Chapter 327

327 Carrot and Stick #1

“Neigh!”

I flailed my body like a jumping mackerel.

I was so startled that my entire body was shaking, and even my eyelids were trembling. Someone spoke to me amidst my panic.

“Hassan, what’s wrong?”

It was Luna, munching on corn.

“Did you have another nightmare?”

“Yes-.”

Only then did I fully grasp the situation.

The nightmare that had been haunting me was gone, and all I could see were my companions huddled together in the cramped cargo area.

Phew, it was just a dream.

I was somewhere where I was being torn apart by an enormous lion, screaming for my life. Realizing it was a dream, my racing heart began to settle, and a sigh of relief escaped me.

As I wiped the cold sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand, Luna, sitting across from me, asked with concern.

“Hassan, you’ve been plagued by nightmares lately.”

“That’s right-.”

I replied vaguely. Then, Hippolyte, who had been dozing next to me, opened her eyes slightly.

“It’s because we’ve been crammed into this cart for over a week. Our bodies have become weak, so we’re having such dreams.”

Hippolyte’s words reminded me that I was on my way back to Sodomora from Delphi.

It had been over a dozen days since escaping the underground arena in Desros.

Seeing no other business in the City of the Sun, we agreed to head toward Sodomora.

Thus, for several days now, we’ve been sleeping and waking in the cramped passenger compartment, so it’s no wonder I’m having nightmares.

However, I knew the reason for my nightmares wasn’t just this. On the day I delivered the necklace to Gloria, Casstor’s sister.

I barely managed to escape from Gloria, who was trying to abduct me, after an arduous struggle.

“Let’s leave everything behind and go live in a dark wilderness together”- those words still send shivers down my spine, making me dizzy.

And the aftermath of that encounter has persisted since leaving Delphi, where Gloria stayed, to the point where she’s started appearing in my nightmares.

The fact that she proposed to me even after I killed her brother shows that the mindset of Samaritans like Gloria is quite peculiar.

I heard that female lions go into heat when a male lion kills their cubs and family members.

I don’t know.

Swoosh-.

I glanced around to see if any Samaritans were chasing us from the direction of Delphi.

Fortunately, there was nothing but quiet plains dotted with autumn flowers swaying in the gentle breeze in the direction we came from.

As if sensing my unease, Hippolyte spoke.

“Hassan, you don’t need to worry so much. Gloria won’t be able to leave Delphi for a while.”

“Is that so?”

“Haven’t you heard? She has to clean the city’s sewage treatment plant. Even someone as capable as her will probably need over a year to handle it alone.”

“Well, that means she could come to Sodomora in a year, right…?”

“That’s true. But, having a year gives us time to prepare. At least we can come up with a plan.”

A plan, huh.

I had already experienced the strength of Gloria the home shrine warrior in a tangible way.

No matter how much we prepare, she will undoubtedly rip it apart like a natural disaster.

So, there was only one way.

To make it impossible for Gloria to cut me down by swiftly becoming a married man myself.

Thinking this, I suddenly noticed the cute girl sitting in front of me.

“I wonder if Doris is taking good care of Keng Keng. She wasn’t a bad kid, but I feel like I might have entrusted too many things to her after only knowing her for a short while.”

Luna seemed worried about her vacated workshop and the management of her cabin, which she entrusted before leaving. It’s probably unsettling for her to have left those things to the nymph Doris of Honey Water, whom she’s only been acquainted with for a short time.

“I already told Antiope to check in on it occasionally, so it should be fine.”

But she quickly seemed to shake off her unease, comforting herself as she continued munching on her corn.

I pictured a happy married life with Luna in my mind. Pink-haired children resembling Luna welcoming me home from work with cries of “Daddy, look! A wolf spider!” and “Keng Keng!”

It was such a pleasant scene that it completely erased the trembling I experienced due to the nightmare moments ago, making me feel very happy.

Then I imagined brown-haired girls attacking the pink-haired ones. Who are these girls’ daughters?

