was it sold for at the auction house?”
“… It was sold for 1 silver.”
1 silver!
Duke Orontes groaned inwardly.
Do they not understand the value of money? Or the worth of an object?
They could climb the money cushion with this black liquid.
Such a fool who knows nothing. Such a thing should not be given to him.
Lord Ollante blatantly exuded his greed.
“Lord Lowell. Call the alchemists and wizards.”
“…Should I head to the Black Tower?”
“White, black, red, blue. Call on them all.”
“Yes. I understand.”
It doesn’t matter how much money is wasted!
If they can make Cola, they can easily make back the investment!
Lord Ollante laughed.
Is it not enough to analyze this black liquid and reproduce it?
Even if they fail to replicate it exactly, if they can make something similar, he could sit on the money cushion.
After calling the wizards and alchemists and a few days later, Lord Ollante doubted his own ears.
“… Impossible?”
“Yes. It’s impossible.”
“Did you think I paid to hear such words?”
Despite his burst of anger, the wizards and alchemists never flinched.
“We don’t intend to take all the money. We will only collect 20% of the fee. In return, we will act as if this matter never occurred.”
It never happened.
Officially, they did not research Cola. So there would be no disgrace.
However, the reality of the situation was filled with embarrassment.
They washed their hands of Cola and vowed to abandon it henceforth.
“… Is it that impossible?”
“Yes. We’re convinced.”
“How can that… be possible?”
Isn’t the tower full of wizards causing a stir across the continent?
But he couldn’t understand why they would give up so easily after failing to analyze the black liquid.
Seeing Lord Ollante’s response, the wizards also sighed deeply.
Because they knew he wouldn’t understand.
“We tried in every possible way to analyze this black liquid… this cola. But neither with magic nor alchemy was it possible.”
Impossible.
A word that barely escapes the lips of wizards.
Magic, after all, is said to show the omnipotence of possibility.
The magic of the dragon is said to even reach the gods.
Can’t it kill people with just the Word Magic…!
But they shook their heads.
“We have discovered one fact through magic and alchemy.”
“…And what would that be?”
“We can’t replicate the additives that went into it… and this drink called cola is difficult for us to understand according to our knowledge.”
The wizard held out a cup.
Upon casting a spell, water filled the cup.
Perfectly clean and transparent water.
What’s he up to? Despite the Duke of Orontes’ confusion, the wizard took something out of his pocket.
“Is that salt?”
“Yes, it’s salt.”
Why is he doing this?
He added a little salt into the water.
Then he showed it to the Duke of Orontes.
“What does this look like to you?”
“…I have eyes. It’s water. Water with salt in it. Are you trying to make fun of me?”
“No, I have no intention of making fun. I just wanted to tell you. This water is similar to cola.”
“…?”
The Duke of Orontes frowned, failing to understand for a moment.
So…
The salt in this water and the additives in cola are the same?
“You’re saying that taste is produced with such a small amount? Impossible…!”
“Yes. That’s why we concluded that it’s impossible as well.”
“You don’t even know how to make it?”
“Yes. We were unable to interpret that.”
The Duke of Olront had made a costly investment for one thing.
Powerlessness. Only powerlessness.
After the magicians and the alchemists had left, the quiet Count Lowell approached him.
“There still is a way.”
“What kind of way are you talking about…!”
“Do we need to make cola the same way?”
“Do you mean we should make a knock-off of Cola?”
That ought to be close to impossible by now.
The Duke of Olront almost lost his temper at what Count Lowell was blathering on about, but he decidedly held his peace.
“No, that is not what I’m saying.”
“Then?”
“We just need to catch the one who’s selling the cola.”
“…”
“We just need to catch Gallery’s snitch.”
“We don’t know where the guy lives.”
“That is fine.”
Silence is golden, talk is silver.
That’s how hard it is to keep silent.
Because if there’s a hole in a person’s mouth, they’re bound to make a slip sooner or later. Just stay quiet and wait.
“The snitch will let slip some information at some point.”
“You’re saying we just wait until then?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm…”
After a moment’s hesitation, the Duke of Olront made a decision.
“Gather everyone who can access the Gallery. And give them the task of checking the Gallery’s posts.”
The plan was to keep a twenty-four hour surveillance on the snitch.
***
“My Demon Lord, what exactly is this….”
“It’s cola.”
