WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 19: Health (4)
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It sounded ridiculous, but even the upper class kept a close eye on the Gallery.
Gathering information, checking for leaks, keeping track of current affairs, seeing what daily life was like in other countries, and so on.
The Gallery was mostly full of shitposts, but valuable things could still be found there.
Most importantly, it offered a way to gauge public opinion, something the upper class had to pay close attention to.
Given the times, public opinion was difficult to properly grasp. The Gallery was practically the only window into it.
Of course, relying on the Gallery alone had plenty of problems.
There had been many cases where people trusted Gallery opinion too much, only for protests and rebellions to break out.
Since then, they had learned to beware the loud minority while filtering out what needed filtering.
Even so, no one could deny the Gallery's influence.
Men and women of all ages and every class could use it.
The story of a noble who constantly trashed the Gallery turning out to be a hardcore Gallery addict was famous.
Being upper class did not make a person's desires disappear.
If anything, plenty of people who struggled to act refined all day came to the Gallery to vent their stress.
That was why the upper class desperately hid their Gallery activity.
Even if they did use it, most claimed they only lurked.
Hardly anyone believed those excuses, but privacy still had to be respected.
So among nobles, there was an unspoken rule that the Gallery was not to be mentioned.
Even then, it was only acceptable between people who were close in private.
“Your Highness. We cannot overlook this matter.”
“I know. But that person could die at any moment. Isn't this a little too hasty?”
The man had blond hair, blue eyes, the looks of a classic handsome young nobleman, and a strong physique to match. He voiced his opposition.
The middle-aged man with graying hair replied in a somewhat urgent tone.
“That's exactly why we must secure as many Adult Mandrakes as possible before that person dies.”
“Count Gorgon. I thought you were usually cautious.”
“There are times when a decision must be made quickly.”
The blond nobleman considered the advice of his loyal retainer, Count Gorgon.
He was Arnold Louis Messiah, the man destined to become the next emperor of the Messiah Empire.
The current emperor was bedridden from chronic illness and overwork, so Arnold was presently acting as emperor.
“If we can trade with that person, we can greatly reduce the Mage Tower's influence. We could especially pressure the Iris Kingdom.”
“That's happy c... no, optimistic thinking. The elves' movements have been unstable lately. There's no need to provoke the Mage Tower too.”
“But...”
“Enough. I don't want to discuss someone who might die tomorrow.”
“Wouldn't things be different if we offered support?”
Count Gorgon did not give up and continued pleading.
He was being unusually stubborn, but Arnold did not rebuke him.
Count Gorgon was well known for his exceptional foresight.
It was almost funny that someone like him was being swayed by Gallery rumors.
That only showed how much influence the Gallery had.
“If we support that person, they may survive longer. But let me ask you this. Who will handle the matter?”
“I know someone.”
“Not you?”
“...”
At Arnold's blunt question, Count Gorgon fell silent. His eyes widened as well.
Arnold inwardly smirked as though he'd expected as much, then waved a hand.
“It seems you planned to use the Gallery's anonymity, but you're moving too quickly. You may leave.”
“Your Highness.”
“If you insist, I'll leave it to your discretion. But if Adult Mandrakes are traded in large quantities, I'll assume it was you.”
“...”
“You haven't been writing insults about me on the Gallery, have you?”
“Absolutely not.”
As if. Arnold did not believe him.
People curse even the king when no one is listening.
The Gallery would be even worse.
Arnold had been showered with every insult imaginable whenever a policy went wrong.
“Only three days have passed since Grylls fell into the Forest of Four Seasons. Be patient.”
“...Understood. I believe I was too hasty.”
“Then hurry along. I'm busy.”
At Arnold's dismissal, Count Gorgon quietly left the room.
Soon, Arnold was alone. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.
‘It's not like I'm unconcerned either.’
The Gallery came into view.
It was currently ablaze over an unexpected rumor.
Passing Dwarf had uploaded a photo of an Adult Mandrake, which had sparked everything.
Grylls had gifted Adult Mandrakes to registered users who had helped, but those users had not uploaded proof photos.
They saw no need to prove it, and doing so risked exposing their identities.
People had been unsure at first, but Passing Dwarf's post convinced them.
