Chapter 440: Half a Day

“I’ve got an urgent matter, and I want to resolve it quickly.”

That’s what Oliver said, in a manner like he was trying to deal with a troublesome task all at once.

It was rather inappropriate.

Even if Oliver stood out during ABC and took down Seamus, Enjoyment shouldn’t be taken lightly.

Especially since Oliver didn’t even know its scale.

It was emotional and inappropriate.

Yet, strangely, Forest didn’t feel a bit worried.

The moment Oliver said he would resolve it, Forest felt an irrational belief that it would indeed be resolved.

So much so that he felt certain enough to vouch for him.

‘No, that’s not right.’

Forest suddenly shook his head vigorously.

If things went on like this, he might really reveal their location. Intuition was important for a broker, but it couldn’t be relied upon alone.

Intuition was just a spice; the main ingredient was reason—cold, calm reason.

Especially when it came to politics.

“Huuu… Dave?”

“Yes, Forest Sir.”

“As your broker, may I speak?”

“Of course.”

Oliver answered, seemingly in his usual manner. However, Forest could sense a subtle shift, and it made him uneasy.

It wasn’t that Oliver was irritated simply because he was annoyed. He wasn’t the type of person for that. But precisely because of that, it made things more unsettling.

Feeling fatigued, Forest sat in the chair and asked Joe if there was any alcohol available.

“When there’s much to think about, a drink helps. Do you have any?”

Joe took out a silver hip flask from his inside pocket and handed it over.

In a hurry, Forest immediately opened the cap and took a swig.

“Thanks. It’s good… There are two matters I couldn’t mention in the meeting. First is the scale of Enjoyment, and second is the deal with the City.”

“Is that the bad news you’re referring to?”

Forest was surprised. He thought Oliver was too distracted by the smell of cookies and coffee during the meeting to pay attention to the details… but, more impressively, Oliver still caught on.

Well, of course, it was Oliver.

With that realization, Forest began to speak.

“Firstly, regarding the scale of Enjoyment. According to the information from Heimdal, their numbers exceed 100, specifically 118.”

“That’s a very precise number.”

“Net Sailing is not what it used to be. Anyway, 118 members of Enjoyment—that’s a huge number.”

Joe, who was standing nearby, nodded. He too participated during ABC and saw what Enjoyment could do when they banded together.

Back then, they turned a forest into a living fortress with just dozens of people.

Even though it had been prepared over a long period, it was still impressive.

The City’s new Security Bureau, alongside the Crime Firm, Fighter Crew, Pinkman—these formidable forces in Randa—couldn’t break through until Oliver arrived.

And now they have three-digit numbers…

Even Joe, who grew stronger through steady training and gained confidence from many victories during land acquisitions, hesitated.

“And they’ve even made alliances with the Unaffiliated Gangs. The troubling thing is that it doesn’t look like it’s just temporary.”

“What do you mean?”

“It seems like they’re intending to maintain a long-term partnership. It’s understandable. By forming a solid contract with the Crime Firm, Fighter Crew has significantly reduced the presence of Unaffiliated Gangs in Randa… Worried about their shrinking influence, those gangs seem to want to align with Enjoyment.”

Quite an interesting matter. Something Oliver would usually enjoy. It was like the chemical reactions within society.

However, instead of showing usual interest and asking questions, Oliver calmly inquired about the information on Unaffiliated Gangs.

“Information on Unaffiliated Gangs?”

“Yes… Don’t you know?”

“No, I know.”

Forest answered Oliver’s question. Even though he was taken aback by Oliver’s unusual demeanor, he quickly regained his composure and explained about the Unaffiliated Gangs.

Their core members, size, composition, and even recent weapon purchase histories—he explained it all.

This was also thanks to Heimdal’s work.

After Forest finished his explanation, Oliver silently organized the information in his head while silently scanning through the documents laid in front of him.

“…”

The situation’s so calm, it was actually quite tense.

