Chapter 434: Authorization

T-District, the Worker’s Habitat in Randa.

There was a cheap restaurant there. In fact, most restaurants in T-District were cheap.

Anyway, in one corner of that cheap restaurant, a large man was sitting.

He wasn’t impossibly huge, but among the T-District people, who were reduced to skin and bones from hard labor, he stood out.

His efforts to avoid attention—by dyeing his hair black and wearing plain clothes he didn’t even like—were in vain.

But he had no choice. A druid, who had gained a superhuman physique from harsh training, would stand out no matter what he wore.

It was indeed ironic. These were people who could hide at a beast’s level in the wild. But, in the city, they couldn’t help but be noticed.

The only ones who didn’t stand out were the female druids.

This wasn’t a sexist statement—the fact is, unlike the men, the women only became younger and more beautiful, so they showed less obvious changes.

Take for example, the blonde woman who stopped in front of the large man.

She naturally sat in front of the tough-looking man and began to speak.

“Did you really have to come? It would have been better if we sent someone else… someone less conspicuous.”

Even though she was a druid and an Enthusiast, she wore an outfit that didn’t attract much attention. Though her vitality from training and her innate beauty made her stand out, it wasn’t a problem.

She had been working as a singer at a local pub in T-District for the past few weeks and had already somewhat blended in.

Not as an Enthusiast, but with the patience typical of a druid.

The man responded to her sarcasm.

“Isn’t it strange for women to only meet in a place like this?”

“Hmm… you do have a point.”

“Also, I’m the most decent guy around here… If anyone asks, just say I’m your older brother. Your cousin, even.”

“Ugh, no thanks.”

The woman shuddered and made a face, and the rejected man grumbled in a low voice.

“It’s just part of the plan! The plan…!”

His small, plaintive shout was oddly amusing, causing the woman to chuckle quietly.

Despite being irritated by her reaction, the man wasn’t entirely displeased. He calmed down and naturally continued the conversation.

“Huuuh… I heard he showed up.”

The woman, sipping her cheap coffee, nodded. Currently, ‘he’ could only refer to one person.

“You get used to this terrible coffee after a while… He got back two or three days ago. To Forest’s restaurant.”

“They say he looked terrible.”

The woman nodded again. She had been lucky enough to see him there, with some fool of a customer, looking like someone who hadn’t eaten in days – the fixer, Dave.

To slightly exaggerate, he looked like a walking corpse. It was astounding that someone like him could take down Seamus… It was hard to believe.

The woman started to speak.

“…I heard that it happened due to some work for the Tower of Magic. In Gallos.”

“Something about Black Hand causing a ruckus?”

“Yeah, there. He was sent there under the Tower’s orders. Whether as a test subject or a hired mage, there’s a lot of rumors flying around, especially in a place like Randa, so who knows what’s true. But anyway, it seems he had a rough time there… which is good news for us.”

The man agreed, his eyes gleaming like those of a hunter eyeing its prey.

A druid who was supposed to worship and protect nature shouldn’t have had eyes like that, but with time, even such rules had become shaky.

Thanks to this, they, the Enthusiasts, were able to come out into the world, so they had no complaints.

“…So he’s gotten weaker?”

“I can’t say for sure. But it’s true that the old folks who were thinking of hiring fixer Dave are a bit hesitant after seeing how skinny he’s gotten. Old people with money are always like that…”

It was a malicious sneer. But her words were also true.

The redevelopment of the X-District… The rumors had started when Forest began renovating some buildings in X-District.

As is typical of Randa, the moment the first shovel hit the ground, the fact spread through the construction industry, becoming known in all fields.

In the speculation market, it was seen as a new money-making opportunity, and in Randa City, it was seen as a new urban development possibility.

Along with that, countless rumors spread.

Some said Forest, having grown into a major middleman, displayed amazing negotiation skills; others said that the anti-development committee had collapsed, or that it was a scam like the old ABC.

The most credible rumor was that it was all thanks to Dave, the strongest fixer working with Forest.

Having defeated Seamus, the man had become one of Randa’s top fixers, a new living legend in the city.

It was said that he had used his immense power to negotiate with the anti-development committee.

Indeed, many people were enticed by this story and flocked to Forest, like ants drawn to sweets, since Dave only worked with him.

However, after seeing what Dave looked like upon his return, everyone was filled with doubt. His miserable appearance, as if he hadn’t eaten for a month, made them uneasy.

It was another piece of evidence that, even in the violent underworld, appearances matter.

“But we still don’t know for sure.”

The man complained.

“If you’re unhappy, why don’t you go find out yourself? Men who whine are not popular.”

“I’m very popular in the shop, you know?”

“It’s your money that’s popular, not you… Anyway, stop griping. Unlike you, I’ve found a way to get some answers.”

“Who wants to complain? It’s because of the Special Law.”

“I’m aware of the Special Law too, you know? That’s why I’m here.”

When the term “Special Law” was mentioned, both the woman and the man’s faces darkened.

It was understandable, since that Special Law posed a direct and substantial threat to them, the druid Enthusiasts.

The fact that the Enthusiasts, who had always pursued freedom and pleasure and had lived without any constraints until now, had gathered together was all due to that Special Law.

For their freedom, survival, and the wealth they had accumulated.

They had to settle in Randa as soon as possible.

“Haaah… I hope the rumors are true, that he’s in bad shape. We’ll win, but I want to finish it quickly.”

“You don’t need to worry too much.”

“What?”

“It’s not all about fighting and killing directly, is it?”

“…??”

