On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 185
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 185
Birthday Gift Purchase Request (1)
Birthday gift.
It was quite an unfamiliar term to Ziel.
“Hmm. I see. Is it something you can only get at the black market?”
“To be precise, it’s a bit awkward for me to ask someone else to get it. I want to prepare it secretly. Specifically, the family members can’t know about it. It’s a birthday gift for my father.”
When it came to asking for favors, all the people Celia knew were family members.
“I want to surprise him.”
“You mean Daren Rihart Family Head.”
“Yes. I’ve always just received allowance, but this time I think it would be meaningful to buy it with my own money.”
Exchange Tournament prize money.
And scholarship money.
She had always just received allowance without any effort, but this time it was money she had earned through her own achievements, which made her proud.
That’s why she wanted to buy her father a birthday gift.
However, secretly without anyone knowing.
That’s where the black market came in.
She had heard it was something that could only be obtained there, and if the family members found out she was going there, it would probably cause an uproar.
“Father is still in the capital… so I think it would be good to get it before he goes to the Knight Order camp.”
“Understood. Let’s go together.”
“Thank you! But this… it’s not illegal, right?”
“You won’t be punished just for entering the black market. It’s illegal if you buy or sell prohibited items there.”
“Ah, I see.”
“A birthday gift, huh.”
Celia suddenly asked Ziel, who was muttering meaningfully.
“By the way, when is your birthday, Teacher?”
“I don’t know.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t really know the day I was born.”
“Oh… I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?”
“I feel like I touched on a sensitive topic…”
Ziel shook his head toward Celia, who was hesitating.
“I’m not being sensitive. I simply answered that I don’t know what I don’t know.”
“Does your birthday… have no meaning to you, Teacher?”
“That’s right. It doesn’t.”
Suddenly, some kind of feeling welled up toward Ziel.
Pity?
Or perhaps sympathy?
“Then how about deciding on one?”
“Decide on a birthday?”
“Yes!”
“How can I decide when I don’t know the day I was born?”
“Um… couldn’t you find out? Like finding someone who could tell you…”
“There’s no one to tell me. Everyone who knew the day I was born is dead.”
“Ah.”
It seemed like saying more would somehow put her in a very difficult situation.
“Ahem. Th-then! Even if it’s not the day you were born, couldn’t you choose a meaningful day! Birthdays are important. They only come once a year. You’d want to receive congratulations, and we’d want to congratulate you too…”
“Is that so. I’ll think about it.”
Ziel nodded seriously.
In truth, he still didn’t quite understand why one should celebrate the day they were born, but he was trying to make an effort to understand.
Because Ziel was changing.
“Then shall we go now? I found out about a black market!”
“Where is it?”
“Um… I heard it’s in District 20.”
“But what are you planning to buy?”
“Gems! They stabilize mana and make your body feel comfortable.”
“Are there such gems?”
“Yes, only you should know, Teacher. It’s really, really hot these days, it’s called ‘Giant’s Tear’.”
He’d never heard of it.
Ziel didn’t know much about gems either, so he just nodded along.
“I’m not sure if the black market I’m going to has them.”
“It’s so hot these days that you can only get it at black markets. The price is a bit expensive, but I really want to buy it. Father has been looking really tired lately.”
A gem that stabilizes mana and makes the body comfortable.
‘What kind of magic is cast on it?’
For a gem in its natural state to contain such power, it would need to emit tremendous mana.
Just like the Necromancer King’s Heart.
‘I should see what kind of gem it is.’
“So shall we depart now, Teacher?”
“No. Wait a moment. I’ll go back to the dormitory.”
“Yes!”
Ziel briefly returned to the dormitory and came out with a robe for disguise.
“But Teacher, even just your lower face gives you a confident appearance.”
“Is that so.”
“Don’t I look like that too?”
“No.”
“….”
Celia pulled down her hood dejectedly.
‘This time I can just go normally.’
This time there was no particular need to hide his identity as Ziel Steelheart.
The gold bars taken from Siren’s mansion would be dealt with during vacation.
It wasn’t like he was buying anything illegal either.
“But how did you know there was a black market in District 20?”
“I bought the information. Do you know about Crow, Teacher?”
Of course I know.
There’s a former Crow I know well back at the dormitory.
“I know.”
“I didn’t know, but apparently you can buy that kind of information if you pay money? So I found out about the place in District 20. Even the method to get in.”
“I see.”
“But it’s scary, you know. If I went alone, I felt like I’d be ignored for no reason. And it would be awkward to go with friends. That’s why I asked you!”
“You did well. The black market isn’t a place for a student to go alone.”
“Huh? But earlier you said it wasn’t dangerous?”
“It’s not dangerous for me.”
“Ah.”
So that’s what he meant.
Anyway, the two headed toward District 20.
‘This is how I fulfill my dream!’
Celia was delighted as she walked the street with Ziel.
