Chapter 260
“Excuse me, have you ever heard of the Gem of Truth?”
“……”
This was the Mermaid Kingdom, deep, deep beneath the Arctic Ocean.
A strange and enormous city made up of hundreds of thousands of egg clusters.
Among them, the central district known as the 840,928th Egg Cluster.
In the place commonly called the ‘Red Egg Cluster,’ the mermaids had no choice but to face a strange outsider.
“The Gem of Truth?”
The mermaid who heard the question tensed his pectoral muscles.
As if asking what in the world that was supposed to mean.
He looked at the outsider who had asked him.
The outsider, Lloyd, maintained an awkward stationary swim and smiled bashfully.
“Ah, please don’t think it’s strange. I happened to hear an interesting rumor in the human world. I heard that there’s a splendid treasure called the Gem of Truth in the Mermaid Kingdom, so I came all the way here.”
“Hmm, how old is that rumor?”
“Huh?”
“That’s an ancient story, isn’t it……”
The mermaid looked Lloyd up and down with an odd gaze.
Before Lloyd knew it, the distance between them had widened by about five fin-lengths.
“I only heard a little about it when I was young, so I don’t really know. Sorry.”
“Ah, wait……!”
Without even giving him a chance to grab hold of him, the mermaid went whoosh.
He swam away from Lloyd in an instant.
For some reason, even the movement of his fins looked busier than before.
“Phew.”
Lloyd let out a sigh.
‘The reaction is pretty strong.’
It was a little different from what he had expected.
Still, the Gem of Truth was a rare treasure of the Mermaid Kingdom.
A treasure that appeared in myths and legends, no less.
He had thought that most of the mermaids here would at least know something about it.
So he had expected to get a rough answer no matter which mermaid he caught and asked.
‘Of course, most of it would’ve probably been useless information. But I thought if I listened to all of it and pieced it together, I’d at least get some clue or lead. But judging by this……’
The reactions were different from what he had expected.
Almost all the mermaids in the city responded to his question with sheer indifference.
Even—
“Excuse me, do you know the Gem of Truth?”
“Ah, no. I don’t.”
“You really don’t know?”
“Ah, don’t grab me. I have to go swim, alright? If I lose muscle because I didn’t swim enough today, are you going to take responsibility?”
“……”
He often found himself having to endure such open disregard.
In other words, this was simply……
‘They’re treating it like “Do you know the way?”‘
Lloyd let out a deep sigh.
That wasn’t even an exaggeration—the reactions of the mermaids who heard his question were exactly like that.
They looked like busy people on their way somewhere who had been stopped to hear a useless question.
They openly showed how annoyed and bothered they were.
No, even that was putting it generously sometimes.
“Oh my, elder mermaid sir? Where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Hmm? Why is a land human here?”
“Ah, it’s nothing much, but I’m looking for a treasure called the Gem of Truth here. And just then, I happened to meet a wise-looking elder like you. So I was wondering if you might be willing to answer a few questions……”
“No.”
“……”
“My joints already ache enough as it is, so what kind of fish-bone nonsense are you babbling about?”
“Wait, but still……”
“What do you mean, but still? Hey, young human, are you some kind of scammer?”
“Huh?”
“What Gem of Truth in this day and age? Maybe if it were back in the era ten thousand years ago, when there wasn’t even autumn or winter. What kind of story older than my great-great-great-grandmother’s dentures are you going around spouting when you’re still a fresh young human?”
“……”
“So, young human. What’s your real intention? Why are you going around asking about the Gem of Truth and all that? Are you trying to pull something?”
“Th-that, um……”
“Not answering right away? Do you want to get hit by this granny?”
Clench!
A granny mermaid with a threatening growl.
Her back was slightly bent, but her forearm muscles were still formidable.
No, not just formidable—she looked like the kind who could bend five 500-won coins with a smile as part of her morning exercise.
Lloyd found himself in trouble.
‘Phew. I can’t even refute any of this.’
He wanted to cry.
And that wasn’t all—most of the mermaids passing by were already sending him cold looks.
If he dared do anything rude to the elder mermaid, it looked like they would instantly swarm him and show him the spicy taste of clenched muscles(?).
“Ahem, I’m sorry! I was wrong!”
In the end, Lloyd repeatedly bowed and fled.
As he caught his breath in a back alley of the egg cluster, a sense of injustice rose up on its own, whoosh whoosh.
‘Wow. This is driving me crazy.’
A hollow laugh escaped him.
‘Seriously, this feels like grabbing random people in downtown Seoul and asking where I can meet Ungnyeo from the Dangun myth.’
That wasn’t just a figure of speech. The mermaids’ reactions were exactly like that.
The Gem of Truth of the Mermaid Kingdom.
He could truly feel just how ancient that treasure really was.
‘Should I just give up and go back?’
Should he go back and cling to Dragon King Verkis again, the one who had toyed with him?
Maybe that would be better.
Or should he just go to Hell?
Even if he had to pay some price, maybe he should ask the King of Hell for a way to stop the Restorative Power of Fate.
