Chapter 145
Chapter 145 – Cold Plains (1)
One.
Hawkeye.
Maple World evaluated him as the Commander of the Lightning Knight, one of the Knight Commanders of Signus.
“He is the most cheerful man. He can be friends with everything in Maple World.”
Hawkeye was so sociable that he deserved such an evaluation.
It was the same even then.
“El, I will accept your offer. I will pay you three times.”
Hawkeye put an arm around El Palm’s shoulder with a cheerful smile.
“S, Master?”
Viola looked surprised at the sight.
Even so, why would you put your arm on the shoulder of someone you just met?
Of course El Palm knew.
‘also.’
That this is not simply a symbol of cheerfulness.
‘They’re coming in with the initiative.’
Rather, this action was a kind of warning from Hawkeye to El Palm.
A warning that El Palm can subdue you at any time.
It wasn’t El Palm’s vague idea.
The world thought of Hawkeye as a cheerful, yet sloppy person.
In fact, there are quite a few anecdotes related to Hawkeye where he appears to be quirky and sloppy.
But El Palm knew.
‘As expected from someone with the greatest insight, next to the thief Phantom.’
Hawkeye’s true value lies, above all, in his insight into the opponents he encounters.
It was also because of that insight that I accepted El Palm’s offer right now.
“S, Master. It seems like a very sudden decision.”
Viola, Hawkeye saw something she didn’t.
“It’s sudden, but is this the only decision you can make?”
“yes?”
“Because I brought the necklace.”
“yes?”
El Palm, he didn’t come empty-handed.
“Is that true?”
Viola, surprised by that fact, looked at El Palm, and El Palm nodded at her gaze.
“I didn’t know exactly what kind of necklace it was, so I just bought every necklace I could.”
He confessed that he had already conquered that Mystic Gate.
Viola looked at that fact with disbelief.
“Then why are you late?”
I never would have guessed that this was the reason why El Palm Party couldn’t keep its promised time.
The surprise was soon conveyed to Hawkeye.
Let’s say that El Palm conquered it.
‘How did the master do this?’
But how could Hawkeye know that the moment he saw it?
Hawkeye smiled brightly at the disciple’s questioning gaze and said,
“You can tell when you see it. My eyes can’t be fooled.”
And then he blinked his gray eyes.
Viola looked dumbfounded at the sight.
El Palm, on the other hand, was different.
He knew.
‘That can’t be true.’
It’s true that Hawkeye has insight that rivals that of the Phantom Thief, but he doesn’t have the same ability to see the truth as the Phantom Thief.
That he had no ability to read El Palm’s mind or thoughts.
Yet knowing the circumstances, the reason was simple.
“Just kidding, just kidding. There’s no way I could really have that ability. I just went to see. The Mystic Gate has been conquered.”
I saw traces of El Palm Party’s conquest.
Having seen that, it wasn’t particularly difficult to predict what would happen.
“Just a little while ago. I was so surprised when I saw that, I was sweating all the way here.”
But it was a whole other story when El Palm Party traveled the route that took two days to complete in just a few hours.
In other words, that was the extent of Hawkeye’s abilities.
His ability, which had reached the 7th circle, was on a whole other level that could not be compared to the current El Palm.
“Oh, but there’s something I’m curious about.”
That is, Hawkeye was available at any time.
“Why did you attack alone?”
Depending on how El Palm answered this question, it was possible to kill El Palm in one fell swoop.
It was also quite possible.
It is a well-known fact that Hawkeye, the commander of the Lightning Knights, is known for being a kind person.
However, as the commander of the Knights of Lightning, he has judged many adventurers so far.
When it came to seeing blood, he was one to see blood without the slightest hesitation.
Especially, he was willing to do anything for Empress Signus.
If El Palm were to become a threat, he would destroy it with his lightning-fast fist without a moment’s hesitation.
That’s why El Palm didn’t say anything in vain.
“If I had led the Knights of Signus, they would have been annihilated.”
“Total destruction?”
“It was the Lion King’s property. If you take the Knights of Signus to a place like that and guide them, there’s bound to be some kind of problem. And if you try to conquer it, the problem is bound to get bigger.”
“That’s true.”
Hawkeye nodded at El Palm’s answer.
Because it was reasonable enough.
So I asked a new question.
“But it could have failed, right? It wouldn’t have been a normal place.”
El Palm answered that question without the slightest hesitation.
“I am more confident than anyone else in finding items.”
Sincerity without a single lie.
Hawkeye smiled faintly at those words.
“It’s just like I heard from Oz. I like it.”
Knock knock!
Then I patted El Palm’s shoulder with my hand.
“So, this concludes the deal with Oz? Right?”
“If the necklace I found is what you were looking for, then it’s over.”
“Of course.”
“Then the deal with Oz is over. You just have to pay me three times the promised amount.”
“good.”
Hawkeye nodded willingly.
At that moment he put his arm around El Palm’s shoulder again and said.
“Then, you don’t want to make a deal with me anymore?”
2.
“Boss, how are you?”
El Palm answered Devo’s question, who had been waiting for him.
“The deal is done.”
“wow!”
Divo cheered at that answer.
It was worth it.
“200 million mesos! I’m really getting 200 million mesos!”
The amount of money earned in return for this was truly astronomical.
Enough to never have to worry about money again for the rest of your life.
“That’s great, that’s great. Yeah? But why do you think I’m the only one who likes it?”
“It’s true that I only like you.”
However, among those who heard the amount, only Devo cheered.
