Dekan's Kinfolk: Three-in-One

Dekan grabbed the city gate knight's arm and then looked at Captain of the Knights Gavin.

"Sir Captain of the Knights, may I borrow this young man for a moment?"

"No problem."

Captain of the Knights Gavin agreed.

He'll agree to anything as long as it doesn't cause him trouble.

Right now, all he wants is to quickly settle things with Dekan and the others, and then get away from them.

A minor incident occurred while passing through the city gates, already bringing a strong sense of foreboding to Captain of the Knights Gavin.

So Dekan took the gate knight who had bought the pirated [Captain Dekan] to a corner and assured him that he would not tell the Captain of the Knights about it.

The city gate knight quickly confessed to all the details of how he bought the card.

A few days ago, after losing [Captain Dekan], he struggled with how to rectify this dereliction of duty.

[Captain Dekan] In addition to being supplied to the Randir Kingdom through official channels, there are also some unofficial distribution channels.

However, there are resellers who manipulate prices through unofficial channels.

[Captain Dekan] bought on the black market will be much more expensive than the original normal price.

However, the city gate knight did not want to be punished for losing important security equipment, so after careful consideration, he decided to go to the black market.

Perhaps buying a [Captain Dekan] card at a high price would be more worthwhile than paying compensation plus punishment.

As a result, the knight encountered a thin, middle-aged man in a corner who asked him if he wanted to buy [Captain Dekan], which was only slightly more expensive than the official price.

After examining the card's attributes, the city gate knight gladly bought it.

Dekan's eyes twitched as he listened.

This bootleg stuff dares to sell for more than the real thing!

Where is the law?!

"Then why don't you buy more and resell them?"

"I'm a knight! Those unscrupulous merchants who resell cards and inflate prices will have no descendants!"

"I wholeheartedly agree with this."

Dekan nodded.

"But I did ask him if he had any more, since the price was very tempting, but he told me there was only one left."

The city gate knight added.

Dekan: "..."

You're a potential middleman too.

Dekan shook his head helplessly; he had a general understanding of the situation.

This gatekeeper was a complete sucker.

The guy who made the pirated cards was probably the same one who stole the genuine [Captain Dekan] from the knight using the [Bandit Goblin].

Then they cracked the official [Captain Dekan] and successfully created a pirated version of the Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan.

As a result, the pirated card was sold to this treacherous knight.

Dekan listened to this series of seemingly risk-free and highly profitable schemes, he felt a strong sense of déjà vu.

Isn't this almost identical to the money-making scheme employed by Dekan and Morion after they teamed up?!

It's just a youth version of the money-making loop, not on a huge scale.

Fortunately.

Since the time interval between the theft of the Knight's official [Captain Dekan] card and his purchase of the card on the black market was short, the Card Crafter should have only produced one Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan at that time.

However, Dekan knew very well that once this technology was mastered, producing more [Captain Dekan] would be a piece of cake.

It's only a Tier 1 blue-quality card, after all.

I bet the Card Crafter have already successfully made several cards by now!

We must stop and catch that guy quickly!

Otherwise, the Smiling World I envisioned will be tainted by a crooked smile!

Moreover, the Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan poses a great threat to Dekan himself and his companions.

This card must absolutely not be allowed to circulate in the market!

Dekan quickly released the city gate knight.

Then he went into the city and returned to his companions.

By this time, their squad was already waiting for Dekan in the carriage that Captain of the Knights Gavin had prepared for them.

Gavin Captain of the Knights Gavin told them that he would take them to a detached mansion near the center of the Royal Capital.

The surrounding security facilities are very complete, and there are no other residents or valuable public facilities, so they can enjoy their trip to the Randir Kingdom with peace of mind.

That was a residence granted to them by His Majesty the King.

"So, have you managed to find that counterfeit Card Crafter?"

"Croix asked."

"Yes, it shouldn't be hard to find."

Dekan's face was somewhat gloomy.

This was the first time he had ever encountered someone who could create a card that made him feel like he was in the Underworld.

He wanted to find out who this person was.

"Mr. Gavin, where is the black market located?"

Dekan leaned out of the carriage window and looked out at Captain of the Knights, who was guarding them on Gavin, and asked.

"The black market... the black market is not far from the outskirts of this city, but it's quite far from the Royal Capital center where you're going to stay."

Gavin sensed something was amiss, but he controlled his expression and calmly replied.

"Mr. Gavin, could you please wait a moment?"

"No problem."

So the Beautiful Soul Squad began their seminar in a carriage.

After a brief exchange.

"How about this, Croix and I will go to the black market, and you two girls and Cat Teacher can go to the center of the Royal Capital to have some fun today."

Dekan considered the group assignments.

First of all, there's no need for a whole group of people to go to the black market.

