Chapter 519: The Master of the Ruined Land

519. The Master of the Ruined Land (2)

Tap! Tap!

Bartholomew, the elder of the Anti-Development Committee,

stood before the large, filthy River Sem, which flows through Randa, tapping his Quarterstaff on the ground.

With a small sound, a slight ripple appeared on the massive river, and something emerged from below. Something enormous.

Shockingly, it was a mutant. The kind often seen near the polluted Randa River.

It was quite large, about 4 to 5 meters long, resembling a cross between a water salamander and a human.

Among mutants, it was one of the more twisted ones.

But Oliver was more concerned about how this mutant had a similar atmosphere to the people from the Anti-Development Committee.

It was a contradictory feeling, both unfamiliar and strangely familiar, making it hard to explain… In truth, it made perfect sense. That’s why it appeared when Bartholomew called.

Without hesitation, Bartholomew climbed onto the giant water salamander mutant.

Its back was broad and flat like a wet, paved road. Though you couldn’t sit, slipping off seemed unlikely.

“Would you please get on?”

Prompted by Bartholomew’s polite request, Oliver shook off his thoughts and climbed onto the mutant.

Despite its appearance, the water salamander mutant’s scales were hard and flat, making it easy to keep balance.

As soon as Oliver got on, Bartholomew commanded the mutant to move, and the creature, which could swallow a person whole, obediently swam across the brown river, carrying its passengers to the other side.

“I was curious about how you managed to get across the river. So, you came this way.”

Oliver commented, checking the width of the massive River Sem.

To travel, a boat was necessary, but it didn’t seem like the Anti-Development Committee had one… It wasn’t important, but a trivial curiosity was resolved.

Bartholomew asked.

“Is it strange?”

“Honestly, a little… I didn’t think anyone could survive in this brown river.”

It was a valid opinion. The River Sem was a liquid garbage dump, where all the waste and sewage from the huge city of Randa gathered. Fish hadn’t existed in it for a long time, and every year, people unlucky enough to fall in would frequently die.

In short, it was a death river.

But this… Even if it was a mutant, to be alive and swimming? That was incredibly interesting.

Oliver was curious. Was it a unique feature of this mutant, or was there another reason?

“If you wish, I can provide an answer.”

Bartholomew offered, and after a moment of consideration, Oliver shook his head.

The key to a question and answer session is focus. This wasn’t important right now.

As they kept chatting, the water salamander mutant swam faster than a boat, quickly taking them to the opposite Y-District riverbank.

The muddy ground, scattered trash piles, and shoddy shacks were just as Oliver remembered Y-District.

Bartholomew stepped down from the mutant gracefully, and Oliver followed suit.

Just as Bartholomew was about to lead the way, Oliver asked for a moment, turned around, and called out to the mutant before it could return to the river.

“Teacher.”

Not knowing the mutant’s name, Oliver called it “Teacher” very respectfully.

The water salamander mutant snapped its head around in surprise, seemingly not expecting such a title, and Bartholomew watched in silence.

“Thank you for giving me a ride.”

Oliver expressed his gratitude, feeling it was the least he could do for the mutant that had carried him.

However, the mutant blinked its half-human, half-salamander eyes and awkwardly bowed its head before disappearing back into the river.

From its flustered, embarrassed look, it didn’t seem to know how to react.

After giving his thanks, Oliver turned back to Bartholomew.

“Thank you for waiting, Bartholomew. Let’s continue.”

***

“The area around the river hasn’t changed much, but the inside has changed quite a bit.”

Oliver commented, having passed through Y-District with Bartholomew’s guidance.

Y-District, along with Z-District, was a den of evil so monstrous even the city of Randa officially abandoned its governance.

As proof, while X-District, which was half-ignored, still had some City Councilors, Y and Z Districts didn’t even have those. It was officially acknowledged that the city government had no control there.

As a result, Y-District’s scenery differed so much from Randa it was hard to believe it was the same place.

Illegal gun workshops, weapon billboards made from corpses, mutant training camps, zombie soldier ads, corpse purchasing centers, human organs drying as herbs, people chained up… Y-District was much more degraded and savage than X-District.

Oliver had seen this horrifying sight with his own eyes during two or three previous visits for missions and personal matters.

But today, while small, Y-District’s scenery had significantly changed.

Although its unique savagery and violence remained, there were signs of accumulated wealth—golden teeth and necklaces, illegal clubs, expensive luxury cars.

“I’ve heard business has been thriving recently.”

“Do you know why?”

“It’s something happening around us…”

“I see… Then, do you know who’s responsible for this prosperous business?”

Oliver asked casually, as if he’d been waiting for this.

In fact, he had somewhat expected this level of wealth accumulation in Y-District.

Because he had already seen traces of it.

A prime example was the Road Gang he encountered during the mission to persuade Eve. Many of their weapons were suspected to be made in Y-District.

