The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 236

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 236. Automatic Hunting (2)
An anonymous letter held in Seraphia’s hands.
As befitted an anonymous letter, there was no sender information.
“Lately, these kinds of letters have been arriving far too frequently.”
Seraphia exhaled a small sigh.
As the saying goes, flies swarm to delicious food.
As the Whitewolf Territory’s reputation had grown recently, various suspicious movements had followed in its wake.
Nameless letters, gifts from unknown sources.
Especially the mysterious individuals coming and going through the Whitewolf Territory.
Fortunately, Kai and the soldiers maintained thorough surveillance over external personnel.
Internal access records were reported on an hourly basis.
Suspicious items were intercepted beforehand.
Every possible channel through which information about the Whitewolf Territory could leak had been sealed.
Yet occasionally, a single letter like this would inevitably find its way into Seraphia’s hands.
And most of them were….
“Love letters sent to my brother.”
Carefully penned handwritten notes from noble ladies.
Ever since Adrian had begun to be spoken of as the Saint of Caravana, the flood of love letters pouring into the Whitewolf Territory had been staggering.
It was no exaggeration to say that they could be used as kindling to heat the Whitewolf Territory through winter.
And they were all identical.
Impressed by Prince Adrian’s noble ideals and whatnot.
How Adrian’s gaze was clearer than the stars of the night sky and so forth.
Feigning modesty, pretending to be shy.
Laden with every conceivable refinement.
But their true intent was transparent.
“Trying to seduce my brother by any means possible!”
Seraphia flicked the letter onto the desk.
She narrowed her eyes and examined the envelope.
[No sender information] – Burn immediately upon reading.
“Hmm.”
This one was different.
For one thing, the paper quality was cheap.
More importantly, there was no sender information.
If it were a love letter sent to Adrian, it would surely reveal ‘which noble house from which kingdom, and who specifically’ was sending it.
After all, one would want to make it clear who they were before attempting to seduce Adrian, wouldn’t they?
But there was nothing.
Especially the instruction to burn it immediately upon reading.
“Is this not a love letter sent to my brother?”
Seraphia picked up the letter again.
Now that she looked closer, the recipient was not Adrian.
Whitewolf Territory.
“Was this sent to me?”
Seraphia paused, deliberating for a moment.
Then she carefully broke the letter’s seal.
===
One older than time itself.
She has set foot on this Continent once more.
===
“…??”
Seraphia’s crimson eyes filled with confusion.
What in the world was this supposed to mean?
“Older than time itself?”
The words themselves were simple enough.
But what did they signify?
I couldn’t make sense of it at all.
If taken literally, an existence older than time?
Born before time itself began?
“…What is this?”
But what could it possibly mean?
Seraphia rose from her chair.
“Some concept or phenomenon, perhaps?”
Yet it referred to ‘her’.
The feminine pronoun suggested gender—a being with a sex.
At the very least, an entity that appeared female.
One wouldn’t refer to a mere concept or phenomenon as ‘she’.
“Hmm.”
…It felt like playing twenty questions.
Seraphia pondered deeply as she walked toward the fireplace.
Then, with a swift motion, she tossed it into the roaring flames.
“Must be some kind of jest.”
She threw the letter into the fire.
A small spark erupted as the paper quickly turned to ash.
The instructions had mentioned burning it immediately upon reading, so I was simply following protocol.
“Back to work, then.”
Documents piled high like mountains from all the administrative duties.
If I wanted to finish them all today, there was no time for riddles.
Seraphia swallowed a sigh and returned to her desk.
Reports, ledgers, and more.
Seraphia read through and processed each one meticulously.
“To reinforce the Castle Wall with runesteel… I’ll need to redesign at least three sections.”
Seraphia pulled out the document beside her.
A resource supply table Adrian had prepared.
It was a document that organized the current flow of resources in Whitewolf Territory at a glance.
“How did my brother manage to organize this so well?”
The more I looked at it, the more impressed I was by Adrian’s brilliance.
“The refining speed is acceptable.”
Rune iron refining carried considerable difficulty.
However, the human craftsmen trained by the Dwarves had grown capable of handling most tasks on their own.
The problem was this.
“The rune iron mining output is woefully insufficient.”
It fell short of even half the expected amount.
Seraphia rested her chin on her hand and murmured.
“My brother said we could borrow the power of spirits.”
The issue was depth.
At 11km Underground, the connection with spirits became too faint to rely upon.
Therefore, the power of Rielin, the Forest Keeper, was necessary.
“But he said it’s difficult because of that mana interference phenomenon.
So the power of the Arcanoheart was also needed.
And only Broombar can control the Arcanoheart.
In the end, Broombar and Rielin.
Their cooperation was absolutely essential.
“Yet they still won’t even look at each other.”
Seraphia let out a small sigh.
Then suddenly.
Her gaze stopped on a particular file folder.
[Elf Guild Member Enrollment Approval Request]
[Guild Regulations Exception Application Review]
[Predator Merchant Company Member Registration Renewal Form]
“…Ah, that’s right. The Elves are now working for the Predator Merchant Company.”
