Chapter 9

The day after rescuing Trainu, Mercedes was led to the reception room of the Trainu Trading Company headquarters.

Behind her, Benkei stood on guard, vigilantly watching the surroundings.

In the seat in front sat Trainu, looking much better than he did yesterday.

The reason she was called here was to properly express his gratitude for being saved yesterday, but the main topic was probably not that.

"Let me thank you again, Miss Mercedes. Thanks to you, I can walk under the moon once more. I would like to properly express my gratitude. Is there anything you desire?"

"There is something I want... but it's not something you can buy in a store."

"Really? What kind of thing?"

"Something portable with high nutritional value and calories. I want you to help me make it. What do you think? I don't think it would be a bad deal for you either."

Now that she had successfully made chocolate, the next thing Mercedes wanted to create was canned food.

Sealing food in a container with high airtightness and sterilizing it before sealing it. It sounds simple, but it took a long time for humans to reach this point.

Unfortunately, this world had not yet reached that level.

She didn't want to disrupt the market, but long-lasting food would be a great help to many Seekers, including herself.

"Would you allow me to sell it?"

"I'll take ten percent of the sales. And you must never reveal my name as the inventor. I want to sell the manufacturing method under these conditions. Of course, the method for making the food you asked about last time will also be sold under the same conditions."

For Trainu, meeting Mercedes was a stroke of luck. Not only had his life been saved, but his savior turned out to be a gold mine.

However, it wasn't just luck for Trainu. For Mercedes, the encounter was also fortunate.

Mass-producing chocolate was difficult for her alone, but with a major merchant like him backing her, it was possible.

Moreover, if she could also earn the revenue from the mass-produced chocolate, it would be perfect.

"If you say no, that's fine. In that case, I'll just take the cash."

"And then go sell the manufacturing method to another trading company, right?"

"You know it."

This was half true, half a lie.

If she could do that, she would have already done it.

After all, she was just a side child of a questionable noble, with no real power. If she suddenly visited a trading company with a profit-making idea, she would likely be turned away.

Trainu thought for a moment and then made his decision.

"Alright, I'm a merchant too. I'll accept your conditions."

"Deal. Then..."

Mercedes took a piece of paper from her pocket.

This time, it was not her homemade papyrus but a properly purchased parchment.

It detailed the disadvantages of breaking this contract.

One, if the conditions were violated, all rights to the product would be transferred to the other party.

Two, making the same product after transferring rights would not be allowed.

There were other details, but these two points were the most important.

"If you agree, I would like a blood seal. I will also sign under the same conditions."

"A blood contract, huh."

Among the vampire culture, there is something called a blood contract.

It's not magically binding, but a vampire who breaks a blood-sealed promise is considered a disgrace to the race and must live with the stigma for life.

Breaking a blood contract is a heavier sin for vampires than killing someone.

And, of course, while it has no magical binding power, it does have legal binding power.

Blood contracts are mainly used for agreements between merchants or between cities.

However, it is a double-edged sword, as it also binds the person who makes it, so it should not be used lightly.

"Alright, it doesn't seem to have any unreasonable conditions."

Trainu bit his finger and pressed the blood seal.

After witnessing this, Mercedes also pressed her blood seal, completing the binding contract.

Needless to say, the contract was not just one sheet. Both parties needed a copy, so two blood seals were required.

"Then, can you teach me right away?"

"Sure. Let's start with the chocolate... this black stuff..."

Mercedes then explained the methods for making chocolate and canned food.

She also detailed the structure and mechanisms of the tools needed to make them, as well as the materials required to create those tools.

She provided more information than necessary, but it was a way to build goodwill.

After all, the profits would eventually return to her, so there was no point in holding back.

They continued discussing until the sun rose and the day ended.

◆

As night fell, Mercedes returned to the Seeker Guild.

She didn't need to buy new weapons, but this time she had Benkei, so she bought a slightly larger backpack.

Inside were ropes, spare candles, extra clothes, a compass, drinking water, parchment, chocolate, and a pickaxe. Of course, Benkei would carry it.

