Episode 29
029:The Collector
“Hey, Walker?”
“Wor! Ker?”
“Not that, give me a piggyback. I’m tired.”
Iron Walker seemed to tilt his head in confusion for a moment, then appeared to understand. The ‘Creator’s Resonance’ skill definitely seemed effective. He quickly grasped the meaning even if he didn’t know it at first.
Thump, thump, thump-
Striding over, Iron Walker obediently knelt on one knee and offered his back. Geumson nimbly climbed onto it.
“Kuh, comfortable! I should’ve traveled like this from the start.”
Iron Walker’s firm, broad back was surprisingly comfortable. With his master on his back, Iron Walker showed no sign of strain and began crossing the wasteland at an even faster pace than before. Feeling the rumbling vibration, Geumson suddenly had a new idea.
Walking is tiring too… Should I try making a mount later? Like a horse made of steel, or maybe… a flying airship. That sounds fun.
Blueprints for new designs were already forming in his mind. For a moment, forgetting the heavy responsibility of preventing the apocalypse, his pure creative desire as a blacksmith and magic engineer burned brightly.
However, such time couldn’t last long. Golden Hand, who had drifted into a shallow sleep on Iron Walker’s back, gradually opened his eyes to the increasingly hot air.
“Ugh… Are we there?”
When Geumson rubbed his eyes and raised his head, the sight before him instantly banished his sleepiness. Beyond the horizon, a massive volcano was spewing dark red smoke. The enormous city starting from the volcano’s mid-slope presented a majestic sight, as if a living dragon was coiled around the mountain.
Lava flowed like rivers throughout the city, and black smoke billowed incessantly from hundreds, thousands of chimneys.
“That… must be Kratum.”
Golden Hand couldn’t help but marvel. The air was filled with the smell of sulfur and red-hot iron. The grand, resonant sound, like tens of thousands of hammers striking anvils simultaneously, heard from afar, made his blacksmith’s heart beat faster.
As they neared the city, its grandeur and vitality became palpable. The main gate was carved like the maw of a giant dragon, and inside, countless dwarves, human blacksmiths, and players bustled about.
But Golden Hand hurried past such blacksmiths. The very first place Geumson headed to upon arriving in Kratum was the auction house.
However, before Golden Hand could even enter the auction house, a man blocked his path. He thought it might be a player trying to preemptively claim the ‘Moonlight Venom Serpent Sword,’ but it wasn’t. The man seemed uninterested in Golden Hand wares. Rather,
“That golem, how much would you sell it for? Name your price. I’ll meet it immediately.”
The man, without hesitation, held out a piece of paper to Geumson. An item rarely seen in Lepione: a blank cheque with no amount written.
A man proffering a blank cheque out of the blue. Dressed in ordinary traveler’s clothes, he was a rare handsome man with sharp jawlines and deep-set eyes. But what caught golden hand attention more than his looks was…
‘His equipment… why is it like that?’
Equipment disguised as ‘shabby.’ Gear meticulously crafted to look worn-out. But if it were just that, it wouldn’t have caught golden hand eye.
‘That leather jerkin… isn’t that wyvern hide? Deliberately worn down to look old. The robe… it’s the finest fabric woven from a Night Spider Queen’s silk.’
At a glance, they seemed simple items. But golden hand craftsman’s eye instantly pierced through to their true value. Each one was made from rare materials players could hardly even glimpse. Moreover…
‘Look at that?’
Figures disguised as ordinary passersby were covertly guarding the man. They too looked ordinary on the surface, but judging by the materials used in their equipment, they were undoubtedly at least Unique-grade or higher.
‘Bodyguards? If mere bodyguards use that level of gear… just who is he?’
A strange man, yet somehow familiar. The blank cheque, the handsome youth, the high-level guards. Combining various clues, a single identity surfaced in Geumson’s mind.
‘Could it be… the Collector?’
Not now, but later, an NPC who would become enormously famous among players as the ‘Collector.’ An NPC renowned for buying up rare items regardless of price.
Furthermore, his true identity was Callis, the third prince of ‘Arcadian,’ one of the wealthiest kingdoms on the continent. Currently, to avoid the dark struggle for the throne, he was wandering the world, seeking items and talents that might aid his kingdom.
‘Was he in Kratum at this time? Well, it’s a place overflowing with rare minerals, so it makes sense.’
