Chapter 19 - Health (4)

It might sound ridiculous, but even the powerful kept a close eye on the forum. Gathering information, checking for leaks, assessing the political climate, getting a glimpse of everyday life in other countries—the list went on. Most of its content might be shitposts, but there were precious things to be gleaned there.

Above all, its greatest advantage was that it offered insight into public opinion, the very thing those in power needed to watch most closely. In an age when gauging public opinion accurately was difficult, the forum was effectively their only window into it.

Of course, relying on the forum alone had serious shortcomings. There had been plenty of occasions when trusting its consensus had instead resulted in protests and rebellions. Since then, the approach had been to beware the “vocal minority” and take what was worth taking while discarding the rest.

Even so, its considerable influence was undeniable. Anyone could use the forum, regardless of age, gender, or social class. The story of a noble who had publicly disparaged it only to turn out to be a hardcore forum addict was famous.

High rank did not erase human desires. If anything, quite a few people vented their stress on the forum after exhausting themselves keeping up their lofty appearances.

That was why the powerful went to desperate lengths to conceal their forum activity. Even if they admitted using it, they usually claimed they only lurked. Hardly anyone believed that excuse, but privacy still deserved respect. Thus, there was an unwritten rule among nobles never to mention the forum. If they did, it could only be among close personal friends.

“Your Highness. We cannot simply stand by and watch this happen.”

“I know that. But the man could drop dead at any moment. Aren’t you rushing things?”

The man voicing his reservations had blond hair, blue eyes, and the classic features of a handsome young nobleman. With his solid build to complete the picture, he seemed to lack nothing. A middle-aged man with graying hair answered in a somewhat urgent tone.

“That is precisely why we must secure as many mature mandrakes as possible before he dies.”

“Count Gorgon. I thought you were a cautious man.”

“There are times when one must act decisively.”

The handsome blond man considered the advice of his loyal subject, Count Gorgon. He was Arnold Louis Messiah, the man who would become the Messiah Empire’s next emperor. With the reigning emperor bedridden by chronic illness and overwork, he was currently serving as acting emperor.

“If we can establish trade with him, we could greatly diminish the Mage Tower’s influence. In particular, we could put pressure on the Iris Kingdom.”

“That is pure hopi—no, optimism. The elves’ recent movements are already unsettling. There is no need to antagonize the Mage Tower as well.”

“But, Your Highness...”

“Enough. I have no desire to discuss a man who might die tomorrow.”

“Would it not be a different matter if we supported him?”

Count Gorgon persisted in his appeal to the end. He was being quite stubborn, but Arnold did not rebuke him. The count was renowned for his exceptional foresight.

It was amusing to see such a man swayed by rumors from the forum. That alone spoke to its considerable influence.

“Our support might help him survive longer. But let me ask you this: who will be responsible for this undertaking?”

“I know someone.”

“Not you?”

“...”

Arnold’s blunt question silenced Count Gorgon, whose eyes widened as well. Just as I thought, Arnold reflected. He gave a quiet chuckle and waved a hand.

“You seem to have intended to take advantage of the forum’s anonymity, but you were too hasty. You may leave.”

“Your Highness.”

“If you insist, I will leave it to your discretion. Though if anyone trades for mature mandrakes in large quantities, I will assume that person is you.”

“...”

“You haven’t been insulting me on the forum, have you?”

“Absolutely not.”

Absolutely not, his foot. Arnold did not believe him. People would curse even their sovereign when no one was listening. How much worse would they be on the forum? He had often been subjected to every insult imaginable over a single ill-conceived policy.

“It has only been three days since this Grylls fellow landed in the Forest of Four Seasons. Exercise a little patience.”

“... Understood. I believe I was too hasty.”

“Then off you go. I have work to do.”

Dismissed, Count Gorgon quietly left the room. Now alone, Arnold leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

‘It’s not as though I’m uninterested myself.’

The forum appeared in his field of vision. It was currently ablaze with an unexpected rumor, sparked by Passing Dwarf’s photograph of a mature mandrake.

