Chapter 915 – #199_Trade(2)

#909

One.
Immediately after grasping the situation, Elroa quickly gestured to Sharon.
Sharon, who had been informed of the situation the other day, immediately grasps his intentions and runs to the room where Siwoo is lying.

[Hello?]
“I am listening. The witch of gold coins.”

[If there is someone around, I would like to pass it on if possible. I’m on a phone date with the legendary achievement slayer Duke Tiphareth, but having someone sneakily eavesdropping on me is out of the permissible range of my sensitive sensitivity]
“Alone.”

Eloa was surprisingly calm.
Embarrassed by the sudden contact, she is likely to miss out on information that could be gained in her haste.

Wasn’t that part of what Dorothy had expected at the time when she suddenly lost contact?

The optimism that she had hoped for, saying, ‘Dorothy couldn’t afford to contact her first because the current world is flooded’ was displaced.

[Hmm, I can’t believe it. Do you know the duke? Merchants are a tribe that even her apprentice witch doesn’t believe in.]
“Is Dorothy alive now?”
[I sell the witch, not her body. Prepare the remote crystal ball. The mode is tea time. I’ll tell you my personal code. I’ll give you 30 seconds, I’ll hang up after time. Wouldn’t that be an excuse not to be nearby? Let’s have a proper conversation there?]
“Okay.”

Lydia’s demands were brief, and she was also tight.
Like voice phishing, which deliberately diverts the victim’s attention and puts pressure on it, it must be a push to exclude nonsense as much as possible.

Elroa held the receiver and prepared her remote crystal ball.

The crystal ball, which has been used as a means of communication by witches since a thousand years ago, has been developed and equipped with various functions.
“Tea Time” Was one of them.

“I am ready.”
[Good]

Elroa closed her eyes and put her hand on her orb, channeling some of her magic.

The darkened view opens up brightly, and the twilight scene of the hotel room turns into a garden where a gentle breeze blows.
A white table and chairs were placed in the very center of the garden with rose vines like folding screens and green grass.

As such, tea time meant the function of creating a virtual conversation space by attaching images between contacts.
To put it simply, it is similar to VR chatting.

It is possible to communicate with each other by looking at the whole body, and safety is guaranteed because it is an illusion after all, and above all, it is excellent in terms of security because no one other than the participants can eavesdrop on the contents of the communication.

This is the preferred option for important and confidential conversations.

“Is it smaller than I thought? Looking at the picture, I thought it would be 170.”

The image of Lydia, legs crossed leisurely across the table, came to mind vaguely.
Eloa sat across from her, glaring at Lydia in silence.

Lydia, who had been talking a little while ago, shut her mouth tightly as Eloa sat down.
It is a strategic silence usually shown by negotiators.

In the end, the one who regrets will open her mouth first.
The intention is to make clear before getting into the main topic which side has the upper hand.

“…”

Some playfulness is unavoidable.
Perhaps it was Elroa who opened her mouth first.

Eloa chose to sort out the tangled thoughts during that time.

In witch society, exploits are often divided into two categories.

Congenital achievements and acquired achievements.
The former is a case in which she became a public figure upon inheriting her stigma, and the latter is a case in which she committed a heinous crime on her own behalf.

However, Eloa’s standard for sharing was a little different.
Achievements that are prioritized for subjugation and those that are not.

Viewed from this point of view, Lydia was an achievement that fell vaguely in the middle of all criteria.

First, Lydia was an innate feat.
Even though she didn’t do anything, from the moment she became an apprentice witch, she had to commit the sins of her ancestors like fate.

But as soon as she became a witch, Lydia did more vicious things than her predecessors without hesitation.
She either perfected her magic by grinding witches, or bought and sold her witches themselves.
She created a faction called the Solidus Merchant by rallying her exploits and outcasts based on her own foundation.

If she had come this far, she would have ranked first in the subjugation of Elroa without hesitation.

However, Lydia has also shown contradictory behavior that is at the opposite end of her misdeeds.

First, she intensively subdued the homunculus in the area where the location point’s influence did not reach.
It’s understandable up to this point.

The spoils left behind by the homunculus would have been useful to witches, and it must have been a necessary measure for the stable values ​​of the upper ranks of Solidus.

But Lydia also established relief foundations for poor countries all over the world and orphanages for children who lost her parents in various tragedies, and they’re doing pretty well.

This sound operation was not limited to charity work only.
The Solidus upper house also builds several companies and invests in various fields.

The soundness of the mundane business of the upper ranks was no different from that of Count Gemanai.

Of course, the above is not the result of goodwill or a sense of justice.

She took on a necessary evil, even though it was much easier and simpler to remain evil.

Unlike other exploits that followed the line of Dokgo Dai by leading her subordinates with only her strength and violence, she was able to maintain moderate exchanges with several outcasts and leave herself in a position that could not be easily touched.

