I Gained a Gallery in the Wild - Eps 19 Health (4)
It may sound funny, but the gallery is a place that even the high-ranking
officials keeps an eye on.
They use it to collect or verify
information, understand the situation, gauge public opinion in other countries,
and so on.
Though most posts are shitpsots, you can still extract
extremely valuable intel there.
Above all, the biggest advantage is
that you can understand the 'public opinion' that the upper class should pay the
most attention to.
In this day and age, it’s hard to properly gauge
people’s sentiments, so the gallery is effectively their only window.
Of course, relying only on the gallery has its flaws.
In
the past, there were frequent uprisings and protests triggered by decisions made
solely on gallery trends.
From then on, they began to watch out for
the ‘loud minority’ and started filtering what needed to be filtered.
Yet
the gallery’s influence remains undeniable.
In particular, the
gallery can be used by anyone of any age or status.
The story of
‘That nobleman who once disparaged the gallery was actually a hardcore gallery
addict!’ is famous.
Just because someone is of high rank doesn’t
mean their human’s unique desires disappear.
In fact, many elites
vent their stress here after straining to maintain their dignified facades.
That’s
why high-ranking people go to great lengths to hide their gallery activities.
Even if they admit to using it, they usually brush it off as ‘just
lurking’.
Such excuses were rarely believed, but privacy should be
respected.
Therefore, there's an unwritten rule that the gallery
should not be mentioned among nobles.
Even if mentioned, it's only
possible between those who are privately close.
"Your Highness. This
matter must not be overlooked."
“I am well aware. But that person’s
life hangs by a thread. Isn’t it too hasty?”
Blonde hair, blue eyes,
and the typical appearance of a handsome young man.
A man with a fit
physique who lacks nothing put forth a dissent.
To this, a
silver-haired middle-aged man responded urgently.
“That’s exactly why
we need to secure the mature mandrake from them before they dies.”
"Count Gorgon. I thought you were the cautious type.”
"Some
situations demand swift action, Your Highness."
The blond princess
pondered the advice of his loyal vassal, Count Gorgon.
He’s the next
Emperor of the Messiah Empire, Arnold Louis Messiah.
As the current
emperor is bedridden due to chronic illness and overwork, he’s currently the
acting emperor.
"If we could secure a deal with them, we could
greatly reduce the influence of the magic tower. Especially against the Kingdom
of Iris."
"That's just a happy tho... no, an optimistic thought. With
the recent unstable activities of the elves, there's no need to unnecessarily
provoke the magic tower."
"However..."
"Enough. I’ve no
interest in discussing a person who might die tomorrow."
“If we
provide him some support, it may change the outcome, no?”
Count
Gorgon pleaded persistently without giving up.
Though it came across
as stubborn, Arnold didn’t scold him.
The Count of Gorgon was known
for his excellent foresight.
It's amusing that such a person would be
swayed by rumors from the gallery.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please
double-check responses.
It means the gallery is exerting no small
amount of influence.
“Giving them our support might help them survive
longer. But let me ask the opposite question: who’ll take responsibility for
this operation?"
"I have a suitable acquaintance."
“Not
you yourself?”
"....."
The Count of Gorgon's mouth closed
at Arnold's blunt words. His wide eyes were just icing on the cake.
To
this, Arnold inwardly thought 'just as I expected,' snickered, and waved his
hand dismissively.
"It seems you intended to use the gallery's
anonymity, but you were too hasty. You may go now."
"Your Highness."
"If you’re that determined, I'll leave it up to your discretion.
Though, they might suspect it's you when large quantities of mature mandrakes
are traded."
"...."
"You haven't insulted me on the
gallery, have you?"
"Absolutely not."
Absolutely not, my
ass. Arnold didn't believe him.
In this world, people insult their
rulers the moment no one’s listening.
How much more so in the
gallery?
He himself had endured curses upon curses for even one
faulty policy.
“It’s only been three days since that person, Grills,
fell into the Forest of Four Seasons. Just be patient.”
“...Understood.
Perhaps I was too hasty.”
"Now scram. Some of us have work to do."
At
Arnold's dismissal, Count Gorgon quietly left the room.
Soon, Arnold
was the only one left in the room. He leaned back in his chair and looked up at
the ceiling.
'It's not that I’m unconcerned.'
His gaze
drifted to the gallery.
The gallery was currently ablaze with rumors
that had popped up out of nowhere.
PassingDwarf's posting of the
mature mandrake photo was the ignition point.
Grills had given
mandrakes to the fixed nicknames who helped them, but those users hadn’t posted
any proof photos.
