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Chapter 95
Let’s not waste ti arguing.
This is exhausting.
From the beginning, I’ve never been good at bargaining.
I’m confident when it cos to smashing the heads of monsters and beasts, though.
* * *
The mont she activated the artifact, she was t with a completely different world.
A clear sky.
A refreshing breeze.
An endless beach and a beautiful ocean.
Most unsettling of all was the sensation beneath my feet.
“…Huh.”
Aurora’s face, which had been full of leisure, lost so of its composure in sheer disbelief.
“When lissa called, I thought she was scheming sothing again, but…”
Had she not brought about a revolution?
And yet, what?
She’s only going to release thirty?
She was a rchant.
That ant she had experience handling a vast range of goods.
Among them, she had encountered several artifacts related to illusions, but their biggest flaw was the near impossibility of fine-tuning them.
Sothing about them always felt unnatural, unsettling.
The so-called “Uncanny Valley.”
When a human sees sothing that resembles a human, they don’t feel disturbed at first.
But as the resemblance grows, at a certain point, it suddenly becos unsettling.
Illusion artifacts often had that effect.
Not to ntion, they weren’t originally designed for such uses.
However—
This space had none of that.
The sky itself bore symbols that blatantly declared this was not reality.
The translucent boxes and letters that hovered in my vision further emphasized it.
She absentmindedly walked toward the water and dipped her feet into the ocean.
A cold sensation coursed through her body.
It was nearly identical to reality, yet many of reality’s inconveniences had been improved or erased.
Physically impossible things were possible here.
“…Ah. Now I get it.”
The reason she didn’t feel the Uncanny Valley effect was simple.
This had surpassed the Uncanny Valley and ascended into the realm of pure delight—call it the “Suprely Pleasant Mountain.”
Just as humans don’t feel disturbed looking at other humans,
This space was so perfectly crafted that her brain reflexively accepted it as reality, despite knowing otherwise.
She imdiately began testing other aspects.
Summoning tools.
Conjuring food and tasting it.
After reading an explanation panel, she unhesitatingly jumped into the water and swam.
She didn’t even need to hold her breath.
The water here did not obstruct breathing at all.
There were unfamiliar fish.
Familiar fish, too.
Floating on the surface was a massive, luxurious cruise ship.
“Hah… Hahaha.”
For the first ti in a while, she was excited.
If only a few elents of this were implented, it might be understandable.
But here, there were countless intricate details working in harmony.
Even she, who wasn’t well-versed in magic or magitech, could see the sheer difference in level.
“This… slls like money. I absolutely can’t let the main house get their hands on this.”
She hadn’t expected it to be this advanced.
The reason she had co here within half a day was simple.
Knowing lissa’s situation to so extent, she had decided to visit Cascadia, partly to check on her and partly as a vacation.
But what she found was unexpected.
The domain was stabilized, and there was even a ridiculous statue of lissa standing in the plaza.
As a rchant, it was an action she would never have taken herself, but thanks to it, she was able to make her move before the main house caught the scent and interfered.
The Planeteria Trading Company belonged to her, but the main house had many eyes within it.
Naturally, they must have seen lissa’s request.
The mont she realized that, she nearly lost control of the company to her ddling relatives who tried to use their hidden informants within the firm.
“…It’s about ti to clean house.”
The assessnt was clear.
There was no need to see any more.
She had to step out and close the deal.
But…
“Maybe… I should stay just a little longer?”
Uncharacteristically, she let herself indulge in the comfort and relaxation of this space.
She donned a swimsuit, summoned a sunbed, and lay down.
Despite normally avoiding such outfits, the complete solitude of this place made her bolder.
* * *
After I gave her a brief rundown on how to use it, she activated the artifact without a word and closed her eyes.
And two hours later, when I t her again, she still had the sa expression as before.
“I’ve seen enough, Young Master.”
“How was it?”
At my question, she took out a stack of docunts from her enchanted bag and tore them all to shreds.
“To be honest, I was planning to haggle and negotiate a better deal.”
She flashed a sly, charming smile.
“You, Young Master, are a golden goose. And it would be utter madness to cut open your stomach. Let’s make a deal. I will ensure everything is sold discreetly, fairly, and without any diplomatic or legal complications—flawlessly.”
Her blue eyes glead with determination.
“At first, I had my doubts. lissa is, well… a bit…”
“Did she curse a lot?”
“Yes.”
“I figured as much.”
“But I didn’t expect you to possess such incredible technology.”
“It’s not that impressive.”
Modesty.
Aurora imdiately steered the conversation back to business.
“Can this product be mass-produced?”
“It’s not impossible, but I need to be cautious about its comrcial potential.”
I acknowledged its groundbreaking nature, but I couldn’t predict how the people of this world would react.
“That will be my challenge to tackle.”
Understanding my aning, her smile deepened.
“I will gladly accept most of your conditions. You won’t regret this. When it cos to money, I always keep my word.”