“Just watch. I haven’t just been singing and gathering useless information… I’ve made a lot of friends, you know. Including a cute, naive little lady.”

The man only tilted his head in confusion at the woman’s cryptic words.

***

Scribble. Scribble. Scribble. Scratch. Scratch. Scratch. Scribble. Scribble. Scratch. Scratch.

Inside the Fighter Crew’s residence in Randa’s X-District.

Oliver sat in one corner of the large meeting room they had there, writing something on paper.

It was a kind of blueprint to process Deziher Durance’s body into a corpse puppet. A stack of books and papers were piled up beside him.

‘Hmm… The outline is coming together.’

Oliver thought as he looked at the paper he was working on.

On the paper were two blood tanks, each containing a corpse and the organs extracted from that corpse.

Normally, organs weren’t used to create corpse puppets, but Oliver was considering turning these organs into bio-components and attaching them to the corpse puppet.

Organs… Especially those of a mage, which had high magic conductivity.

In the past, a method like this would never have crossed his mind, but after three meetings with Puppet, some knowledge he’d picked up from Theodore, blood magic, and the availability of high-quality materials, he felt like giving it a try.

He was personally intrigued by it, and if it produced the desired effect, it would also strengthen his power.

‘…Above all, the difficulty level is just right.’

It was difficult, but not impossible. The challenge was just right, and it seemed like something that could be done alongside the redevelopment project.

Oliver began to flesh out the basic idea with details to realize it.

For instance, how to preserve the organs and turn them into bio-components, how to ensure compatibility between the organs and the corpse puppet, and so on.

‘Using Ptah’s Assistant, I’ll process the organs at the cellular level for semi-preservation, add mechanical devices with Gallos’ engineering tech… The tricky part is the compatibility between the puppet and the organ components…’

Oliver pondered, but soon came up with an answer.

He decided to connect the organ components with synthetic blood vessels. The organ components would also use life-force and blood as fuel, making compatibility easier.

‘After connecting them like that, I’ll fully immerse everything in the blood tank to activate it. So, the synthetic blood vessels should be made of a material with low water resistance… Hmm, that will raise the cost. Blood and life-force consumption will increase, too.’

Oliver mulled over this. With Child’s maintenance costs already rising without pause, he wondered if it was right to further increase the costs for the corpse puppet.

The good news was that, financially, he didn’t have much to worry about.

The 20 billion Randa he got from Seamus was still intact, and he had also received 50 billion from the bounty on the Flesh Cook… Together, he had an unimaginable 70 billion Randa in his hands.

‘Hmm… Let’s just try it. If the cost becomes too high, I can always make adjustments later.’

With that decision, Oliver completed the new production blueprint for corpse-puppet Durance. Just then, someone entered the room.

It was Joe, the owner of the building, Marie, the representative of the Select Few, and Forest, who managed them.

“You have arrived?”

Oliver spoke as he organized the papers he’d finished.

Forest greeted him as usual, and Joe and Marie bowed politely. The atmosphere between those two was still awkward.

Forest sat down in the corner seat opposite Oliver and spoke.

Though the head seat was over there, strangely, everyone stood or sat around Oliver.

It was an odd situation… Forest began to talk.

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, it’s fine. I was getting my work done here. You don’t have to apologize.”

“That’s a relief. You seemed like you were working on something, did it go well?”

“Yes, I’ve just about finished the framework… Would you like me to explain it?”

“No, that’s not necessary. I wouldn’t understand even if you did explain.”

Forest replied, eyeing the various books stacked beside Oliver. The words ‘medicine,’ ‘anatomy,’ and ‘organs’ made him anxious.

“So let’s talk about something I do understand. The redevelopment of X-District… would you like to proceed with it?”

At Forest’s question, Oliver glanced at Marie and Joe. They were waiting for Oliver’s answer, reflecting their concern for him.

When they first met after Oliver’s return to Randa, they had been in a panic over how gaunt his face had become. They still seemed worried.

Anyway, after observing their emotional states, Oliver saw that Marie and Joe appeared ready to follow whatever decision he made.

Whether it would be profitable or not.

“Hmm… Well, the anti-development committee has agreed not to interfere with the redevelopment.”

“Oh, that’s good news. I thought you might have heard something unfavorable.”

“…Why would you think that?”

“Your expression is… Never mind. To be honest, I can’t really tell even if I look.”

Oliver unconsciously touched his face. He wondered if it was due to Bartholomew’s cryptic words.

“Anyway, if the anti-development committee has given their approval, that means the biggest obstacle is out of the way.”

“There are still the local communities and unaffiliated gangs.”

Joe chimed in with some advice. Forest gave a light response.

“Those are problems that can be solved with money and violence… Can I take it that, since you went to check yourself, you’re interested in this project?”

Forest turned to Oliver for confirmation, and after a brief hesitation, Oliver spoke up.

“…Yes, I think it will be fine.”

It will be fine. It was quite an understated response, considering that this monstrous project would require at least several hundreds of billions in Randa to even get started.

Of course, no one was dissatisfied with Oliver’s attitude.

The fact was, from the beginning, this monster project could either start or stop based solely on Oliver’s decision.

Oliver had the right to speak like that. He just wasn’t aware of it.

Oliver spoke again.

“But I have a request.”

“What is it?”

Forest asked seriously. He was willing to accommodate nearly all of Oliver’s requests.

After all, the key to the project, and the main forces on either side of it, were all under Oliver’s influence.

Oliver gave his reply—an unexpected, yet very much Oliver-esque answer.

“Could you exclude me from the position of CEO?”