Chapter 248

Meteorite (1)

While Grylls was being put through the wringer as he worked hard to learn a new fighting style, the Gallery was abuzz over the recently auctioned dinosaur carcass.

It had sold for the equivalent of nearly fifty billion won.

Fifty billion was hardly pocket change. It was a sum that even an ordinary wealthy person could never afford, so everyone was understandably astonished.

Title: With that much money

How much bread could you buy?

└ Just putting it in a savings account would give you enough to live on for the rest of your life;

└ And our Setanian bros spent all that on a dinosaur carcass. Damn.

└ But isn’t that still too expensive, even for a dinosaur carcass?

└ If we’re talking about its actual value, it should be measured in trillions, not billions.

└ That one research specimen alone will massively elevate Setan’s academic standing.

└ Getting to research a dinosaur? No one could resist that, lmaooo.

└ They’re probably searching for whoever bought the dinosaur carcass right now, lol.

Title: I’m jealous

I’ve only managed to save 7,000.

└ Even 7,000 is impressive;

└ Fr, how did you save that much?

└ I originally had 10,000 sera, but I spent 3,000 sera on skewers.

└ Ah.

└ Lmao.

└ Those were some expensive skewers, lol.

Title: What was the highest-priced transaction in Gallery history again?

Was there anything more expensive than that in the past?

└ If you account for historical prices, there have been more expensive items, but that’s the highest nominal amount so far.

└ Then what was the most expensive thing before this?

└ Excluding war supplies, I think it was a piece of silk worth three nyang in gold ingots. Probably.

└ Wouldn’t silk that valuable be better off sold at a real auction?

└ It was a scam.

└ :::

In effect, the dinosaur carcass Grylls had listed sold for an unprecedented sum.

Nothing auctioned through the Gallery had ever sold for this much before.

People rarely used the auction system because of its murderous transaction fees and the condition that money could be deposited but not withdrawn.

Unless they were in a hurry, selling something through the Gallery meant taking a considerable loss.

The only reason it was occasionally used was its overwhelming advantage of completely bypassing conventional distribution networks.

"Contact the Setanian academic community immediately! The dinosaur carcass must have been sent there!"

"What if they claim they know nothing about it?"

"Then we inform the academic communities of other nations. Monopolizing it for themselves would be an ethical violation!"

Grylls had dropped an enormous meteorite upon the world, and its impact was tremendous.

A meteorite’s consequences naturally varied depending on where it landed.

If one fell into the ocean, it would create an enormous tsunami that engulfed the continent. If it fell into a volcano, it would cause a volcanic eruption.

It was the very definition of a natural disaster.

The meteorite that had fallen upon the academic world was no different.

"We’ve received a response from the Setanian academic community!"

"They responded? After only one day?"

"Yes! They said they’re also busy dealing with the situation, so they’ve asked us to give them one month..."

"Those shameless bastards! Do they intend to solve everything with money?!"

"Could the real problem be that we don’t have enough money?"

"Shut up!"

Since ancient times, nations had fiercely competed over knowledge.

Humanity was a species that explored knowledge out of curiosity, so knowledge naturally possessed tremendous value.

Whenever a scholar distinguished themselves in a particular field, they usually became a source of national pride.

The "unknown" was practically synonymous with a place filled with danger, and only the courageous could uncover its secrets.

It served as proof that we were braver and possessed a greater pioneering spirit than you.

"Is there nothing we can do? We must at least stop those bastards from monopolizing it."

"There’s no suitable solution unless our nation lodges an official protest."

"As if they’d do that when they’re already overwhelmed by the situation in Alvenheim."

Setan’s academic community was renowned worldwide, but it was also widely disliked.

People accused it of buying knowledge with money and enticing scholars with wealth.

In fact, quite a few scholars moved to Setan.

The weather might have been brutal, but Setan provided such generous research funding that no scholar there ever needed to struggle financially.

Moreover, Setan was a desert nation.

No one knew what might be buried beneath its sands.

Whenever an ancient ruin was discovered, scholars would routinely swarm there in droves.

"I understand that money is tempting, but this is..."

"This has set a very dangerous precedent."