While Geumson was assessing him, Callis looked at Iron Walker with admiring eyes.
“To acquire such an item, you have good connections.”
Callis seemed to think Geumson had merely purchased the golem. But that assumption didn’t last long.
“I didn’t purchase it.”
“Huh? If not purchased, then…”
“I made it.”
“You made this?”
Callis’s face was one of utter disbelief. And for good reason; golden hand was an Outsider. He hadn’t heard of any Outsider capable of making a golem. Moreover, the following words struck Callis’s heart even more.
“And this guy is soul-bound to me from the crafting process. So, he can’t be sold.”
“Soul-bound? If that’s the only problem, I have methods—”
“Even if he weren’t soul-bound, I couldn’t sell him. He’s my companion, practically an extension of myself.”
“Wor… ker! Worker!”
As if moved by those words, Iron Walker nodded, his chest core glowing blue. That sight made Callis’s eyes shine even brighter.
“It even has an ego…! Amazing, truly amazing.”
Regardless of Callis’s amazement, Geumson had absolutely no intention of selling Iron Walker to anyone. Seeing golden hand firm attitude…
“Hah! A companion, you say…”
Callis laughed heartily. He seemed to like golden hand stance.
“That’s right! Precious items should be treated as preciously as an extension of oneself. I thought, since you’re an Outsider, maybe… I see, I’ve been rude. My apologies.”
[The ‘Collector’ Callis is deeply impressed by your craftsmanship.]
[Affinity with Collector Callis has increased.]
Callis, instead, apologized. Yet, he wore a genuinely regretful expression. However, he seemed to feel even greater interest in this Outsider named Geumson.
The Outsiders Callis had met were usually only humans obsessed with money. In that sense, golden hand was a fresh shock. Just as Geumson gave a light nod and tried to pass by, Collector Callis stopped him again.
“Did you perhaps have an item to register at the auction house?”
“Huh? I was going to register a greatsword I made.”
“A greatsword? A greatsword made by the crafter of a golem with an ego? My, my… this is maddeningly intriguing. If I wouldn’t be imposing, might I observe that item from the side?”
Wanting to observe the registration process from the side was clearly impolite, as it risked premature disclosure of the item’s information. But after a brief consideration, Geumson readily nodded.
It was a sword he’d already revealed on stream anyway. Nothing to hide. This person might become the king of the Arcadian kingdom in the future. Showing this level of goodwill to such a person was well worth it. These small kindnesses would accumulate and someday become a usable hidden card.
“Why don’t you come in with me?”
“Hahaha! I like your straightforwardness! Good, follow me. My name is Callis. Feel free to use it.”
“I’m golden hand. Just golden hand.”
After exchanging names, they entered Kratum’s auction house together. Kratum’s auction house was, fitting its reputation, massive and magnificent. Magestone chandeliers emitted a crystalline light from the high ceiling, and dozens of registration counters were bustling with players and NPCs trying to list all sorts of rare items.
Among that crowd, people who recognized golden hand began to increase one by one.
“It seems you’re quite the celebrity among Outsiders, unexpectedly?”
At Callis’s words, Geumson felt inexplicably embarrassed and quickened his pace. Heading straight to a counter, golden hand was met by a young dwarf clerk. He spoke indifferently.
“If ya got somethin’ to register, put it up. Appraisal fee’s upfront, and the commission varies by grade.”
golden hand approached an empty registration terminal and placed the greatsword on it. A message appeared.
[Please set your seller nickname.]
“golden hand.”
[‘golden hand’ is being registered for the first time.]
[You can now use the auction house anytime, anywhere.]
[Please register an introduction.]
Geumson calmly wrote the introduction.
[Item for Sale: Moonlight Venom Serpent Sword]
[Description: Heard someone was slacking off because their sword broke, so I made one. Those who want it, feel free to bid!]
Having written a suitable description, golden hand thought. While the greatsword was made with Kang Moo-jin in mind, he had no intention of handing it over outright. Now was a time for earnest desire. If someone truly wanted it desperately, they could win the bid and take it.
[Please set the starting bid price.]
‘Hmm… how much should it be?’
Geumson pondered briefly. A Legendary-grade weapon, especially one with high attack power, was priceless at this point. But setting the price too high risked having it go unsold. That wasn’t what he wanted. So,
‘100,000 gold. No buyout price.’
