‘If I could handle it…..’
He could negotiate a significant amount of money from both kingdoms in order to allow the expeditions to use it. But was that all? The Ark of Creation was able to turn the tide of the war so he could gain a lot of achievements. If that happened then he could get his hands on the 1.3 billion won prize money!
‘But Lariette-nim is the only one that can use the Ark of Creation…..’
It would become difficult to engage in business involving the Ark of Creation. But who was Ark? He was an unscrupulous merchant who didn’t let go of even a single blade of grass! It was a lucrative treasure so Ark wasn’t going to give up the chance to earn money. And Ark found a way to make money from it in an unexpected direction. It was the prophet clan who provided Ark with a hint.
‘Huhuhu, I can’t miss this opportunity.’
Ark was smiling at his thoughts when he heard Haverstein’s voice again.
“This is a big deal. With the Ark of Creation, we can fully cleanse the black fog spreading from the black obelisks on the continent.
This is the method to save the continent.”
Haverstein continuously praised Ark’s achievements in a cheerful voice. But Ark’s next words poured cold water on Haverstein’s giddy mood.
“I’m sorry but the Ark of Creation can’t be used at the moment.
“…….Can’t be used? What do you mean?”
“Actually, a significant amount of ‘Sacred Blood’ is required in order to use the Ark of Creation.
“Sacred Blood?”
“This.”
Ark took out a few small, red stones from his bag.
-Sacred Blood (Special)
A mysterious stone rarely found in deep dungeons. This stone is called Sacred Blood and has something to do with an ancient myth. According to the ancient myth, the Creator used its own body to make the world.
The pieces of skin became the earth while the bones became various minerals. And the oceans and lakes were made with blood and tears. But when separating the body, some blood mixed with the pieces of skin and became buried underground. These pieces hardened after several thousand years passed. Because it contains the hardened blood of the Creator, the Sacred Blood is said to be the closest thing to the Creator’s body which exists in this age.
But this is not confirmed as it reacts like a common stone to magic and solvents.
“These stones are necessary to use the Ark of Creation?”
Haverstein asked after examining the Sacred Blood.
“Yes, there is a legend that the Sacred Blood is a hardened drop of the Creator’s Blood.”
“I have heard of that legend before.”
The person who answered was Nadin, the person in charge of spreading supplies. He dealt with various supplies so was well-versed in different legends.
“But wasn’t that a rumour some merchant used to try and sell the Sacred Blood?”
“It’s not just a rumour.”
“Then the Sacred Blood really contains the blood of the Creator?”
“That is unknown…..but the Ark of Creation contains the Creator’s power. And the Sacred Blood is its source of power. Therefore it is highly likely that the legend of the Sacred Blood isn’t entirely unfounded.”
“The legend of the Sacred Blood isn’t the important thing.”
Haverstein said after looking at Ark.
“The important thing is to collect the Sacred Blood so we can use the Ark of Creation.”
“Yes, but the problem is that it is fairly difficult to obtain the Sacred Blood.”
Ark mock sighed and replied. The Ark of Creation consumed 100 Sacred Blood with every use! When considering the future, there was no telling how many Sacred Blood was needed. But like Ark said, it wasn’t that easy to secure the Sacred Blood. Despite the legend attached to the information window, it still seemed like an ordinary stone. It couldn’t be used as a magic equipment or be used in jewellery since it was a plain stone. Therefore the NPC stores weren’t willing to buy it. In other words, the only way to purchase the Sacred Blood was through users. That’s why it was difficult for Ark to obtain the Sacred Blood.
“We have no choice but to use the Ark of Creation to purify the black fog in the Sinius Principality. So it is most important to obtain a reliable supply of Sacred Blood. But it can only be bought from foreigners so it is difficult to obtain a steady supply.”
“Do you have a solution?”
“There is a way……”
Ark hesitated before carefully replying.
“The problem is money.”
“Money?”
“Yes, the Sacred Blood is a stone rarely found. The foreigners haven’t discovered its uses yet but they have a lot of curiosity so they won’t sell it cheaply. And in order to obtain a steady supply, men would have to be sent to various places to buy it. So considerable labour costs are required.”
“I know what you mean.”
Haverstein nodded as if he understood. And he answered in a firm voice.
“But the Ark of Creation is the key to settling the Demonic War. We have to secure the Sacred Blood no matter how much it costs so please put all your efforts into it.”
