Floating Island Colony (2)
“There are many amulets here that are essential for magicians!”
“The wise wine that clears your head when you drink it is here!”
“Once you see it, you will never regret it!!”
A floating island crowded with people.
Lennok was walking in the middle of the market with an unlit tobacco in his mouth.
Although the area was once embroiled in a fierce confrontation with the megalopolis Balkan, the streets of the Dominion are full of energy so that you don’t feel the tension of war.
Is it because it is a region that is welcomed by magicians due to its special environment?
The density of magic users seen in the Dominion was incomparably higher than that of Balkan.
In terms of absolute population, that number is not even comparable, but even if it is large, it is a structure that surrounds a few islands of about one district and has no choice but to fight against them even if they do not like it.
Naturally, the commercial districts and markets of the autonomous territories also developed businesses for outsiders, especially magicians.
Even in the market where Lenok stopped by now, soliciting acts targeting sorcerers rather than ordinary civilians are the majority.
Of course, there were only a handful of high-end items that Lennok could notice, but there were quite a few ingenious things that Lennok would find interesting.
For example, there were clothes made of wool with spirituality that could be worn by spirits, or items like snacks that pets liked.
Necromancers’ corpse preservatives, artificial hair and eyeballs for witch doctors were so bizarre that even Lennok stuck out his tongue.
“This cube is useful for practicing magic manipulation! Let’s go see one!!”
“….”
Lennok paused for a moment, and in his hand was a cube decorated with cheap crystal.
When you inject magic power, it floats up, and the cube rotates and changes color according to the change in strength of the injected magic power.
It is a toy that can only be used here where magic and floating ability have a great relationship.
Good night. Good night.
After watching it a few times, I immediately get a sense of it.
The cube, which trembled in Lennok’s hand, spun so quickly that the face could not be seen properly, and the color matched in an instant.
I hung it over my shoulder and continued to walk the streets, spinning the cube as a way to pass the time.
It’s been three days since we arrived in the Dominion.
Although he was used to this chaotic landscape by now, Lennok’s income was surprisingly small.
True to its name, this floating island colony tends to grant residents considerable autonomy, excluding the minimum rules, and that is why people living here live their lives in various places to suit their tastes.
There were many parts where I had to jump on my feet because there was no systematic system to naturally obtain any information.
The number of floating islands that exist here in the Dominion of Philenom is well over a hundred, regardless of size, and it is not easy to determine the location of those islands because of the thick fog rising from the sea of understanding.
Rich people with a lot of money even buy a small floating island as a whole and use all sorts of security techniques and concealment techniques to hide their location.
The reason why the drug lord hid his safe here was not just an easy environment to store medicines.
‘Still, it’s not like there’s no way at all.’
There are a few things I learned from going to places with a lot of people on purpose to hear various information over the past few days.
The first floating island that can be purchased is limited to an island that is too cramped for people to live.
In order to make the second floating island a private property, you must obtain permission from the Dominion Government.
In the third Dominion, a specially made safe is required to store medicinal materials, and there is only one craftsman in the Dominion who makes that safe.
Finding the drug lord’s safe with just this was near impossible, but Lennok had come to his own conclusion.
‘If you are a craftsman who makes safes, you must have left a record of the safes you have made. You can narrow the scope of your investigation by considering that usually safecrackers serialize their wares.’
By comparing the date on which the production of the safe was requested through the serial number of the record book and the date on which the purchase of the floating island was authorized by the autonomous government, one can get a rough idea of how many hidden islands exist.
Of course, it would be impossible to pinpoint the location of the island with that alone, but it would be possible to pinpoint the number of islands that are used as private land and have safes for storing medicines.
‘The scope of the search can be narrowed by cutting the range of the updraft rising from the Sea of Understanding and calculating the spaces that exist between islands.’
Of course, it is possible that the drug lord ignored the rules of the Dominion and chose a random island to hide his safe, but Lennok thought that unlikely.
The perfect camouflage comes out in the ordinary, no different from others.
There was no reason to break the rules and do anything that could be done using a pseudonym or false identity.
‘To be honest, this isn’t a very effective method… … .’
