How to Survive as a Member of the Meteor Sword Family Chapter 59

How to survive as a loser in the Yoo Seong-geom family

Episode 59

Iron Lion f*cking (2)

A rough stone dealership located not far from the southern coast.

There was a scuffle going on at the place in charge of purchasing the raw materials mined from the coastal caves since morning.

“No. Does this make sense? The purchase price is lower than yesterday! What are we supposed to eat to live? And this price is less than half of last year’s purchase price!”

A man with a grim expression shouted, pointing at the blackboard on the wall with his thick fingers.

On the blackboard he pointed to was written in pure white letters the following:

[Today’s purchase price]

[8 silver] per 10kg of raw ore

The price was ridiculous.

Even if you dig with a pickaxe all day, you can only mine about 10kg of ore and get only 8 silver.

The wizard, who was sitting at his desk scribbling something on a piece of paper, looked up at him.

“We can’t help it because the mining volume this year is much larger than expected and the budget is insufficient.”

“What the… … There’s really not that many! I guess it’s only about 20-30%!”

“Anyway, we are only following the orders of the Tower Lord. And be grateful for even the 8 silver. Those who do not have the status of a citizen of the Demonic Nation and whose status is unclear can only receive 5 silver. If you don’t like it, go sell it somewhere else.”

“Where can you judge an unrefined magic stone?”

“That’s up to you.”

In contrast to the extremely angry man, the attitude of the magician in charge of purchasing was extremely calm.

The man, unable to control his anger, was about to slam his fist on the table when another man standing behind him hurriedly stopped him.

“Stop it, Mac. If you continue to cause trouble here, you might die. Let’s go back.”

The man who had stopped Mac pointed to a large stone human-shaped statue behind the wizard.

It is a stone golem that is said to have power that surpasses that of even low-level knights.

Mac glanced at the stone golem with its frosty eyes shining, then turned around, picking up the bundle containing the ore.

“f*ck. It’s so dirty I won’t sell it. I won’t sell it!”

“Do as you wish. Then, take care on your way back.”

The wizard’s sarcastic voice came from behind him.

“You damn kids. You thought I didn’t know that Topju was picking on my pocket.”

Mac, who had been drinking heavily, left the store with his friend.

The amount of raw materials that I have been unable to sell due to the sharp drop in prices over the past few days has already exceeded 50 kg. Now, it is so heavy that it is difficult to even carry them around.

‘I should have sold it when they were offering 10 silver.’

I felt like everything was going dark.

Here, he has to feed his family for a year with the income he earns during the winter.

The 4th tower owner, Thorsten the Iron Lion, started to openly kick the back pocket this year, and he couldn’t even get his initial investment back.

“You son of a bitch, you son of a bitch. You’re so worth chewing up… … .”

“You endure it. What can we do when we’re powerless against the Magic Tower?”

His friend Orni, whom he met here, shook his head and said.

Mac shouted, his voice cracking as if he had given up on everything.

“At least you should get 20 silver for 10 kg like last year, right? Don’t you think so? Don’t you feel wronged?”

“It’s unfair. Of course it’s unfair.”

“But why are you so calm? It won’t work out. Even if it means dying, I’ll go back and do it firmly… .”

“It’ll just be a dog’s death if you go. More importantly, you know that I’m an unpatriotic citizen who came from near the border of the Demon Nation, right?”

“You know… … You must be even more wronged. Five silver? Not only are you a wife and children, but you also have a mother to take care of.”

“That’s not the point. I… … I came here and met a friend from my childhood. I heard a story about buying a gemstone from him. I don’t know if I should believe it… … .”

“What do you mean? Buying raw stones? Are there any places that buy raw stones other than the monopoly?”

“That guy… … No, the person he serves is said to be purchasing the raw stone.”

Mac, who had been speaking urgently while grabbing the shoulder of the hesitant right-hand man, spoke in a weary voice at his answer.

“Even if I buy it personally, I don’t think it will be worth more than the Matop.”

“No, I also heard that story by chance last night… … I’m still half in doubt. Believe it or not, but the price is… … .”

Mac’s eyes widened as he heard Orun’s story.

“Say it again. How much?”

“… … It’s 50 silver per 10kg. And it’s fair to both citizens and non-citizens. I was thinking about telling you about it because it’s such an absurd price, but what do you think? Do you want to come and see me?”

“Of course! I’ll show you right away!”

Mac, who was urging the right-hand man on, slung a bundle full of gemstones over his shoulder.

* * *

“Okay! Okay! 50 silver per 10kg of raw ore. Brothers! You must have suffered a lot due to the tyranny of the Magic Tower. Please use it a lot!”

An alley far from the store.

There, Orni approached the man who resembled a rat with his hands clasped in front of his mouth and was making loud noises and asked in a cautious voice.

“Hey, Moose.”

“Oh! Who is this? Isn’t it Orun? I thought about my proposal last night… … .”

“for a moment.”

Just as the mouse was about to greet him happily, a giant man appeared from behind Orui and interrupted him, asking urgently.

“Are you really going to buy the raw stones here?”

“Oh my, it’s not yet widely known, but you brought our right-hand friend. Of course! We’re not buying it here yet… … Just follow me.”

Something feels suspicious. Could it be that he’s taking her to a dark place, attacking her, and then stealing the gemstone?

