Chapter 37: Catching a Thief

TL: Hanguk

Theo and Jeras arrived at the 75th floor, the shopping district of the tower.

“Where are you going now, Theo?”

“First, I’ll apply for the promotion to an intermediate wandering merchant, meow.”

“You’re already becoming an intermediate wandering merchant? I’m jealous.”

Jeras was surprised inwardly. To become an intermediate wandering merchant, a sales amount of 1000 tower coins was needed. Considering Theo’s period of activity, it was almost an impossible amount unless there was special support.

“Um... What do you sell, Theo?”

Jeras asked cautiously because some wandering merchants kept their traded items a secret.

“I sell cherry tomatoes, meow.”

“Huh? Cherry tomatoes?”

It didn’t seem like a lie.

“That’s right, meow. I’ll show you when I have a chance, meow.”

While they were talking, Theo arrived at the branch of the Wandering Merchant Association and requested a promotion to an intermediate wandering merchant.

“Mr. Theo, you are now an intermediate wandering merchant.”

The promotion to an intermediate wandering merchant was processed right away, as there were no special conditions other than the sales amount.

“Here is your intermediate wandering merchant license.”

An employee of the wandering merchant association branch gave Theo a rectangular license made of blue metal. Thus, Theo was promoted to an intermediate wandering merchant.

“Pufufut. Now I am an intermediate wandering merchant, meow!”

With the issue of the cultivator resolved for Sejun, Theo’s steps became even lighter.

“Congratulations, Theo.”

“Thank you, meow.”

Jeras congratulated Theo as he came out of the wandering merchant association branch.

“Where is your next destination?”

“Now I need to go to the general store, meow.”

Theo bought two iron pots, a saw, thread, and needles at the general store.

“One iron pot is 1 tower coin, a saw is 0.9 tower coins, and thread and needle are 0.5 tower coins, so the total is 2.4 tower coins.”

As the owner of the general store called out the price, Jeras’s eyes sparkled next to him.

‘I could haggle it down to 2 tower coins.’

Jeras was thinking of helping Theo and gaining more trust.

Just then,

“Give me a discount, meow!”

Theo started to haggle the price.

“Hmm... Then, I’ll give it to you for 2.2 tower coins.”

The first haggle made him look like a pushover, but at least he didn’t get ripped off, or so Jeras thought.

However,

“Give me more discount, meow!”

“Sir, we also have to make a living. That’s difficult.”

When Theo used the second haggle,

‘Hohoho, just because you bluntly ask for a discount doesn’t mean they’ll give one...’

Jeras chuckled and shook his head.

Then,

“Okay, meow. Jeras, let’s go, meow.”

Theo answered and began to turn around and leave.

“Ah! Sir, why are you so impatient? I give in. I’ll give it to you for 2 tower coins.”

“...?!”

Jeras was greatly surprised at the store owner’s words.

Without the five logical reasons that he found quickly by looking at the products and without any flashy rhetoric, Theo achieved the result he had in mind with just two words.

But that wasn’t the end.

“1.8 tower coins. Or, I’ll just leave.”

When Theo smacked down the price with his final, third haggle,

‘He’s lowering the price even more?!’

Jeras was shocked at Theo’s audacity. That’s impossible!

However,

“Sigh. Alright.”

As if to mock Jeras’s thoughts, the deal went through.

‘How could this...’

Jeras completely lost his confidence in his haggling skills. He had even received education from a notable family, but the gap he felt when compared to Theo was enormous.

He had simply asked for a discount three times, but Jeras felt awe at Theo’s haggling skills.

‘With that level of haggling skills, he might’ve made a fortune even without doing anything illegal.’

Jeras completely let go of his suspicions about Theo.

“Theo, I’ll be going now. Be careful, as you may encounter wolves again.”

“Got it! Take care, meow.”

Plop!

When the black rabbit hit the crayfish’s head strongly, its movement stopped. The crayfish was knocked out by the hit from the black rabbit’s hammering, which had become stronger after leveling up.

Plop! Plop!

The black rabbit dragged the unconscious crayfish out of the pond.

And then,

Thud.

The black rabbit stabbed the crayfish’s chest with the pointed end of its hammer handle.

Biang?

The black rabbit arrogantly looked at Sejun after draining the crayfish’s blood. See that?

“Alright, I’ll leave the crayfish to you.”

With the black rabbit’s growth reducing his workload, Sejun focused on grilling the crayfish.

And then,

Roar.

As lunchtime approached, as expected, the mother Crimson Giant Bear returned to Sejun’s cave.

Chomp, chomp.

Sure enough, the mother Crimson Giant Bear put 20 grilled crayfish in her mouth at once.

This time, because he had set aside food for her separately, there was no need to go back down to the cave to cook again.

After enjoying a delicious lunch,

“Can you ask her to dig some ground for me?”

Sejun asked Aileen to translate his request to the mother Crimson Giant Bear.

Having treated her to a delicious lunch, Sejun felt justified in asking a favor, so he didn’t hesitate.

Originally, he intended to ask when he served the steamed corn last time, but Aileen was sleeping then.

[The Tower’s administrator translates for the Crimson Giant Bear, who is asking where she should dig.]

Good!

“Here.”

Sejun pointed to the ground about 500 meters away from the cave. He chose a location far away in case the cave might be damaged.

Thud. Thud.

The mother Crimson Giant Bear walked briskly and quickly arrived at the place Sejun pointed.

And then,

Roar! Roar!

With just a few movements of her front paws, the ground flipped over and the black soil underneath surfaced. It was a task that would have taken a few hours with an excavator, but she finished it in one go.

Thanks to the mother Crimson Giant Bear, Sejun was able to overturn about 1,000 square meters of land all at once.

Roar.

The mother Crimson Giant Bear left to patrol again, and Sejun spent the afternoon planting 3,000 corn and 1,000 cherry tomatoes in the 1,000 square meters of land with the rabbits.

And then,

Swoosh.

When the watering rabbits had almost finished watering the planted seeds,

Drip.

The water coming out of the watering can stopped.

“Huh? What’s going on? Why isn’t the water coming out?”

Sejun, who thought that water would come out infinitely from the watering can, asked.

Beep.

The father rabbit shook its head. We’ve used up all the water today.

Until now, there had been no need to use all of it, so he hadn’t noticed, but the amount of water that could be used per day with the White Rabbit’s watering can item was limited. He would have to be more careful with the use of water from now on.

Sejun covered the watered field with as much remaining green onion leaves as possible and went to sleep.

However, that night, the thief struck again.

***

“Meow, meow, meow.”

As Sejun’s cave got closer, Theo, feeling good, hummed a tune and walked quickly.

Then,

Chomp, chomp.

He heard the sound of something being chewed.

“What’s that, meow?”

When he looked at where the sound was coming from, he saw a Minotaur eating grass.

“Huh? Isn’t that the green onion leaves that Sejun Park grows, meow?”

Theo recognized the green onion leaves right away. He knew it well because he had cut it himself.

“Where did you get that, meow?”

Theo approached the Minotaur and asked.

Huh?

The Minotaur, recognizing the other party as a wandering merchant, responded. I picked it up from the ground.

“No way, meow! Those are the green onion leaves that Sejun cherishes, meow! Sejun uses those leaves as a dish, makes ropes with them, and even uses them to wipe his butt, meow! You’ve stolen Sejun’s green onion leaves, meow!”

Theo caught the green onion leaves thief, Woocheon sam.

*****