I Can See Your Code

I see your code (198)

Layton is a much larger city than most people realize. Even if the population exceeds 100,000, it can be said that it is the largest city in history, as it once hit 700,000 on a continent called a metropolis. It was not for nothing that it served as the capital of the empire.

Of course, since the number of people decreased significantly after the war, it can be said that it is a glory of the past.

However, the decrease in the number of residents does not mean that the facilities inside will also disappear.

In Layton, there were five huge squares, one each in the east, west, north, and center, and the largest of them was the central square, which was so large that it could accommodate more than 10,000 people.

Even when the empire was intact, there were only a handful of cases in which this central square was full, and a representative example is the inauguration ceremony of the emperor. It was the most voted event anywhere on the continent.

It is said that it was impossible to see the full sight of this place without important work.

“But what the hell is this… … .”

The merchant with a large backpack looked around with a tired face. A dense square with nowhere to go. What kind of worm are people? It must be like watching ants swarming around.

He had no idea what was going on because he had only come to buy the goods of Lian Trading, which has been reborn as one of the top three continents since the merger with Noblesse a year ago.

After being hit here and there, he finally couldn’t contain his curiosity and caught a passerby.

“Let me ask you something. Are you having any event here today?”

The captured passerby frowned and stopped. It’s because I got really annoyed at the moment when I heard these kinds of questions in the midst of complicated things.

But for a while. The passerby immediately asked with a forced smile on his lips.

“Is this your first time coming to Layton?”

“I stopped by five years ago, but… … .”

The merchant blurted out. The passerby nodded his head proudly, not paying attention.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if my last visit was five years ago. At that time, there were still dozens of starfish in one day. Anyway, there are no special events today. This is just a normal level.”

“… … You mean this is an ordinary sight?”

The merchant could not believe it at all.

Even though I’m sure I’ve been to many cities, it’s because it’s the first time I’ve seen such a crowd. Even Layton during the Empire was not like this normally.

“What the hell happened to this city?”

“This is all thanks to the saint.”

“If you are a saint… … Are you talking about Sir Ryan?”

Outside, the title ‘Bearer of Disaster’ was much more popular, so I couldn’t remember it right away.

“Of course. Is there anyone else on the continent who has the title of saint besides him?”

“No matter how much you run one of the three major corporations on the continent, how can you do this alone… … .”

“Where is the Lian Chamber of Commerce, just the 3rd largest? It’s the only company that can’t be replaced anywhere else.”

At those words, the merchant had no choice but to nod his head involuntarily.

Because it was a fact that everyone knew that the biggest characteristic of the Lian Chamber was the sale of unusual items.

At first, he created a concept that he had never heard of before, and then he became monopolized by himself in strange things such as magic tools to clean things from the East by himself.

‘Then it is understandable to some extent that there are so many people.’

Unlike other trading companies that are only large in size, there are no substitutes for Lian’s products. It is said that the sad person has to come and find out.

In fact, he was one of those people who came for that purpose.

‘That crowd is mostly people who come for commerce.’

The merchant was amazed again.

‘It seems that the day when the top of the three continents will change to the only top of the continent is not far away… … .’

Having reached that point, he asked quickly.

“Ho, where should I go if I want to do business with Lian Sanghoe?”

“You can just go anywhere. Because any store is dealing with items from Ryan’s.”

“It’s not like that, I’m talking about the real business headquarters. I want to make a direct contract with the company and supply it to other cities.”

“directly?”

The passerby glanced up and down the merchant’s way.

“It wouldn’t be that easy. From what I’ve heard, they don’t even sign contracts below a certain amount, you know.”

“I have enough money ready. Please just tell me the location.”

“… … Well, if that’s the case, then there’s nothing to say. The city is so big that it’s hard for me to tell you all at once, so go all the way to the alleyway you can see and ask other people again. The saint has told us to be kind to strangers, so we will teach them all.”

“thank you! I’ll be sure to give it a try when we meet later!”

The merchant nodded and immediately started walking. A passerby looked at him and clicked his tongue.

“At first glance, it looks like a fluke, but I don’t know if there is 10 gold. Perhaps the condition of the direct contract above was at least 1,000 gold… … .”

He muttered, then shook his head.

“Well, I don’t know anymore. Besides, even if it’s not a direct contract, if it’s a saint’s item, you’ll be able to profit enough.”

At that point, he stopped worrying about the merchant and looked at the square again.

‘It’s really changed a lot… … .’

He said he was arrogant to the merchant, but he himself, who lives in Layton, often couldn’t believe this change. It was as if I had suddenly fallen into another world at some point.

‘This is all thanks to the saint.’

A passerby with a grateful heart once again stepped forward.