They didn't feel the need to authenticate it, plus
there was a risk of exposing their personal information.
That's why
people were hesitant at first, but they became convinced after PassingDwarf's
post.
To make matters worse, Grils had previously posted photos of a
mature mandrake colony.
Hence, those watching the gallery were
starting having this thought.
If I help Grills, I can get a mature
mandrake.
All of this happened in the span of a few hours while
Grills slept.
Title: Imperial nobles are in a mess right now
My
friend is in the imperial guard and the emperor ordered them to bring mature
mandrakes lololol
ã„´ Fr?
ã„´ yeye fr. The rumor’s already
spread
ã„´ They're probably in a meeting right now?
ã„´ Ei.
that’s gotta be bogus
ã„´ Too many similar posts for it to just be
rumors?
Arnold snickered as he read the post.
It is a
baseless rumor, but it's hard to treat it as purely baseless.
Hadn't
Count Gorgon just pleaded with him?
Only because it was Count Gorgon
could he be so bold, but other nobles would be similar.
They’ll do
whatever they can to set up a deal with Grills and win his favor.
Title:
No response from the magic tower?
Mandrake is monopolized by magic
tower, but there's no response?
ã„´ Nothing so far, but I bet they
will soon?
ã„´ The Magic Tower was in the Iris Kingdom, right?
ã„´
Yeah, if they mess up, they might fight the Empire?
ã„´ Over just one
Mandrake, going as far as fighting is ;;
ã„´ They can at least talk.
And Magic Tower must hate this situation in the first place?
ã„´ Why
would they hate it?
ã„´ I already told you they have a monopoly.
Title: Summary of the current situation
1. Mandrakes are
extremely rare. They’re very important as an elixir ingredient.
2.
Mage Tower was originally in charge of managing all mandrakes.
3. The
profits the Magic Tower gains from monopolizing them exceed any imagination.
4.
But what Grills discovered were mature specimens, and quite a large quantity
too.
5. Even a single mature mandrake can instantly yield a top-tier
elixir!
6. Rather than making a losing deal with the Magic Tower,
going straight to Grils is much better.
ã„´ All that sounds good, but
Grils can’t sustain the supply, right? Once they harvest them all, they’ll be
gone.
ã„´ By that logic, the Mage Tower is the same. All they do is
‘manage’ mandrakes; they can’t actually cultivate them.
ã„´ So they’re
all sourced externally?
ã„´ Yeah. Their main job is to keep the
mandrakes healthy so they can make elixirs anytime.
ã„´ They're
monopolizing based on that? What thugs lololol
ã„´ Note: Grills is in
the Forest of Four Seasons so he won't be pressured
ã„´ And it ends up
like this? Damn
Knowing one thing but not the other. Arnold shook his
head disapprovingly.
If he could secure a deal with Grils to supply
mature mandrakes, it would be ideal.
But Grils is unstable. Extremely
so.
So long as he’s living in the Forest of Four Seasons, there’s no
telling when he might die.
'You can’t even buy it with money.'
What
Grils needs is not money but items necessary for survival.
He’s
already gotten a fortune from that known fixed nickname AllFather recently, so
he likely has no desire for more money.
That means they’ll have to
barter, which also adds instability.
'It's better to wait and
see.'
Making unnecessary moves could lead to nothing but trouble.
If at least one factor were stable, it might be a different story.
But everything’s so unstable it’s not very tempting.
'Still,
personally, getting at least one might be worth it….'
If it were a
private matter rather than an official one, the situation would be different.
With the Emperor's health deteriorating recently, it was only
natural to be tempted.
The highest-grade elixir was a burden even
for the palace's budget.
If the Emperor regains his health with a
mature mandrake, Arnold’s position becomes more secure.
It’s not that
his siblings are openly eyeing the throne.
Arnold has two younger
brothers and two younger sisters.
At least one of them should have
been eyeing the throne, but surprisingly, none were.
'Should I call
it luck…?'
The second son has great interest in culture and sits as
the Minister of Culture.
The third son is deeply religious and left
to serve the church. Rumor says he became a holy knight.
The
competition naturally disappeared when the other two younger sisters got
married.
'It would be better for Father to directly hand over the
crown than to grant permission.'
Unless the Emperor personally hands
it over, there will be people who find fault.
Preventing that in
advance is another reason he need at least one mature mandrake.
"...."
But
Arnold hesitated.
It wasn’t because reaching out to Grils was
burdensome.
He sighed and checked the gallery nickname.
A
nickname he had created in his youth, unable to control his childish mind.
