I Became The Top Moderator Of The Otherworldly Gallery

< Chapter 8 >

Just the fact that the gallery auction house opened had already caused a ripple effect significant enough to shake up the Tesseur Empire. But it was nothing compared to the introduction of new cultural artifacts.

A single item that came up for auction became the talk of the world.

‘Coca-Cola’

How could such enthusiasm arise over black liquid? Someone said that, but their tune changed after they had a taste.

“Coca-Cola is a divine beverage.”

It’s fizzier than beer and sweeter. After drinking it, it even feels refreshing.

Why wouldn’t one drink it?

No one could argue against it. Those who had tried it couldn’t deny its appeal, and those who hadn’t were just pitiable.

“What? You haven’t tried Coca-Cola? Are you out of your mind?”

They were looked upon with such pity, even sympathy. Among the nobility, not having tried Coca-Cola was a laughingstock.

For a noble who knows to follow trends, it’s a must-try beverage! The black water!

Thus, Coca-Cola began to permeate among the people.

In the northern Tesseur Empire, in the Oront territory.

The Duke of Oront frowned.

“Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola. That’s all everyone talks about.”

What was it about this thing that everyone was so excited about?

Even at social gatherings, it was the same talk, to the point of irritation.

He had heard countless times that one must try Coca-Cola to keep up with trends.

What in the world was this thing anyway?

“Have you brought it?”

“Yes, this is Coca-Cola.”

He had spent a significant amount of money out of curiosity.

Why should one pay a gold coin for it?

At the auction house, they said it was sold for a silver.

But when he inquired about purchasing it, it cost him a gold.

It was incomprehensible, but Duke Oront picked up the Coca-Cola.

It was cool. The coolness spreading through his palm wasn’t too bad.

“Hmm…”

At best, it’s just a soft drink.

Soft drinks are for children and commoners. That means they are of low quality and not very good.

No matter how well made, a soft drink is a soft drink.

Compared to wines or beers crafted by artisans, it would be nothing.

But Duke Oront still went ahead and opened the Coca-Cola.

Click—pop!

The unique structure made a curious sound.

Thanks to what he had heard beforehand, he wasn’t surprised and managed to open it.

Upon fully opening the lid, he saw the black liquid inside.

It formed bubbles like beer… nothing special.

‘Just black water. A soft drink!’

Gulp. Gulp.

Duke Oront gulped down the Coca-Cola.

And then

“Ah…”

He let out a groan without realizing it.

The sweetness and the carbonation that swept through his body.

The balance was so intense, it could be mistaken for divine creation.

Though a brief experience, it was thrilling enough to be etched in his memory.

Duke Oront thus recognized the true value of this Coca-Cola.

“Have you also tried this…?”

“Yes, I’ve tried one.”

“Coca-Cola. How much do you think one costs?”

“In my opinion…”

The knight serving Duke Oront, Sir Lowell, pondered before responding.

“Even if it were 5 golds each, nobles with money would still drink it. If it remains a part of noble culture, an even higher price could be feasible.”

“It is indeed an item of such value. But remind me how much did it sell for at the auction house?”

“…It sold for 1 silver.”

1 silver!

Duke Oront sighed inwardly.

Do they not understand the value of money? Or the value of the item?

They could be sitting on a gold mine with this black water.

Such an ignorant person should not possess such an item. 

Only such a dignified and superior being such as I deserve it !!!

Duke Oront openly displayed his greed.

“Sir Lowell. Call the alchemists and wizards.”

“…Should we head to the Black Tower?”

“White, Black, Red, Blue. Call them all.”

“Yes, understood.”

It doesn’t matter how much money is spent!

If they can just produce Coca-Cola, they’ll easily make back the investment!

Duke Oront laughed.

All they had to do was analyze this black water and replicate it.

Even if they failed to make it exactly, as long as it was somewhat similar, they could be sitting on a fortune.

So, after calling the magicians and alchemists, a few days later, Duke Oront doubted his ears.

