BXBX NOVEL Chapter 625
“This is the reason why Winston’s NPCs told me to buy fur clothing.”
"This is why the advice of NPCs should be listened to...”
Frontier. It was the capital of Duke Steim’s territory, located at the northernmost tip of the Overgeared Kingdom. Snowstorms raged all year round and first time visitors were frustrated by the cold. Some of the low level players were freezing.
"How could this cold place grow to be the best city in the north?”
“I agree. It’s difficult to grow crops in the cold and the scope of people’s activities will be reduced.”
In the days of the Eternal Kingdom, there had been a large number of monsters living in the northern part of the kingdom. But the intrepid Duke Steim fought the monsters and helped the north achieve a prosperous growth. How could it grow so much when farming was difficult because of the cold?
It was due to the large number of monster habitats still left. The northern people hunted monsters, ate the monster’s meat, exported the monster’s accessories, rode them, and accumulated wealth. The cold wasn’t a problem either. The northern people were strong in the cold and there was a saying that the ‘northern people don’t know the cold.’ Some people appreciated it because of their natural constitution, but the actual truth?
"The northern people don’t feel the cold thanks to this underwear. Don’t you want to buy this underwear?”
Tremble tremble.
As soon as a shivering group of players arrived at Frontier, NPCs rushed towards them. They were holding underwear in their hands. It was furry underwear.
"The underwear made from a yeti’s fur has the excellent effect of protecting your body from freezing and frostbite. This underwear is a must for the north. All the northern people are wearing this underwear.”
‘There are so many underwear merchants?’
In every city, there were merchants who targeted tourists and travelers. But he had never seen a merchant trying to sell underwear to travelers.
“Sigh, it’s okay. I won’t buy such useless things.”
How warm would it be to wear underwear? Players with prejudices against underwear didn’t listen to the merchants. Some players checked the details of the underwear, but they were just disappointed.
[Northern Underwear]
Underwear made with a thick layer of yeti leather.
It has the effect of protecting the body from the freezing cold, but it is too thick to feel comfortable.
* Cold resistance +5%.
* Agility -5%.
All lower body skills will decrease by 10%.
It was an item with too many penalties just for raising cold resistance by 5%.
‘It’s amazing that underwear has options.’
‘The 5% drop in agility is huge.’
‘There aren’t many monsters in the area, but being a little cold is better than being weakened.’
A magician with low agility wouldn’t care, but a 5% drop in agility was fatal to most classes. The disappointed players refused the merchants and left.
"Give me those underwear.”
One man suddenly appeared and checked the details of the underwear the merchants were selling. It was a man who didn’t feel the cold at all, as his body wasn’t shaking, despite not wearing fur clothes. His face couldn’t be confirmed because he was wearing a hat with a wide brim.
"The options are all the same despite the underwear type. Isn’t there any better underwear?”
"There is better underwear, but it’s only sold to nobles.”
"Why?"
The man who showed interest in the underwear was Grid. He hid his identity because he didn’t want to attract attention from other players.
"There’s only one tailor who can make better underwear in Frontier. The underwear he made was too expensive to sell to the general public due to a lack of quantity.”
‘The underwear maker is a tailor.’
Grid predicted that not just anyone could make underwear. If all tailors knew how to make underwear, it would be commercialized and the current players would be wearing individualistic underwear.
‘Maybe it’s because of the weather here that Frontier’s tailors learned how to make underwear.’
The northern people had to find a way to withstand the cold. One of those methods would’ve been the production of warm underwear.
"The underwear craftsman... No, where can I meet the tailor?”
"Nobody knows. He suddenly disappeared one day.”
"The tailor disappeared? Why?”
"Who knows? He vanished without a trace.”
“Cough...”
Indeed, this class quest wasn’t easy.
‘I need to gather clues.’
He needed to find out where the underwear craftsman had disappeared to and find him in order to learn how to make underwear. Grid burned with motivation and started to walk around Frontier. He asked the NPC residents about the underwear craftsman and eventually attracted people’s attention.
***
"Recently, there is a suspicious man inquiring about Sir Fatima.”
Advanced tailor Fatima. Many nobles were confused when the treasure of Frontier disappeared. They were worried that they wouldn’t be able to wear underwear made by Fatima again. Thus, the nobles searched for Fatima’s whereabouts. But none of them could find Fatima.
It was natural they couldn’t find him. Fatima had been kidnapped and imprisoned by a noble of Frontier, Earl Bruno. Who could possibly imagine that Earl Bruno kidnapped Fatima?
"Sir Fatima, aren’t you happy that so many people are looking for you?”
“Why... Why are you doing this?"
