NOVEL NEXT Chapter 10
#010 Preparation for Enrollment -Securing Funds- (1)
The recruitment of Ligret as a personal guard proceeded surprisingly smoothly.
Vern Midas had an attitude that seemed to suggest such trivial matters were beneath him, and the members of the *Brown Wolf Mercenary Group* surprisingly let her go without any resistance.
…Although, it was somewhat bothersome that most of the members were giving me lukewarm stares.
“So, how closely do you expect us to be together in terms of guarding? I mean, a 24/7 watch would be pushing it.”
At Ligret’s question, I shook my head.
Doing everything together in daily life is simply impossible, and besides, I wouldn’t be able to stand it.
After all, the guard situation was partially a pretext to keep Ligret by my side.
“When you’re at home, it’s okay if we’re not together all the time. The Midas mansion itself has enough security and personnel.”
“True, I doubt most people could even get through the entrance.”
What kind of family is this?
The Midas family, you see.
Back in Grandpa’s day, they had to watch their backs against the Empire or the New Royal Family, but now they contend with foolishly brave swindlers trying to seize the shares of the mystic stone mines held by grandpa. For survival’s sake, a safe mansion and solid security were essential.
Not to mention that with my father, Vern Midas, openly raking in money while garnering bad reputation from everyone, we now had not only robbers eyeing our fortune but also people with grudges multiplying by the day. Thus, our precautions had to be even more robust.
Rough-looking uncles guarding the entrance were a given, and expensive alarms and protective spells installed all over the mansion were abundant, and when Vern Midas moved about outside, dozens of people trailed after him.
I doubt even the heads of most conglomerates in my previous life had that much security.
In fact, even the guards from the *Brown Wolf Mercenary Group*, who were just associates and not even family, could easily handle typical thieves.
Last time, we were caught off guard by a strangely trained force marching in from a territory, which was why we ended up in that situation.
“For outings or long trips, just having you join me will be fine. I’ll usually give you a day’s notice for scheduled events, so you can feel free the rest of the time. I’ve set aside a room next to mine for you. You’ll have one day off each week, and in addition, a free day once a month that you can use whenever you want.
Oh, and don’t worry about meals or clothes; those are all provided for free. Just tell me or any of the attendants if you need anything.”
“…So I’m actually employed to work, right? Because it feels more like I’m being paid to relax.”
I suppose it was a rather generous arrangement by the labor standards of this world, as Ligret furrowed her brow in suspicion.
Well, given what you’ll be rolling into later, you might not find it so easy.
“If you’re that uneasy, how about you watch what I do from now on? I managed to get a task approved by my father.”
“What are you doing?”
At Ligret’s question, I answered with as much of a smile as I could muster.
“-Lottery.”
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In the world of the *Planetarium*, there exist items known as ‘sealed relics.’
In ancient dungeons and similar places, there exist special items known as ‘sealed relics.’ These peculiar items generally resemble small cubes about the size of a palm, which is why they’re often referred to as ‘cubes.’
There are four main characteristics of these cubes:
Firstly, one can unlock a cube by consuming a certain amount of mystic stones.
Secondly, the closer the cube’s color is to black, the more mystic stones are required to unlock it.
Thirdly, the size and shape of the sealed item within the cube are not limited by the cube’s dimensions.
Lastly, until the seal is broken, the contents of the cube remain a mystery.
From the viewpoint of adventurers exploring dungeons, these cubes are like a double-edged sword. This is primarily because the mystic stones required to open them are anything but cheap. Even the lowest grade mystic stones hold a value equivalent to ten silver coins, which matches the monthly living expenses of a single-person household in the kingdom. And as for the cubes that are easiest to unlock—the white cubes—they still require more than ten low-grade mystic stones to open! That’s a whopping 100 silver coins!
The bigger issue is that even if you fork over all that money to open a cube, there’s no guarantee that what’s inside will be worth it. A state-of-the-art weapon at the time of sealing could just be an average spear by modern standards, or you could find yourself excitedly discovering a treasure chest only to realize that the contents aren’t even worth a tenth of what you spent to open it.
