The Return of the Genius Ranker’s Myth Warehouse - Chapter 322
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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 322
Chapter 322
After the award ceremony concluded.
I sought out Ena separately and presented her with a gift.
Unlike the others, it wasn’t a legendary elixir.
After all, she wasn’t a combat specialist or a production specialist.
For someone like her, the appropriate gift could only be.
“My, is it really alright to give me this much?”
“In truth, you’ve suffered more than even Kang Ju-hyuk, so this is compensation for that.”
“Since you put it that way, I’ll accept it without hesitation. I’m already quite satisfied as things are, but knowing you care for me like this gives me a real sense of purpose.”
Gold.
Though she hadn’t directly participated in combat or production, her role was irreplaceable—no one else in Kalbera Territory could fill her position.
Accordingly, I provided her with a substantial amount of gold.
More than I would have received had I liquidated the legendary elixirs I’d given to Kang Ju-hyuk and Yul-ha.
It was an enormous sum even when converted to real-world currency immediately, but I didn’t begrudge it.
Her role was that singular and indispensable.
Without her, the Heukryeom Guild and Kalbera Territory could never have grown to this extent.
I doubt they could have been sustained at all.
I rarely remained in the territory, and Kang Ju-hyuk and Yul-ha had nothing to do with territorial management either.
“Still, since you’ve come after so long, you should fulfill your role as Guild Master, shouldn’t you?”
“What would you have me do?”
“Until now, I’ve been handling things as your deputy, but there’s so much work that only you, as both Lord and Guild Master, should be doing.”
It seemed that while I’d been away, quite a bit of work had accumulated as Lord.
* * *
“Marquis Mir, you’ve arrived!”
“…Admiral Sidrin?”
“Yes! Thanks to you, I’ve been promoted and appointed as commander of the Kalbera naval military outpost!”
“Congratulations.”
“Not at all! This is entirely thanks to you! I’m honored to be stationed in your territory! Please don’t hesitate to tell me if you need anything in the future!”
The naval outpost being constructed in Kalbera Territory had been completed.
Thanks to this, the Imperial Navy quickly filled its ranks, and Admiral Sidrin, recognized for his achievements in defeating the White Water Deity and significantly advancing Southern expansion, was assigned as commander of this location.
I preferred having someone I knew come rather than a stranger, so I was pleased to see Admiral Sidrin.
However, this was merely the beginning.
“How can there be a Lord who doesn’t even visit the territory he’s been granted?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Come quickly. And dress properly. Given your nature as Guild Master, you probably won’t visit on your own, so you need to make a good first impression at least.”
Beyond Kalbera Territory, there were the other territories I’d been granted.
I made the rounds showing my face to the surrounding territories that had already been incorporated into Kalbera Territory.
It felt wasteful to spend time on work that didn’t contribute to growth, but there wasn’t a single word of falsehood in what she said.
The people of those territories had lived for quite some time without even seeing their new Lord’s face.
Well, fortunately.
“It’s Lord Mir!”
“Waaaaah!”
“Can we receive the protection of the Sea Dragon too!”
“Finally!”
“We’re safe!”
The residents of my newly granted territories welcomed me with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Apparently, rumors had spread in exaggerated fashion.
I couldn’t very well stop every resident and clarify the facts one by one, and Ena seemed content to let it slide, saying “Isn’t it good that things are good?”
After completing my territorial inspection,
“Welcome, Marquis Mir. As commander of Belgrade, I simply had to pay my respects to you.”
I made stops at places like Belgrade, the fortress in the south that served as a critical military stronghold of the Southern Region.
I essentially traveled throughout the entire south following Ena’s lead.
Of course, I wasn’t merely exchanging greetings.
I carefully examined the exact boundaries of the territory granted to me, and discussed with Ena how we would develop these lands.
I confirmed everything I had failed to verify while wandering alone until now.
“You’ve grasped the general picture, haven’t you? Now you just need to make the decisions. I’ll handle all the detailed arrangements.”
“Hmm…”
Verification was only the beginning.
Upon returning to my territory, I had to discuss the direction of both the Guild and the Territory with key executives like Ena, Lee Chul-geun, Kang Ju-hyuk, and Yul-ha.
Through these discussions, I realized just how indifferent I had been to the Territory and Guild until now.
I came to understand how much these people had been struggling to keep the Territory and Guild running without me.
I even considered giving them additional bonuses.
“Fine. Let’s move past this and look at the next matter.”
“That’s enough for today…”
“Where are you running off to? There’s so much backlogged work. Since we don’t know when you’ll disappear again, we need to decide on our direction going forward right now.”
After that, we held meetings for quite some time.
It wasn’t something that could be finished in a single day.
Only after following Ena around for several days straight did I finally begin to have some breathing room.
“Phew.”
Once I had some free time, what I did was
[ You have entered the ‘Bloody Coastal Cave’. ]
hunt.
Hunting was truly the best way to clear my head.
Entering high-level dungeons, defeating monsters, and clearing them made all my trivial worries vanish.
There were no more undiscovered dungeons around Kalbera Territory, but considering my level, this was sufficient.
After clearing several dungeons, I returned to my territory and worked as both a Lord and Guild Master.
Fortunately, I didn’t always have an endless amount of work.
“Lord Mir, a newly discovered dungeon has been found. Would you like to go with us?”
“I would be delighted.”
I set out to conquer dungeons alongside my Guild members.
