WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 221: 221

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I gave Isabella a subtle signal with my eyes. She brewed tea with magic and set a cup before Jegang. Since he had come all this way, I still needed to show him some respect.

“This is the same tea you had before. I still remember what you said back then. You said things would become more difficult from then on. Still, I didn’t expect you to come here like this.”

I leisurely raised my teacup and savored its fragrance. The scent of the Millennial Herb was still deep and rich. Perhaps Jegang sensed my composure, because his brow twitched slightly.

I met Jegang’s eyes for a moment. There was a trace of displeasure in them. However, rather than showing it openly, he silently lifted his teacup.

I smiled faintly as I watched him. The confidence he had shown before was nowhere to be found now. Facing Jegang, who somehow seemed to have no room to spare, I slowly opened my mouth.

“So, what kind of cooperation did you want to discuss?”

“We have both been fighting at a loss until now. Recently, that pattern has become even more heated. If this continues, won’t it be bad for both of us? That is why I came to make an agreement over this territory.”

Jegang spoke as he set down his teacup. His explanation continued for a while afterward. I nodded slightly as I listened.

They were very reasonable words. As Jegang said, we were currently locked in a war of attrition. Rather than fighting, dividing this territory through cooperation would let everyone come out ahead.

However, I had not created the current situation. They were the ones who had intruded on my territory while I was running my business perfectly well. I narrowed my eyes slightly and looked at him.

“Wasn’t it because of Hwaryeong that you targeted me, Mr. Jegang? If you cooperate with me like this, it will become even harder for you to attack Ms. Hwaryeong.”

I had been the first to propose cooperation before. Yet he had not even given it a glance. That made his sudden visit now seem a little ridiculous.

When I pointed that out, Jegang cleared his throat uncomfortably. I rubbed my chin as I watched him frown slightly. It seemed he had no intention of explaining the situation in detail.

Well, I had not said that expecting him to answer. Besides, I already knew why he had come looking for me.

It must have been because the pressure on him had begun.

I fiddled with the mirror bug inside my clothes. It held a message that had arrived a few days ago. It was from Hwaryeong.

She had contacted me after remaining quiet for some time, shortly after I sold Lumira a third-generation puppet. Lumira seemed to like her new puppet, Ian, quite a bit, and she often showed it off at Koite’s shop.

As a result, a small rumor began spreading among those who had used the Dream Theater. They said that the puppets they had encountered in dreams could also be seen in reality. Some people even came to the shop with Lumira as their recommender.

It was an expansion in a new direction. Koite and I made a small agreement when we caught the fragrant scent of money. I would place a few of my puppets in the stories he created.

There were also cases where I restored the puppets they had encountered as closely as possible in reality. Things that had merely been illusions could now remain in the real world. If puppeteers built a cooperative system like this, it was bound to benefit everyone.

Moreover, the puppets I made for them did not necessarily have to be third-generation puppets. Quite a few people were satisfied with second-generation puppets alone. That was only natural, since they too were beings that moved solely for their customers.

That was how I gradually opened up sales routes beyond the first floor and into the upper floors. I had found a new path based on the innovation of third-generation puppets.

Koite, who had watched the entire situation unfold, even wiped away a few tears of joy. They said that someone in our city’s guild had finally learned how to do business.

I smiled bitterly as I recalled the people from the puppet guild. Even Mauro, the association head, showed little interest in business. The others were the same.

I found it remarkable that they had managed to maintain workshops in the city at all. Still, they had all been a great help to me in this matter.

They directed customers to me, and they kept the puppeteers Gaon had sent from gaining a stronger foothold in the city. If those people had entered the city and joined Jegang’s side, they would have distributed puppets far more aggressively.

I quietly closed my eyes and engraved the kindness of those who had worked for my sake deep in my heart. Without them, the situation would surely have been much more difficult. I intended to repay the debt I owed them someday.

In any case, the rumors about third-generation puppets spread well among people. Based on that, demand for second-generation puppets also increased. After all, second-generation puppets could grow into third-generation puppets if a Sapling was planted in them.

My business gradually stabilized, and I reached a point where I could withstand their interference well enough. It could now be called a complete victory. Hwaryeong must have realized that immediately as well.

I clicked my tongue as I glanced at the mirror bug. Hwaryeong had sent me a message saying that she would move now. Thanks to me holding out for so long, the People’s Council had revealed an opening.

Just as she said, an opening was inevitable. Jegang must have drained a considerable amount of their strength. From Hwaryeong’s perspective, as she faced the People’s Council, exploiting that opening was only natural.

I could predict how Hwaryeong would move from here. She would probably gather people within the Trading Company and pressure the People’s Council. She would remove Jegang and take his place.

Jegang had suffered enormous losses while dealing with me, but the Arcana Puppet Workshop was undoubtedly an attractive asset to anyone. Hwaryeong surely intended to swallow it up as well.

