Chapter 135: What's that?

TL: Hanguk

“Theo, you’re still unqualified.”

“What are you talking about, meow?! I’ve already met the conditions of an elite wandering merchant! Are you ignoring me, meow?!”

Theo became angry at the employee’s words, feeling that he was being dismissed. He was clearly being treated like a fool. Such treatment was unbearable, meow!

‘I’ll call my subordinates, meow!’

As Theo was contemplating which of his subordinates – like Iona, Cuengi, Elka, Hegel, or the Black Minotaurs, whom to summon and scold the employee,

“To become an elite wandering merchant, you must achieve a total cumulative sales amount of 10 million Tower Coins and satisfy 3 out of these 5 qualification criteria.”

The employee handed Theo a paper with detailed qualifications for an elite wandering merchant.

“There was such a thing, meow?!”

Theo quickly read the paper.

[Elite Wandering Merchant Qualification Criteria]

1. Must have capital of at least 5 million Tower Coins or more.

2. Must employ at least 5 staff members.

3. Must secure at least 3 exclusive products.

4. Must handle at least 100 different products.

5. Must have at least 5 clients with monthly sales exceeding 100,000 Tower Coins or more.

*If you meet 3 out of these 5 conditions above, you can come to the headquarters of the Wandering Merchant Association and become an elite wandering merchant.

“There was such a thing, meow?!”

“Yes. Normally, since few merchants aim to become elite wandering merchants, it’s not well-known.”

“I didn’t know, meow.”

“That can happen. The preferred conditions for those aspiring to become elite wandering merchants are 1, 2, and 4. Because they’re the easiest to fulfill.”

The employee kindly explained to Theo. Thanks to that, the unfortunate incident of Theo calling his subordinates didn’t occur.

“1, 2, and 4, you say, meow?”

The conditions the employee mentioned were all solvable with money. The first condition was a given, and hiring 5 employees and securing 100 different products was also possible with money.

“Hmm... In Theo’s case... First...”

While Theo was reading the paper, the employee was looking at Theo’s activity and was about to say to come back when he had fulfilled the lacking qualifications. But

“Okay. I’ve met conditions 1, 2, 3, and 5, meow!”

Theo told the employee and started to take out documents to prove his qualifications.

“What?! Already?!”

“That’s right! First of all, here’s 5 million Tower Coins, meow!”

Theo pulled out the money to meet condition 1.

Then,

“Here’s the employment contract, meow!”

He also pulled out the contract with the cat interns. A total of 8 cats were employed, easily meeting condition 2.

“These are crops with item effects, meow! And these are my regular clients, meow!”

Sejun’s crops exceeded 10, satisfying the condition for 3 exclusive products. Additionally, Theo had many regular guilds and hunters, surpassing 20 clients with monthly sales of over 100,000 Tower Coins.

So, when Theo met conditions 3 and 5,

“Wow! That’s amazing!”

The employee looked at Theo with awe, as he had never seen a wandering merchant fulfill the requirements so quickly.

“Phuhaha. Of course, meow! I’m impressive, meow! Because I am the great black...”

Theo began to boast, trying to reveal his identity.

However,

“Excuse me for a moment!”

The employee quickly ran off somewhere.

“Meow?! Where are you going without hearing my introduction, meow?”

When Theo was again frustrated at not being able to properly introduce himself,

“Here is a badge proving that you are an elite wandering merchant.”

The employee came back with a golden badge.

“From now on, you can apply for and use the Lightspeed Merchant Route. Will you apply? The application fee is 100,000 Tower Coins.”Reaad the latest stories on novelbin(.)com

“Here it is, meow!”

Theo readily paid the 100,000 Tower Coins. He was now rich, receiving hundreds of thousands of Tower Coins in incentives from Sejun.

“And here, you can engrave a phrase to introduce yourself. What would you like it to say?”

“Phuhaha. Listen well, meow.”

Theo told the employee the phrase he wanted to engrave on the golden badge.

