kscans

Chapter 95 - Back on Earth for the First Time in a While

The next day, early in the morning.

After leaving behind the luggage we could afford to, we packed only the monster pelts into a bag and set off. I told the soldiers we were going into town to rest for the day.

We walked for a while until we found an uninhabited cave.

Given the location, there was no chance of anyone finding us here. I drew a teleportation circle and activated it.

We arrived in front of a cave in the Republic.

This teleportation had a drawback. I couldn't go to any location I chose.

When the magic circle was activated, it would teleport to the first location where it was drawn. From there, it would teleport to the subsequent locations in order.

Honestly, it was a troublesome flaw, but it was far better than traveling for days on end.

After a few repetitions, we finally arrived in front of our house in the Kingdom.

It was still morning.

The underground auction didn't open until late at night.

"Tina," I said, "I’m thinking of spending the day on Earth. What do you want to do? Coming?"

Tina nodded in response.

We headed to Earth together.

The house was unchanged, the surroundings were unchanged; nothing had changed. Being away for a month hadn’t made a difference, which was to be expected.

I turned on the TV in the house, and a special program was on.

The topic was the World Precious Metals Exposition. It was an event showcasing metals and gems that have been discovered around the world.

This piqued my interest.

Given my skills, the more types of metal I knew, the better. The venue was five train stations away. Tina and I changed into casual clothes and set out.

After getting off at the station and walking for a bit, we arrived at the exhibition hall.

There was a large crowd. It seemed to be quite popular.

We bought tickets and went inside. From what I could see, various products made of metal were on display.

There were tools that seemed to be from the earliest eras, showcasing the evolution from the medieval period to the present.

Swords, spears, carriages, projectors, and 1/10 scale models of old cars and trains were also on display.

Seeing this, Tina asked, "Is there any use in displaying things like this?"

To this, I replied, "They may not be useful now, but they’re mainly here for historical study. In the past, there were things like this, and they evolved into the many things we have today. I guess you could call it creative inspiration? Seeing these things makes you think, ‘Maybe I could make something with my current skills.’ It’s a way of encouraging further development."

I gave her my thoughts on the matter.

When I was a student, we went on school trips to museums and art galleries.

After looking at various things, a staff member would give a presentation, talking on and on.

‘The people of the past were amazing. If you all study hard and put in the effort, you can create things just as good, if not better.’ That’s what they’d say.

Essentially, it was a form of indoctrination.

If you keep trying, good things will happen. Failure is the mother of success. Even if you stumble, don’t give up, keep moving forward. That was the lesson. At the time, I didn't question it and studied hard, eventually joining a company.

But the result was that I quit voluntarily.

All I got out of it was a bad memory.

That’s when I realized. What’s important in society isn’t academic ability or qualifications.

It’s endurance.

The mental strength to never give up, no matter what happens.

That’s what allows people to persevere and act. The people of the past were strong on the inside. People today are too weak. There are so many who become shut-ins just because of a little criticism or harassment.

If things had gone differently, I might have ended up living that kind of life myself.

If I'm to thank anyone from the past, it's my great-grandfather who wrote those incredible books.

With these thoughts, I continued to look around.

After we finished the history section, the next area was an exhibition of gems and precious metals.

This was the main event for me.

I decided to take my time looking around. The metal section had raw forms of iron, copper, silver, gold, and all sorts of other metals. Even when I used ‘Analysis,’ they were all genuine.

It would have been a problem if there were fakes, but since they were all usable materials, I examined them thoroughly.

Tina said, "There are so many different kinds of ore. There are a lot I don’t recognize."

She looked on with admiration.

Well, alloys are metals made by mixing others. Without the technology, materials, and inspiration, you could never create them. There was also a display of gems, with rubies, sapphires, emeralds, topazes, diamonds—every kind of gem was there.

Not only their history, but their prices were also listed.

Seeing the prices, Tina asked, "Why is the colorless stone so expensive, and the colored ones so cheap?"

She was full of questions.

This was a good opportunity, so I asked, "Over there, is it common sense that colored stones are valuable?"

Tina replied, "Of course. A colored stone is a symbol of power. The deeper the color and the brighter the shine, the greater the power it holds. Honestly, to me, it seems strange that a diamond is more expensive than an emerald."

She stated it firmly.

Emerald and diamond are both considered one of the four precious stones. But in terms of price, diamond is higher.

"Well, the value of gems in this world is based on rarity," I explained. "Essentially, the less of it there is, the more valuable it is. Something that there are only a few of in the world can be traded for hundreds of millions or even billions. Durability and beauty are also factors, but basically, things that are rare are prized. That’s the common sense of this world."

I finished my explanation.

Tina looked a little dissatisfied but said nothing. It seemed she had accepted it, at least for now.

Even in her world, Adamantite is so rare that it almost never appears on the market.

As I was thinking this, a staff member from the back announced, "Everyone, we will now introduce the main attraction of this exhibition. It is this way."

With that, a door in the back opened.

The crowd shuffled inside. We joined the line.

