Chapter 178: Negotiation for Purchase
“Buying a turtle, huh…”
As she sipped her tea after lunch, Rio murmured with a contemplative expression.
“Honestly, I was thinking of heading back right away, but the castle’s lunch was surprisingly delicious.”
“Ahaha, that’s definitely true.”
Given its proximity to the sea, the lunch featured an abundance of seafood. Perhaps because I had only eaten at the harbor until now, the meals felt more rustic and hearty, reminiscent of a fisherman’s feast.
“Every once in a while, a refined meal like this might be nice.”
“Once in a while, sure… But I think I might have been a bit tense.”
“Really? You didn’t seem that way…”
Thinking back, I didn’t notice any signs of tension from her. Oh, but she did glance at me a few times.
“I was worried you might accidentally drink from the Finger Bowl.”
“Buha!”
Wait, hold on a second there, Rio.
“…I wouldn’t make such a blunder, you know?”
I forced out my words, trying to maintain my composure. I never thought Rio would realize I didn’t know how to use it… I’m glad I didn’t reach for the Finger Bowl before her. Who would have thought it was for washing hands?
“Now, about the Sea Emperor Turtle purchase…”
“Right. They said someone would come to pick us up, so I guess we should just wait here.”
It was an obvious attempt to change the subject, but I was relieved she didn’t press further. As we chatted about trivial matters, a knock echoed through the room. A maid appeared and led us to the conference room. Inside, of course, there was no one there. It was a simple room with a long table that could seat about ten people.
“Are we going to be kept waiting for a long time again?”
Rio slumped into a chair near the entrance, looking exasperated.
“If they keep us waiting too long, we might as well leave.”
After all, I wasn’t particularly eager for money.
“Ahaha, true… I wonder if the Sea Emperor Turtle will fit in my Dimensional Box?”
“Who knows? I think it probably will… But if it doesn’t, we can always shrink it down.”
“Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Just as we were discussing how to store the turtle, unexpectedly, people entered the conference room. A robed figure standing next to the Emperor and Dogesha, who had a son notorious for slave abuse, stepped forward. Both looked exceedingly displeased. The robed figure introduced himself as Alkain, apparently the Chancellor of the Empire. Dogesha, needless to say, was the commander of the Imperial Army.
“Time is short, so let’s get straight to the point… How about fifty billion?”
Even with the sudden mention of fifty billion, I had no idea what they were referring to. The Earth Dragon we had auctioned off should have totaled over one hundred billion, so this fifty billion couldn’t possibly be for the entire Sea Emperor Turtle.
“Um, is that fifty billion for each head we brought?”
Tilting her head, Rio voiced my thoughts. If it were that much per head, I might consider it a fair offer. After all, the Sea Emperor Turtle is massive.
“‘Huh?’”
Both of them looked at us as if we were speaking nonsense. What were they even talking about?
“Of course, that’s for both heads and the Sea Emperor Turtle itself.”
“Wait, what?”
All of it? The Sea Emperor Turtle, which was more troublesome and gigantic than the Earth Dragon, was being offered for less than half the price?
“It’s a monster with no known hunting record. We have no idea what materials can be harvested from it. Moreover, the disassembly costs are not trivial. There’s a possibility that it might yield no usable materials at all. Considering that, fifty billion is already a bargain.”
“Just pulling the turtle from the sea to the shore requires two military ships. We haven’t even started the disassembly process yet.”
Following Alkain, Dogesha muttered bitterly. It had been about two days since we killed the turtle, but they still hadn’t managed to haul it from the sea to land?
“Hmm…”
“Hmph. Even though you’ve become S Rank, you were C Rank until just recently, right? While S Rank rewards are indeed higher, fifty billion is not a sum that comes easily.”
They were trying to persuade us, but we didn’t need the money. We had already defeated the turtle and freed Ivan and Phonia, so there was no longer any reason to stay in this city. In fact, I wanted to leave as soon as possible.
Speaking of which—
“If the materials are uncertain, we’ll take everything with us.”
“That’s right. As a token of appreciation for bringing the turtle’s body to shore, we can leave one head behind.”
“What!?”
“Let’s do that. After all, we were the ones who defeated it. Oh, but what about the time I protected you from the Sea Emperor Turtle’s breath, Dogesha? …Well, I suppose I can let that slide.”
“Ugh…”
Ignoring the increasingly pale faces of the two, I let the words that bubbled up from deep within me flow freely.
“Honestly, what kind of gratitude is it to summon us only to impose unwanted terms without listening to our wishes?”
“Even though you approached us for cooperation, you told us to stay out of it.”
Now that I thought about it, Rio was right. Remembering her words only fueled my irritation.
“Oh, and please make sure to properly apprehend Mellow Lagroi for the crime of slave abuse.”
“Ugh… I’ll make sure to hear the full story from my son…”
Since we’re at it, I might as well explain the situation to the father, whose forehead was now veined with anger. I had testified in front of the Emperor, so I hoped it wouldn’t be swept under the rug.
“He claimed he was beaten and then stabbed with a rapier.”
“What!? That fool of a son…!”
“That being said, we have things to do, so we’ll take our leave.”
I stood up abruptly, cutting off any further conversation.
“W-Wait!”
Who would wait just because they were told to? Ignoring the words thrown at us from behind, we left the conference room.