“…Impossible?”

“Yes, it’s impossible.”

“You know I didn’t pay you to hear that, right?”

He raised his voice, but the magicians and alchemists didn’t bat an eye.

“We don’t plan to take all the money. We’ll only keep 20% of our fee. In exchange, we’ll consider this matter as never having happened.”

A matter that never happened.

Officially, there was absolutely no research on Coca-Cola ever done. This meant there was no loss of face.

But looking deeper, it was a miserable reality.

They were washing their hands of Coca-Cola, resigning to never try again.

“…Is it truly that impossible?”

“Yes, we are certain.”

“How can that be possible?”

The continent’s renowned magicians gathered in the mage towers.

Yet he couldn’t understand why they couldn’t analyze this black water and had to give up.

Seeing Duke Oront’s reaction, the magicians sighed deeply.

They knew he wouldn’t understand.

“We tried everything to analyze this black water… Coca-Cola. But it was impossible, both with magic and alchemy.”

“It’s impossible.”

This was a phrase seldom heard from magicians, as magic is believed to demonstrate the boundless possibilities of the omnipotent. Dragon magic even reaches the divine, and with just the magic of words, one can kill…! Yet, they shook their heads.

“There is one fact that has been discovered through magic and alchemy.”

“…And what is that?”

“That we cannot replicate the additives used in it and… this beverage called Coca-Cola is difficult for us to understand with our principles.”

The magician presented a cup. Casting a spell, the cup filled with water. It was perfectly clean and transparent.

What are they trying to do? Despite Duke Oront’s confusion, the magician took something out of his pocket.

“Salt?”

“Yes, salt.”

Why?

He poured a little pinch of salt into the water and then showed it to Duke Oront.

“What does this look like to you?”

“…I have eyes. It’s water. Water with salt in it. Are you trying to mock me?”

“No, not at all. I just wanted to tell you. This is water with a similar proportion of additives to Coca-Cola.”

“…?”

Duke Oront frowned, not understanding for a moment.

So, the salt in this water and the additives in Coca-Cola are the same?

“That tiny amount changes the taste that much! Impossible…!”

“Yes, that’s why we concluded it was impossible.”

“Without even knowing how it’s made?”

“Yes, we couldn’t decipher it.”

With all the money he spent on this matter, Duke Oront gained only one thing.

Helplessness.

That was all.

After the magicians and alchemists left, Sir Lowell quietly approached.

“There is still a way left.”

“What way could possibly be left…!”

“Do we need to make an exact replica of Coca-Cola?”

“Are you suggesting we make a knock-off?”

That should have been concluded as nearly impossible.

Duke Oront almost snapped at Sir Lowell’s nonsense but restrained himself.

“No, that’s not what I mean.”

“Then what?”

“We just need to capture the person selling it.”

“…!”

“We need to catch the gallery owner.”

“We don’t know where they live.”

“That’s okay.”

Eloquence is silver, but silence is golden.

That means keeping silence is difficult.

If a person has a mouth, they are bound to slip up eventually. All we have to do is wait.

“Sooner or later, the gallery owner will slip up.”

“And we wait until then?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm….”

After a moment of contemplation, Duke Oront made a decision.

“Gather those who can access the gallery. And assign them the task of monitoring the gallery’s posts.”

The plan was to keep the gallery owner under 24-hour surveillance.

*         *         *

“Lady Demon King, what is this…?”

“This is Coca-Cola.”

“I know that, but…”

The question was about how she acquired such a large quantity.

At a glance, there were over a thousand cans.

Wasn’t Coca-Cola supposed to be limited to one per person?

How she had managed to obtain so many was a mystery, but the thought of finding how was fleeting.

“Kern.”

“Yes, Lady Demon King.”

“Don’t try to know too much. If you’re too curious, it might greatly shorten your lifespan.”

Kern swallowed his fear in an instant.

