Chapter 601: Changing Randa

Being young and being old are not the same.

Forest knew this better than anyone.

He had experienced his childhood and was now living through old age.

The difference between his younger self and his current older self was so great, he felt like two different people.

As a child, his joints were strong like steel, but now they were like worn-out clothes. Back then, no matter how much he ate, he was still hungry, but now just soup could fill him.

His dreams and drive were the same. As a child, he was always full of hope and ready to fight anything, yet now his greatest ambition was securing a stable old age, and avoiding unnecessary conflicts was the best strategy, especially when the opponent was stronger.

But if you asked what changed the most, it was his perception of time.

As a child, everything felt boring and slow, as if the world would never change. But now, he could feel that the world was constantly evolving.

Colonies that seemed like they would expand forever became stagnant, and rumors about the declining health of a queen who seemed like she would rule forever began to spread. The world was changing slowly but surely.

And sometimes, it changed so quickly that it was hard to keep up.

The sudden death of a figure who ruled for hundreds of years, the mad proposal by the Pater Church to support a dark mage, and the transformation of X-District into a livable area all happened so fast.

Coincidentally, all these events were related to the man sitting in front of him.

“Did you have a good trip?”

Forest asked, looking at the man in the high-rise office overlooking X-District.

This man was Dave, a fixer representing not just T-District but now all of Randa, an employee of the Tower of Magic, and the co-chairman of the Redevelopment Union.

“Thanks to your consideration, I had a good trip.”

Dave nodded politely as usual. It wasn’t a surprising gesture, but Forest felt that Oliver had changed significantly during the short time he was away.

It wasn’t about his newly dyed black hair or the gloves he now wore on both hands. The atmosphere itself had changed.

There had been times when his atmosphere changed before, but this time the scale was different. In the past, it was temporary and the changes were subtle. This time was different.

The proof was in Oliver’s eyes. There was a new shine, a kind of obsession with some goal.

Forest, with his experience as a broker who deals with people’s desires, could see through this, and it made him both excited and worried.

He couldn’t believe that such a light was now shining in Dave’s eyes.

Thud.

While Forest was observing Oliver, he suddenly placed a long box on the table.

“What’s this?”

“A souvenir from my travels. I heard it’s customary to bring one back after a long trip.”

Forest opened the box.

“Liquor?”

“Yes, it’s homemade liquor from Bean City. They say it’s safely made and tastes great.”

“I’m not sure if ‘safe’ is a word that matches with moonshine, but I’ll accept it gratefully.”

“Aren’t you going to try it?”

“I’ll save it for a special occasion, not because the liquor is so dark that I’m afraid to drink it.”

“If that’s the case, then I’m relieved. I met Al before I came here. He mentioned that many things happened in Randa.”

“I was contacted too. Yes, a lot has happened. But the biggest news of all—”

—Thud.

Forest placed a prepared newspaper on the table. It was an article about how the Grand Mage of the Archive had reclaimed the Sea of Oblivion, which even the Union Kingdom gave up on.

[The Grand Mage of the Archive! Defeats a Sea Monster and Reclaims the Sea of Oblivion!!]

A photo of the sea monster split into three pieces was displayed under the flashy headline.

“Randa has big news every day, but the biggest headliner now is Archive Merlin and his apprentice, Xenon Bright. Xenon Bright is—”

“—the name I use at the Tower of Magic.”

“Exactly, your dual identity. Honestly, calling it dual identity feels odd since everyone knows about it.”

Forest’s words were true. Xenon Bright was one of Oliver’s dual identities, revealed back in Lake Village. However, for political reasons or maybe just inertia, it had yet to fade away.

As a result, a ridiculous situation where everyone knew about his dual identity came about. In some ways, it was rarer than a perfectly kept secret.

“This isn’t the reaction I expected.”

“What reaction did you expect?”

“Oh, something like, ‘This is wrong. It was all the elder’s doing. Could we issue a correction?’”

He had predicted this perfectly based on Oliver’s previous personality.

Oliver had said he wanted money and fame to obtain the demon’s book, but ironically, he didn’t crave excessive fame.

He sought not an overwhelming reputation, but just enough to be useful—mildly high fame. Truly ironic. Then again, that wasn’t the only contradiction about Oliver. In any case, Oliver responded.

“I thought about saying that, but I heard about it in advance. I prepared myself.”

“Is that all?”

“I’ve also changed my mind. I’m going to focus on my business for a while.”

“Suddenly?”

“Yes.”

Forest stared intently at Oliver after hearing this. It was something he should be happy about, but instead, he felt concerned. They say people don’t change overnight, and sudden changes often require strong motivation—like death, a secret about one’s birth, or a desire for revenge.

“What’s the reason?”

“Hmm, I just felt I needed to work hard? Not long ago, Miss Jane was kidnapped.”

“And she returned safely.”

“Yes, luckily. But luck won’t always be on our side. So, I felt that I should work hard, for myself and those around me. Wouldn’t it be sad if something bad happened? Poverty, accidents, disasters. And business seems like the best way to avoid such things.”

“That’s right. A solid foundation in life is key to safety.”

“Also, I have a personal ambition.”

“What ambition?”

“I want to become a person—a good person. Like Kent.”

That was an odd thing to say, but somehow Forest wasn’t surprised.

“What does business have to do with being a good person?”

“Didn’t you and Paul Carver say that doing business is like helping others? Businesses create jobs, after all.”

Forest couldn’t deny it. He had said that once, and most of Randa’s upper class shared that sentiment.

The idea that pursuing personal profit is like helping others. What an idealistic yet realistic notion.

