Chapter 50 - Shoes (2)

While Grylls squabbled with the speed-sloth, his post stirred up quite a commotion on the forum.

His usual stance was that he would trade only if there was something he needed. Living in the wild, he had no use for money, let alone noble titles. Pressure didn't work on him either.

What kind of stuff would Grylls like?

I'd like to get my hands on a mature mandrake.

└I'm telling you, draw him some porn. Honestly, I don't see any other option.

└Quit fucking around and be serious.

└I'm dead fucking serious. What else can he get off with in the Forest of Four Seasons? lol

└Tofu?

└You crazy bastard lmaoooo

That was why the users, especially registered users who wanted to establish a connection with him, were racking their brains. How could they give Grylls something he would like? How could they trade it for a mature mandrake?

The uncertainty made ongoing trade difficult. But a one-off transaction would be enough. Even a single successful deal could yield an enormous profit.

Grylls has all the leverage

Where are you guys gonna find a mature mandrake? lmao He's the only one who can get them right now lol

└We're not talking regular mandrakes. These are mature mandrakes lol

└Ask them where they'd get one and they'll all shut up.

└That's why we're asking him for one. A single one could seriously turn your life around.

└Are mature mandrakes really that good?

└I heard you can make a top-grade Elixir out of one.

└And Grylls can dig them up like radishes. They're right next door.

Above all, Grylls had one unique advantage: rarity. Mature mandrakes were among the medicinal herbs that even money couldn't buy. Their rarity alone more than proved their worth.

Credibility wasn't an issue either. Trust in him had soared after the inner-core incident.

All it took was a proper "trade" to get something rare. And if that led to a lasting connection? Grylls would benefit from all sorts of support, while the other party could profit from rare goods. It was a win-win.

Grylls's commission is seriously demanding

The shoes he wants are really tricky. I doubt anyone but a master craftsman could make them.

But wouldn't it be better to just buy them with money instead of trading a mature mandrake? lol

└Nah, you can't cash out forum money. Bartering is actually better.

└Oh, right. You can't cash it out, can you?

└Yeah. If you could, the world's economy would be fucked lol

└Maybe not fucked, but it'd take a serious hit. It's only working out because they take hefty fees.

└Wouldn't it be better to make the shoes and just sell them? Why trade them for a mandrake?

└Exactly. Aren't you sucking Grylls's dick a little too hard?

└Go find a mature mandrake yourself. Then I'll give you that.

└That's not what I mean. From a craftsman's perspective, selling them for money is better. They don't need a mature mandrake.

└Wouldn't someone higher up pay a craftsman to do it? Plus, plenty of craftsmen use the forum. It could turn into a battle of pride.

└So who's famous for making shoes?

└Dwarves have the reputation, as always, but demons have the edge these days.

└Why?

└They make sports shoes lol

└That explains it immediately lmaooo

Most importantly, money deposited into the forum couldn't be withdrawn as cash. Had that been possible, it would have invited crimes such as money laundering. This structural feature gave physical goods even greater value.

The rarity of an item one might never see in a lifetime. The advantage of bartering rather than paying money. And finally, credibility.

Those three conditions had combined to create a peculiar mood on the forum, drawing in not only registered users who regularly showed off their possessions, but also people looking to build a connection with Grylls.

"I presume you have seen the forum as well."

"Yes, Your Highness. Does that mean..."

"I would have ignored it had it required a steady supply. But this Grylls fellow has posted a commission, offering a mature mandrake as the reward, no less."

Arnold, the blond, blue-eyed crown prince, explained the situation solemnly.

Count Gorgon, a graying middle-aged man, broke into a radiant smile at his explanation. The smile was so transparent that Arnold chuckled inwardly, though he let none of it show. He couldn't simply stand by this time either. That was how important this matter was.

"A long-term contract with Grylls would be uncertain. But a one-off contract like this is exceedingly important. Especially when he has posted the commission himself."

"Yes, Your Highness. I shall summon the craftsmen at once—"

"Hear me out. We mustn't be too hasty."

Arnold reined in the count's excessive show of loyalty. Gorgon was highly capable and otherwise perfectly satisfactory, but his tendency to go overboard was a problem.

'It must mean he has that much ambition.'

For someone in power like Arnold, the easiest people to trust weren't the incorruptible. An ambitious person who was moderately corrupt and moderately righteous was just right. Satisfy their ambitions, and they would offer their loyalty. That made them easy to trust.

'Of course, if he crosses the line, I'll have his head...'

But it hadn't come to that yet. Count Gorgon was full of ambition, not greed.

"Unnecessary pressure may only provoke resistance from the craftsmen. Can anything made under the weight of authority truly be quality work?"

"Wouldn't that constitute lese-majesty?"

"Then we should keep them from committing the offense in the first place. We are the ones who need them. The same will be true elsewhere."

Anyone who met the conditions could use the forum. Shoes of the quality Grylls wanted might appear at any moment. So Arnold had thought about how to beat the fierce competition.

"And if we are too late, we may not be able to trade with him. All our efforts would go to waste."

"Then we must work even faster..."

"We shall take a different approach. One that will leave him no choice but to trade with us even if he is already wearing someone else's shoes."

"Pardon?"

Count Gorgon's eyes widened. He couldn't begin to understand what Arnold meant. But Arnold wasn't finished. He readily laid out his plan.

