24-Hour Friendly Market, Specializing in Dimensional Items - Chapter 140

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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24-Hour Friendly Market Specializing in Dimensional Items Episode 140

 

Episode 140. Glimmerstona (5)

 

I waited for quite a while to try entering the classified information handling room again, but the elder didn’t come back out.

 

He was grumbling with such a displeased face that I thought he’d come out soon.

 

Surprisingly, he seems to be the type who concentrates when working.

 

Who would have thought his outside and inside would be so different.

 

I couldn’t just open the door and go in when someone was inside.

 

Entering the classified information handling room right now wouldn’t work.

 

‘Should I look for the Floraban diplomatic mission?’

 

I turned my gaze away from the closed door and quietly surveyed beyond the corridor.

 

Considering that the scenario hasn’t started yet, the deteriorated relationship between Floraban and Glimmerstona would significantly affect the scenario.

 

It would naturally be convenient to understand the circumstances.

 

I passed by the classified information handling room and headed deeper into the 2nd floor corridor.

 

Even though only those in black robes could access the 2nd floor, I had a feeling that Floraban’s diplomatic mission would be on the 2nd floor.

 

Even if the agreement was breaking down, they were still envoys from a city, so they would surely be hosted in an important inner area.

 

A cold, long corridor without a single window stretched inward.

 

Only square-shaped lights placed at regular intervals illuminated the corridor, with no decorations whatsoever.

 

This city sure has unwavering taste.

 

I carefully walked through the bleak corridor that gave me a headache just from walking.

 

‘Working in a place like this would make you depressed for life.’

 

I could understand why the people of Glimmerstona lived following such unreasonable rules.

 

There were doors here and there along the corridor, but most were closed.

 

The nameplates on the doors weren’t particularly eye-catching either, so I decided to just pass by and focus only on my goal.

 

It’s not that I tried to open one of the doors but it was locked.

 

When I reached the end of the fairly long corridor, I began to hear murmuring sounds from somewhere.

 

This was definitely the sound of several people gathered together having some kind of conversation!

 

Following the sound, I saw a door three times larger than the doors I’d seen so far, with a nameplate above it that read ‘Meeting Room.’

 

‘This is it!’

 

I approached the door closely with a feeling of “that’s right!”

 

But unfortunately, the soundproofing wasn’t bad.

 

Mumbling sounds of conversation leaked out from inside, but it was difficult to make out exactly what conversation they were having.

 

‘Tsk, should I buy an item that enhances hearing or something?’

 

Wouldn’t something like a string telephone help me hear better?

 

It was when I was considering whether to open the market.

 

Footsteps could be heard from behind in the corridor.

 

I quickly moved away from the door and pressed myself against the wall.

 

With the robe hood pulled over my head, they wouldn’t recognize me, but it would be terrible if some ridiculous twist of fate occurred where I got caught off guard like before.

 

As soon as I pressed myself against the wall and gripped my hood, two people walked toward the meeting room.

 

One wore a black robe and the other a gray robe.

 

The person in the black robe was a woman who appeared quite elderly, while the person in the gray robe was a young man who seemed to have just reached adulthood.

 

The woman showed the arrogance and composure typical of an elder, but there was a hint of irritation somewhere.

 

In contrast, the man couldn’t even straighten his back properly and kept licking his lips repeatedly with an anxious expression.

 

As I watched the two approach silently while holding my breath, the woman suddenly spoke up.

 

“Coming up to this floor should be an honor, but you must understand that this exception is solely for confessing your wrongdoing.”

 

“I understand, Elder.”

 

“Tsk.”

 

The woman clicked her tongue briefly in displeasure, then immediately returned to a dry expression as if she had never been annoyed.

 

I stared intently at the man who kept bowing his head throughout.

 

He truly had the face of a great criminal.

 

‘Is this person the one who did something wrong?’

 

Recalling what I saw in the classified information room, the only thing that could be called a wrongdoing in Glimmerstona right now was the alchemy lab theft incident.

 

Could he be the person in charge of the alchemy lab?

 

As I watched while making such assumptions, the woman lightly knocked on the meeting room door.

 

I heard the sound of a latch being undone from inside, and the moment the door opened, I craned my neck to look inside.

 

‘It’s the Elves!’

 

Inside the meeting room, the Elves I had been looking for were sitting with stern expressions.

 

The woman standing at the door reported stiffly in a businesslike tone.

 

“I have brought the Alchemist who manages the alchemy lab. He will explain about the theft incident.”

 

As expected, the theft incident was indeed the cause of the agreement breakdown.

 

The two people slowly entered the meeting room.

 

I timed it perfectly and naturally joined behind the two people.

 

And the moment the door closed, I hastily pulled my robe hem and slid inside.

 

‘Phew, that was close.’

 

I couldn’t experience the sadness from the classified information room again.

 

I gripped the pulled robe hem tightly and pressed myself against the wall.

 

The Shadow Knight Order’s robe that erased my presence was working hard here too.

 

The people who didn’t notice my entry only looked at my companions with serious faces.

 

The meeting room was larger than I had expected.

 

A long oval table was placed in the center, with chairs arranged around it numbering close to twenty.

 

On one side of the table sat Glimmerstona’s elders in black robes, while on the opposite side sat Elves in distinctly contrasting colorful attire.

 

Seeing them up close, I almost lost myself in their perfect appearances.

 

But I barely maintained my composure.

 

This was because the only gray robe in this place, the Alchemist, began speaking with a voice full of guilt as he bowed deeply.

 

“Greetings, I am Alchemist Triber who manages the 7A alchemy lab.”