“I think that’s reasonable too. I believe this approach is more productive and sustainable than Kent’s method. So, I want to focus on business. Does that sound strange?”

It was strange. The idea itself wasn’t unheard of, but the sudden change was odd.

Oliver had liked Kent before and was kind to others, but this felt different.

In the past, helping others had been the goal. Now, it felt like a means to an end.

It probably had something to do with that obsession gleaming in Oliver’s eyes.

But Forest couldn’t bring himself to ask. It went against his principle of maintaining a professional distance from his clients.

No, more than that, he knew he wouldn’t get a proper answer even if he did ask. Such emotions can’t be expressed by merely asking. Disturbing them clumsily would only make them retreat further.

So, Forest shook his head. He didn’t think it was strange.

“You think so?”

“Yes. In fact, I’m happy. You seem like a true Randian now. Well, in that case, maybe we should talk business.”

“Is it about the New Class?”

“That, and more.”

***

Forest began explaining what had happened in Randa during Oliver’s absence, which felt long yet short.

Starting with the smaller issues, he mentioned how unaffiliated gangs, expelled by the Crime Firm and the Fighter Crew, had scattered to small towns around Randa and formed completely new gangs.

‘More troublesome than expected. They are raiding materials going in and out of Randa City, but Randa’s jurisdiction doesn’t extend beyond its borders, so there’s little it can do. The issue has become too big for private organizations to handle.’

‘Is it that bad?’

‘Yeah, even though they were thugs who couldn’t survive in Randa, they’ve now built fairly strong factions. Of course, we could crush one or two if we really tried, but it wouldn’t be worth it. Wars only result in losses, and it might draw interference from the central political powers. Someone’s backing them just to trouble Randa.’

Oliver could guess who that someone was. It was probably Puppet.

During the search for the kidnapped Eve, Lilith had provided equipment to the Road Gang and a local branch of the Crime Firm. And behind Lilith was Puppet.

‘I keep getting tangled up with that person.’

Forest continued explaining how the Royal Family was trying to establish a large magical institution like the Tower of Magic.

He mentioned that the scale was so significant even traditional schools were showing interest, but Oliver wasn’t surprised this time either. He had already heard about it from Prince Albert on the New Continent. He had even been scouted.

The next explanations were similarly familiar. He talked about Randa’s administrative system reform through Eve and how the central council of the Union Kingdom was eyeing it. It wasn’t entirely new information since Oliver had heard about these things before, but Forest’s detailed explanations were still informative.

But the most interesting topic was the New Gentleman, a union formed by the newly emerging New Class in Randa.

The New Class referred to superhumans who had not only gained powers but also wealth—like wizards and Enjoyment’s Druid Seamus.

New Gentleman was an organization created for these New Class members to protect their mutual interests under the guise of friendship.

Oh, by the way, wizards, specifically those affiliated with the Tower of Magic, were not part of this group.

The superhumans included in New Gentleman were of a type similar to Seamus—those who came from the streets, so to speak.

They were people who had started as fixers and now ran their own businesses. As a result, the businesses associated with New Gentleman covered a wide range, from simple trade to real estate, agriculture, lending, gambling, newspapers, radio channels, entertainment, mercenaries, prostitution, drugs, and even pseudo-religions.

However, Forest explained that the reason Randa City was monitoring them had nothing to do with their activities.

‘The city councilors of Randa wouldn’t care about such things. They think that crime to some extent helps stimulate the economy. As long as taxes are paid, they don’t mind. The problem is that they’ve aligned with the central council.’

‘Do you have any evidence?’

‘It’s suspicious from the very fact that they banded together.’

Forest said that while the appearance of the New Class wasn’t strange, their unity was.

The reason was rooted in the characteristics of superhumans. He explained that superhumans, who had attained power far beyond the human norm, often couldn’t get along well with others like themselves.

Most of them had strong bodies and had achieved great success in a short time, inflating their egos excessively. When similar individuals gathered, they were more likely to clash than bond.

It would often turn into a contest of who was more successful.

The problem was that when superhumans clashed, it didn’t end with mere words.

‘But suddenly, they banded together. Right when threats began popping up around Randa, and Randa and the central council began their staring contest over Eve. Why now, of all times?’

Then Forest mentioned that the New Gentleman had been created around the individuals who had recently risen rapidly and joined the New Class.

‘Why the name New Gentleman?’

‘I guess they want to be the new gentry. It’s a kind of vanity.’

New Gentleman’s current activities included seizing businesses from New Class members who refused to join them, as well as internal power struggles, putting them somewhere between a social and a business-oriented organization.

Naturally, such behavior made not only common folk but also the current city and capitalists uncomfortable, so they had responded by involving Knuckle Joe.

‘Aside from the subsidies, we were curious about who they really are. Plus, it allows us to gain some influence.’

‘Did they agree?’

‘At the same time, Joe knocked out a superhuman from New Gentleman who was competing with the Crime Firm. It served as a sort of verification, so they accepted him. Of course, they must have their own agenda.’

‘Did you find out anything?’

‘Not yet. So you don’t need to do anything immediately. They’re probably just observing the situation now that you’re back.’

‘That’s a relief. Then, I’ll take care of my own business in the meantime.’

‘What business?’

‘I want to have a conversation.’

‘With whom?’

‘Everyone.’

Recalling the conversation with Forest, Oliver returned to the present and looked at Celine, a member of The Selectors, standing in front of him.

She was the first follower he met upon returning to Wineham. Oliver greeted the girl.

“Long time no see, Celine. Have you been well?”