Looking closely, they seemed to be hybrids of the Amazons and Samaritans, resembling both me and Hippolyte equally. The strange proposal I received from Hippolyte had apparently changed the future image of my family.

“Ah! Look ahead!”

Just then, someone shouted from the driver’s seat.

“The walls of Sodomora are in sight! We’ve finally arrived!”

*

After a long absence, the cabin was unexpectedly the same as usual.

If anything, the rampant vines in the yard had been neatly cut, and pretty flowers were blooming, clearly showing signs of careful maintenance.

Dong-glang-.

The sound from the small gateway installed at the entrance to the yard resonated as I entered.

Shortly after, a sound of clattering and a small cry came from inside.

“This is private property! If you don’t want to be stung painfully, you’d better leave quickly!”

“Hey Doris, it’s me! Your friend Luna!”

“Ah! That voice belongs to the landlady!”

Chug-chug-.

The door immediately opened, revealing a nymph with honey-colored short hair and pointed ears.

“I thought this place was becoming mine since you weren’t coming back! Although I’m disappointed it’s not mine, it’s good to see you!”

“Looks like you’ve been taking good care of it!”

“Of course! And Keng Keng is also healthy and well-cared for! Here, this one on my hand is Keng Keng!”

Hee-o-oong.

“Wow, poor Keng Keng! You’ve lost so much weight, you’ve become skinny!”

“It was because of heartbreak after being dumped by a boyfriend! So now I’ve come back slim!”

Grrrr-.

“You should be careful when you mention a boyfriend because he gets angry like this. By the way, isn’t the Nymph of Ditch Water also supposed to be here?”

“She said she was busy and went somewhere else.”

“Antiope also always uses the excuse of being busy to leave Doris alone!”

Seeing Luna and the Nymph of Honey Water Doris chatting noisily already made it feel like coming home.

I felt so exhausted that I didn’t want to do anything for a day or two if I could just lie down.

However, I had something I needed to do. So, I unpacked my luggage at the familiar cabin and headed toward the Western Gate in the center of Sodomora.

The place I was going to was the home of one of the most influential people in Sodomora.

Chiss-chung, clang-.

As I approached the mansion gate, the guards wielding halberds pointed their sharp ends at me and spoke.

“This is the private residence of Count Sarditch.”

“If you have no business here, scram. Barbarian.”

Sooch-.

With that, I pulled out the handkerchief I had kept in my pocket and showed it to them. It was an elegant high-end item embroidered with a golden deer. The guards inspected it and immediately questioned.

“This is a insignia given only to esteemed guests. Where did you get it?”

The mansion of Count Sarditch.

Indeed, the guards were formidable. They weren’t this intense before, but there might have been an order to tighten security in the month I was away in Delphi.

That must be exhausting.

“You should ask your young lady. If you tell her Hassan from Samaria is here, she will probably open the gate.”

“Ah, Hassan of Samaria. There was an order to let you pass without any special inspections. Please come in-.”

It’s surprisingly easy once I mention the name. If I had known this, I should have revealed my identity first rather than arguing needlessly.

So following the opened gate, I entered into the mansion’s garden. Beautiful autumn flowers were vividly blooming across the vast grounds.

How much money must one have to maintain such a garden in the expensive central district near the Western Gate?

Of course, it speaks to how wealthy they are, which means they might be able to spare me some petty cash as well.

The young lady here owes me something, so she will surely help me build a shrine. With this in mind, I entered the mansion from within the garden.

The person who greeted me was a maid dressed in a black dress with her face covered by a black veil.

“Welcome, Lord Hassan. We’ve been waiting for you.”

“Is that so? They were expecting me?”

“The young lady foresaw your arrival and gave instructions beforehand. Then, this way-.”

I followed the maid inside the expansive structure, stepping on the red carpet towards the reception room.

“This is the reception room where the young lady’s guests stay. Please wait here as the young lady will come shortly.”

With that, the maid left. The young lady’s guest reception room—so this must be a room specifically designated for Enya Sarditch to receive guests.

