bacchusnovels Chapter 601: The Shady Merchant!
Chapter 601: The Shady Merchant!
Chapter 601: The Shady Merchant!
Although the other person seemed strange in many ways, it was worth considering that getting information in the tavern was far more difficult than expected.
After much deliberation, Lucy, as the team leader, decided to purchase the information directly from the intelligence merchant.
At the suggestion of the man in the lead, they left the noisy tavern and went to a relatively secluded corner outside.
"So tell me, what kind of information do you want to buy?" the man asked directly, getting straight to the point.
After a brief moment's thought, Lucy decided to start with the simpler request: "It's said that the Stella ore within the Kingdom of Stella, after absorbing enough stellar energy, will transform into an energy bomb powerful enough to destroy the entire country. Is this true?"
Seemingly anticipating this question, the white-haired woman standing next to the man smiled and answered, "One hundred thousand J."
"ha?"
The red-haired woman coughed twice and calmly explained, "According to the industry rules of intelligence brokers, you have to pay a fee to obtain the corresponding intelligence, and the price for this question is 100,000 J."
These industry rules weren't set by you yourselves, were they?
They took the money and ran away. Who can they find now?
Upon hearing that she had to pay money first, and that it was a whopping 100,000 yuan, the young lady of the Heartfilia Consortium immediately became alert.
Just as Lucy was wondering if there was a trap, Eclair had already taken out cash from the zipper on Mengmeng's back and handed it over without saying a word.
"Wait, wait, Eclair, why did you just give it to me like that!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
"Isn't 100,000 a good deal compared to going after those stinking drunkards?"
"Besides," Akelia said, "I don't think they're scammers."
Her life experience was far richer than Lucy's, and she had long since developed the ability to discern good from bad through observation.
Lucy, the money-grubber, wanted to say something more, but the man had already rudely shoved the money into his pocket, so she had no choice but to give up: "I hope so. Don't worry, this fee will be deducted from the commission."
"Hey! We've given you the money, now answer our questions!" Feeling ripped off, she stood with her hands on her hips and shouted angrily at the other side.
"It's fake." The man didn't seem to mind her fierce appearance at all, and said succinctly.
"What?"
"It's fake."
"What does 'Wadasi' mean by 'based on'?"
Lucy's voice rose several octaves, "You make 100,000 J from us for just two words? You guys are making money way too easily!"
Regardless of whether the other party's answer is true or false, the explicit requirement of an S-level commission is to investigate the reasons clearly.
They can't possibly go back to Warlord and say, "According to the intelligence we bought from the intelligence merchant in the Kingdom of Stella, Stella ore is not dangerous," can they?
"You didn't say there had to be corresponding evidence."
The man casually spread his hands, "That's a different price."
"Yes, Captain is right, this will cost 500,000 J." The white-haired woman raised her right arm and spread out her five slender, white fingers.
"Five or five hundred thousand?!"
The red-haired woman gasped involuntarily, then quickly realized what had happened and pretended nothing was amiss. "This pricing is... well, it's reasonable!"
"Reasonable my foot! You guys are definitely swindlers!" Lucy said with certainty.
"Besides, how do we know if the information you provide is true or false? This kind of deal is not fair," Levy calmly questioned.
Wendy's gaze swept among the group, and the feeling of familiarity grew stronger.
"What should we do, boss? What they said seems to make a lot of sense." The white-haired woman was at a loss.
"This is an unfair deal, and it violates the rules of intelligence dealers!" The red-haired woman's attitude became even more clear and serious.
Lucy, who had overheard their entire conversation, asked: "—Are you really professionals?"
She suddenly had an urge to return to the tavern and use her beauty to obtain information.
"Hahaha, since we've come this far, I'll throw in some detailed information for you."
The leading man waved his hand and said, "This rumor was actually spread by the current king of the Kingdom of Stella. As for the basis, it's very simple: the Kingdom of Stella has existed for hundreds of years. If the ore were going to explode, it would have exploded long ago. How could it have waited until now?"
"If you really want to find out, there is a huge, ancient, and stable Stella Stone in the southeast of the forest outside Altai City."
Upon hearing this, Lucy's anger subsided considerably, and she nodded with satisfaction.
This kind of intelligence sounds like it should be worth 100,000 J!
"The rumors were spread by the current King of Stella? Why would the King do that?" Charlotte noticed the key point.
