Chapter 19: Health (4)

It sounds like a ridiculous story, but the gallery is a place that even the upper echelons observe closely.

Information gathering, leak verification, situation analysis, the daily life of other countries, etc.

Although the gallery is filled almost exclusively with trash posts, very valuable things can also be obtained from there.

Above all, the greatest advantage is that it allows one to capture “public opinion”, something the upper echelons must pay close attention to.

Because of the era they live in, it is difficult to properly know public opinion, so the gallery has practically become the only window.

Of course, relying only on the gallery also has many limitations.

In the past there were frequent cases where they believed only the opinion of the gallery and protests and rebellions ended up breaking out.

Since then they began to distrust the “loud minority”, filtering what needed to be filtered.

Even so, the enormous influence of the gallery could not be denied.

Especially because anyone can participate in the gallery, regardless of age, sex, or social class.

There is even a famous story about a noble who criticized the gallery and turned out to be a genuine addict to it!

After all, belonging to the upper echelons does not mean that a person’s desires disappear.

Rather, since they spend so much time pretending to have dignity, many release their stress in the gallery.

Because of this, the upper echelons tend to desperately hide any activity they have there.

Even when they are discovered, most excuse themselves by saying they only read without commenting.

Almost nobody believes those excuses, but private life must be respected.

For that reason there is an unwritten rule among nobles not to mention the gallery.

Even if it is mentioned, it can only be done among very close people.

“Your Highness. This matter must not be ignored under any circumstances.”

“I know. But that man has a life as fragile as that of a fly. Isn’t it too hasty?”

A man with blond hair and blue eyes, with the typical appearance of a perfect young noble.

With his robust physique, he seemed to lack nothing, but it was he who expressed that negative opinion.

At those words, a middle-aged man with graying hair opened his mouth in a somewhat hurried tone.

“That is precisely why we must make sure to obtain as many adult mandrakes as possible before he dies.”

“Count Gorgon. I thought you were a prudent person.”

“Sometimes quick decisions must be made.”

At the advice of his loyal vassal, Count Gorgon, the handsome blond young man fell into thought.

He was the future emperor of the Messiah Empire.

Arnold Louis Messiah.

Since the current emperor was bedridden due to a chronic illness and overwork, Arnold was acting as regent.

“If we manage to trade with that man, we could considerably reduce the influence of the Magic Tower. In particular we could pressure the Kingdom of Iris.”

“That is only a happy thought, or rather too optimistic. Lately the behavior of the elves has also been unstable. There is no need to provoke the Magic Tower as well.”

“But…”

“That’s enough. I don’t want to talk about someone who might die tomorrow.”

“If we give him support, the situation could change.”

Count Gorgon did not give up and continued insisting.

He was quite stubborn, but Arnold did not reprimand him.

After all, Count Gorgon was famous for his extraordinary ability of foresight.

That was why it was so strange to see him influenced by rumors born in the gallery.

That only demonstrated how much power the gallery had.

“If we give him support, perhaps he will survive longer. But let me ask you something. Who will take care of this?”

“I know someone.”

“It wouldn’t be you, would it?”

“……”

At Arnold’s direct question, Count Gorgon closed his mouth.

Arnold smiled ironically and waved his hand.

“It seems you were planning to take advantage of the gallery’s anonymity, but it was too hasty. You may withdraw.”

“Your Highness.”

“If you want to do it, do it under your own responsibility. But if someone suddenly trades large quantities of adult mandrakes, everyone will suspect you.”

“……”

“By the way, you haven’t written insults about me in the gallery, have you?”

“Never.”

Of course not. Arnold did not believe him.

When no one is listening, even the king is insulted.

And not to mention the gallery.

He had received all kinds of insults there every time he made a wrong political decision.

“Only three days have passed since that man Grills fell into the Forest of the Four Seasons. Let us have a little patience.”

“…I understand. I think I was too impetuous.”

“Then withdraw. I have a lot of work.”

At the clear signal of dismissal, Count Gorgon left the room.

Finally Arnold was alone.

He leaned back in the chair and looked at the ceiling.

‘It’s not that I’m not worried.’

In his field of vision the gallery appeared.

It was currently burning with an unexpected rumor.

Everything began when DwarfPassingBy uploaded a photo of an adult mandrake.