The dinosaur-carcass incident would have a considerable impact on the global academic community.

Even with all the money in the world, one could not buy knowledge—or the unknown.

That was an unwritten rule the academic community had firmly believed in.

However, this incident demonstrated that enough money could purchase even the unknown.

No matter how financially comfortable or renowned scholars might be, they could not suppress their thirst for knowledge.

Most scholars possessed a particularly intense desire to investigate the unknown, so a peculiar atmosphere gradually began spreading among them.

"Excuse me. Where do you think you’re going?"

"I was suddenly assigned a business trip to Setan..."

"Stop lying and sit back down."

A game of reading the room had begun.

Now that the dinosaur carcass had arrived in Setan, scholars specializing in paleontology began cautiously looking for any excuse to travel there.

Setan would obviously keep the dinosaur carcass under tight security, so why not simply go there in person?

Quite a few scholars agreed with that reasoning, and more and more of them began inventing all sorts of excuses.

"I’ve heard that scholars who travel to Setan rarely return."

"Don’t tell me they’re being threatened into staying."

"No. They become infatuated with dark elves and settle down there permanently. Apparently, Setanian families frequently introduce them to their daughters."

"..."

"I’ve heard dark elves are incredibly beautiful..."

To make matters even more tempting, Setan was the nation of the dark elves.

They possessed bronze skin, healthy and voluptuous figures, and the distinctive beauty of elves.

If a dark elf deliberately tried to seduce someone, most human men couldn’t help but fall for her.

It might have been a different story if other races had produced many scholars, but humans made up a significantly greater proportion of academia.

After all, no other race could match humanity’s desire to pursue knowledge.

While the global academic community was thrown into turmoil—

"Professor, why are you packing so much luggage?"

"I need to prepare."

Professor Jones, a renowned paleontologist, was packing his belongings.

Upon hearing his answer, his assistant wondered whether Jones intended to move to Setan permanently.

’Well, he did pour an entire year’s budget into the auction.’

Money deposited into the Gallery could not be withdrawn.

And Jones had just spent an entire year’s research budget.

There was nothing he could properly research if he remained here, so relocating to Setan might actually be the wiser choice.

However, there was something strange about his preparations.

If he were merely traveling to Setan, he could have packed lightly. Instead, he was preparing all sorts of equipment as though he were embarking on an expedition.

There was an enormous backpack, a crystal orb for recording his findings, a dagger, a telescope, and much more.

There were far too many unusual items for this to be a simple job transfer.

"...Wait a minute, Professor. What exactly are you preparing for?"

"A journey to the Forest of Four Seasons."

"Have you lost your mind?"

His startled assistant cursed at him.

It was disrespectful, but the circumstances justified it.

Failing to obtain the dinosaur carcass was one thing, but suddenly deciding to travel to the Forest of Four Seasons?

Not even someone who had gambled themselves into bankruptcy would act like this.

The assistant hurriedly tried to stop him.

"The Forest of Four Seasons, of all places?! The person who posted about it can use the Gallery, but you can’t!"

"Who said I was leaving immediately? I’ll prepare gradually."

"The fact that you intend to go at all is dangerous! Do you even know what’s in that forest?"

"Dinosaurs."

"..."

The assistant was rendered speechless by that answer.

Was he really going to the Forest of Four Seasons for the sake of a single dinosaur?

Considering Professor Jones’s personality, however, it wasn’t particularly strange.

He was a man who had explored countless unknown regions and discovered numerous ruins and fossils.

"...You do know that mana can’t be used in the Forest of Four Seasons, don’t you?"

"I know. I’ve thoroughly read every post made by that fellow called Grylls."

"And you still intend to go?"

"I have no intention of going in unprepared. I’ll make exhaustive preparations."

Professor Jones had a plan of his own.

If he recklessly entered the Forest of Four Seasons, there was a high chance he would die a miserable death.

Even with thorough preparations, the outcome might be the same. There were still many regions that not even Grylls had explored.

Even so, Jones had a reason to go.

"It will still be dangerous."

"My alternative is living like a beggar for an entire year."

He had poured his entire annual budget into the auction and now had absolutely nothing left to do.

