by Yoo Seong
“Ark-nim, 200 gold……”
“No!”
He replied in a decisive voice before Jay could finish talking. The octopuses who were slaves had saved Jay and Ark’s lives. But like Java said, Tuntun was the one who actually helped him and his freedom was guaranteed. Ark had no reason to be responsible for the other octopuses. And the octopuses were hiding in the northern lake so they didn’t have any money. There was still the
“And the other way?”
“Play a simple game with me.”
“Game?”
“Yes, there are no copper coins in my vault right now. In order to obtain the funds necessary to restore Charem, I need to dispose of the items in my personal collection that I’ve gathered for a long time. But it will be tough to receive a fair value when I have to sell it so quickly. Therefore…..I’m also uncomfortable postponing the payment for 1 month so how about you receive something from my collection as a reward instead?”
“Take something from your collection as a reward?”
“Yes, I’m actually more comfortable with this. However the control with Kalbern and the Phoenix members said I had to pay in cash. But if you accept then we can change the terms of the contract.”
“Then why did you talk about a game?”
“Huhuhu, this is the key point.”
Java laughed and pointed towards an iron door.
“It would be no problem if I decided to give a specific item in the first place but the contract agreed to give money. I have no complaints but my position means I just can’t give it to you. And it will be difficult to confirm if the item is actually 800 gold. So I want you to go to my collections warehouse to select it directly. You can choose one item. Time isn’t an issue. Take your time and select it carefully. However it ends if you exit the warehouse. In other words, the item you pick can be worth 1 gold. Of course, the opposite is true and it can even be worth 10,000 gold. Do you understand? This is a game to test your discerning eye.”
“A game to test my discerning eye……”
Ark looked at the iron door that Java indicated. If he received this proposal in New World then he would accept without thinking. Ark had the skill called ‘Discerning Eye’ and his experience meant he could guess the approximate value of the items. But Ark wasn’t familiar with the swords, armour and items in Galaxian so he couldn’t judge the value. It was the future so special items like firearms, RPGs and grenades also existed. It was difficult for Ark to guess the price of a commercial transaction. In some cases he might suffer an enormous loss.
‘But……’
There was also a chance of gaining a huge benefit.
‘And the value of the goods isn’t just determined by the store price alone. It is like the meteorite in the laboratory. Some items might be worth thousands of gold but I won’t be able to sell it at the stores. There might be a lot of things similar to the meteorite in Java’s collection. Yes, this might be my chance to get my hands on an excellent item. If I add some conditions then I might not lose money.’
Ark considered for a moment before speaking to Java.
“I accept. But I have a few questions.”
“What is it?”
“Is there a time limit?”
“No. It doesn’t matter how many days you take. Just search until you find something you like.”
“Are there any rules about touching the stuff?”
“It doesn’t matter as long as you only bring out one item.”
“Then my last point. I don’t know what types of items are in the warehouse. In some cases I might have trouble lifting it alone so I want to go in with Jay.”
“It also doesn’t matter who goes in with you.”
‘……The game is over.’
Ark was inwardly certain of it after hearing Java’s answer. As long as he could directly confirm the item information window, he could obtain the most expensive item even if it took some time. Of course, it was also dafficult to determine the value even with the information window. That’s why he wanted to make Jay enter with him. Jay might’ve resigned just now but he had still been Charem’s head of research. He would possess more knowledge about relics than Ark.
‘This is a game that I absolutely can’t lose!’
“I’ll accept!”
Ark’s eyes shone as he answered.
Yet that didn’t even last for 1 minute before Ark’s face turned dark.
“T-this is…..”
A shocking scene unfolded before him in the warehouse. Ark naturally expected a warehouse full of treasure after hearing about Java’s collection. However, stacked in the warehouse were piles of scrap items and machine parts instead of treasures. Instead of a collection, it should be called a pile of junk!
“I-it’s a scam!”
Jay shouted.
“A scam? Where did I scam you? This is my collections warehouse that I told you about. The collections warehouse where I keep all the goods gathered from the areas that the Sufferers destroyed.”
“No way! You didn’t say that there was only junk in the warehouse!”
“I never said that it wasn’t second hand items. This might be a misunderstanding but I never lied. I never said that you would find something worth 800 gold in the warehouse.”
Java shamelessly replied.
‘……This!’
Ark now realized his mistake. He was fooled by the word ‘collection’ and forgot to ask the main question.
He forgot to ask if there was an item worth more than 800 gold!
“But there is no need to be disappointed. We gathered everything from those areas so who knows what might’ve been missed? Why don’t you check everything one by one? If you search eagerly then you might even find a treasure.”
Java turned his levitating chair and exited the warehouse.
‘……I was stupid!’
Recrimination surged inside him afterwards. When he first heard the proposition, Ark thought the probability of losing was 1%. On the other hand, the probability of a jackpot was at least 50%. But he should’ve had doubts. The proposal was too good to trust. He should’ve been suspicious.
‘The Phoenix members told me. Java isn’t a guy to be trusted.’
