47 Grim Discovery
"I wonder what she meant by that…"
Rey was busy inspecting the pots that the Hobgoblins had made while rubbing his chin and remembering what Trisha said to him.
Her last words would not leave his mind.
"Liar? Me? I mean, sure… I lied to her, but…"
Once Billy returned, he made Trisha his new sparring partner, and Rey was allowed to sit the rest out.
Trisha's rounds with Billy ended in the latter's victory, but it wasn't by an easy margin.
And, despite Trisha losing, she didn't appear sad or disappointed in the slightest.
Rey could see the sharp contrast between the face she made when Billy first defeated her and the one she made in the recent spar.
'I guess she's learning more…' Rey felt happy for her, but also threatened.
'I had to take extra care before coming here today, all because of what she said.'
Though Rey doubted that Trisha would abandon her training just to become his full-time stalker, he still had his concerns.
'No one can know my secret!' He told himself.
"G-GURRRIKA…?"
Rey's thoughts were brought back to reality thanks to the voice of the Hobgoblin who was showing him the most recent batch of pots.
'Ahh! Right… the pots!'
Rey took his time to observe the dark utensil, mumbling to himself as he did so.
"It looks nice. But… it would be better if it had handles and a cover."
Then, there was also the fact that they had to test it under heat and see how well it functioned.
'I had to take into account heat conductivity and its durability.'
That meant ensuring the Orichalcum lining was thin enough to ensure enough heat to permeate the pot and boil whatever was needed to boil.
If it was too thin, though, it could cause it to crack and leak over time.
'The pots used to fetch water don't require much work. The problem is that the models they made are too heavy.'
Too much Orichalcum had been merged together and sculpted to form a massive bassier to hold in water.
'Well, I guess there's no real need to move it. Water comes from a fixed location, and they can just fetch their water from it with smaller bowls.'
Problem solved!
As for the pot being showcased to him, Rey decided to give his verdict.
He nodded and smiled, tapping the bald head of the Hobgoblin before him.
"KIKIKIKRII…"
It seemed the creature was giggling, and Rey could see a smile forming on its face.
'Praise from someone they recognize as a higher being gives the Hobgoblins joy.' He had learned all about this from the book Alicia recommended.
He honestly couldn't thank her enough.
'While they try to make more pots to resemble the approved model, I should go and take my daily batch of Monster Cores.'
Despite consistently taking the Cores for days now, the heaps didn't seem to reduce in the slightest.
Rey put as many Cores into the sacs as he could carry, filling them to the brim.
'I still have no idea how to sell these, but it still feels good having so many of them.'
Once Rey finished his daily routine, he observed the Hobgoblins some more, and then returned to the Sixth Floor for some training.
He now had 52 Skills, and his Stats had improved since the last time he properly trained.
'Might as well spend the rest of my time getting accustomed to the new Skill and some nice combinations.'
Now that he had more Mana than before, he could afford to do so.
*******
Once Rey was done with his business in the Royal Dungeon, he returned to the Royal Estate.
Since the Head Warrior Brutus was not present for a few days, and Rey knew it was very likely that those within the Refinery would know if this, he changed his disguise.
Or rather, he didn't even bother with it.
He simply used his [Projection] Skill to show them an illusion of whatever would distract them while he opened the gates by himself.
Of course, they would all think the doors were still closed, but in reality, he could sneak in and out whenever he wanted.
Upon arriving in the Royal Estate, he easily located his living quarters and went in.
As always, he would retreat into his room and have a nice bath before going to the library.
'Ahh… alright, then. Let's get this day over with!'
*********
'Haa! I'm so beat!'
Rey walked into his dark room with a smile on his face despite how he was feeling.
'Alicia left the library earlier than me today. Finally!'
Despite how long she would have spent in the library before his arrival, she always managed to outlast him there.
It was crazy!
But this time, he managed to win.
'I mean, compared to how many times she has won, it doesn't really matter, but…'
It made him happy beyond description.
'I wonder if I'm the only one who considers it a contest.'
To Rey, their silent rivalry felt like a mutual understanding.
He didn't want to say anything that would ruin the entire thing, but he also couldn't help but wonder if it was all in his head.
'Well, whatever! What matters is that I won!'
Now that he was back within his room, Rey began his everyday ritual.
'[Greater Protection Field]. [Safe Haven]. [Projection].'
The moment Rey thought this, his entire room was covered in two barriers, and an illusion made it seem as if he was already sleeping inside.
'In case anyone comes in at this time, they won't be able to detect anything out of the ordinary.'
That way, he wouldn't be able to get caught for what he was about to do.
"Let's bring out the spoils of war. Hehehe!"
Rey began to empty his Subspace, letting out all the sacs of treasure he had gotten from the Hobgoblins.
He also went to his secret stash spot to dump his Monster Core for the day.
That was when Rey realized a grim truth.
"Hold on… something isn't right here…"
Rey gazed upon his sacs which he had numbered accordingly, and found them to be in disarray.
Not only that, but one was missing.
"Haaa…"
That could only mean one thing.
"… Someone stole from me."
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[A/N]
Thanks for reading.
Looks like Rey is in some hot water now.
Or maybe the thief is!
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