After Lennok had completely disappeared, the old man disposed of the body of Taylor Evans he had left behind.
Photographs are taken, genetic information is collected, sealed, and delivered separately to Achilles’ broker.
There will be another fee in the process, but what can I do?
On this floor, it was impossible to talk about the cost except for the commission.
Jenny, who was watching the old man’s movements with her chin on her side, spoke.
“Isn’t it amazing that you’re a customer looking for narcotic tobacco and health food at the same time?”
“Is that the wizard story?”
“okay. If I was a merchant, I would have wondered if I was crazy. I can’t understand what wizards are thinking. All geniuses do.”
Jenny seemed to be thinking of laughing it off like that, but old man Jordan had a different idea.
He opened his mouth slowly as he silently cleared the counter.
“Bypassing the scavenger’s network, I found out an interesting fact.”
Hearing Jordan’s words, Jenny immediately frowned.
“Are you still observing that gutter, Grandpa? It’s such a waste to pay a Mirror Diver to spy on their networks and stuff.”
The Mirror Divers are one of the Balkan criminal organizations, a group of hackers who run the business of taking over parts of the city’s network and selling by-products from it.
They had a lot of magic engineering engineers and programmers, and they had a lot of skills, so it was relatively easy to go through their hands in order to use the network in this area.
Even if that network belongs to another organization.
But Jordan responded to her words without losing his composure.
“Looks like they got the photos of Taylor Evans when he died. The magic used by that friend is stamped on it, so do you want to check it? I think you’ll make a much better customer than you think.”
“what?”
She immediately turned on the computer under the counter and accessed the data Jordan said.
Criminal organization scavengers overwhelm other organizations and clans in terms of scale, but the level of members is quite low, so the actual power they have built is quite low.
Except for the core leaders, if you insist, you could call it a gang of gangsters on the street, but if there’s one thing they can help the organization with, they’ve found it
. Here you go. Anyway, these guys are nowhere to be found.”
Because it is scattered like garbage all over the city, you can see and hear all the incidents that happen in the area.
New drug
Of course, the level of the sightings is no different from that of other ordinary people, but sometimes that alone is very helpful, so Jordan has been making a back door to the network used by scavengers from time to time.
“……wow.”
It was a short 3-second video, but the contents in it are not ordinary.
It was not easy to watch the sight of blue lightning tearing through the dry sky and scorching the surface of the earth as it struck down.
Jenny, who was lost for words and looked back at the video, smiled and said.
“So this is what he did earlier?”
“Didn’t you say that you were a lightning-type wizard? I’d say it’s almost certain.”
Even if you can’t actually handle magic, having knowledge about magic is a natural thing in this world.
The two knew all too well how difficult it really was to drop lightning in a dry sky.
Inherent magic of the elemental magic series is famous for its difficulty as it deals with pure intention and magic without using magic centered on a specific medium.
It is said that it takes a very long time to have practicality because it is closer to the traditional magic that has been used for a long time rather than the modern magic that has been improved for the user’s convenience.
It takes a long time to implement a specific element centered on oneself, but how much time and talent it takes to implement a phenomenon by deploying magic centering on empty space and attracting will.
Jenny muttered as she continued to watch the video.
“No matter how low I set it, it seems to be about level 4.”
Level 4 positional magic user. Refers to wizards who have gone beyond the level of learning and using magic and have reached mastery of its use through complete understanding.
Wizards of this class are able to play their part without being pushed back in modern firefighting, and are recognized as a single researcher beyond the stage of serving one person as a wizard.
It was the minimum hierarchy to gain the possibility to grow by studying the magic system learned and learned by oneself.
Level 4 or higher wizards under the management of the Balkan City Hall can use the city’s pension at any time if they wish, and receive bonuses just by submitting their own research results.
“It might be level 5 or higher.”
“Nonsense. Why would such a genius pay a bounty to work here? Just go anywhere and show me some magic, and I’ll give you a seat right away.”
Jordon shook his head at Jenny’s words.
“I don’t know if it’s another class, but there’s a place where you can guess among the lightning-type schools.”
“……That guy like him belongs to the ‘Thorven’ school?”
Even as she denied it, she remembered what Lennok had muttered. Didn’t he say that he hadn’t been to the city for a while?
“You never know. But if he really is a member of the war business… he could be a very good partner.”
Saying that, Jordan returned Taylor Evans’s body to the sack and slung it over his shoulder.
His eyes were shining faintly as he headed towards the underground incineration plant.
Lennok immediately left Jenny’s bar and headed for the orchard she had pointed out.
In the process, the story she told had a part that stimulated Lennok’s interest.
There are more than dozens of areas in the megalopolis of Balkan, but as the city expands, it is said that the atmosphere is distinctly different depending on the order in which the districts were created.
Districts 0-9 where administrative districts responsible for the city’s core operations and economy are located.
The 10th district, which forms a forest of buildings with buildings of various businesses including dinosaur companies.
The 20th district where most of the downtown areas where citizens living in the Balkans work and live are located.