After all, entrapment is best done with only one or two people.

If Dekan brings Cornelia.

That might create an awkward situation between Croix and Mie, since they aren't very familiar with each other.

Mie and Cornelia sat together almost the entire way to the Randir Kingdom.

When they found a town to rest in at night, Mie and Cornelia, the Cat Teacher, shared one room at the inn, Dekan and Croix shared another.

After two weeks of travel and being roommates, the cheerful Mie and Cornelia have become very close.

Seeing their close relationship, Dekan was certain that Mie had become Cornelia's second female friend after Flora.

In addition.

To be honest, it's in the gray area on the outskirts of the city.

Dekan still felt more fun hanging out with boys.

"No problem."

Everyone nodded.

Rather than exploring the black market, Cornelia Mia, the cat teacher, seems to prefer enjoying a leisurely afternoon of sightseeing in the capital city.

"Oh, right, Mie, could you please help us disguise ourselves a little?"

Dekan said to Mie.

He had seen Mie master the skills of various excellent scouts, but she would never consider challenging the Shadow World.

Dekan and Croix rose to fame after their victory at Tristin.

Information brokers on the black market likely possess information about their appearance.

It would be troublesome if I were recognized.

And, they can't guarantee they won't cause trouble on the black market today.

If we get hunted down, that would be troublesome.

It's still more convenient to have a disguised identity.

"No problem, but you two just don't lead anyone to our place."

Mie seemed certain that the two buddies wouldn't have a peaceful afternoon.

She took out a tool kit from her suitcase, along with a leather mask made of a special material and a quick-acting hair dye. In no time, she skillfully transformed the two of them.

It's impossible to tell that the two of them are Dekan and Croix now.

At Dekan's additional request, Mie disguised Dekan as Morion as much as possible.

"Hmm, it's quite similar."

Dekan looked in the mirror and tried to imitate the smiling expression that Morion often wore, just as he remembered it.

It's a pity that this temporary disguise can't last long, otherwise I could often use Morion's identity to cause trouble in the future.

But no matter what, Dekan always felt that something was missing.

"Yes, it lacks, it lacks a bit of the spirit."

Cornelia also observed Dekan carefully and offered her evaluation.

"Hiss, what's going on...?"

As he put the mirror down, Dekan saw a number of vendors selling trinkets outside the window.

So Dekan jumped off the carriage, bought a pair of glasses with a single chain on his face and put them on, and then bought a black top hat to wear on his head.

"So, are you getting the Morion vibe now?"

"That essence is immediately apparent! You are Morion!"

Croix gave a thumbs-up in agreement.

So the Beautiful Soul Squad temporarily split into a boys' group and a girls' group, and began their respective activities.

The outskirts of the underground black market.

Dekan and Croix strolled around, and to keep a low profile, Dekan temporarily put away his monocle and top hat.

They browsed the various shops and stalls, and occasionally bought some cheap, low-level materials.

Before long, they noticed a thin, middle-aged man looking around.

His physical characteristics were almost identical to those described by the city gate knight.

They seem to be observing the customers' purchasing intentions.

So Dekan and Croix naturally moved a little closer to the thin, middle-aged man and asked the nearby vendors if they had any [Captain Dekan] for sale.

Regardless of whether the vendor answered yes or no, Dekan wouldn't buy it, then said the price was too high.

They cannot appear too extravagant.

Otherwise, it might scare the thin, middle-aged man away.

Because people of higher rank or status are more knowledgeable and experienced, he might be caught red-handed if he sold pirated cards to such people.

The target group for the skinny middle-aged man is low-end customers who want to buy Captain Dekan but find the official cards too expensive.

Such people have never used [Captain Dekan] before and would almost never notice any signs of a pirated card.

Before long, the thin, middle-aged man took the bait.

He walked directly to Dekan and asked:

"Sir, are you looking to purchase [Captain Dekan]?"

Dekan turned his head to look at the thin, middle-aged man with a puzzled expression.

After hesitating for a moment, he nodded:

"Yes, that's right."

"I happen to have [Captain Dekan] here. I urgently need money, so I only need 1200 Mint Coin (1 Gold Coin = 1000 Mint Coin). Would you like that?"

"Let me see."

Since most of the central and Southern States use the common currency issued by the Kingdom Association, Dekan can easily use the currency earned in the Norton Kingdom directly in the Randir Kingdom, even without exchanging currency.

The thin, middle-aged man looked around, licked his lips, and then took out a [Captain Dekan] card from his pocket and showed it to Dekan.

Dekan looked at the card and managed to suppress his expression.

This bootleg [Captain Dekan]'s mouth is even more crooked!

It seems that after a short period of practice, the skills of this bastard counterfeit Card Crafter have become even wilder!