According to the description of the elder Volod, the rumors have had a significant impact on the entire Kingdom of Stella, with trade and tourism suffering to varying degrees.
Why would the king do something so pointless?
"This should be considered a new intelligence transaction."
The man squatted down without any sense of boundaries and chuckled as he patted Xia Lulu's head.
Xia Lulu immediately bared her teeth and grimaced.
"A cute talking cat would be perfect for our team~" the white-haired woman said with a smile.
The red-haired woman was even more direct, pulling out a small-sized, dark-colored bodysuit with her hand behind her back, her eyes gleaming with anticipation: "And you, blue-haired girl over there, would you like to try this outfit on?"
(See the bottom right corner of the illustration in the previous chapter for details)
"No way!" Xia Lulu resolutely refused.
"Um—wouldn't it be embarrassing to wear this?" Wendy asked, somewhat eager to try it on.
"Don't even think about poaching people in front of Wadashi! We're Fairy Tail mages!"
Lucy, her eyes filled with wariness, spread her arms to shield the person and the cat behind her.
"I see. So, what about you? Do you want to join?"
Lucy:
If she hadn't been a newcomer and hadn't encountered setbacks at the tavern, she would have really wanted to turn around and leave.
"Lu-chan, let's ask about the more important Dragon's Cry first," Levy said, bringing the topic back on track.
The reason why the king spread rumors has nothing to do with the content of this S-level commission, and there is absolutely no need to spend extra money on this.
"The Dragon's Cry? If I'm not mistaken—"
The man said with a smile, "Isn't it the scepter that Chaish Ken, the current Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Stella, stole from the underground dragon's lair in the capital, Crocus?"
"That scepter is imbued with the dragon's resentment, bitterness, and anger; it's quite a dangerous thing."
"You even know this?" Lucy's eyes widened in surprise.
The matter of the Dragon's Cry is a secret of the Kingdom of Fiore. Even the Fiore Guard could not possibly know so clearly, let alone the people in the Kingdom of Stella!
This seemingly ordinary and somewhat annoying man in front of me actually has some skills.
For a moment, Lucy began to trust the other party's identity as an intelligence merchant more.
"Of course, didn't we say at the beginning that we even know what style of underwear the King is wearing today?"
There's no need to repeat this!
"How much would it cost to find out where Dragon's Cry is now?" Eclair asked bluntly.
"Not bad, you're much more direct than that stupid woman over there who only knows how to complain."
Before Lucy could explode, the man slowly spoke, "70 J, no bargaining."
"70?! That's ten months' rent for Dashi!!" Lucy exclaimed.
"This is already a discounted price," the red-haired woman said skillfully, probably having learned it from a magic weapon shop.
"If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to buy it."
The man waved his hand impatiently, "But let me warn you, if you ask about Dragon's Cry randomly within the Kingdom of Stella, there's a high chance you'll be arrested by the Kingdom Guard as a spy or criminal."
Lucy: "What an arrogant attitude!"
We're the ones who are actually giving away money!
"It's acceptable compared to the commission."
Levy whispered in Lucy's ear, "And it really does save a lot of trouble."
Upon hearing this, Lucy did a quick calculation and found that after deducting the money spent on buying information, she would still have over 14 million.
"Alright, Wadashi bought it. But if the information you provided is wrong, Wadashi will definitely not let you off the hook!"
Although she didn't have the means to track and lock onto the target, she knew that if she told Chess, he would definitely find the group and beat them up.
Therefore, I'm not particularly worried that the other party will cheat.
After accepting the huge sum of 70 with satisfaction, the man instantly put on a friendly smile and said truthfully, "The Dragon's Cry is currently stored in the King's treasury, in the most luxurious castle in the city center."
"The vault is sealed with special magic. If you want to steal that thing, you first need to get the key to the vault from Chash Ken."
"I see, it doesn't sound like it'll be so easy to succeed after all —"
Lucy instinctively picked up the conversation, then realized what she'd said and righteously corrected her, "What do you mean by stealing! We were just helping the Kingdom of Fiore reclaim what belonged to them, and Dragon's Cry is extremely dangerous!"
In fact, a mage's commission does not need to strictly follow the rules, as long as the council approves.
For example, when she first joined the guild, she and Natsu broke into the Duke's house to steal novels.