Besides, Orn is a friend I just made when I came here… … so it wouldn’t be strange if he betrayed me at any time.

Just as a seed of doubt was beginning to grow in Mack’s mind, the mouse gestured for them to follow him.

“Follow me. The guy on the right is my friend, so I can talk to him comfortably, right?”

“As you wish. Are you really going to buy the raw stone for me? At that ridiculous price?”

“It’s not time for rumors to spread yet, so I’m just secretly buying from people from my hometown, but the real buying will start in about two to four days. So, mine diligently for the remaining period.”

“Hmm… … Okay, it’s either do or die.”

It would be better to throw it all away or have it stolen than to sell the raw materials at this price anyway.

Mac, who had made that decision, followed the mouse along with Oren.

After passing through the winding alley, they arrived at a makeshift table with a red-eyed young man sitting there.

And there was a dazzling beauty standing guard beside him, holding a crude spear.

“Who are those people…?

At first glance, they seemed to be people of extraordinary status. Ignoring Mac’s words, the mouse ran towards them and spoke as if to make them listen.

“Brother. I brought the customers.”

“Oh? Good job. Come here! Did you bring a lot of gemstones?”

“Ah, yes… … I brought about 50kg for now. My friend here, Orne, weighs a little under 40kg.”

“Oh… … You brought quite a lot. Let’s check the weight and quality, so let’s put them on the scale first.”

“Yes? Yes.”

The young man pointed to the scales on the floor. With a short sigh, he placed the bundle on the scales, and the number 48.6 kg appeared on them.

“Um… … It’s a little under 50kg. But the quality seems good. Since you came with a mouse’s introduction, I’ll give you a little more.”

The young man who was scribbling something on a document rummaged through his belongings. Immediately afterwards, Mack’s eyes widened as he saw two gold coins and seven ten-silver coins on the table.

“Oh, no… … Are you really going to buy it at this price?”

“Why? Is it too cheap? I would like to give you more, but we also have to take care of the other side, so this is the limit.”

What is this guy talking about now?

Mac felt like his soul was going to leave his body.

The raw stone that could be sold at the Magic Tower for a mere 40 silver was now sold for a whopping 2 gold and 70 silver. In other words, it was sold for nearly 7 times the price.

“No! Oh my… … I have no reason to be so grateful. Thank you so much!”

As Mac kept bending his back, Orun’s expression brightened as he accompanied him.

At first I was skeptical of Moose’s words, but then I realized that what he said was true.

Just as Mac was about to pick up the gold coins placed on the table, the hand of a young man with red eyes covered the gold coins.

“But there is one condition.”

Then that’s it.

There is no way they would buy unrefined ore in its pure form at this price.

As Mac’s expression slightly crumpled, the young man in front of him opened his mouth with a smirk.

“It’s nothing special, but please spread the word to the miners you work with. Just keep your mouth shut so the Iron Lion doesn’t hear about it.”

It wasn’t that difficult of a request.

It is true that there is an explosion of dissatisfaction among the laborers with the current purchase price.

They say they will buy the raw stone at this price, so it is not a big deal to ask for a refund.

“But why the mouth-to-mouth inspection… … .”

“Because of the circumstances, I plan to make secret purchases for the next four days, and then make public purchases after that. So, please pay attention to me for only four days.”

“Please leave it to me!”

Mack, who had boasted, pounded his chest. Then he asked in a slightly cautious voice.

“But… … You don’t seem to be from the Magic Nation at first glance. You seem to be a high-ranking official from another country. May I ask your name? In order to gain the trust of the laborers, the identity of the person making the purchase… … .”

“Isn’t this something that needs to be clear? I fully understand this. Jin Aster. Jin Aster, the second son of the Meteor Sword Family of the Kingdom of Cassel. The friend next to him is Isabelle Aster, the next head of the House of the Underworld.”

As soon as Jin finished speaking, Isabelle nodded silently.

But Mac’s movements were faster than that.

“Oh my, it’s great to see you! I couldn’t believe it when I saw your hair color and eyes, but you’re from the Yuseong Sword Family! It’s an honor!”

“After all, he is a noble from a foreign country. You don’t have to be so polite to him.”

Jin, who had helped him up from his seat and was at a loss, measured the weight of the ore that Oren had brought.

“41.2kg. I’ll give you 2 gold and 5 silver.”

Likewise, a smile like a daisy spread across the lips of Orun, who had bought and sold the raw stone at an absurd price.

Jin approached the happy couple and placed a hand on their shoulder.

“Then, please take good care of me for the next four days. And the purchase amount is not set, so you can bring as much as you want.”

“Of course! I will grind myself to pieces and do my best to mine!”

The two stiffly froze and answered at the same time. Then, they started running towards the coastal cave where the mine was located.

“Hehehe… … That iron lion, his butt will be burning in no time. How dare you treat me coldly?”

Jin, who was watching their backs, muttered to himself with a sinister smile.

I had no intention of doing anything big yet. In four days, the carriages sent by Hong Tao from the upper ranks would arrive in a line.

Jin, who had finished thinking, spoke to Isabelle, who was loading the ore onto the carriage.

“But did you still fill one carriage?”

“Yes. The small wagon is full, including the items that just arrived.”

“Very well. Rat, hire some mercenaries to escort the carriage here, and send this all to the place I tell you. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Jin smiled happily as he recalled the face of the iron lion that would be at a loss in a few days.