“Are you really going to write it like this?”

The employee, with a puzzled look, asked, looking at the phrase engraved on the badge.

[The Great Black Dragon’s Subordinate, Deadly Yellow Cat Theo Park]

Pretending to be the subordinate of the Great Black Dragon could have dire consequences if caught by those who followed the black dragon.

“That’s right, meow!”

“Phew. Alright. Please wait a moment.”

The employee took the golden badge and went to find the wizard, asking for magic engravings. The wizard then engraved enhancements, preservation, and binding magic on it.

“Here it is.”

And thus, Theo became an elite wandering merchant.

‘I’m finally an elite wandering merchant, meow!’

“Thank you.”

Iona thanked Sejun and took a big bite of the banana.

Then,

“Kyoot! Kyoot! Kyoot!”

With cries of joy, Iona, with her short arms and legs, hugged the banana tightly and began to eat it eagerly.

At that moment,

Kreong... Kreong...

Having finished its own banana, Cuengi sneaked into Sejun’s void storage, eyeing the bananas inside.

Creak.

Unaware that Cuengi had gone in, Sejun closed the door to the void storage.

And then,

“Now I have to work.”

He started working, looking around the farm that he hadn’t been to in the past few days.

Pyeak!

Kkwek!

As he wandered the farm, the rabbits and mushroom ants, who had been struggling under the care of the two dragons, warmly welcomed Sejun. Fortunately, the two dragons had managed the farm well, so there were no big problems.

Sejun headed to the storage room after inspecting the farm.

Pyeak!

A rabbit guarding the storage room greeted Sejun.

“How have you been?”

Pyeak!

Clang.

The rabbit pulled out money in response.

“What? Kaiser and Kellion took the crops from the storage room and paid for them?”

‘Isn’t that nice?’

It was almost like a store, taking goods and leaving money on their own. Sejun then entered the storage room, chatting with the rabbit.

“Oh! Elixirs!”

As he examined the crops, he discovered precious elixir mushrooms grown by the mushroom ants at the back of the storage.

[Elixir: King Oyster Mushroom]

[Elixir: Oyster Mushroom]

[Elixir: Shiitake Mushroom]

All were grade C, providing an effect of +1 to all stats.

“I’ll have to cook these in a dish later.”

Elixir mushroom hotpot. The name alone felt nourishing. Sejun decided to cook when a few more elixir mushrooms grew and

Creak.

Opened the void storage to store the elixir safely.

At that moment,

Kurrr.

He heard Cuengi’s snoring from inside.

“What?”

Why was Cuengi’s snoring sound coming from here? Sejun, puzzled, went toward the sound and saw Cuengi fast asleep, its belly swollen, full of bananas.

‘He must have eaten about 5,000.’

Sejun roughly estimated how many bananas Cuengi ate by looking at the bananas left in the void storage.

Kurrr...

At Sejun’s approach, Cuengi rubbed his eyes and woke up.

And then,

Kurrr...

Slyly, Cuengi clung to Sejun’s leg and pretended to sleep again.

“Cuengi, where did the bananas that were here go?”

Sejun looked at Cuengi with stern eyes.

Kreong...

[Cuengi doesn’t know...]

Cuengi answered, avoiding Sejun’s eyes.

“Then what’s this belly?”

Sejun asked, grabbing Cuengi’s swollen belly.

...

Cuengi couldn’t answer.

“I caught you! Banana thief! Bu-bu-bu-boop.”

Sejun punished the banana thief by blowing raspberries on Cuengi’s bloated belly.

Kkuhehehe. Kreong?

[Hehehe. But how did you know Cuengi ate the bananas?]

Cuengi, who had even eaten the banana peels to leave no evidence, asked curiously.

“Hehehe. I have my ways. So, don’t lie to Daddy or you’ll get in trouble! Got it?!”

Sejun sternly spoke, patting Cuengi’s swollen belly.

*****