My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 129
#129
interlude (1)
“So, the top of Torail asked to delay payment for bituminous coal.?”
“yes, yes···.”
“And you accepted it as ancient?”
“Ha, but I didn't just allow it! It was decided that interest would also be paid according to the overdue period, and from future transactions, this rate could be increased further.···.”
“Wow, you still haven't come to your senses! interest? transaction after?”
Hubert Chamber of Commerce’s office.
A dwarf of short stature was venting his anger in front of a merchant..
While several merchants who had come in to report on business were staring at the abstract-like movement, Howard, who was in the middle of a fuss, took a deep breath and spoke in a calm tone..
“Phew, you know that bituminous coal is needed for smelting.?”
“···of course.”
“And I know very well what the situation is like up there now..”
“···yes.”
“A human who knows that! Handing over items that are no different from military supplies during this exhibition, what? interest? Come on~?”
But his calm demeanor did not last long, and he started shouting again..
Iron is the most basic material for weapons, and bituminous coal was an essential fuel for producing high-quality iron..
Nowadays, during the war, when the production of weapons has increased rapidly, it is said that if you want to find a sales outlet, you can find it at any time..
However, what was brought about, even risking the funds being frozen due to failure to receive payment, were the words 'normal interest' and 'concession without future promise'.···.
It was a situation where he couldn't help but be angry..
“···There's no way a merchant wouldn't know such basic things..”
Howard, who was spitting out anger with a red face, muttered quietly again and glared at the merchant who was just bowing his head..
Howard, who was supposed to be just an ordinary dwarf craftsman, quietly engulfed the space, creating an atmosphere where it was difficult to breathe..
“It looks like Hubert was trying to pick up another bag while he was away. Did I look that funny??”
“Oh no! Do you misunderstand that?···!”
“You'll find out if you research it..”
“Now... just a moment! Howard! Wait a minute, tell me···!”
In the end, the guards arrived at his signal and took the merchant away, and there was silence in the office for a moment..
“What are you doing? There's no time, so quickly report to the next person.!”
But that didn't last long either..
The uncomfortable situation finally came to an end when Howard heard all the merchants' reports and gave business orders..
“Well then, I'll just leave. Unless it's really important, you can handle it at your discretion and report back later.!”
The merchants of Hubert Company were able to breathe easy only after Howard disappeared after finishing his work..
“Whoa - I feel like I'm working with the owner of the store..”
“Did you feel that way too? At first, I thought they had put a dwarf they had never seen before, pretending to be the assistant manager of the store owner.···.”
The merchants of Hubert Company move from place to place, whispering among themselves..
When it was announced that Hubert would be absent due to an unexpected situation and that Howard would take over as acting stock owner, they could not help but feel resistance..
Not surprisingly, an unfamiliar dwarf who had only just joined the company suddenly sat on top of the head..
It is said that a person with unproven ability intervenes in every aspect of the operation, so how sincerely can the merchants who have run the company up to now follow suit?.
Of course, no one was stupid enough to show such a sign in front of Harley's muscles that suddenly appeared..
“Hmm... Still, it looks like I'm definitely in contact with the owner of the store. The work instructions were ones that he would have given himself..”
“Actually, it was something I was worried about too. Since the Lord of the Chamber of Commerce disappeared, I thought it was all a conspiracy... I think you can rest assured for now.”
Since Harley, who was almost like a co-representative, appointed him as his deputy, he initially followed Howard, but the merchants were keeping a close eye on his movements..
I wonder if this is all someone's plan to hijack the company..
However, he only made efforts to maintain the business as usual and did not make any moves to steal interests or assets..
At best, it can be said that all they can do is supply various materials to their personal workshops..
Of course, it wasn't a problem as Hubert had allowed it from the beginning..
“By the way, did that friend of Kaol really receive kickbacks from the Two Rail merchants??”
“Okay—I’m not at the point where I can jump to conclusions yet, but it was definitely suspicious..”
“Well, I'm not afraid.”
“That's right..”
The merchants clicked their tongues and shook their heads..
I understand that you were greedy since the captain of the ship had disappeared, but putting it into action yourself was literally a fearless act..
Above all, didn't 'Harley' even give a warning himself?.
Recently, the priority goal of Tarak's trade has been to supply supplies to the Iron Citadel, which can be said to be the front line..
Of course, the news had to be delivered in real time, and the hottest topic of late was by far his monstrous performance..
‘In addition, the Tarak security forces are seen patrolling around the commercial area from time to time and seem to be paying attention, so it would be foolish to act rashly here..’
Of course, Kaol must have been aware to some extent, and it seemed like he did not directly embezzle funds but prepared his own excuse.···.
As Howard said, it was the same as ignoring him..
‘It wasn't just about conveying the Lord's instructions like a parrot. Plus that breathtaking charisma... I need to check this one more time to see if I missed anything..’
In the end, the merchant truly gave in and quickly left to check his work again..
And he wasn't the only one who thought that..
Despite Hubert's absence,—.
Thanks to Howard's efforts and Harley's influence, the company was moving along smoothly..
***
“Hey, Hubert needs to come quickly! Time is so precious. But that doesn't mean we can't just sit back and relax.!”
Howard continued to grumble and entered a building..
The place he headed straight after finishing his work at the store was a private workshop he had set up nearby..
Due to unavoidable circumstances, he is also working at the Chamber of Commerce, but his original goal was to utilize time difference to imbue Earth's knowledge into his body as quickly as possible..