This was why Kalbern specifically placed a money reward in the contract. But Ark was careless with Java. He felt uncomfortable with him but Ark wasn’t expecting a scam.
“It’s a scam! Scam! Ark-nim, let’s just leave!”
Jay was still clamouring away.
“No, like Java said it isn’t a scam.”
Ark looked at the pile of junk as he said.
“It is like Java said. He didn’t lie. I just didn’t question him enough. And I was the one who accepted the offer.”
“Oh my god! Why are you saying this now? Isn’t Ark-nim angry?”
“I am angry. 800 gold suddenly changed to several coppers worth of scrap iron. Of course anger would surge. But if I just ran out of the warehouse then it is GAME OVER. And running out and hitting him isn’t a good idea. He isn’t an ordinary NPC but a Lord. We would just need to pay hospital expenses. I’m angry! I’m angry but there’s nothing to do!”
The result was obvious. But Ark hadn’t given up yet.
“Please help me.”
Ark rolled up his sleeve and walked to a pile of scrap iron. Then Jay frowned.
“Are you really going to search through that pile of crap?”
“Giving up is just what Java wants.”
“I guess, but……”
“Java thinks there is no item over 800 gold here but he hasn’t checked everything. Therefore we should look at every piece of scrap metal. There is no reason to give up yet.”
“You’re really going to check it?”
“I have to.”
Ark replied without
thinking about it. From the beginning Ark had been planning to check all items and picking the best one. Things were no different now. There were more than 100 items so the odds of finding something worth 800 gold……it was honestly depressing but Ark wasn’t going to give up.
“I won’t give Java the satisfaction of abandoning this task!”
“…..I understand. I’ll help you.”
Finally Jay rolled up his sleeves and approached.
“Then I’ll dig up the scrap metal. Jay-nim will classify them.”
Ark took out his shovel with a determined expression.
“Then let’s start! Ohhhh!”
Pa pa pa pa! Pa pa pa pa!
Ark started continuously digging.
-
Trash kept on pouring out!
“Now let’s continue! Ohhhh!”
Pa pa pa pa! Pa pa pa pa!
-
Trash flowed out over and over again! Trash! Trash!
“Pant pant pant, dammit!”
Ark cursed while breathing harshly. His lower back was sore after digging for 6 hours without a break. But the result was a total failure. Even when he dug trench after trench, the only thing he found was japtem. It was japtem that was only worth several gold! Not one item was worth a lot of money.
‘Well, I knew this from the beginning……’
Not even any useful items showed up. If he couldn’t find an item worth 800 gold then he was hoping to find something useful. He searched for piles of junk for 6 hours but he didn’t even find one cheap iron sword. Fortunately he learnt the Metallurgy skill so he found some scrap metal worth 3~4 gold.
‘If there any item that I can use in here?’
Ark looked around with gloomy eyes before shaking his head.
‘No, I shouldn’t be weak! I’ve only searched through 30% of this. There is still more than half left. I can’t give up until I search through every piece of scrap metal!’
Ark gnashed his teeth together and grabbed the shovel again. He bent his waist and started digging again.
Pa pa pa pa! Pa pa pa pa…..tang!
The end of his shovel hit against a large object. He moved the surrounding scrap metal around and found a big machine buried. Most of the scrap metal piled in the warehouse was the size of a soccer ball. But the machine deeply buried in the scrap metal was more than 2 metres.
“This might be the most expensive thing we can find in here.”
Because it was scrap metal. The value of scrap metal depended on the weight.
“If this is a rare metal then we might be able to receive hundreds of gold for it…..damn, it is just an alloy. What, I can only receive 10 gold for this size?”
Ark checked the metal of the machine using metallurgy and resumed digging again. Then something popped into his head.
“Wait? The name of this machine……?”
He checked the information window again! There were other pieces of it scattered around.
‘Yes, so far everything I’ve checked was japtem. That’s right, Java collected all the scrap metal left in the ruins of the city. Clearly…..Java’s proposal was taking out one item so this isn’t breaking the rule. Maybe……’
“I found it! A way to defeat that larva bastard!”
Ark smiled and muttered.
————————————————
–Alive?
A large octopus shouted with an agitated look. After spending a full day in Java’s warehouse, Ark exited and rode the air board towards the Charenjok’s hiding place. The octopuses were delighted that their kin were alive but that only lasted for a brief moment.
–But a slave……
Bakum shook his head and sighed.
–That means they can’t return even if they’re alive?
“I’m sorry. I spoke to the lord of Charem many times but I only managed to release Tuntun. However I have a way to free the rest of the Charenjok.”
–You have a way? What is it?
“Buying the Charenjok from the lord of Charem.”
–B-buying? Buying the same species like a slave trader?
“Yes. It is wrong to pay money to buy a race that should be free but that is the reality. Why don’t you just think of it as paying a ransom to kidnappers?”
–That is true however……
Bakum moved his 7 legs and hesitated. He looked at Ark with a worried expression and asked.
–How much do we have to pay?
“Except for Tuntun, Java has 34 Charenjok so the ransom is 1,000 gold.
