I was currently having a conversation with the boss of the Black Sun Organization.
"I'm from out of city. On my way here, I noticed the environment is really terrible. Doesn't the country manage this place at all? They just leave it like this?"
Even though I already knew the answer, I had to pretend I didn't to start the conversation. The moment I mentioned the country, the boss immediately became furious and began cursing it.
"Tch! Those bastards only play with their trains and ships. They're busy shipping goods all day. Why would they care about uneducated poor people like us? They basically want us to fend for ourselves."
"If the country doesn't care about this place, you could establish an autonomous district."
"An autonomous district?"
"It means the land still belongs to the king, but it's managed by the people who live there."
"Isn't that basically a noble with their own territory?"
"You could say that. And you could be considered the leader here. The country isn't doing anything anyway—why not give it a try?"
"But we're all uneducated people. How would we manage anything?"
"It's actually simple. Keep the environment clean, maintain order, and make sure everyone has a job."
"Cleaning is easy. I love keeping things clean. This whole street is under my control anyway—no one dares cause trouble. But how are we supposed to find jobs for people? We only make money through... this."
The boss replied in an exaggerated, carefree tone, sounding like a street thug bragging.
But providing jobs wasn't difficult. A slum was basically like a village—no shops, no factories. Just create a few kinds of work.
"Let me ask you something. How is the food you eat every day? Good or bad?"
"How good could the food here be? It's all stuff other people don't want."
"Then have you ever considered getting fresh ingredients from the dungeon? That way you wouldn't have to buy ugly food that's about to rot."
Why wouldn't they go? Free, fresh food—why refuse it and make things harder for themselves?
"Training people to go into the dungeon, huh? That's not a bad idea."
"And the cooking oil you use when frying food—you probably use gutter oil, right? If I'm wrong, I apologize."
"No, you're right. It's cheap."
"But gutter oil is bad for your health. My hometown produces cooking oil. I can teach you how to make it."
I taught the boss several ways to produce cooking oil—palm oil, olive oil, corn oil, and more.
"So that's another job."
"Exactly."
Back then, my father and Lina's father both did this kind of work.
"What about alcohol? You should know how to make that too, right?"
The boss leaned forward excitedly when he asked. It was obvious he loved alcohol.
"Of course I do. Want to drink the kind of alcohol nobles drink?"
"Yes, yes! All of you listen carefully—don't miss a single word!"
"Yes, boss!"
The boss ordered all his subordinates to listen closely, and they responded enthusiastically. A bunch of alcoholics.
After that, I taught them how to make wheat beer, grape wine, rice wine, and several others. The boss was grinning from ear to ear.
"Hahaha! From now on we won't have to spend a fortune buying alcohol!"
"But the most important thing is to keep everything clean. Otherwise the alcohol won't taste good."
"Of course. I love cleanliness. You guys—go clean the house next door immediately. I don't want to see a single bit of filth."
"Yes, boss!"
Four or five subordinates left through the back door. Soon after, the man who had gone to get the diamond appraised rushed back in, panting heavily.
"B-Boss, I'm back!"
"If you're back, then you're back! Why are you yelling so loudly? Am I deaf? Hurry up and tell me how much it's worth!"
Honestly, I didn't understand why the boss was angry. Did the subordinate also have to worry about manners so he wouldn't embarrass himself?
The subordinate held the diamond with trembling hands and spoke in a shaky voice.
"T-This diamond is worth f-five... f-five... f-five..."
"Five what? 50 gold coins?"
"...Over 500 gold coins!"
Over five hundred? Looks like the value here hasn't dropped yet.
For half a year, whenever Lina and I passed by, we would hunt down a Diamond Land Turtle and sell the diamonds to the guild.
At the beginning, diamonds were extremely valuable. Their price depended on size. A perfect, flawless diamond from one of those turtles was worth around 150,000 gold coins—that was 1.5 billion copper coins. As for our total assets... well, you can imagine.
I didn't know how many gold coins existed in this world. Anyway, I could sell gold, silver, and copper. If I didn't have enough, just make more.
Still, I hoped someday people would switch to paper money—it would be more convenient and wouldn't smell like metal.
Back to the point.
Half a year later, the guild stopped buying diamonds. As their numbers increased, their value started dropping. Dex even said many shops still had large stocks left, so they weren't interested in buying anymore.
At first, I didn't think much about it. I didn't need diamonds anyway, so why not sell them? But considering their value and the market, we eventually decided to stop selling them. After that, we tried to avoid encountering Diamond Land Turtles whenever possible.
Meanwhile, the boss had been so shocked by the huge amount that he stood up.
"Over five hundred gold coins!? Customer—no, honored customer! We will definitely complete your commission!"
"Then you can tell me the employer's identity and cancel his commissions, right?"
"Of course. We would never go against money. The employer's name is Laje Turin, the third son of Baron Turin."
A noble?
When did I ever offend a noble?
In Asoya, I rarely interacted with anyone. I had no memory of something like that.
But had Lisia offended him as well? I had originally thought this was some kind of extortion attempt—or revenge against Lisia's parents.
Well, I'd find out once I met him.
"Do you know where he is right now?"
"Hey, where does that guy live?"
"He lives at his house in the capital."
The boss called on one of his subordinates to answer, so that man was probably responsible for tracking and investigations. Since I had the information I needed, it was time to leave.
"Alright, thank you. I'll use this diamond as the commission fee. You can keep the extra money as well."
To me, diamonds were only useful for making engagement rings. I didn't even know what size would be appropriate. What a headache. Unlike the boss, whose mind seemed wonderfully simple.
"Really!? As expected of a big client—so generous!"
"Think of it as an investment. I hope this place can become full of life one day, where everyone can eat well and live comfortably without worrying about poverty. Anyway, I'm done here. I'll be leaving now. Goodbye."
After saying that string of nauseatingly noble-sounding words, I stood up, turned around, and started to leave.
"Wait. Who are you?"
The boss called out to me.
Without stopping, I answered while walking away.
"Possibly the person Laje Turin is trying to capture."
"Wha...!?"
Leaving the boss behind in confusion, I walked to the door and opened it. The tavern owner was there, so I greeted him.
"Thanks for the restroom, boss. I'll be going now."
"You're welcome. Come again anytime."
After that, Ethefelis and I left the tavern and headed somewhere far away from here—somewhere with no people around.