On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 186
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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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The Organization Collapsed on My First Day of Infiltration Episode 186
Birthday Gift Purchase Request (2)
This place is the Black Market.
Naturally, it’s a place where merchants who have settled down and become familiar with selling goods have more advantage than drifters.
“Hey there!”
The merchant pleaded as if he had been waiting for this.
“This guy is saying my goods are fake!”
Ziel immediately corrected him.
“I never said it was fake.”
“Now you’re saying that!”
“I said this gem doesn’t have the power my subordinate mentioned, but instead has artificial power.”
“That’s the same as saying it’s fake!”
“I pointed out what was wrong. Can you call that fraud? Or do you think it’s fraud yourself?”
“….”
One of the gang members approached.
“Listen here, you can’t say things like that without evidence. You’ll get in big trouble if you carelessly suspect goods in the Black Market.”
Celia flared up.
“So you’re saying what he just said is wrong?”
“What’s this now? Why is a kid here at the Black Market?”
Celia was immediately exposed by her still youthful voice and build.
But she raised her voice even higher instead.
“This? Do you know me? When did you see me before to call me ‘this’?”
“Oh my, quite the temper you have there.”
The Man who brushed it off with a sly laugh asked.
“So, do you have evidence? It’s troublesome if you suspect things carelessly.”
Since he was asked, Ziel answered.
“That gem claiming to be ‘Giant’s Tear’ is nothing more than a low-grade magic stone coated with paint as a deception.”
“How do you know that?”
“You and that merchant are asking the same thing. I can just tell by looking.”
“Are your eyes some kind of magic eyes that see through everything?”
“Something like that.”
“What?”
“That’s how I knew.”
The man let out a hollow laugh as if he couldn’t believe it.
What kind of guy is this?
“And I didn’t just look at it with my eyes. I could tell when I touched it.”
“Yes, yes. How amazing. But what can we do? That’s not evidence.”
“Just break it open.”
“Do what?”
“Your hearing’s not good either. If I break it, you’ll know right away too.”
“Hah.”
The man’s incredulous snickering was brief.
Ziel simply brought over the ‘Giant’s Tear’ and.
Crack!
Crushed it to pieces with one hand.
“….”
“….”
It wasn’t an apple, it was a gem.
Even crushing an apple with one hand isn’t easy without considerable grip strength.
‘He crushed a gem…?’
The thugs’ faces were colored with tension.
Step.
And as Ziel took one step forward, the thugs stepped back in response.
“D-don’t come closer….”
“Look. It’s a yellow core inside.”
The thugs who received it in bewilderment blankly examined the core from all angles.
‘This…’
It was real.
What was inside was a magic stone coated with paint to make it look plausible.
Anyone with even a little knowledge could tell right away.
Even that distinctive feeling transmitted the moment you held it in your hand.
It was just disguised with paint and fake gems on the outside.
But there was something more important.
Ziel picked up the fragments of the outer gem he had just crushed by hand.
“If you examine it, special mana will be extracted.”
“…Huh.”
“It doesn’t seem to be a real Giant’s Tear.”
Or the Giant’s Tear itself was completely fraudulent.
Either way, it was an unsuitable item to buy as someone’s birthday gift.
Especially a very, very unsuitable item to buy for a large sum of money.
“If I had to compare, a single chicken skewer would be better.”
Ziel-style devaluation!
It was worse than a single chicken skewer.
“…”
And the thugs who had gathered were left speechless by such definitive evidence.
Of course, there was also Ziel’s grip strength they had witnessed earlier.
“Boss, that’s so cool. Please teach me how to crush gems later!”
“Is there such an expression?”
“You don’t even know this? You’re really a straight-laced guy.”
“Hmm. I didn’t know. I was a straight-laced guy. Crushing gems is still impossible. And strictly speaking, it’s not even a gem.”
That was exactly when it happened.
“Oh, Boss, that guy is running away…”
When everything was exposed and the merchant tried to run away.
“Huh?”
Ziel was already moving.
And he lightly suppressed the guy who was about to bolt and slammed him to the ground.
“Ugh!”
That was the end of it.
The black market fell silent in an instant.
Ziel didn’t care about the focused gazes and asked.
“Running away means you’re admitting you were trying to deceive.”
“I, I was wrong!”
“It’s fine. I wasn’t fooled.”
Ziel corrected firmly.
“But my subordinate almost was.”
“I’m, I’m sorry…”
“Where can I get a real ‘Giant’s Tear’? Tell me and I’ll let you go.”
“That’s incredibly hard to get…”
“I didn’t ask about the difficulty of getting it, I asked how to get it. Do I need to go to another black market?”
“You won’t find it anywhere right now. It’s so popular… I, I heard you have to make it yourself…”
“Make it?”