-1….1,000 gold!
Bakum’s head turned pale white with fear.
–That’s impossible! We’re hiding in this type of place so how can we get that money?
Ark also knew this as well. The Charenjok wouldn’t be hiding in a place like this if they had money. They would just this money to buy citizenship. But the Charenjok could only catch fish and couldn’t gather that type of money. Well, the Charenjok on R-14 could just their pipe cleaning skills to earn money but these Charenjok couldn’t. However…..
“I’ll prepare the way to gain the money.”
In fact, Ark had a reason for visiting the Charenjok as soon as he left the warehouse. Some time ago, Ark had found the body of a huge machine in the pile of rubbish. Of course it was broken from the Sufferers attacks. Therefore it was just junk. He could only sell it as scrap metal.
Then Ark had a brilliant idea.
‘Can this machine be repaired?’
Ark had the idea because of small machine parts. The information window had written ‘some parts of a machine.’ He found a 2 metre large machine so he might be able to repair it. If it wasn’t broken then the machine would be worth a considerable amount!
‘Yes, Java placed all the scrap metal found in an area together. Then there is a large possibility that all the parts for his machine are in the warehouse. If I look for the necessary parts then I can assemble it!’
Of course not everyone could assemble a machine. Unless it had a simple structure, only engineers with the ‘mechanical engineering’ skill could assemble one. Obviously Ark wasn’t an engineer…..
“If there is a body then it is possible.”
Jay was an advanced engineer in charge of Charem’s research. He also had the necessary tools in Cheksun’s Toolbox. Since then, the direction of Ark’s work changed 180 degrees. He looked for parts that seemed like they would fit a large machine. That’s why Ark and Jay spent an entire day in the warehouse. They even needed to find the precise screws to attach the parts to the machine. Finding the parts, attaching them with screws, tightening and oiling took one day! When the machine was restored to its original appearance……
-Space Food Maker (Ver. 2)
Item type: Primary Production Machine
A machine made to settle the chronic food problem in the space pioneering age. Most planets in the galaxy contain wild flora and fauna that contain ingredients harmful to humans. In addition, the environment was too poor to grow crops common on earth so the early human pioneers experienced food problems.
The Space Food Maker was developed to settle this problem. This machine removes the various toxins and forms the extracted nutrients into the form of an energy bar. The resulting space food is easily to store, can be consumed anywhere and the prices are also affordable for pioneers.
Space Food Maker! It was just scrap metal when broken but the Space Food Maker was a machine worth thousands of gold! Java never imagined that Ark and Jay would be able to put together a machine like that. As expected, Java ran wild as soon as Ark dragged out the Space Food Maker.
“T-this is…..a foul! This is a foul!”
“Your condition was that I could
bring out one item from the warehouse. You didn’t say anything about not assembling the parts inside. And……isn’t this ‘one’ item?”
Ark tapped the machine that had been changed to 10 metres using hundreds of parts and laughed. Ark could also use the same methods as Java. Java had to keep his promise. Java might be a larva but he was still a lord. Ark might’ve built it with hundreds of parts but the Space Food Maker was still one item! In the end Java was forced to admit it. 800 gold compensation had been turned into thousands of gold. However there was a small problem. The Space Food Maker might be worth thousands of gold…….
“It worked! Now we can save the Charenjok!”
Jay was still talking nonsense. Ark had no intention of wasting 1,000 gold to buy 34 Charenjok. But he couldn’t ignore Jay’s pleas now that he had the Space Food Maker. Ark thought for a while before finding a way to use the Space Food Maker.
–You’re offering to rent the Space Food Maker?
“That’s right.”
Ark smiled and replied.
“In the beginning I thought about just selling the Space Food Maker so I can pay the Charenjok’s ransom. But I know that the Charenjok have their own pride despite being refugees.”
-No, that’s not……
“Also! Even if I buy their freedom, isn’t this place different from before? The Charenjok are still refugees. There is no guarantee that something like this won’t happen again. You’ve been hiding here but now Charem occupies this area. Soon a large number of people will be flocking here. Quite a few of them will be slave hunters.”
-Yes, that’s right. That’s why we’ve been discussing about leaving this place.
Bakum had received a huge shock when Charem first appeared. Ark nodded as if he understood and continued.
“The Space Food Maker needs ingredients. If you have the Space Food Maker then you can also gain money. If you catch the fish in the lake and make Space Food then you can eventually make enough money to buy a federation citizenship. You’ll no longer need to hide!”
–Ooh!
The octopuses murmured with excitement at Ark’s speech. This was the method Ark developed to use the Space Food Maker. The Space Food Maker meant he didn’t need to waste money buying food but it actually wasn’t good for general users. The weight made it difficult to carry around and the person always needed ingredients. At least 2 people were needed, one to supply the ingredients and the other to operate the machine. However, the price of Space Food was 10~50 copper. If it produced 120 per hour in 24 hours, that would be 2,880 produced a day. If he calculated with the maximum amount then his profit would be 14 gold and 40 silver a day. It was possible to get a profit from the machine.