“Hmm, hmm. If we had to fight, it would be even more intense than during ABC. Enjoyment is Enjoyment, but since the Unaffiliated Gangs seem to be determined, our forces are insufficient in contrast.”

Joe and Marie silently agreed. Lack was lack.

Oliver seemed to understand this as well, nodding slightly.

“Hmm… Forest Sir?”

“Yes.”

“Is that all you wanted to say? About the scale of Enjoyment? Is there nothing else you’d like to add?”

“…No, that’s it.”

“Then, can you explain the second point, about the deal with the City?”

For a moment, Forest was speechless.

The flow of the conversation was much faster than usual for Oliver. When talking with him, it typically felt like going around in circles, but now it was the complete opposite.

What was even more surprising was Oliver’s lack of reaction to the scale of Enjoyment.

It was as if it was no big deal.

Overwhelmed by questions, Forest decided to go along with Oliver’s flow.

“Enjoyment has been thinking carefully. After realizing that their image was tarnished because of Seamus, they proposed quite a substantial deal to the City.”

“What did they propose?”

“They offered to become model citizens of Randa and fully cooperate with the City in exchange for being accepted and protected by them.”

“Hmm… That doesn’t seem like a very enticing deal for the City.”

“It would if it were just talk. But they offered to hand over some of the Druidic knowledge they possess and to exclusively sell all their cultivated herbs, fruits, wood, and other products from their grove to the City.”

Oliver nodded. That was possible. Not only was the knowledge valuable, but herbs, fruits, and wood cultivated by Druids were also rare and highly valuable.

They were of high quality, and some could only be grown by Druids.

“For a City constantly thirsty for new techniques and rare items, it’s an offer they can’t ignore. That’s why they’ve been ignoring the proposal of the Reformists to use herbal trade in exchange for cooperation in capturing Enjoyment Druids… It shows just how much the City is swayed by their offer.”

Oliver listened quietly. He didn’t move a muscle, just thinking.

At that moment, Joe, who had been silently listening, asked a question.

“Did Heimdal also inform you of this?”

“No, this was from Mr. Carver. He came by and indirectly let me know. The city councilmen showed great interest, and they were thinking about how to leverage the relationship to their advantage… Probably, that’s why they’re pulling this underhanded trick against us.”

“Underhanded trick… Are you referring to Nora?”

Forest nodded.

“Yes, they succeeded in provoking us.”

“Provoking us… what do you mean?”

“Exactly what it sounds like. They want us to attack first. If we do, the City, which is still gauging its move, will have no choice but to intervene, making it easier for Enjoyment to settle in Randa swiftly.”

It was nothing more than speculation, but as Forest spoke aloud, he became more convinced.

There could be no other explanation.

Enjoyment was cunning; they knew the greedy City wouldn’t be able to discard them.

The only reason they’ve not been taken in yet is because the City is holding out for leverage.

And in such a situation, Oliver attacking Enjoyment?

Intervention within a day, at most three days, was inevitable.

Oliver might be an unofficial ally of the City, but alliances are relationships of convenience. Enjoyment, who hasn’t been ‘caught’ yet, would easily gain the City’s support.

Once the City intervenes, Enjoyment will undoubtedly take advantage of us and the situation to make excessive demands.

Greater autonomy from the City,

And a significant portion of X-District from us.

It all played out like pictures in his mind.

It was quite impressive. Amidst the worst situation due to the rise of the Reformist Druids and special laws, they were playing such a crooked game.

‘Even if I bring up Nora, they’ll probably feign ignorance… What should we do? Fighting them is tough, and leaving them alone makes me uneasy. The City will likely handle it half-heartedly, caring about their interests.”

The situation was more complicated than expected. While Forest was pondering, Oliver spoke up.

“Forest Sir, I don’t quite understand. May I ask your opinion?”

“Opinion? About what?”

“In short, it’s tough to hit Enjoyment because the City is involved, correct? The City wants the Druidic knowledge and their products.”