To make matters worse, Grylls had previously uploaded a photo of an Adult Mandrake colony.
So those watching the Gallery began to think this.
If they helped Grylls, they could obtain Adult Mandrakes.
All of it had happened during the few hours Grylls was asleep.
[Post title] The Empire's nobles are going nuts right now.
[Post] My friend's in the Imperial Guard, and apparently the emperor ordered them to bring back Adult Mandrakes lol
└ For real?
└ Yeah, for real. The rumor's already everywhere.
└ They're probably in a meeting right now.
└ Come on. Isn't that just a bullshit rumor?
└ There are way too many similar posts for it to be just a rumor.
Arnold smirked as he read the post.
It was a bullshit rumor, but it was hard to dismiss it as nothing but a bullshit rumor.
Count Gorgon had just pleaded with him, after all.
Count Gorgon was only bold enough to act this way because he was Count Gorgon. Other nobles would probably feel the same.
They would try however they could to trade with Grylls and win favor.
[Post title] No response from the Mage Tower?
[Post] The Mage Tower has a monopoly on Mandrakes. Aren't they reacting?
└ Not yet, but probably soon?
└ The Mage Tower is in the Iris Kingdom, right?
└ Yeah. If things go wrong, could they fight the Empire?
└ They wouldn't go to war over one Mandrake;;
└ They might at least exchange words. And the Mage Tower probably hates this situation anyway.
└ Why would they hate it?
└ They have a monopoly, remember?
[Post title] Current situation summary
[Post] 1. Mandrakes are extremely rare. They're important because they're Elixir ingredients.
[Post] 2. The Mage Tower originally managed Mandrakes.
[Post] 3. The Mage Tower's profits from that monopoly are beyond imagination.
[Post] 4. But what Grylls found were Adult Mandrakes, and there are quite a lot of them.
[Post] 5. One Adult Mandrake is enough to make a top-grade Elixir!
[Post] 6. Instead of trading with the Mage Tower at a loss, it's much better to buy directly from Grylls.
└ That's all well and good, but Grylls can't keep supplying them, can they? Once they're all dug up, that's it.
└ The Mage Tower's the same. The Mage Tower literally just manages them. It can't grow Mandrakes.
└ So they bring them in from outside?
└ Yeah. Their main job is managing Mandrakes so they stay healthy, keeping them ready to be made into Elixirs at any time.
└ They're monopolizing them over that? What assholes lol
└ For reference: Grylls is in the Forest of Four Seasons, so no one can pressure them.
└ This is really happening? Damn.
They didn't know the half of it. Arnold shook his head.
It would be ideal if they could arrange a trade with Grylls and secure a supply of Adult Mandrakes.
But Grylls was an unstable supplier. Extremely so.
Living in the Forest of Four Seasons meant death could come at any time.
‘And it isn't something money can buy.’
What Grylls needed was survival equipment, not money.
Allfather, a registered user, had recently paid a fortune. Grylls likely had no desire for more money.
That meant barter was the only option, and that made things even more unstable.
‘It's better to watch for now.’
Moving carelessly could leave him with nothing.
If even one part of this were stable, it might have been worth considering, but there were too many uncertainties to make it appealing.
‘Still, one would be worth obtaining personally...’
Things changed when it was personal rather than public.
The emperor's health had worsened recently. Of course Arnold wanted one.
Top-grade Elixirs strained even the imperial palace's budget.
If an Adult Mandrake restored the emperor's health, Arnold could secure his own position.
It was not as though his siblings were after the throne.
Arnold had two younger brothers and two younger sisters.
One might have been expected to covet the emperor's seat, but surprisingly, none did.
‘Should I call that fortunate...?’
The second son had a great interest in culture and became Minister of Culture.
The third son was deeply devout and entered religious life. Arnold had heard that he became a holy knight.
His two younger sisters had married, naturally removing them from the competition.
‘It would be better for Father to hand me the crown himself than merely grant his permission.’
Unless the emperor personally passed it on, there would be people who found fault with it.
To prevent that, Arnold needed at least one Adult Mandrake.
“...”
Yet Arnold hesitated.
It was not because approaching Grylls felt burdensome.
With a sigh, he checked his Gallery username.
