Chapter 344 - Chapter 344 Chapter 343 You Really Have Ulterior Motives I
Chapter 344 of "Exploring Technology in a Wizard World" begins with intriguing events: The secret of the White Stone Tower and the Black Spirit King was definitely a... Don’t miss it!
The secret of the White Stone Tower and the Black Spirit King was definitely a treasure, that much was certain. And the most crucial part of a “treasure” is the act of “hiding”–it needs to be concealed, hidden in a place unknown and unimaginable to others. Otherwise, what kind of treasure would it be if it was easily found?In the folk song, it seemed to repeatedly emphasize the Captain’s death, his restful slumber, and… the Captain’s grave.
Speaking of… what better place is there to bury a treasure than in a grave–many times, the burial goods alone are a treasure! The secret of the White Stone Tower and the Black Spirit King had taken this opportunity to combine the two.
Maybe this guess wasn’t very reliable, but there was every reason to investigate it.
So, the question was, who was the Captain in the folk song? Where was the Captain’s grave? Did it still exist?
While Richard thought about this, he turned to Rose, about to voice his questions when suddenly, a piece of memory abruptly jumped forward, forcefully inserting itself into his thoughts.
It was someone’s words, to be more precise, from a long time ago when he encountered Alex skulking about in the graveyard outside the city.
“I… am here to pay my respects to an ancestor of my family…”
“I… don’t want others to know I’m a descendant of my ancestor; I’m afraid of shaming him, so I choose to pay my respects in the middle of the night…”
“My ancestor… wasn’t just anybody, he was a great, great, great man, a legendary figure…”
“My ancestor… was a Captain…”
“My ancestor… accomplished many great deeds in his life. On his last sea voyage, he faced various disasters and brought all his crew back safely. But he himself… died from overexertion…”
“My ancestor… has poems praising his exploits sung about him everywhere… He’s the pride of the entire Alex family…”
Richard’s eyebrows perked up.
Hmm? Coincidence?! Or perhaps…
Richard looked at Rose and asked out loud, “What’s the name of the song you just translated for me?”
“Captain!”
“What Captain?”
“How would I know which Captain!” Rose was nearly frantic.
“Think carefully,” Richard said. “Tell me the exact answer, and I’ll let you leave.”
“…” Rose fell silent, then finally said, “The full name seems to be… something like… Father Captain Alex…”
“Father Captain Alex?” Richard’s eyes narrowed as he muttered to himself, “Captain Alex? Alex the Captain? This coincidence… is a bit too much! But according to logic, it certainly makes sense. As to whether it’s true or false, we’ll know by having a look. So…”
At this moment, Rose writhed on the ground, speaking out, “Can I… can I leave now?”
“Leave,” Richard said.
To Rose, Richard’s words sounded like heavenly music to her ears. Struggling to get up, she bolted out the door.
Suddenly, Richard twitched his nose and called to Rose, who hadn’t yet left the room, “What’s that smell? Do you smell it?”
“I… I don’t know don’t know don’t know anything…” Rose quickened her pace, crashing through the room’s door and disappearing.
Richard watched Rose’s retreating figure, his eyes flickered, but he didn’t delve deeper. After all, his goal was deciphering the secret, not wasting energy and time on other matters. The next moment, Richard followed Rose out and vanished into the darkness.
In the Wooden Tower of the northern slums of the city, where Alex was located.
In the room of the tower, with a blanket spread on the floor, Alex sat on it surrounded by scattered bills and coins, frowning and muttering to himself as he did the accounts.
Beside Alex, a mature woman leaned against his shoulder, resting. When Alex moved slightly too much, the woman woke up.
The woman glanced at Alex and said with mild irritation, “Little Alex, aren’t you going to rest? It’s very late; go to sleep!”
“Well, Lady Amanda, if you’re tired, you can go to sleep first. I’ll go to bed… later.”
“That won’t do; I’ll wait for you,” she said firmly.
Alex, with his flabby body, couldn’t help but shudder, “But I still have so much accounting to do.”
“Leave that until tomorrow,” the woman yawned, “You are always so busy, when will you finish? You’ll wear yourself out! So, don’t be busy all the time, you need to rest properly.” As she spoke, she planted a “smack” of a kiss on Alex’s cheek and pulled him toward the bedroom.
Alex, panicking, kept saying, “No, Lady Amanda, please…”
“What is it?” The woman’s face instantly darkened as she looked at Alex. “Little Alex, you despise me?”
“No, not at all, how could I?!” Alex hastily appeased her with a smile, “I really have things to do. Right, someone is coming to discuss business with me in a while.”
“Really?” The woman was skeptical.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
“Bang bang bang, Brother Alex?!”
“Bang bang bang, Brother Alex?!”
“You see, it’s true!” Alex quickly pointed outside to the woman.
The woman’s eyes flashed, and she said, “Well, I’ll believe you this time. I’m going to bed now, and you should go to sleep soon too.”
“Okay, okay, Lady Amanda, I’ll go to bed early,” Alex said as he quickly stepped out the door, releasing a sigh of relief and looking at the person outside. There stood a tall man in his twenties, whose neck and wrists–any exposed skin–exhibited a tan hue, the result of being roasted by high temperatures over a long period of time.
