Earth: The Second

Information About Artifacts

While the group of Black Claws and the lord of the city is talking about their next scheme, in the Merchant District, Adma visited Gon, the owner of Mr. Green’s Goodies and Merchandise. They know each other from their journey to the city of Horundah, and after the event where Adma saved everyone from the bear attack, Gon becomes more interested and wanted to recruit Adma to become a bodyguard.

After three days have passed, Gon finally sees his savior inside his shop. It can’t be helped that he showed his brightest smile, and happily asking Adma where he has been for the past few days.

“I’m together with my companion, Kiki. We are now staying outskirts of the city,” Adma replied as he scanning the whole shop. For a merchandise shop, Mr. Green is not one shop that you can say ‘neat’ or organized. He sells many things, but can not arrange them for the convenience of his customer. For example, the kitchenwares, are being displayed by just putting them all in one wooden box, while the pan, wok, and spatulas are hanging on the wall.

“Anyway, the reason I come here…”

“Is to get a job right? Well, you come to the right place, Mr.Strongman! one job as a bodyguard, coming right up!”

“No, I want to ask for information. aren’t you said you also sell that kind of thing?”

“Oh…” Gon’s happy steps suddenly stopped, only for him to smile again to attend to his customer. “Well, you also come to the right place for that!” 

Adma folds his hand to his chest. For a moment, he tried to gather his thought about things that he wanted to ask.

Artifacts. This is one thing that he has been interested in. Wesser said that they are the remnants of ancient civilization, unearthed from ruin. They are very valuable, even the kingdoms are using them as national treasures. Some are even held a huge power and become trump cards when they are used in an all-out war against other nations. 

And Adma seems to be one of those Artifacts.

Unearthed in the ruin of a world that very unfamiliar for him. Unknowingly, posses a strong feature that very out of place to everyone in this world, but he is not a tool, and will not let someone describe him as that. Just like any human, he aware that he exists, and has a basic understanding of what is right and wrong in human society.

Adma has just started to open his mouth, when once again, Gon stopped him.

“Dear Customer, it is not my habit to tell my price before we do business, but knowing that you are probably a foreigner, that even pieces of information are costs as high as pieces of jewelry,” again, Gon is showing his smile to Adma. But this time, the smile is different. He is not smiling out of excitement, just like what he did previously. It is a kind of sly smile, that he put in front of everyone who is come to his shop for business.

Silently, Adma understands that. He reaches into the pocket of his pants, and taking out small sacks that is filled with money that Kiki has given to him (He refusing it at first, but Kiki said that this the least that she can do to thanks Adma after save her from the Dark Monster.)

Adma taking out two pieces of gold, which has the highest value in this country.

“First, I want to ask about Artifacts. Are those really remains from previous civilization, and where can I found them?”

“The Artifacts huh? Topics about them are always interesting, you can say that they are like some kind of legend, and talks about them have been going on for more than a century! Or so that I’ve heard,” Gon placed his finger to his chin and looking up as if he tries to remember something.

“No one actually knows since when, who, or why those devices are created. Some said that they are gifts from the gods, some are said that there are mysteriously advanced races who are able to create them. In the end, the scholars are agreeing based on the only literature that they found some years later. In that literature, they said that the Artifacts exist as the memento from the previous civilization, which cease to exist after their arrogance,” Gon stopped for a second, and then taking out something from one of his drawers.

“As for the place to find them… They are always in the ruin or dungeon. Since these places are deemed dangerous for ordinary people, adventurers and mercenaries are the collector’s go-to if they wanted someone skilled to retrieve them,” 

On the map that Gon spread out on the table, Adma can see the whole map of an island. His auto-translator explained the map as the image of Henriah. The farthest north countries, in the Pangea continent.

Pangea… again, a word that he has familiar with.

Back to the map, he can see the various symbol that scattered in some places throughout the country. some of them shaped like snakes, birds, lions, and many more. 