It was a very cunning move. No, capable would be a more accurate word. She moved with confidence in the direction that would benefit her.

Hwaryeong had not helped me until now because there had been no reason for it to benefit her. But now, she had a reason to move.

She had judged that she could use me as a tool to cut out the Arcana Puppet Guild, and even the People’s Council beyond it. That was surely why she had contacted me.

Her talent for prying open wounds like this could be called innate. Was this the basic quality someone from a great family needed? I could only let out a bitter smile.

There was no reason for me to reject her offer. If Hwaryeong took their territory in Jegang’s place, she would have no reason to oppose me. Both of us could cooperate and rule the territory together.

And Jegang must have noticed that the situation was steadily worsening as well. That was why he had come looking for me. Eliminating me was no longer so important to him.

I glanced at Jegang. I had looked into him a little during that time. He had once held the rank Hwaryeong now occupied, only to be demoted all the way to a probationary employee.

Hwaryeong must have exploited some opening and attacked him, just as she was doing now. If Jegang were forced to step down here, where would he go?

Jegang was only a probationary employee now. If he had to take responsibility for this matter, I could not even imagine what price he would have to pay.

To avoid taking that responsibility, he had tried to eliminate me. But the point where he could do so had already passed. If Jegang wanted to protect this territory, he had no choice but to seek cooperation with me now.

Even if the People’s Council supported him from behind, they would not be able to stop every mage seeking to take a share of the profits. I took a leisurely sip of tea and opened my mouth.

“If you calculate things properly, discussing cooperation won’t be difficult. As I told you before, there is no grudge between us.”

It would certainly benefit me if their workshop went to Hwaryeong. However, if Jegang could offer me something greater than she could, there was no reason for me to refuse.

Yesterday’s enemy did not need to remain today’s enemy. In the end, business moved according to profit.

Jegang nodded with a somewhat relieved expression, then took a document folder from his clothes and handed it to me.

“That is good to hear. This is what I would like to propose. Please read it.”

I quietly opened it. Dense writing filled the page. I read through it calmly.

Oh. He was willing to offer this much?

It was not a bad proposal at all.

“As written there, we will help you maintain a ten-percent market share from now on. We will also add Mr. Evron’s puppets to our system. We will provide you with a portion of the profits as well.”

What he described was the core of the proposal. I rubbed my chin slightly as I looked at Jegang. With a faint smile on his face, he seemed to think I would not reject his offer.

I stared down at the proposal and fell into thought.

One-tenth of the market share. The fact that he had offered such a clear number meant he had investigated me quite thoroughly.

I had changed the way I sold puppets. Before, I accepted any new customer, but now those without a recommendation from an existing member could not enter. It had become a semi-membership system.

Perhaps because of that, my customers were also careful when choosing whom to recommend. The reason they had previously wanted to fill up their recommendations was ultimately because of points.

When someone using my puppets invested points, the recommender received points as well. More points would accumulate the more they brought in someone who used second-generation puppets instead of first-generation puppets, or someone who wanted third-generation puppets.

Because of that, they no longer recommended people indiscriminately to the point of creating losses like before. They had to target wealthier people for more points to flow in.

Switching to a membership system had also been unavoidable. As the proposal made clear, I did not have the capacity to maintain more than one-tenth of the market’s puppets.

I lightly touched my chest. The puppets I made were ultimately created by cutting off pieces of my tree and planting them. To supply such puppets to the entire city, I would have to keep cutting away at my tree for hundreds of years.

Naturally, the absolute number of puppets would be limited. Of course, I had plenty of first-generation puppets prepared in advance. But at this rate, I would clearly reach my limit soon.

Seeing that Jegang had written this into the proposal, he must know what was inside my puppets. He had probably already dissected some of them halfway. I narrowed my eyes and tapped the table.

Their system was quite appealing to me as well. It was a function I had wanted to build through mirror bugs. If I could join that system, I would surely gain many benefits.

They would even distribute profits to me. What an attractive proposal.

But I could not accept it.

I lightly shook my head.

“Unfortunately, this is a difficult proposal to accept.”

“Why?”

Jegang frowned slightly. I quietly smiled at him.

I had once sent him puppets and requested cooperation. The proposal I had made then covered a much narrower scope than this.

In that sense, Jegang’s proposal was certainly reasonable. It was appealing too. If I had been the person I was then, I would have accepted it.

However, the situation had changed greatly compared to then.

I bowed my head slightly toward Jegang, who was frowning, then took out a sheet of paper from my clothes.

“I will make a proposal instead. These are the conditions I want.”

I looked briefly at the paper flowing with magical power, then handed it to Jegang. Perhaps because he felt the magical power flowing through it, his eyes twitched. Then he began glaring at me.

I could understand his attitude. This was a contract.

I glanced at the paper and smiled lightly.

“If you sign it and pour magical power into it, the negotiation will be concluded.”