“Since you’re a friend of lissa, I’ll trust you.”
She took out a neat contract and handed it to .
“As you requested, we will first receive the goods and sell them within the Empire through our trading company. How would you like to proceed?”
“How to proceed?”
“Yes. I’m not sure if you know, but this item has beco quite famous within the Empire. With only 30 pieces available, there will likely be many who want to buy them…”
“I’ll leave the thod to you. Just keep it as fair as possible.”
At my words, she paused for a mont, then smiled brightly.
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“Alright. We’ll make a reasonable profit on our end. We will only charge a 1% commission on the sale price.”
Just 1%.
In other words, she wasn’t focused on the goods themselves but on the other benefits that would co from handling them.
“Is that acceptable?”
“You can’t expect to get everything at once. Think of this as a bribe to maintain a good relationship with .”
Whether that was her true intention or not would beco clear later.
* * *
Aurora imdiately got to work.
She began advertising through various channels.
Custors who purchased a certain amount from the Planeteria Trading Company would receive a special raffle ticket.
Only those with raffle tickets could enter a drawing, and the winners would be able to purchase the item.
The price?
A staggering 300 million sel.
Though it was an unexpected price, it didn’t really surprise .
“We’re filthy rich anyway.”
“Exactly. Just let know if you need money.”
Luna flaunted her fingers adorned with sparkling jewels, looking triumphant.
Of course, that was our perspective—but what about the other nobles?
For most nobles in the Empire, 300 million sel wasn’t considered an exorbitant amount.
“They call her a born rchant—her business skills are impressive.”
The situation was already generating buzz without additional effort.
Naturally, Aurora also imposed restrictions on the raffle ticket distribution.
While an individual could obtain multiple tickets, no single person could monopolize all the goods.
For groups, she limited the number of raffle tickets that any organization could receive under one na.
She established her own rules to manage the noise and issues that could arise from the process.
As a result, the Empire was in an uproar over acquiring raffle tickets.
The excitent exceeded even the frenzy caused by the Queen’s Twilight in the past.
And the reason?
It was simple.
The Queen’s Twilight, which sold for trillions during the Black Friday auction, was an unattainable dream—but a 300-million-sel artifact?
That was a different story.
For soone with assets worth 10 billion, spending 2 trillion would be unimaginable, but a 300-million-sel luxury item?
That was tempting.
At the sa ti, Aurora kept the source of the goods strictly confidential and advertised that the 30 items were high-end products with premium features.
In other words, Aurora of the Planeteria Trading Company was making a bold declaration to the entire continent:
We alone know the maker of these items, and only through us can they be purchased!
As a result, Planeteria Trading Company’s products started selling like hotcakes.
Whether the items were useful or not didn’t matter.
To the buyers, the goods themselves were secondary—the primary goal was to obtain a raffle ticket.
With the Empire in a frenzy, other countries discreetly joined the competition.
Various nations approached the Planeteria Trading Company within the Empire, placing bulk orders and attempting to secure raffle tickets.
This, in turn, ignited a fierce rivalry among the nobles, who thrived on honor and pride.
—See? I told you, she’s a total rchant. Give her an opportunity, and she’ll squeeze every last drop from it. So, just do business and keep your distance—get too close, and your entire household might be ruined.
That was what lissa said after hearing about my dealings with Aurora.
Still, one mystery remained: how was the Planeteria Trading Company, a relatively small enterprise, securing such a massive volu of goods?
The scale of this operation was far beyond what a small trading company could handle.
Well, that was her concern, not mine.
Amazingly, the Planeteria Trading Company managed to secure all the goods and deliver them on ti.
Hundreds of raffle tickets were distributed across the Empire.
Among the recipients were the Mage Tower, eager to study the items, and individuals who, after experiencing the product once, were determined to acquire more.
And then—
Shortly after all the raffle tickets had been distributed, Aurora returned to see .
“Here is a portion of the sales profit.”
What she handed was a certified check from Lavren Bank.
“Already sold out?”
“No. To be precise, this is the profit from selling the raffle tickets. I think you’ll be pleased.”
She must have ant the earnings generated through the ticket distribution process.
“Considering the nobles’ spending habits and the financial capacity of our target custors, we set the quantity accordingly. It sold better than expected.”
The amount written on the check was enough to make anyone gasp in shock.
It was hard to believe that this was the sa Cascadia territory that had been slowly deteriorating due to financial struggles.
“You’re quite the capable businesswoman.”
“Thank you. Technically, I wouldn’t even need to share these profits with you—but consider it a gesture of goodwill. Would you say I’ve passed your test?”
“I’m satisfied.”
It seed she wanted to prove her abilities to .
“In that case, shall we discuss our next deal?”
“There’s more?”
“Yes. Actually, I’m considering establishing a branch of the Planeteria Trading Company in the Cascadia territory.”
In short, she was asking for land and permission.
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