Chapter 31: A True Master!

Nicholas stood outside the dungeon's core hall in a black tailcoat. If you overlooked his faintly protruding fangs and his somewhat elvish pointed ears, then by human standards, this Nicholas was a fairly handsome man.

And Nicholas's movements had naturally roused the dungeon's players — they fell in behind him in a crowd. Sharlock completely understood the behavior: it was so they wouldn't miss any potential "cutscene." He'd been swarmed like this himself, back in the day.

Nicholas, however, did not understand. He watched all these goblins come flooding over in one big wave and then tail him the entire way. Goblins or not, the psychological pressure was immense — and worst of all, these players kept up a nonstop chatter at his side:

"Where's Jackson off to?"

"Did somebody trigger a quest?"

"No idea. New event, maybe?"

"Just follow Jackson and you can't go wrong."

"Hey, how's my new Little Cloth Sack look on me?"

"Let's group up again after this and keep grinding."

"Form the group first, watch the cutscene, then roll straight out."

"Just saw Arthur head out alone with an event weapon. Bet he's trying to solo a subterranean spider."

"Sure, he's taken the most training courses, but soloing's still a stretch, no?"

"Damn, if I'd known, I'd have saved all my materials. Prices today are brutal."

"Anyone who rushed their gear enhancements earlier must be kicking themselves blue right now."

Not understanding a word of it would have been fine on its own. The real problem was having dozens of people trailing behind him, buzzing nonstop the whole walk. How did these goblins love talking THIS much?! Nicholas felt like his ears were about to be carpet-bombed into mush.

Nicholas considered himself well-traveled in goblins, and he had never met any that loved talking like this. Get a few ordinary goblins together and you couldn't pry a fart out of them in half a day. He simply could not work out where these goblins found so much to say!

Nicholas arrived at the core hall entrance with the buzzing chatter filling his ears. Thankfully it didn't last long — Sharlock was already coming out.

When the demon lord appeared, the chatter around him gradually died down, shushes went around everywhere, and some people quietly reminded the ones still talking:

"Zip it, zip it — the cutscene's about to start!"

Setting aside the goblin question, Nicholas hadn't come over about the goblins anyway. He'd come because of something else entirely.

"Lord Sharlock, please forgive my unannounced visit." He bowed respectfully to Sharlock, then said: "Since arriving at your dungeon, your attentive, meticulous care has moved me to tears of gratitude. To express my thanks to Lord Sharlock, please allow me to present a gift."

Sharlock looked Nicholas over and frowned.

If "attentive, meticulous care" meant an empty lot without a single floor tile laid — not even beds — then that gratitude was sarcasm, right?

Sharlock got a little sour. You little vampire punk — are you throwing shade at THIS lord?

Nicholas, of course, had not come to mock Sharlock. He genuinely hoped to use this chance to build a long-term cooperative relationship with him. After all, these goblins' common-sense-defying behavior alone had shaken Nicholas to his core.

A simple source note: where this story was originally posted has the author's chapter, while this version was used without permission; reading there supports them.

Nicholas had truly never seen goblins chatter away so recklessly right in front of a high-rank vampire, like they were holding a tea social — and even after Nicholas released his dominating aura, they still showed zero reaction.

Even though the goblins' relentless chatting had left Nicholas physically and mentally exhausted, on the other hand, Nicholas had also registered a fact: these goblins... were terrifying!

These goblins didn't fear him at all! Was that goblin power? Obviously not! What they were leaning on had to be the power of their lord, Sharlock!

Nicholas had been to that many dungeons, and this was a first.

Nicholas was more convinced than ever that Lord Sharlock's background was no small thing. As a merchant, he felt obliged to make a venture investment in Lord Sharlock — an investment in his own future as much as anything.

Seeing the displeasure creeping onto Sharlock's face, Nicholas hurried on:

"Lord Sharlock, I am enchanted by your dungeon and by these brave, steadfast servants of yours. If you would allow it, I would like to invest in your dungeon — and that investment shall be my gift to you."

Now Sharlock got it — the vampire wanted to buy in as an investor! And the reason was being "enchanted" by his dungeon and his brave, steadfast servants?

Sharlock surveyed his barren, utterly unfurnished dungeon, then looked at the crowd of grinning players behind Nicholas quietly gossiping about getting complimented by an NPC again, and invited the vampire into the core hall:

"Come in and let's talk — about this investment of yours."

After Nicholas respectfully entered the core hall, Sharlock shut the doors, leaving the players outside wearing blank faces. They promptly burst into heated discussion again. Sharlock didn't need to step out and listen to guess what they were saying — nothing but speculation and debate about the scene they'd just witnessed.

Sharlock had Nicholas take a seat, then tapped his fingers rat-tat-tat on the table in front of him. At that very moment, the dungeon core Bru was enthusiastically proposing, inside his head, that they extort this vampire count one more time.

