Chapter 575: Bean City

Lysander.

He was on the rooftop, looking down at a pub, lost in thought.

His dilemma was whether or not to throw the paper in his hand.

The paper was too crude to be called a Scroll.

However, at the same time, Lysander instinctively felt that throwing this paper might cause an irreparable situation.

After all, the one who gave him this paper was none other than the woodsman, Dave.

A butcher, a madman, a cunning strategist, a philanderer, and a famous problem solver in Randa. His reputation had spread even to Bean City.

Lysander recalled their last conversation.

‘Is this very dangerous?’

‘…Not that dangerous.’

‘Good, then. This will clear my debt, right?’

‘In fact, I’m the one who owes you.’

From that conversation, Lysander deduced two things.

One, the paper was somewhat dangerous. Two, the paper favored Dave.

Interpreting that in reverse, it could be disadvantageous to Jack, the Mayor of Bean City, who just went into the pub.

That fact made Lysander hesitate.

A simple report posed no danger, but throwing the paper was direct involvement, something entirely different.

It could earn him the Mayor’s enmity and perhaps even the entire city’s hatred.

Either way, it was practically a death sentence.

If Jack, who’d ruled Bean City for nearly 60 years, bore a grudge against him, he’d be as good as dead, and being expelled from Bean City wasn’t much different.

Although Bean City was an illegal entity, in a land dominated by incompetent dictators and cults, it was still a place where one could live like a human.

‘Of course, its limits are all too clear, but…’

That’s what puzzled him.

No matter how much he owed his life to Dave, Lysander couldn’t understand why he was helping this much.

Honestly, he’d already done enough, and Dave didn’t push him further. So why take on this task as well?

He thought maybe it was because of his softening heart due to kindness, but Lysander shook his head.

Lysander was born in the slums and became a self-sufficient merchant. There’s no way he’d act like this over just a bit of kindness.

It wasn’t like him.

It was more like a gamble— a bet with his life on the line.

Tired of begging, he had once joined a band of smugglers, knowing he’d be taken advantage of.

Later, he betrayed those same colleagues who tried to cheat him and used the stolen money to aim for Ewan’s dark magic item. That too was a gamble.

Although he failed the last bet, what mattered was that he took the challenge and became self-sufficient.

Life was much better than in his snot-nosed days. Overall, his betting success rate wasn’t bad.

After sorting out his thoughts, Lysander felt more at ease.

His decision to receive the paper was no different from back then. It was a gamble to side with someone strong who could bring him benefits, for a better life.

More income, a better house, tastier food, pricier liquor, prettier women, and so on. All for himself.

Resolving himself, Lysander closed his eyes and threw the paper towards the pub where Dave and Jack were.

The paper left Lysander’s hand.

He planned to immediately head downstairs, but the strange trajectory the paper took momentarily transfixed him.

‘What the heck? That’s not a Scroll, is it?’

Lysander quietly gasped.

With the expertise he’d gained from his smuggler days, he knew the paper he just threw wasn’t a Scroll.

The material, the method of processing, it was just an amateurish piece of junk with no product value whatsoever.

Yet, the paper, displaying the ability to fly autonomously like a living bird, hovered above the pub, spinning in place as if waiting.

A scene incomprehensible to a dealer of dark magical items.

After some time, an even more baffling sight unfolded.

The paper, which had been hovering in the air above the pub, suddenly emitted a burst of powerful magical light, opening a purple portal. From that portal stepped out a man with antlers on his head.

The man was tall with long green hair. He held a branch in his hand, and when green light shone from his hand, the branch transformed into a massive tree.

Suddenly, someone yelled.

‘Wh-What the heck?! A tree? A tree?! The tree is falling!!’

***

‘Craaaaaw!!’

Through the portal on the paper, Third appeared mid-air above Bean City and let out a roar.

