My alter ego is becoming a big shot - Episode 67
#67
customizing (3)
“Oh... Indeed, as rumored, it is a very high-quality pepper. The processing condition is also clean..”
“The reviews from those who have used it themselves are also very good. Even high-ranking people said they were satisfied..”
“If you sell it well, it will be enough to not only increase your margins but also build your network..”
Hubert's business was going well..
The pepper packed in the subspace magic tool sold out quickly even though the price was quite high..
In the early days of pepper sales, sending samples to nearby large merchants and establishing various relationships worked well..
‘Of course, in the meantime, I used Harley service to prevent the other person from coming out without permission..’
The thank you message officially delivered to the mercenary guild through the church played a significant role in increasing Harley's fame..
As it became more famous, the frequency of disputes increased, but it also became a new form of marketing..
‘They must have been famous enough to fight that ugly-looking Harley. I folded them up with my bare hands.···.’
Harley becomes a celebrity in the Tarak mercenary world..
The Hubert Company, where such a person was a partner, also received attention of its own..
‘Marketing using good products, reasonable prices, and limited quantities. Also, the credibility of using the name of a famous person. It's strange that this fails.’
External intervention was also prevented thanks to Harley..
Large powers such as large merchants had no choice but to have ties with the religious denomination..
Through their connections, they learned that Harley was indeed receiving attention from the upper echelons of the church, and naturally gave up the idea of interfering with the Hubert Company..
From their point of view, it was more damaging to look down on the church by saying they wanted to take a small business..
And those idiots who do not have such information···.
“Ugh... yo, forgive me···.”
dark alley.
Dauntless men were strewn everywhere like trash..
“Harley, this guy wants forgiveness.?”
A tall man with a tattoo on his face grabbed a Parakho by the collar and shook him off before speaking to the side..
“Forgiveness? Forgive us now for how little these bastards have looked upon us.?”
“These things need to be rooted from the beginning to prevent them from creeping up again, right? Let me demonstrate..”
The ones who reacted to his words before Harley did were two large men who also had tattoos all over their bodies..
Southern warriors who once clashed with him but are now as close as brothers..
There were three of them: King Lu, who was the biggest, Dao, who had a knife mark around his eye, and Turaba, whose face was full of hair..
They were currently helping Harley and putting down the Parakhos that were trying to modify the Hubert Company..
‘Of course, it's not like they're working without pay. I make a lot of money, so there's no need to save money on things like this..’
It is advantageous just to have human resources that can be trusted to some degree and can be manipulated at will..
It would be great if we could get active cooperation with just a few pennies..
“Well, now that I think about it, I don’t think Harley’s impression has changed a bit.?”
“So do you? I somehow feel closer to it than before..”
“Isn't it just because we've become friends all this time??”
“is it?”
It was a meaningless conversation topic that came up while on the way to have a drink after work, but Harley couldn't help but feel annoyed..
‘I was changing it little by little without you noticing.···.’
Because his facial shape was really changing to the point where it was subtly different from before..
Having met three southern locals, this was an opportunity to naturally absorb their characteristics..
Harley's face, which was somewhat subtle, was being modified little by little every day to fit the race of a Southerner..
“Ahahaha! Doesn’t that mean we’ve become that much closer! Now we really feel like brothers!”
Harley laughed cheerfully and passed the topic over as if nothing had happened..
And inside the bar they entered, they chatted loudly and had various conversations..
The topic was mostly about the southern region, and it was very informative, mainly based on the vivid experiences of local people..
“···So, if you leave the South, it's hard to leave your mark. Because most shamans don't want to leave that place..”
“Sometimes, you may run into someone else, and if you prove your qualifications and pay the price, you can have a new engraving engraved on you..”
Among them, there was information about the ‘imprint’ they often talked about..
“Sometimes, stupid people try to engrave imprints that don't fit the bill, but in most cases, the shaman will kick them out.···.”
“It happens sometimes. Things that only come true if you do what you want.”
There were cases where imprints were forcibly engraved on the body through threats, cajoling, bribery, or deception..
“I don't need credentials for nothing..”
Engraving was not just a tattoo.
It was a branch of mystery engraved by weaving together the life force and mana flowing through the body and the karma accumulated by the person concerned..
‘Is it some kind of biological magic circle that strengthens the body??’
It is said that engravings that do not match the proportions not only shorten lifespan but also cause all kinds of side effects, including muscle loss, loss of stamina, aging, and hair loss..
“So in the South, if you don't have an engraving, they won't even recognize you as a warrior. This means that even the most basic ‘warrior’s imprint’ qualifications were not met..”
That's why they picked a fight with Harley, the 'self-proclaimed warrior of the South'.
There were only playful scribbles on the naked body, and there were no imprints anywhere..
‘It's inevitable that you can't get it right away. I really wish I could do this before I go south..’
Like a man, he took a swig of alcohol from a large glass and quenched his appetite..
While Hubert and Harley were spending each day fulfillingly, Harris, who had newly joined Tarak, continued to fight alone for several days..
“Ok... I feel something.···.”
Harris, an elf avatar who stays in the base saved by Hubert and tries to communicate with spirits through daily meditation..
I expected to become a high elf, but after the notification that the World Tree was watching, no significant changes occurred..
‘I think this is a natural force, but how do you make a spirit contract? Am I still lacking in friendliness??’
Mana and natural power, which were once filtered and purified through natural objects such as trees, were an essential energy source when making a spirit contract..
His initial abilities were the same, and with the effects of “Child of the World Tree” and the bracelet, he probably didn’t lack affinity, but I couldn’t figure out how he could become a spiritist..
