With my [Appraisal] Skill, I Became the Top of the Streaming World - Chapter 11
It was the following morning when I finally replied to Takasaka.
『Please let me know which dates work for you.』
A response came in less than an hour.
『How about the morning of the day after tomorrow?』
His correspondence was even more polite than before, and I could sense a hint of urgency.
◇
The designated location was once again a building in Shinagawa, but this time the room was larger than the previous meeting room. More than ten charms were lined up on the table.
"Regarding the previous matter, I reached out to the dealer we purchased them from."
Takasaka gestured toward the charms on the desk.
"At first, the dealer insisted it wasn't a manufacturing issue, but their attitude shifted once we provided the lot list. For now, they’ve agreed to take back our entire current inventory."
"And these are them?"
"There are twelve units. All of them are charms from the same supply route. Could you look over them one by one?"
I nodded.
I picked up the first one.
Warding Charm - Formula-Inscribed Type
Rarity: B
Current Value: High
Condition: Good
Notes: No special remarks.
"This one is fine."
The second one: No abnormalities. The third one was the same.
The moment I picked up the fourth one, the display changed.
Warding Charm - Formula-Inscribed Type (Formula Contamination)
Rarity: B
Current Value: Low
Condition: Caution Advised
Notes: Confirmed contamination of a formula from the same lineage as the previous detection. The contamination patterns are similar, suggesting a possible origin from the same process or material.
Recommended: Immediate cessation of use / Submit to a specialized institution.
"This one’s a hit too."
Takasaka’s expression tightened slightly. "Is it the same kind?"
"It says 'same lineage.' It feels less like a coincidence and more like they were made in the same place."
I continued checking them one after another. Out of the twelve, four were contaminated.
"Four units," Takasaka repeated. "And from the same lineage. If it were just one, it might be an oversight, but with this many..."
I hesitated for a moment before saying what was on my mind.
"Appraisal won't tell me if this was intentional or not. But for them to be mixed in randomly, the patterns feel a bit too consistent."
Takasaka remained silent, typing something into his phone.
"Understood. Could I get these results in writing? I'll use them to deal with the vendor."
"Understood. I’ll compile the appraisal results and send them to you later."
"Mr. Makabe, thank you for your honesty. The reward will be 50,000 yen, same as last time. Given the volume, I know I should probably pay you more, but..."
"The same as last time is perfectly fine."
◇
I’d walked a little way after leaving the building when a notification popped up on my phone.
The sender was the "Shinagawa Pier No. 7 Dungeon Management Bureau."
『We have verified the contents of the record map you submitted the other day. Since some sections correspond to unregistered routes, we will be archiving it as a reference document. We have transferred 20,000 yen to your account as a reward.』
There was one more line.
『It was a valuable piece of data. Thank you.』
I stood there for a while, staring at the notification.
That map was the one I’d found caught in a corner of a wall during a stream. I still remember picking it up while saying, "Is it just junk?"
◇
At night, I started my sixth stream.
My subscriber count had reached 2,180.
"I have two updates to report that happened off-stream today."
The comments reacted immediately.
『Oh?』
『What happened?』
『Is it about the Bureau map?』
"The first one—and this is the first time I'm mentioning this on stream—concerns a matter regarding equipment. I can't give names, but I received a request from a certain clan to appraise a batch of twelve charms that were suspected to have issues. Four of them showed contamination. And they all followed the same pattern."
『What?』
『Four of them?』
『That can't be a coincidence.』
"I can't judge if it was a coincidence or not. I just reported the appraisal results honestly. The rest is up to the client."
『That’s so professional.』
『Scavenger's job ends there, after all.』
"The second update is about the Management Bureau. I got the reward for the map. 20,000 yen."
『Nice!』
『Official recognition!』
『Picking it up back then was the right call after all.』
"In hindsight, yeah. I didn't know that when I picked it up, though."
I continued the stream, making my way through B3F.
It’s a standard Upper Layer area, but it's easy to miss things in sections I haven't visited in a while. The viewers were also expectant, commenting, 『I wonder if something will turn up.』
After about an hour, I had a few small successes: magic stone remains and equipment abandoned mid-repair. Together, they’d be worth a few thousand yen.
"I think that’s about it for today."
I checked the viewer count before closing the stream. Peak viewers: 2,640.
◇
On the way home, a short message arrived from Takasaka.
『Based on today's appraisal results, the clan leader would like to meet with you directly, Mr. Makabe. If you are willing, please allow me to coordinate a schedule.』
(...The clan leader.)
As long as Takasaka was my point of contact, it felt like an outside job. But if the leadership is getting involved, the conversation is moving to a whole new level.
I don't think it's a bad thing. It's just that I can't see yet what they're going to ask of me.
I decided to figure out my reply tomorrow.
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