Chapter 80: The Secret of Immortality

“As expected.”

Jaeho secretly felt satisfied.

As he thought, this old fox knew something.

“I thought there would come a time when we’d have to talk about this. Since you’ve inherited the will of the Spirit King, it’s only natural that you’d be curious about his whereabouts.”

“Well, even if that wasn’t the case, it’s something we need to know to prepare for our power struggle with Rasel Kingdom. I’m sure Runior once said he would fully cooperate with Elysia Garden, right?”

“Heh heh, I did say that. As long as it wasn’t a situation of inter-kingdom conflict.”

At his words, Jaeho shrugged his shoulders.

“Let’s not overthink things. All I want to know is about Rasel Kingdom’s trade with Tinlight.”

“Tinlight……”

Runior stroked his beard slowly, muttering.

Aside from his appearance, Jaeho had a charm that made NPCs take a liking to him.

Especially since Jaeho was currently residing in Elysia Garden, even legendary NPCs like Runior showed overwhelming favor toward him.

Of course, part of it was that Runior already had a high opinion of Jaeho.

“From here on, just consider what I say as the old stories of a tired old man.”

As a result, Jaeho was able to draw out Runior’s story without much trouble.

“To put aside the small talk and get straight to the point—Tinlight helped Rasel Royal Family cultivate the Immortality Herb.”

“Immortality Herb? There’s something like that?”

“Of course, it can’t really exist. In other words, those who, like me, have achieved great enlightenment and gained a much longer lifespan than normal humans. Tinlight made that possible.”

“In return, the elves received places to settle, didn’t they?”

“That’s right. Since I helped create the Immortality Elixir from the Immortality Herb, I knew all about it.”

Runior, having shrugged his shoulders again, took another sip of tea and finished his story.

“Well, that’s how it happened.”

“Then is the Immortality Elixir still being produced?”

“Of course. However, it’s been a long time since the Royal Family borrowed my hand. From their perspective, it must have been uncomfortable to entrust such matters to an outsider not belonging to their country.”

That was about all the information Jaeho could get from Runior.

As he said, he’d already cut ties with the Tower, and now the cultivation and creation of the Immortality Herb and Elixir were being done independently.

“What a shame. If I could just figure out where they’re hiding it, I’d burn it all up.”

ㅡ ?

ㅡ ???

Reading Jaeho’s thoughts, Condé and Dae-wa Jingjing-i looked at him in disbelief.

***

“Oh! Amazing! This is truly…”

As time passed and dusk fell over Elysia Garden.

Runior clapped his hands like a child, delighted by the overwhelming night view.

“I’ve been to the Milkyway Garden in my Empire. But I can say with certainty—it’s not nearly as beautiful as this place! Truly beautiful!”

“It did cost me quite a bit to build all this.”

“No, no… This is not something money alone could achieve. Only you could make this happen, isn’t that right?”

Runior fully understood that such a feat was possible only for the Spirit King.

“It would be nice if I could see such scenery every day…”

Runior smacked his lips in regret.

“Well, couldn’t you, if you really wanted to?”

“Heh heh, being the Tower Master isn’t as simple as you’d think.”

The Tower Master was the Tower, and the Tower was the Tower Master.

It wasn’t just symbolic—controlling all the mana that made the Tower function was Runior’s role.

“Huh?”

Jaeho looked confused.

“To put it simply, if I leave my post for even one day, the Tower will collapse. By now, they’re probably in an uproar over there. Heh heh.”

This man was not just reckless; he was also a genius in a way that made no sense.

“I can see why you’d play around in the back alley as ‘Red Balloon.’ Anyone would get bored if they were stuck in the Tower all the time.”

Suddenly, Runior snapped his fingers.

“That’s it. I’ll just move the Tower here.”

“What.”

“There was such a simple solution all along.”

“You call that simple?”

It sounded several times more complicated, actually.

“What do you think? I heard Elysia Garden is putting land up for auction. Would it be alright if we participated?”

“I don’t really mind, but are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“Heh heh, think of it as payment for the information.”