Grylls had given them to the registered users who had helped him, but those users had not posted proof. They saw no need to, and there was a risk of exposing their identities. People had been uncertain at first, but Passing Dwarf’s post had convinced them.

What was more, Grylls had previously posted a photograph of an entire patch of mature mandrakes. Those watching the forum had therefore arrived at a conclusion: help Grylls, and they could get a mature mandrake. All this had happened in the few hours since Grylls fell asleep.

The empire’s nobles are losing it right now

My friend’s in the Imperial Guard, and the emperor ordered him to bring back a mature mandrake lmao

└For real?

└Yep, for real. Word’s already everywhere.

└They’re probably in a meeting by now.

└Come on. Surely that’s just some bullshit rumor?

└There are way too many similar posts for it to be just a rumor.

Arnold chuckled as he read the post. It was a bullshit rumor, but he could hardly dismiss it as nothing more. Hadn’t Count Gorgon just pleaded with him about it?

Only someone like Count Gorgon could have discussed it so boldly with him, but the other nobles probably felt much the same. They would try any means available to establish trade with Grylls and win his favor.

Any reaction from the Mage Tower?

They’ve got a monopoly on mandrakes. Nothing from them yet?

└Not yet, but probably soon?

└The Mage Tower’s in the Iris Kingdom, right?

└Yep. Could end up fighting with the empire if things go wrong?

└Fighting over a mandrake is a bit much...

└I mean they could at least say something. Besides, the Mage Tower probably hates this whole situation.

└Why would they hate it?

└I just said they have a monopoly.

Summary of the current situation

1. Mandrakes are extremely rare. Very important because they’re an Elixir ingredient.

2. The Mage Tower has been managing the mandrakes until now.

3. Their monopoly earns them unimaginable profits.

4. But the ones Grylls found are mature, and he has quite a lot.

5. Just one mature specimen, and presto! Top-grade Elixir!

6. Buying directly from Grylls is much better than trading with the Mage Tower at a loss.

└That’s all great, but Grylls can’t keep supplying them forever, can he? Once he digs them all up, they’re gone.

└By that logic, the same goes for the Mage Tower. They literally just “manage” them. They can’t grow mandrakes.

└So they source them all from outside?

└Yep. Their main job is keeping the mandrakes healthy so they can make Elixir whenever they need to.

└And that’s enough to give them a monopoly? What a bunch of crooks lmao

└Reminder: Grylls is in the Forest of Four Seasons, so they can’t pressure him either.

└Who knew it’d work out like this? Damn.

They could see only half the picture. Arnold shook his head. Nothing could be better than establishing trade with Grylls to secure a supply of mature mandrakes. But Grylls was an unreliable prospect. Extremely unreliable. As long as he lived in the Forest of Four Seasons, he might die at any moment.

‘And money can’t buy them, either.’

Grylls needed survival supplies more than money. Having recently received a considerable sum from a registered user named Allfather, he would have little desire for more. That meant barter was the only option, introducing still more uncertainty.

‘Better to watch for now.’

Acting rashly could leave him with nothing to show for it. Had even one aspect been dependable, he might have felt differently, but with uncertainty at every turn, the prospect held little appeal.

‘Still, securing one for my personal use would be worthwhile...’

It was a different matter if this was personal rather than official business. With the emperor’s health deteriorating lately, he could not help coveting one. A top-grade Elixir was expensive enough to strain even the imperial palace’s budget. If a mature mandrake restored the emperor’s health, Arnold could consolidate his own position.

Not that his siblings were after his seat. Arnold had two younger brothers and two younger sisters. One might have expected at least one of them to covet the throne, but surprisingly, none did.

‘I suppose I’m fortunate...’

The second son had a great interest in culture and had become minister of culture. The third was deeply devout and had left home to enter religious life. Arnold had heard he had become a paladin. His two younger sisters had married, naturally removing any remaining competition.

‘It would be better for Father to hand over the crown himself than merely grant his approval.’

Unless the emperor personally passed it on, someone would find fault. He needed at least one mature mandrake to prevent that.

“...”

Yet Arnold hesitated. It was not that he felt uncomfortable approaching Grylls. Sighing, he checked his forum username—the name he had chosen as a child, unable to rein in his youthful bravado.