Grills had gifted some to the veteran users who helped him, but none of them uploaded verification photos.

They did not feel the need, and it also carried the risk of revealing their identity.

Because of that there had been doubts at first, but DwarfPassingBy’s post ended up confirming everything.

And as if that were not enough, earlier Grills had even uploaded a photo of a colony of adult mandrakes.

So those who followed the gallery reached a conclusion.

If they helped Grills, they could obtain an adult mandrake.

All of this happened in just a few hours, while Grills slept.

Title) Right now the nobles of the Empire are in chaos

My friend is a knight and says the emperor ordered an adult mandrake to be brought haha

ㄴSeriously?

ㄴYes, it’s real. The rumor has already spread everywhere

ㄴThey must be in a meeting right now

ㄴBah. Isn’t it just an absurd rumor?

ㄴBut there are too many similar posts for it to be just a rumor

Arnold read that and let out a small laugh.

It was an absurd rumor, but it could not be dismissed so easily.

After all, Count Gorgon had gone to beg him.

If even he acted like that, other nobles would surely think the same.

They would try to gain Grills’s favor in order to trade with him.

Title) Hasn’t the Magic Tower reacted?

The Magic Tower monopolizes mandrakes. Won’t they say anything?

ㄴFor now no, but they will react soon

ㄴThe Magic Tower is in the Kingdom of Iris, right?

ㄴYes. If it gets complicated, it could end in conflict with the Empire

ㄴFight over a mandrake?

ㄴNot fight, but at least protest. Besides, the Magic Tower will not like this situation either

ㄴWhy not?

ㄴBecause it has the monopoly

Title) Summary of the current situation

1. Mandrakes are extremely rare and very important as material for elixirs.

2. Originally the Magic Tower administered the mandrakes.

3. Thanks to the monopoly, the Magic Tower’s profits are enormous.

4. But what Grills found are adult mandrakes and in large quantities.

5. With a single adult one you can create a top-tier elixir!

6. Instead of trading with the Magic Tower and losing money, it is better to buy directly from Grills.

ㄴEverything is fine, but Grills cannot maintain the supply, right? If he pulls them all out they will run out

ㄴWith that argument, the same happens to the Magic Tower. They only manage them, they cannot cultivate them

ㄴSo they all obtain them from outside

ㄴYes. Their main job is to keep them healthy so they can produce elixirs whenever they want

ㄴAnd with that they have a monopoly? What nerve hahaha

ㄴFact: Grills is in the Forest of the Four Seasons, so nobody can pressure him

ㄴIs this really happening? Uff…

They know one thing and are unaware of two.

Arnold shook his head.

It would be perfect to trade with Grills and obtain adult mandrakes.

But Grills was too unstable.

Far too unstable.

As long as he lives in the Forest of the Four Seasons, he could die at any moment.

‘It’s not something that can be bought with money either.’

What Grills needs is not money, but objects necessary for survival.

Recently he received a large sum from a fixed user called AllFather, so he probably no longer has greed for money.

That means there is no choice but to trade through barter, and that also creates instability.

‘It will be better to observe.’

If you act without thinking, you could end up getting nothing.

If at least one thing were stable it would be different, but everything is full of uncertainty, so it is not very tempting.

‘Although, personally, one alone would be worth it…’

If it were not a public matter but a personal one, the story would be different.

The emperor’s health has worsened recently, so it is impossible not to feel temptation.

A top-quality elixir was so expensive that even the imperial palace budget found it heavy.

If the emperor recovered his health thanks to an adult mandrake, he could consolidate his position.

It is not that his brothers are trying to take his position.

Arnold has a total of two younger brothers and two younger sisters.

One would think that at least one would aspire to the throne, but surprisingly it was not so.

‘I should consider it luck…’

The second son is very interested in culture and ended up sitting in the position of minister of culture.

The third son is very devout and went into religious life.

According to what they say, he became a holy knight.

The other two sisters also married, and thus the competition disappeared naturally.

‘It would be better if father handed the crown directly to me instead of only giving his approval.’

Unless the emperor personally hands it over, someone will always appear who raises objections.

To prevent that in advance, he needed at least one adult mandrake.

“……”

However, Arnold hesitated.

