Chapter 9
Polite and fresh, yet consistently confident and dignified.
She sharply caught even things that could have been glossed over, and possessed the coolness to instantly withdraw her smile when needed.
And at the end, she gave an impeccable farewell with a bright smile.
‘I’m glad we could reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. From now on, as a member of Sophs, I’ll work hard for Sophs’ prosperity.’
Elize sighed deeply while staring at the ceiling.
“She’s something else, really something…”
Moreover, Minervina had named exactly the maximum salary that was within Elize’s discretion to offer.
The amount was so precise it seemed as if someone had told her.
‘Getting a talented employee is good, but somehow I feel defeated… no, I shouldn’t think like that.’
Elize raised her head to look at the Sophs emblem hanging on the wall.
‘…The claim of being the Sage of Rethor. It might actually be true.’
The emblem was embroidered with Sophs Appraisal House’s symbol, which was also the symbol of Sage Sophs Rethor.
A closed eyelid.
Starlight above it.
‘Truth lies within the eye even without seeing… wasn’t that the meaning?’
The abilities Minervina demonstrated today truly matched the image of a legendary sage.
Someone who could be treated like royalty anywhere was willing to be employed here—what choice did they have?
Elize sighed. Then she returned to her desk.
“Even if she might be at odds with the imperial family, we’ll have to try to keep her hidden somehow…”
And she would need to investigate.
What had happened to the Rethor baronial family after their fall that made the baron’s daughter decide to become an appraiser?
After scribbling down instructions on paper, Elize opened the report regarding the ‘Sacred Jewel of Tigris Colossus.’
“…Heh. Heheh.”
Her cheeks quickly rose.
‘If we use shills well, we could get at least 1.8 million gold.’
If that worked out, it would be the highest-value transaction she had personally overseen.
A victorious smile appeared on her lips.
‘Even the Guild Master would have to acknowledge this. And it’ll put Ulysses in his place!’
Though in the end, thanks to the frequently absent Guild Master, the guild wouldn’t function without her anyway.
Thinking of that, Elize suddenly remembered the absent Guild Master.
‘Should I let him know that someone recognized the Chalice of Floods? Since she might really be the sage…’
Elize picked up her quill pen again.
“It’s been a while since I contacted him.”
* * *
‘Ah. So this is how life should be lived.’
Baeksan had been thoroughly enjoying life lately.
She had successfully secured her first employment contract here, and Sophs even had dormitories. She was specially assigned a single room.
‘Plus the working hours are just 10 AM to 4 PM! Including lunch break!’
At first, she’d naturally assumed it would be 9 AM to 6 PM, but no. The 21st century Earth’s welfare couldn’t compare to this other world.
‘I’m glad I kept quiet when I was surprised.’
Thus, Baeksan finalized her contract at an annual salary of 30,000 gold.
She would also receive separate performance bonuses for appraising special items like the ‘Ghost King’s Sacred Jewel.’
‘Three hundred million annual salary! Three hundred million!’
She was so happy that as soon as she was assigned her room, she hugged her pillow and rolled around on the bed.
The appraisal work wasn’t that difficult either.
Sophs’ operations were basically divided by floors.
On the first floor, administrative officers, not appraisers, greeted customers.
They checked classifications, had simple paperwork filled out, and directed people to the appropriate floors.
Naturally, they were the busiest people at Sophs.
On the second floor, specialized appraisers met with clients. They appraised items that didn’t require magical power. Mostly artisan territory.
Third floor.
This was Sophs’ essence. It also had the most magicians in Orquenina, where magicians were rare.
They were all eccentric and only appraised items containing magic and spells.
Sometimes they would come down to the second floor upon request or go on business trips… or so she heard.
Baeksan had thought she would go to the third floor, but her official position was arranged on the fourth floor.
The floor with the absent Guild Master’s room and Elize’s room.
‘They’re giving me special treatment in their own way.’
Of course, Elize wasn’t a pushover either.