‘It’s a success!’
Ark nodded with a smile of satisfaction at Haverstein’s words. This was the method Ark used to gain money from the Ark of Creation. In fact, it was quite difficult for Ark to secure the Sacred Blood. But even if it was a rare item, there were millions of users in New World. There would always be some for him to buy. Still the reason Ark exaggerated it was to raise the price of the Sacred Blood. Currently Ark was supplying the expedition with munitions at 70% of the market price. But that was possible because Ark was participating in the production of the supplies. But if he bought it from the foreigners and sold it at 70% then he would suffer a loss.
So Ark had included a provision when making the contract for the exclusive supplies. If the commander and quartermaster acknowledged an exception for an item then he could get 10% of the purchase fee. In other words, if an exception was authorized then Ark would obtain a profit of 10%. Of course, the Sacred Blood was the exception item. No matter how much he bought in the end, Ark could make a profit of 10%. However, the reason Ark raised a fuss was to obtain more profit. In other words, he could state the he required additional labour fees in order to obtain a steady supply of the Sacred Blood. And the Schudenberg expedition had no choice but to buy the Sacred Blood in order to use the Ark of Creation.
‘Hopefully I can gain 20% of the purchase price because of the handling fee and still obtain a lot of Sacred Blood. If the price inflates then I can receive several thousand gold in profit.’
Ark thought like that and made an even bigger fuss.
“Well, money isn’t the only problem to obtaining the Sacred Blood……
But I know the important of the Ark of Creation so I will mobilize my guild and try my best to secure it. But the amount of Sacred Blood required by the expedition will be huge. Even if I rally my personnel, the 10% handling charge in the contract won’t be sufficient. In order to make certain ends meet, I need at least 20% of the fee…….”
Just as Ark was about to bargain in earnest.
“Wait a minute.”
Nadin who was looking at Ark carefully suddenly interrupted.
“Is it really that hard for Lord Ark to obtain the Sacred Blood?”
“What do you mean?”
“I know that the Sacred Blood is a rare stone but I’m not sure that obtaining it will be difficult enough to guarantee raising the fee in the contract. No, in fact I’ve been doubting your abilities as the exclusive supplier for the expedition army.”
‘This bastard, what is he suddenly making a fuss about?’
Ark felt annoyance rise at Nadin’s words. But Nadin just ignored Ark’s reaction and continued talking.
“Commander-nim knows fully the important of the Ark of Creation to the expedition. Clearly money isn’t an issue if it is to obtain the Sacred Blood. The supply of Sacred Blood is important. I have no objections to this part.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
“The problem is the quality of the supplier.”
“The quality of the supplier?”
“Your duty is to supply items for soldiers fighting in the war to support them. Being able to supply the necessary items no matter how hard it is to obtain is a necessary quality of the supplier. But Lord Ark just admitted that it would be difficult for him to obtain a reliable supply of the Sacred Blood. Then isn’t he missing the qualities of a supplier?”
“No, that……”
Ark hurriedly rushed to talk. However Nadine struck first.
“Sacred Blood is the most important item for the expedition so having the supplier be unable to obtain it is a huge problem. If he has no confidence then can we really leave such an important item to Lord Ark?”
“Hrmm……”
Haverstein sighed with a careful expression. Nadin’s words did make sense. Haverstein’s expedition going forward would centre around the Ark of Creation. It was the obvious strategy. But he couldn’t ignore the risk of what would happen if the important Sacred Blood supply was disrupted.
“But Lord Ark has done wonderfully as the expedition’s supplier. Shouldn’t you just believe in him?’
“The Sacred Blood isn’t some simple supplies. It is a key item which will determine success or failure. I think that leaving to problem to a more accomplished merchant would be better.”
“You think that a merchant will be better?”
“Yes, the merchant’s guild in Selebrid.”
‘That bastard……’
Ark started to realize Nadin’s reason for causing an uproar. Nadin was an aristocrat who belonged to Duke Sarkin’s faction. Duke Sarking had been sure his candidate would win and had already organized with the merchant’s guild in Selebrid to provide supplies. However, that was all wasted when Haverstein unexpectedly became commander. That’s why Nadin had disapproved of Ark from the beginning. And he immediately pounced on this situation with the Sacred Blood to cause problems for Ark. He even tried to transfer the matter of the Sacred Blood over to the merchant’s guild in Sel