By Adrian’s special directive.
Seraphia turned her head.
[Elf Ecology Journal]
“Hmm.”
It would be good to research Rielin as well.
Visiting the Predator Merchant Company tomorrow seemed like a worthwhile idea.
* * *
The next day, at the Predator Merchant Company.
As the saying goes, the day you go is market day.
It seemed a major contract negotiation was underway at the company.
And the one leading the negotiation.
‘The Forest Keeper?’
Rielin, the Elven Forest Keeper.
She was personally conducting negotiations with another merchant company.
But the atmosphere didn’t seem particularly favorable.
“That’s absolutely absurd!!”
“How can you match that quality at this price?!”
The representatives from the other merchant company raised their voices.
It seemed Rielin had presented utterly unreasonable terms.
“If these conditions are impossible, then there’s no point in trading at all.”
But Rielin didn’t budge an inch.
The voices continued to escalate.
About ten minutes passed like that?
Around that point.
“Ahem. Well….”
“Just this once, I’ll offer you these terms.”
Before I knew it, they were signing the contract?
Looking closer, their eyes were glazed over.
They say beauty is an incredible weapon in negotiations.
Rielin boasted a beauty that stood out even among the Elves.
‘…They were enchanted?’
Enchanted by Rielin.
Completely and utterly.
Innate genetic beauty.
The natural pride of the Elves.
Combined with her composed tone and sharp calculations, this wasn’t negotiation—it was sorcery.
No, it bordered on witchcraft.
Seraphia blinked and examined the merchants’ faces again.
Most of them were nodding with vacant expressions.
Some even cleared their throats awkwardly while stealing glances at Rielin’s face.
“These terms might… actually be acceptable?”
“Yeah, well… it’s not a loss, so sure!”
Rielin swiftly completed the contract.
She appeared to have perfectly adapted to human contract customs.
And her talents extended far beyond negotiation alone.
“This was grown in Nyamhyang. Classify it in that category.”
“How could you possibly…? We haven’t even provided the inventory list yet?”
“The scent is too short.”
Rielin identified product defects, origins, and quality with perfect accuracy using only scent, texture, and surface temperature.
‘She has abilities too?!’
Beauty, negotiation prowess, discernment, inventory management, and profit calculations.
“Is this the missing inventory from the central warehouse?”
“Yes, but….”
“When water doesn’t flow through the channels, the roots stop breathing.”
“…Pardon?”
“It means supplies must be distributed.”
She even grasped the entire flow of logistics!
‘This is cheating!!’
She was a completely broken character.
Rielin swiftly and accurately identified and organized the goods.
Then she paused.
Rielin stared intently at one box.
She leaned close to it, sniffing deeply.
She glanced around nervously.
She grabbed a passing guild member and asked.
“Are these rotten-breath seeds, by any chance?”
“Rotten-breath… What?”
“These here.”
“Ah, you mean ginkgo fruits.”
At that, Rielin’s ears perked up.
They moved actively between her long golden hair.
“Store these carefully. They’re almost impossible to find in the forest anymore.”
Seraphia opened her research journal and recorded information about Rielin.
==[Elven Ecology Log]==
3. Rielin.
-Extraordinarily beautiful
└At the bathhouse, she might be prettier than Isolde…?
-Natural talent for merchant guild work
└Did my brother know this all along?
-Composed and dignified.
└Completely different from when she fights with Broombar!
-Sometimes has an eccentric side.
└All elves seem to be like that!
-Seems interested in ginkgo fruits (Elven name: rotten-breath seeds).
└What are ginkgo fruits anyway?
※Summary: Absolutely beautiful. Highly capable. Eccentric.
└I just want to touch her ears once!
* * *
Seraphia finished recording her observations about Rielin.
But since she was already at the Predator Merchant Company.
‘I should check on the other elves’ situations too.’
Seraphia gathered the ledgers and journals into her arms.
Then she observed each of the Elves working in the Merchant Guild section one by one.
Thanks to their forest senses, they carried even heavy loads with ease.
In the warehouse, they handled classification and organization, and their eye for counting quantities was remarkably accurate.
“Surprisingly, everyone is quite skilled….”
Particularly, their ability to assess the weight and condition of merchandise was extraordinary.
Inspection work that used to take all day was completed in less than half a day.
‘My brother didn’t place the Elves in the Merchant Guild without reason.’
Seraphia found herself nodding in agreement.
However, their grasp of numbers was still weak, so the director of the Predator Merchant Company—
What was his name again….
‘Lucius Aquilinus Haopeng Laza… something like that?’
Anyway, Adlern.
He was the one overseeing the Elves.
“Well, today’s work is finished!”
When Adlern clapped his hands loudly, the Elves gathered in one place.
As the Merchant Guild’s profits were settled, the Elves came to receive their respective shares.
But then—
‘It’s not money…?’
One Elf took an old piece of firewood.
