Knights, Let’s Smash Them

9 – Shouldn’t I Seek a Rice Cake in a Dungeon? (3)

The direction of the commotion was the exchange built on one side of the village. There were many cases where a simple exchange was installed at the entrance of a village where most dungeons were located to facilitate transactions with merchants.

“Let’s go.”

I approached the exchange with Xianne. There, a man with a rugged appearance and a person wearing a luxurious green silk suit were quarreling.

Is there a trouble between the mercenary group that manages the dungeon and the guild?

“No, the promise is different, but our losses are not the only ones.”

“What is it?”

“…… ? Who are you?”

As I approached, the skinheadman looked at me disapprovingly.

“Chianne Knight Commander?”

As soon as I saw the leader who was following me, his expression changed. After all, blonde hair stands out.

“This is the newly appointed administrator a few days ago. I visited today for inspection purposes.”

“You were a magistrate? Well done. This person here is now unilaterally forcing us to lose money, please say something!!”

A man who yells with a voice as thick as those bulging muscles.

Originally, the one with the loudest voice wins in this world, but surprisingly, the merchant didn’t back down even an inch.

“What if the quality is poor? We all want to earn money together…… The dungeons managed by the ecliptic are also in the worst condition these days, so even if you receive items of this quality from there, they will remain.”

“That’s your business!”

“If you open a deal like this, we can no longer do business with you.”

“Huh…… No, what…… You don’t have to do that…… !”

Suspension of trading.

In the end, when the impatient merchant pulls out a powerful card, the man’s spirit, which had been shouting with a terrifying force, noticeably diminishes.

If it’s a quality issue, it deserves to be accepted quite sensitively from the upper level’s point of view.

‘Unless it’s a very skilled mercenary group, it’s rare to manage dungeon by-products well.’

It was definitely helpful to entrust the mercenaries, but it was necessary to seriously think about it from level A dungeons and above.

This is because the by-products produced in A-class dungeons are quite complicated to manage as they are expensive.

How to hold the gathering tool and how long it is left at room temperature can be classified into thousands of different grades.

And from the perspective of the Imperial Knights administrator, the mercenaries managing this dungeon didn’t seem very skilled.

“What exactly is the problem?”

When I expressed my intention to actively intervene, the merchant bowed his head politely, perhaps deciding that it would be better to talk to me rather than to the mercenary.

“Hello, Administrator. My name is Jakob Polo from the top of the gypsophila.”

Above the gypsophila?

It was an unheard of guild.

Judging by the clothes, it seems to be a medium-sized one, not a small one.

“We were buying by-products from the Raspucha Swamp, which nested here in the town of Melbourne. The main purchases are swamp flowers and giant toad poison.”

“Swamp flowers and giant toad poison… ….”

Compared to the dungeon grade, the grade of by-products purchased is significantly lower.

I feel like something is cooling off.

How is it different from ordering soup at a 5-star Michelin chef restaurant?

“Anyway, is there something wrong with the products you handle?”

“It’s not a defect, but these guys are making this transaction a no-brainer by giving nonsensical reasons!”

When the mercenary shouted, Jacob began to make excuses that he thought were reasonable.

“That…… We also have circumstances!! Originally, when purchasing swamp flowers, the quantity is determined by grade. This time, the supplier who purchases grade 1 and 2 gypsophila suddenly offers grade 3 and 4 supplies…….”

I thought I knew roughly what I was talking about.

An idiot somewhere failed to manage the by-products of the dungeon and caused a puncture.

“But in the end, isn’t that your fault? I don’t know why our estate has to bear all the damage.”

“Oh, no, that… ….”

Jacob put on a puzzled expression for the first time.

Anyway, he’s an administrator. A mediocre merchant, and even a small and medium-sized merchant company called the gypsophila, cannot be beaten by a decent administrator of the Territory Knights.

“Yes! That’s what I mean, magistrate man!”

The muscular mercenary nods his head and actively expresses his sympathy.

However, there were problems with this one as well.

‘These bastards, what is the condition of the by-products produced while running A-rank dungeons?’

I looked at a pile of swamp flowers on a trading floor stand. Even if you look good, you can never see that the quality is good.

The expression of a pearl necklace around a pig’s neck is perfect for this situation.

I’m going to say something properly about this part, and first of all, I’m going to solve the trouble with the gypsophila group.

I moved my gaze back to Jacob and continued talking.

“Even if you think about it simply, it is the people who manage the dungeon who violated the contract. Where the hell are you, over there?”

When asked in an argumentative manner, Jacob had no choice but to answer.

“This is the ‘Ulaid Swamp Dungeon’ managed by the Imperial Black Lion Knights.”

“Yes?”

I inadvertently reacted to the name I was familiar with.

Ulaid Swamp Dungeon was one of the main sources of income for the Black Lion Knights. In terms of sheer importance, it was a dungeon that ranged from top to middle, if not the best.

It was originally A-class, and directly managed by well-trained knights——as Jakob said, most of the by-products were 1st to 2nd grade, so it was a very compliant dungeon.

“Do you know the Ulaid Swamp Dungeon?”

“Of course I don’t know.”

In addition, it was the first dungeon I took on after I was appointed as the administrator of the Black Lion Knights. The way to collect resources was also made into a manual, and the dungeon was one more delicious thing to do by robbing the dispatched knights of their own expenses.