“That’s right. That’s the core of it.”

“Then, couldn’t we just give that to the City?”

“…How?”

“We kill all the Enjoyment Druids and hand over the books containing their knowledge to the City, right?”

“…”

Forest, Joe, and Marie were all momentarily speechless. Had Oliver ever spoken of killing someone? Killing them all?

“Forest Sir?”

“Ah… Sorry. But that’s impossible.”

“Why not?”

“Druids don’t record their knowledge in books. They keep it only in their minds.”

“…You mean it’s all just memories?”

“Yes. It’s a Druidic tradition to prevent knowledge from leaking out. That makes Druidic knowledge even more precious, and the Druids, including those in Enjoyment, know this deeply and never record it.”

“Hmm… So, it’s only in their minds?”

“…Yes, that’s right.”

Oliver nodded and stood up from his chair, as if he had found the answer.

“Forest Sir, could you do me two favors?”

“What might those be?”

“First, could you tell me the location of the Enjoyment groups, as I asked earlier? Second, could you go to the City right now and tell them this: I’ll take care of the Druidic knowledge and hand it over to them, so they should just let me deal with Enjoyment.”

Oliver calmly made an absurd request.

In this complicated situation, entangled with three organizations, he intended to deal with it so recklessly.

Forest, who usually spoke calmly and logically, was at a loss for words. There were so many questions he wanted to ask.

“Well… I mean… How do you plan to hand over Druidic knowledge?”

“If I explain it, it’ll take a while, but there’s a way. Trust me.”

“…”

Forest couldn’t say a word. He was so overwhelmed by Oliver’s never-before-seen demeanor.

It felt intoxicating, like getting drunk on fine liquor.

“Ha…”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine… The drink seems to be stronger than I thought.”

Forest closed the cap of the hip flask he received from Joe and returned it to its owner. He had drunk enough.

“Alright. I’ll trust you. I trust you, but the City won’t. It’s a bit… too outlandish for them to believe.”

“That’s okay. Just calm them down with that for now.”

“Hmm?”

“As soon as you head to the City, I’m going to hit Enjoyment. And within half a day, I’ll kill them all. If they’re wiped out in less than a day, the City won’t be able to say anything.”

Forest’s jaw dropped. He was beyond speechless.

It might actually work. If all 118 members of Enjoyment and the Unaffiliated Gangs were killed within half a day, it would be difficult for anyone to dispute it. No, who would dare question it before that?

“I know you’re strong, but is that really possible?”

“It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Honestly, that wasn’t the case. For some reason, Forest surprisingly believed Oliver’s words.

That was the issue. No matter how much he trusted Oliver’s skills, this was too far from common sense.

It shouldn’t be like this. Brokers work with 95% reason and 5% intuition.

He needed at least some evidence.

“…Sorry, but could you show me? Your proof that you can sweep through Enjoyment in half a day. If you show me proof, I’ll do as you say. If it’s possible, it’s the best way.”

Oliver nodded as if it was no big deal. Then he pulled out four sheets of Paper from his pocket.

They were imbued with portal magic. As they were thrown to the floor, a purple portal with a peculiar buzzing sound like insect wings blossomed in the air.

An eerie portal. From it came four corpse puppets.

These were Duncan, Seamus, Bathory, and the newly created Durance—who had only been repaired and modified just a few days ago.

Duncan, with Thodore’s flesh perfectly transplanted onto him, swung a tonfa made of flesh through the air.

Seamus, implanted with internal components and Druid cells purchased from the black market, let out a cow-like bellow.

Bathory, clad in armor made of a tough, chitinous exoskeleton, led a group of around twenty Mage Corpse Puppets.

Finally, Durance, infused with Theodores’ flesh and Gallos machinery, revealed his presence, emitting magical steam from his body.

“How do you find them?”

Oliver asked, looking at Forest while his dark shadow rippled like a wave, engulfing the entire room.