"So how do we get in touch with Chaishi Ken, or where does he usually hang out?" Xia Lulu asked casually.
Upon hearing this, the man opposite him frowned slightly, revealing a troubled expression: "Chaisu Ken is the current Minister of Defense of the Kingdom of Stella. Revealing his whereabouts casually would be quite dangerous for us."
"Oh? A shrewd businessman like you is afraid?" Lucy said with a contemptuous sneer.
"You misunderstood. What I meant was—" The man shook his head and looked at the white-haired woman beside him.
The white-haired woman immediately understood, tilting her head and smiling brightly: "It costs more."
Lucy's lips twitched. Were these intelligence brokers just greedy for money?
The other party asked for another 200,000, with the ridiculous reason that they wanted to round it up to a whole number by combining it with the previous 800,000.
Considering the crucial importance of the treasure vault key in Chaishi Ken's possession, Lucy had no choice but to agree.
"Chash Ken often frequents that tavern. He always carries the vault key with him, so you can stake out there."
"Then happy transaction, I wish you success in stealing the Dragon's Cry."
Seemingly aware that the intelligence transaction was over, the man who had received the money left this message and turned to leave with two (presumably) henchmen.
"Those three are truly utterly unscrupulous businessmen!"
Lucy, devastated by the loss of a large sum of money, gave them the middle finger as they walked away.
"That's true, but at least we got some useful information," Levy said with a smile.
Wendy, who hadn't said much throughout, couldn't help but ask, "Um, Lucy, don't you guys think they look familiar?"
If it weren't for the fact that the fluctuations of magic were completely different from the scent on their bodies, she would have suspected that the three people were actually Chess, Mira, and Erza in disguise!
Reminded by her words, Lucy recalled the whole process of her contact with the other person and couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity.
Unfortunately, before she could think about it more deeply, Kana, reeking of alcohol, came looking for her.
"Found it. Lucy, why did you leave without a word? Weren't you going to gather information?"
"You went in and started drinking with people, and you still have the nerve to say that!" Lucy said angrily.
"Huh? I did go there to drink, but well—"
Kana raised her hand to brush away the strands of hair that had fallen across her forehead, her languid state of being half-drunk completely gone, and smiled, "I happened to overhear some very useful information."
"Useful information? As expected of Kana-chan!" Lucy immediately grinned and stepped forward.
Speaking of changing faces at lightning speed.
"It's about the key figure in this S-class commission."
Kana had long seen through her best friend's true colors, but she didn't care. "That Chaishi Ken often visits the tavern. Maybe we can find a breakthrough for Dragon's Cry through him."
After saying that, she put one hand on her hip and raised her head proudly, displaying a boastful attitude that showed she could "play a big role even when she's drinking".
Unexpectedly, instead of showing surprise and admiration, Lucy and the others stood there with their lips twitching a few times.
"Wait, what's with those expressions?"
"Sigh—" Lucy sighed heavily.
"If you had shown up sooner, we could have saved 200,000." Xia Lulu said, rubbing her forehead with one hand.
From them, Kana learned the whole story.
on the other hand.
The most luxurious hotel in Altai City, with its brightly lit presidential suite.
The three "shady businessmen," having shed their disguises, sat together, happily dividing the one million dollars in intelligence fees they had earned from Lucy.
If Lucy were here, she would definitely rush over and give those three scoundrels a Lucy Flying Kick.
That's right, it's Chase, Mira, and Erza!
Considering Wendy's keen sense of smell as a Dragon Slayer Mage, in addition to the regular transformation magic, Chase also obtained a spell from the Dark Mage that could conceal his aura and magical energy fluctuations!
As for why they would deliberately stage this, the main purpose was certainly not to swindle Lucy out of her money.
A mere million dollars is nothing to Chase, who has a huge sum of money at his disposal.
It wasn't that he was secretly helping Lucy complete her S-class commission—the information he provided was something Lucy's team could obtain with some effort and time.
He might be a bit stupid, but he still had confidence in his silly little sister.
The key point is this "some effort".
According to the plot of the original movie, Dragon's Cry, Lucy needs to sell her body in a tavern to obtain relevant information, which is one of the few times she has successfully seduced someone.
No matter what, she's still his precious little sister whom he adopted, so Chess felt it was necessary to correct her.
That's why the drunkards in the tavern, who were affected by the magic, were unmoved, and that's why the "information merchant" act happened!