Rem had taken control of the golems, all of which were level 4. The golems were responsible for maintaining public order, and would periodically move from area to area. Apparently, every city in the Magic Empire had golems like this and he could easily tell what they were used for.
āThere were more golems that Iād expected underground. Theyāre not only used for a show of the Emperorās strength, but to also keep an eye on the lordsā¦ With that in mind, I can tell what these golems are used for too.ā
āWas taking control of these golems an irreversible mistake?ā Lee Shin Woo thought briefly, but Remās Mana Parasite wasnāt so easily dealt with.
The golems would naturally obey his orders once the Mana Parasite took hold. Moreover, the target of their obedience changed in such a way that their original owner wouldnāt notice. After that, they become incompatible with anyone other than Lee Shin Woo or Rem. He knew about this before, but it was an incredibly fearsome ability.
[This is also the power you created, Master.]
āMmā¦ Well, I guess it is.ā
Lee Shin Woo, whoād entered his room, perused the book that Pleine had given him (it was some sort of surface guide book) and learned some basic knowledge. The golems gathered information and this information was transmitted to him through Rem, keeping him up to date on the current situation.
It detailed the size of the Empire and the names of its cities, as well as the cityās top sellers, the location of the merchantās guild, and even how to get a peddler license. 5 hours later, Lee Shin Woo finished gathering information and nodded his head in satisfaction.
āYeah, I can do this with my Disguise skill and my Perium.ā
Lee Shin Woo found that the Magic Empire used a currency called āEnardeā aside from Perium, based on his information gathering. As it bore the Emperorās family name, it was highly credible, but it was slightly less valuable than Perium, the absolute proof of karma.
āI should use Perium in all my dealsā¦ There is some good news though. I think I can sell my wine at a higher price than I expected.ā
Lee Shin Woo had sold his Kerr Century Wine to Pleine before. She said sheād sell it on the surface, and because of that, the Kerr Century Winery had become renowned throughout the Magic Empire once again.
āThe merchant guild went so far as to stop people from buying the Kerr Century Wine, so I think that says it all.ā
Kerr Century Wine was abundant many years ago, so people hoping to attain it assumed that there would still be some remaining and searched all across the Magic Empire. Because of this, the fame of the Kerr Century Wine increased day by day until it became a fantastical artifact in the eyes of the people; a single drop would even cause a dying man to stand.
āThatās where this wine comes in.ā
Lee Shin Woo took out a wine bottle that was peacefully sleeping in his inventory. This wine was designed by Lee Shin Woo and manufactured by the golems with the Kerr Century technique and the Dryadās raw materials. As a result, a truly miraculous product was created, Spirit Wine!
[Kerr Century Elemental 451]
[This wine was created by the successor of the Kerr Century Winery, using grapes that have received the love of an elf and the Dryads. It is still technically lacking, but the extremely rare materials bring out a rich fragrance and the right amount of sourness, which hide those flaws.]
[It is a masterpiece which displays the quality of the ingredients. The magic within the materials continues to ripen the wine even after being bottled. The longer it remains unopened, the more valuable it becomes.]
Lee Shin Woo used the Kerr Century technique and the grapes that had been blessed by the Dryads and an elf to create this wine. This wasnāt just a Kerr Century wine anymore. It was a āKerr Century Elementalā, a new blend that Lee Shin Woo had created that was not only vintage, but also hard to value. It would be even harder to value for people without the ability to check an itemās info like Lee Shin Woo.
Frankly speaking, that wasnāt a problem. Lee Shin Woo was sure that people would recognize its value with just one whiff. If the blend was recognized, then he could make a fortune and establish himself here.
[Are you going to negotiate with the merchantās guild, Master?]
āNo. I donāt really need a Treasure Goblin License from the merchantās guild.ā
Lee Shin Woo was powerful and was on the cusp of reaching level 8, so whether he was above ground or underground, Lee Shin Woo was at the top. However, he was disguised as a peddler right now, so if he tried selling such a luxurious item, then he would likely become a target.
āFor the time being, Iāll show them some monster materials and after Iāve gotten permission, Iāll form some connections with the other merchants. Then, after Iāve gotten a proper valuation for the item, Iāll use them to auction it off.ā
[As expected. I understand.]
Of course, Lee Shin Woo didnāt think that a roundabout way of selling his goods would completely hide his identity. On the contrary, people might think heās a spy, which would draw attention to him.
But if that did happen, then no one would be able to mess with him in broad daylight. They might try something behind his back, but by then, no one would be paying attention to him, so Lee Shin Woo would be able to take appropriate measures to deal with them.
[As expected of you, Master. You have become proficient in fighting in way where you go unnoticed.]
āWell, you had to be good at that to be a salaryman in South Korea. More importantly, I have an important mission for you, Rem. You know what Iām talking about, right?ā
[Of course.]
Rem replied confidently.
[I will use Mana Parasite on all of the golems in the Magic Empire.]