Guard Knight.
Though it had become an impossible dream to achieve, thinking that she had become a Guard Knight for just this one day made her feel very good.
‘I need to make the most of today.’
Celia suddenly spotted something and pointed at it.
“Teacher, look at that! How about those clothes?”
“No distractions during mission execution. Continue toward District 20.”
“…Oh, seriously. Can’t we just take a quick look?”
“Not interested.”
“Ah.”
Well, Teacher would be like that.
But this wouldn’t be the case.
“Teacher, over there!”
“During mission execution…”
“It’s District 13’s specialty, apple pudding! It’s snacks!”
Ziel’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
After pondering for a moment, Ziel asked.
“…Is it delicious?”
“Didn’t you say to focus only on the mission during execution?”
“The client’s requests are also important. Since you told me to look, I’ll look.”
Ziel walked ahead with quick steps!
A moment later.
Ziel finished off 5 puddings in an instant while standing in place and nodded with satisfaction.
“Excellent.”
“Right?”
“I’ll have to come back and buy more next time.”
“Then, shall we go get the next dessert?”
“Hmm. The request is….”
“The client’s request!”
“I understand.”
Ziel quickly nodded and headed to the next location.
This time it was waffles.
“In all my life, this is the first time I’ve seen someone eat 10 of them by themselves on the spot. How does it all fit?”
“It’s delicious.”
Ziel eating so much that even the merchant was surprised!
Next was candy.
After that was cake.
Last was tart.
By this point, Celia could only stare at Ziel in a daze.
“That… really all fits in there….”
“Because it’s delicious.”
“Normally, even if it’s delicious, you’d get sick of it by now. Starting with 5 puddings….”
“Can’t you eat it?”
“Of course not!”
“Strange. When it’s this delicious.”
“Isn’t there something wrong with Teacher’s stomach?”
“My stomach is normal.”
While they were bickering, they had arrived at District 20.
Ziel smacked his lips.
‘I could eat more.’
But now it was time to focus on the request.
“From here… if we turn into the alley, there should be a blue sign….”
Celia was looking for the entrance to the black market based on the information she bought from Crow.
‘A black market where you pay money to enter.’
There are various types of black markets.
While there are black markets like Siren’s Black Market that have a predetermined list of who can enter, there are also black markets you can enter just by paying an entrance fee.
This seemed to be the latter type.
“Over here, over here! Tea… no, is it okay to call you Teacher? What should I call you?”
“Call me whatever you want.”
“Then how about Boss! I want to try calling you that too.”
“Go ahead.”
“Oh, then that makes me a subordinate?”
“Something like that.”
“Hehe, this is exciting.”
Ziel couldn’t understand what was so exciting about it.
Anyway, as they entered through the entrance under the blue sign, a big man blocked their way and held out his hand.
“100 cel per person. We don’t accept silver coins.”
“Silver coins…?”
Celia tilted her head curiously as she opened her pouch and handed over the money.
“Ah, I’ll pay for Boss too!”
“Of course. You’re the subordinate who suggested coming here.”
“…Was that what you meant by calling me subordinate?”
Anyway, once they paid the money, the big man cleared the way.
“Go straight inside. Don’t stop.”
The passage was quite long.
Looking at it now, it seemed to be structured so that they passed through other buildings attached to this one before finally entering the black market.
And so they finally arrived at the black market.
“So this is what I’ve only heard about in stories…”
Celia barely suppressed her excitement.
It really was the black market she had only heard about in stories.
“It’s smaller than I imagined?”
“Did you imagine it would be big?”
“Yes! I imagined it would be almost like an entire district.”
“There are no places that big.”
“Oh.”
Whether it was big or small didn’t really matter.
For Celia, a noble daughter from a noble house, especially from a Grand Lord family, coming to a place like this was truly a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence.
If she made a wrong move, rumors would spread that a child from such a family frequented places like this.
But since he came with one of the people he trusted most in the world, he had no such worries this time.
“But where should we start looking and how?”
“Describe the appearance of the item you’re looking for, subordinate.”
“Um, it’s blue and has a yellow core embedded inside.”
“You said the name was Giant’s Tear. We’ll need to look around the area.”
“But how much will it cost? It won’t be… too expensive, will it? I heard it costs about 50,000 cel. If I use up all the prize money from the Exchange Tournament, it should be enough, right?!”
“That’s expensive. That’s as much as 50,000 chicken skewers.”
A difference in economic perspective.
Even if it was a birthday gift, 50,000 cel was a very, very large sum of money for Ziel.
“Come on, compared to the gifts my father usually receives, it’s not even that expensive.”
“What kind of gifts does he receive?”
“Last year, he received a sword made by some incredible craftsman as a gift… I think that was 2 million cel or something.”
“…!”
“And he received some really, really rare mushrooms as a gift, and I heard one box of those costs 300,000 cel? You can only buy them at auctions.”