Underneath Earl Bruno’s residence. The chained up Fatima was terrified. He was uneasy because he was abducted by a nobleman for an unknown reason. Earl Bruno laughed as he sat in a chair, crossed his legs and cleaned his fingernails.
"What do I want? Of course it’s your underwear.”
"H-Haven’t I sold underwear to you many times?”
"I want to know how to make the underwear. If you teach me how to make your luxury underwear, I promise to spare your life.”
Earl Bruno was paying attention to the underwear business. Frontier’s nobles and residents only perceived underwear as ‘something to make the body warm.’ However, Earl Bruno thought that the possibilities of underwear were endless. He thought that if he made various functional underwear and sold it to the royalty and nobles of each kingdom, he would be able to collect a lot of money.
"Does Duke Steim know...?”
Was Duke Steim behind Earl Bruno? Fatima thought the worst while Earl Bruno replied cynically.
“I don’t intend to share this good business information with a traitor.”
"Traitor..?”
Earl Bruno was Duke Steim’s right arm man. The first thing Duke Steim did as soon as King Grid appointed him a duke was to make Bruno his earl. Duke Steim completely trusted Earl Bruno. Yet Earl Bruno called Duke Steim a turncoat. Killing intent filled Earl Bruno’s eyes.
“Isn’t he a traitor for giving up his loyalty to the royal family and helping his son-in-law’s rebellion?”
Fatima’s face paled.
“You are... Part of the Anti Grid Alliance?”
Anti Grid Alliance. They consisted of the nobles of Eternal. They couldn’t accept Grid as a king and wanted to bring him down from the throne. On the day of the Overgeared Kingdom’s founding ceremony, it was known that the alliance was defeated by Duke Steim and Duke Chris. But some remnants still remained, and surprisingly, Earl Bruno was one of them.
“At present, more than 10% of the nobles of the Overgeared Kingdom belong to the Anti Grid Alliance. Of course, they are seemingly loyal to Grid, but it’s just an act.”
Earl Bruno needed a lot of money. The money would be used to hire soldiers and prepare weapons!
"The Anti Grid alliance will first eliminate Duke Steim, swallow the north, and then confront Grid. But a lot of money is required to do that. Therefore, I need your underwear making method. Now, Sir Fatima. Aren’t you also a person of Eternal? You should cooperate with us.”
‘He’s crazy.’
The kingdom was stabilizing after the end of the war, and now he wanted to start another war? In the end, only the people would suffer. Boys would be forcibly conscripted into the war and many people would lose their lives and family. Fatima was furious.
“How funny. Earl Bruno, you’re just masking your ambitions behind loyalty. You don’t care about the comfort of your people at all.”
“What would a mere tailor know?” Earl Bruno’s face turned red and he started to wield his whip. "If you don’t want to die, tell me how to make your underwear!”
"Ugh!"
Fatima was wounded and felt afraid. It was enough to make him shed tears. But he didn’t give in. His pride as a tailor wasn’t cheap. But how long could he endure? Earl Bruno’s violence and intimidation continued over the next few days and Fatima’s will gradually weakened.
Earl Bruno was convinced.
“It’s meaningless to resist. No one in the world will save you. In the end, you will succumb to me.”
“Ugh... Ugh!"
Earl Bruno’s whipping became more severe and Fatima’s willpower was like a flame in front of the wind.
***
"He was last sighted near Earl Bruno’s mansion.”
The last four days. Grid walked through Frontier and gathered information from the residents. As a result, he learned that the underwear maker’s name was Fatima and the last place he was sighted.
“Earl Bruno... He’s my father-in-law’s aide?”
Grid hadn’t spent a single penny while staying at Frontier. Every time he was hungry or tired, he went to Duke Steim’s castle.
“That’s right, Your Highness.”
There was no time to visit the castle today so lunch was prepared for him. In response to Grid’s request, Duke Steim personally delivered the packed lunch and responded politely.
"Earl Bruno is my most trusted person. He’s old-fashioned, but has a strong sense of loyalty. Your Majesty, please enjoy the yeti dish. It’s good for your energy.”
"Well well, gulp. Hrmm, I should go visit Earl Bruno. Maybe he has seen Fatima.”
"Have some tea. Your Highness, why are you looking for Fatima?”
“It’s to learn how to make underwear.”
“...?”
Did he hear wrong? Duke Steim doubted his ears. Grid, who became the king of a nation, was trying to learn how to make underwear?
“N-No, Your Majesty. Why do you have to learn how to make underwear?”
"...It’s my job.”
"...???"
"In any case, I ate well, Father-in-law.”
Grid recovered his stamina to the maximum and gave the empty lunch box to Duke Steim. Then he laughed and wore his hat again.
’I’m looking forward to meeting my father-in-law’s right arm man.’