The man worked in a simple glassmaking workshop outside White Stone City. They could not produce complex, large-scale glassware, but it was possible for them to create some small decorative items.
Alex looked at the man and asked, “Koba, how did it go with the matter I contacted you about today? What did your boss say?”
“Our boss said that the order you placed could be made, but the quality could be better or worse, and accordingly, the prices would vary. He asked me to bring three samples for you to look at first.”
With that, the man pulled out three glass test tubes from his chest.
He shook the most exquisitely made, highly transparent glass test tube and said, “Big brother Alex, this is the best one, the price is two silver coins each.”
The man then shook the coarsest, most turbid glass test tube and said, “Big brother Alex, this is the worst one, you can get three for one silver coin, and the price can be cheaper if you buy in bulk.”
“What about this one?” Alex asked, pointing at the last glass tube.
“This one,” the man said, shaking the moderately crafted and clarity glass tube, “this one… our boss said it’s one silver coin each. If you’re not satisfied, we can negotiate, but… it can’t go too low.”
Alex’s small eyes narrowed as he thought for a moment and said, “For this test tube, two silver coins each, I’ll take it!”
“Ah?” Koba was stunned, thinking he had misheard, “But, big brother Alex, it’s the best one that’s two silver coins each.”
“I know,” Alex said, “but I think it’s okay to pay two silver coins for your medium-grade glass tube.”
“I…”
Alex, seeing that Koba still looked stunned, slapped him on the back of his head in annoyance, “Are you daft? When I say two silver coins, that’s the price the buyer is offering you, but it’s not my price!”
“Ah?” Koba was even more perplexed.
“Forget it, let me make it clear,” Alex said. “I’m not the one buying the glass tubes; someone commissioned me to buy them. As long as the quality is up to standard, I can offer you a higher price, but any extra, you have to kick back to me.”
“Oh, I see,” Koba finally understood. “How much of a kickback will you take?”
“For each glass tube, you give me one silver coin back.”
“…” Koba fell silent, looking at Alex and said, “Big brother Alex, you’re taking all the extra.”
“You’re making a profit too! Don’t tell me that selling a glass tube for one silver coin means you’re incurring a loss; I don’t believe you’re that generous.”
“That’s still less than what you’re making. You’re just talking and end up with one silver coin. We have to provide materials and work hard…”
“Stop babbling. Are you taking the order or not? If you can’t handle it, I’ll find someone else!”
“No, no, no, of course, we’ll take the order. But how many glass tubes do you need specifically?”
“According to that wealthy friend of mine, start with five hundred and we’ll see from there.”
“My God! Five hundred tubes, that’s 1000 silver coins?! Converted into gold coins, that’s also 50 gold coins!”
“Pfft, look at you, so lacking in ambition!” Alex rolled his eyes, “It’s just a few dozen gold coins. Let me tell you, the wealthy friend behind me pays with crystal coins! Fifty gold coins are just a few lower-grade crystal coins, and if he pulls out a top-grade crystal coin, you wouldn’t even be able to make change!”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Koba nodded repeatedly, treating Alex with the utmost respect.
But after a while, Koba glanced at Alex and ventured, “Big brother Alex, that wealthy friend of yours behind the scenes, with so much money, he must be quite something, right?”
“Of course.”
“In that case, aren’t you afraid that deceiving him out of his money… if he finds out, wouldn’t that be…”
“What are you blabbering about? How is that deceiving him out of money? When did I ever deceive anyone? You’re the ones offering two silver coins per glass tube, I’m merely using money to buy your glass tubes. As for the kickback, that’s your own voluntary offer, it has nothing to do with me.
Besides, the wealthy friend entrusted me with a task; he paid up, and as long as I get the job done, that’s all that matters. He doesn’t care how much I earn in the process. Moreover, as the agent of the commission, should I not be entitled to a hardship fee?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
“Do you understand?”
“I… I understand,” Koba swallowed nervously, speaking softly, “It’s just that, aren’t you afraid? Really… not feeling guilty or remorse?”
“What have I to fear? Why should I feel guilty or remorseful?” Alex sputtered, “I tell you, I have a clear conscience! I could even swear on my ancestors’ name–I mean… cough cough… anyway, just get the job done properly, don’t worry about anything else!”
“Er, right…”
Outside the city, in the cemetery.
Richard appeared there, walking to the tombstone of Alex’s ancestor he had seen before, observing the ground around him, contemplating how to explore.
The best method, of course, would be to dig it up, but… would that count as desecrating a grave?
Speaking of which, he had commissioned Alex to help him, and yet here he was, digging up Alex’s ancestral grave, this…
Taking a step forward, Richard picked a spot next to the tombstone and leaned down, pressing his hand on the ground.
With a “whoosh,” the “Earth Stone Control” Spell was unleashed in full force, causing the ground to dip slightly and then a black hole emerged with a “whoosh,” revealing a passage leading downward.
“Hmm, just as I suspected, my conjecture was not wrong,” Richard looked at the passage that appeared, his eyes gleaming.
As for any guilt over excavating a grave, it simply did not exist…