Genius Warlock

In the workers’ residence area of Landa, known as T District, there was a modest eatery. In T District, finding anything other than an affordable restaurant was a rarity.

In one corner of this humble establishment sat a robust man. He wasn’t extraordinarily massive, but in a community where most were frail due to the rigors of labor, he stood out noticeably.

His attempts to blend in, such as dyeing his hair black and donning plain, unremarkable attire, were futile.

However, he had no choice. A druid with a superhuman physique, honed through grueling training, was bound to draw attention no matter what.

It was a peculiar irony. Those who could camouflage their bodies like creatures in the wilderness were conspicuous in the city.

The exception to this rule was the female druids.

This wasn’t a statement driven by sexism; it was simply that, unlike men, women tended to retain their youth and beauty, so their transformations were relatively subtle.

Like the blonde woman who approached the hefty man.

She settled comfortably in front of him, ignoring his rough exterior, and began to speak.

“Did you really have to be the one to come? It would have been better if one of the others had come… Someone less conspicuous.”

Despite being a druid, and even an Enjoyment, the woman was dressed in a manner that didn’t draw much attention. Her vitality, acquired through training, and her natural beauty were what set her apart, but it wasn’t a problem.

After all, she had acclimated herself to the surroundings, working as a singer in a T District pub for the past few weeks.

It was her druidic patience, not Enjoyment.

The man responded to the woman’s sarcasm.

“Isn’t it strange to only meet women in this kind of neighborhood?”

“Hmm… You have a point there.”

“Besides, among the men, I’m relatively more decent… If anyone asks, just say I’m your cousin. Your cousin brother.”

“Ugh, no way.”

The woman shuddered with distaste, and the rebuffed man retorted in a hushed tone.

“It’s just a cover story! A cover!”

His subdued exclamation, incongruous with his imposing physique, was somewhat amusing, prompting a quiet chuckle from the woman.

The man, a bit irritated yet not entirely displeased, continued the conversation with composure.

“Sigh… I heard the guy showed up.”

The woman nodded as she sipped her budget coffee. Currently, “that guy” could only refer to one person.

“I’ve gotten used to this terrible coffee… He came back a few days ago. To the Forrest restaurant.”

“Word is he’s in a bad way?”

Once again, she nodded. She had witnessed Dave, the solver, at the restaurant, accompanied by an enigmatic companion. He looked like he hadn’t had a decent meal in days, his cheeks sunken.

It was almost as if she had seen a walking corpse, which was astonishing. The fact that such a man had taken down Shamus… It was incredible.

The woman spoke further.

“I heard he got into that state after working on a Magic tower job in Galos. Whether he was a test subject of the Magic tower, a hired wizard, or whatever… Landa’s full of rumors about him, so who knows what’s true. But it seems he had a tough time there… Good news for us.”

The man’s eyes sparkled in agreement, resembling a hunter eyeing its prey.

It wasn’t the gaze one would expect from a druid, who should venerate and safeguard nature, but over time, even that principle had grown uncertain.

They weren’t complaining, however, as it allowed their Enjoyment to venture further into the world.

“So, he’s weakened?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s true that the old folks who were relying on the name ‘solver Dave’ are hesitating now, seeing him so emaciated. You know how rich old people are…”

Her words carried a hint of sarcasm, yet they were undeniably true.

The redevelopment of X District had become a hot topic in Landa as soon as Forrest initiated minor construction work on a few buildings there. In typical Landa fashion, the news spread like wildfire, starting in the construction industry and quickly spreading to other sectors.

In the world of speculation, it presented a fresh opportunity for profit, while in the City of Landa, it hinted at the potential for new urban development. As is often the case with such developments, a plethora of rumors followed.

Some claimed that Forrest, who had recently risen as a successful intermediary, possessed astonishing negotiation skills. Others speculated that the Anti-Development committee had crumbled, while a few even suspected it was another scam like the infamous ABC case.