Indeed, a daughter of high nobility would have her own dedicated room for receiving guests. I wondered how many rooms this mansion had.

Must be a ton.

What would it be like to live in such a place?

It might be a hassle to clean, but with the hired servants, they’ll surely take care of cleaning tasks.

A personal chef would prepare meals daily, and for slightly distant trips, their employed coachman would certainly give me a ride.

It was quite an impressive life just thinking about it.

A life where at least dozens of gold flow every month.

The frames and porcelain decorating the reception room must be worth quite a bit. Items of great value that commoners might not even be allowed to touch.

But I am not a commoner.

I am Hassan the mighty Gold God.

Therefore, I could touch the porcelain and frames visible everywhere in this house with my hands.

Being able to freely handle expensive items in someone else’s home—could this be the authority enjoyed by the gods? This is quite impressive indeed.

Just then, with a “Chug!” sound, the door opened, and I quickly sat back down on the sofa. In front of me stood a woman dressed in a pumpkin-colored dress.

Like the maids, her face was veiled in black, and she walked with a cane in her hand, limping slightly, which was somewhat suspicious.

But I recognized her as Enya Sarditch, the young lady who was known as a jewel of Sodomora.

“I thought you would come at this time.”

“Is that so?”

“Before that, please forgive me for receiving you in such attire. I was observing a formal mourning period since the head butler, Voltaire, passed away a week ago.”

“Ah-.”

So someone in this mansion had met their end. Now I understood the black veils worn by the maids.

Clunk-.

Enya limped toward me and sat on the sofa across from me. I asked her,

“How is your leg?”

“Thanks to you, it’s getting better. Now I can run for a few seconds. The healers say I’ll fully recover within a year.”

“Good.”

“So, you’ve come to see me, which must be because of this, right?”

Swoosh-.

The daughter of the earl, Enya, handed me a small scroll she had in her hand.

It was a long story written all over, and the family seal of the earl stamped at the end made my eyes bulge.

“This is…?”

“It’s the approval document for building your shrine. Surely, that’s why you’ve come, right?”

Wow, how could she know the purpose of my visit before I even start talking? I was so surprised and terrified that my eyelids trembled.

Then Enya added one more sentence.

“I heard about your exploits in Delphi. Apparently, you did something amazing.”

“Did you hear that? News travels faster than I thought.”

“Of course, messages are sent at all times. Very soon, the stories about you will spread throughout the city.”

Messages, right.

I thought of the pigeons flying in the sky. Birds with small scrolls tied to their legs flying busily around here and there—that’s the latest information delivery system of this world.

“So I heard you are setting up your own shrine. That means you would need a noble family’s consent, correct?”

“Ah, so you expected I would come here?”

“Yes, Hassan. You are truly a frightening person. Did you plan all this beforehand?”

“Pre… what are you talking about with what?”

“Deceiving everyone else may work, but you can’t fool me, Enya Sarditch. Hassan, you don’t need to pretend to be slow in front of me.”

Pretending to be slow?

I just wanted to live a normal life, but it felt like I got hit with something, making the back of my head and heart ache.

However, when I saw the next item Enya laid on the table, those thoughts vanished completely.

Ching-ching.

It was a fairly heavy bundle.

Ching-ching.

Judging from the sound and based on my awakening as the great Golden Coin God, I estimated it to be about 500 gold coins.

“By any chance, is that 500 gold?”

“That’s correct, 500 gold coins. This is my gratitude for healing my leg and also the fee you’ve been asking of me. It’s all the investment funds I have. You must have known I would do this, didn’t you?”

Realizing her amount of gold coins had been accurately calculated, Enya seemed genuinely surprised, even gasping.

Ding-. My head filled with thoughts as if a spring had snapped.

I said,

“Actually, you’re spot on. It’s something I kept secret from everyone. Truly ingenious of you, young lady, to figure out my plan.”

“Indeed…”

It seemed the young lady was very relieved to have correctly guessed my thoughts.

I don’t know what expression her face had under the black veil, but as I looked at the bundle of 500 gold coins, everything else didn’t matter anymore.

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