And the contract would be concluded as well. To mages, contracts were absolute. If they were broken, the tree would collapse.

The text written in the contract was not particularly long. The matters of market share and distribution were similar to what Jegang had offered, so there was no need to examine them closely. Both he and I understood the boundary that existed between us.

What was the point of discussing such things?

The reason I had even prepared a contract was not because of those trivial conditions. Jegang’s face hardened when he reached the final part of the contract.

“…Do you really think I would accept such an absurd condition?”

Jegang gritted his teeth and released magical power. I calmly sipped my tea as I felt its viciously surging force.

His power was certainly strong. There was clearly a gap between us. But a threat like that did not seem dangerous to me.

This was the university. It was not a place where someone could pressure others through force. If anything, making such threats meant he had few cards left to play.

“Hmm. I think this is appropriate.”

I tilted my head as I looked down at the contract.

The final condition written in it was very simple. For the next hundred years, I would hold control over their puppets.

I would be able to intervene in the process of making puppets, and they would need my permission to expand into other cities. It also meant that I would control Jegang’s actions.

I had imposed such a major restriction because I could not trust a relationship built on words alone. Jegang had previously damaged my puppets halfway. How could I trust someone like that? Those who handled puppets carelessly were the kind I needed to be most wary of.

Besides, our positions had changed greatly from before. I had spoken of negotiations with him before second-generation puppets were made. I wanted to settle the matter before we suffered even greater losses.

But Jegang had not accepted it.

And now, I had endured losses and partially escaped their restrictions. Jegang, meanwhile, was under great pressure because of it.

The standard for judging whether the conditions of a negotiation were appropriate always changed depending on the circumstances. Jegang had to give up more. As someone from a Trading Company built on business, he could not possibly fail to understand that.

Still, it seemed that he did not like the terms I had presented. After glaring at me for a long time, Jegang raised a great surge of magical power and burned the contract in his hand.

I quietly shook my head as I watched.

What a waste, burning such an expensive contract. As expected of someone from the Trading Company, he was extravagant with his spending.

Jegang, who had been glaring at me, suddenly stood up. He was clearly about to leave.

“Hmm, I think the proposal I am offering you now is your best option, Mr. Jegang.”

I said it with a faint smile.

Those were the words Jegang had given me when he had visited our shop before. Perhaps he remembered them as well, because he quietly gritted his teeth.

“Rather than sign a slave contract like this, it would be better to sell off the workshop. There are probably people who would pay a high price for it now.”

Jegang turned and left the shop. I clicked my tongue lightly as I watched his back.

It was truly unfortunate. If he had made the contract, it could have been an opportunity to put a Trading Company mage to very good use. Since he refused, there was nothing I could do.

I gently rubbed my wrist for a moment. It was where the contracts I had made were engraved. The magical power of those contracts remained vivid, extending all the way to my tree. The contracts would continue in the future as well.

Feeling that, I shook my head.

Still, I had shown a great deal of consideration when writing that contract. I had not expected such a fierce reaction.

That had been the mild version.

The contract between the Trading Company and me was far more vicious than that. As long as that contract remained in effect, my potential would inevitably be restricted.

I had to endlessly provide mirror bugs as a tool solely for their profits. From my perspective, saying I would use him for only a hundred years was an extremely generous measure.

Yet Jegang had rejected even that.

I narrowed my eyes and rubbed my chin. His attitude meant he still had some room to spare.

If the situation had reached a point beyond his control, he would have had no choice but to sign the contract.

He said he would sell the workshop. Well, that could be a good method too.

Of course, the losses would remain, but if he sold the workshop and covered them with the profit, he would surely at least have a path to survive.

So, even if he had to retreat further, he did not want to belong to me?

I shook my head. Even in this situation, I could still sense that he looked down on me.

It could not be helped. There was an enormous difference in realm between the two of us. Having to make a contract and follow me must have felt unpleasant to him.

Since we had failed to establish cooperation like this, Jegang’s actions from now on were obvious. Rather than focus on fighting me, he would pour his efforts into protecting the territory he had built.

As he said, he would sell it before others could attack him.

But would things really go as he expected?

Probably not.

I lightly shook my head as I watched him leave.

There was one very serious problem with the structure Jegang had created.

He probably did not know.

Hmm. If we had cooperated, I would have helped him. Since he had left like this, he would have to deal with what came next himself.

How many days had passed after that?

One night, a small scream echoed through the city. It quickly cut off and disappeared. Strange things happened in the city all the time, so it could have been dismissed as something minor.

However, the scream rang out again the next day.

Before long, screams began to echo through the city. The resonance of screams spreading simultaneously was so terrible that it briefly distorted the magical power of the first floor.

Everyone could clearly tell where the screams had started.

Many people began flocking to the city center.

Toward the district where the Arcana Puppet Workshop stood.

In their hands, they carried limp corpse puppets.

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