Dimensional Merchant (2)
A huge logistics warehouse with many employees moving around busily.
An old man approached Hubert, who was quietly looking around the busy scene in the middle of it all.
“Hehehe, now that everything is roughly sorted out, I think it’s time to send the next batch.”
An old gentleman wearing a suit in pure white from head to toe, which did not match the people around him who were wearing work clothes.
It was Frances, a self-made demon who had been dispatched from the Hubert Trading Company’s Demon World General Branch to the continental headquarters.
“Thank you for your hard work. As expected, things are much easier with the help of Duke Francis.”
“What’s this? This was ordered by Lady Hela herself, so isn’t this just like breaking a goblin’s head? Hehehe!”
At Hubert’s speech, the demon Frances, who specialized in psychic abilities, smiled nonchalantly and stroked his chin.
I still wasn’t used to that proverb from the demon world, but there was no doubt that he was a great help.
Since trading with the Demon World requires strict security, even hiring workers had to be done with caution.
‘No matter how much magic engineering is used to create an automated system, a final confirmation process is absolutely necessary. In that sense, Frances, who is skilled at crowd control, is the perfect person for this job.’
Hubert turned his gaze again and looked at the employees in their overalls moving busily.
To be more precise—the demon tribe disguised as humans who were dispatched to this headquarters together under Frances’ control.
“Without resting or eating, they are this efficient. They are truly the best workers, unmatched by humans.”
“···Well, it’s a bit strange to hear such admiration. Anyway, no matter what, it would be good to give them some time to rest. I’m sure they won’t have any major problems since I’m here, but if they keep getting dissatisfied, they’ll be more likely to slacken their work.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that kind of unscrupulous businessman.”
Hubert’s answer was incredibly confident.
Frances looked back at him with a trembling face.
Those eyes seemed to be looking at ‘a heartless dark merchant who not only deals with the devil but also exploits them for free’, but that was probably an illusion as it could never be true.
This side was also paying enough for the work they did.
‘Yes, since they are employees dispatched from the Demon World, we are definitely taking care of them by converting them to Demon World standards.’
In addition, he even set up employee accommodations and a restaurant in one corner of the warehouse so that employees would not have to worry about food, clothing, and shelter. To this extent, isn’t it true that he is a conscientious businessman that is rare to find in this world?
They can’t go out of this premises, it was a security issue.
“···Ahem, I see why Lady Hela chose you···. Cue! By the way, you are truly amazing. I have heard of the reputation of my Hubert Company, but I did not know that you could handle this amount of goods so smoothly.”
Frances trailed off as if she had nothing else to say, then looked around and changed the subject.
The amount of logistics moving between here and now is by no means small.
An interdimensional trade hub where goods arriving from the Demon World and goods being sent to the Demon World intersect.
The items piled up inside the warehouse were being sorted and moved one by one using automated systems and the labor of demons.
Just like a logistics center you might see on Earth.
“Well, this logistics base has been prepared for quite some time. It is because transporting large quantities of goods within the city is inconvenient in many ways.”
Hubert chuckled and shrugged.
This massive warehouse was the most elaborate building among the logistics bases of Hubert Trading Company built on the southern site outside Tarak.
It is a fortress as big as a village, and is surrounded by strict security and guards, so no one can enter without permission.
‘Still, the trade with the Demon World that ends in this warehouse is relatively easy. In the other warehouses, carriages from all over the place are constantly coming and going even at this moment.’
Of course, it was not a very pleasant thing for the city that had to collect taxes for the movement of goods, but it was not difficult for Hubert Trading Company to persuade them, who already controlled the area and to whom most of the territory’s economy depended.
Even if it was just a bribe to silence them, it wouldn’t be worth much.
“Isn’t it all thanks to you, Hela, that I have this opportunity? All the hard work has paid off.”
Frances looked at Hubert with a strange look at his witty words.
Although his meager power was nothing compared to his own, he was by no means a being that could be easily ignored.
Rather, you could say that he is an extraordinary person, so much so that you can see why he was chosen by Hela.
‘Exclusive trade in Demonic Clan goods. That’s why it’s in the hands of the person who is truly leading the continent’s top position…’
At this very moment, a monster of the commercial world that could swallow up all the world’s commercial power was being born.
