Chapter 457: Urban Legends

Edith mentioned that both traditional capitalist groups and nouveau riche groups hired Heimdal to fill the information gap compared to Pinkman.

It seemed like a reasonable decision to Oliver.

Heimdal was a well-known group of magic hackers, famous for handling the World Tree, and recently their skills had improved.

Oliver experienced that improved skill firsthand during the redevelopment of the X-District.

Without Heimdal, They wouldn’t have been able to take down Enjoyment so quickly.

“Well… this is our union’s stance. It’s a pity.”

An old man in a faded blue coat, a fiddler cap, rubber boots, and holding a pipe spoke bluntly as he slouched on the chair.

He was the union leader of the Fishermen’s Union at First Step, often called ‘Captain’. He was the one who could actually exercise the shareholder rights of Prometheus Corp on behalf of the union.

With deep wrinkles and a graying beard, he seemed older than Edith, but his physique, honed by years of manual labor, remained strong.

Meeting near the fishery in front of the Fishermen’s Union added to the intimidation.

However, neither Edith nor Oliver paid any attention to it.

“Huh… it’s a pity. I never thought the Captain would join hands with the other side. I thought you hated nobles?”

“I do hate them. They’re the kind who wouldn’t dirty their hands with a drop of water. Spits!”

The Captain spat a phlegmy gob at the ground.

“But I like money, even if I hate nobles. They offered to let us supply fish to the military if I voted for them, so why would I refuse? Look at how many fish we’re catching!”

The Captain pointed at the fishery with his pipe.

Just then, a fishing boat entered and began lowering its nets. A massive pile of fish formed, truly an impressive haul.

‘Are they really dealing with the fish people?’

Oliver recalled the urban legend Edith told him yesterday, where some fishermen supposedly sacrificed children or young girls for large catches.

“Do you trust the nobles’ words?”

Edith asked while eating a shrimp, shell and all.

The Captain just shrugged his shoulders.

“What’s not to trust? Our union owns just a tiny fraction of shares. Even negotiating on those terms is a significant gain. Besides, I hate you folks who make money without lifting a finger. It defies the laws of God.”

The Captain spoke with a tongue as rough as his skin. Edith wasn’t about to back down.

“God gave us arms and legs, but he also gave us a brain to think.”

“Arms and legs total four.”

“The brain is placed higher up.”

“Damn it, you got me.”

The Captain spat out another thick phlegm and then stood up, indicating the conversation was over.

Feeling disgruntled, he added one final remark to Edith.

“You should bring a proper bodyguard. That one looks scrawny.”

“Don’t judge by appearances. He may look frail, but he’s a madman. Want to test it? I can’t guarantee what will happen.”

The rough-looking sailors behind the Captain showed signs of irritation, but the Captain took Edith’s words seriously and backed off.

This was a reasonable response.

A bodyguard who seemed weak that Edith kept with her would likely be highly dangerous.

In fact, a scrawny one like him might be even more dangerous, given that he had survived looking like that.

Though, Oliver, the person in question, seemed unaware.

“Are you okay?”

Oliver asked Edith as if to console her.

After all, Edith was his employer, and they’d been walking around all morning with no significant results.

However, Edith’s reaction wasn’t as bad as expected.

“Why?”

“Uh… It just seems like nothing is going your way. Everyone you’ve met this morning.”

“I said I’d observe the situation, not persuade them.”

Edith calmly ate another shrimp, shell and all.

“Were you not planning to convince them?”

“It would’ve been nice, but it doesn’t really matter. As they said, their shares aren’t significant enough to have much impact, especially in the current situation.”

By ‘current situation,’ she meant the loss of allied shareholders due to the terror attacks by the Red Ones’ dark wizard.

Originally, if the traditional capitalist groups and the nouveau riche worked together, they could have easily beaten the noble group, but with several shareholders either in comas or dead due to the attacks, their power dwindled.

You can’t do anything while in a coma or stuck in inheritance disputes.

Edith finished the shrimp on her plate.

“Besides, it’s not like we didn’t gain anything.”

“What do you mean?”

“From running around all morning, I’ve found out how serious the noble group is about appointing the CEO. Offering military supply contracts just to win over the Captain’s paltry shares… They’re really heating up, like a dog in heat.”

Oh… It made sense.

The other small shareholders they visited before meeting the Captain had also received fairly decent offers in relation to their small shares.

This showed just how serious the noble group was about this shareholder meeting.

Of course, Oliver had no idea how to utilize this information.

“The important thing is…”

“…?”

“…Achieving the ultimate goal, not these minor battles here and there… You’ll need to understand that if you’re going to do business.”

Edith offered advice to Oliver.

It was sudden and seemingly out of nowhere, but the advice was sincere. Oliver thanked her.

“Thank you for your concern. But you don’t need to worry too much.”

“Huh?”

“Forest is actually the one managing the business operation.”

“You’ll only learn after you’ve been scammed at least once.”

