Regressor Of The Fallen Family [EN]: Chapter 32

Philip frowned. “Didn’t you say you knew someone in the capital, Logan? You spoke as if you knew the city very well.”

Logan shook his head. “Not at all.”

Philip sighed, thinking to himself, *This is going to be harder than I thought.* He spoke slowly, making sure Logan understood. “So, are you saying that because you don’t have any connections to sell unproven medicine to the nobles, I should figure out a way… is that it?”

“Yes,” Logan said simply.

Philip was speechless for a moment. *Logan is so calm about this,* he thought, *but if this plan fails, Logan will be fine. I’m the one who will be in real trouble.* He swallowed hard. “But… what if things go wrong?”

Logan smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “It’ll be alright.”

*He really doesn’t care,* Philip thought bitterly. *It’s not his neck on the line.* He cleared his throat, trying to sound more confident. “Right, alright. To meet nobles, a party is the best way, isn’t it?”

“A party?” Logan repeated, thinking aloud. “A party, huh…”

“Yes,” Philip said, nodding quickly. “But I’m just a commoner. I can’t go to noble parties. So, at least you, Logan, you should go…”

“Me?” Logan pointed to himself, surprised. “You want *me* to go to a party?”

Logan had never been to a proper party. The McLaine family was not wealthy enough for fancy events. In his past life, parties were just rough celebrations with soldiers, full of noise and mess. This noble party idea sounded very different, and a little worrying.

That alone was quite a troublesome request, but it wasn’t the end of it.

Philip thought, *Even if you attend a party and make connections, it will take time to deepen those relationships enough to be helpful for business. You can’t exactly do business directly at a party.*

“Hmm? Direct business? Ooh!” Logan exclaimed.

Philip worried, *I’m saying this out of concern, but you really shouldn’t do that. Not only Logan, but people will not like the McLaine family.*

“No. I’m not talking about doing business. It’s fine as long as I’m not selling anything,” Logan replied.

“Yes?” Philip asked, his voice anxious, as if he had a bad feeling.

“Hmm. You’ve given me a good idea. Then let’s meet in the capital,” Logan said.

Philip protested, *Me too? I have work to do here…*

“You’ll arrive in a week. Let’s meet inside the West Gate of Gran in a week, in the morning,” Logan stated.

Philip cried out, *Um, Logan. Are you listening to me…*

Bzzzt!

Thwack.

Ignoring Philip’s desperate cries, Logan left the communication room, deep in thought, his steps light.

* * *

“You’re going on another trip?” Patrick asked.

“Yes. After such a big event, I need some time to calm down,” Logan replied.

“…You?” Patrick questioned, surprised.

“Yes,” Logan confirmed.

Patrick sighed at his eldest son’s strange excuse. Logan had suddenly asked to speak with him. “Alright, where are you thinking of going?”

“I’m thinking of visiting the capital,” Logan answered.

“The capital?”

“Yes.”

“You’re going to a big city to clear your head?” Patrick asked, skeptical.

“It’s to learn more about the world,” Logan explained.

“…You expect me to believe that?”

“Yes.”

Patrick was surprised by Logan’s bold face, but his son’s expression didn’t change.

*I can’t exactly say I’m going to the capital to sell aphrodisiacs,* Logan thought.

Even if it was a good way to make money, Patrick wouldn’t let him sell it himself instead of using a trading company.

*He’d stop me, talking about the dignity of the nobility,* Logan thought.

So, it was better to be bold.

“Alright. You must have something in mind. Go ahead and come back,” Patrick said, giving permission more easily than expected.

Luckily, Logan’s good reputation from his actions was still strong.

This was Logan’s first time going to the capital in this life.

It was a bit strange that a nobleman’s son would go alone without any servants, even driving a wagon with almost 2,000 boxes.

But because of his success in the war, no one argued with Logan’s strong request, which was almost like forcing them.

Because of that, Logan was ready for a lonely night on the road under the stars for the first time in a while.

“It can’t be helped. Rick has to work,” Logan said to himself.

If Rick, who was covering his nose and working in the warehouse every day with dark circles under his eyes, heard that, he would be angry.

Logan wanted to hide the connection between the Carok meat and this ‘medicine’ as much as possible, so there was no other way yet.

Because he didn’t have any other people he could completely trust.

“Still, I feel sorry…” Logan said. He was a man with a conscience.

