I Awakened My Game System! Now Three Great Houses Want Me Dead!-Chapter 123: Ago III
The air inside was cooler and faintly damp. The ground was uneven but walkable.
Xenos led the way deeper without hesitation, as if he knew the place by heart, while the others trailed closely behind, none of them thinking of asking how, not even Eris.
"Most lands with these features usually house something incredible beneath."
Again, those behind him, as well as Eris, didn’t bother asking him how he knew that.
They ’knew’ just how many secrets he was hiding, and they’d be lost if they started to count.
As the light from the cave’s makeshift entrance began to dim, he lifted a hand, and with a small flash, a torch materialized in it, already lit, making the others freeze up.
"You said you didn’t have a Dimensional Item... or is this also the Rune? But wasn’t it just—where did you even—"
"Shh."
Xenos raised a finger, hushing Arc’s gawking.
"It’s a trade secret."
Eris’s amused voice hummed softly in his head.
’You do love showing off, don’t you?’
’I’ve got to keep morale up somehow.’
They kept walking until the narrow tunnel finally widened into a cavern.
Once there, Xenos stopped and turned to a small patch of wall, its rough gray surface glinting faintly in the firelight.
He pointed at it in quite a grand fashion.
"Welcome to House Eris’s gold mine."
Everyone blinked, unable to believe what they had just heard.
But it was true, no matter how unbelievable, because there, beneath the rock, a vein of gold shimmered. They could see it clearly: many thin threads of bright yellow metal laced through the stone.
Real gold.
"This... this’s incredible..."
Gaia gasped softly, covering her mouth.
"That’s..."
Arc stepped closer, his blue eyes a bit too wide.
"That’s really gold."
Aspen crouched down, running a hand over the vein.
"It looks pure... barely any impurities. My Lord, this—this could fund a city."
Xenos’s grin widened.
"Or my House."
Eris’s laughter echoed faintly in his head.
’Clever boy.’
"Always am~.’
And just like that, he turned to leave.
"Alright. Let’s claim this spot and start digging when we can. I’ve got plans."
The others stood there, still staring at the gold, the weight of what they’d just found sinking in... Arc’s jaw had hung open, Gaia had both hands clasped tight around her staff, Aspen was inspecting the vein like a craftsman sizing up a fortune, while Medea was already running numbers in her head.
If one were to judge by Xenos’s actions, this might seem like no big deal, but it was so very far from it. This’d shake up every single House in the region, perhaps even the gold market in its entirety, as a new competitor would be joining them soon, something that didn’t happen in the past decade or so.
"Calm down before you start drooling on the rocks."
Xenos’s words finally snapped them out of it.
"I’m not drooling!"
Arc barked, wiping his mouth instantly.
Gaia didn’t bother hiding her giggle.
"It’s not bad for a graveyard, hehe."
***
Back In The present.
’Hm.’
Xenos frowned.
Yeah, he was still annoyed. Despite becoming a Shepherd, despite having everything required, he still couldn’t use Synaxis, and that little bastard tsundere wolf could.
His level barely moved even after he broke that Fallen Rune a few days back.
Since the Colosseum, things had gotten busy.
Between the gold mine, the House staff, and the influx of applicants, most of his time was spent working, not fighting, a fact that annoyed him to no end, enough that he’d have ignored it entirely if not for its necessity.
Merchants to vet, builders to pay, recruits to train, and, of course, paperwork to throw at others. He was so swamped; he didn’t even remember how many new rooms he’d ordered built.
Not accounting for the new buildings he personally constructed, his manor had basically doubled in size, a constant hum of hammering and shouting filling the air every day.
While chaos suited him, and he preferred it most of the time, he also liked watching it all come together—his House, his people, his own brand of madness taking root in the world.
Though Xenos didn’t notice it, he’d changed way more than he realized.
Even in other aspects of his build, important aspects.
Still, as one would expect out of an engineer...
’I need to see numbers!’
***
One Month Ago
Xenos’s office smelled of parchment, steel, and something burnt.
He wasn’t sure which of the three caused it—probably all of them.
Leaning back in his chair, he put his boots up on the table and flipped through a stack of papers that looked way too official for someone like him.
Across from him stood an Antropho built like a brick furnace, short, broad, with a square jaw, a beard the color of fire, and arms that could crush a horse.
It was a boar-folk, an Erymanth.