Truthfully, it wasn’t as efficient as going alone, but it was an opportunity to observe how my Guild members had grown.
During these dungeon expeditions with them, I assessed how much stronger they’d become and what they still needed.
I spared no resources in providing immediate support where I could.
Time passed swiftly in this manner.
Then, one day—
“Mir, you have a visitor.”
“A visitor?”
“The Guild Master of Dark Seid.”
“Ah, Yuris.”
An old acquaintance had come calling.
* * *
“Welcome, Marquis Mir!”
Yuris, whom I hadn’t seen in some time, appeared noticeably different from before.
She carried herself with a newfound composure and dignity, one might say.
After all, she was no longer merely the branch director of Caldera—she now held the position of Guild Master of Dark Seid, the Empire’s largest information guild.
As the saying goes, position shapes the person, and she embodied the role of Guild Master perfectly.
“Has Dark Seid stabilized somewhat?”
“Indeed. We’ve completed our establishment, and now that we’ve stepped into the light, our commission volume has reached an entirely different scale!”
“That’s fortunate.”
“Especially recently, there’ve been numerous information requests regarding the Southern Region, and thanks to our cooperation with the Kalbera Territory, acquiring information has become far easier.”
Dark Seid was sailing smoothly.
Having emerged into legitimacy, the influx of clients meant the gold flowing in dwarfed previous earnings.
Using that capital as a foundation, they were steadily expanding their informant networks and intelligence operations.
They’d already established a branch in the Kalbera Territory, and soon planned to open branches at key strategic points across the Continent.
“We’ve already surpassed the break-even point! There’s still much to invest in, but we’re entering genuine profitability!”
To have already turned profitable despite such extensive investment plans was remarkable.
It spoke volumes about Dark Seid’s thriving state.
After all, this was the era when players, previously confined to the Continent’s center, were beginning to venture forth into every corner of the land.
In such times, an information guild naturally became indispensable.
Dark Seid’s growth would certainly increase my own income, but that wasn’t the true priority.
“The fact that you’ve come in person means you’ve uncovered something significant, yes?”
I hadn’t placed her as Guild Master of Dark Seid for the sake of gold.
While profit mattered, my true aim was to expand the information guild’s reach and uncover more intelligence.
Specifically, the locations of Luke’s body parts—the Black Bone—and the Evil Gods.
And indeed, I was right.
“Of course. I know well what kind of person you are, so surely I didn’t come merely to report earnings?”
She smiled with quiet confidence.
Then she withdrew a massive map from her possession and spread it across the table.
It was a remarkably detailed and expensive-looking map, depicting the entire form of the vast Continent.
Among them, what she pointed to was the eastern part of the Continent.
“Do you know what kind of place that is?”
“Cronion, the land of tyranny—isn’t that where it’s located?”
Cronion, the land of tyranny.
The sole nation positioned in the eastern Continent, and the second-largest country on the current Continent.
In other words, Cronion is the country that stands second only to the Baltika Empire in size and strength.
Even with the Baltika Empire’s declaration of continental unification, Cronion refused to yield, and as a result, a three-hundred-sixty-five-day war has been unfolding between the Empire and Cronion.
But then.
“That’s right. Especially lately, Cronion’s offensive has intensified considerably. We’re barely holding the line thanks to Mir’s efforts in withdrawing the western forces.”
“Why are you suddenly bringing that up?”
“Recently, while engaged with Cronion, a ‘mechanical device that spews black flames’ was discovered, or so they say.”
“Black flames?”
“Yes. And these are no ordinary flames. Once ignited, they never extinguish. When they touch a person, they move as if alive and reduce them to ash in an instant—it’s an absolutely terrifying fire, they say.”
Finally, a story worth my attention.
A mechanical device that spews black flames.
Hearing those characteristics, I ask Luke about it.
– It’s likely my Dragon Heart, I suspect.
“Your Dragon Heart?”
– My Dragon Heart contains various powers, but the most important among them is surely the ‘Dragon’s Breath’.
Dragon’s Breath—the draconic flame.
In particular, the flames Luke unleashes are composed of black fire, befitting his name as the Black Flame Dragon.
The power of those flames is similar to what Yuris just described.
However, if this is true.
‘A mechanical device created by transplanting Luke’s heart?’
That’s what it means.
I’m uncertain how such a thing is possible, but what matters is that Luke’s heart has been discovered.
While not certain, the circumstances suggest a fairly high probability that it’s true.
The problem is.
‘Of all places, Cronion.’
The location of the heart.
Since Cronion has used Luke’s heart to create this mechanical device, obtaining the heart means I must destroy that device, and
this is tantamount to making the entire nation of Cronion my enemy.
No matter how powerful I am, it’s difficult to make an entire nation that already dominates the east into an adversary.
And yet.
“That’s not all. It seems an Evil God has appeared in Cronion.”
“Do you have evidence?”
“You mentioned Cronion’s offensive intensified recently, right? Apparently, that’s when Cronion’s golems became stained with a reddish-brown hue.”
“…Reddish-brown?”
“Yes. From that moment on, Cronion’s military power increased significantly, their offensive naturally intensified, and the war became fiercer.”
An even greater problem has come to light.
The purple Evil God expected to have appeared in Cronion.
The problem was.
‘A purple Evil God?’
Among the Evil Gods of First that existed in my memory.
There was no such thing as a purple one.
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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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