My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness - Chapter 67

#67

Customization (3)

“Wow… It is indeed a very high quality pepper as rumored. “The processing is also neat.”

“The reviews from those who have used it themselves are also very good. “Even high-ranking people said they were satisfied.”

“If I sell it well, it will be enough to not only increase my margins but also build my network.”

Hubert’s business was going well.

The pepper packed in the subspace magic tool sold out quickly, even though the price was quite high.

In the early days of pepper sales, sending samples to nearby large merchants and establishing various relationships worked well.

‘Of course, in the meantime, I used Harley’s service to prevent the other person from coming out carelessly.’

The thank you message officially delivered to the mercenary guild through the church played a significant role in increasing Harley’s fame.

As it became more famous, the frequency of disputes increased, but that also just became a new form of marketing.

‘They must have been famous enough to fight that ugly-looking Harley. I defeated those people with my bare hands…’

Harley became a famous figure in the Tarak mercenary world.

The Hubert Company, where such a person was a partner, also received attention of its own.

‘Marketing using good products, reasonable prices, and limited quantities. Also, the credibility of using the name of a famous person. ‘It’s strange that this fails.’

External intervention was also prevented thanks to Harley.

Large powers such as large merchants had no choice but to have ties with the religious denomination.

Through their connections, they learned that Harley was indeed receiving attention from the upper echelons of the church, and naturally gave up the idea of interfering with the Hubert Company.

From their point of view, it would have been more damaging to look down on the church by saying they would just take away a small business.

And those idiots who don’t have that kind of information….

“Ugh… forgive me…”

In a dark back alley.

Dauntless men were lying everywhere like trash.

“Harley, this guy wants forgiveness?”

A tall man with a tattoo on his face grabbed a Parakho by the collar and shook him off before speaking to the side.

“Forgiveness? “Can these bastards treat us with such contempt that they have now forgiven us?”

“For these things, you have to step on the roots from the beginning so they don’t creep up again, right? “I will demonstrate.”

The ones who reacted to his words before Harley did were two large men with tattoos all over their bodies.

Southern warriors who once clashed with him but are now as close as brothers.

They were three Turabas, the largest of whom was King Lu, who had a knife mark around his eye and a face full of hair.

They were currently assisting Harley in putting down the Parakhos that were trying to modify the Hubert Company.

‘Of course, I’m not working without compensation. ‘I make a lot of money, so there’s no need to save money on things like this.’

Just having human resources that can be trusted to some extent and manipulated at will is beneficial.

It would be great if we could get active cooperation with just a few pennies.

“Hmm, now that you think about it, doesn’t it seem like Harley’s impression has changed a bit?”

“So do you? “I feel closer to it than before.”

“Isn’t that just because we’ve become friends all this time?”

“is it?”

It was a topic of conversation that came up without much meaning while on the way to have a drink after work, but Harley couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

‘It was changing little by little without anyone noticing…’

Because his facial shape was really changing to the point where it was subtly different from the first time.

Having met three southern locals, this was an opportunity to naturally absorb their characteristics.

Harley’s face, which was somewhat subtle, was being modified little by little every day to fit the race of a Southerner.

“Ahahaha! Doesn’t that mean we’ve become that much closer! “Now we really feel like brothers!”

Harley chuckled cheerfully and passed the topic over as if nothing had happened.

And inside the bar they entered, they chatted loudly and had various conversations.

The topics were mostly about the southern region and were very informative, mainly based on the vivid experiences of local people.

“…So it’s hard to leave an imprint once you leave the South. “Most shamans don’t want to leave that place.”

“Sometimes we run into each other somewhere else, and if we prove our qualifications and pay the price, we can engrave a new engraving.”

Among them was something about ‘imprinting’, which they often talked about.

“Sometimes stupid people try to engrave imprints that don’t fit the bill. In most cases, the shaman will chase them away, but…” “

It happens sometimes. “There are things that will only be resolved if you do what you want them to do.”

There were cases where people were forcibly engraved on their bodies through threats, persuasion, bribery, and other methods.

“I don’t need credentials for nothing.”

The engraving was not just a tattoo.

It was a branch of mystery that was engraved by weaving together the life force flowing through the body, the mana, and the karma accumulated by the person concerned.

‘Is this some kind of biological magic circle that strengthens the body?’

It is said that imprints that do not match the standard not only shorten lifespan but also cause all kinds of side effects, including muscle loss, loss of energy, aging, and hair loss.

“So in the South, if you don’t have an engraving, they won’t even recognize you as a warrior. “It means that you don’t even meet the qualifications for the most basic ‘warrior’s imprint.’”

That was why they quarreled with Harley, the ‘self-proclaimed warrior of the South.’

Because there were only playful scribbles on the naked body, and there were no imprints anywhere.

‘There’s nothing I can do about what I can’t get right away. I wish I could do it before I go south.’

Like a man, he gulped down a large glass of alcohol and quenched his appetite.

While Hubert and Harley were spending each day fulfillingly, Harris, who had newly joined Tarak, continued to fight alone for several days.

“Ugh… I feel something…”

Harris, the elf avatar, stays in the base saved by Hubert and tries to communicate with spirits through daily meditation.

I expected to become a high elf, but after the notification that the World Tree was watching, no significant changes occurred.

‘I think this is a natural force, but how do you make a spirit contract? ‘Am I still lacking in friendliness?’

Mana natural power, once filtered and purified through natural objects such as trees, was an essential energy source when making a spirit contract.

His initial abilities were the same, and with the effects of the “World Tree Child” and the bracelet, he probably didn’t lack affinity, but I couldn’t figure out how he could become a spiritist.

“Instead of doing this here, should we try going to a forest with more natural power and try it…?”