His request likely came only because of the Lyacons in Xenos’s fold.
Their joining of his House was paying off already... but they didn’t need to know that.
The Erymanth stood perfectly straight, his leather apron spotless, his tools still hanging from his belt.
"Name?"
Xenos asked without looking up.
"Vulcan, son of Jupiter."
"Right. Of course you are."
Vulcan’s brows twitched.
"Yes, my Lord."
Xenos squinted at him.
"You talk weird."
"I—apologies?"
"Too polite."
He leaned forward.
"You’re supposed to be a blacksmith, not a priest."
That earned a brief blink, but Vulcan said nothing.
His appearance was incredibly cliché, and that annoyed Xenos.
Though his way of speaking wasn’t, as he spoke quite... normal.
Or rather, he was quite formal and respectful.
That was probably why he was messing with him.
Something that he seemed to continue to do.
"Hm, alright."
Xenos flipped a page, set it down, and steepled his fingers.
"I already know you’re good at what you do."
"Thank you, my Lord."
"That’s not a compliment."
"...I see."
Xenos grinned.
"I just want to know what kind of crazy I’m hiring."
Vulcan blinked again.
"...Pardon?"
"You heard me."
He sat up, putting his elbows on the table.
"How good are you at singing?"
That got him silence...
"Singing, my Lord?"
Though not for too long.
"Yes. Singing. Like, if you were forging a sword and had to belt out a tune, would you hit the notes or scare the steel?"
Vulcan’s face twitched just enough to betray confusion.
"I—suppose I can carry a tune... B-but not professionally."
"Acceptable... Next question: do you hate being unclean?"
"...I am a blacksmith."
"That’s not an answer."
Vulcan sighed through his nose.
"No, my Lord. I do not hate it."
"You should. Alright, third question."
His eyes made it obvious that he meant trouble.
"What do you feel about your blades being the cause of the deaths of thousands?"
Vulcan’s expression froze.
He clearly hadn’t been expecting that one.
But after a moment, he managed to let out an answer:
"Every blade has a purpose. I make them to serve that purpose. What others do with them... is not mine to judge."
Xenos chuckled.
"Finally, a good answer."
He flipped his quill between his fingers.
"Alright, next one—what would you do if a client asked you to forge something cursed?"
"Please define cursed, my Lord."
"Something that screams."
"...screams?"
"Yes. Loudly."
Vulcan hesitated.
"...Would it pay well?"
Xenos burst out laughing.
"Now that’s the spirit!"
The tension cracked instantly.
Even Eris in his mind sounded amused.
’You really do enjoy tormenting people.’
’I’ve got to test their limits somehow~.’
He fired off a few more questions after that, all increasingly absurd.
Favorite metal smell. Least favorite kind of fire. If he could forge underwater. Whether he believed an anvil could be haunted. To the Erymanth’s credit, he answered every single one. Patiently and calmly, even when his forehead vein started to pulse.
By the time Xenos was done, he leaned back again, satisfied.
"Alright, you pass."
Vulcan took a moment.
"...that was the test?"
"More or less. You didn’t explode, so that’s a plus."
"...I see."
"Now..."
Xenos snapped his fingers as if it had just occurred to him.
"Go make me a sword."
Vulcan straightened.
"Now?"
"Yup. Use the forge downstairs. I want to see if the rumors match reality. If it’s good, you’re in."
"I understand, my Lord."
"Good. And make it your best. I’m not interested in ’average.’"
That seemed to hit something in Vulcan.
His back straightened more, his voice firm.
"Then you shall have my best."
"Perfect, but do you not want me to show off my stance and a few moves first? Good as you are, you’ll still need to see how I move to make something that truly suits me."
Vulcan shook his head.
"I saw both of your Games."
"Oh, glad that I have a fan~!"
Xenos waved him off while teasing him.
"Alright then, go nuts, but don’t burn the place down."
Vulcan bowed deeply, his hand over his heart.
"I will not disappoint you."
He turned on his heel and left the room, shutting the door behind him.
"You won’t."
Xenos asked all these questions for good reason, and yes, it was more than just his love for angering people. He was sure of the man’s quality of work; this Vulcan was incredibly talented.
What Xenos wanted was to see the extent to which he could push him, and judging by what happened, quite a lot.
"Hm..."
He stretched his arms overhead.
"Now let’s see the other one."