āGood. Iāll leave that to you.ā
It was much more cost efficient to use a level 4 golem, rather than employing a weaker soldier, as the Magic Empireās skill in creating golems was at its peak. Thus, the golems were used to protect the cities, supervise various public facilities, patrol, and to hunt monsters.
What did that mean? It meant that Lee Shin Woo and Rem could control the Magic Empire if they put their minds into it. Of course, Lee Shin Woo had no intentions of doing so as of yet. He was still only using them to gather information for now.
[There is so much prey. I will depart immediately.]
āFilter the information and send it to me.]
[Understood.]
As these golemsā masters were already decided, even the Emperor of the Magic Empire wouldnāt expect him to be able to take control of them.
Moreover, even if he did notice, he had no way of figuring out who the perpetrator was. There was absolutely no risk for Lee Shin Woo and Rem, but there was a ridiculous return on his investment.
āIf there are this many golems in the Magic Empire, then thereās really no point in acting like a peddlerā¦ā
He possessed 2.3 billion Perium, and he had an informant as well. Although he didnāt need to step out into the light, he had two reasons to do so. First, it was good training for his Disguise skill, and second, to obtain a proper position at the surface.
āItād be nice if they can wrap everything up in the Underground Empire without me, but I have the feeling that itās not going to be that easy.ā
Lee Shin Woo knew that there was a reason he was sent to the surface. He didnāt know what kind of expectations God placed on him. However, so long as he was here, he would do everything he could. And that result would surely surpass Godās expectations.
āAlright. Then, shall we begin?ā
After heād sent Rem off, Lee Shin Woo lazily went through his inventory. He was picking out the right materials to show the merchantās guild, like the level 3 or 4 equipment (which heād stored because they wouldnāt increase his stats anymore), and some other goods that didnāt turn into bone that would fetch a good price.
Honestly, these goods were much too luxurious for him to act as a normal peddler. Although he obtained plenty of information from the golems, Lee Shin Woo had an excessively high opinion of the humans on the surface.
With that slight misunderstanding in tow, he rushed over to the merchantās guild the next day. With his precious pack horse.
āHoh, you have such great products.ā
āYes. I was lucky enough to establish a contract with an adventurer.ā
āYouāre quite talented. We, the merchant guild, welcome you Lawrence!ā
Heād only brought out level 3 or 4 equipment, yet he had received so much unwanted attention. Lee Shin Woo was flustered, as he hadnāt expected this to happen, but he somehow managed to move on with his Acting skill and establish his identity as the peddler, Lawrence.
āYou can commission the guild. What will you do?ā
āNo, the adventurerā¦ wants me to sell the goods at the highest price. I may not be good enough, but Iāll do it on my own.ā
āI understand. I hope itās not true, but if youāre in an unfair contract, then I hope you wonāt hesitate to come for some advice.ā
āIāll keep that in mind. Thank you.ā
Adventurers sought hidden dungeons or monsters that leave behind valuable byproducts, and were considered similar to mercenaries. At first, Lee Shin Woo wondered which he should pretend to be, a peddler or an adventurer, but concluded that being a merchant would be better to establish a foothold on the surface.
āThat adventurer, did he find some sort of undead dungeon? Did he just dump all of that equipment on him?ā
āYou idiot. Didnāt you see that sacred root? Moreover, you only get that much from clearing an entire dungeon. If not, then with that handsome faceā¦ā
āThey might be a female adventurer. I heard that most of them are sexually active. I donāt know if that weak body is his can take it. Kik.ā
āHey, stop being so rude. Who knows. He might make it big someday.ā
Although he had drawn the attention of the merchantās guild, he hadnāt drawn so much attention that heād be put in danger. On the contrary, he thought itād be helpful in creating connections later on.
Lee Shin Woo greeted the merchants there and made sure he kept his manners. Heād succeeded in showing a good first impression. Some still looked at Lee Shin Woo with disdain, but if they were worried about the level of his goods before, then he had nothing to worry about now.
āNewbie, if you need some help, I can give you some advice on how to start your business. How about it?ā
āOh, thank you. Yes, I accept. Of course, Iāll repay you for your help.ā
āAh, so you get it. What a nice junior! Hahaha!ā
Of course, Lee Shin Woo didnāt need anyoneās help, but if he could spend a bit of money to establish some connections, then he had no reason to refuse. The merchant had no idea what he was thinking and just laughed uproariously, but there was someone that worried about Lee Shin Woo. That was his pack horse, Jin.
āThat guyā¦ Itās obvious heās planning something. Even I can tellā¦ Will you be ok?ā
āIāll be fine. In fact, itās actually better for me. I can use a stupid guy like this as a shield later.ā
āā¦Do all salarymen learn techniques like that?ā
āOf course they do.ā
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A week passed.
Lee Shin Wooās Disguise skill had become level 8, and Rem had managed to control a tenth of the Magic Empireās golems.
Lee Shin decided to auction off his wine in a month.