Chapter 50

Shoes (2)

While Grylls was busy bickering with the tree sloth, the Gallery erupted into another commotion because of the post he'd uploaded.

Normally, whenever he needed something, he maintained the stance that he'd simply trade for it.

Money meant nothing to him, and even noble titles were useless in his life in the wilderness.

Pressure didn't work on him either.

Title) What kind of item would Grylls like?

I really want to get my hands on one mature Mandrake.

└ Just draw him some porn. Honestly, I don't think there's anything else.
└ Stop fucking around and answer seriously.
└ I am being fucking serious. What else is there to relieve yourself with in the Forest of Four Seasons? kekeke
└ Tofu?
└ You crazy bastard kekekekeke

That was why the users—especially the named users who wanted to establish a connection with him—had been racking their brains.

What kind of item could they give Grylls that he would actually like?

And how could they use that item to trade for a mature Mandrake?

Continuous trade was difficult because of how unstable his situation was.

But a one-time trade was enough.

Even succeeding just once could bring an enormous profit.

Title) Grylls obviously has the advantage

Where the hell are you guys going to get a mature Mandrake? kekeke Right now, Grylls is literally the only one who can get one kekeke

└ If it were just a regular Mandrake, maybe, but this is a mature Mandrake kekeke
└ Ask people where they're supposed to get one and they'll all shut up.
└ That's exactly why everyone's asking him for one. Just one of those could seriously turn your whole life around.
└ Is a mature Mandrake really that good?
└ I heard you can make one top-grade elixir with a single mature Mandrake.
└ And Grylls can dig them up like they're fucking radishes. They're growing right near him.

A mature Mandrake was one of those medicinal herbs that couldn't be bought even if you had the money.

Its sheer rarity alone was enough to prove its value.

Trust wasn't an issue either.

After the inner core incident, the users' trust in Grylls had skyrocketed.

As long as they could arrange a proper "trade," they could obtain an incredibly rare item.

And if that trade also helped them establish a connection with Grylls?

Grylls benefited because he could receive all sorts of support, while the other party profited by obtaining rare goods.

It was a win-win situation.

More than anything else, Grylls possessed one particular advantage that belonged to him alone.

Rarity.

Title) Grylls's commission is seriously demanding

The shoes Grylls wants are insanely demanding. I don't think anyone short of a really skilled craftsman could make them.

But if you're going to trade something like that for a mature Mandrake, wouldn't it be better to just sell the shoes for money? kekeke

└ Gallery money can't be converted into real-world cash. That's why barter is actually better.
└ Ah, right. You can't cash it out, can you?
└ Yeah. If you could, the world economy would be completely fucked kekeke
└ Maybe not completely fucked, but it'd definitely get shaken up badly. The high fees are part of why things are still under control.
└ Wouldn't it be better to just make the shoes and sell them? Why bother exchanging them specifically for a Mandrake?
└ Exactly. Aren't people sucking up to Grylls a little too much?
└ Try finding a mature Mandrake yourself. Then I'll admit you're right.
└ That's not what I'm saying. From a craftsman's perspective, it'd be better to sell the shoes for money. They don't need a mature Mandrake.
└ Wouldn't someone higher up just pay the craftsman to make them? Besides, a lot of craftsmen use the Gallery too, so this could turn into a pride contest between them.
└ Then who's famous among shoemakers?
└ As always, dwarves are famous for it, but demons have the upper hand these days.
└ Why?
└ Because they've been making sports shoes lol
_ Yeah, that immediately makes sense kekekekeke

More importantly, money charged into the Gallery couldn't be converted back into real cash.

If cashing it out had been possible, crimes such as money laundering would surely have become rampant.

Because of this structural limitation, physical goods carried even greater value.

The rarity of an item one might never see even once in a lifetime.

The advantage of barter rather than monetary payment.

And finally, trust.

Those three conditions combined to create a strange atmosphere throughout the Gallery.

It wasn't just the named users who usually liked showing off their possessions.

Even people who wanted to establish ties with Grylls began to move.

"I assume you've seen the Gallery as well."

"Yes, Your Highness. Do you mean..."

"If this had been a matter of continuous supply, I would have ignored it. But this time, that man called Grylls personally posted a commission. And he has offered a mature Mandrake as the reward."

