Yeonhwa might not show it, but she’s a big shot with a massive background known as the Yeon Family, along with the title of S-grade Hunter.
If Yeonhwa were to directly contact the Fishing Club and express her desire to join them, it would be only natural for those in power to have an even greater ambition to rise higher. The background of the Yeon Family would undoubtedly be tempting.
Thus, Chief Kang Junman accepted Yeonhwa’s proposal.
On the surface, Yeonhwa seemed to have a clear goal. Obtaining the rare resource known as the Deep Sea Flower would surely bring immense benefits.
Moreover, Chief Kang had heard rumors that Yeonhwa pursued power so fiercely that she became the youngest S-grade Hunter.
‘Surely, Yeonhwa is aiming for equipment or physical enhancement through rare resources like the Deep Sea Flower… It’s not unreasonable. I’ve heard that since her academy days, she’s been obsessively diving into dungeons and hunting monsters. After reaching S-grade, she probably thought she couldn’t get any stronger… Yeah, it makes sense why she’d want to connect with us.’
It was entirely natural for Chief Kang to have such thoughts.
In fact, it was quite famous that Yeonhwa was an addict to dungeons, seemingly unafraid of losing her life until she met Shia.
The only granddaughter of Yeonseo, who didn’t know the value of life, rampaging through various dungeons, it was strange that people in politics wouldn’t know this.
Initially, Chief Kang suspected Yeonhwa, but if she publicly dismantled the political faction she expressed an interest in joining, the possibilities of her being accepted by any specific political force – let alone just joining a guild – would be quite low.
Joining a group is related to trust.
Not just political factions or powers; the top ten guilds of Korea, big or small, all had close ties to the political realm. Just the fact that the Fishing Club cultivated three of those ten guilds meant that if Yeonhwa unwittingly caused a new recruit to crumble or fail due to internal sabotage, that new recruit would inevitably lose trust within the industry.
‘Yeah, did Yeonhwa really come down here personally for a mere catch? She could’ve sent her subordinates or called some unnoticed hunters…’
Thus, even as Chief Kang began to suspect Yeonhwa’s sudden visit, he found it hard to reject her proposal.
Yeonhwa had no clear reason to target them. Being part of a political force is ultimately closely tied to trust.
If Yeonhwa’s intention was simply to link the Fishing Club to the illegal possession of the Deep Sea Flower, she could’ve just brought police along. There was no need to awkwardly ask to be included.
Or was she trying to sneak in for evidence?
They might think the noble lady of the Yeon Family had nothing better to do.
In any case, Yeonhwa’s villainous noblewoman cosplay operation was yielding adequate success.
Menelapie, dressed like a stylish bodyguard, removed her sunglasses and checked the messages on her smartwatch.
“Chief Kang Junman says he will contact us as soon as he’s ready. It seems like he’ll either show us the vault or introduce us to the traders they deal with.”
“Huh… It was really hard to keep my voice so low.”
“You did better than I expected. Maybe you have a talent for this kind of thing?”
Menelapie chuckled lightly, spinning the sunglasses on one finger.
After dealing with numerous noblewomen and aristocrats in the previous world, seeing Yeonhwa probably struck her as unbelievably cute.
“Of course, this is a method you can use only once. If you wish to continue your political life thereafter… You’ve blown up an organization where you’ve gained trust, so there won’t be many forces willing to accept you in the future.”
Despite Menelapie’s warning, Yeonhwa shrugged as if she couldn’t care less.
“I don’t care.”
“Well, that’s understandable. Your very existence could be a faction and force of its own.”
Yeonhwa never intended to join any political force, let alone value trust.
Though becoming S-grade as a solo hunter contributed, Yeonhwa’s indifference to any disadvantages stemmed from the fact that she was a daughter of the Yeon Family.
The Yeon Family is far more influential and powerful than what ordinary people imagine, and the actual influence they wield over Korea and the entire hunter society is something civilians couldn’t even begin to fathom. Even most politicians, including Chief Kang Junman, did not grasp the full scope of this reality.
Perhaps, Yeonhwa herself might not fully understand it either.
“Actually, I didn’t even know where the Deep Sea Flower vault was. I only mentioned it as if I knew everything… and it turns out I did.”
In fact, there were many things Yeonhwa was ignorant about.
She did not know of the existence of the Fishing Club or the Deep Sea Flower vault. All she had gathered was that the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group held exclusive rights to the Deep Sea Flower and that it was some government departments, including the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group, which ordered the alteration of information regarding mermaids.
The act of behaving as if Yeonhwa knew everything about the Fishing Club and Chief Kang was merely under Menelapie’s instructions.
“But how did you know that, Menelapie? Is this your emperor power at work?”
“It’s a simple matter. If the Deep Sea Flower were truly a precious resource like it seems, it mustn’t get noticed by others. Thus, it follows that there would have to be a processing facility or vault to store it after extraction. If it’s a resource with vast energy like mana stones, then it would require a facility with significant equipment. If they’re trading the Deep Sea Flower without processing it, then they need a vault to meet the party for transactions. The former is too eye-catching; hence I figured it would be the latter.”
“But couldn’t that vault be somewhere else in the South Sea, like Geoje or some fishing village where the population is lower…?”
“I can assure you, that’s not the case.”
“Why?”
“Because they think they’re aboveboard.”