A username he had made as a child, unable to contain his youthful bravado.
[Username] AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang
“Ha...”
It was embarrassing just to look at.
Why had he ever made a username like that?
He should have stayed an Anonymous User from the beginning.
No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand his younger self.
At least no one knew about it.
If anyone did, he would have abandoned the position of Crown Prince and run away long ago.
‘Can't usernames be changed?’
The Gallery was ahead of its time, but it was not perfect.
Countless mistakes had led to all sorts of convenient features being added, but changing usernames remained impossible.
There was only one way to become an Anonymous User again.
Expel all the mana from the body, then fill it with new mana.
It was practically the same as cleansing the entire body.
Even Body Reforging could not accomplish it, so the username would follow someone for life.
‘If I obtain an Adult Mandrake or help Father, everyone will notice.’
Then his username would naturally be exposed as well... He did not even want to imagine it.
Nor could he delay too long. Managing Mandrakes was extremely difficult.
There was a reason the Mage Tower handled all of it.
The one fortunate thing was that he had deleted every post he wrote.
If there had been no feature to delete his own posts, they would have remained an embarrassing part of his past.
‘Should I have my brother do it...?’
Arnold folded his arms and thought.
The second son might be Minister of Culture in name, but he mostly lazed around.
Whenever he had time, he went out to watch football or baseball. He was no different from an idle rich man.
He said it was better to enjoy himself like that than sit in a position that only caused hardship.
‘For now, I should keep watching the Gallery. I should also find out who has Adult Mandrakes.’
That seemed like the best option.
Only three days had passed. It was too soon to make a fuss.
Arnold browsed the Gallery, rubbing his chin.
‘Still, I should look into their culture.’
To do that, he should probably leave a post.
Arnold immediately wrote one.
The username was embarrassing, but asking a question should be fine.
[Post title] Hello. Nice to meet you.
[Author] AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang
[Post] I'm new to the Gallery. How does this generally work?
└ Newbie?
└ [AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang]: Yes, I am.
└ Then don't use formal speech, you bastard.
└ A newbie using formal speech?
└ Look at that username lol
‘???’
Arnold's eyes filled with confusion.
* * *
“Ughhh...”
I stretched, loosening my stiff body.
Thanks to the mat and pillow I bought from the Auction House, my whole body did not ache.
I should have bought them sooner. At least I realized quickly enough.
‘The Gallery... What? Why are there so many trade requests?’
My eyes widened.
A fair number of trade requests had arrived while I was asleep.
When the Gallery was closed, no alerts came through.
That let me sleep like a baby, but it was still strange.
‘They're mostly registered users I don't know. Are they asking for Adult Mandrakes?’
That was probably it. The dwarf had uploaded a post yesterday.
Even one Adult Mandrake was a plant worth a considerable amount.
If it helped me survive, I was willing to trade.
One at a time, not in bulk. I was barely keeping myself alive, so what supply was there to discuss?
It would mean nothing if I lost my life trying to supply them.
A Typical Gallery Adjustment Period [118]
“Hmm?”
Then I spotted a post that stood out.
The comments were one thing, but it had a lot of upvotes too.
What had happened while I slept?
Looks like it's an unwritten universal rule that all sorts of interesting things happen while you're asleep.
[Post title] A Typical Gallery Adjustment Period
[Post] [I'm never comin back, fuck.]
[Post] [I'm the Crown Prince, you little shits.]
[Post] [What kind of fucking idiots are you people?]
[Post] [Ah. Seriously.]
[Post] [I didn't do anything wrong.]
[Post] [Why is everyone insulting me?]
[Post] [No. Please listen.]
[Post] [Is this normal?]
[Post] [The Gallery is so rough.]
[Post] [Hello. Nice to meet you.]
[Post] Read it from the bottom up.
└ LMAOOOOOO
└ LMAOOOOOO
└ They adapted fast as hell lol
└ What's with that username?
└ No idea. Looks like some kid joined the Gallery.
└ That's the kind of username my dad would make.
└ Absolute. ZLJ0n. JjangJjang. If it has those, it's usually an old fart.
└ Nah, some people do that on purpose these days.
‘...’
It was another peaceful day on the Gallery.
Footnotes:
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