People looked at Mercedes and Benkei with curiosity, but no one approached them.

Entering the guild, she headed to the counter as usual, where the receptionist greeted her with her usual eerie smile.

"Oh, welcome. I've been waiting for you."

"Hmm? Is something wrong?"

"Yes. You've been promoted to E-rank today. Congratulations."

It seems she had been promoted after just two mapping missions.

No, there were also pet captures and water collection, so it was four missions.

With this, she could take on more profitable requests.

So, this time she took on two requests for material collection from monsters.

【Wari Jelly Collection Request】

Client: Sweets Shop Reira

Reward: 20,000 Elka~

Deadline: Within 2 weeks

Details: Capture or collect a part of the Wari Jelly that appears in the dungeon. The reward will increase based on the amount of jelly you bring back.

【Gelippe Fetter's Sword Theft Request】

Client: Industrial Guild

Reward: 10,000 Elka~

Deadline: Within 3 weeks

Details: Steal the sword of the Gelippe Fetter that appears in the dungeon. I will buy it for 10,000 Elka per sword.

Mercedes decided to take on these two requests.

The skeleton swordsman, Gelippe Fetter, was probably the one whose sword she had stolen. The characteristics described in the request matched.

She would bring back a few of the same swords for herself.

As for the Wari Jelly, she wasn't quite sure. It was described as a gray jelly in the shape of a human.

At times like this, a photo would be helpful.

(Empty box, plastic, iron, black drawing paper, copy paper...

No good, I can't substitute copy paper. It's impossible to make it myself.)

Mercedes thought about the design of a simple homemade camera that even a child could make for a school project, but she had to give up because she couldn't obtain some of the materials.

She realized how convenient modern Japan was, where most things could be found at a home center.

To make photosensitive paper, she would need photographic emulsion, which in turn required silver halides and gelatin solution... and that was beyond her capabilities.

After all, her past life was not in a field where she was a professional. She was just an amateur with a bit of knowledge.

She could only make things at a toy level.

She gave up on the camera and headed into the Stalque Dungeon again.

Unlike before, this time Benkei was carrying the lantern and backpack, so she didn't need to carry anything but her weapons, which was a relief.

She would face various dungeons as a Seeker in the future, but for now, she planned to use the Stalque Dungeon as a stepping stone.

She wanted to capture one or two more monsters as allies and acquire stronger weapons.

Her immediate goal was to become independent from her father and support her mother and grandmother.

To achieve this, she needed to establish a solid foundation.

Being a Seeker was a life-risking job, but she didn't want to gamble every time.

The best approach was to build a solid foundation and earn a stable income with minimal risk.

"Benkei, which of the monsters in this dungeon do you think would be a good ally?"

"Hmm, if that's the case, how about the Schwarze Wolfang, which appears from the twelfth floor?"

"What kind of monster is it?"

"It's a wolf-type monster, about 1.5 meters tall. It's the largest and strongest of the Wolfang species in this dungeon.

It doesn't have any special abilities, but in terms of raw power and speed, it is on par with the Zilbarn Wolfang, the strongest of the Wolfang species.

It has a somewhat difficult personality, but once it recognizes its master, it will be loyal and serve with its life. If tamed properly, it would be extremely useful and could even serve as a mount."

"Sounds good. Let's try to capture one if we find it."

From what she heard, it sounded like a very large wolf.

A large wolf would be great. It would be fantasy-like and, if it got used to her, could be a cute pet.

"Meow"

While thinking about the large dog she would meet, she encountered a large cat.

It was as big as a tiger but was unmistakably a cat.

A strange creature, like a tiger-sized house cat, was meowing in front of her.

Mercedes held out a wooden branch she had used as a torch before, waving it to attract the cat's attention.

The cat's eyes were fixed on it, and when she threw it, the cat chased it and disappeared.

She had no use for the cat.

This time, she would go back into the dungeon to get a dog.

Is she even planning to clear this dungeon...?