“No, I know it is. But …”
The question was, where did he procure such an enormous quantity?
Even a rough estimate would suggest the count exceeding a thousand.
Wasn’t it impossible to purchase more than one cola per person?
Wondering how he managed to get this quantity, though the question lingered not long.
“Keirn.”
“Yes, Your Majesty, the Devil King.”
“Do not strive to know too much. If you’re too curious, won’t your life shorten?”
Keirn swallowed hard, feeling an instant wave of fear.
“…Yes, I will bear that in mind.”
“Also, distribute this cola among my demons. I’ll try to consistently procure more cola.”
“…!”
At that moment, Keirn’s eyes widened.
He did not know where or how the cola was obtained.
However, was that important?
In one’s hand was what everyone found so hard to obtain, cola.
He could only awe and praise the Devil King further.
Keirn took the cola, and Arsell sat on the throne reading the gallery.
“Judak… turns out to be more remarkable than I thought.”
Even though fluctuation is expected when dealing with large amounts of money, he still remained steadfast.
He may have already been rich, hardly affected by the increase.
Nonetheless, whether one would resist the temptation to earn more money becomes a different problem.
Money turns people greedy, ending up consuming them.
Controlling money impeccably is not an easy task.
And Judak was perfect at this not-so-easy task.
“Even with all the money in the world, the value of cola stands high….”
Distributing cola to everyone for a price of one silver, for no other reason than wanting to, is no easy feat.
Arsell pondered.
If it were him, would he have done the same?
Would he have reached a decision so easily?
“Criminals belong in a realm beyond comprehension.”
And so, she can effortlessly conduct actions that leap beyond the thoughts of others, she is unshakeable.
At the same time, she possesses a magnificent character, humor, and ability.
“…one wishes she were a demon.”
Her identity has not been revealed yet. Whether she is human. Or a demon. Or perhaps another race.
Jujak does not disclose information about herself.
Perhaps, as rumors resounding in the gallery suggested, she might be a female student at the academy.
“I’ve become eager to find her.”
More curiosity welled up. Her curiosity was piqued.
It was a first to be curious about something this much.
Arsella smiled quietly, imagining Jujak’s appearance.
“I would like to meet her once.”
What if she likes her? Arsella smiled seductively.
When Arsella was distributing cola to the demons,
In the land of the elves, Elan, Queen Eris had summoned the elves.
Taking the magically talented elves with her, she intended to research cola.
“This is what they call cola.”
“…We know, Your Majesty. You summoned us because of cola.”
“I became curious about the effect this cola has on our bodies.”
Elves are a species deeply immersed in magic and research.
Upon hearing Eris’s words, the elf scholars immediately presented their own views.
“It probably isn’t good. It’s a soft drink, after all.”
“But we can’t be sure it has a negative effect.”
“Do you know what’s in cola? It contains substances not found in our continent.”
“But don’t you know that such ingredients are merely trace amounts?”
“There are poisons in the world that can kill even in small amounts.”
“So has anyone died from drinking cola?”
A fierce argument followed.
Eris stealthily slipped away after stirring them up.
They would handle the rest by conducting the research themselves when given a task like this.
“‘I wish I could find out how to make cola.'”
Cola is delicious. It’s so delightful that I’d love to have a can each day.
A year consists of 365 days.
Elves live for roughly 1,000 years.
This year, Eris is 180 years old, thus considered a young elf.
Assuming she has 800 more years to live, she concluded she’d need 300,000 cans of cola.
“I can’t exactly ask Judik for 300,000 cans…”
That was her initial thought, but it changed while watering her plants.
No, if she became close enough to ask him for 300,000 cans, wouldn’t that be possible?
Eris seriously contemplated her relationship with Judik.
“I’m of marrying age now….”
She hadn’t yet found a marriage partner.
Yet, if that individual had influence across the continent, it wouldn’t be a bad match.
Despite initially taking over the seat violently, he had treated her well since.
He was a man of initiative.
It was known that such people were suitable partners for the typically passive elves.
“Perhaps it’d be nice to meet him once and decide…”
With her mind preoccupied with more thoughts than usual, Eris took more interest than necessary in her plants.
While Eris was communicating with her plants,
Ranger Kairia Roose secretly brought cola into his own space.
“The ranger… is happy!”
He was as happy as the cola he possessed.