‘You said you could appraise quickly, accurately, and in large quantities since you don’t use magical power? Actually, our first floor is the busiest. When you don’t have anything special to appraise, it would be helpful if you could assist the first floor…’
Finishing her explanation, Elize smiled as if telling her to be prepared.
‘But don’t underestimate someone who died from overwork.’
That day, Baeksan appraised 102 items and received a mild warning from Elize.
‘…Unless you want to be discovered as a sage, please work a bit slower. It can’t be that fast when using magical power for appraisal.’
‘Oh, is that so?’
In any case, Baeksan ended up becoming closest with the first floor administrative officers. Apparently, high-end items worthy of the fourth floor didn’t come in that easily.
Thus, her closest colleagues at her new workplace became Lira and Agnes.
“Mine! First floor today too?”
“Yeah, Lira.”
Lira was a young administrative officer with cotton candy-like fluffy blue hair.
Then Agnes spoke up.
“Mine. Want me to make you some tea?”
“Thanks, but I’m fine, Agnes.”
Agnes was a quiet and composed administrative officer with flowing brown hair, and Baeksan’s supervisor for training.
Both were kind to Baeksan, despite her being a mysterious parachute appointment with an office on the fourth floor rather than the third.
Thanks to them, Baeksan was adapting well to both Sophs and this game world.
On the seventh day like this.
Baeksan sat at the last desk, thinking it would be another ordinary day.
The morning hours were quiet.
‘Not many clients on my side today.’
Just as Baeksan was trying to suppress a yawn out of boredom,
Someone entered the appraisal house, carefully holding something against their chest.
It was a half-bald, skinny middle-aged man. His peculiar appearance was marked by sunken eyes but gleaming pupils.
More than malice, it was closer to madness.
Baeksan casually read the system window.
[Otto]
A peddler who recently discovered illegal gambling. Has substantial debts unknown to his wife.
Her brow naturally furrowed.
‘How much gambling did he do…’
But if it was just illegal gambling, there was probably no need to be particularly wary.
Otto received his number and sat at Agnes’s window. With trembling hands, he discreetly produced something.
“This is a family heirloom, and I came to have it appraised…”
What Otto presented was a small ring box wrapped in wine-colored velvet.
“Yes. I’ll examine the item.”
When Agnes opened the box, a ring with a greenish gem was revealed.
Agnes immediately picked up a magic-enhanced loupe.
“Oh my.”
She spoke with surprise.
“This is a very high-quality demantoid?”
Otto’s haggard face brightened considerably.
“Right? I told you it was a family heirloom!”
“Yes. We’ll need to calculate the gold weight, but… the raw stone quality is excellent. The horsetail inclusions are very clear too.”
“So that means it’s expensive?”
“For details, please go to the gemstone appraisal section. It’s on the second floor.”
Suddenly, panic appeared on Otto’s face.
“Do we really need to go that far?”
“Please understand, it’s a necessary procedural step.”
Despite Agnes’s guidance, Otto hesitated instead of going upstairs.
“…Well, you see, I’m a bit uncomfortable with such a formal place. Couldn’t you just give me a rough estimate?”
“I cannot provide an answer at this time. I can only tell you that superior quality demantoid garnets like this are very rare, and the craftsmanship and surrounding accent stones are also of excellent quality.”
Agnes responded kindly but firmly.
‘Can’t have different prices quoted between the lower and upper floors.’
Her supervisor truly had many things worth learning.
The man kept glancing furtively at the stairs. He still seemed hesitant.
During this pause, Baeksan quietly approached behind Agnes.
‘What exactly are horsetail inclusions?’
Being an appraisal house that dealt with all sorts of items, there were many things she’d never seen or heard of.
Most were worthless, but occasionally items like this provided interesting sights.
The green gemstone ring Agnes was holding soon came into Baeksan’s view.
‘Wow. It’s huge.’
Roughly 5 carats.
Not only was the stone itself very large, but small diamonds were also set around it.
‘I wonder how much this is worth?’
The moment Baeksan opened the system window without thinking:
[Demantoid Ring]
A ring set with an excellent demantoid.
Reported stolen from Pinea Trading Company.