Jaeho was bewildered, unable to understand why the one giving the information should be the one to pay for it, but Runior only left him with a hearty laugh before disappearing.

“…Is there anything bad about having the Tower come here?”

Jaeho asked Giant and Jul-kan about it.

“If the Tower comes, wouldn’t the fame of Elysia Garden rise that much more?”

Giant was optimistic.

“Certainly, the value of Elysia Garden would skyrocket if the Tower were here. But the Tower Master’s words seemed suspicious.”

Jul-kan agreed it was a good thing, but he was also wary of Runior’s behavior.

“I’ve heard that any country with a Tower has to pay for magical research subsidies.”

“Hmm?”

Jaeho paused.

“Is that why he said what he did? Because of the subsidy?”

“It’s possible, but that’s usually expected…”

In other words, Jul-kan thought there must be some deeper reason for such a meaningful comment.

“No, from my point of view, that’s not ‘usual’ at all.”

He was already struggling for money, and now he’d have to pay Tower subsidies too?

“I’ll just tell them not to come.”

At Jaeho’s words, Jul-kan hurriedly stopped him.

“Still, having the Tower nearby is a good thing! Their outstanding magic engineering and the huge market that forms around the Tower will be a huge boost for Elysia Garden’s development. The taxes collected from that market alone should more than cover the research subsidies.”

“Uh, right.”

With Jul-kan saying so, Jaeho had no choice but to accept it.

After all, he wasn’t an expert in that field.

“Then let’s go in that direction.”

“Understood. Anyway, when the Tower officially purchases land and decides to relocate, there will be a full consultation with Lady Alicia. I’ll prepare thoroughly for that time!”

“…That’s good, but please, just don’t talk about war again.”

“There won’t be any over-the-top responses like before.”

Since he got that answer, Jaeho decided to trust him.

He did wonder if perhaps Jul-kan had gone mad after seeing his country’s final moments, which his family had loyally served for generations.

“Oh, by the way, do you know of any good intelligence organizations?”

“Intelligence organizations…?”

“I want to investigate Rasel Kingdom a bit.”

“Ah! If that’s what you mean, I’ll look into it right away.”

“No, no, that’s okay. I’ll just look into it myself.”

Jaeho, worried by Jul-kan’s enthusiasm, acknowledged his slip of the tongue and stopped him.

It seemed better to handle it himself.

***

ㅡ What? Just what do you take me for?! I’m not your personal secretary!

Of all the people Jaeho knew, the one suited for shady investigations was Taylor.

His Class itself was on the dark side, and as a member of the Bulgeom Guild (?), he seemed like a specialist in that area.

Or maybe he just knew some intelligence organizations.

ㅡ What nonsense! I’m just an Assassin Class, same as you—a Player!

ㅡ That’s a shame. I thought you might know something.

ㅡ Hmph. And if you want to ask me for something, shouldn’t you offer some kind of compensation? Do you just expect everything for free?

ㅡ Seems like you’ve forgotten your own situation, being so far away.

ㅡ So what is it? What do you actually want to know?

Taylor had composed himself.

ㅡ Forget it. I can’t trust you.

ㅡ What? Even if we’re enemies, isn’t that going a bit far?

Taylor protested loudly.

ㅡ I opened the door for you once, and you almost put a hole in my gut! If anything, you were the one who lacked trust! And you started this conversation!

ㅡ Ahem. Never mind that. Let me ask you something. During the Ederan Castle Siege, you killed a lot of Nobles, right?

ㅡ Yeah, I did.

ㅡ Then aren’t you good at sneaking in places?

ㅡ I suppose so.

If there are no witnesses, it’s assassination.

Taylor was more dedicated to that than anyone.

But Jaeho didn’t catch on to why Taylor hesitated.

ㅡ I’m trying to find something hidden in Rasel Kingdom’s royal palace. Interested?

ㅡ Rasel Kingdom? Why there?

ㅡ I don’t need to give you a reason. If you take the job, I can meet you and tell you the details in person.