He even considered that.
But then he shook his head.
‘No. I’ve come this far, after all!’
It was too frustrating to just pack up and return like this.
He decided it would be better to hold out for another day or two, and only if there was still no answer would he leave.
That was when it started.
The continued indifference and coldness of the mermaids.
Despite those reactions, Lloyd became even more shameless.
He put on a thick face and kept asking questions.
“Excuse me, mermaid sir passing by? Have you ever heard of the Gem of Truth?”
“……”
“You there, handsome guy with the nice biceps? Not interested in the Gem of Truth?”
“……”
“Ah, you have the most splendid fins I’ve seen among the mermaids today. But by any chance, do you know anything about the Gem of Truth?”
“……”
Not a single mermaid reacted favorably.
Exactly like pedestrians in Korea being asked, “Do you know the way?”
As if they were looking at someone rambling nonsense.
Most of them passed Lloyd without even bothering to answer.
But Lloyd did not tire.
He didn’t get disappointed or sulky.
He was already used to indifference and coldness anyway.
Back when he had rolled around at the bottom of Korean society in every kind of shabby state, he had already experienced more than enough disregard and coldness.
So even if he experienced that again now, it wasn’t anything particularly new.
Instead, he put on an even thicker face.
‘Ah, whatever. If I’m already being treated like some “Do you know the way?” guy, then let’s commit to the concept properly.’
He thought, whatever happens, happens.
He even thought about deliberately pulling aggro.
So that was exactly what he did.
He really committed to the concept(?).
“Excuse me, sir? Oh my, you look so good-natured. Looking at you, it seems you’ve already received a great deal of positive energy from the Gem of Truth, haven’t you?”
“……”
“You there, young man? Do your shoulders feel heavy or your neck feel stiff? Oh my, judging by the look of it, it seems like an ancestor is riding on your back and crying. It feels like they’re telling you that you absolutely must find the Gem of Truth.”
“……”
“Um, I’m not sure if I should say this on a first meeting, but… by any chance, do things often end up not working out for you? That… gets resolved if you receive the energy of the Gem of Truth, you know. Actually, this isn’t something I tell just anyone.”
“……”
…that was the style.
Of course, the mermaids’ reactions were still cold.
But there was one thing that had changed from before.
‘Good. The mermaids are gathering!’
Lloyd secretly clenched his fist.
Maybe his bizarre act had become a rumor.
Or maybe word had spread that some weird human was acting crazy.
Either way, mermaids really were gathering.
They gathered in little groups, kept looking his way, and whispered among themselves.
Some mermaids snickered at him.
Some even burst into loud laughter while saying something to each other.
The atmosphere was like people watching something strange—or perhaps stupid.
But Lloyd did not feel the slightest bit of embarrassment or shame.
‘Good. This is way better than before.’
Instead, a glimmer of hope appeared.
There still wasn’t a single mermaid properly answering his questions.
But at least he had succeeded in drawing the mermaids’ attention.
Thanks to that, a considerable number of mermaids had gathered.
‘In other words, this is a matter of probability.’
Rather than catching one or two people and questioning them,
if he gathered dozens, hundreds of them,
that would increase the odds of getting an answer.
‘Of course, the shame is your portion, Javier.’
That wasn’t even it—Javier, who stood beside him, had been blushing since earlier.
He couldn’t even lift his head.
Was he embarrassed by this?
Did he want to strongly insist that he wasn’t part of the same group?
Yet unable to boldly distance himself, he timidly maintained an ambiguous distance of about five steps.
Lloyd grinned.
‘For now, the stage is set.’
That was when it happened.
Lloyd deliberately raised his voice when asking about the Gem of Truth.
So that all the mermaids gathered here could hear it.
With the hope that, if possible, some interested mermaid would finally take the bait.
He made his face even thicker.
But then, in the middle of it all—
“Excuse me, are you really curious about what the Gem of Truth is?”
At last, for the first time, a mermaid appeared who asked him a question first!
“Huh?”
Startled, Lloyd turned to look at the mermaid.
It was a young male mermaid with impressive water-colored hair.
But his appearance was a little peculiar.
‘His muscles are a bit modest for a mermaid?’
His build was somewhat different from the muscular, intimidatingly bulky mermaids around here.
By human standards, maybe about the build of a sleek track-and-field athlete?
He was that slim(?).
But this young mermaid with the unusual physique boldly approached him with a serious look in his eyes.
“Actually, I’ve been listening from earlier. To the questions you’ve been grabbing mermaids and asking.”
“You heard my questions?”
“That’s right.”
The slender young mermaid nodded.
Then an even more serious light shone in his eyes.
“So I’d like to properly discuss the Gem of Truth with you, but could we move somewhere else? There are too many listening ears here.”
“I’m fine with that.”
Lloyd readily nodded.
Rather, this was exactly what he had been waiting for.
Together with Javier, he followed the slender young mermaid.
How long did they swim?
Only after arriving at a place with few people did the slender young mermaid turn and look at them.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Rotorua.”