 

His voice trembled mercilessly.

 

In a meeting room filled with elders, and even with a diplomatic delegation from another city present, what would it feel like to monopolize everyone’s attention in such a situation?

 

‘Ugh, I’d hate that so much.’

 

Just imagining it gives me chills.

 

Then one of the Elves from Floraban spoke in an elegant voice.

 

“The introductions are done. Please explain the theft incident. We have already waited long enough.”

 

It was a gentle tone, but it had bite to it.

 

The bite was so sharp that it made even the listeners feel chilled.

 

Triber, reading the mood and bowing even lower, began to report cautiously.

 

“Three days ago at dawn, someone infiltrated the alchemy lab during the approximately 10 minutes I was away, and about 27 types of materials disappeared. We haven’t yet determined whether the intruder was an outsider or insider.”

 

“Was the door closed?”

 

“I always make sure to lock it when I leave my post.”

 

If it was robbed even though the door was locked, I can understand why Triber has such an aggrieved expression.

 

But that doesn’t seem to have convinced the Elves.

 

“The alchemy lab that manages materials for making the items mentioned as most important in the agreement – was there no one guarding it?”

 

“Usually at least one Alchemist is always stationed there. That day I was assigned to cover from night until morning. I only left for a brief moment…”

 

Triber protested timidly as if feeling wronged, but the Elf’s gaze was sharp.

 

“Why did you leave your post?”

 

Right, it’s materials important enough to influence a war – why would you leave your post?

 

I was looking at Triber with the same skeptical mindset when Triber hesitated.

 

Then he hung his head low and muttered quietly.

 

“I, I went to the bathroom.”

 

“…Ah.”

 

Oh, even that Elf was at a loss for words.

 

If he was away for 10 minutes, it might have been quite an ordeal…

 

As a human, I found myself unconsciously understanding Triber.

 

“Then, is it impossible to obtain the materials again?”

 

An Elf who had been sitting quietly without any change in expression spoke up.

 

She wore a jeweled ornament on her forehead that shone in five colors, and every time she moved her head, light patterns danced on the gray walls.

 

While I was admiring this otherworldly beauty, murmuring arose among the elders of Glimmerstona.

 

After a long while, it was a small-statured elder sitting at the far end who answered.

 

“We need at least 2 weeks to prepare the materials.”

 

“Two weeks?”

 

The Elf who had been raising her voice asked back as if she couldn’t believe it.

 

In this situation of sitting on a bed of thorns, Triber trembled and bowed deeply.

 

“We are searching for the materials stolen from the alchemy lab. We will definitely find them within 2 weeks.”

 

“When you don’t even know who did it, how exactly do you plan to find them?”

 

“Ah…”

 

Triber closed his mouth again.

 

Every single point the Elves made was correct.

 

The atmosphere in the meeting room reached its worst point.

 

The elders were flustered, the Elves were irritated, and Triber looked like he wanted to cry.

 

In the midst of this, the only one maintaining composure was the Elf with the five-colored ornament, who spoke calmly.

 

“You already know that we cannot face Gearsgard without Floraban’s support. Floraban has already selected elite personnel. But if you say it’s difficult to provide them at the last minute, we also cannot keep our promise.”

 

So in exchange for Glimmerstona providing items, Floraban agreed to provide military force.

 

I haven’t seen Elves fight yet.

 

But if Glimmerstona is requesting support, their military power must be considerable.

 

‘…Do you even call Elves military?’

 

It’s not prejudice, but the words ‘Elf’ and ‘military’ don’t really go together.

 

Then the elder sitting at the head seat made a serious proposal.

 

“If two weeks is too late, how about ten days? We’ll do whatever it takes to deliver.”

 

“Ten days is also too late. Gearsgard’s reconnaissance is becoming increasingly sophisticated.”

 

After saying that, the Elf who had been pondering quietly added.

 

“Five days maximum.”

 

“Five days?”

 

“Gearsgard will definitely begin their operation within a week. They won’t wait for our circumstances.”

 

Whether the elders were flustered by the shorter timeframe than expected or not, the Elf continued in a resolute tone.

 

“If you cannot obtain the materials within five days, this agreement is void.”

 

A serious tone that suggested absolutely no exceptions would be tolerated.

 

Sharp eyes flashed over the gentle-looking face.

 

The elders who met that gaze gulped nervously.

 

I watched this entire situation from the corner and fell into thought.

 

The agreement was on the verge of collapse due to the theft incident, and it was a critical moment when Gearsgard could attack at any time.

 

This theft incident isn’t just a simple robbery of the synthesis lab. There must be a clear purpose.

 

It must be the work of someone who could benefit from the agreement being broken.

 

I had completely ruled out the possibility that it was an inside job from the beginning.

 

Aeteria is a dimension that has been at war for a very long time, and you need airships to travel between cities.

 

Moreover, in Glimmerstona where citizens are thoroughly controlled, there’s no room for insiders to rebel.

 

Then could Gearsgard, the target of this agreement’s attack, be the culprit?

 

…But Berylsha, which is just sitting still, is equally suspicious.

 

My head spins from too much information.

 

I pressed my temples firmly and shook my head.

 

‘Let’s just observe up to here and go back.’

 

I’ve only seen two cities so far, but there’s already a lot of information I’ve gathered.

 

I need to organize this properly and meet with an expert who can objectively analyze the situation.

 

Then I can set more specific survey goals based on the organized information.

 

I left behind the heavy silence flowing through the meeting room atmosphere and used Patala’s summoning skill.

 

I buried one small doubt that had arisen.

 

‘What exactly is this growth acceleration item that makes it so important?’

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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