Some cubes might even contain someone’s diary or sentimental letters, sealed away like some kind of time capsule, and while it’s rare, there are instances where dangerous traps were hidden inside, seemingly left for those in the future to deal with.
Yet, to dismiss these cubes outright as hazardous would be a mistake, as there are occasionally remarkably valuable magical tools or ancient gold coins that pop out, leading would-be cube openers to keep trying every year. The players who became aware of these cubes summed up their existence with a simple evaluation:
“Oh, this is basically a lottery.”
Or as some call it, gacha.
But this lottery has a starting cost equivalent to ten months of living expenses for a single household—a head-spinning price tag. Of course, it’s not an amount that the upper-tier magic users or wealthy nobles can’t handle. Even then, the act of opening a cube is something they think twice about. Just having a lot of money doesn’t mean you want to throw it away, after all.
“I mentioned it to my father, but I think he thought it was a waste of money, so he just gave me ten low-grade mystic stones and sent me off. He’s such a stingy man despite having so much!”
As I held up the leather pouch in my hand, Ligret looked utterly astounded.
“No, isn’t giving you 100 silver coins generous enough? There are plenty of mercenaries out there risking their lives who barely earn 30 silver coins per job.”
“That much should be expected for a family notorious for being new rich and despised by the state.”
Arriving at our intended location, I was greeted by a man with a cunning appearance, someone who looked like he’d trick the protagonist from Arabian Nights into fetching a magic lamp for him—Dorf Prams.
“Welcome, Lord Chrome!”
“Did you wait long?”
“Haha, not at all. I’m just fine; you don’t need to worry about me!”
Following the incident at Baldwin’s territory, Vern Midas had been somewhat considerate—using an expensive potion to heal Dorf, who had sustained serious injuries. However, he did hold Dorf accountable for not completing the transaction, leading to his dismissal from the position of resident deputy.
As a result, the influential figure he once was in the Midas Guild was now reduced to being my personal secretary and handy worker—a real twist of fate in life, indeed.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes, please come this way.”
Dorf glanced at Ligret, who was following behind me, before opening the door to one of the warehouses nestled in the corner of the mansion.
Inside the warehouse, cubes were categorized by color; the white cubes filled the walls entirely, there were several gray cubes, and only two black cubes lay on the shelves.
“Are all of these cubes?”
Surprised by the quantity, Ligret asked.
“Besides those found in dungeons, there are also cubes that come from ancient structures. They’re typically too burdensome to open directly, so the discoverers sell them to the guild at a suitable price. From the guild’s perspective, they might hold high value, hence the collection.”
“To be honest, I think it might be better not to purchase anything aside from the black cubes…”
Dorf seemed skeptical about the value of the cubes. Not that it was unreasonable—after all, the odds of hitting a jackpot were exceedingly low.
I stepped further into the warehouse and picked a cube that caught my fancy.
“Alright, how about this one?”
“Is it really okay to decide that easily?”
“It’s all a matter of luck, anyway.”
I opened the leather pouch I had and spilled the mystic stones close to the white cube. The cube began to emit a gentle light and absorbed the stones.
Then, in the next moment.
“At least I’m confident in my luck with money.”
Boom!
With a heavy thud, a box the size of a soccer ball, adorned in red and gold, appeared at the same spot where the white cube once sat.
Swish swish.
Inside the box were coins intricately engraved with the image of a flame-spewing dragon.
Dorf, recognizing what they were, murmured with a trembling voice.
“…T-the ancient coins of the fire dragon?”
“Probably worth about five times the value of ordinary coins circulating right now. This amount should be equivalent to 500 low-grade mystic stones.”
Dorf slumped down as if his legs had given way, and I smiled at him.
“Can you convert it all to mystic stones for me?”
The chances of hitting the jackpot with these cubes aren’t very high, and getting something of greater value than what you invested is nearly impossible without considerable luck.
Unless, of course, you’re the “Greedy Debauchee.”
It really is true—lottery luck often determines who wins.