“Yes. You need an extremely pure supreme grade magic stone, but there’s a shortage of those right now…”
Ziel finally realized.
The yellow core.
That was exactly the golden color that high-purity supreme grade magic stones had.
“So that’s why you make and sell these things.”
“Yes. So these counterfeits too… Eep.”
Ziel released the merchant for now.
Of course, he was immediately caught by the gang members who approached.
“You know the black market rules, right?”
“Just, just once…”
“Rules are rules. Hey, drag this guy out! He tried to scam a guest!”
The merchant was dragged away like that.
The stern law of the black market.
If you’re caught selling counterfeits, you’re immediately expelled.
Ironically, the most important thing in the black market is trust.
It’s such a merciless rule that other merchants would drag out someone they had just been defending as one of their own.
And Ziel fell into thought without paying any attention to that side.
‘A supreme grade magic stone.’
Magic stones are generally precious.
Magic stones are naturally formed when natural mana receives pressure from sedimentary layers over a long period of time.
These days there are things called artificial magic stones, but their efficiency is said to be extremely poor.
Anyway, the point is that among those magic stones, they lack the supreme grade magic stones that have contained mana for a very, very long time, so they can’t make that ‘Giant’s Tear’.
‘So the power to stabilize mana and relieve bodily fatigue comes from processing the power from those supreme grade magic stones.’
The work of separately processing high-purity supreme grade magic stones.
There was a reason it was expensive.
Though I don’t really understand why the shortage phenomenon occurs.
“Boss, what do we do now?”
Celia, who had been watching the situation from the side, let out a sigh mixed with regret.
“We came here because they said it was in the black market… but it seems like it’ll be difficult to obtain a supreme grade magic stone. And even if we get one, there’s no one to make it for us…”
Should we change the gift at this point…
While he was pondering.
“Both are possible.”
“Huh?”
“I don’t know if it can be made, but there’s at least someone I can ask for help.”
“Really?”
First, Professor Emeric Kent.
There was one mage that Ziel knew.
“Then the supreme grade magic stone…”
“We can go to the bank.”
“The bank?”
Celia tilted her head.
Do banks sell magic stones?
“Let’s head to the Imperial Bank. There’s nothing more to see here.”
“Ah, yes! Understood, Boss!”
If it’s Teacher Ziel, he must have some kind of method!
And so Ziel and Celia, who had turned the black market upside down, departed.
“I, I won’t do it again. Please! Please just once more….”
“Confiscate all the items here. Drag this guy out.”
“Just once more!”
The desperate cries of the merchant who had tried to scam Ziel’s group of all people echoed throughout.
* * *
Ziel and Celia headed to the Imperial Bank.
“Boss!”
“We’re out of the black market. You don’t need to call me that anymore.”
“But this is fun? I want to call you that today.”
“Then go ahead. I’ll keep referring to you as my subordinate.”
“Yes. But why the Imperial Bank? Did you store some magic stones in a vault here?”
“No.”
Ziel answered as he opened the bank door and entered.
“I invested in a magic stone mine. Through this Imperial Bank.”
“Really? Isn’t that really risky?”
“It’s not risky.”
Because during his assassin days, he had confirmed with his own eyes that the mine’s profitability was high.
That’s why he had come here.
He held a considerable share in the mine investment, and accordingly could recover his investment funds or….
‘I should be able to obtain supreme grade magic stones.’
He would be able to aim for mission completion.
“Welcome, customer. How may we help you? We would appreciate it if you could tell us your name.”
“Ziel Steelheart.”
“Ziel Steelheart….”
The bank employee who had been helping with customer service at the entrance flinched at Ziel’s name.
“Pl, please wait a moment. If you could wait here, I’ll bring a supervisor right away.”
“Understood.”
Celia was a little surprised.
She had come to the Imperial Bank several times following her father.
To receive that kind of treatment, one would need to have enormous deposits, or be a potential premium client.
‘Teacher Ziel is at that level? Does he have a lot of money?’
She knew Ziel was amazing.
However, social reputation and money were different matters.
It was exciting to see a side of Ziel she hadn’t known about.
“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Vice President Roton Elpis, Teacher Ziel Steelheart. I’ve heard much about you.”
And so the person who came to see them was none other than the Vice President.
“Ah, the lady beside you must be Miss Celia Rihart. It’s an honor to meet the young lady of Rihart.”
Celia tactfully showed modesty.
“Today it’s not me but Teacher Ziel who came here on business, so you don’t need to worry about me.”
“How could I not? I’ll do my best to ensure you’re comfortable during your stay. Now then, please allow me to escort you to the reception room.”
Befitting the Imperial Bank, the reception room was also luxurious, with house staff attending to them from the side.
Celia could finally understand why Ziel was receiving such generous treatment.
