Chapter 137: Let’s Leave the Dismantling to the Crew
“So, here’s my proposal—how about putting it up for auction in the royal capital?”
“An auction?”
“Yes, exactly! With something this rare, there’s no doubt it’ll fetch a good price.”
“But… I’ve never even been to an auction in the royal capital before…”
I was about to arrive there soon, though.
“No need to worry! I’ll handle the arrangements and make sure it’s listed for you. All I’d ask is a small cut of whatever profit comes from it.”
“I see… but how exactly would we get it there?”
“…I-I can manage that somehow.”
Apparently, it could be managed. Since there’s already a private garden over there, technically, I could transport it in an instant myself… but still…
“Alright then, let’s do it.”
“Understood! Now, let’s start the disassembly again.”
“Right. Um…”
“I’d appreciate it if you don’t watch while I work.”
“Got it. I’ll come back in a little while.”
◇ ◇ ◇
“The wicked dragon Fafnir… Atlas already shocked me, but this… this is something else. How on earth did they even defeat it?”
Lilcaria tilted her head, staring up at the colossal corpse with a mix of disbelief and awe.
“Anyway, let’s move it over there.”
With a wave of her hand, she sent it spiraling into her magic sack, disappearing from sight in an instant.
The scene shifted in the blink of an eye. Before I knew it, we had left the garden and arrived inside a bustling office. Rows of desks filled the room, each occupied by workers engrossed in their tasks.
“Ah! President!”
“““Welcome back!”””
“I’m home!”
Although they had all been busy with their respective duties, the moment they spotted Lilcaria, everyone immediately stood and greeted her in unison. She didn’t seem any taller than when sitting, though—all of them were Popit, just like her.
This was the headquarters of the trading company she ran, established in a hidden place unknown to anyone else. Lilcaria was the president here.
The distance from Arcel City was enough to cross a small country. And yet she had moved here instantly, thanks to her unique gift:
[Merchant Anywhere]
…A slightly silly name, perhaps, but for a merchant, it was unparalleled. It allowed her to instantly appear anywhere she had ever conducted business, forming the backbone of her elusive, far-reaching trade network.
Using this ability, Lilcaria traded goods across the world. Even the ingredients and materials Geo sold to her didn’t just stay in Arcel—they were distributed far and wide.
“I’ve got another big one today! Disassembly team, get ready!”
“““Understood!”””
The headquarters even had a dedicated disassembly area capable of handling monsters. The Popit employees, skilled in such work, were confident they could handle any beast.
“““W-what the hell is thiiiiis!?”””
Their screams of shock filled the room as Lilcaria withdrew the creature from her magic sack. It was a monster rivaling Atlas in sheer size.
And it was a dragon.
Its tough scales made it highly valuable for crafting weapons and armor—but that also made it notoriously difficult to disassemble.
“Gray scales… a grotesque, malevolent shape… have dragons like this ever existed?”
“It’s Fafnir’s corpse.”
“““Fafnir!?”””
The disassembly team’s eyes went wide. They instinctively stepped back, having at least some knowledge of the deadly miasma Fafnir had spread.
“No need to worry! The miasma’s already been completely purified.”
“Fafnir’s miasma… can that even be cleansed?”
“Normally, no. But as you can see, this one’s fine.”
“By the way, President… where did you even get something like this…?”
“That’s a secret! We’re planning to auction it, so make sure you disassemble it as cleanly as possible.”
“An auction, huh… the rich folks are gonna freak when something like this shows up!”
The Popit team set to work, while Lilcaria headed to the appraisal team to have the materials evaluated.
“““W-what the hell is thiiiiis!?”””
It went without saying—the appraisal team also screamed in shock the instant they saw Fafnir’s corpse.
◇ ◇ ◇
“Ah, finished with the disassembly?”
“Of course!”
Some time later, I returned to the second private garden, where Lilcaria-san was waiting.
“Here’s the magic stone.”
“Whoa… this is huge!”
The stone she handed me was so enormous it could almost be called a boulder. Later, I could use it to level up the garden.
“Payment can be made after the auction.”
“Understood.”
“By the way, the appraiser confirmed that Fafnir’s scales have properties unlike any normal dragon’s.”
“Really?”
“Yes. They have miasma resistance. Practical applications are still uncertain, but they’re so rare the appraiser didn’t even know such a thing existed. It’ll definitely add significant value.”
Returning to Arcel City to see Lilcaria-san off, I headed back to the second private garden.
“Now then… let’s see how much this magic stone boosts the level.”
〈Use the magic stone?〉
Yes.
〈Magic stone used.〉
―――――――――――
Geo’s Private Garden
Level 61 — 28/305
Garden Area: 10,501,150/∞
Skills: Wall Creation, Barrier Creation, Fortress Wall Creation, Ward Creation, Guardian Creation, Mega Guardian Creation, Giga Guardian Creation, Garden Concealment, Garden Teleportation, Garden Movement, Remote Cultivation, Automatic Cultivation, Harvest Storage, 3D Movement, Hut Creation, House Creation, Underground Movement
―――――――――――
〈Level Up!〉
〈Skill Learned: Underground Movement〉
〈New crops unlocked for cultivation〉