AbsoluteL33tArnoldFTW

“Haa...”

Just looking at it made him cringe. Why on earth had he chosen a name like that? He should have simply remained an anonymous user from the start. No matter how much he thought back on it, he could not understand his younger self.

The one saving grace was that no one knew. If anyone had found out, he would have thrown away his position as crown prince and fled long ago.

‘Can’t they at least let us change our usernames?’

The forum was an innovation ahead of its time, but it was not perfect. Though various conveniences had been added through repeated trial and error, changing one’s username remained impossible.

Was there a way to become an anonymous user again? Exactly one. Expel every bit of mana from the body and fill it with new mana. It was essentially like washing out the body itself. Even a complete transformation could not accomplish it, so the name was for life.

‘If I obtain a mature mandrake or help Father, everyone will figure it out.’

Then his username would naturally be exposed too... He did not even want to imagine it. He could not delay using it, either, since mandrakes were extremely difficult to maintain. The Mage Tower did not handle their care for nothing.

The silver lining was that he had deleted all his posts. Without even the ability to delete one’s own posts, they would have remained an embarrassing stain on his past.

‘Should I have my brother do it...?’

Arnold folded his arms in thought. The second son was minister of culture in name, but all he really did was laze about. He went off to watch soccer or baseball whenever he could, making him little more than an idler. According to him, enjoying himself that way was better than taking a position that offered nothing but hardship.

‘I should keep watching the forum for now. And find out who has mature mandrakes.’

That seemed the best option for the moment. It had only been three days. It was too early to make a fuss. Browsing the forum, Arnold stroked his chin.

‘Still, I ought to get a feel for the culture here.’

Posting would be a good way to do that. Arnold immediately wrote a post. His username might be embarrassing, but surely a simple question would be fine.

Hello. A pleasure to meet you.

AbsoluteL33tArnoldFTW

I am new to the forum. How do things generally work here?

└You a newbie?

└AbsoluteL33tArnoldFTW: Yes. That is correct.

└Then quit being so formal, you little shit.

└A newbie thinks he can talk all polite?

└Look at that username lmao

‘???’

Confusion clouded Arnold’s eyes.

* * *

“Nnngh...”

I stretched, loosening my stiff body. Thanks to the mat and pillow I had bought from the auction house, I wasn’t aching all over. Had I known, I would have bought them sooner. At least I’d figured it out quickly.

‘Let’s check the forum... What the hell? Why are there so many trade requests?’

My eyes widened. A considerable number of trade requests had arrived while I was asleep. The forum made no notification sounds when closed. That had let me sleep soundly, but it didn’t make this any less puzzling.

‘Mostly registered users I don’t know. Are they after mature mandrakes?’

That was likely. The dwarf had posted yesterday, after all. Even a single mature mandrake commanded a considerable price.

I was perfectly willing to trade if it would help me survive. Individually, not in bulk. I could barely take care of myself, never mind being a supplier. What good would supplying them do if I lost my life in the process?

Your Typical Forum Initiation [118]

“Huh?”

Then a post caught my eye. Never mind the comments—it had a considerable number of upvotes. What had happened while I was asleep? Apparently, all the fun stuff happening while you slept really was a universal law.

Your Typical Forum Initiation

[Like hell I’m ever coming back. Fuck.]

[I’m the crown prince, you fucking assholes.]

[What a bunch of f*cking idiots.]

[Oh, honestly.]

[I have done absolutely nothing wrong.]

[Why is everyone insulting me?]

[No. Please hear me out.]

[Is this the average standard here?]

[The forum is quite a rough place.]

[Hello. A pleasure to meet you.]

Read from the bottom up

└LMAOOOO

└LMAOOOO

└He got one hell of an initiation lmao

└What the hell is with his username?

└Dunno. Guess some kid wandered onto the forum.

└That sounds like a name my dad would pick.

└If it’s got stuff like Absolute, L33t, and FTW, they’re usually a fossil.

└Nah, some people do it on purpose these days.

‘...’

Just another peaceful day on the forum.