That’s because he’s been busy checking out some of Layton’s hottest rumors lately.

‘Obviously Layton could become a truly independent city… … .’

I don’t know if it’s true or not. It’s just a rumor that it might be. But what really mattered was what happened after that.

‘If that’s the case, will the lord become a saint?’

I wish I could. With such a small hope, he hastened his steps even more.

* * *

“It’s independent, it’s crazy, and I just want to quit everything.”

He buried his head on the desk and muttered quietly. Teier Terberots, who was nearby, said with a grin.

“Are you going to invalidate what you’ve been working on for the past year? Let’s try a little bit harder to get this far.”

“It’s a problem because I’ve been living in a pile of papers for the past year, and little progress has been made.”

“Then did you think it would be so easy to create an independent city? In some ways, you might be more comfortable fighting the three kingdoms.”

“It’s war… … Now that I think about it, I just want to see it. If we go to guerrilla warfare, there’s a good chance we’ll win. The 1st Knights will like it too.”

“Are you serious?”

“no.”

I sighed and lifted my head again.

“It’s true that I still feel that way. By the way, little bastards. Isn’t it so wasteful to give the city you gave up halfway anyway?”

“It’s a pity to give to someone else what you don’t have in the first place. If you were in the opposite situation, you would never give up.”

“… … .”

That’s it. I won’t admit it though.

With a sigh that may be the number of times today, I began to concentrate on the paperwork again.

The bribe paid to Argon last month was 15,000 gold, and the value of the magic material paid to Calpheon during the same period was 27,000 gold in cash… … .

Why are these bastards asking for hard-to-find in-kind, but so much money without a conscience?

It’s about to be a real revolution. How much time was left until the Calpheon Revolution event? Two years in the future?

I have a strange sense of time because I’ve only seen ink for the past year or so.

As I turned the paper mechanically along with miscellaneous thoughts, a peculiar thing caught my eye.

“Isn’t there anything else in the Gelian Alliance? What happened?”

Thayer Terberots glanced at the papers I handed out and shrugged.

“They say they didn’t have much interest in the Layton land from the beginning. The territory we have now is enough.”

“You say that with your mouth?”

“It says so in the report.”

“her… … Still, this race has a conscience.”

Comparing it with the documents uploaded from Calpheon, it seems even more so. Is it like a fairy?

With a grin, I fixed my gaze again on the report from the Gelian Union.

Most of the time, rejecting what you normally receive has two meanings.

Stop pretending you don’t know and shut up your mouth, or if this is enough, I’m ready to do your request.

The Gelian Alliance would definitely choose the second one.

It’s not that there aren’t races that are thicker than humans, but there are far more pure races than that.

Anyway, happy to hear the good news after a long time, Teyer Terberoz opened his mouth tremblingly.

“Well, it’s probably true, but maybe it’s also true that I don’t really care. The Union is a little different from the other two kingdoms. A simple comparison is difficult.”

“But even if Argon and Calpheon were in the same situation, they would have kept their mouths shut until the end.”

“… … That would be it.”

I agree with you more than you think. This yangban is also from the Empire, so I don’t like to praise people of different races.

Even if I pretend not to be on the outside, on the inside, the stress from the two kingdoms has piled up, don’t you think?

I was thinking of reducing the awareness of xenophobia through education and so on, but perhaps the solution would be to change my thinking and do a lot of paperwork.

If they roll like me for a year or so, they won’t even have time to worry about whether the person next to them has long ears or is 3 meters tall.

“More than that, we finally succeeded in making one of the three kingdoms on our side.”

“okay. Now we only need to bring in one more place to strike the balance you mentioned. It will probably be argon. It’s a good place to have a relationship with you.”

“How much more time or money will it take?”

At my question, Tair Terberots narrowed her eyes.

“Well… … . Most of the high-ranking officials have already taken bribes, and the ones below have a good image of you, so why not do a little more?”

“Tell me that little estimate.”

“The time is one year ahead. The required funds are approximately 200,000 gold.”

After hearing that answer, I was a little confused.

Even if it’s money, you can earn it again, one more year here is too long. It’s already the beginning of part 2.

Eventually, I shook my head and stood up.

“A year is too long. Let’s shorten it a bit.”

“This is also a minimum figure. There is no point in rushing too much.”

“It looks like we have one. In a case like this, it might be better to hit it right away.”

Thayer Terberots turned back his closed eyes and looked at me.

“Destroy it at once… … . Do you have any ideas on what to do?”

“yes. Let’s all try it face-to-face.”

“… … If you buy it?”

‘It’s probably not what I think it is,’ he said, looking at Teyer Terberots with his eyes.

“Right. We are going to gather all the messengers of the three kingdoms here and build a negotiation table.”

* * *