“Alright. Your name from now on will be Impo-Rick,” Logan declared.

He gave Rick’s name to the boxes piled up next to him, which were the result of Rick’s hard work.

*Rick who cures impotence. Nice!* Logan thought.

At that moment, Rick, who was barely falling asleep from exhaustion, felt a strange chill and shivered.

* * *

People were crowded in front of the city gate, so packed together that there was no space to walk.

Even from far away, where they looked like tiny dots, the city gate and walls were huge and impressive.

It was a sight that made them look like dwarfs entering the castle of giants.

The City of Gran, the capital of the Thousand-Year Kingdom, was a grand old castle with an amazing size.

The tall and thick walls, 20 meters high, had stood for a thousand years, protected by magic that was renewed regularly, and didn’t easily fall apart or wear down.

Stories said that even a strong Aura User could not easily scratch the walls.

*That’s an exaggeration, though,* Logan thought.

Logan remembered the walls falling down easily in his past life. The impressive walls made him feel uneasy, as if they were proving the empire’s strength.

That feeling grew stronger as the walls got closer and the crowds of people filled his view.

*The largest city in the eastern continent, with 1 million people living there and over 2 million visiting,* Logan thought.

To the people of the Grandia Kingdom, the capital Gran was a symbol and source of pride for their thousand-year history.

It was a giant castle built in ancient times, not even found in the Ares Empire.

But Logan felt very differently about it.

As he looked at the city gate, he imagined it collapsing and countless people dying.

“Ugh…” Logan groaned.

He remembered leaving the burned McLaine Castle behind and rushing to the capital.

He saw the face of someone he loved, who had made a mountain of enemy bodies in front of the west gate of the capital and then collapsed, hurt and weak.

*…Lonian,* Logan thought sadly.

He also remembered watching his brother being dragged away.

Crack.

*Never again…* Logan vowed.

Neigh.

“Ugh!” Logan cried out.

He accidentally squeezed the reins too hard, and the horses suddenly reared up as if they were scared.

“Danger!” someone shouted.

“Get back!” another person yelled.

The people around him stepped back in shock at what they saw.

“Lord Logan!” someone called out.

The surprised shouts and gasps created a small stir. A group of men, who were waiting for Lord Logan inside the building, hurried out when they heard the noise.

“But what are you planning to do?” Philip asked.

“I need to get a list of clients first,” Logan replied.

“Clients?” Philip repeated, blinking.

“Yes, a list of nobles who are, let’s say… *unlucky* in family matters. Nobles who don’t have children, and don’t have… other companions. Can you get it?”

Philip stared at Logan. He hadn’t seen him in a long time, and Logan was full of surprises. Philip chuckled softly.

“You can’t be serious, Logan. Does such a list even exist?”

“It does, doesn’t it? They’ll keep it secret, right?” Logan asked.

“Of course. Those kinds of people, of course… Oh, hang on,” Philip responded.

“Exactly. In a capital city like this, there are always those who sell secrets,” Logan confirmed.

That was the beginning of the business Logan had in mind.

There are those who unearth secrets. Most of the ‘real’ information guilds collect information from the shadows to bring to light.

They are picky about their clients and always ready to disappear and hide the moment they sense something is wrong.

And the East Continent branch of ‘Nox,’ one of the most famous information guilds among them, was in Gran.

“How on earth did you know that?” Philip wondered.

“You don’t need to know. Just rest here. I’ll go alone,” Logan said firmly.

“I-I’ll come with you!” Philip insisted, his voice a little shaky.

Philip’s hands tightened into fists, though his knuckles were white. He swallowed hard, trying to hide the fear in his eyes. No merchant was unaware of the importance of information.

Making connections with a competent information guild was a prerequisite for all wealthy merchants and a dream for all traders.

“It’s a dangerous place; you could die,” Logan warned.

“I-I’ll stay out of the way,” Philip replied.

But Philip gave up quickly. Nothing was more important than his own life.

Logan chuckled at the sight and quickly moved his feet.

Logan, who had secured a luxurious accommodation in the inner city costing 50 gold per night, cautiously headed to the slums east of the outer city.

About a hundred years ago, as the western Ares Empire rose rapidly, the center of trade shifted to the west, and all the wealthy and powerful people headed west.

Most of the commoners who remained in the east were extremely poor people who could not afford to leave even if they wanted to.

The largest gathering of these extremely poor people was outside the eastern outer city of Gran.