He had no choice but to make up for it through physical effort.

"Well, I’ll need to visit Setan first. Before I leave, I want to see the dinosaur with my own eyes."

"Do you think the Setanians will grant you permission?"

"With my reputation, I believe they will."

Someone of Professor Jones’s stature would receive an enthusiastic welcome in Setan.

At the same time, they would undoubtedly try to entice him into moving there permanently.

"I can enjoy myself there for a while before heading to the Forest of Four Seasons. If I’m fortunate, I may even secure some funding."

"...Do you not value your life?"

"I’m nearly sixty. I ought to experience an adventure like this before I die."

"Wouldn’t it be better to sponsor that person called Grylls instead?"

"I have no money."

"..."

Everything ultimately came back to money, leaving the assistant feeling hollow.

But that outcome had been inevitable from the moment Jones invested an entire year’s budget.

The assistant sighed, approached Jones, and began helping him organize his luggage.

"When do you intend to leave?"

"I expect it will take approximately one month. There are many things I need to do in Setan first."

"That sounds like a lot of work."

"You’ll have plenty of work ahead of you as well."

"...?"

The assistant blinked.

Surely he didn’t mean...

"Don’t tell me you intend to take me with you."

"You’re my assistant."

"Have you lost your mind? I might accompany you elsewhere, but I absolutely refuse to enter the Forest of Four Seasons."

Professor Jones offered no response to his assistant’s fierce refusal.

Instead, the faint smile on his face clearly revealed his determination to drag him along somehow.

"Have you ever heard of romance and adventure?"

"There’s a mountain of corpses belonging to people who died pursuing that kind of romantic adventure. I have no intention of joining them."

"That’s all right. We have plenty of time. More importantly, I believe we’ll need additional personnel besides you..."

Humans were creatures with an intense desire for knowledge.

Even when something was dangerous, their curiosity frequently drew them toward it.

"Do you know why humans have such short average lifespans compared to every other race?"

"Of course. It’s because they often die while doing strange things."

"Professor, I would rather be the first person to eat a pufferfish than the second or third."

"Perhaps we’ll discover how to prepare it safely."

A fierce battle of sword and shield had begun.

Meanwhile, the meteorite Grylls had dropped was transforming into a tsunami that threatened to engulf the entire world.

As expected, the dinosaur carcass had now been officially unveiled to Setan’s academic community.

"Ohhh...! Could this truly be...?!"

"My goodness. It’s a real dinosaur! A dinosaur we’ve only ever seen as fossils!"

The dinosaur carcass had been frozen to prevent decomposition.

Countless dark elf and human scholars exclaimed in amazement as they gazed upon it.

Their eyes burned with a thirst for knowledge, while drool practically poured from their mouths as though they had bitten into greed itself.

They looked almost idiotic, but that was a perfectly natural reaction.

This was a dinosaur, after all.

They would need to conduct a detailed study to prove that it truly was a dinosaur, but that hardly mattered.

Even if it wasn’t a dinosaur, the mere fact that it had been discovered in the Forest of Four Seasons made it invaluable.

"S-So, how much did they pay for this?"

"From what I heard, it was fifty billion sera."

"My goodness, that cheap?"

"The price aside, which family donated it?"

"I heard it was the Rahman family."

The prestige of the family that had willingly presented the dinosaur carcass to the academic community also soared.

They had donated research material whose worth transcended mere riches and was effectively impossible to calculate.

"Hahahaha! Does this not prove that my judgment was correct?"

A dark elf burst into hearty laughter.

With beautiful women on either side of him and a wineglass in his hand, he looked exactly like a wealthy Setanian.

His name was Al Nasr Rahman, the head of the Rahman family.

"I envy you, Lord Rahman. Thanks to you, Setan’s national prestige will rise as well."

"Indeed! Of course it will!"

Beside him, a composed-looking young dark elf offered him flattering words.

Unlike the plump head of the Rahman family, this man possessed the appearance of a classically handsome young nobleman.

His name was Salman.

’I have sky-whale ambergris. Should I just tell him?’

His Gallery username was PraiseTheSun.