“…Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Also, distribute this Coca-Cola among my demons. I’ll make efforts to consistently obtain more.”

“…!”

Kern’s eyes widened.

He didn’t know where the Coca-Cola came from or how it was obtained.

But was that really important?

To have Coca-Cola, which everyone else found so hard to acquire, in their possession.

He simply worshipped and praised the Demon King as always.

Kern took the Coca-Cola, and Arcella sat back on her throne, thoroughly reading the gallery.

“Moderator… is more impressive than I thought.”

To hold onto so much money without being swayed. Perhaps it’s because they already had a lot of money.

But it’s another matter whether one would abstain from making more money. Money makes people greedy and eventually consumes them whole.

Controlling money perfectly is not easy.

Moderator was doing that difficult task perfectly.

“Even if one has a lot of money, the value of an item like Coca-Cola is high…”

Selling it for 1 silver each, wanting to offer it to everyone, is not something just anyone can do.

Arcella pondered deeply.

Would I have done the same if I were in their shoes?

It’s not something I could decide so easily.

“Offenders exist in a realm beyond understanding.”

That’s why they can act beyond others’ thoughts without being swayed, possessing great character, humor, and ability.

“…If only such a person were a demon.”

Their identity remains unknown. Whether they’re human, demon, or another race.

Moderator didn’t reveal any information about themselves.

They might even be a female student from the academy, as the persistent rumors in the gallery suggested.

“I’ve become interested.”

Her curiosity grew stronger.

This was the first time Arcella felt so intrigued by someone.

Arcella quietly smiled, imagining what Moderator looked like.

“I’d like to meet them.”

If they turn out to be likable, what then?

Arcella smiled mischievously.

*         *         *

While Arcella distributed Coca-Cola among the demons,

in the land of the elves, Elan, Queen Eris convened the elves.

She intended to research Coca-Cola with the magically proficient elves.

“This is an item called Coca-Cola.”

“…We know, Your Majesty. You summoned us because of Coca-Cola.”

“I became curious about the effects this Coca-Cola has on our bodies.”

Elves are a race deeply engrossed in magic and research.

Upon hearing Eris’s words, the elven scholars immediately began to present their own theories.

“It probably isn’t good for us, since it’s a soft drink.”

“However, we can’t be certain it has a detrimental effect.”

“Do you know the ingredients of Coca-Cola? It’s made with substances not found on our continent.”

“But you do know that those ingredients are only present in small quantities, right?”

“There are poisons that can kill in small amounts.”

“Has anyone died from drinking Coca-Cola?”
“Does dying of happiness count ?”

A fierce debate ensued.

Eris left them to their argument and quietly stepped back.

Just creating this situation meant the rest would be taken care of by their research.

‘I hope we can discover the recipe for Coca-Cola.’

Coca-Cola is delicious. So delicious that one would want to have a can every single day.

There are 365 days in a year.

Elves live for about 1000 years.

Eris, being 180 years old, belonged to the younger elves.

Assuming she has 800 years left, she concluded she would need about 300,000 cans of Coca-Cola.

‘I can’t possibly ask Moderator for 300,000 cans.’

She thought as she watered the plants, but then her thoughts quickly shifted.

Perhaps, if we become close enough, could I not ask for 300,000 cans?

Eris seriously considered her relationship with Moderator.

‘I am also of marriageable age…’

She hadn’t found a partner yet.

However, someone with influence across the entire continent wouldn’t be a bad match.

Moderator forcefully gave her a blue badge, but she had been fairly well-treated afterward.

Someone with initiative.

It’s known that such people are well-matched with the usually passive elves.

‘Meeting once and deciding might not be a bad idea…’

With her thoughts unusually busy today, Eris found herself paying more time tending to her plants.

*         *         *

While Eris was communing with her plants,

the hero, Kaira Luze, quietly stored Coca-Cola in her subspace.

“I, the hero… have found true happiness!”

She was a hero as happy as the Coca-Cola she possessed.

To be continued…