[AbsoluteZSuperArnoldDaBest]
"Ha...."
It's an
embarrassing name just to look at.
Why on earth had he picked such a
username?
It would have been better if he had just been anonymous
from the start.
No matter how he thought about it now, he couldn’t
understand his past self.
The only saving grace was that no one knew
about it.
If anyone had found out, he would’ve abandoned the crown
prince position and fled long ago.
'Is it not possible to change the
nickname?'
The gallery was advanced technology ahead of its time,
but it wasn't perfect.
Even after many updates to fix mistakes and
add convenient features, changing one’s nickname remained impossible.
A
way to return to anonymity? There was exactly one.
Empty all the mana
in your body and refill it with new mana.
It's essentially the same
as cleansing your entire body.
It's impossible even if you go
through a complete Ultimate Metamorphosis, so it lasts a lifetime.
'If
I obtain a mature mandrake or help Father, everyone will notice.'
If
that happens, his nickname will naturally be revealed.... He didn’t even want to
imagine it.
He couldn’t just delay, because mandrakes are notoriously
difficult to maintain.
It wasn't for nothing that the Magic Tower
took charge of their management.
The one fortunate thing amidst the
misfortune was that he had deleted all his posts.
If there hadn’t
even been a feature to delete your own posts, he would be stuck with a lifetime
of dark history.
‘Should I ask my younger brother to do it…?’
Arnold
crossed his arms and pondered.
His second brother might be the
Minister of Culture in name, but he really just loafed around.
Whenever he had free time, he would go watch soccer or baseball, no
different from an idle person.
He said it was better to enjoy life
that way than to be in a position of constant hardship.
‘It’s
probably best to keep monitoring the gallery for a while, and confirm who really
has the mature mandrakes.’
That seemed like the best course of action
for now.
Only three days had passed. It was too early to make a fuss.
Arnold stroked his chin while browsing the gallery.
'Still, it would be good to check on cultural matters.'
And to do that, he should probably make a post.
Arnold
immediately wrote a post.
Despite being embarrassed by his nickname,
he decided a short question post would be fine.
Title: Hello. Nice to
meet you.
Author: AbsoluteZSuperArnoldDaBest
I’m new to
the gallery. How does this usually work?
ã„´ Newbie?
ã„´
AbsoluteZSuperArnoldDaBest) Yes. That's right.
ã„´ Then don't use
formal speech, you little shit.
ã„´ Using formal speech when you're
just a newbie?
ã„´ Look at that nickname lol
'???'
Arnold's
eyes were filled with confusion.
****
"Nnnnngh...."
I stretched and loosened my stiff body.
Thanks to the mat
and pillow purchased from the auction house, my bones weren't aching.
If
I had known it would help this much, I would have bought them sooner. Good thing
I realized it quickly enough.
‘The gallery… Huh? Why do I have so
many trade requests?’
My eyes widened.
While I was asleep,
a flood of trade offers had come in.
The gallery didn’t notify you
once you logged off.
That let me sleep like a baby, but it was still
puzzling.
'Most of these are fixed nickname I don’t know. Are they
asking for mature mandrakes?'
That’s likely, since the dwarf posted
yesterday.
Even a single mature mandrake was an incredibly valuable
plant.
If it helped my survival, I was more than willing to trade.
Not
in bulk but individually. My own neck is on the line, what supply am I supposed
to maintain?
If I die while supplying them, it’s meaningless.
[Common
Gallery Adaptation Log][118]
“Huh?”
Then I noticed one
post that stood out.
The comments were one thing, but the upvotes
were unusually high.
What happened while I was sleeping?
It
seemed like a universal rule that all sorts of interesting things happen while
you're asleep.
Title: Common Gallery Adaptation Log
[Come
back, you fucking piece of shit]
[I'm the crown prince, you
bastards.]
[What kind of goddamn asshole.]
[Ugh.
Seriously.]
[I haven’t done anything wrong.]
[Why is
everyone cursing?]
[No. Please hear me out.]
[Is this
the average here?]
[The gallery is really rough.]
[Hello,
nice to meet you.]
Read from the bottom up
ã„´ lmaooo
ã„´
He adapted pretty hard lolol
ã„´ What’s with that nickname
ã„´
idk, looks like some boomer just discovered the gallery.
ã„´ Sounds
like a nickname my father would create?
ã„´ Absolutely. zSuper.
DaBest. Most people get this when they go in
ã„´ No no, nowadays some
people do it intentionally.
'....'
Just another peaceful
day on the gallery.
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