Arnold, the blond-haired, blue-eyed Crown Prince, explained the situation in a solemn voice.

At his explanation, Count Gorgon, a graying middle-aged man, broke into a radiant smile.

The man's intentions were so obvious that Arnold chuckled inwardly, though he showed nothing on his face.

He couldn't afford to stand by and watch this matter unfold either.

That was how important it was.

"A long-term contract with this man Grylls would be unstable. But a one-time contract like this is extremely important. Especially since he was the one who made the request first."

"Yes, Your Highness. Then I shall immediately gather the craftsmen—"

"Listen until I finish speaking. We mustn't be too hasty."

Arnold stopped Count Gorgon from displaying excessive enthusiasm.

Count Gorgon was highly capable and otherwise perfectly satisfactory.

His only problem was that he tended to overdo things.

'That just means he's equally ambitious.'

From the perspective of someone in power like Arnold, the most trustworthy kind of subordinate wasn't someone utterly incorruptible.

A moderately corrupt, moderately righteous ambitious man.

That was just about perfect.

As long as you satisfied the ambition they desired, they would offer their loyalty in return.

That made them easy to trust.

'Of course, if he ever crosses the line beyond that, I'll have his head...'

He hadn't reached that point yet.

Count Gorgon was certainly ambitious, but he wasn't excessively greedy.

"If we pressure the craftsmen unnecessarily, we may only provoke resistance. Can a work produced by crushing someone under authority truly be called a proper masterpiece?"

"Would that not constitute disrespect toward the royal family?"

"Then we must make sure they never commit such an offense in the first place. We are the ones who need them, after all. And the same will be true elsewhere."

Anyone could use the Gallery as long as they met the necessary conditions.

There was no telling when shoes meeting Grylls's desired quality might suddenly appear.

That was why Arnold had been thinking.

How could they break through this fierce competition?

"Moreover, if we are too late, it may become difficult to trade with him at all. If that happens, all our effort will have been wasted."

"Then shouldn't we move even faster—"

"We will take a different approach. One that will force him to trade with us even if he has already obtained another pair of shoes."

"Pardon?"

Count Gorgon's eyes widened.

He couldn't understand what Arnold meant at all.

But Arnold wasn't finished.

He willingly revealed the plan he'd devised.

"Wild Grylls. What he wants is something close to an all-purpose pair of shoes. In particular, he emphasized durability above everything else."

"Y-Yes. That's correct. If he injures his feet, he could end up unable to go anywhere at all."

"More than anything, what matters most to that man is trust. And in a matter like this, he will be even more cautious."

"Now that you mention it, I heard rumors that he was recently scammed."

'I know.'

Arnold answered silently.

It wasn't so much that Grylls had been scammed as that he'd nearly been scammed.

At the same time, it had been the incident that raised people's trust in him.

Afterward, Grylls had become even more cautious. He'd gone so far as to declare that any item that looked expensive would only be listed on the Auction House after being verified by a named user.

Would someone like that readily agree to a trade?

Arnold was certain he wouldn't.

Unlike the named users who had helped Grylls out of pure goodwill, trust would be crucial in this matter.

"First, contact a craftsman. Preferably one under contract with the military. If we end up being too late, we can simply use the shoes as military boots."

"Understood."

"I hope for a favorable result. Once the shoes are finished, do not contact him directly. Report to me first."

"I will live up to your expectations!"

Count Gorgon strode out with a vigorous shout.

Arnold stared at the spot where he'd disappeared for a moment, then raised his head.

The Gallery window, which he'd finally started getting used to, floated before his eyes.

'Grylls will definitely check the posts of any named user he trades with. If their posting history is completely empty, he'll obviously become suspicious.'

Arnold had spent some time analyzing Grylls's personality.

It could be summed up like this:

He was the type who couldn't feel satisfied unless he gave something back whenever he received something.

Kindness for kindness.

Malice for malice.

Perhaps because his personality had so few rough edges, quite a few named users had become friendly with him.

He occasionally bickered with Passing Dwarf, but they were more like bad friends who genuinely got along.

'At the very least, this man isn't someone who deceives others. He'll definitely hand over the mature Mandrake.'

Of course, that assumed Grylls actually received the shoes he wanted.

Someone could create a named account, hand him some bizarre pair of shoes, and then simply disappear.

It wasn't as though there were no scammers among named users.