However, the most credible rumor centered around Dave, the renowned solver working with Forrest. Dave, a warlock who had achieved legendary status in Landa after defeating Shamus, was believed to have utilized his formidable power to negotiate with the Anti-Development committee.

This story attracted many to Forrest, as Dave exclusively dealt with him. Yet, upon seeing Dave’s frail appearance after his prolonged absence, a sense of unease enveloped everyone. His emaciated visage, as if he hadn’t eaten in weeks, was quite disconcerting.

It served as a stark reminder that, even in a world marked by violence, appearances still held significance.

“But there’s no solid proof yet,”the man lamented.

“If you’re unsatisfied, why don’t you find out yourself? Whining doesn’t make a man attractive.” the woman retorted.

“Do you know how popular I am at the bar?” he countered.

“It’s your money that’s popular, not you… Anyway, stop whining. Unlike you, I’m trying to find a way to figure it out.”

“Who whines because they want to? It’s because of the special law.”

“I know about the special law too. That’s why I’m here.”

As soon as the special law was mentioned, both their expressions darkened. Understandably so, since this particular law directly threatened the Enjoyment Druids.

Enjoyment Druids, who had always pursued freedom and pleasure, living life on their own terms, had gathered together for a common cause—the special law.

For freedom, for survival, for the wealth they had amassed, they needed to establish themselves in Landa as soon as possible.

“Sigh… I hope it’s as bad as the rumors say. We’ll win, but it needs to end quickly.”

“Don’t worry too much about that.”

“What?”

“Killing directly isn’t the only way, you know?”

“…??”

“Just watch. I didn’t gather just trivial information by singing songs… I’ve been making a lot of friends, you see. Like a cute and foolish little lady?”

Puzzled by the woman’s enigmatic words, the man simply tilted his head in confusion.

***

Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh. Click. Click. Click. Swoosh. Swoosh. Click. Click.

Inside the Fighter Crew residence in Landa’s X District, Oliver sat in a corner of the spacious conference room, engrossed in writing on a piece of paper. It appeared to be a blueprint for processing Dejiehe Durans, accompanied by books and papers like ‘The Wizard’s Medical Book,’ ‘The Theory of the Relationship Between Internal Organs and Magic – Advanced,’ ‘An Introduction to the Flow of Magic in the Human Body,’ ‘Easy Introduction to Galos Mechanical Engineering,’ and ‘Magic Weapons Explained for 10-Year-Olds.’

‘Hmm… The context is starting to come together.’ Oliver muttered to himself, deep in thought.

Oliver contemplated, his gaze fixed on the paper before him.

On the sheet, he had meticulously sketched two blood tanks, each housing a lifeless body and the organs meticulously extracted from those deceased forms.

While the organs weren’t a mandatory component for crafting Corpse dolls, Oliver envisioned the possibility of transforming these organs into bio-parts and implanting them into the Corpse doll bodies.

Internal organs, especially those harvested from a wizard, possessed remarkably high magical conductivity. In the past, this approach would have been unthinkable, but with the newfound knowledge he had gathered from Theodore, discovered through his three encounters with Puppet, blood magic, and access to high-quality materials, Oliver felt compelled to give it a try.

It was a personal fascination, but if it yielded the expected results, it could significantly enhance their collective power.

‘…Above all, I like the difficulty level. It’s just right.’ Oliver mused silently. The challenge was formidable yet appeared attainable, making it the perfect complement to the ongoing redevelopment projects.

Oliver delved further into fleshing out the foundational concept. He pondered how to effectively embalm and bio-process the organs and ensure their compatibility with the corpse doll bodies.

‘Using Ptah’s Assistant to half-embalm the organs at the cellular level, adding mechanical devices using Galos mechanical technology… The difficult part is connecting the internal organ parts to the Corpse dolls…’

However, it didn’t take long for Oliver to devise a solution for this particular challenge. His idea revolved around creating artificial blood vessels to facilitate the connection. Since both the organ parts and the puppet bodies would rely on life force and blood as their energy source, compatibility issues should be relatively straightforward to resolve.