Ziel fell silent.
‘So when you become the head of a Great Lord Family, you receive gifts like that.’
He felt a little envious.
With just one of those, he could have chicken skewers for life!
Of course, his dreams hadn’t changed.
“My gift is very cute though. I actually want to give Father everything, but I’m also in a position where I receive allowance… Still, thanks to Teacher, I think I’ll be able to give him a gift this time! One that’s very meaningful.”
“Boss, subordinate.”
“Ah. Sorry, Boss!”
“Mm. Be careful.”
And so the two began looking around the black market.
“What on earth is this…?”
“That’s an accessory made from Emerat’s Eyeball. You soak the eyeball in preservation solution for a week, then when it hardens, you coat it and make it like this. Just having it brings good luck. How about it, shall I give you one?”
“N-no, that’s okay!”
While discovering strange and horrifying items, there were also things that caught Ziel’s attention.
“Wow, Boss. They say these are Specter’s Items.”
“They’re fake.”
“Huh? Without even looking…?”
“I know without looking.”
“Hey, you have to look to know. Look here. The cloak the Specter used, the sword the Specter used…”
“There is no Specter.”
“Aha, Boss doesn’t like the Specter!”
“…”
Should he say he likes himself or not.
Ziel suddenly fell into philosophical contemplation.
Meanwhile, Celia went to the merchant right next to them and asked.
“By any chance, do you have Giant’s Tear here?”
Then the answer they had been waiting for came back.
“Oh my, you’ve come to the right place. Just today! Fresh stock came in.”
“Really?”
“You’re lucky. If the timing doesn’t match, this is something you can never get. How about I show you the item?”
“Yes! I want to see it!”
“Hehe. Just wait a moment.”
Ziel returned to Celia.
“Did you find it?”
“Yes, Boss! I found it. We’re so lucky, right? Fresh stock just came in!”
“Mm.”
Fortunate indeed.
If they couldn’t get the birthday gift, Celia would have been disappointed.
“Here it is.”
Then the merchant returned.
In his hand was a blue gem.
Inside it, just as Celia had said, a yellow core was embedded.
‘Can such a gem exist in nature?’
While Ziel was having doubts, the merchant glanced around nervously.
“Um, just wait a moment. There’s a customer who came first.”
He probably mistook Ziel for another buyer.
“Now, this here. Take a quick look. It’s popular these days anyway, so if you don’t buy it, someone else will.”
“I’ll buy it!”
“…You won’t look at it more?”
“Didn’t you say someone else would buy it if I don’t?”
“Ahem. I like a guest who makes quick decisions. I specially accept cel instead of silver coins, so if you’re paying with cel, then cel…”
Just as Celia was about to take money from her pocket without hesitation.
“Let me see it for a moment.”
Ziel took the ‘Giant’s Tear’ from Celia’s hand.
“Huh? Boss, why?”
Ziel examined the gem closely and asked the merchant.
“Why do you accept cel too? The black market’s rule is to trade only with Dikelen’s silver coins.”
“Well, that’s because there are many guests these days who don’t know much about silver coins…”
There was a law of the black market.
To trade only with Dikelen’s silver coins.
It was a safety device of the underworld to maintain rules and order.
When trading with cel, they couldn’t handle various problems that occurred within the black market.
“But who are you? Why are you suddenly interfering with my transaction with this guest…”
“Boss.”
“Excuse me?”
“I’m this subordinate’s boss.”
The doubt Ziel felt wasn’t just that one thing.
“Subordinate.”
“Yes, Boss!”
“You said that having Giant’s Tear stabilizes mana and makes the body comfortable.”
“Yes!”
Ziel examined the gem for a moment and opened his mouth.
“This gem doesn’t have that kind of power.”
“What…?”
Ziel added a decisive statement.
“Rather, I can feel artificial power.”
At those words, the merchant erupted as if having a seizure.
“What the hell are you doing interfering with someone’s business! Who are you? Where do you get off spouting nonsense without any evidence…!”
“Boss.”
“What?”
“I’m this subordinate’s boss.”
“What does that…”
“You asked who I was, so I answered.”
Then Ziel pointed to the core inside the gem.
“What’s inside is a dyed low-grade magic stone. You coated it with magic paint to hide that.”
The merchant flinched.
But he brazenly shouted back.
“Do you have proof? How dare you make me out to be a scammer?”
“I can just see it. Can’t you?”
“How can you see that? That doesn’t make any sense…”
Ziel stared quietly and said one thing.
“Bad eyes and a bad head too.”
“That’s right, Boss. Though someone else has bad brains but good eyes at least.”
“You mean that student?”
“Yes.”
“Don’t tease him. He may have a bad head, but he has a good heart.”
“That seems even more like teasing…”
Just as the merchant’s anger was boiling over at the sight of the two having a conversation right in front of him.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
Gang members came swarming over.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
