Let’s Make Money

The mention of an auction piqued Ren Dao-zhen’s interest.

Such organizations were a common trope in novels from both the East and the West, where protagonists often found rare treasures and occasionally had to fend off murderous thieves.

“This particular auction is quite grand.”

“There will be many fine items up for bid. I have a catalog here, you can take a look.”

The shopkeeper had mentioned the auction yesterday when she was ordering her weapon, so Aliciel had done a little research and obtained a small catalog detailing the treasures to be sold.

“Let me see… Whoa, the variety is incredible, but these prices are steep.”

Flipping through the catalog, he was dazzled by the vast array of treasures.

Among them was the Natural Potion Aliciel had mentioned, along with similar items like Dragon’s Blood and a Werewolf’s Curse—things that could alter a user’s aptitude or even their very species.

Of course, the prices were equally breathtaking.

A quick glance revealed that most items started at a hundred thousand, and considering they were for auction, the final bids would likely be several times higher.

“Indeed.”

“To even participate, you’ll need at least a million. Potions that alter one’s aptitude are always in high demand. I’d advise you to earn more money, lest you leave empty-handed.”

“…”

A muscle in Ren Dao-zhen’s jaw twitched.

A million was just the price of admission, and the auction wasn’t far off.

In such a short time, aside from latching onto a wealthy benefactor or making a fortune off his plagiarized ideas, he couldn’t think of any other way.

“Heh… Hmm? This auction house really sells a lot of things… They even have a phone. It looks just like mine, even the case is the same style… Huh? Wait a minute!”

As Ren Dao-zhen idly flipped through the pages, his eyes fell upon a familiar black ‘brick.’

He made a casual comment before the realization dawned on him.

“Isn’t this my damn phone? What is it doing here?!”

“A phone?”

“Yes, I told you, didn’t I? When I came to this world, I lost the things I had with me. This phone was one of them. Why is it listed as an item for sale at the auction?”

Aliciel glanced down at the item’s description, which read: ‘A mysterious artifact capable of emitting light. Its function remains unknown, but experts have identified it as a possible relic from a bygone era.’

“Bygone era, my foot! My phone is less than three years old! Robbers! Bandits! The shameless nerve of them, auctioning off my property!”

Reading the description only fueled Ren Dao-zhen’s fury.

Anyone would be upset to see their belongings sold off, but the price was what truly incensed him—a starting bid of one hundred thousand Star Dust!

Back on Earth, that kind of money could buy hundreds of the same model, even a new tri-fold.

This was pure extortion.

“It was likely found by someone and sold to the merchant guild.”

“Where is this guild? I’m going to go give them a piece of my mind!”

“It would be pointless. Setting aside the fact that you have no way to prove the phone is yours, you don’t even have the qualifications to enter the guild’s premises. The item is about to go to auction. Do you really think they would simply hand over a potential hundred-thousand-Star-Dust profit?”

“Damn capitalists. I hope you all go bankrupt soon.”

Ren Dao-zhen curled his lip, cursing the merchant guild a thousand, ten thousand times in his heart.

“So? What do you plan to do?”

“What else can I do? I have to buy it back. Besides my tracksuit, that phone is my only remaining link to my home. But… if I buy the phone, I won’t have enough left for the Natural Potion. I’m out of options. Head Maid, could you possibly…”

Ren Dao-zhen rubbed his hands together, looking at Aliciel with an ingratiating expression.

“Do not worry. As long as you can design maid outfits that impress me, I will purchase them at full price. I won’t let you take a loss.”

“Ah! Thank you so much, Lady Head Maid! You’re truly my savior. So… what should we do next?”

“What else? Now that you are an adventurer, we take quests, gain experience, and earn money along the way. My money doesn’t grow on trees; I have to earn it myself. Of course, if you’re scared, you can go back and focus on designing some maid outfits.”

“No way. If a girl like you is taking on quests, how could a real man like me back down so easily?”

Even though the tests had shown he lacked the aptitude to be a great adventurer, Ren Dao-zhen had no intention of giving up.

What protagonist hadn’t faced setbacks?

The rise of the underdog was a classic trope, after all.

His fighting spirit rekindled, Ren Dao-zhen strode over to the quest board area.

Several large wooden boards stood there, divided by quest difficulty.

Each was neatly covered with request slips, with the D-rank board being the most crowded.

This was because they were mostly low-level tasks like gathering medicinal herbs, typically taken only by novice adventurers or by more experienced ones looking to make a little extra money on the side.

C-rank quests, however, involved combat with monsters.

The classic example was goblins; killing one earned a reward of five Star Dust.

‘Risking life and limb fighting monsters only to earn five Star Dust… isn’t that a bit low?’

“It can’t be helped. Low-level monsters like goblins aren’t worth much. They reproduce quickly, so their numbers replenish no matter how many are killed. Besides, they aren’t very strong individually. A regular person could probably beat one in a one-on-one fight. They rely on sheer numbers, which can be tricky for new adventurers, but anyone with a bit of skill can wipe out hordes of them. Five Star Dust is actually considered a generous reward.”

“Low-level monsters, huh? Let me ask, what are the goblins in this world like? Are they the traditional kind—savage, violent, low intelligence, only male, and reproducing by abducting females of other races?”

“Or are they more intelligent, with both male and female individuals, perhaps even forming rudimentary tribal civilizations?”

“Hmm… more like the former. As far as I know, goblins are vicious beasts. However, the goblins here are not exclusively male; they have females as well. But when their numbers are low, they will still abduct other species to mate with—regardless of gender!”

“Ah, I see.”

Ren Dao-zhen nodded slightly.

‘So, just like in most fantasy worlds, goblins are nothing more than cannon fodder. The ones from *That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime* are a rare exception.’

“In that case, I’ll let these goblins be the stepping stone for my official debut as an adventurer.”

Full of confidence, Ren Dao-zhen plucked a goblin subjugation request from the board, then turned to look at Aliciel.

“Head Maid? What about you? Did you find a quest you like?”

“I did.”

Aliciel slowly lifted a quest slip and showed it to Ren Dao-zhen.

“Huh? An S… S-rank quest?! ‘Subjugate the Undead Knight’!”