Chapter 576: Bean City

“Wow… how is this even possible?”

In the waiting room of Bean City’s town hall.

Ewan mumbled in amazement as he looked at Big Mouth.

“Say that again.”

What intrigued Ewan was Big Mouth speaking a human language right after negotiating with Jack.

‘Big Mouth, could you take out some gold?’

‘Huh? No way.’

Ewan, who had been pretending to be unconscious, sat up, overwhelmed by curiosity that still hadn’t faded.

Indeed, it was the behavior of a true craftsman.

“Grrr.”

However, Big Mouth, the object of all this attention, just looked at Oliver as if asking him to handle the situation.

“What’s it saying?”

“It says it’s annoyed.”

“As expected of a black magic item, it’s arrogant. Why isn’t it speaking like a human but making toad sounds?”

“Not sure? Maybe it’s just not in the mood…”

“Mood?”

“Yes… When I asked for the gold, it showed strong reluctance.”

Indeed, when they asked Big Mouth to take out gold bars to compensate for the destroyed tavern and surrounding buildings, it showed genuine resistance.

Luckily, Oliver managed to persuade it, and they were able to settle things smoothly.

“So, it has emotions…”

Ewan identified the keyword and pondered deeply. A true professional.

After much thought, he tried a professional approach.

“Eye poke.”

Ewan shouted a technique name and promptly jabbed one of Big Mouth’s many eyes with his index finger.

A scream echoed through the waiting room.

“Aaargh!”

“Great, poking its eye- Aaaargh!”

Just as Ewan was flicking his finger in triumph, Big Mouth stabbed both of Ewan’s eyes with its index and middle fingers.

Ewan rolled on the ground, covering his eyes, and Big Mouth kicked him while Oliver calmly sipped his coffee.

“It hurts! It hurts! Stop it! Someone stop it!”

As Big Mouth, who had honed its skills battling multiple Greedy Bags, delivered a powerful kick, Ewan screamed. Finally, Oliver calmed Big Mouth down.

“Grrrrrrrrr!!”

“What’s it saying?”

Ewan, barely recovering his sight while rubbing his eyes, asked.

“It’s wondering why you keep bothering it when the business is done… Big Mouth, please bear with it for a little longer. We still have work to do.”

Oliver requested Big Mouth’s understanding.

Big Mouth seemed displeased but reluctantly went to sit in a corner.

“Mr. Ewan, please don’t torment Big Mouth too much.”

“Didn’t you see who just got beaten up? …Are you sure Smith made that?”

Smith, Ewan’s apprentice and the black magic craftsman Oliver met in the Gray Market.

Oliver had requested Smith to create Big Mouth.

“Yes, I commissioned him to make it when I first debuted as a Fixer in Randa. I wanted an easier way to store things.”

“Hah… Even more puzzling. Smith couldn’t make something like that?”

“Why do you think that? I don’t know much, but I think Smith is a skilled craftsman.”

Oliver said with sincerity. To prove it, Smith had partnered with Forest to set up a black magic workshop in X-District, and it was running smoothly.

He even had multiple apprentices as well as staff now.

“He’s skilled but not exceptional. That Smith guy.”

“Exceptional?”

“Exactly. He has good basics and is diligent, but on the flip side, he’s not special. Black magic is highly influenced by talent, like in the field of creation. You know what I mean?”

Oliver nodded.

Although it’s easier for the lower classes to access black magic than sorcery, which requires less talent, it’s still true that black magic becomes talent-dependent at higher levels.

In the fire arts, one needs strong combativeness, in manipulation, intellect and dexterity, in disease arts, a good body and senses, and for creation, creativity and determination.

“Making black magic items is no different. You need something exceptional. Basic functions can be imitated, but specialized ones are another matter. If we’re talking about a Greedy Bag’s capacity, I might understand, but a talking one? Smith couldn’t make that.”

Ewan finished speaking and glanced at Oliver.

“Why do you ask?”

“Just suspicious. If the maker isn’t the issue, then it’s the owner. So be honest, what did you do?”

Oliver thought for a moment and shook his head.

“I can’t think of anything.”

“The culprit always denies it.”

“Is Big Mouth talking really that surprising?”

“Of course it is!”

Ewan responded with full conviction.