"Wild Grylls wants shoes that can do almost everything. He placed particular emphasis on durability."

"Y-yes. That's correct. If he injures his feet, he'll be stranded."

"Above all, what matters most to him is trust. He will be even more careful with something like this."

"Come to think of it, there are rumors he was recently scammed."

'I know,' Arnold replied inwardly.

He hadn't actually been scammed, but had come close. The same incident had also increased others' trust in Grylls. It had made him more cautious, too—enough to announce that he would get anything potentially expensive authenticated by a registered user before listing it at auction.

Would a man like that readily agree to a trade? Arnold was certain he wouldn't. Unlike the registered users who had helped him out of pure goodwill, this transaction would depend on trust.

"First, approach a craftsman, preferably one under contract with the military. If we are too late, we can use the shoes as military boots."

"Understood."

"I hope for a favorable result. Once the shoes are made, report to me before contacting him."

"I shall live up to your expectations!"

With that spirited declaration, Count Gorgon left. Arnold stared after him for a while, then raised his eyes. The forum window, which was gradually becoming familiar to him, floated in his view.

'Grylls will certainly check the registered users' posts. An empty post history will surely make him suspicious.'

By now, Arnold had a sense of Grylls's character. He was the sort who couldn't rest until he had given something back whenever he received something. He repaid goodwill with goodwill, and malice with malice.

Perhaps thanks to that agreeable disposition, quite a few registered users had befriended him. Even his occasional squabbles with Passing Dwarf were more like banter between mischievous friends. They got along well.

'At the very least, he isn't someone who deceives others. He will give us the mature mandrake without fail.'

Assuming, of course, that he received the shoes he wanted. Someone could create a registered account, hand over a lousy pair of shoes, and then refuse to say another word. Registered users weren't all free of scammers, after all. Human malice was a frightening thing.

'I'd like to handle this myself, but...'

Arnold checked his username again.

AbsoluteSupr3meArnoldRulzRulz

It made him feel like coughing up blood every time he saw it. He squeezed his eyes shut. He would sooner jump to his death than post under that embarrassing name. At least he had the ambitious Count Gorgon to rely on.

'We must show trust first if we want him to trust us in return.'

Arnold's plan was this: rather than exchange the items at the same time, they would send the shoes first. By receiving the mature mandrake the next day, they would win Grylls's favor and trust.

'To do that...'

Arnold glanced around. No one else could see his forum window, but he was still self-conscious. Of all his private affairs, the forum was the most sordid.

After making sure no one was nearby, he began to write a post. He had just said he would jump to his death before posting, but sometimes life called for the courage to take the leap.

Grylls, please read this.

AbsoluteSupr3meArnoldRulzRulz

There are many people on the forum who scam others even after creating registered accounts.

I therefore recommend receiving the item first, then sending the mature mandrake the next day.

You have always conducted yourself honorably, Grylls, so I believe you have nothing to feel guilty about.

└Who are you to tell him what to do?

└Isn't this fucker just trying to keep the competition in check?

└What a cynical way to live lol

└It's not cynical. I've been scammed that way before...

└Yeah, there are more of those types than you'd think. Happens the other way around a lot, too.

└That is definitely the proper procedure. Gives you peace of mind.

└What if Grylls scams them?

└Wild Grylls: If I can't trade the next day, I'm already fucking dead. Anyway, thanks for the advice.

└Lmaoooo

└Lmaooo

└Oh shit lmaooo

Arnold smiled in satisfaction at Grylls's reply. As expected, the other party would have to demonstrate trust first.

'That registered dwarf user will have a pair made, so I should assume there are only one or two mature mandrakes left on offer.'

That was the best they could hope for. Humans had a high ceiling, but dwarf craftsmen were difficult to match. Arnold hoped Count Gorgon would bring back good results. It would make life easier for both of them.

Putting this dumbass on blast.

As he found himself browsing the forum, a title caught Arnold's eye. The title alone was striking, but the author was Grylls. If he was exposing someone, it seemed there had been another scam attempt. Curious to see what fool had earned Grylls's distrust, Arnold opened the post.

Putting this dumbass on blast.

Wild Grylls

Have you got the shoes ready already?

xxx

Yes. But you'll have to give me two mature mandrakes.

? What the hell are you talking about?

xxx

There are two shoes, aren't there?

Just so you know, if you give me one, I'll give you one shoe.

Beat me at word chain and I'll give you two.

I'll start. Sewing machine.

xxx

Machine-made dentures.

Dentures for your mom.

What the fuck is wrong with this guy? Putting him on blast.

└Lmaoooooo

└Lmaoooooo

└Is he an imbecile? lmaoooo

└Look at him setting up "sewing machine" to get to "dentures" lmaooo

└Seriously shameless lol

└xxx: Delete this post. If you don't, I'll retaliate.

└Wild Grylls: How? Gonna come to the Forest of Four Seasons? I'd be grateful. Dig up your own mature mandrakes.

└Lmaooo he really is an imbecile.

└Threats don't work on Grylls, buddy lol

└Stuff like this does make his life look convenient lol

"Heh heh heh."

Arnold chuckled. The world truly was vast, and full of fools. Using the forum had taught him that.

'I'll browse a little longer, then get back to work.'

Arnold leisurely scrolled through the forum, and...

"Aaaaaaagh!"

Just as Grylls had, he gazed into an abyss he should never have seen.