“Rather than doing this here, should I go to a forest with more natural energy and try it?···?”
I've been staying here to hide the fact that I'm an elf, but now I feel like I have to go outside..
‘You could just roughly put on the hood and cover your ears. Before signing a contract with a spirit, I tried to save myself as much as possible.···.’
Elves, a rare race on the Aeon Continent, inevitably got caught up in various problems..
Wasn't that why Cecily, who was a high elf candidate, was sold into slavery?.
‘Yeah, like Cecily... huh? wait···.’
High elf Lafori, candidate Cecily, and nearly twenty elf envoys..
They were still staying at the Great Temple of Roselia..
The Kingdom of Thalia's Heresy Inquisitors discovered the residence of the Immortal King in the Forest of Monsters and also revealed that he had been there right before he invaded the Great Temple..
I still didn't know how he knew when the main temple's defenses were at their weakest.···.
‘Because the church did not suspect the elves from the beginning..’
An investigation team was only dispatched to clearly determine the truth of the matter, and the church maintained a polite attitude toward the elves as before..
‘I heard that they are now ready to go back now that they have finished their work.···.’
Wouldn't it be better to get help from a fellow elf rather than learning on your own??
It would have been great if they could at least get some advice before they go back..
‘good. That would be nice.’
Harris quickly stood up and put on his robe..
And then I confidently headed to the Temple of Tarak..
As he reached his destination, a huge figure approached from a nearby alley..
Contrary to the slender body of Harris, he has a large and sturdy body..
The man approached with intimidating steps, Harley naturally joined him and walked towards the temple..
While drinking with Southern warriors, he took time out to help Harris..
And the two walked side by side and soon arrived at the temple..
“huh? Not Harley? What brings you here? Do you have anything to do??”
With such a unique appearance, the crusader guarding the entrance to the temple recognized Harley, whose very presence was his identification, and spoke to him..
“Hahaha—! There's something I'd like some help with this time. I'd like you to tell me the story inside.!”
The story that came out at the meeting was simple..
<While working as a mercenary, I made a close elf friend..
However, this friend had been wandering alone for a long time, so he knew nothing about other elves and their abilities..
I am indebted to him in many ways and would like to do something for him, but since I happen to know some elves, I would like to introduce them to him..
So please contact them and let them use the gate if possible..>
And as a token, he proudly said that he even gave him a bracelet as a gift, which he had difficulty using..
His request for help had already been agreed upon above, so Harley's story was immediately conveyed to the elves at Roselia's Great Temple..
***
Ugh—
After passing through a gate that he had already used several times, a space that was equally familiar welcomed him..
“Welcome, Mr. Harris. Welcome to Roselia Grand Shrine.”
The high priest in charge of the gate, who only knows this side, welcomed him..
Harris was then led outside, followed by another priest..
‘It's a bit awkward to come to a place I'm already used to with a completely different identity..’
As soon as he decided to receive help from the elves, he received the cooperation of the church and moved through the gate over several days to reach the Roselia Grand Shrine..
As an invited guest, the place I was guided to was the lodgings where people from the Elven Kingdom stayed..
There, several elves were already gathered together and talking..
“Nice to meet you. My name is Lafori Granwood, a high elf of the Elven Kingdom..”
When Harris entered, Laforie greeted him warmly..
“Oh, my name is Harris. Thank you for taking the time to do this..”
“Hahaha, no. This is not only a request from Harley, but also the work of a fellow compatriot. This is nothing.”
After answering that, Lafouri looked at the bracelet on Harris' wrist and nodded..
“It seems like you and Harley are close friends. Although she knew he was a lover, she was quite surprised to hear that his first request was to help his friend..”
“Ah... it's a fairly close relationship. I guess we're closer than family.···?”
It was definitely not a lie.
“And I heard that this bracelet was originally used by Lapori. I received it because I felt like I needed it, but I apologize if it offended you..”
“no. I gave it to Harley as a thank you, and how he uses it is none of my business..”
He shook his head as if it was no big deal..
“I am once again grateful that you have used it for our compatriots..”
He smiled quietly, looking at Harris with eyes that twinkled like stars in the night sky..
It was a look that made me feel burdened..
“So what you want, Mr. Harris, is how to control natural forces and how to make contracts with spirits.?”
“Ah, yes. That's right. Since I have lived alone since I was young, there was no one to tell me such things. I came here wondering how I could get some advice..”
“Hmm···.”
Lafori stroked his chin, looked at him again, and nodded to himself..
‘For some reason, I feel like I'm being a bit too intimate with this. Did you notice something??’
Even though he was a compatriot from a foreign land who came to visit me thanks to a benefactor's introduction, there was a strange feeling that I couldn't explain..
While I was thinking about that, Laforie smiled meaningfully and quietly opened his mouth..
“Maybe. If it's okay with you, Harris, wouldn't you like to go to the Elven Kingdom on the Enamel Continent with us??”
“yes? To the enamel continent?”
“Yes, I think we will be going back soon. Wouldn’t that be better than just receiving brief advice??”
And he secretly tempted me by saying that if I went with him, I would be able to receive more detailed training in elemental arts, archery, and other things..
‘Elves... different races... different continents... new adventures!’
There was no reason to refuse such a good opportunity..
Just as he was about to accept, Laforie quietly added a word..
“More than anything, it seems like the World Tree is keeping an eye on Mr. Harris. Although you are not yet qualified to become a high elf, you seem to have an innate aptitude for it..”
I was able to understand his subtle attitude when he said those words..
Apparently, the World Tree was very interested in Harris..
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