The 30th district is a collection of urban facilities that require a large area, such as amusement parks and ports.
The 40th district, where unauthorized organizations are located, and the 50th district, where vagabonds and all kinds of criminals are roaming undeveloped districts.
Among them, the orchard Jenny was talking about is located in District 31.
Plumber’s Botanical Garden, which is operating on the largest scale in the Balkans.
Among the districts of the 30th, the area with the lowest number has facilities that are often visited by family members, and the Botanical Garden is one of the facilities arranged in the 31st district in the same way.
Buy a ticket at the ticket office of the botanical garden built like a huge stadium and go inside.
10,000 cells went out for the ticket price, but it was not burdensome because I had just received a bounty and my pockets were thick.
Upon entering the botanical garden, a huge jungle was formed with only plants under the artificial sun.
Plants with huge peaks capable of reaping four or five people or flowers with hundreds of colors at the same time were unusual and beautiful enough to make even Lennok stop and appreciate them.
Trees walking in the field like living animals and flower seeds resembling umbrellas floating in the air with thin film spread also attract attention.
But Lennok quickly came to his senses and started walking in the direction Jenny had pointed out.
After walking for a while, a strong feeling of tiredness was already weighing down my entire body.
A souvenir shop located on the way out of the huge botanical garden.
A huge shop that sells dolls and key chains for children and glass crystal lamps with preserved petals that signify good fortune.
When you open the small side door that says “No entry except for those involved” written on the back of the cupboard where all kinds of plant models are displayed, cross the long stairs and head downstairs, a pungent smell that is different from the scent from the shop starts to sting your nose.
When I went down the stairs to the end and turned my head, I saw faint purple smoke filling all directions.
Instead of wading through the smoke and walking through it, Lennok stood right in front of the stairs and opened his mouth.
“I came because of Jenny’s introduction.”
“jenny?”
An answer was heard and the smoke cleared quickly, revealing a figure beyond.
A wooden drawer that fills one wall of the large room. The number of drawers seems to exceed thousands.
With his back to the huge drawer, an old man was staring at him with a pipe in his mouth.
“Are you talking about the bitch who runs the liquor store in District 49?”
Lennok nodded, and the old man frowned.
“I don’t remember giving that young thing the right to recommend a guest.”
“…….”
The old man grinned and shook his head while Lennok hesitated at the reaction that was difficult to answer.
“What happened? It’s because I’m not rich enough to cover customers. All you have to do is get money from the guys who want the stuff. So what are you looking for in my orchard?”
For a moment, Lennok pondered whether or not he should be honored, but decided to go ahead.
“…why is there an orchard inside the botanical garden?”
It’s ironic that the store’s name is Orchard, even though it’s close to all kinds of drugs, and it’s even located in the largest botanical garden in the city.
At Lennox’s words, the old man laughed, exposing his yellow teeth.
“The fruits produced by cooking those plants are right here, right? These are the fruits that will send us to heaven.”
It was an irrelevant question and an appropriate answer.
Lennok immediately took out all the remaining tobacco from his bosom and set it down in front of the old man.
“I’m looking for things that have similar effects. Can I get it from here?”
“Let’s see…”
“Even if it’s a little expensive, I hope there are fewer side effects.”
The old man took out his magnifying glasses and began examining the tobacco Lennok had put out.
“It’s a way of inhaling smoke. It’s quicker than taking a pill, and the effect comes more slowly than giving an injection. But it’s the most passable and the taste is so good that I can’t quit it easily.”
While muttering to himself, he took out a knife and cut the tobacco lengthwise.
The packaging was peeled off, revealing the contents inside.
The old man nodded as he picked up the tongs and checked them visually.
“Hmm… I don’t know who made it, but it’s a complete piece of crap.”
“……”
“From the ingredients inside to the dry packaging of the tablets, there is nothing I don’t like. Why the hell were you smoking this?”
After hearing the same words from Jenny and the old man, Lennok replied sullenly.
“…There are circumstances that cannot be avoided.”
“It is a defective product that has been deliberately mixed with impurities and only increased addiction in order to lower the price. At least the antipsychotic effect seems to be useful, but that’s to give the illusion that medicine is well received. Definitely not a product I would recommend in the long run.”
After saying that, the old man immediately tossed the chopped up tobacco into the trash can next to it.
“You said you wanted something that cost a little money but had few side effects. What price do you think?”
Lennok pondered for a moment.
The medicine he buys now is like a minimum investment cost for future plans.
In order to move this weak body like a normal person, at least while working, I needed a medicine that would make me forget pain or fatigue.
However, using such an item while reducing the side effects was of great importance to Lennok.
His body can never last long if the drug is accompanied by violent side effects every time he uses it.
It wasn’t the time to save money.
“…2 million cells.”
2.7 million cells received as a bounty. Invest everything except for the amount you will use for living expenses.
“hmm.”
The old man shook his head, got up from his seat, and started rummaging through the shelves behind him.