Can you make it a little cheaper?

Dekan is ready to put on another act.

He wasn't sure if the guy in front of him was the counterfeit Card Crafter himself, or just someone helping to sell stolen goods.

It's not a good place to start.

"The minimum price is 1100 Mint Coin. I can't go any lower than that. If I didn't need the money urgently, I really wouldn't have sold it so cheaply."

The thin, middle-aged man replied with a bitter expression.

Dekan looked at him like this and a cold smile began to creep into his heart.

The genuine card only costs 1 Gold Coin!

Keep acting, you son of a bitch.

The acting is just like they're selling genuine game cartridges!

"Hmm, do you have any more [Captain Dekan] cards? If I buy a few more, can you give me a discount?"

Dekan asked, somewhat hesitantly.

The thin, middle-aged man probably wouldn't carry all the cards, which are so valuable to him, with him. If he had more stock, perhaps he could accompany her to the location where these counterfeit cards were stored or even produced.

"Yes, if you buy five at once, I'll sell them to you for 5 Gold Coin!"

The thin, middle-aged man was still pretending to be in urgent need of money.

"Then I'll take them all!"

Dekan gritted his teeth, took out five Gold Coin, and handed them to the thin, middle-aged man.

He thought to himself that it was exactly as he had expected.

"I didn't bring everything with me, please come with me."

After accepting the Gold Coin, the thin, middle-aged man quickly led Dekan and the others to a dilapidated little shop.

Aside from a small counter, there was hardly any room for customers to stand, and behind the counter was a door that seemed to be a small warehouse for storing goods.

Just as the thin, middle-aged man was about to unlock the box under the counter to retrieve his goods, Croix cast a light spell [Binding Halo], the light binding him like duct tape.

"What... what are you going to do?"

The thin, middle-aged man's expression instantly turned utterly terrified.

Just now, Croix's sudden attack revealed a Magic Power intensity that sent shivers down Croix spine of the thin, middle-aged man.

A high-level mage like that wouldn't come to a shabby little shop like his!

Even if they were robbing someone, they wouldn't go this far!

Did you make this card?

Dekan pulled out that Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan

No, it wasn't me.

Who did that?

"It was made by Mr. Dekan! I bought it from legitimate channels in Tristin City!"

Hearing the thin, middle-aged man's words, Dekan was so angry he almost laughed.

When did he ever make such an Underworld card?!

"Heh, you think we're easy to fool just because we look kind?"

Dekan sneered, twisted his neck, closed the shop door, locked it from the inside, and then his expression turned grim.

"King K, increase his strength."

No sooner had Dekan finished speaking than Croix unleashed a wind Wind Blade that struck the thin, middle-aged man in the chest.

The sudden, ripping sensation in his chest made the thin, middle-aged man desperately want to scream, but he found himself unable to make a sound, or even call for help.

He has been [Gag].

What's even more terrifying is that he originally thought he would die under these Wind Blades, but in fact he was completely unharmed.

It seemed that no matter how many of these Wind Blade he endured, he wouldn't die.

What follows will likely be an experience worse than death for him.

"I'll give you one more chance. Tell the truth. If you tell even one lie, we'll torture you for ten minutes before we come back to question you. Understand?"

Dekan nudged the thin, middle-aged man's shoulder, looking at him coldly as he spoke.

The thin, middle-aged man nodded frantically.

After Croix Purification the [Gag] status from him, the thin, middle-aged man immediately looked towards the room behind the counter and shouted:

"I didn't make this card! The Card Crafter is in that room!"

"Hehe, whether you tell me or not, I'll still take a look at what's in this little room."

Dekan probably guessed it too.

If there is a counterfeit Card Crafter, then it is very likely that they are secretly making cards in a small room behind the counter.

Because Dekan sensed fear.

There seems to be a guy in the small room.

After realizing what had happened at the shop, he held his breath.

That was his favorite kind of breathing, an unconcealed sound tinged with fear.

Back in [The Wild Mountain Blizzard Mystery], Dekan had also listened to the breathing of the two sisters from the Resurrection Church as the older sister struggled desperately behind the door.

"If you dare to plagiarize my intellectual property, are you prepared to pay the price?"

Dekan approached the small room step by step like a demon.

Just as Dekan was about to open the door with a mocking expression, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a small figure, completely covered by a hood and cloak, rushed out. She immediately threw out a Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan.

Just like before at the city gate, Dekan was once again Taunt by this Crooked-Mouth Captain Dekan.

Dekan hadn't expected that this counterfeit Card Crafter would have the audacity to take the initiative.

However, Dekan was prepared this time and immediately used [Blood Purification] to remove the Taunt status.

Just as Dekan was about to use [Hypnosis Gas] to subdue her.