That’s why I couldn’t help but feel a bit more attached to it than other dungeons.

“Then why did the quality of the swamp flowers suddenly drop so much? It’s not as difficult to collect or manage as other by-products…….”

I was really curious.

“When I asked the porters residing in that dungeon, the number of direct dispatches from the knights has decreased significantly recently. I don’t know if they’re leaving for some kind of expedition, but thanks to that, the by-products are in very bad shape.”

“Great Expedition…… ? There must still be time before the expedition.”

“Are you familiar with the Imperial Black Lion Knights?”

To Jakob’s question, Xi’an Ne, who had been silent the whole time, shrugged her shoulders and answered instead.

“Our magistrate is a former chief magistrate of the Imperial Black Lion Knights!”

“Is that true??”

“Oh, what…… Yes that’s right.”

I didn’t really mean to reveal it, but since it turned out like this, it was kind of funny to hide it.

“Ah…… !! Ho, maybe! Black Fox, Chief Magistrate Luverne Alroy…… !?”

I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

Since I came to Count Rupel, everyone who reveals my identity has reacted like this, so I feel like my self-esteem, which I’ve forgotten for a long time, is rising.

“I never thought I would be in a place like this. We will formally greet you once again. This is Jakob Polo, the northern branch leader of the mistletoe corps!!”

It was a much more formal and faithful introduction than when he said that he was simply an administrator of the county’s knights.

There was nothing wrong with revealing the past. Rather, it was because he took the initiative from Jacob, who was strangely trying to lead the situation.

Of course, the black lion is the mercenary who seems to be a complete stranger to this side? Chief executive officer? He looked at me with that expression.

“Anyway, proceed with the deal as promised. Isn’t that a contract?”

“…… All right.”

Jakob, who had been clearly showing signs of bullying just a moment ago, lowered his tail terribly to reveal his past.

As expected, a merchant-like way of living.

But it was kind of disappointing to end it like this. As in the case of Compton, the increase in trading volume at any merchant guild is directly related to the growth of the territory and knights.

Furthermore, being in the position of receiving orders from ‘that’ Black Lion Knights, the quality of the items purchased has fallen overwhelmingly recently… ….

My head started spinning rapidly.

“Mr. Jacob.”

“Yes, magistrate. Please speak.”

“How exactly was the condition of the swamp flowers collected in Ulaid Dungeon?”

“To be honest, it is worse than the condition of these flowers right now. I had to hit well to get a 3rd grade.”

Tsk, I clicked my tongue lightly.

From anyone’s point of view, it was poor management. If the status of the swamp flower, which is the easiest to manage, is now more trash than this, it seems that the knights’ administrative practices are completely paralyzed.

‘Well, there’s no way Lee Bo or that wretch would even be involved in managing a dungeon like this.’

I didn’t expect news of cider to be heard this soon.

Okay then.

Let’s try something like this.

“What is your name?”

As soon as he pointed it out, the muscular man flinched back.

“Benflaque of the Silver Fang Mercenaries.”

“Okay, Benflack. Do you have any leftover ‘swamp jelly’?”

“Swamp Jelly……. The garage will probably overflow.”

Usually, a monster called ‘swamp slime’ also appears with a 100% chance in these swamps.

Unlike other slimes, it does not contain poison, but since it attacks from under the sticky swamp, the subjugation difficulty is quite high compared to the danger.

Swamp Jelly was one of the main by-products that could be gathered from the Swamp Slime.

“Let’s pour that swamp jelly on that flower. There is nowhere to buy it anyway.”

“That’s not difficult.”

Benflaque strode into the huge warehouse built next to the exchange and appeared with a box covered in gooey mud.

“By the way, if you pour swamp jelly here, won’t you be able to use it as a product?”

“Honestly, the fact that I can’t use it as a product is still the same.”

“Kuhm!”

Benplaque cleared his throat once, then unsealed the box and poured the jelly over a pile of flowers.

Then, like a ghost, isn’t the drooping flower coming back to life?

“No…… ?!”

“Although it’s a stopgap, this should be close enough to Tier 2.”

Jacob’s eyes were colored with surprise.

“How did you do it?”

“Originally, swamp flowers must be stored wrapped in swamp jelly. That way, the quality is maintained for a long time. In the first place, the method of collecting these flowers was wrong, but that can be corrected from the next time.”

This is the vibe that comes out of the jjam.

It’s a secret that has been handed down like a legend only in the Black Lion Knights administration.

“Most people think quality is bad, but it’s the other way around.”

“At this level, there may be no problems with purchasing second-tier items. That, let’s buy it right now!”

“Uh-huh, wait a minute. Let’s wait.”

I somehow interrupted Jacob, who was about to sprint back to the wagon before he could say anything else.

“Why, why?”

“Jacob Polo, we will also adjust the proportions for you. From now on, you should only source the 1st and 2nd grade swamp flowers from us.”

I smiled at him.

You can’t miss this golden opportunity.

“I know because I’ve been with the Black Lion Knights for a long time, but it will take a while for the quality of the swamp flowers to improve. Honestly, don’t you know Jacob well?”

“…… !!”

Like knights carry one special move in their arms, I also have one special move.

“Under the condition of an exclusive contract with us, let’s always go 15% higher than the Knights of the Black Lion.”

hahahahaha conditional blow.

Hey Bona.

Are you guys at the top?