And criminals who had committed crimes in the inner city or outside and fled, or social misfits, joined them, forming a slum.

However, the corrupt upper class of society did not bother to do anything for the ‘trash’ that formed the slum.

As a result, the lack of security increased, and eventually, from some point on, the worst lawless zone that even the country had given up on was formed.

Logan turned down a narrow alley, leaving the paved streets of the outer city behind. The air here was thick and heavy, smelling of stale smoke and something rotten. The buildings leaned in, blocking out most of the sky, casting long, deep shadows even though the sun was high above. He could hear whispers and coughs coming from the doorways, and the ground under his boots was uneven and gritty.

It was the bare face of Gran, hidden behind the nobles of the inner city and the bustling streets of the outer city.

Nox’s Gran branch was located in a secluded part of that lawless zone.

‘This place is full of bastards who would take your guts out if you look weak,’ Logan thought.

Logan ignored the gaze of the beggar who was reaching out his hand, saying, “Spare a coin,” and walked fearlessly into the alleys of the lawless zone.

In fact, it was funny that a guild in the shadows had been in one place for a long time, but ‘Nox wouldn’t move its branch easily.’

It was a so-called open secret.

Being the most famous information guild on the continent meant that it had a lot of customers.

If they moved their branch every time a problem arose, it would be difficult to receive those customers.

Fortunately, Logan’s guess was correct.

Knock. Knock knock. Knock. Knock.

When he knocked on the door of the secluded abandoned house in a specific pattern, a small stick-shaped hole at the top of the door opened with a click.

A blue eye visible in the hole spat out a word as if annoyed.

“What?”

“Nox,” Logan replied.

“Password,” the eye demanded.

“Lunai,” Logan responded.

“Tsk. Wait,” the voice said.

Fortunately, not only the location of Nox but also the password remained the same.

The only difference from his previous life was that he had to wait outside for almost an hour.

Of course, the reason for this was quite predictable.

“Come in,” the voice finally said.

The inside of the abandoned house was spacious, unlike its exterior, and the underground space was even more extensive.

Creak.

Logan stopped in front of a room in the basement, opened the old door, and was greeted by a middle-aged man with an ordinary impression.

“What brings you all the way here from the remote outskirts of the kingdom’s southwest, Young Master Logan McLaine?” the man asked.

Logan was not surprised that a stranger recognized him at once.

Rather, he was pleased that Nox’s ability seemed to be proven by the fact that they had found out his information in just an hour.

“I came to buy information from the information guild, what else would I come for?” Logan responded.

“Oh ho. And from whom did you hear about our branch location and password?” the man inquired.

“That’s something you can find out on your own,” Logan replied confidently.

Although no matter how much they investigate, they won’t find the answer.

Creak.

Logan sat in the chair opposite the middle-aged man at the table with a relaxed expression.

“Well, fine. We only care about the price. What do you want?” the man asked.

“First, a list of nobles who have been married for the past 10 years but have no children. Second, a list of nobles who have not made mistresses or consorts. Third, a list of nobles who frequently seek out foods that are good for virility. Based in the capital,” Logan stated.

“Pardon?” the man asked, surprised.

He wondered if Nox might know the information about nobles who were impotent or infertile.

However, even if they knew information that could be a weakness of a noble, they would never sell it cheaply.

If it was confidential information of a high-ranking noble, they might not sell it at all because of the aftermath.

So it was better to collect information that could be inferred and filter it out himself.

“Is it difficult?” Logan asked.

“It’s not difficult, but why do you need such information……?” the man wondered.

“Will you count it as part of the information fee if I tell you?” Logan countered.

“I will accept the request,” the man conceded.

The deal was made.

Nox brought the information the very next day.

He had trusted their skills, so he wasn’t that surprised, but he was surprised by the price. In a bad way.

“900 gold for these three pieces of information that are close to rumors?” Philip picked up the three thin booklets, each less than 1cm thick, and looked surprised.

“Yeah. Nox is expensive,” Logan confirmed.

“If we had the time, we could do what they do……,” Philip grumbled.

“That’s why we pay money and entrust it to them because that time is precious. Just shut up and check the people who are common to those three. Also, the people who are common to two,” Logan instructed.

“Yes,” Philip replied.

Less than a few hours after the tycoon of his previous life learned how to use the information guild from the mercenary of his previous life, the targets they had to aim for were narrowed down.