It’s just one of the ways to narrow the search range, but it’s the same thing that you need to invest a lot of time.
Even if he had covered up the concealment technique, he would be able to notice the abnormality with Lennok’s magic sensitivity, but that would only happen after he got closer to a certain distance.
After all, it is impossible without traveling around the Dominion in a wingboat.
If we do not have the right time and method, we will have to search for candidates through this kind of repetitive work.
That’s why Lennok was constantly traveling around the Dominion, trying to find a better alternative.
[Master.]
“Still?”
[yes. I’m still looking this way.]
Except for the gaze that started following him right after he arrived in the Dominion.
“hmm….”
Lennok leaned against the wall of a nearby fruit shop and energized himself.
Still, nothing was caught in his mana detection.
Even so, if Darby clearly felt that gaze, there would be only one opponent.
The next lighthouse keeper.
Even though she was aware of Lennok’s presence the moment she arrived in the Dominion, she did not approach him and continued to watch this way.
“I don’t know what you want. Do you want me to come over there first?”
[Perhaps he’s still not sure who the Master is?]
“That can’t be. Considering the ability of the lighthouse keeper, that’s absolutely… … No, not really.”
Considering the gap between Madrea Falseir and the next lighthouse keeper, it is not impossible not to see through Lennok’s disguise.
It was not strange to confuse Lennok on the other side if he did not know that his face, body shape, and even the magical pattern he was born with were completely modulated.
[If I show up first….]
“No, leave it alone. I have work to do today.”
The messenger in the form of an eagle sent by the lighthouse keeper the other day has seen Darby, so he will recognize her when she takes off her disguise and reveals herself in the form of a fox cub, but there is no reason to do so right now.
Leaving behind the empty sensation of not being caught by the senses, Lennok immediately moved on.
* * *
Huge grassland stretching all the way to the horizon. A medicinal herb field located on an area so vast that it is unbelievable that it is part of the island.
A gigantic plant facility managed by the government at the government level for some special medicinal materials that grow using the special environment of the autonomous territory.
This is possible because a large floating island boasts the size of one area of the Balkans.
The vermilion sunset slowly sinks as it illuminates the bottom of the sea, but from the point of view of an island floating in the sky, the sunset reflects the face from below.
In a landscape that is not easily seen, Lennok and the others stood in front of the herb garden plant facility.
An old woman with an eccentric impression came out and looked around at the people and smiled happily.
“There are so many people visiting this old lady today, so I don’t think there will be a shortage of workers.”
“….”
There was no answer.
On the contrary, you can see people who can’t hide their disapproving expressions and frown.
But the old man didn’t care, and while tapping his waist, he raised the staff in his hand and pointed to the field.
“You must have already known this beforehand, but let me explain briefly.”
“The wild trees managed by Northeast Plant are very unusual plants that bloom only at this time when the boundary between day and night disappears. This flower is not only helpful in stimulating the human sensory system, but is also famous for its efficacy in nurturing the innate magic sensitivity.”
“However, as soon as you remove the flower of the wild tree, if you do not hold onto the vitality through precise magic manipulation, it will wither right away, so this is where the help of excellent magicians is needed.”
“As promised, I will give the magician who helped this old lady and collected a certain amount of wild tree flowers a chance to purchase a sample of the medicinal materials managed by the plant, so please do your best.”
It’s been a long talk, but what Lennok is doing now is simple.
It is to lend strength to those in short supply and receive compensation in return.
It was a simplified labor method, as if solving a game quest, but there was a reason why this kind of work was established in the Dominion.
This is because the trend of actively borrowing the power of outsiders, especially magicians, became stronger as it could not handle the size of the concentrated capital compared to the relatively scarce manpower.
It was possible because there are things that can only be done at a specific time and place, like the wild tree the old man just talked about, and that can only be done with the help of a sorcerer.
Wild trees growing in this plant are not that rare compared to the high price, but the important thing is the right to purchase samples of rare herbs that can be obtained by helping the plant.
What Lennok wants is the basilis mushroom, which is relatively prized even in this herb plant.
