The Lord Who Levels Up by Devouring - Chapter 269

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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 269. Runesteel Transaction (1)
The Empire.
The Empire sprawled across the Western Region of The Continent.
Its vast dominion took root in that expanse.
Its territory comprised roughly 86% of the entire Western Region.
Measured against The Continent as a whole, it commanded an staggering 23%—a colossal realm.
The Empire held the largest territory of any single nation on The Continent, wielded absolute dominion over the Western Region as its hegemon, and stood as
the undisputed supreme power of The Continent.
This vast imperial territory was divided into six major administrative districts.
First among them: District 6—
the Borderlands.
Positioned at the Empire’s outermost edge, it was also called the Frontier.
It served as the vanguard against foreign invasion and functioned as a crucial military stronghold.
Thus, the landscape visible before me now
bristled with fortified cities and bastions densely arrayed.
Garrison troops and surveillance networks blanketed every inch without blind spots.
‘Magnificent, no matter how many times I witness it.’
Even compared to the Whitewolf Territory itself?
It held its own admirably.
Though truthfully, the Whitewolf Territory had modeled itself after the Empire.
After traveling for quite some time here…
Or rather, after several days of passage,
District 5—
the Production District—emerges.
As one could discern merely from glimpsing its landscape, this was the industrial heart where the Empire’s vital resources were manufactured.
Massive production facilities and factories stretched endlessly.
Interspersed among them lay vast agricultural complexes and livestock ranches, arranged with meticulous order.
The living infrastructure was equally well-developed.
Residential zones were systematically organized, and the majority of the Empire’s population concentrated here.
‘Could Ian be hiding somewhere in this region?’
To hide a tree, one hides it in a forest.
Ian could have concealed himself here as well.
‘I should search this area thoroughly.’
But not now.
There was a more pressing matter to address first.
The runesteel transaction.
The crux of this operation.
I committed several sections of the passing landscape to memory.
After traveling further still—
or rather, after several more days of passage deeper inward—
District 4 – Commercial District.
We had reached the Commercial District.
This district was responsible for distributing resources produced in the Production District throughout The Empire’s interior and exporting them abroad.
It supplied military provisions.
It redistributed civilian resources.
It was the command center that orchestrated the flow of all distribution networks across The Empire.
The Empire’s Distribution Bureau.
The headquarters of that vital institution was located here.
Right in the heart of District 4 – Commercial District.
“Let’s begin preparations.”
Thus.
The cargo wagon laden with rune ore quickly passed through the outer perimeter of the Distribution Ministry Headquarters.
* * *
The Distribution Ministry Headquarters rose thirty stories above ground and descended ten stories below.
It was a massive black structure that commanded awe through sheer scale.
Its outer walls were as dark and deep as polished iron.
As for the texture.
Less metal than compressed darkness itself.
The surface, which absorbed light completely, emanated such overwhelming presence that it made one’s footsteps falter.
‘Nothing’s really changed.’
It was not significantly different from what I had seen in my previous life.
Subordinate to the Allied Forces Command.
Special Forces Duke Commander.
I had conducted not only special operations missions but also intelligence gathering, compilation, and distribution.
I had performed numerous covert operations in information warfare and espionage.
Among them were missions to infiltrate The Empire’s interior, steal classified information, and carry out assassinations.
‘So the internal structure shouldn’t be different from my previous life either.’
The internal blueprints of the Distribution Bureau were vividly mapped in my mind.
In other words, I was walking into the heart of enemy territory, into the Ogre’s maw.
No—into a dragon’s lair itself, yet I felt no tension whatsoever.
Whenever.
I had confidence in my ability to escape.
Marzen, on the other hand, was clearly nervous.
He clenched and unclenched his fists.
He swallowed hard.
His eyes darted left and right.
He was practically broadcasting: “I’m incredibly anxious, tense, and terrified right now!”
“Are you nervous?”
Marzen nodded silently.
And he clenched his fists tightly once more.
My fingertips trembled noticeably.
I considered saying something, but decided against it.
Position shapes the person, they say.
The title of Minister would teach Marzen that lesson directly.
Beneath the cascade of watchful gazes.
“Shall we go, then.”
I entered the Distribution Ministry Headquarters without hesitation.
* * *
Inside the Distribution Ministry Headquarters.
Gray-toned walls and cold metal flooring.
Even the air felt sterile and devoid of warmth.
Marzen steadied his breathing.
It wasn’t his first time visiting the headquarters.
Yet each visit demanded unwavering vigilance.
Surveillance permeated every corner.
The structure and atmosphere tolerated no deviation whatsoever.
It was scarcely different from standing within a dragon’s lair.
Anyone would find themselves tense in such a place.
But now.
The man walking ahead of Marzen.
Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound.
He was nothing like that.
Far from tense, he moved with the ease of someone in his own home.
He neither avoided nor acknowledged the guards’ scrutiny.
He simply handed over his documents without concern.
“Runesteel transaction. I believe you’ve been notified.”
“Confirmed. You may proceed.”
The iron door swung open, revealing the passage deeper into the Distribution Bureau.
Kim Fujiwara entered without hesitation.
Marzen wanted to pause.
A premonition that crossing this threshold meant no turning back.
That premonition clung to him like roots, making each step feel impossibly heavy.
“What are you doing? Come on.”