“The recent profitability survey results for the Lorenz Magic Stone Mine you invested in have come out. I’m sure you came after hearing the news, but… the internal rate of return averaged 40%.”
Internal rate of return 40%!
It was an incredible figure.
Generally, mines evaluated as having ‘good’ profitability had an internal rate of return of around 25%.
This was a figure that far exceeded that.
“As a result, the price of the mining bonds you purchased at that time has risen by approximately 780%. Congratulations, Teacher.”
“Is that so.”
Ziel thought.
If he sold it all, he probably wouldn’t have to worry about chicken skewers for a while.
‘I won’t have to worry about the house either. Then maybe I’ll use that money to decorate the faculty dormitory later.’
“…!”
And Celia’s mouth fell wide open.
‘If it rose 780%… how much did Teacher invest?’
Meanwhile.
‘He doesn’t seem very happy?’
The Vice President tilted his head.
It was like a reaction as if he already knew.
When he had received the report that an Academy teacher named Ziel had invested in high-risk mining bonds, he had clicked his tongue.
While it was good for the bank, usually these kinds of investments ended up in losses rather than high returns.
But seeing his reaction now…
‘There’s no way he could have known that information. It was a fact that was hard to know until the investigation.’
Did he have some other kind of conviction?
Thinking that far, the Vice President’s resolve became firm.
‘I’ll definitely keep him. I need to guide him to other products…’
“I’ll sell all the bonds.”
“Pardon? Teacher, there’s a possibility this could rise even more…”
“That’s enough.”
Ziel didn’t know much about investing.
But he had made a profit, and quite a large one at that, so he would sell.
That was reason enough.
Not 78%, but 780%.
A high return that most investors would find difficult to taste!
“Understood. Then, shall I recommend new products after we settle this?”
“I’ll come back later to look at those. However, before that, I’ll convert part of the mining bonds into supreme grade magic stones from the mine.”
This was exactly what Ziel had been aiming for.
Ziel, who remembered all the terms he had read when signing up for the product, recalled one particular clause.
[Magic stones mined from Lorenz Mine can have their rights claimed according to shareholding, and priority rights to magic stones are granted based on the bond price at the time of exercising the held bonds.]
“You’re investing in physical assets. Then, would you like to store the magic stones at the bank?”
“I wish to receive them immediately.”
“Understood. Please wait a moment while we prepare them.”
Priority rights to magic stones for bondholders!
As the Imperial Bank responsible for selling mining bonds, they always keep magic stones of various grades in stock, and that’s exactly what he demanded.
‘Teacher is amazing…’
Celia forgot all about maintaining the dignity of Rihart’s young lady and couldn’t close her gaping mouth.
To Celia, Ziel was always someone who found solutions.
But to find a solution even in a situation like this?
“Boss, you’re amazing…”
“What do you mean?”
“Just everything…”
“Mm. Right.”
Cool.
‘No matter how I look at it, he’s not someone who should just stay at the Academy!’
But if Teacher Ziel left, Academy life would be so boring!
She could finally understand why Father mentioned and praised Ziel whenever he had the chance.
“Here are the 3 sets of highest grade magic stones you requested.”
And the Vice President personally opened the magic stone sets to show them.
It seemed like brilliant golden light was pouring out.
A sparkle on a completely different level from the deceptive color of the low-grade magic stones they saw earlier!
“This is the settlement statement. The bonds will be sold immediately, and the remaining amount after deducting the cost of purchasing the magic stones and fees will be deposited into Teacher Ziel Steelheart’s account.”
“Yes. I understand. I’ll come back another time to hear about the prize details.”
“You’re welcome anytime. And if it’s not too presumptuous, it would be nice to share a meal together then.”
The other party was neither a parent nor a student.
Ziel nodded without hesitation.
“I’ll do that.”
Celia clicked her tongue inwardly.
The Vice President looked a bit pitiful.
‘Teacher eats an incredible amount.’
And so the two left the Imperial Bank amid such gracious treatment and courteous farewell service until the very end.
“Boss, you’re really amazing. Wow, you have so much money too. You’re richer than me, aren’t you?”
“I suppose so.”
“Oh right! And I’ll pay you for this Supreme Grade Magic Stone.”
“Understood.”
Ziel examined the settlement documents and extended his hand.
“700,000 Cel.”
“What?”
“That’s the current market price.”
“Whaat?”
Celia hurriedly checked the settlement documents.
Her eyes widened as she seemed to be at a loss for words.
“Th-this is… an enormous… amount of money…”
She didn’t have that kind of money.
‘How could I possibly have that much!’
Even though she was from a Great Lord Family, she didn’t have that much money on hand.
“Didn’t you say you were buying a birthday gift?”
“I didn’t know it would be this expensive…”
“Hmm.”
Ziel pondered for a moment before making a suggestion.
“Then let’s do this.”
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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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