If he hadn’t been in the same position as the owner, he would have thought about getting rid of him before he got any bigger.
‘···He is also a servant of Hela, so the better it is, the better. This situation itself was also His will in the first place.’
With a short sigh, Frances turned her eyes away from Hubert and turned her gaze to the purple gate through which supplies were constantly flowing in and out.
‘By the way, that’s really amazing. I never thought the Demon King’s power could be used in that way.’
A feeling of awe that comes from the depths of my heart every time I see it.
In fact, no matter how excellent Hubert’s abilities were, if there had been no gate, the trade would not have been established in the first place, so it was natural.
‘Of course, after a few low-level guys came over to be used as workers, perhaps for long-term maintenance, only non-living materials were being brought in···.’
That alone would have been a great thing.
Because now wasn’t the time for a ‘continental invasion’.
In fact, the task of breaking through a passage like this was not an easy one for her, but it was possible thanks to the special ability “World Invasion” that greatly reduced the cost of breaking through the interdimensional barrier.
The funny thing is that they aren’t using that ability for invasion, but rather for trade.
“Then I will go now. I will leave the remaining matters to Duke Francis. If anything comes up, please tell my secretary, Diana.”
“Hehehe, what could be so difficult? It’s just a matter of periodically exchanging accumulated items. If any problems arise, I’ll handle it without causing too much trouble, so don’t worry too much.”
Well, it was a needless worry since his mental manipulation would be difficult to escape unless you were at a transcendent level.
That’s what I expected from the beginning and made him the manager of this warehouse.
In that case, it would be possible to exchange goods with the outside world without any sense of discomfort, and even if there were an outside invasion, it would be possible to resolve it secretly.
Hubert nodded slowly and walked out of the warehouse past the tight security facilities.
Dagdak! Dagdak!
Groan, groan—
Hehehe—
“Hey…? The horse is excited! What are you doing? Quickly grab the reins!”
“Hey! Move that over here! It’s precious, so be careful!”
“Are you the Michaels from the Kingdom of Thalia? Let me see… Please come this way.”
As soon as he left the warehouse, his sight filled with people moving busily outside the security zone, accompanied by his escorts.
Large and small buildings standing everywhere you look, wide, well-maintained streets, and various carriages and merchants coming and going.
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
This was the true form of the large-scale trading complex built under the leadership of Hubert Trading Company, located at the very top of the continent.
“Whew—that’s great.”
Hubert, who had been quietly looking at the view for a moment, let out a sigh of satisfaction.
This scene was a feat achieved through the mobilization of exclusive rare goods, an endless stream of funds, the shadowy power of vampires, overwhelming information power that seemed to combine the continent’s major intelligence organizations, and top-level connections located around the world.
‘It’s been a long time. It’s been quite a few years since Hubert Trading Company was established. No, if it only took a few years to become the best on the continent, should we consider it short?’
A snicker escaped my lips without me knowing it.
Of course, it didn’t end there.
Now that trade with the Demon World has begun in earnest, Hubert Trading Company’s influence will only grow, not decrease.
Because I will definitely make it happen.
‘That is the path I, Hubert, the world’s greatest merchant, must take.’
however.
As if to support his determination.
《When the accumulated karma of an individual reaches a certain level, its potential blossoms. The special skill “Dimensional Merchant” is acquired.》
As he was just starting to walk, a sudden message appeared before his eyes.
Aside from “analysis” and “crypto-decoding,” he didn’t have any real skills.
And a message informing of the acquisition of merchant skills that I thought would never be available again.
***
The Awakened ones who are sent to another world with the system acquire skills that fit their individual performance.
Train your body, wield weapons, practice magic, or eat poison to build up resistance.
Or it could be a life-or-death battle, or even obtaining a special item or taking a precious elixir.
Unlike the natives of this world, they were given the ability to grow quickly in any situation due to the corrections made by the system.
“Dimensional Merchant”… That’s quite a grand name. It’s not wrong, though.”
In that sense, it wasn’t all that strange that Hubert acquired the skill with the additional correction of “Avatar”.
Except that it was a merchant skill that came out after years of trading and that I thought might not exist at all.
‘But it seems like there weren’t any related skills at all. Now that I see it, it seems like the acquisition conditions were much more difficult than regular skills.’