At Kim Fujiwara’s urging, Marzen forced himself forward.
Clang!
The iron door sealed shut behind him.
The dragon’s nest.
He had stepped into its very heart.
As they passed through the inner corridor, Barelto’s Attendant Secretary greeted them.
“The Minister awaits you.”
Kim Fujiwara followed him in silence.
Marzen followed Kim Fujiwara in silence.
They passed through a long corridor, navigated several curves, and traversed a couple of steel security doors.
At last, they arrived before a door.
Knock, knock.
“Minister, Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound and Vice Minister Marzen have come to visit.”
-Come in.
A heavy, low voice that seemed to sink into the depths.
It felt as though my chest were being crushed.
Marzen bit his lip firmly.
Now the real beginning starts.
“Please, come inside.”
The Attendant Secretary opened the door.
And beyond it.
A room suffused with cold light and silence.
In its center sat a single man.
His ash-blonde hair, a blend of gold and gray, was arranged neatly without unnecessary adornment.
Beneath those locks, a sharply defined brow line.
Eyes that stretched long and narrow.
Deep, dark silver-blue irises.
Minister of the Empire Commerce Ministry Distribution Bureau.
Barelto Al Banas.
Barelto quietly lifted his gaze.
Merely meeting his eyes felt to Marzen like his heart was being pierced through.
His presence already dominated the entire room.
Marzen instinctively straightened his back.
Yet the tension spreading through his body could not be hidden.
With each breath, the pressure mounted, and my lungs gradually tightened, when—
“Pleased to meet you.”
Kim Fujiwara spoke with a cunning smile.
“I am Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound, proprietor of the Raven Dung Merchant Company.”
Barelto’s eyes turned toward Kim Fujiwara.
Kim Fujiwara did not avert his gaze.
A moment of silence passed.
“Sit.”
Barelto spoke first.
Kim Fujiwara bowed his head slightly and took a seat.
Beside him, Marzen carefully settled into his chair.
“It seems we need not burden ourselves with lengthy explanations.”
“Well, I didn’t come here to exchange pleasantries, after all.”
Kim Fujiwara continued with a smile.
“Let’s get straight to the point, shall we?”
Barelto stared at Kim Fujiwara’s face for a moment.
His gaze was deep and heavy, as if piercing through something.
“Good.”
Barelto spoke briefly.
Then, with a swift motion.
He pulled something from between the stacks of documents and held it out toward Kim Fujiwara.
‘…A blank check?’
A blank check.
An unlimited promissory note that promised to give any amount written on it.
It depended on whose signature was affixed, but if it bore the signature of “The Empire,” its value was no different from actual currency.
In other words, it was a declaration of intent to secure the Runesteel Ingot unconditionally.
And.
It appeared to be The Empire’s confidence that it could provide whatever funds were needed…or so it seemed.
‘How meticulous, Chancellor Barelto.’
But that wasn’t actually the case.
A blank check.
This was a sophisticated negotiation tactic.
A blank check appeared to hand all decision-making power to the other party.
But the reality was the opposite.
This was a blank check in name only.
In essence, it was no different from a preemptive bid.
A blank check forced the other party to name their price, applying psychological pressure.
Then the other side would begin calculating.
Weighing matters of pride.
Fearing the negotiation would collapse if they asked too high.
Ultimately, they wouldn’t name a proper price.
Pretending to acknowledge the other party.
It was a sophisticated strategy to manipulate them into lowering their own price.
In other words, a blank check could be called a counter-bid masquerading as a preemptive bid.
“Hmm.”
Kim Fujiwara let out a soft sound.
His expression didn’t change.
But Marzen, standing beside him, could detect that subtle shift.
‘He’s caught off guard.’
Kim Fujiwara hadn’t anticipated this either.
That a blank check would be offered.
…The initiative in the negotiation had completely slipped away.
Kim Fujiwara reached out his hand.
He picked up the quill pen beside him.
And began inscribing numbers onto the blank check.
“Rune Iron Ore costs 62 million Gold per ton.”
My mental calculator whirred into overdrive.
The quantity of Rune Iron Ore that Kim Fujiwara had prepared.
A total of 50,000 tons.
So the final price would be—
“3.1 trillion Gold, to be precise.”
What? What did you say?
Wait, how much?
‘3.1 trillion?’
Not 310 billion?
I mean, 310 billion is already an insane figure, but—
3.1 trillion, which is ten times that??
Was he planning to construct a castle by pouring molten diamonds?
Silence descended.
No—shock settled over us like a suffocating blanket.
Neither I nor Barelto dared open our mouths.
To be precise.
We couldn’t even muster the courage to speak.
My gaze fixed upon the blank check.
[3,100,000,000,000 G]
3.1 trillion.
It was unmistakable.
I hadn’t misread it.
I hadn’t misheard it either.
Good heavens above.
I never thought I’d witness such a sum of money in my entire lifetime.
Much less here at the Distribution Ministry Headquarters, a place as rare as a dragon’s tear.
And certainly not with a dragon-like Barelto standing right here, eyes wide open!
In that instant—whoosh!
Kim Fujiwara incinerated the blank check with flame magic.
It was then that I truly understood.
Kim Fujiwara Bloodhound.
“And I don’t accept promissory notes like blank checks.”
…This bastard is absolutely insane.

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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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