ㅡ Hm.

Taylor seemed lost in thought, letting out a low groan.

Actually, for an Assassin like Taylor, it wasn’t a bad mission.

The more difficult the infiltration, the greater the rise in his Skill Level and infamy.

ㅡ Now you’ve got my interest. Let’s meet up and talk.

ㅡ Good. Come to Elysia Garden.

ㅡ …I heard there are a ton of people gathering for the auction. If I get noticed, things could get messy.

ㅡ Hmm… Oh, then how about Shuar Forest? Let’s meet at the Goblin Bank there.

He figured he might as well snag some treasures while he was at it.

With the treasury running low, it would be a good time to grab some.

ㅡ Bank?

ㅡ There’s one there. If you don’t know, just beat up a passing Orc or Goblin and give them my name. Just don’t start a knife fight for no reason.

ㅡ …Fine. I’ll head there right away.

So, after making plans with Taylor, Jaeho set off immediately.

…With a group of elves in tow.

“It’s best to bring them along so the goblins don’t try anything stupid.”

***

“Wh-what brings you here?”

The Goblin Bank manager, Sun Deller, was startled by Jaeho’s sudden appearance.

“My money’s here, so of course I can come.”

“Are you saying you don’t trust our Goblin Bank?!”

“No, no. I just came to retrieve a few items, that’s all.”

Honestly, he couldn’t trust them.

“Hmph! Well! Look all you want!”

In the end, Sun Deller guided him to Jaeho’s vault.

“Even if you look at all these treasures, it’s impossible to tell the quantities anyway! Wouldn’t it be better to just trust us and rest easy?”

“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that. Piso.”

At Jaeho’s call, Third Prince Piso of Ederan appeared, face full of dissatisfaction.

“Haa…”

With a sigh heavy enough to sink the floor, he stepped forward and quickly counted the treasures with empty eyes.

High-ranking NPCs like Nobles and Royalty were usually set as named characters.

That wasn’t just about combat ability.

Each had their own specialties.

Jul-kan, for instance, had learned Forbidden Necromancy passed down in his family.

And as a proper Royal Scribe, he possessed vast knowledge, insight, and eloquence—truly formidable.

Piso, as a member of the Royal Family, also possessed unusual abilities.

He could open any lock set by someone of lesser nobility than himself.

And he could quickly inventory even vast amounts of treasure.

Just those two abilities alone were enough to show how messed up the Ederan Royal Family had been.

“A nation corrupted by greed…”

So, Jaeho rescuing them turned out to be a good move.

Aside from Jul-kan and Piso, he was able to attach many excellent NPCs to Elysia Garden.

Of course, as mentioned before, it was all thanks to Breeze.

“…Something’s missing. Something’s not here.”

As he inspected the treasures, Piso spoke to Jaeho.

“Is that so?”

“Missing? What?”

Sun Deller tilted his head, pretending not to know.

It was obvious from his eye movements that he was lying.

“Haha, is it right for someone running a trust-based business to act like this?”

Jaeho placed his hand heavily on Sun Deller’s shoulder and lowered his voice.

“You saw the elves I brought, right?”

“Do you know why I brought them?”

“Gulp…….”

A deadly threat!

“Do you know how much trouble it took to calm them down? They’re furious over what you’ve done to the forest!”

Tremble tremble

Sun Deller’s small body shivered from instinctive fear.

“If you don’t hand over my property quietly, I’ll have no choice but to tear this place apart myself.”

“A-alright…”

In the end, Sun Deller nodded his head.

ㅡ He used to be a gentle soul despite his size.

Condé, seeing what Jaeho was doing, shook his head.

ㅡ Hmm? Considering all the things that guy’s done so far, is that really gentle?

Dae-wa Jingjing-i’s words left Condé speechless.

Now that he thought about it, the messes Jaeho had caused were hardly normal.

ㅡ If he did all that without knowing, it’s even scarier. Who knows what he’ll do next?

ㅡ You’re right… That’s true. Better to do it knowingly than by accident.

For once, the two agreed.