A thorough businessman who always chooses the most profitable option like an insect that is not bound by the concept of good and evil.
In that sense, Lydia was a more difficult feat than anyone else.

Finally clearing her thoughts, Elroa opened her mouth.
Of course, she has no intention of quietly giving up the initiative.

“I assure you, if there is even a hair problem with Dorothy’s statue, I will erase the Solidus Merchant from the world. In the name of Tiphareth, I will destroy the last remnants.”

Eloa’s tone was calm, but her words were by no means light.
In fact, she had the ability to do that to Elroa.

Of course, there is a much higher chance that she will be stopped in the middle, and Elroa will also have to bear a big risk.

“Okay? Wouldn’t it be easy?”
“Do you think I can’t?”

“You can cut off the limbs of the top of the solidus one by one. Then one day it might even reach my neck. But you know what? That the countless anti-Western camps and orphanages abandoned by Gehenna are supported by my caravan.”
“…”
“If the Solidus Merchant Collapses, the astronomical money line going to the relief organization will be cut off. There will be more people who will die without knowing why in a world that is already in trouble. Could you make that choice?”

Lydia wasn’t particularly provocative.

She simply confirmed the insurance policy she had earlier put in place, costing hundreds of millions of dollars a year against Tiphareth’s attacks.

Although the acts of relieving the poor dying from epidemics and starvation and taking care of children who lost their parents were close to good, the purpose was not much different from taking hostages.

It’s frustrating, but it’s also true that the insurance policy is effective for Eloa.
As if to soothe Elroa, who chewed her lips, Lydia softly continued her words.

“Don’t think too badly of it. I only captured Dorothy alive in a fair duel. Isn’t it natural to receive ransom for a captive noble?”
“You mean you want me to pay the ransom?”
“That’s right.”
“I’ll have to make sure it’s safe first.”
“That’s about it.”

Lydia, as she expected, spread her arm by her side.
As if the curtains were being pulled back, the landscape of her garden was folded, revealing the view of the luxurious guest room beyond.

This is where Lydia is communicating.
Dorothy, who was reclining on the sofa, was asleep, breathing lightly.

“As you can see, I didn’t lift a finger. Either magically or sexually. Was it really surprising before that? I thought she’d think of it as a throwaway at best, but really, that Tipferret would negotiate for the good. Can she be your girlfriend? The exploits and the forbidden love of Duke Tiphareth…”
“Enough with the rubbish. What do you want from me?”

Despite Eloa’s stabbing gaze with her sword, Lydia leaned back in her chair like an arrogant brat and crossed her arms.

“Read it.”

Then she reached her arm through the curtain and tossed her thick bundle of papers in front of Tiphareth.
The format was different, but the content was similar to what I was familiar with.

“A lock?”
“Did you already know? This is a bit surprising.”

Regarding locks that can control flooding.
It was the information that Siwoo and Eloa decided that it would be better to wait a little longer and observe the situation.

Since she already knew the contents, she was able to infer Lydia’s request as well.

“Do you mean exchanging Dorothy for the lock?”

And that is an unacceptable demand.

Eloa’s belief lies in taking over Raffi’s will and maintaining the stability of her world.
If her locks fall into the hands of a witch the size of Lydia, the repercussions will be out of control.

“I wish that was the case, but I feel like if I ask for that much, I’ll be treated like an ordinary merchant.”
“…”

Lydia tossed another paper in front of Eloah, who affirmed with her silence.

“Besides me, there are two other achievements for noticing the existence of the lock. Urshira and Priscilla. Do you know?”
“Are you the witch of reversal and the witch of gluttony?”
“That’s right, he’s the advance guard of God Qliphorth, who came out to this world to declare war. Urshira got the information from the Witch of Whispers first. Priscilla heard from Urshira.”

Surprisingly, Lydia handed over the information about Hexsenacht to Eloa.

“Now that the gates of Hexennacht and Gehenna are both closed and cluttered, Urshra is going to occupy the lock gate. Priscilla agreed to help with that in exchange for sharing her interests.”

Lydia even presented a series of data to support her words.

A transcript of conversation that must have been obtained through eavesdropping.
Report that Hexsenacht was unaware of the lock.
He even handed over documents that recorded his exploits in South America, the front yard of Hexsenacht, over the past few days.

An act of apparent treachery.

“I want you to stop that. The terrible tragedy of the fall of the locks into the hands of the wicked exploits of Hexsenacht. You can control the lock, or you can break it.”

If you only listen to the contents, the tone is very sarcastic, but Lydia’s tone is serious.
Long story short, Lydia says that in exchange for Dorothy’s new recruit, she wants to use Eloa for her services.

At the unexpected request, Eloa carefully asked.

“Why are you giving me information instead of thinking of taking it yourself?”
“I’m not as honorable as you, but I know where to intervene and where not. The way I see it, the current Qliphoth needs to be gagged on the snout. That’s all.”