The powerful energy and loud voice, characteristic of the Druids, made those below—magic users, dark mages, and armed soldiers—raise their heads. They locked eyes with Seamus, who had suddenly appeared in the sky.

‘…!!!’

Some of the quick-thinking ones tried to respond to the sudden situation, but it was too late.

Third had already used Seamus’s Zombie Puppet powers to grow the branch into a tree.

Seamus then wrapped the tree with the bean stalk in his other hand, making a handle, then shot it down to the earth with the force of nature and gravity behind it.

Kuuuuung…!!

The tree, imbued with the power of nature, fell to the ground, crushing the air beneath its massive weight.

The air was shredded and torn as the tree descended.

Some of the dark mages tried to stop it by channeling their firepower, but the overwhelming mass and force of the tree ignored their efforts, crashing down on the pub in the center of Bean City.

KABOOM━━━!!!!

The moment the tree, filled with the power of nature, landed, the pub instantly collapsed. The ground rumbled like waves, raising dust and throwing people around, upturning the earth.

Bricks from the road flew high into the sky and rained down like a hailstorm, evidence of the destruction.

The once-peaceful center of Bean City was now filled with thunderous noise and screams, as if bombs had rained from a clear sky.

‘Uggh…’

‘Everyone get up…! We need to respond…!’

‘Is this an ambush…!’

‘We need support…!’

The air was filled with dust, the ground cracked and sunken, screams and groans echoing—it was utter chaos, though they were lucky.

Thanks to Jack’s control not just inside the pub but also around it, only Jack and his subordinates were caught in the disaster of the falling tree from above.

At least it was still within the realm of recovery.

‘For that, I’m grateful.’

Oliver said as he manipulated the dust in the air using the magic stored in his body.

With his vast magic and precise control, he manipulated the dust one by one. From the outside, it merely looked like the dust hadn’t settled, but inside, the dust was clear, making it easy to breathe and see.

Thanks to that, visibility was good.

There was a massive tree lodged in the ground that had fallen from the sky with Zombie Puppet Seamus atop it.

The former pub, now reduced to rubble, and the ruined belongings and Jack’s subordinates scattered across the ground, including the unconscious Ewan, were all visible.

Incidentally, no one was dead—just unconscious.

‘Did you knock them out on purpose?’

Jack, who had lost an arm in the shock, asked. To be precise, it was Jack’s Zombie Puppet that asked.

Instead of coming in person, he sent a Zombie Puppet. As expected of the Mayor of a city of dark mages, Bean City.

‘Yes, I’d rather negotiate than fight.’

Oliver, who had launched an attack as devastating as an air raid, shamelessly said. The shocking part was that he was sincere.

Jack pointed this out.

‘Isn’t it a bit too late for that after causing this much damage in the middle of the city?’

‘I apologize for that. However, I thought this was necessary in order to have a conversation with you, Jack.’

Jack had nothing to say. Strictly speaking, it was he who had first indicated he’d take action.

Whether sincere or bluffing, since he had shown such intent, Oliver’s display of power was not entirely unreasonable.

Oliver added a comment.

‘And I haven’t inflicted real damage yet.’

‘What…?’

Jack asked, and Oliver responded with an action.

‘Third.’

Responding to Oliver’s call, Third, who was inside Zombie Puppet Seamus, once again channeled the power of nature into the tree.

The natural energy was dense enough to be visible to the naked eye.

As it infused into the tree, the roots began to grow rapidly and spread out in all directions.

Crack. Crack. Splaaarrrch!!

The roots twitched like veins, spreading out rapidly, enveloping buildings and even approaching the city guard.

‘What the…? Tree roots?!’

‘The Mayor is in danger! Get ready to move in!!’

‘The tree roots are blocking us!’

Sensing the dangerous atmosphere, Jack confirmed the situation.

‘While this tree can’t cover the entire city, it can cover part of it.’

…

‘And if I set it on fire, it could cause significant damage to the city.’

Oliver said, holding a small black flame, Devouring Fire.