“It’s like a pig with wings. It seems trivial, but it’s impossible… Though, with you around, it’s not that shocking anymore.”

“Hmm… I’m not sure. I haven’t done much. All I’ve ever done is respect Big Mouth and ask for help when I needed it.”

Both Ewan and Big Mouth narrowed their eyes.

“…Why the suspicion?”

“What do you think?”

“Grrr!”

Now united, Ewan and Big Mouth pressed Oliver.

Oliver, feeling wrongly accused, tried to explain.

“I might store a bit too much in it and ask for some work, but I still pay it every time.”

“How much?”

“One Randa bill.”

“Well, Scrooge is right here. And what exactly do you store that’s so excessive?”

“Nothing too special—money, firearms, gold, jewels, potions, herbs, large quantities of blood, chunks of Theodore’s flesh, various tanks, test tubes, lab equipment, dozens of corpses including the Flesh Cook’s, emotions, magic, black magic books, general knowledge books, a demon book, 40 boxes of Calorie Bars, a huge amount of ham, bacon, jerky, meat, pieces of a summoned creature from the Swan Sect’s prince-candidate, vegetables, eggs, camping cooking tools, chocolate, cookies, coffee, coffee cups, kettles-”

“-Wait a minute.”

Ewan suddenly interrupted Oliver.

“There were some things in that list that didn’t sound so trivial.”

“Which ones?”

“Which ones? Don’t play dumb! You mentioned a demon book, the Flesh Cook’s corpse, and some kind of flesh!!”

“… Well, if I explain, it’ll take some time… but it just ended up that way.”

Oliver’s tone was so placid it was almost deflating despite the topic.

Ewan cursed and rubbed his forehead with both hands, rendered speechless.

After a pause, just as Ewan was about to argue further, a creaking sound was heard.

Creaking.

The sound of the poorly maintained waiting room door opening caught everyone’s attention, including Oliver’s.

Through the open door. A woman with a scar over one eye appeared.

She was an official at the town hall, but for a public servant, she was dressed quite nonchalantly.

“The mayor has arrived.”

***

Clack. Clack. Clack.

Click. Click. Click.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Boom. Boom. Boom.

Oliver was walking down the corridor of Bean City’s town hall, located on the outskirts of the city.

Unlike public buildings in Randa, the town hall was very modest, and the employees were dressed casually and lacked formality.

“Where’s that damn bastard?! Where’s that son of a bitch?!”

“He ran off, afraid the boss might come.”

“You lazy thieves! Where’s Barbara?!”

“She’s taking a break because she’s tired.”

“Isn’t there anyone in this damn city who works properly?!”

The environment was quite laid-back, and as Oliver observed, Ewan spoke to him.

“… If you stuffed all that into one place, then I can understand why the Greedy Bag talks. If it were a wooden box, even that might start talking.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, what a crazy idea it was to put a demon book, a gangster’s corpse, and remnants of a summoned creature from a demon-worshipping cult in the same place.”

“Well? Even if you ask why, the book and the corpses were already stored with Big Mouth.”

“There’s such a thing as a bookshelf. A miraculous piece of furniture for storing books. Ever think of using one?”

“Don’t worry. I put the bookshelf in Big Mouth, too.”

“… It might really be because of you that the Greedy Bag started talking. Out of sheer frustration.”

“Big Mouth.”

“What?”

“Its name is Big Mouth. Greedy Bag. Please call it Big Mouth.”

Ewan looked at Big Mouth following behind them and then looked back at Oliver.

“Why should I?”

“Big Mouth likes being called by its name. It even asked for one when we first met.”

Oliver recalled the moment when he first met Big Mouth.

As Ewan was about to find this fascinating, the typical lazy voice of a civil servant echoed.

“Yawn… Over here. The mayor’s office.”

The female civil servant pointed to a door that was more lavish than the others.

Oliver, Ewan, and Big Mouth opened the door and entered, revealing a shabby room filled with expensive furniture, an oddly mismatched setting.

“Sorry for being late.”

A young man with an innocent expression approached and extended his hand to Oliver.

He had brown hair brushed to one side, a slender build, and looked like he couldn’t be older than his early twenties. Without hesitation, Oliver shook his hand and greeted him.

“It’s no problem. Thank you for meeting with us, Mr. Jack.”