“Huh?”
Menelapie shrugged and propped her chin up, locking eyes with Yeonhwa.
“Little sister Yeonhwa. If these were ordinary simple criminal organizations or unregistered Awakened Ones committing illegal acts, going to a less populated area would make sense. But the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group is ultimately a government department, a group of people wielding power. In our terms, they’d be akin to aristocrats.”
“True, I guess?”
“The behavior of those who belong to aristocracy is predictable. They think, ‘I have nothing to be ashamed of. Who’s gonna touch me?’ It’s a common thought among those who have never experienced someone stronger than themselves.
Even if they’re committing crimes or engaging in illegal activities, they still value outward presentation and face. They might be dealing drugs but are sipping expensive wine while swaying their legs at fancy parties with traders.
Politicians here are just the same. Even if they’re doing wicked things, they act as if they’re completely oblivious.”
There’s plenty to see, plenty to do, and plenty to eat! Besides, Busan is one of the country’s notable port cities, right? So, if they build a vault for the Deep Sea Flower here, it wouldn’t attract much attention. With Busan city being nearby, the aristocrats of the Fishing Club would be able to move around easily. It would be convenient for drinking with traders too.”
In conclusion, Yeonhwa and Menelapie originally planned to blow this Fishing Club sky-high.
Why?
It was quite simple.
They had sent Shia an ‘order’ to kill the merfolk.
Not wishing to get their hands dirty themselves, they hadn’t made it a request or suggestion but a clear ‘order,’ so it was only natural that both Yeonhwa and Menelapie were furious.
Had it not been for that order, they wouldn’t have even learned about the existence of the Fishing Club, let alone the twelve factions gathered there, including the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group.
In any case, if Yeonhwa hadn’t been caught up in this ridiculous villainous noblewoman act, she wouldn’t have made her way into the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group, which could be considered the backbone of the Fishing Club.
They wouldn’t have even tried to infiltrate it to see just how far these guys’ nonsense extended.
And since Yeonhwa and Menelapie knew what kind of person Shia was, they had to react even more sensitively to that order.
Shia was a saint who was extremely reluctant to kill.
Both Yeonhwa, who already knew something about Shia’s past, and Menelapie, who shared that past with her, understood what would happen if Shia considered the merfolk as people.
The mere existence of an order was something they could not allow when it meant leaving someone Shia recognized to die, and that was how they ended up here.
“By the way, what is Shia up to? I forgot to check her broadcast while playing bodyguard…”
“Oh, speaking of which, I also totally forgot about that… huh?”
“Why? Did something happen to Shia?”
Yeonhwa, who had been watching Shia’s broadcast on her smartwatch, couldn’t say a word, and Menelapie’s expression quickly stiffened.
Usually, tackling an unidentified dungeon should take at least a week.
Even though Shia had cleared the quick and exceptional mutation raid dungeon in just two days, gaining assistance from the merfolk likely meant she would be gone for at least three days, and it could even take a week like any other dungeon exploration.
So even accounting for Shia’s delayed return, both were still picturing a scene where Shia was peacefully sharing salmon with the merfolk when they moved to the Industry-Academia Cooperation Group.
But if something had happened to Shia in that brief lapse, Yeonhwa already contemplated forcing her way over to Shia’s side using the power of the hero without hesitation.
“…………”
“Yeonhwa, answer me! Did something really happen to Shia…?!”
“….yes.”
“Huh?”
“Shia sister… Shia sister is…”
Menelapie looked at Yeonhwa with a heart-racing feeling, and Yeonhwa’s tightly sealed lips finally opened.
“She’s eating mermaid meat…?”
“Eh……”
What did I just hear?
As Menelapie’s expression momentarily blanked out, Yeonhwa expanded the hologram on her smartwatch to show it to Menelapie.
And there was Shia, transformed into a mermaid, smiling brightly while chewing on what looked like very appetizing sashimi, not a single piece of clothing covering her.
Even in the deep, dark depths, it was surprisingly appetizing.
Yum yum yum yum, hehe, so delicious!
W-Well…
Let’s say that could happen…
Menelapie’s bewilderment was starting to show, but she knew well how Shia’s tastes were eccentric.
If it were Shia, she’d surely treat the merfolk as people and cherish them… So how did this happen?
But it didn’t end there – the unbelievable content continued.
Hey, you try some too! It’s tasty!
………….
Shia offered a handful of mermaid flesh to someone next to her.
And that someone had reddish hair and was wearing a black eye patch made from mermaid scales.
My sister is eating mermaid meat in front of a mermaid…
What is going on…
The reddish-haired mermaid accepted the mermaid flesh that Shia offered.
………Understood.
Wait, did she accept that…?
Wasn’t she angry?
This sight wasn’t any different from picking leaves off the World Tree right in front of it, Menelapie thought.
However, the mermaid didn’t seem angry at all; she accepted the meat, and even took Shia’s suggestion to eat the mermaid flesh.
Slurp, slurp… gulp.
It’s delicious, isn’t it?
………Slurp, yes. So this is what my sister tastes like…
“……Umm… My sister’s appetite remains unchanging even as a mermaid…”
“Hahaha, Shia…”
For a brief moment, both Yeonhwa and Menelapie was left slightly dazed.
What on earth happened in the short span they had not watched?