An interesting opinion. The idea of Forest scamming him was intriguing.

It sounded like it could be fun.

Even though Oliver didn’t know why.

Maybe sensing Oliver’s thoughts, Edith showed a mix of familiarity and incomprehension.

“So, will you meet with more shareholders in the afternoon?”

“No, I’ve got a pretty clear picture, so no more meetings. Tiny amounts of dust are still just dust. It’s better to persuade that guy instead.”

‘That guy’ referred to Claude, a major shareholder that Heimdal had informed them about. He held a significant stake in Prometheus Corp but didn’t belong to any group.

Edith mentioned that he had never attended any previous shareholder meetings and always sent a female representative instead.

“So why is he attending in person this time?”

“Who knows, I’d like to say because of the importance of this meeting, but I don’t really think so.”

“What’s the reason, then?”

“Just a feeling.”

A rather irresponsible statement, but since it was from Edith, it did carry some weight.

“Hmm… Do you have a photo? It would be good for me to recognize his face.”

“I never got a photo. Anyway, since Conquistador will handle the search, you don’t have to worry too much. Even though Pinkman surpasses them in World Tree technology, Conquistador’s classic information network is better rooted here. If they get a photo from Heimdal, they’ll find him first.”

As soon as Edith finished speaking, two men approached them.

“Miss Edith?”

“Are you Conquistador’s contact?”

Edith quickly deduced the identity of the men, making the conversation progress much faster.

“Yes, I am the contact for Conquistador—”

“—I don’t care. Just tell me why you’re here. You’re not here for introductions, are you?”

The contact blushed at Edith’s sharp tone.

“Uh… Yes… I’m here to deliver a message from Bryan.”

“What is it?”

“Claude made contact with us.”

A surprising revelation. Edith frowned.

She thought it might be a proposition since their side was at a disadvantage, but what came next only increased her confusion.

“He asked to meet with you and said to send your bodyguard.”

“What?”

“He wants to speak with your bodyguard. Alone, at night, at the location written here.”

The contact handed over a slip of paper. Edith examined it and frowned deeply.

“What the hell is this BS?”

***

BS indeed.

That was Edith’s verdict.

Honestly, even from Oliver’s perspective, it was a suspicious condition. Don’t you think?

It’s a shareholder meeting, but they want to discuss it through Oliver, who doesn’t own a single share.

It was a blatantly suspicious requirement.

However, sometimes you need to go even when it’s fishy, and this was one of those times.

After all, it was their side who was at a disadvantage.

With even the small shareholders being bought out by the noble faction, the only way to turn the tables was to win over major shareholder Claude.

So, Edith reluctantly agreed.

‘She was quite displeased, though.’

Oliver arrived at the ‘Dump’, a slum in First Step where they were supposed to meet.

As the name suggests, the Dump was a literal dumpsite, crammed with shanties, mostly inhabited by the Red Ones and their mixed offspring.

‘They said we wouldn’t draw too much attention here. Is that why they wanted to meet in such a place?’

Oliver wondered, but had a gut feeling that wasn’t the real reason. Just a hunch.

‘Why does this place feel so familiar?’

Oliver mumbled internally as he scanned the dimly lit slum. The sense of familiarity only grew stronger.

“Ah, you’ve arrived.”

A woman emerged from the darkness and greeted him.

She wore the latest women’s suit featured in a fashion magazine recently.

Voluminous jacket, tight dress shirt, wide-legged pants, with a matching tie and shoes.

It was a neat outfit that balanced both masculine and feminine appeal.

‘Interesting. I remember seeing this outfit when Child picked her clothes. Funny to see it here… Oddly amusing.’

And there was something else as well. Finally, Oliver felt he knew the source of that sense of familiarity.

“Hello. I’m Dave, representing Bryan and Edith. Are you Claude?”

“Hello. I’m his representative.”

“Ah, I see.”

Oliver nodded, accepting this without any reaction to the representative’s presence.

The woman apologized.

“I’m sorry that my master didn’t come in person. He’s quite shy and nervous. My apologies.”

“No worries. I’m only here to deliver the message.”

Oliver immediately took out the note. It contained the conditions to bring Claude to the shareholder meeting, and Oliver proceeded with the rehearsed persuasion Edith had taught him.

Despite his efforts, the woman showed no noticeable reaction.

“What do you think of the conditions? If you have any requests, please let me know.”

After finishing his explanation, Oliver asked, and the woman appeared to contemplate.

“Hmm… It’s not a bad offer. I’ll pass it on to my master and get back to you as soon as possible.”

“So, you’re not Claude?”

“Huh…? Didn’t I tell you earlier that I’m just the representative?”

“You did, but aren’t you Claude anyway?”

Oliver asked again in a calm tone. The woman… No, the female corpse puppet’s complexion changed.

An incredible technique. Even the complexion changed. It was beyond mere makeup.

“Out of personal curiosity, are you a student of Puppet?”