For example, harpoon guns, sewage shooters, harpoon cannons, bomb spears, knuckle guns, flamethrowers.

According to Forest, similar armaments were observed among unaffiliated gangs pushed out of Randa, not just the Road Gang.

‘All sorts of magitech weapons and dark magic items too…’

That’s why Oliver asked. To find out who was buying and spreading these unrelated items, Y-District’s homemade weapons, magitech weapons, and dark magic items.

He was curious about their identity and motives. The only possible reason he could see was to threaten Randa. Maybe there was another, but…

Bartholomew spoke.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know who it is.”

“I see.”

Oliver responded with a mix of disappointment and expected resignation.

It made sense that discovering the person who simultaneously supplied three entirely different items wouldn’t be easy.

Yet he still asked, just in case.

If Bartholomew knew, it would be lucky. If not, there was nothing to lose.

That’s when Bartholomew said something unexpected.

“If you want, I can find out for you.”

“Pardon? Ah… Thank you, but it’s okay.”

Oliver, who had initially asked, politely declined when Bartholomew offered to find out. Bartholomew pointed this out.

“Weren’t you curious?”

“Well… I am, but I don’t want to bother you.”

When Oliver gave a vague excuse, Bartholomew responded naturally, without hesitation.

“It’s neither difficult nor troublesome. A little money will take care of it.”

While Oliver had casually asked about it earlier, that was just him reciting a prepared line. But what Bartholomew said now was different.

It wasn’t a prepared line; it was a natural, habitual response. A reaction deeply ingrained.

Oliver wasn’t a specialist on such matters, but having seen people from Randa’s upper class like Forest, Edith, Jane, Merlin, and the Minister of Internal Affairs, he had some understanding.

No, he knew more than that. Bartholomew was far more natural in his statement about solving problems with money.

Of course, it might be that Oliver was overthinking, but he decided to address it just in case.

“Bartholomew, are you wealthy?”

Thud.

Bartholomew suddenly stopped as they entered the gates of Z-District. The surroundings looked similar to Y-District, but the air and atmosphere were much grimmer, more anxiety-inducing.

And this was the first time Oliver had stepped inside Z-District, though he had approached its entrance before.

“I apologize. I didn’t mean to be rude or arrogant.”

Bartholomew apologized, and Oliver replied.

“No, I didn’t mean it that way. I was honestly curious. I knew the Anti-Development Committee was strong, but I didn’t know you were also wealthy… Now that I say it, it sounds awfully discriminatory. I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright. It’s true our appearance is not associated with wealth. But yes, we are quite wealthy. Though wealth is no longer important to us.”

“What?”

Oliver asked again. In Randa, the one universal language and value that transcended status was money.

Regardless of the reason or degree, everyone prioritized money.

Businessmen and capitalists saw money as an end in itself. The Tower of Magic’s mages wanted money for stable research. Even Kent, who led a gang of beggars and now ran a charity organization for atonement, wasn’t free from money.

You needed money for any kind of operation.

Honestly, discussing this was absurd.

Wanting money was as natural as breathing. Oliver liked money too. It made everything more convenient.

But Bartholomew genuinely didn’t care about money.

Oliver’s curiosity deepened.

“How wealthy are you?”

“I believe we’re as wealthy as the Archive.”

More wealth accumulated over a thousand years than the Archive… Bartholomew, as if to prove his point, extended his Quarterstaff and tapped the entrance of a shabby building in Z-District.

The rotten wooden door cracked as soon as it touched Bartholomew’s staff, crumbling and revealing a pile of dust-covered treasures.

It wasn’t a joke—it was literally treasure.

The kind of treasure you’d see in fairy tales: golden coins, an ivory dagger sheath, a ruby the size of a fist, crowns, exotic gems, a necklace with an emerald the size of a thumb. Unrealistic amounts of treasure poured out like a joke.

Facing an unbelievable sight, all Oliver could say was:

“…That’s incredible. Truly.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“Is this building filled with treasure then?”

Oliver asked, pointing at the continuously pouring treasures.

“Yes.”

“Hmm… Did you prepare this in advance, expecting me to ask?”

After saying it, Oliver felt foolish.

There was no way to foresee such things unless one could see the future. And even then, there was no reason to make such preparations.

What benefit would there be in startling Oliver?

So he rephrased his question.

“May I ask why you stored the treasure in the building?”

“As I said, wealth is no longer important to us… And there’s no suitable place to store it.”

To Oliver’s ears, it sounded like an immense treasure hidden elsewhere. What he saw now was just pocket change.

As mentioned earlier, it was impressive, but it also raised another thought.

“Is this related to the question I asked? About the Master of the Ruined Land.”

Bartholomew nodded.

“Yes, it is, because this wealth is ours.”

“…Who exactly are you all?”

“We are the foolish royals and nobles who brought disaster upon Randa.”