Read Novel Full Vol 12 Chapter 14
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(10/18)
Chapter 14 – Appraisal
When I went to the Adventurers’ Guild to discuss the matter of offering the treasures of the Duke’s castle, thanks to Flora-san, I was able to meet with the guild master without a hitch. The meeting went quickly, and an hour later, the guild master was to come to the Lutto to check on the treasure. I feel like the story is moving too fast.
“Is this enough treasure?”
After returning to the Lutto and disguising the ship, I lined up the treasures to be offered and checked them with Alessia-san and the others.
“The miniature of the Duke’s castle, ingots of rare metals and jewelry. And then there are the paintings, vases, and other works of art. …That’s a bit too much, don’t you think?”
Alessia-san tilts her head.
“Compared to the treasures we got at the Duke’s castle, it’s only a little, but is it too much?”
For now, I’m going to avoid oversized gems and choose gems of a reasonable size, but I don’t know anything about the quality of the gems, so it’s hard to say. In a way, it was easier last time because we only had Ryu scales.
“I don’t know how much the artwork is worth.”
If even Alessia-san and the others don’t know, then I don’t know much either.
“What should we do?”
“I guess it depends on the reaction of the guild master? Maybe we should bring in an expert and ask him about it.”
Oh, if we don’t know, let’s ask someone who does. I think that would be the safest thing to do.
Flora-san is here, too, and the guild master is the kind of person who doesn’t seem to pull any tricks, so I don’t think there’s much chance of us being fooled. Even if we were fooled, if the treasure is here, it’s gone, and it’s the original treasure. There would be no problem.
“Master. The guild master is here.”
While I was dealing with the treasure, Felicia, who had been watching outside, informed me that the guild master had arrived. I had to give them permission to board the ship, and if I was dealing with a guild master, I might as well greet him.
When I left the cabin, the guild master and his party had just arrived at the front of the Lutto. There was the guild master, the man who seemed to be his secretary, Flora-san, and a person I hadn’t seen before? Is that guy the appraiser?
While I was watching the guild master and the others, he walked up to me, so I quickly gave him permission to come aboard.
For a moment, I was tempted to see the guild master get pushed away by the barrier, but I guess I couldn’t do that to the guild master I had just met.
“Welcome aboard the Lutto.”
“Ah. The ship is quite good. It seems you’ve made a lot of money for a young man with a magic ship.”
Was that a compliment? I think there’s a bit of sarcasm in it, but the guild master doesn’t seem to be the sarcastic type, so I’ll take it as an honest compliment.
“Thank you very much. Let’s see, shall we go over the items to be offered?”
“Oh, yes, please. I’ll have this guy appraise the item. Is that okay?”
“Oh, yes. No problem.”
So this was the appraiser, after all. He was a thin, nervous-looking man, but he seemed to be a competent appraiser, as a difficult craftsman appraiser should be.
“I am Ottmar. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.”
It was like a conversation between businessmen. It was a bit nostalgic. With a strange feeling of nostalgia, I greeted the guild master and the others on board.
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
“…..”
The guild master and the others are speechless as they enter the ship. They seem to be fascinated by the miniature of the Duke’s castle that they saw as soon as they entered.
The miniature Duke’s castle is about one meter in size, and it is precisely decorated with rare metals and jewels.
Even a precisely made model or diorama is impressive, but because of the materials used, it has an undeniable power. No wonder they lose their voices, right?
“Ahhhhh! This is Joseph! That is Barnabas and Aegon! N-no way, this is definitely it. It’s Aurelle! B-but, it is in a bad condition. Why would you leave such a masterpiece in such a state!”
Ottmar-san, who had suddenly become excited about the painting, looked at me with a murderous stare. Obviously, he has a complaint about the condition of the painting.
From the way Ottmar-san looked at the painting, it seemed that it was definitely a work by a very famous artist that was being kept. I don’t know how many generations of dukes there were, but there must have been some great connoisseurs.
There must have been some treasures of great value in the other paintings and sculptures that were not shown because they were too numerous.
I should leave the rest to Mauro-san of the Castle. He has a wide range of contacts, and I’m sure he’ll make good use of them.
“I don’t want you to complain to me. The painting is exactly as it was when I found it, so it is only due to time that it has deteriorated.”
“But it is not a work of art that should be placed so carelessly!”
It seems that he did not like the fact that the painting was placed carelessly on the sofa. I guess it was only natural.
However, I don’t know how to keep the painting, and I can’t explain that putting it on a rubber boat and taking it back would stop time.
“Can’t I just offer it as it is?”
I don’t want to offer it to the king if it’s in bad condition because he might be angry with me.
“No, this should be presented to the king. It should be entrusted to the best restorers of the castle and kept in the best possible conditions in the castle.”
Ottmar-san said enthusiastically. He seemed to be a cool-headed man, but he was surprisingly passionate.