‘After connecting them, put them all together in the blood tank for activation. Then, the artificial blood vessels should be made of material with low water resistance… Hmm, that would increase the cost. The consumption of blood and life force will increase.’

Oliver expressed concern over this matter. The maintenance costs for Child were already steadily mounting, and now he questioned whether it was prudent to raise expenses for the Corpse dolls as well.

Fortunately, finances were no longer a pressing concern. The 200 billion Landa acquired during the Shamus incident still remained, and the 500 billion Landa bounty awarded for the capture of the Human-meat Chef had bolstered his resources further. Oliver now held a staggering sum of 700 billion Landa.

‘Hmm… Let’s try it anyway. If it’s too expensive, I can modify it later.’ Oliver decided, his mind resolute. He completed the new production blueprint for the Corpse doll-Durans just as the door swung open to admit visitors.

In walked the building’s owner, Joe, the representative of the chosen ones, Marie, and their manager, Forrest.

“Have you arrived?”Oliver greeted, swiftly tidying up the finished document.

Forrest responded with his usual courteous demeanor, and Joe and Marie offered polite bows. The two still seemed somewhat awkward in each other’s presence.

Forrest settled into the corner seat across from Oliver and initiated the conversation.

It was an unusual arrangement; typically, the seat of honor would be at Forrest’s location, but for some reason, everyone was gathered around Oliver, either standing or sitting nearby. It was a peculiar dynamic, and Forrest decided to address it.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“No, I was busy with my work here, so there’s no need for apologies.”

“Well, that’s good. You seemed to be working on some research, did it go well?”

“Yes, I’ve roughly got the framework down… Do you want me to explain?”

“No, I was busy with my work here, so there’s no need for apologies.”

Forrest chuckled, glancing at the stack of various books piled beside Oliver. The titles, such as medicine, human body, and internal organs, seemed to make Forrest somewhat uneasy.

“No, that’s alright. I probably wouldn’t understand it anyway.”

Forrest’s response indicated his lack of expertise in the subject matter.

“Let me start with something I know well. About the redevelopment project in District X… are you going to do it?”

At Forrest’s inquiry, Oliver glanced at Marie and Joe, who stood beside him. Their expressions clearly showed concern for Oliver, particularly regarding his well-being.

Upon his return to Landa, they had been understandably alarmed by his partially disfigured face, and their worry for him persisted.

Oliver observed their emotional state, and it was evident that Marie and Joe were willing to support whatever decision he made, whether it was beneficial or detrimental.

“Umm… The Anti-Development committee against the development promised not to interfere even if we redevelop.”

“Oh, that’s a relief. I thought I’d hear some bad news.”

“…? Why would you think that?”

“Your expression… No, never mind. Honestly, I can’t tell.”

Oliver unwittingly touched his face. Maybe it was because of Bartholomew’s cryptic words.

“Anyway, if the Anti-Development committee has agreed, then the biggest obstacle has essentially been removed.”

Joe interjected with a note of caution. “There are still the unaffiliated gangs and the community here.”

Forrest responded lightly, “It’s a problem that can be solved with money and violence… Did you come here directly to show your interest in this project?”

Forrest turned his attention to Oliver and posed the question. Oliver took a moment to consider before responding.

“…Yes, I think it will be alright.”

His answer carried a subtle nuance. Considering the scale of this colossal project, which would require hundreds of billions or even trillions of Landa just to take the initial steps, no one was dissatisfied with Oliver’s attitude. After all, the fate of this massive undertaking hinged on Oliver’s decision.

Oliver continued, “There’s one thing I’d like to ask of you.”

“What is it?”

Forrest was eager to hear Oliver’s request, ready to accommodate it to the best of his ability. With key elements and significant forces on both sides of the project essentially under Oliver’s influence, Forrest was prepared to be accommodating.

Oliver made his request, and it was unexpectedly characteristic of him.

“Could you remove me from the position of CEO?”

(To be Continued)

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