Even though it has no special health or magical effects, it boasts a tremendous price, priced at a million cells per bunch, but the reason Lennok seeks this mushroom is not simply because it is a rare medicinal material.
It is because Basilis, like the Malabeth that Lennok is looking for, was only grown on the ‘Collapsed Island’ and was discontinued.
He came all the way here to get his hands on the information that there are only a few flowers left in this plant where medicinal materials are easily stored.
‘If the drug lord keeps medicinal herbs grown on a collapsed island like Malebeth in a safe, there’s a good chance he’s got Basilis already. If you start tracking based on that… … .’
Among the unique magics of the scavenger class, there is magic that recognizes the flow of the same kind of magic power and finds the location of similar magic power.
Of course, it would be impossible to break through the concealment and security techniques with halfway magic and peep inside, but… … .
What if it was the ability of a thousand dogs?
“I didn’t expect to see you again in a place like this.”
As I was about to move on, I heard a voice next to me.
Weizen smiled politely at Lennok.
“I also knew that he would come here soon. At least, there are only three places, including this plant, where you can get rare medicinal materials.”
“Is that so?”
“yes. I hope you don’t know. But wait… … .”
The smile disappeared from Weizen’s expression as he scanned the hem of Lennok’s coat with sharp eyes.
The Nix insignia hanging from the coat collar was nowhere to be seen.
Lennok pretended to notice the gaze belatedly and spoke leisurely.
“Ah, I’ve kept those trinkets elsewhere. After hearing the wizard’s words, I was afraid to carry it around. haha.”
“I see….”
Weizen tried to adjust his expression, but the clear mouth was inversely revealing his emotions without filtering.
You’d think he was talking nonsense and made Lennok hide it.
Of course, Lennok pretended not to know that feeling at all and openly boiled Weisen’s insides.
“yes. I think the things my parents left behind are still valuable, so I need to handle them safely. I can only thank Mr. Weizen.”
“…I’m glad I helped. Excuse me first.”
Weizen turned his head around, as if he was aware that he couldn’t manage his expression.
Lennok smiled at Weizen’s back as he walked stiffly through the herb field.
He said he was looking for a herb called the flame plant, and it seems that he also turned round and came to this plant.
Lennok gave up his interest in Weizen and immediately went to the field in a different direction.
Small dark-brown saplings knee-high are planted densely along the outskirts of the island.
As the sun began to sink below the surface of the water and turned into a scarlet sunset, and the sunset light coming up from below began to illuminate the plants, the seedlings wriggled and began to flower individually.
The sorcerers who had been seated in advance quickly raised their mana to gather wild flowers.
More than dozens of flowers were immediately collected, but not even three of them survived intact.
The sound of bolmen began to be heard here and there due to the poor results.
“Damn it…Is it harder than you thought?”
“There must be a reason why the old man laughed sinisterly earlier.”
Not paying attention to the reactions of those around him, Lennok began to examine the flowers he had successfully picked nearby.
Although invisible to the eyes of the other sorcerers, Lennok’s mana-sensing power was able to detect the subtle twisted flow of mana near the root of the flower.
‘Is it to prevent the outflow of vitality by subtly twisting the mana at the moment the stem of the flower is cut off?’
Even if you are consciously aware of it, it is a delicate knot that is difficult to practice properly.
It must be because of the need to maintain a delicate boundary line that does not completely oppress the flower while tying up enough mana to prevent the outflow of life force.
“Isn’t it easy?”
“….”
Weizen quietly approached Lennok and asked. It was gradually becoming irritating.
In his hand were two flowers that had bloomed brightly before he knew it.
“Even if you know the tricks, it doesn’t happen often. Even in my case, I tried ten times to succeed twice.”
He squatted down beside Lennok and said, waving a wild flower.
“I can teach you the tricks if you want, but….”
Now he doesn’t even hide his greed.
Lennok ignored Weizen’s words and reached for the wild tree.
Weing… … !!
A single flower landed on Lennok’s hand so easily with the light rotation of magical power.
The flowers bathed in the sunset light were shining brightly on the palms without losing their vitality in the slightest.
Genius Wizard Who Takes Medicine Chapter 171