Of course, considering the time difference with Earth, the time to do work is not that much, and I still spend most of my time in the workshop.···.
Now that I was building my foundation from the ground up, I couldn't help but feel like every second was a waste..
‘Also, even if the time multiplier is ten times different, the time required to acquire it cannot be the same as knowing it simply as knowledge..’
Because of this, the initially scheduled daily quota was significantly pushed back..
To make up for it, I have to work diligently from now on..
“Ehm! Then, let’s start today’s work.?”
Howard, who had changed into work clothes, warmed up lightly and approached the furnace that was emitting heat..
A magic brazier that maintains heat even when he is away and is equipped with safety features to prevent fire hazards..
Thanks to the generous investment of money, a lot of magic for convenience was applied throughout this workshop..
So that he can focus only on improving his technical skills.
‘Hmm, I guess I need to raise the temperature more..’
Howard checked the temperature by gently extending his hand toward the furnace and threw a pile of coal in with a skillful movement..
The heat, which grew rapidly, gradually stabilized after reaching the optimal temperature he desired..
‘It's just right.’
It was surprising considering that it had only been a while since he began full-scale training, but it was nothing special to him..
‘They definitely have different senses than humans. Because the differences are so great, they can only be called a race of artisans..’
What humans would have had to learn through countless years of experience, dwarves could do simply by instinct..
I was able to adjust the temperature of the fire to the decimal point just by seeing it with my eyes and feeling it with my skin..
By holding the coal in my hand and measuring its weight and particles, I could intuitively know how much the temperature would rise when it went into the fire..
The optimal center of gravity that is naturally felt when holding a hammer and the characteristics of the material that are vividly conveyed at the fingertips were also something that humans did not have..
At the same time, since he was born with delicate dexterity and a strong body, he was bound to be far different from the starting line than a human craftsman..
Competing on the same level is too harsh on them..
‘Well, I'm glad I'm a dwarf this time..’
How much time would it have taken if you had to grow from scratch without these advantages?···.
Once again, I felt grateful to Elinne, the pickaxe, and to Zaonic, who willingly gave it to me..
“Hmmmm! First, I'll have to start by lightly smelting iron ore.!”
Howard continued his training hard today, gathering materials such as bituminous coal and limestone piled up in one corner of the workshop..
With extreme concentration, the knowledge passed down from Earth was imprinted in my mind like a sponge absorbing water..
Information processed through all kinds of media, including photos, videos, and documents, was reproduced at Howard's fingertips and became his blood and flesh..
Kang—! Kyaang—!
In a small workshop where not many people are still paying attention, one craftsman was growing step by step..
***
Warm light enveloped the surroundings and seeped into Hubert, who was lying on the bed..
The “Auterica Holy Method,” which contains the power of healing, helped restore the body and invigorated it..
‘Still, recovery is faster than expected at this rate, right? There is no need to go for several days. We will be able to move in just one day. I guess I underestimated myself.’
「Damage reduced from fatal wounds with “instant death immunity” improved faster than expected..
The synergy between Heinrich’s recovery method and “super recovery” was beyond imagination..
In fact, my previous experience with Heinrich was a big part of the reason why I had a long expected recovery period..
A strong body through extreme training, protection of divine power and blessings, and even the common skill “Super Recovery”..
Henry, who had such extreme conditions, had to recuperate for nearly a month in the best environment of the Great Temple of Roselia immediately after his fight with the immortal king Hans..
Naturally, with the exception of "super recovery," Hubert's recovery period, which was poor in physical condition and in the level of healing techniques he received, could not be evaluated as harshly..
‘However, the fact that Heinrich's opponent was an immortal king was overlooked..’
Even though it was the same fatal injury, the level was different..
Unlike Heinrich, who was struck by a vicious curse and could not recover properly, Hubert's heart and internal organs were simply crushed.?
‘No, that in itself is something more serious... Still, thanks to the “instant death immunity”, the result was only a lot of damage to the internal organs..’
And those injuries were able to be recovered quickly through the combination of “super recovery” and divine healing..
So much so that Hubert can be sent to Outerica as soon as the next transfer team's cooldown comes back..
“Well, after Hubert goes, I'll have to do that boring work again.···.”
I looked at Hubert, who was lying down with a trembling feeling and was operating the tablet with only his fingers..
Naturally, it was a process to impart metallurgical knowledge to Howard..
Howard's mind is said to be able to 'understand' it once he reads it, but he couldn't help but find the process itself cumbersome..
The task of sitting blankly and cramming that vast amount of knowledge into my head was not fun..
‘As an avatar, I can filter those emotions with the “Mind Herb,” so I don’t mind doing mechanical repetitive work, but I’m in a position where I just have to endure with pure mental power..’
Of course, through multiple enhancements, my mental strength had already surpassed that of a human, but I could not clearly feel that fact..
That's right too···.
‘I have eight bodies moving at the same time..’
Except for Hubert, all of them were extremely drained of mental power..
In addition, although the "Mind Herb" is said to be the main ingredient in adapting to dimensional parallax, it also takes some effort in preventing mental contamination..
I was in a situation where no matter how much mental power I had, I felt like it was lacking..
‘There is only one thing that can solve this situation..’
But as always, I had a breakthrough for him as well..
Strengthen your unique skills and create a new alter ego..
As expected, “Avatar” was the best..
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