“Rotorua?”
“That’s right. My mother named me after the most famous mermaid of the Mythical Age. She wished that I would surely find the Gem of Truth, the most precious relic of that age.”
The mermaid named Rotorua spoke with a serious face.
One of Lloyd’s eyebrows twitched.
“You’re searching for a relic of the Mythical Age? The Gem of Truth?”
“That’s right.”
Rotorua nodded.
“Actually, my family has devoted their entire lives for generations to excavating the Gem of Truth. It is a long-cherished wish that has continued for thousands of years. But we still haven’t succeeded. Then earlier, I heard there was a land human going around asking the mermaids strange questions.”
“That was me.”
“So I hurried over.”
A faint smile spread across Rotorua’s previously solemn face.
It was because he recalled the shock and joy he had felt earlier.
‘Who would’ve thought I’d meet a land person who believes in the Gem of Truth.’
He was truly glad.
Overjoyed, even.
The reason was simple.
‘Because the Gem of Truth is an almost forgotten existence even among the mermaids here. But to us mermaids, it is our most regrettable lost heritage.’
Rotorua was someone who believed it absolutely had to be recovered.
He was also someone who had devoted his life to excavating it.
But he had never received a positive response from the mermaids here.
No—rather, he had only been ridiculed throughout his life.
That mermaids shouldn’t cling to such relics.
That instead of digging up boring old relics, he should swim more and build muscle.
That such things were the true qualities a mermaid ought to possess.
All his life, he had been forced to endure nothing but reproachful nagging and meddling.
But now, today, he had met someone with whom he could truly connect.
The Gem of Truth, which even the mermaids here ignored.
He had met someone, like himself, who was desperately searching for it.
And that someone was not even a mermaid, but a land human!
Moved with emotion, Rotorua clasped Lloyd’s hands and trembled.
“So that’s how it is. It may be a bit rude to ask this upon first meeting, but I would still like to make one request of you.”
“A request?”
“You, would you be willing to devote yourself to excavating the gem together with me?”
His request was sincere.
It didn’t matter that he wasn’t a mermaid.
It didn’t matter that they were of different races.
The fact that there was now someone with whom he could explore the gem together was enough to make him happy.
But at that very moment—
“Hmm. Well?”
Lloyd tilted his head to one side.
He looked at Rotorua with a doubtful gaze.
Then he even threw out a crooked, skeptical remark.
“How much of what you’re saying am I supposed to believe?”
“…What?”
Rotorua flinched.
He was a human who had said he was looking for the gem.
So Rotorua had naturally thought he would readily accept the offer.
He hadn’t expected such a twisted and distrustful reaction.
Lloyd’s suspicious words came flying one after another.
“Wouldn’t anyone think that? Try looking at it from the opposite side. Every other mermaid has been busy ignoring even the mention of the gem because it’s such a bother, but then one mermaid suddenly comes up to me on his own and starts talking about the gem. Should I really just take that at face value and gladly accept it?”
“No, what kind of……”
“What if you’re a scammer mermaid with bad intentions? Wouldn’t this be the perfect situation to take advantage of my desperation, after I’ve been going around here and there asking about the gem?”
“H-hey now. I’m not the kind of mermaid who takes advantage of other people’s desperation……”
“If you want to claim that you’re not, then prove it.”
“……”
“You said your family has been investigating the gem for generations.”
“That’s right. But why……”
“So prove it. Prove that you’re not some scammer mermaid.”
“How am I supposed to……”
“How? Easy. Tell me everything you know about the gem. I also have some information about the gem myself. If I compare what you’re telling me and check whether it’s correct, then wouldn’t I be able to tell whether you’re trying to scam me or whether you’re really a mermaid trying to find the gem?”
“Y-you distrust me that much?”
“Tsk. If you don’t even have the confidence to prove it, then be on your way.”
Lloyd turned around without a backward glance.
Seeing that, Rotorua felt both anger and anxiety.
‘No!’
This was the first being he had met in nearly his entire life.
He truly had never met anyone so interested in the gem before.
That was why.
He didn’t want to let this chance slip away.
Rotorua hurriedly reached out.
He grabbed the shoulder of Lloyd, who had been turning away.
“Then open your ears wide and listen carefully. The Gem of Truth, passed down from the Mythical Age in the Mermaid Kingdom, is……”
That was when it began.
Half irritated and half anxious, Rotorua fluently began reciting every piece of information he knew about the gem.
And so he never even dreamed—
that throughout his earnest explanation, given in order to prove his innocence(?) after falling for the provocation, a wicked smile was rewardingly spreading across the lips of Lloyd, who was still turned away from him.
It was the smile of someone who had successfully fished up a mermaid.
****
(T/N:
Oh, I just realized—we’ve come full circle.
This week’s chapter ends where I first started translating this series: Chapter 260. And now that we’ve finally reached this point, I can proudly say that The Greatest Estate Developer is fully translated.
That said, I have to admit the quality of the earlier translations was pretty rough, so I’ll need to go back and redo those.
Thank you all so much for your support.)