Another took a bundle of dried herbs.
Yet another carried away a faded pottery fragment.
Seraphia tilted her head in confusion and approached Adlern.
“Excuse me.”
“…Yes? Oh! Count Whitewolf, is that you?”
Adlern hastily bowed his head.
Seraphia glanced around once before speaking.
“Aren’t all wages supposed to be paid in gold coins?”
“Of course. We pay everything thoroughly in gold coins.”
“Then why are the Elves leaving behind gold coins and taking things like wood scraps?”
At that, Adlern nodded as if he understood.
“Well… I definitely gave Schönne gold coins at first.”
“And then?”
“She said she had no need for them.”
“What? No need for gold coins?”
“That’s what she said.”
“Why…?”
“According to the Elves, gold coins are, well… cold, tasteless, and smell strange, so they’re utterly useless.”
“…???”
“Even Schönne thought it was a joke at first. As you can see….”
Seraphia turned her head to follow Adlern’s gaze.
There, the Elves were indeed discarding pouches of gold coins, accepting instead pieces of wood and stones.
“Look at this! It has three growth rings! Isn’t that incredibly fascinating?”
“Really? You’re right! This must be wood that the wind caressed for a very long time!”
…Truly, this was a race that defied understanding.
* * *
The next day, in Whitewolf Territory 2, where the Elves gathered.
While documenting the Elves’ behavior there, a tax collector discovered the Elven Village.
Since the Elves had begun conducting merchant business, taxes had accrued—
“Taxes?”
“What’s that?”
The Elves tilted their heads in confusion.
The tax collector explained patiently what taxes were.
“Since the Whitewolf Territory has provided you with land and protection, we require compensation in return—”
Before the tax collector could finish speaking,
an Elf suddenly raised his hand and shouted.
“Ah! Is this for the Forest Elder?”
“…The Forest Elder?”
The tax collector stood momentarily dumbfounded.
The Elves chattered excitedly among themselves instead of answering.
Then—whoosh!
They scattered to their respective homes.
And soon—patter-patter!
They returned with items in hand.
A small, white, perfectly round pebble.
A beautifully bloomed flower petal.
The shimmering wing of a beetle.
A carefully polished twig.
The tax collector asked, utterly bewildered.
“…What is all this?”
“Taxes!”
“We picked our most precious treasures to give to the Forest Elder!”
The tax collector’s mouth hung open.
His hands were heaped with flower petals and pebbles.
Seraphia observed the scene and muttered inwardly.
‘I’ll need to revise the tax ledger.’
She hadn’t known that the Elves didn’t accept money.
The Elves—a race that mirrored nature itself.
Indeed, they lived in a manner entirely different from humans.
“Wait, why are you paying taxes with flower petals and stones!”
“It’s my most treasured possession….”
Coexistence and harmony among the three races was indeed no simple matter.
* * *
Several days had passed since I began compiling the Elven ecology journal.
Seraphia had personally investigated and experienced the ecology of the Elves.
The foods that Elves primarily consumed.
The daily routines.
The hobbies and pastimes they enjoyed.
The result was a meticulous record of Elven ecology.
“It’s finished!”
The draft of the Elven ecology journal.
Seraphia held the journal aloft and cried out with satisfaction.
It wasn’t perfect.
There was still the matter of what Munsoro was.
And what Schimja was.
And why Rielin’s personality seemed to shift so drastically, as if she possessed two distinct selves.
Further research would be needed on these matters.
But the Elves’ way of life, their habits, and so forth—
Everything necessary for harmony among the territory’s inhabitants had been documented.
“I should show this to my brother!”
Seraphia clutched the journal to her chest, her heart soaring with joy.
Her footsteps echoed through the Count’s Castle corridors with unbridled excitement.
‘What kind of praise will my brother give me?’
Surely something like “Well done.”
Or perhaps “Thank you for easing my burden.”
Or maybe even “As expected of my sister—accomplishing what I couldn’t,” while ruffling her hair affectionately.
“Tee-hee!”
Seraphia couldn’t suppress her smile, letting out a delighted laugh.
The mere thought of it made her feel as though she might float away.
Adrian’s praise echoed endlessly in her mind.
“Tee-hee-hee!!”
Seraphia quickened her pace eagerly.
But then—
“Adrian? Well… I’m not sure.”
“He’s not in his room.”
“Come to think of it, I don’t think I’ve seen him in several days.”
No matter how thoroughly I searched the Count’s Castle, Adrian was nowhere to be found.
* * *
My eyelids grew heavy, trembling with weight.
A dull ringing filled my ears.
I drew a breath, and the acrid smell mixed with frigid air filled my lungs.
My heart thundered once, violently.
As the stagnant blood resumed its flow, my mind sharpened into clarity.
I opened my eyes.
Ethereal strands of twilight drifted through the void like wandering spirits.
A sky without sun or moon.
Darkness that devoured light itself.
‘This place….’
The ancient land where the Death Lord had been sealed.
The Valley of Kardun.

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