It’s possible that a nervous person lost his temper over the state of the piece, but, well, I don’t care either way.
“Ottmar. Calm down a bit.”
Just as I was about to drop the matter, the guild master joined the conversation.
“But!”
“They will give it to us. That’s fine. But more importantly, are you sure that these offerings are from the Duke’s castle in the sunken city?”
The guild master hit the nail on the head. Yes, I know, Ottmar-san was so busy looking at the artwork that he forgot to mention it, but that’s what they were here to find out in the first place, right?
“The characteristics of the miniatures in the Duke’s castle match the information we’ve received from adventurers and mermaids who have seen the Duke’s castle. Moreover, considering the fact that there are so many masterpieces here, it is reasonable to assume that they are from the Duke’s castle treasury.”
Ottmar-san, who had cooled down at the guild master’s words, replied that it was authentic. He looked as if he had gone crazy, but he had also calmly finished examining the miniature. There seems to be no doubt that he is a man who can do his job.
“I see, so it’s real… You say you’re Wataru, right? Please tell me in detail how you conquer the Duke’s castle without any fishmen or mermaids, even though you are a group of A-rank adventurers? And what about the Sea Serpent horde?”
Apparently, they were convinced that we had conquered the Duke’s castle. However, the guild master’s gaze was fierce and frightening.
“Let’s sit down first; we can’t just stand around and talk.”
I went to the sofa and asked Felicia to make me a cup of tea. I hope the tea will help them calm down a bit.
“So, how did you do it? The Duke’s castle is a legendary castle in this country. Many adventurers have tried it and given up. I tried it myself, but I failed miserably. How did you conquer it?”
Ah, the guild master was giving me a glare because he had failed as well. I felt a little sorry to tell such a person that we had defeated it with a cheat. I’ll have to make the story sound somewhat convincing.
“Guild master, are you aware of the existence of the Mage-sama who is currently causing a stir in the world?”
“You mean the mage who is said to have brought a huge ship to the Kingdom of Brescia?”
It seems that the information has spread to this country. We did it in a spectacular way, didn’t we? Well, they don’t seem to have noticed us yet, but that can’t be helped as it’s a world without cell phones or the Internet.
“I can’t tell you the details, but I borrowed a ship that can help me conquer the Duke’s castle.”
“What? Are you related to that mage who is the talk of the town among women of high rank? My wife even bothers me with cosmetics!”
…They’re not interested in the mage; they’re just interested in cosmetics. How strong is your wife’s demand on you? Ah, Flora-san nods behind him with a big smile on her face. Considering Flora-san’s enthusiasm, I can understand the guild master’s feelings a little.
“I have secured some cosmetics and other items, so please take them home as souvenirs later.”
“I’m grateful! Hmm, but for the master of an Adventurer’s Guild to accept things from a merchant is…”
The guild master pondered this thought with a troubled look on his face. He seems to be a man with a pretty solid sense of professional ethics. I have a good feeling about him, so I’ll force him to accept the souvenirs as a gift on his way home.
The souvenir set I gave Bella-san would be appreciated. I’ll throw in a bottle of alcohol as well.
“Well, let’s talk about that later and continue with the offering, shall we?”
“Oh, that’s right. I am sorry for distracting you.”
The guild master also returned to a serious expression, perhaps remembering his original purpose. I don’t know if seriousness loses out to cosmetics, but I think it’s polite not to go into it.
＊＊＊
“Whew. It’s finally over. There is a possibility of an audience tomorrow afternoon, but is there any chance of an audience that early?”
In my image, kings should be extravagant.
“Master. I think there is a good chance. The royal family once failed to capture the Duke’s castle under their command. It’s not surprising that they want to see you as soon as possible.”
“Really?”
It’s the word of a local, so it’s believable. I guess I better prepare for the possibility tomorrow.
But it was hard work. The discussion with the guild master went pretty smoothly because I was able to convince them that there were many parts I couldn’t talk about due to the contract with the God of Commerce-sama.
As for the offerings, we decided not to offer any jewelry or ingots because the paintings were quite expensive.
Ottmar-san was a strong opponent. He insisted that I show him other works of art as well since it was natural that there would be other works of art in addition to the ones I was offering.
Even though I told him that I didn’t want to show them, he wouldn’t give up, insisting that the loss of art was a loss to humanity and the importance of storage methods.
I could understand how he felt, and I wanted to make it easier for him by showing him, but I couldn’t nod my head because I had to summon the ship. I couldn’t even explain it to him, so I pushed through with it, not wanting to show it to him. Ottmar-san’s resentful eyes scared me to death.
Well, I think it was not a bad discussion because I let everyone except Ottmar-san accept the souvenirs. It was a little funny to see Flora-san accepting the souvenirs while pretending to be reluctant.
By the way, I should tell Lea-san that I’m going to have an audience soon. Things are quite busy.