In the center of the room was a single display case. Other than that, there was nothing. People were gathered around it, looking at the exhibit. Was it something that rare?

After waiting for a few minutes, we finally got to see it.

Inside was a handful of white gold. Platinum? I thought, but the plate said ‘Rhenium.’

It was said to be rare both in the earth’s crust and in outer space, with very few quantities available. Furthermore, it had superior applications, with a few percent being added to jet engine turbine blades, electronic components, and parts for space exploration. Because it doesn’t sag when used at high temperatures or when shaken, it is suitable for automobiles and other uses. It is also effective as a thermoelectric generator, improving its service life. It is a metal that ranks among the hardest. However, it dissolves in highly oxidizing substances like nitric acid.

This was a good find.

It was something you would rarely handle, not only in city metal shops but even in specialized factories. It was a top-tier item.

I performed an ‘Analysis’ and completed it.

Now I could obtain it anytime with ‘Matter Conversion.’

Tina looked like she didn't quite understand, even after reading the explanation.

We finished our tour of the exhibition. For lunch, there were food stalls around the venue, so we ate something from there.

After that, we went home, and I created the various ores I had just seen. I lined them up as a contingency in case I forgot.

Night.

After having dinner at a family restaurant, we headed to that building.

It was 11 p.m.

In front of it stood a single man in a black suit.

"Kuroda’s recommendation," I said.

At these words, the man in black replied, "It has been a while. This way, please."

He guided us with polite language.

Another man in black came out of the building and took over. As usual, we headed to the basement and entered the waiting room.

The atmosphere had changed. It used to be an empty room.

Now, there were sofas and tables, and in the corner of the room, drinks were provided for free. Had the treatment gotten better? There were several others besides us. Each was relaxing.

As I was thinking this, Kuroda appeared from the back door. After his usual explanation, we waited our turn. Then, it was my turn, and I went inside.

Kuroda was there.

"It has been a while. About a month, I believe? Have you noticed the change in here?"

I nodded in response.

Kuroda continued, "The wolf pelt you gave us was traded for a considerable sum, and since all that money is ours, we obtained enough funds to renovate the building. We were also able to improve the waiting room from a place where you just had to stand. We are grateful."

He said it with a smile.

The reason the waiting room had never changed was probably because he didn't care about the sellers. The only reason he had improved it was because he decided to treat the person who brought in the star items better. But I didn't say it out loud. He probably understood what I was thinking. He didn't say anything.

I brought out my items. I presented the skins of a Wolf, an Anaconda, and a Bear.

Kuroda looked at the bear pelt. "This is… a Bear, right?"

I nodded at his obvious question.

Kuroda seemed to be in a daze for a moment before handing me a number tag.

After a while, new number tags were distributed. And then, the auction began.

The first item was a golden Buddha statue.

The auctioneer said, "This is an item said to be from the Muromachi period. Its value as a work of art is considerable. We will start at ten thousand."

A very detailed explanation wasn't given.

In other words, it was obtained through a route that couldn't be spoken of. Well, that had nothing to do with me. The Buddha statue was sold for five hundred thousand. From there, things proceeded smoothly, and then, the bear pelt came up. The crowd gasped in amazement at its size.

The auctioneer announced, "The next item is a full bear pelt. This is no ordinary bear. The texture and quality of the fur are higher than that of a normal bear, larger than the largest bear, the Kodiak Bear, and the quality is incomparable. Furthermore, the horns on its head are not decorations, but real. The appraisal results are not wrong. Moreover, the properties of the horns have been found to have ten times the components of conventional horns, and there is no doubt that they can be processed into the finest products. Truly a supreme item. The customers who came today are nothing short of lucky. We will start at ten thousand."

I was surprised by this explanation.

I thought they would mention the horns, but I didn't expect its size to be so out of the ordinary. I thought I knew how big bears were on Earth, but I hadn't realized it was that big. Between this and the wolf, the other world truly is a treasure trove for a hunter.

The price skyrocketed, eventually surpassing ten million. The auctioneer called out, "We have ten million, one hundred thousand. Any other bids? We have ten million, five hundred thousand! We have twelve million! Any other bids? The bear pelt is sold for twelve million!"

The sound of the gavel echoed, and cheers erupted.

It was sold for a considerable amount.

Following that, the wolf pelt was sold for three and a half million, and the anaconda skin for four million eight hundred thousand.

In total, nineteen million three hundred thousand. After deducting the commission, that would be about eighteen and a half million.

I wouldn't have to worry about living expenses. After the auction ended, I received the money and left the building. I thought Kuroda might say something, but he just said, "Please come again."

I was grateful, as I wanted to avoid any trouble.

The journey from the building to my home was uneventful. I had expected an attack, but it was just needless worry.

I arrived home and teleported to the other world.

I decided to go to sleep right away.

Morning would come early.

Rewind a little.

The Imperial Capital was abuzz with a certain topic.

A battle between a monster and a new weapon was held in the arena, and the result was a decisive victory for the weapon.

Grine was satisfied with this result and decided to send it to the border.