It was not because contacting Grills felt burdensome.

He sighed and checked his username in the gallery.

A nickname he had chosen as a child, unable to control his youthful impulsiveness.

[SuperStrongArnold]

“Ha…”

Just seeing it was already embarrassing.

Why the hell had he chosen such a name?

It would have been better to remain an anonymous user from the beginning.

No matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand the self of that time.

Fortunately, no one knew that fact.

If someone had discovered it, he probably would have thrown away the position of crown prince and run away long ago.

‘Can’t the nickname at least be changed?’

The gallery was a technology ahead of its time, but it was not perfect.

After many errors various conveniences were added, but changing the nickname was impossible.

Become an anonymous user again?

There was only one method.

Expel all the mana from the body and fill it with a new one.

It was practically like completely washing one’s own body.

Not even undergoing a bodily transformation would allow something like that, so the nickname was permanent.

‘If I obtain an adult mandrake or help father, everyone will notice.’

And then they will naturally discover my nickname.

He did not even want to imagine it.

He also could not delay the moment, because handling mandrakes is extremely difficult.

It is not for nothing that the Magic Tower is responsible for their management.

Fortunately, he had deleted all his posts.

If the function to delete one’s own texts had not existed, they would have remained as eternal shame.

‘Should I ask my brother…?’

Arnold crossed his arms while thinking.

The second son is minister of culture only in name; in reality he spends his time loafing around.

Whenever he has the chance he goes to watch football or baseball, so he is practically a loafer.

He says it is better to live like that than to sit in a position full of responsibilities.

‘For now it will be better to observe the gallery. Also confirm who has the adult mandrakes.’

For now that seemed the best.

Only three days have passed.

It is still too early to stir things up.

Arnold continued exploring the gallery while stroking his chin.

‘Even so, I should take a look at the culture of the place.’

And for that the best thing would be to write a post.

Arnold immediately posted a message.

Although his nickname was embarrassing, a simple question should not be a problem.

Title) Hello. Nice to meet you.

SuperStrongArnold

It’s my first time in the gallery, how does it work more or less?

ㄴAre you new?

ㄴSuperStrongArnold) Yes, that’s right.

ㄴThen don’t speak with formalities, idiot.

ㄴYou’re new and you speak respectfully?

ㄴLook at that nickname haha

‘???’

Arnold’s eyes filled with confusion.

***

“Uuugh…”

I stretched while loosening my stiff body.

Thanks to the mattress and pillow I bought at the auction, my body was not aching.

If I knew it would be like this, I would have bought them earlier.

At least I realized relatively quickly.

‘The gallery… what is this? Why are there so many trade requests?’

I opened my eyes wide.

While I was sleeping, quite a few trade requests had arrived.

When you close the gallery no notification sounds.

Thanks to that I could sleep peacefully, but it was still strange.

‘Most are fixed users I don’t know. Could it be because of the adult mandrakes?’

It is very likely.

Yesterday the dwarf posted that post.

An adult mandrake is an extremely expensive plant even if you only have one.

If they help me survive, I am willing to trade.

But not in large quantities, only one at a time.

I can barely handle my own survival, so nothing of constant supply.

If I die while supplying them, it would make no sense.

[A typical adaptation to the gallery]

[118]

“Huh?”

Then I found a post that caught my attention.

Not only did it have many comments, it also had quite a few recommendations.

What had happened while I was sleeping?

It seems that interesting things always happen while one sleeps.

Title) A typical adaptation to the gallery

[Damn bastards.]

[I am the crown prince, sons of bitches.]

[What a bunch of idiots.]

[Ah, seriously.]

[I haven’t done anything wrong.]

[Why is everyone insulting me?]

[Hey, listen first.]

[Is this the average?]

[The gallery is quite aggressive.]

[Hello. Nice to meet you.]

Read from the bottom.

ㄴLol

ㄴHaha

ㄴHe adapted by force haha

ㄴWhat the hell is that nickname?

ㄴI don’t know, it seems like a child entered the gallery.

ㄴThat’s a nickname my father would use.

ㄴIf it has things like “Strong”, “Super” normally it’s from old people.

ㄴNo, no. Nowadays there are people who use it on purpose.

‘……’

It was another quiet day in the gallery.