I sat on the massage chair on one side of the living room and made a subtle expression as I observed the skills Hubert had acquired.
There was no need to say what prompted him to obtain the “Dimensional Merchant”.
As it says in the message window, it goes beyond selling things on Earth and has even started to touch the Demon World, so the related karma must have exceeded a certain level.
And, unlike ordinary transactions where there was no room for intervention by supernatural powers as previously speculated, this was clearly far outside the realm of ‘normal transactions’.
Yes, literally to the point where it would be absolutely impossible without the influence of a supernatural power.
“Well, I know about the skill system, but I don’t understand. Things that involve using your body can be learned with just a certain amount of training, but things like this require you to have some sort of special ability to acquire new skills.”
Perhaps if he had a unique skill related to it from the start, it would have been a different story.
Things like mental manipulation abilities that increase an opponent’s favorability, or abilities that greatly increase one’s luck.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Hubert, who had only one initial skill, “Emotion,” and had easily grown his company based on the foundations built by other avatars.
Until now.
‘The effect of the “Dimensional Merchant” is… Is it because it is a high-level skill obtained by satisfying difficult conditions? It has a lot of additional abilities.’
Starting with increased affinity with someone you first meet, charisma adjustments, increased insight into the value of items, and increased physical abilities for unknown reasons.
But the most important thing among them is…
‘Interdimensional Trade Correction.’
I stroked my chin with a much more serious expression.
The most certain way to learn about the limitations and usage of skills is to learn them by using them yourself.
Still, I was able to get a rough idea of what I could do through the changes—.
“This… Could it be that Hubert can really cross dimensions on his own?”
The results were quite dramatic.
Not only could the passage to the Demon World that Hela had opened up be more stable, but a new trade route could also be opened.
What if we even added “World Invasion” which reduces the cost required to cross dimensions?
‘···Of course, it won’t be easy because there’s also the issue of skill, but the possibility is open. I have mixed feelings.’
Who would have thought that Hubert, an ordinary merchant avatar, would have such abilities?
It was difficult to help but feel complicated, as it was the reason he had acquired the privilege of “Summoning the Otherworldly Teleportation Circle”, which was the foundation of his growth, and the first feat he had achieved, which was “returning to Earth on his own without going through the Karma Shop”.
“Well… For now, I guess I’ll have to get used to the ability first. But anyway, whatever’s good, it’s good.”
There was no need to worry about it right away.
The more abilities you have, the better, and the abilities you gather one by one will be helpful when you need them most.
There were other issues that needed to be taken care of now.
《Unused Karma Points have exceeded 20 million. The special feature “Karma Shop Ver. 2 Update” will be changed to “Karma Shop Ver. 3 Update”.》
Karma has increased rapidly, perhaps due to ongoing trade.
As it finally reached the long-awaited figures, another change came.
***
An office filled with all sorts of clutter.
“Whew, if I keep doing this, all my hair will fall out.”
A man with dark skin held his remaining hair carefully.
It was a careful touch to soothe the hair roots damaged by the recent stress, but of course, the act, which had no mystery, had no effect.
“Please, I hope today gets through safely without any accidents···.”
It was a pitiful prayer that others who knew his usual appearance would find hard to believe.
The number of people he has melted alive with his poison is easily in the four digits, so how can he pray so listlessly?
But he also had something to say in protest.
“Please… This isn’t Africa, where information control is easy. If you cause an accident, we’ll be the ones to clean it up….”
A colleague who had come over from the savage land of Africa was causing accidents almost every day, so he, who already had a lot of work to do as the person in charge of this region, was unable to do any other work.
I had expected this to happen to some extent, but when it actually became a reality, I couldn’t help but feel dizzy.
Tiring—
But his prayers were in vain.
The signal that I had heard several times before echoed softly throughout the office.
-Chief! We’re in big trouble! The executioner is here again…!
“ah.”
The urgent voice of a subordinate is heard through the communication network.
The Southeast Asia branch manager of the Christian Council of Korea tightly closed his eyes.
‘It doesn’t matter if you’re a Hahoe mask, a saint, or anyone else, just come quickly.’
He slowly lowered the hand that had been covering his head.
Even though I moved as carefully as I could, the number of hairs tangled around my fingers was unusual, but it was probably just my mood.
···Otherwise I felt like I would have cried sincerely.