Jack couldn’t tell exactly what kind of spell it was, but with his long experience running Bean City, he instinctively grasped its danger.

BOOM! Bang!! Thud!!

CRASH!!

BOOM!!

While Oliver and Jack were talking, sounds of cutting and smashing the tree roots reverberated from outside.

The Bean City Guard acted quickly, and the roots were being destroyed at such a speed that Oliver would have to respond immediately. Realizing this, Jack shouted.

‘Everyone, hold your positions! We’re still negotiating.’

Contrary to his earlier tone with Oliver, Jack’s voice carried authority. Miraculously, all sounds from outside ceased at once.

In obedience to the Mayor’s command, the city guard halted their hostile actions altogether.

Oliver responded in kind by instructing Third to stop.

‘…You’re very different from what I’ve been told. Our sources in Randa didn’t describe someone who would negotiate like this.’

‘Just think of it as me needing your help, Jack, and I believe I’ve made a reasonable offer for compromise. Please consider that.’

Instead of apologizing as before, Oliver conveyed his thoughts in a way fitting this dark world.

He was making it clear that even though the offer was reasonable, if Jack ignored it, then the show of force was justified.

This wasn’t Oliver’s usual approach, but fortunately, it was effective.

‘You’re not wrong… I’ll accept your proposal.’

‘Really?’

‘Yes, considering your power, I’d have to. And since you saved me from embarrassment, I’ll return the favor.’

Jack mentioned that Oliver had shielded the outside from seeing what was happening with the dust dome.

If seen from outside, it would have clearly looked like Jack was surrendering to Oliver’s strength, damaging the Mayor’s pride.

However, with the dust blocking the view, Jack could maintain his pride by pretending the negotiation was on equal footing.

It might not seem like much, but for someone who managed a city, this was crucial. Oliver considered this, which was why he obscured the surroundings with dust.

After all, Oliver had spent years in Randa’s underworld, so…

With the conversation nearly complete, Oliver approached Jack, or rather the Zombie Puppet Jack had arrived with, and picked up its severed arm from the ground.

‘Would you hold out your arm for a moment? I can reattach it. It won’t be perfect, but it’ll look better with both arms intact.’

The Zombie Puppet extended its empty shoulder.

Oliver activated Ptah’s Assistant and reattached the severed arm to the Zombie Puppet as a quick fix.

‘When did you realize this was a Zombie Puppet? It’s made so well that it’s indistinguishable from a real person.’

‘From the moment I saw it. I have keen eyes.’

Oliver answered calmly, and Jack was impressed. Even the Holy Knights couldn’t easily distinguish it, yet Oliver recognized it.

It seemed his claims of fighting Puppet on equal grounds weren’t exaggerated.

‘Shall we head out then?’

As soon as Oliver finished the repair, Jack inspected his repaired arm and suggested. Oliver asked for a moment.

‘Big Mouth.’

Oliver pulled Big Mouth out from a leather case tied to his waist.

Big Mouth unfolded, swelling up like dough as usual. Soon, a Greedy Bag of a size rarely seen even in a dark magic city like Bean City appeared.

‘That’s a huge Greedy Bag.’

Jack marveled at Big Mouth, which was slightly larger than a person. Even for safety purposes, Bean City didn’t make Greedy Bags this large.

While Oliver was aware of this, he was indifferent to it, responding casually.

‘It’s custom-made.’

‘Why bring it out?’

‘I caused some damage, so I should offer compensation. It seems like people in this city are fond of gold. Is that correct?’

‘Most people do like gold.’

Having heard Jack’s answer, Oliver nodded as if he understood, then asked Big Mouth to give him some gold bars.

The gold bars from the Flesh Cook’s legacy.

Big Mouth responded.

‘Oh? No way.’

The Greedy Bag that could speak. At this, the previously ‘unconscious’ Ewan raised his head.

‘Why is that thing talking?’