Oliver shook his hand in the way he learned from Angel’s House, ensuring the gesture was pleasant for the other person.

Something seemed off as Jack slightly squeezed Oliver’s hand, raising one eyebrow.

“… You’re not surprised?”

“I am. You’re much younger than I expected.”

“Oh… And yet, you recognized that I’m Jack.”

“You felt exactly the same as the emotion I sensed through the Zombie Puppet.”

Jack didn’t show it on the outside, but he was considerably surprised. It was rare to find someone who could discern emotions so precisely in Bean City.

The thought of distinguishing people by reading their emotions didn’t even seem plausible.

“I’m starting to think negotiating with you was the right decision. I again apologize for being late. I was attending to a goose I’m raising.”

“Does the mayor personally raise geese?”

“Yes… It’s one of the city’s core projects.”

“…?”

Oliver tilted his head. It was hard to understand why raising geese would be a core project for the city.

In the meantime, Jack greeted Ewan as well.

“… Long time no see, Mr. Bean.”

“Indeed, it’s been a long time. You’re still the same as back then, huh?”

“I could say the same for you, Mr. Bean.”

It was an exchange with deep meaning.

For good reason—Bean City had a history of about 60 years, and Jack had been the mayor since the city was founded.

Logically speaking, Jack should have aged into an elderly man, but he still maintained the appearance of a young man and even possessed extraordinary vitality, comparable to a giant.

Everything about him was shrouded in mystery.

“It’s a bit awkward to talk while standing, so why don’t we all sit down?”

At Jack’s suggestion, Ewan and Oliver sat on the sofa without a word.

While they were personally curious, it was a private matter. Oliver had something more urgent to address.

“Here’s the coffee… If it’s okay, can we get straight to business?”

Jack, who had prepared the coffee himself, suggested. Oliver agreed.

“Thank you. Actually, because of the commotion earlier, people are anxious, so I’d like to proceed quickly… Let’s first go over the deal. Mr. Dave wants you to summon Captain Hook and reconcile with Mr. Bean, right?”

“Yes.”

“In return, you promised adequate financial compensation and to resolve the city’s food shortage, correct?”

“Yes.”

Oliver responded briefly and clearly as if it were nothing. However, his attitude was enough to fluster even Jack, who had founded the city in his early twenties.

“First… I trust you’ll provide the compensation. I saw those gold bars earlier.”

When Jack said ‘earlier,’ he was referring to the gold bars that Oliver had persuaded Big Mouth to release and distribute to the tavern owner and others, using his overwhelming wealth to quickly turn any enmity from those who lost their homes into gratitude.

“I heard you acquired a substantial portion of the Flesh Cook’s legacy, so it seems to be true. Moreover, your business in X-District is thriving… However, I’m skeptical about the second part of your offer.”

“You mean the food…?”

“Yes, don’t get me wrong. I’m not doubting Mr. Dave’s credibility. However, supplying food on a city-wide scale is hard to believe, no matter how much money you have. Where will you get the enormous amount of food, not to mention how you’ll transport it here?”

It was a reasonable doubt. Buying food with money and moving it are different stories.

Time and distance are factors that money alone can’t solve.

Moreover, Bean City’s distribution network was disrupted due to sea monsters, which is why the city’s currently facing a food shortage.

But Oliver’s answer was incredibly simple.

“I have multiple Scrolls imbued with portal magic. I’ll use them to buy the food and bring it here.”

“…?”

Jack was left speechless.

Portal, a type of space magic. Everyone dreamed of using it for transportation, but most had given up.

That’s because the cost of opening and maintaining a portal increased dramatically with the size, weight, and mass of the objects passing through it.

Yet Oliver, either unaware of or having solved that issue, gave such an unconventional answer.

“Hmm… I have a lot of questions, but where are you planning to store this large amount of food?”

Pointing at Big Mouth, Oliver replied.

“In Big Mouth.”

“Grr?!”

Big Mouth was shocked. And not just Big Mouth.

Jack also showed signs of surprise, while Ewan seemed intrigued.

“That Greedy Bag alone?”

“Yes… Big Mouth.”

It’s better to see once than hear a hundred times. Oliver asked Big Mouth to demonstrate.

Although Big Mouth was annoyed at the new task, it looked at Oliver’s face and reluctantly began to regurgitate the contents stored inside.

“Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeek!”