Immediately, Dekan felt a splitting headache.

Fortunately, the intensity of the pain wasn't too extreme, not enough to make Dekan faint.

"What the hell?!"

As Dekan covered his forehead, the agile little guy seized the opportunity to bypass Dekan and ran towards the door.

In the instant he came to his senses, Dekan figured out what had just happened!

The little guy's toy hanging from his waist is an Equipment Card similar to the Dekan [Cursed Doll].

[Cursed Puppet]

[Category: Equipment Card]

[Grade: Purple Rare]

[Class: 1]

[Effect: Returns 0.1% of the damage received to the opponent, and transmits 100% of the pain sensation to the opponent.]

[Note: Tata's masterpiece]

And this little guy just now also used a mental spell similar to Dekan's [Mental Clash] (the two sides' Mental Clash, and the loser is stunned and suffers great pain).

[Mental Shock]

[Category: Spell Card]

[Grade: Purple Rare]

[Class: 1]

[Effect: This effect is only effective when the distance between the two parties is less than 1 meter, and the closer the distance, the stronger the effect, triggering a clash of their mental energies.]

[Note: Another masterpiece by Tata]

This little guy also has a very strong will; he was able to consciously prepare and forcefully endure the pain inflicted by the card.

Without a doubt, Dekan was certain that this guy was just like him!

She can not only counterfeit her own cards, but she can even make similar ones of cards that Dekan has never sold!

This guy is undoubtedly a genius capable of independently creating Purple Rare cards!

Unfortunately, he still looks a bit green.

For example, this [Mental Shock] seems to eliminate the negative effect of "stunning the loser" compared to Dekan's [Mental Clash], but it lacks the consideration of preventing [Spell Counter].

The little guy could have successfully bypassed Dekan and escaped the shop.

Unfortunately, a level 6 Croix was blocking the way.

A sixth-tier mage is an insurmountable wall for her.

Croix quickly bound her with the same light magic.

She can scheme against one person, but she can't scheme against two.

Two villains blocked the doorway, and no matter how much she struggled, it was all in vain, given her mere foothold on the first level.

"How come you're such a young man and you've already become an Underworld!"

Dekan walked over and looked at the little guy who was bound to the ground by the beam of light.

He was so angry he laughed.

Clearly, this little guy, who looks only six or seven years old, is only at the first level.

But this was indeed the first time Dekan had been brought to this state by a Tier 1 Card Crafter.

"Hehe, don't blame me for using rank suppression, to be honest, rank suppression is just too satisfying."

Dekan laughed heartily, seemingly in an exceptionally good mood.

Even Croix couldn't help but glance at Dekan, wanting to make a comment.

Although he felt that Dekan's current behavior was exactly like that of a villain in a play who bullies the protagonist.

But when he saw Dekan wearing Morion's cloak, he thought it made quite sense.

Let me see your true colors.

This time, Dekan finally took off the little guy's hood.

She was wearing a beret with only a few strands of gray hair showing, which appeared to be firmly secured to her head with tape.

She was staring intently at Dekan, looking like a vicious puppy, ready to take him down with Dekan.

"Kid, you're so brazen about pirating my card?"

Dekan crouched down, smiling, and flicked her forehead.

"...!"

The little girl didn't say a word, but continued to glare at Dekan as if he were her mortal enemy.

Just as Dekan was about to ask her how she pirated his cards...

"Huh..."

Dekan crouched down before he could get a good look at the little girl's face.

He couldn't help but frown.

Although her face was dirty and one eye was bandaged.

But for some reason, Dekan felt that her appearance was somewhat familiar.

It's like...

What was I like as a child?

Dekan wondered if it was because the little girl also happened to have gray hair and blue eyes that he had this illusion.

So Dekan reached out to take the little girl's hat off.

However, despite being bound by Croix's light magic, the little girl was still desperately trying to break free of her restraints and protect her hat, despite the pain.

"Good grief, the tape on your hat is wrapped really tight. Are you trying to imitate Jotaro?"

Dekan realized he couldn't remove the hat from the little girl's head all at once, and he couldn't bear to hurt her.

Unless the person is truly evil, Dekan is unwilling to harm children.

Helpless, he could only remove the bandages from the little girl's face first.

The little girl tried to bite Dekan's finger, but Dekan simply held her head down so she couldn't touch him, and quickly removed the bandage covering her eyes.

The little girl seemed to be startled by the blinding light and abruptly closed her eyes, which were hidden behind the bandage.

However, even for just a moment, Dekan met her eyes.

All I saw was...

Just now, her pupils beneath the bandages had a unique, deep golden hue.

Dekan knew those pupils all too well!

The same golden pupils that Dekan possessed after his demonization!