Kirina Miner and Ralph were not so cheering.
“Kiri? You don’t like money?”
“I don’t hate it.”
In Kiri’s case, there was surprise, but that was it. There was no cheering.
“Miner, you? Huh? When you see money, your golden eyes turn red too, right?”
“Hey, go back.”
“No? You like money, right?”
“I like money. But not when I get money from Hawkeye.”
There was no cheering for Miner, a pirate on the Nautilus who was not on good terms with Hawkeye, the commander of the Lightning Knights.
Debo was somewhat convinced by that fact.
But it was different that much.
“Ralph, why you again?”
Why doesn’t Ralph, who loves money more than anyone else, even more than Devo, cheer?
To this Ralph replied:
“There is a problem with this.”
“Problem? Ah.”
At that moment, Devo remembered.
“Yes, it’s not just money. It’s money I stole from the Lion King.”
It’s not a time to just be happy.
“I’m sorry. I took it too lightly.”
“No, I don’t mind someone like the Lion King.”
“huh?”
“The problem is that you don’t get paid more for the risk you take.”
Debo looked blank as he listened to Ralph’s words.
He looked at El Palm with that expression on his face.
With a look that said, “Shouldn’t we do something about this?”
“Ralph.”
“Speak.”
At that moment, Divo felt anticipation at the sight of El Palm, who seemed to be about to say something, and El Palm responded to that anticipation.
“So I received three times the promised amount.”
“I believed you!”
At that sight, Divo made a blank expression.
‘Is my common sense strange?’
That was the moment.
“Wait a minute. Over there, boss.”
Debo, who felt something strange, asked a question.
“If it’s 3 times, it’s almost 600 million mesos, right? Roughly? And you said you okayed it on the spot?”
El Palm’s proposal is crazy, but is it possible to okay it?
“Tiger Eye?”
Although Tiger Eye Viola was certainly an exceptional knight, he was not one to arbitrarily decide on that amount of money.
“That can’t be possible.”
“Right? Then who gave you the okay? It wouldn’t be possible without someone like Hawkeye?”
“You know a lot.”
“yes?”
“It’s Hawkeye.”
And everyone froze at the name that came out.
“Hey, Hawkeye’s here?”
Did you really think that name would come up here?
Something no one expected.
The same was true for El Palm.
Although he had spoken to Hawkeye, his appearance was unexpected even to him.
Instead, I knew one thing.
‘You didn’t come to see me.’
The Lion King, who hates the Knights of Signus more than anyone else, has one of the leaders of the Knights of Signus come to his domain.
The reason he took such a huge risk couldn’t have been because of El Palm’s fake identity, El.
In other words, I came to El Palm just to do something.
There was another real purpose.
‘That’s why you made that suggestion.’
It wasn’t a vague guess.
“Hawkeye, what a great character has appeared.”
“What the hell. He’s a pirate.”
“Hey, Golden Eye. If that’s the case, then you’re a pirate too, right?”
“Speak straight. How am I a pirate?”
“Then? No?”
“No. She’s a pirate.”
“… … So why did you come here?”
“We don’t know why. And we don’t really need to know. What matters to us is that Hawkeye made the offer.”
“A suggestion?”
Hawkeye, he offered El Palm Party a deal.
“Huh? What about that necklace? Didn’t the boss bring it from the Mystic Gate? Didn’t he give it to you?”
“The Viola Party asked us to carry out the Aran item recovery project that they were planning to carry out.”
“ah!”
Aran’s item, please take care of the quest to find that amazing thing.
It wasn’t an ordinary suggestion.
“oh my god.”
Because it was a request for the duty of the Knights of Signus to the El Palm Party.
Because it was such a huge issue that it defied comparison to anything I had helped with up until now.
What about the Knights of Signus?
A group that risks their lives for their duty.
“Boss, you didn’t accept that offer, did you?”
So, Devo was on guard from the start.
That was a reasonable reaction.
There was only one problem.
“Isn’t it right to accept it?”
“Kiri? Are you siding with the Knights right now?”
“Hey, that’s good. Hawkeye got down on his knees and begged me for a favor, that’s it? I can’t stand that.”
“You, the one with golden eyes?”
Everyone except Devo finds the offer appealing.
“Divo, do you have any questions for me?”
“You’re okay with anything as long as you have money, right?”
“That’s right.”
At that point Ralph looked at El Palm and said:
“So what did you decide to pay?”
El Palm answered that question.
“There is no compensation.”
“What did you just say?”
“That’s exactly what it is. There was no compensation. Hawkeye just asked me to do him a favor.”
I’ll run for free.
“Are you sure that’s okay?”
“There was no reason to refuse.”
And El Palm nodded willingly to that suggestion.
It was natural.
“We can just ask Hawkeye for help when we need it.”
Why would I turn down something that would allow me to owe a debt to none other than the Commander of the Knights of Signus?
‘I had to find Aran’s item anyway.’
Moreover, El Palm came here to find Aran’s items even if it wasn’t for that request.
Rather, this was a tremendous opportunity.
“So, we go to meet the person who asked us to get this necklace.”
So El Palm did not hesitate.
“Where is he?”
“I’m going to the Elnas market to find the minstrel.”
At those words, Debo tilted his head.
“Excuse me, boss. Aren’t we in the Elnas Market?”
You’re at El Nas Market, but you’re going to El Nas Market?
Ralph gave the answer to Devo’s question.
“Are you talking about the back market? I disagree. It’s too dangerous there.”