Big Mouth’s cry echoed for a long time, and with each cry, more and more items started piling up in the mayor’s office.

40 boxes of three-flavored Calorie Bars, chocolate, cookies, bacon, jerky, sausages, ham, meat, various vegetables, bread, pepper, salt, various seasonings, and so on.

The volume and variety were enough to fill a quarter of the office.

Considering Big Mouth’s size, the amount was beyond comprehension.

Ewan asked.

“Are you preparing to escape somewhere?”

“Lately… I’ve been getting more hungry. In any case, I can store even more food than this, so I think I might be able to help alleviate the food shortage if I move quickly. What do you think?”

Jack didn’t answer immediately and continued pondering.

There was a lot he could scrutinize. For instance, even if Big Mouth carried all the food, they’d still face the immense cost of transporting it through the portal. How would he handle that?

However, Jack decided not to nit-pick and instead aimed for a more productive conversation.

“That Greedy Bag… Was it made by Mr. Bean?”

“No, my apprentice made it. A guy named Smith.”

“He must be a very skilled apprentice to create such a bag with so much capacity.”

Jack compared the food Big Mouth brought out with the bag itself. The volume seemed over a hundred times more, yet there still seemed to be room.

Considering the size of Big Mouth, the capacity was unbelievable.

“No, he’s skilled alright, but not that skilled. Not even I could create a Greedy Bag at that level—unless by accident.”

“Then…?”

“This guy knows.”

Ewan pointed at Oliver without hesitation.

Naturally, Jack’s gaze shifted to Oliver, who responded nonchalantly.

“I enhanced the Greedy Bag. I thought it would be better if it could carry more.”

“How did you enhance it?”

“I made it consume other Greedy Bags of the same size.”

Jerk.

Jack and Ewan reacted instinctively. Oliver’s method of enhancing was not only a way to strengthen black magic items but also a dangerous one frowned upon as taboo.

A black magic item that devoured others like it would greatly increase in performance, intelligence, and aggression, often endangering its owner. That’s why even in Bean City, a city of black magicians, it was a rarely practiced method.

The mayor of Bean City himself asked.

“Did you really make the Greedy Bags fight each other and eat one another?”

“Yes. One-on-one, two-on-one, I strengthened it step by step.”

Oliver kindly explained that it wasn’t just a normal fight; he was forcing them into an even harsher environment.

“No wonder its performance is like this. What a devilish move.”

“What?”

“What do you mean ‘what’? You made the Greedy Bags fight each other and devour one another!”

“It was agreed upon.”

Oliver said this, but Big Mouth shook his head.

Ewan called Oliver a dreadful person, repeatedly condemning him, but Oliver defended his innocence. At that moment, Jack asked a question.

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Dangerous, how?”

“The more powerful a Dark Magic item is, the less it listens to its owner, sometimes even threatening their life.”

“I’m aware.”

“That’s also why most don’t perform the ritual of devouring the same kind. Such Dark Magic items become even more aggressive toward their owner. So, how did you manage to tame it?”

When Jack looked at Ewan, the greed that had shone in his eyes before gleamed once again.

The performance of the Greedy Bag, enhanced by devouring others of its kind, and the skill to tame it were what Jack desired. Oliver answered.

“Respect and rewards.”

“So, there’s nothing special.”

“I’m being sincere, Ewan. From the moment I got Big Mouth until now, it has never once threatened me. On the contrary, it’s been quite helpful.”

“Grrrrr…”

Big Mouth let out a deep sigh, as if facing an unavoidable disaster.

Jack instinctively knew there was no specific method, and he showed his disappointment. Then, Oliver made a suggestion.

“I’m not certain, but I think I might know a way to tame another Greedy Bag that has undergone this ritual.”

“What is it?”

Jack showed immediate interest.

“Make it fight Big Mouth.”

Oliver, pointing at Big Mouth with his thumb, said this. Everyone’s eyes turned to Big Mouth, who had an expression that seemed to say, ‘What nonsense is this?’

***

One week later.

“Big Mouth, go for it.”

In the fighting arena named ‘Solitude,’ arbitrarily set up in Bean City, Oliver cheered Big Mouth from the stands.

Big Mouth, facing ten other Greedy Bags that had also become stronger through devouring their kind, shouted out.

“This is b—!”