Until now, I had been staying here to hide the fact that I was an elf, but now I felt like I had to go outside.

‘I guess I could just put on the hood and cover my ears. Before signing a contract with a spirit, I tried to protect myself as much as possible…’

As a rare race on the Aeon Continent, elves inevitably got caught up in various problems.

Isn’t that why Cecily, who was a high elf candidate, was sold into slavery?

‘Yeah, like Cecily… huh? ‘Just…’

High elf Lafori, candidate Cecily, and a delegation of nearly twenty elves.

They were still staying at the Great Temple of Roselia.

The Heresy Inquisitors of the Kingdom of Thalia discovered the residence of the Immortal King in the Forest of Monsters and also revealed that he had been there right before he invaded the Great Temple.

I still didn’t know how he was able to recognize the moment when the Great Temple’s defenses were at their weakest, but…

‘Because the church didn’t suspect the elves from the beginning.’

Since they had only dispatched an investigation team to clearly determine the truth of the matter, the church maintained a polite attitude toward the elves as it had at first.

‘I heard that they are now getting ready to go back now that they have finished their work…’

Wouldn’t it be better to get help from a fellow elf rather than studying on your own?

It would be great if they could get some advice before they go back.

‘good. ‘That would be nice.’

Harris quickly stood up and put on his robe.

And then I confidently headed to the Temple of Tarak.

As he neared his destination, a huge figure approached from a nearby alley.

Unlike Harris, who has a slender body, he has a large and sturdy body.

Harley, the man who approached with intimidating steps, naturally joined him and walked toward the temple.

While drinking with Southern warriors, he took time out to help Harris.

And the two walked side by side and soon arrived at the temple.

“huh? Not Harley? “What brings you here? Do you have anything to do?”

The crusader guarding the entrance to the temple recognized Harley, whose very individuality was his identification, and spoke to him.

“Hahaha—! There’s something I’d like some help with this time. “I’d like you to tell me a story inside!”

The story that emerged from the meeting thus arranged was simple.

〈I made a close elf friend while working as a mercenary.

However, this friend had been wandering alone for a long time, so he knew nothing about other elves and their abilities.

I am indebted to him in many ways and would like to do something for him, but since I happen to know some elves, I would like to introduce them to him.

So, please contact them and let me use the gate if possible.〉

And as a token, he confidently said that he even gave me a bracelet as a gift, which I had difficulty using.

His request for help had already been agreed upon above, so Harley’s story was immediately conveyed to the elves at Roselia’s Great Temple.

***

Uuuung—

After passing through the gate that he had already used several times, a space that was equally familiar welcomed him.

“Welcome Mr. Harris. “Welcome to the Grand Shrine of Roselia.”

The high priest in charge of the gate, who only knew his face, welcomed him.

Harris was then led outside, followed by another priest.

‘It’s a bit awkward to come to a place I’m already used to with a completely different identity.’

As soon as it was decided to receive help from the elves, he received the cooperation of the church and arrived at the Roselia Grand Shrine after moving through the gate for several days.

As an invited guest, the place I was guided to was the lodgings where people from the Elven Kingdom stayed.

There, several elves were already gathered together and having a conversation.

“Nice to meet you. “My name is Lafori Granwood, a high elf of the Elven Kingdom.”

When Harris entered, Lafouri greeted him warmly.

“Oh, my name is Harris. “Thank you for taking the time to do this.”

“Hahaha no. This is not only a request from Harley, but also the work of a fellow countryman. “This is nothing.”

After answering that, Lafouri looked at the bracelet on Harris’ wrist and nodded.

“It seems like you and Harley are close friends. “I knew very well that he was a good person, but I was quite surprised to hear that the first request he made was to help his friend.”

“Ah… it’s a fairly close relationship. “Maybe we’re closer than family…?”

It was absolutely not a lie.

“And I heard that this bracelet was originally used by Lafori. “I received it because I felt like I needed it, but if you were offended, I apologize.”

“no. “I gave it to Harley as a thank you, and how he uses it is of no concern to me.”

He shook his head as if it was really no big deal.

“I am once again grateful that they used it for the benefit of our compatriots.”

He smiled quietly, looking at Harris with eyes that twinkled and shined like stars in the night sky.

It was a look that made me feel burdened for some reason.

“So what you want, Mr. Harris, is how to control natural forces and how to make contracts with spirits?”

“Oh yeah. That’s right. Since I have lived alone since I was young, there was no one to tell me such things. “I came here wondering how I could get some advice.”

“Hmm…”

Lafori stroked his chin, looked at him again, and nodded to himself.

‘For some reason… I feel like I’m being a bit too intimate with this? Did you notice something?’

Even though he was a compatriot from a foreign country who came to visit me thanks to a benefactor’s introduction, there was a strange feeling that I couldn’t explain.

While thinking about that, Laforie smiled meaningfully and quietly opened his mouth.

“Perhaps. If it’s okay with you, Harris, don’t you want to go to the Elven Kingdom on the Enamel Continent with us?”

“yes? To the Enamel Continent?”

“Yes, I think we will be going back soon. “Wouldn’t that be better than just receiving brief advice?”

And he secretly tempted me by saying that if I went with him, I would be able to receive more detailed training in elemental arts, archery, and other things.

‘Elves… different races… different continents… new adventures!’

There was no reason to refuse such a good opportunity.

Just as he was about to willingly accept, Laforie quietly added a word.

“More than anything, it seems like the World Tree is keeping an eye on you, Mr. Harris. Although you are not yet qualified to become a high elf, you seem to have an innate aptitude for it.”

I was able to understand his subtle attitude when he said those words.

It seems that the World Tree was very interested in Harris.