“These symbols are interpreting the monsters that existed inside the dungeons,” said Gon. “This map is rather outdated too. I have to travel more and collect information to know which dungeon and ruin that have been conquered. While there are cases that two Artifacts exist within the same ruin, there are huge possibilities that everything inside the conquered ruins has been taken as spoils.” 

“How dangerous are these Artifacts maybe?” asked Adma. Knowing that there are various ruins and dungeons even in one country, attracts him to the possibility that many fragments of his pasts have probably existed within them. As Adma himself has nowhere to go, he probably has to start from the very beginning: knowing what happened in his past.

Responding to his question, Gon just lifts his shoulder. “Contracts to the rumors and legends, the Artifacts with extraordinary powers are even rarer than other Artifacts. We usually compiled them into four categories: C, B, A, and SS. SS is the highest, and equal to the national treasures, while C is the most worthless.” replied Gon.

So, there are systems like that too. thought Adma. “Are adventurers are the only people who able to go to the ruin and dungeons?” 

“Of course not! In the first place, those places are not limited by any regulation. It’s just very dangerous, and ordinary citizens are better to stay away from that place and let it to people who able to manage it. On the other hand, adventurers, mercenaries, or soldiers, are sometimes competing with one another to obtain high-grade Artifacts,” told Gon, as he rolls back the map, and return it to the drawer.

Adma’s train of thought now being more active than usual. He can imagine how those people are competing to obtain the most precious item. Just like Wesser, who thought that he could be rich after obtaining the cylinder-shaped object that presumably, able to rejuvenate youth.

“Gon, is there ever any record about Artifacts that able to think, and do things of their own?” asked Adma.

“Huh?” Gon replied with a dumb look on his face, he then let out a huge laugh. “Hahahaha!!! An Artifacts that are able to think and speak? What are those!? That so hilarious!” he laughed mockingly, even make Adma regret he has asked that. 

It needed some second later for Gon to finished laughing, only after that, he is able to return to his sense. “If you ever found Artifacts like that, they are probably will open up the new rarity tier of the list, let’s just said SSS tier.” 

“Whoa…” Adma acting as if he impressed. He certainly has to hide his true self, or more people who are even crazier than Wesser will capture him.

“Well, it’s not like those things exist right? Oh right, if you have finished, let’s talk about my offer to have you worked as our bodyguard!” Gon’s eyes are now sparkling. For a merchant, he does not even care to ask Adma for more compensation. He sees that this man is valued more if he joined with the merchant than just being an ordinary patron. 

“How about this? I will pay you ten coins of gold monthly, meals two times a day, and a place to stay inside the shop?” without warning, Gon already spouting his question for Adma.

“Teacher! Wait a minute!”

Rika the maid, who has been ignored all this time, finally steps up. She fixed her glasses and walking to the side of her teacher. Her eyes than scanning Adma from up to bottom.

“That offer is too generous! What the hell happened to you? When you accepted me into the shop, you taught me that merchants have to do their best to extort their customers as many as possible!”

“Ri-Rika!? What are you talking about!?” Gon is panicked, his sweat rolled down to his clothes and he steals a glance at Adma who looked at both of them suspiciously.

“Also! How come he gets meals two times a day when you give me nothing on my first time working here? I have to work extra part-time just to be able to eat you know!” again, Rika is pushing Gon to the corner.

“Ok! Ok! I will give you the same benefit! For now, let’s just let Adma decide if he wanted to work with us or not! What about it?” Gon turns his head to Adma, hopefully, the man is still interested to join his shop.

But actually, Adma has averted his gaze, and with a little forced smile, he said:

“I’ll think about working here for the job. For now, the information on Artifacts are enough for me,” 

Adma then turns around and gets out of the shop. Leaving Gon dumbfounded.

“Ah… Ah…” actually, Gon wanted to stop Adma and talked it over, but the man is already left. On the other hand, a small chuckle letting out from Rika’s mouth.

“Hey, are you doing it on purpose?” asked Gon.

Without answering, Rika then fleeing outside of the shop. Her teacher angrily shouts that he will cut out her salary because of this.