But Sharlock didn't answer the dungeon core Bru. Instead, frowning, he said to Nicholas:

"Honestly? I'm not exactly hurting for magic stones. But my impression of you is decent enough, so let's hear this investment plan of yours first."

Nicholas said, with great warmth:

"Lord Sharlock, I am willing — in my personal name — to recommend within the Merchant Alliance that your dungeon, the Eternal Kingdom, be incorporated as a standing fixture of Alliance trade. We would install a portal in your dungeon and station resident merchants here. Whatever materials your dungeon lacks during its development, whatever buildings you need constructed, the Merchant Alliance will supply the finest goods and service, escorting your dungeon's growth on the resource front from start to finish — with all resources settled at eighty percent of market price. That is the gift I wish to present to you."

When Sharlock finished listening, he did hesitate a moment — the offer was genuinely tempting. Free resident merchants, a free portal, and every kind of material and goods settled at eighty percent.

Without Nicholas, Sharlock could apply to have the Merchant Alliance move into his dungeon himself. But the application fee alone, plus the deposit, would cost a pretty penny — and then he'd have to raise the portal himself and pay commissions to the Alliance merchants who moved in. All of it, money.

Quite obviously, with Nicholas doing the recommending, Sharlock would save himself a hefty sum.

But doing it this way came with plenty of problems too.

Namely: the Merchant Alliance would then be mixed into his dungeon's development. And those players from another world — their common sense was worlds apart from this world's. Letting the players rub shoulders with the Merchant Alliance long-term, and the chain of problems and potentially severe consequences that would follow — just thinking about it gave Sharlock a headache.

The reason he'd allowed Nicholas's caravan into his dungeon in the first place: one, he needed them to star in this CBT1 event — give the players some fun and crank up their work morale; two, Nicholas's caravan was only staying three days. In that short a window, Sharlock wasn't worried about them discovering anything — never mind that he had the agreement with Nicholas as a safeguard.

And there was one more primary reason: Sharlock didn't trust Nicholas. If a vampire count he'd known for exactly one day volunteered to invest in his dungeon, and he agreed with an excited face — either Sharlock was an idiot, or demons had gotten awfully naive these days?

Nicholas's game plan, Sharlock saw clearly: first, probing; second, perhaps genuinely wanting in on the investment.

Sharlock was short on magic stones, sure — but not so short that he'd invite unfamiliar people into his dungeon on a whim.

"Sorry, Count Nicholas — your offer is tempting, I'll give you that, but I have to decline." Sharlock spread his hands, blunt as could be: "Truth is, the caravans applying to visit my dungeon are booked out till next year with my little secretary. But as for the trade-hub concept — I've already got plans of my own in mind."

"But Lord Sharlock—"

Nicholas clearly hadn't expected Sharlock to refuse him this flatly. Any newly developing dungeon would normally have jumped at it — it was a win-win strategy: the dungeon locks in a rich pipeline of resources, Nicholas takes his cut, gains weight inside the Merchant Alliance, and builds ties with a Dungeon Lord on the side. Otherwise, how do you think a mere vampire count clawed his way up to drinking tea and brawling with Dungeon Lords?

"No need to say more. The trade hub in my vision is an exceptionally grand blueprint — not something one trade portal and one resident merchant can deliver. If there's nothing else, you'd best head back. Your arrival is a rare carnival for my servants, after all. I hope you enjoy these three days, and that my servants enjoy them too — they'll work all the harder for it." Sharlock said all this without a moment's hesitation, then stood, put a hand on Nicholas's shoulder, and went on, all warm and friendly:

"Now, now, Nicholas, don't take it wrong. My refusing you — it's not about you, and it's certainly not looking down on you. You know how it is: running a dungeon isn't easy. There are a thousand things to juggle — me most of all. I can't just do whatever I please; there are countless pairs of eyes on my back. One slip-up, one big scandal, and they'll flood the forums with posts. I hushed up the news of your arrival at the Eternal Kingdom at first, and once they found out, it took serious work to smooth it over — otherwise, whether you'd even still be trading with me was an open question. Now think — if I let you casually plant a portal in my dungeon, how would I explain that to the people behind me? How many announcements would I have to post to make THAT go away?"

As Sharlock talked, he had already walked Nicholas out, nice and cozy. Amid the players' chirping chatter, Sharlock continued:

"Honestly? I rate you highly, Nicholas. We can't partner up right now, but I believe that with your experience and talent, the day will come when we can. I believe in you, Nicholas."

With that, Sharlock closed up the core hall, leaving Nicholas standing there gobsmacked. Under the players' merciless gawking stares, Nicholas stayed silent for a few seconds, then muttered to himself:

"A... a true master!"