After a while, he came with several sealed packs in his hand, and when he opened the packs, something elongated inside poured out.
It was a bit thicker and longer than the ones Lennok used to smoke.
He said as he weighed them one by one.
“If it was simply wanting drugs, there wouldn’t be much of an option for that kind of penny.”
“……”
“But it looks like what you want is something pumped with medicine rather than drugs. If it’s something like that, you can find it within the category of luxury items.”
The old man picked up about thirty cigarettes from the balance and set them down in front of Lennok.
“Cashburn-C107. Strong pain relief and doping awakening effect of about 6 hours. A little mental uplift. Pain numbness and dizziness immediately after taking. Headache, convulsions, vomiting after the end of the effect. Low probability of hemoptysis of side effects. It is a very neat thing.”
It was a side effect that Lennok thought would never look neat, but the old man didn’t stop explaining.
“The toxicity is not weak, but it is less addictive and the amount that is concentrated in the body in the long term is not large. It’s possible because it’s an item that has been modified from a medicine in an appropriate way.”
“Is that a minor side effect?”
“It’s the least side effect you can buy with the money you have.”
said the old man.
“Every time the rebound of a drug is reduced, the price skyrockets. If you want to find something better than this, it would be difficult to buy even 20 packs with that money, and one thing you should know is that I will never sell less than 10 packs.”
In other words, there are separate items that go from hundreds of thousands to millions of pieces in one bag.
Lennok shook his head with a mixed feeling and picked up the tobacco he had handed over, called Cashburn.
Items with a little less than 70,000 cells per sheet by simple calculation. In terms of price, this isn’t too bad either.
For Lennok, who had never bought a pack of cigarettes on Earth, the price made his hands tremble.
But I have no choice.
This was, after all, an investment that had to be made to make money in the future.
In the end, Lennok paid and picked up the tobacco the old man had handed over to him.
“Come again. All the bastards who use my orchard will do that.”
The figure of an old man who sits crookedly and nods his head quickly disappears, enveloped in smoke.
Lennok immediately exited the botanical garden and headed for the hotel where he was staying.
30 cigarettes obtained at the cost of 2 million cells.
It was impossible to use it in practice without directly testing the effect.
A break
“Hmm…”
Returning to the hotel, Lennok sat in the middle of the bed and concentrated on smoking a cigarette in silence.
As the old man said, it is natural that smoke inhalation is less effective than injection.
There is no more efficient method than injecting the drug directly into the bloodstream.
However, it is difficult to carry a disposable syringe with you every time you go out to work, and even if you have tobacco in your mouth, it is not very noticeable.
Besides, it was true that the sensation of inhaling smoke was not so bad.
“Definitely…it’s a little different.”
If the existing tobacco that was stolen from the factory was a way to awaken the body by hitting the back of the head dull, the newly purchased product had a strong effect of energizing the whole body without fatigue.
It was a much needed effect for Lennok, who needed to relieve the fatigue of his weak body rather than mental pleasure.
My body is more energized and energized than before.
Rather than actually gaining strength, it was only forcibly elevating the body, but at this level, it seemed that it would not be too much trouble to move while the drug was in effect.
Lennok already knew he had risen to the level of a fairly decent mage, but fighting in real combat was a whole different thing.
Like when I caught Taylor Evans, when I was suddenly faced with gunfire, my weak body and stamina shouldn’t hold me back.
Lennok, who was somewhat satisfied with the effect of the medicine, lay on the bed and started to think about what to do next while exhaling smoke.
‘Come to think of it, I’ll have to replenish the bullets.’
He hasn’t had any complaints yet about the gun he stole from the supervisor, but he only has four bullets left.
Since awakening to magic, Lennok has never doubted his magical ability, but he thought that apart from that, physical armament should not be neglected.
Unlike his mighty talent, his body is fragile and dangerous enough to break if hit.
It was inevitable that he started working in District 49 to earn money, but it was only natural to prepare for all kinds of dangers that could come.
‘I’ll have to think about making fake IDs after I’ve made some money. I can’t just live as a savage without a status…’
Lennok looked at the tobacco in his hand with eyes dripping with regret, and struggled to rub it into the ashtray.
70,000 cells per pack. In terms of price alone, this tobacco is more expensive than the price of the hotel room he is staying in.
It’s not enough to chew all the filters, but for now, I have to close my eyes.
With a familiar motion, Lennok poured the sleeping pills from the bedside and lay down.
Come to think of it, because I had been taking sleeping pills for a week while researching common magic, this one was also running out of stock.
It seemed that it had already been decided where to spend the remaining 700,000 cells.
Shortly thereafter, Lennok fell into a restless sleep.
Insomnia that cannot be cured. A body that is tired of strength every day.
Tolerance to the sleeping pills he takes every day will develop sometime in the beginning of the year, and eventually Lennok will continue to search for stronger drugs, but at least at this moment,
his expression looks perfectly calm.
Another day passes like this.
It was the day Lennok first started earning money in the great city of Balkan.