Human malice could be frightening.

'I'd prefer to step in personally, but...'

Arnold checked his own username again.

[AbsolutezZoneArnoldTheBest]

It was the sort of username that made him feel like coughing up blood every time he saw it.

Arnold squeezed his eyes shut.

He'd rather jump off a building than actually participate under such an embarrassing username.

Thankfully, he had the fiercely ambitious Count Gorgon available.

'We have to show him trust first if we want him to repay us with trust.'

Arnold's plan was simple.

Instead of exchanging the items immediately during the trade, his side would send the shoes first.

Then they would receive the mature Mandrake the following day, thereby earning Grylls's goodwill and trust.

'And to do that...'

Arnold glanced around.

The Gallery was invisible to everyone else, but he still couldn't help feeling self-conscious.

Among all his private activities, browsing the Gallery was easily the most shameful.

After confirming that no one was around, he began writing a post.

Only moments ago, he'd thought he'd rather jump off a building than participate.

But sometimes, surviving in this world required the courage to jump.

"..."

Title) Grylls, please read this post.

AbsolutezZoneArnoldTheBest

There are plenty of people on the Gallery who create named accounts and still scam others.

So I recommend receiving the item from the other party first, then giving them the mature Mandrake the following day.

I believe Grylls has always conducted himself openly and honestly, so there should be nothing for you to feel guilty about.

└ Who the hell are you to tell him what to do?
└ Isn't this bastard just trying to sabotage the competition?
└ Damn, you people live suspicious lives kekeke
_ It's not really being suspicious. I've been scammed exactly like that before ;.;
└ Yeah, there are surprisingly a lot of people like that. Plenty of cases happen the other way around too.
└ Honestly, that is the standard way to do it. Makes you feel safer.
_ What if Grylls is the one who scams them?
└ Wild Grylls) If I can't trade the next day, that means I'm already fucking dead, doesn't it? Anyway, thanks for the advice.

Arnold smiled in satisfaction after reading Grylls's reply.

As expected, the other party had to be the one to demonstrate trust first.

'One dwarf named user is bound to make a pair, so I should assume there'll only be one or two mature Mandrakes left after that.'

That was the safest assumption.

Humans might have a higher potential ceiling, but it was difficult to surpass a dwarf craftsman.

Arnold sincerely hoped Count Gorgon would return with good results.

If he did, both their lives would become much easier from then on.

[Posting one fucking idiot for everyone to see.]

Arnold happened to be browsing the Gallery when a title suddenly caught his eye.

The title itself was striking enough, but the author was Grylls.

Since he was publicly exposing someone, apparently somebody had tried to scam him.

Curious about what kind of fool had managed to earn Grylls's distrust, Arnold opened the post.

Title) Posting one fucking idiot for everyone to see.

Wild Grylls

[Wild Grylls: If you beat me at word-chain, I'll give you two. I'll start. Sewing machine.]

[xxx: Machine teeth.]

[Wild Grylls: Teeth your mom.]

What kind of bastard is this? I'm just exposing him.

[Wild Grylls: Have you already prepared the shoes?]

[xxx: Yes. But you'll have to give me two mature Mandrakes.]

[Wild Grylls: ? What kind of bullshit is that?]

[xxx: There are two shoes, aren't there? You give me one Mandrake, and I'll give you one shoe. Keep that in mind.]

└ Is this guy mentally disabled? kekekekekeke
└ Look at Grylls setting up "sewing machine" just to bait him into answering "machine teeth" kekekekeke
└ This bastard seriously has no conscience kekekekeke
└ xxx: Delete this post. If you don't, I'll retaliate.
└ Wild Grylls: Retaliate how? You gonna come to the Forest of Four Seasons? I'd appreciate that. You can dig up your own mature Mandrake.
└ Kekekekeke, he really was an idiot.
└ Threatening Grylls doesn't work, bro kekeke
└ Looking at stuff like this, his situation almost seems convenient kekeke

"Heh. Hehehe."

Arnold chuckled.

The world truly was vast, and there was no shortage of idiots.

That was one of the things he'd learned from using the Gallery.

'I should browse just a little longer before getting back to work.'

Arnold slowly continued lurking through the Gallery.

And then—

"Aaaaaaaaaagh!"

Just like Grylls before him, he peered into an abyss that should never have been seen.