NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 69
Knowing full well what was happening, it was no surprise that Tenakis didn’t show himself. Despite scouring Heaven for even a trace of him, the gods found nothing—not even a strand of his hair. With no other choice, the gods gathered for an emergency meeting.
“How about we reclaim the coins, citing fraudulent completion of the quest since it wasn’t properly fulfilled?”
“Do you really think they’ll just hand it over? They followed the quest’s conditions to the letter, even if we didn’t write the terms properly.”
“True, the quest was technically completed according to the rules.”
“So, what do we do? We can’t just let this go! What about all our pending requests?”
Murmurs of frustration and anger filled the room. The gods were clearly upset that someone like this had become a subscriber.
As the gods wracked their brains for a solution, a hand slowly raised among them. It was Serlus, the administrator in charge of the reincarnation subscription service and the gods’ errand boy.
“I have a good idea!”
Serlus, with his short, sky-blue hair swaying, stepped into the center of the group. Like all the gods, Serlus was ideal in appearance, perpetually youthful, and beautiful. His androgynous features carried a playful air as he gracefully bowed and spoke.
“Instead of trying to reclaim the coins, why not create a situation where they’ll need to spend them?”
“How?”
“For example… we could put up items in the Heaven Market that would be irresistible to the subscriber!”
“Hmm.”
The gods seemed intrigued by this idea.
“I can offer a goose that lays golden eggs!”
“How about a horse that can travel ten thousand miles in a day? It’s much faster than the Pope’s carriage!”
“What if we sold fruits that only grow in Heaven? Like those apples that make your skin glow!”
Suggestions poured in from all directions. Serlus clapped his hands to get everyone’s attention.
“Wonderful, all of these are great! As long as they’re enticing enough to lure the subscriber, anything goes! So please, everyone, put up items in the market that are worth every single coin, no matter how expensive!”
The gods nodded resolutely at Serlus’s declaration, determined to turn the situation to their advantage.
* * *
Humming to myself, I hurried back to the Sapphire Room. Logan, true to his word, had stamped the documents and then promptly disposed of them, but that didn’t bother me at all.
‘The rewards have already been credited!’
Since the coins were earned through a bit of trickery, I figured it was best not to let them sit around too long.
‘Heaven might try to find a loophole to snatch them back, so I need to be careful.’
As soon as I got back to my room, I quickly collected the rewards from the two quests. With a satisfying clink, the Heaven Coins poured out, and Oink quickly gobbled them up. There were so many coins that it took quite a while for them to finish pouring out, and for Oink to eat them all.
I watched contentedly as my virtual “pocket” swelled with coins. For a while, I wouldn’t need to worry about grinding out more coins by obsessively checking the ‘Quest Log.’
Satisfied, I placed the ‘Quest Log’ deep into my desk drawer.
A life where you don’t need to work to earn money…
‘Is this what it means to be wealthy…?’
Of course, it wasn’t gold that I could use in reality, but just seeing that shiny fortune made my heart feel rich.
Just then, a message window suddenly appeared in front of me.
[Message from Heaven]
*(Advertisement)* ★☆★For Saintess Only★☆★ ☞Heaven Market Products☜ ♣Mass♣ Restock! Up to ★1/0/0/0/0/0 Coins★ DISCOUNT EVENT! ┏Coins = Life-changing Opportunities┛ @@@24/7 Always Open@@@ Guaranteed 100% Refund if Counterfeit!*
The message was so flashy and desperate that I couldn’t help but feel like Heaven was really scrambling.
‘The Heaven folks must be panicking, huh?’
They were clearly in a rush to get me to spend my coins.
‘What kind of products did they add to send such a frantic message?’
I leisurely clicked ‘X’ to close the message window. I had no intention of rushing to the market and buying whatever they were offering.
‘It’s not like I need anything right now.’
The more desperate the other side gets, the more advantageous the situation becomes for me.
By now, Oink had finished gobbling up all the Heaven Coins and was sitting on the nightstand. I patted Oink’s rear as a reward for the hard work and got up from my seat.
‘Today, I should visit the Ivory Tower.’
With Axel and Bael diligently carrying out their roles, I needed to keep an eye on Eugene as well. Just as I took my first step, the message window popped up again, flashing before my eyes.
**[Message from Heaven]**
*(Advertisement)* ★☆★For Saintess Only★☆★ ☞Heaven Market Products☜ ♣Mass♣ Restock! Up to ★1/0/0/0/0/0 Coins★ DISCOUNT EVENT! ┏Coins = Life-changing Opportunities┛ @@@24/7 Always Open@@@ Guaranteed 100% Refund if Counterfeit!*
‘Seriously?’
It was the exact same message as before.
‘Did they send it by mistake?’
I confidently clicked ‘X’ again and closed the message.
‘Alright, now let’s head to the Ivory Tower for real…’
But just a few steps later, the message window flashed open once more. And again, it was the same message.
Twice could be a mistake. But three times? Definitely not a mistake.
That’s when the battle of wills between me and the Heaven folks began.
Heaven kept sending the same message, and I kept clicking ‘X’ to close it.
Flash, X, flash, X, flash, X…
After dozens of rounds, the one who finally surrendered was me.
‘Ugh!’
If they kept popping up these message windows, I wouldn’t be able to do anything.
‘Fine!’
I get it already!
‘I’ll take a look at the Heaven Market, alright?!’
After some internal negotiation, I decided to open the Heaven Market.
‘Heaven Market!’
It was the first time I’d uttered that name since purchasing the awakening potion. Back then, I’d always checked the prices of the items listed before anything else. Even if I was tempted by the product descriptions, if I didn’t have enough coins, it would just leave me feeling disappointed.
But now, I didn’t even glance at the prices listed beneath the items. With over 3.1 billion coins resting in Oink’s belly, what was there to worry about?
‘Shopping without looking at the price tags… This is the life of the rich.’
The thought made me feel even more satisfied with my newfound wealth.
‘Oh…’
The variety of items in the Heaven Market was impressive, far more extensive than the last time I visited. It seemed like the number of items had doubled. Although I’d reluctantly opened the market due to Heaven’s incessant messaging, I wasn’t particularly motivated to buy anything, so I was just casually browsing through the listings.
That’s when something caught my eye.
**〈See-All Magnifying Glass〉**
It looked like an ordinary magnifying glass, but when you viewed objects through its lens, it would accurately analyze their components. With the See-All Magnifying Glass, appraising various items would be as easy as eating soup! However, note that it doesn’t work on living beings.
**Original Price:** 100,000,000
**Discounted Price:** 50,000,000
‘Accurately analyze components?’
The moment I read that, I remembered the mysterious flute I had received from Eugene. If I bought this magnifying glass, I could immediately determine the true nature of that flute.
‘I don’t need to analyze it right away…’
If I waited a couple of months, Servian would return from the Red Desert. I could show it to him first, and if even he couldn’t identify it, then buying the magnifying glass would be a more reasonable choice. But the “Limited Time Discount” banner flashing in the top left corner of the screen was nagging at me.
If I waited and bought it later without the discount, it would cost a whopping 100 million coins.
‘Hmm…’
After a brief moment of contemplation, I made up my mind.
I’ll buy it!
‘Since it’s not a one-time-use item, it’ll likely be useful beyond just analyzing the flute.’
With that thought, buying it during the 50% discount seemed like the smart move. After confirming my purchase, the familiar window appeared before me.