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"You're working late."
Inside a restaurant, dimly lit, resonating with a gentle melody.
Following Al's guidance, Oliver arrived at a bar tucked in a corner of the restaurant.
He hadn't had the chance to explore Forrest's new restaurant and was finally able to visit.
"It's you who's working hard."
Forrest, who had been sitting at the bar, responded to Oliver's greeting.
He invited Oliver to take a seat across from him.
From what Oliver knew, Forrest spent his days in the restaurant, overseeing its management, attending to customers, and handling various duties as a broker. Despite this, he showed no signs of fatigue and remained steadfast at his post.
"What?"
"I was wondering… why do you keep the place open so late? I remember it wasn't like this before?"
"Back then, there were no customers. Now it's different."
Forrest pointed towards the customers eating or drinking at other tables.
Most of them were solvers, informants, brokers, and others from the underworld, and their number was quite significant.
Al had mentioned that the restaurant had become a sort of sanctuary in the area, which seemed to be true.
Forrest continued speaking,
"Not running a night business until now was not out of laziness, but because there was no profit. If it makes money, I'll do it."
"But don't you get tired from working until late at night?"
"Do I look like I'm working?"
Forrest held up a crystal glass filled with alcohol and a newspaper.
At a glance, he looked like a wealthy elder leisurely enjoying his time, but Oliver knew better.
Gathering information was a job for a broker.
And a newspaper was one of the best tools for it.
"Any interesting stories?"
"Coincidentally, yes… but it's odd. I thought you read the newspaper every day?"
"Ah, I haven't been able to read it recently."
"Not able to… you must be busy then?"
Forrest hit the nail on the head.
Lately, Oliver had been busy with the training of the Magic Tower students and preparing a production facility for the Blood Elixir.
His schedule was so packed that he even missed reading his daily newspaper.
At first, he thought it was no big deal, but unexpectedly, both tasks turned out to be quite tricky.
He had to help train the students, which he couldn't do by brute force as he did when he was a warlock. He had to read books and attend other classes to hone his own skills.
Preparing the production facility for the Blood Elixir was also encountering significant hurdles.
Child-First still hadn't completely controlled the Corpse doll-Bathory, so he hadn't figured out all the necessary ingredients and equipment for the Elixir production.
Although Oliver was making educated guesses, the progress was slow.
Because of these reasons, Oliver hadn't been able to read newspapers lately due to his busy schedule.
"A little… but it's nothing serious, so you don't have to worry."
"Well, that's good to hear. Now, back to business. Did you succeed in your recent job?"
Nodding, Oliver mentioned the fact that he protected the Eviction Dwellers' Labor Union and pushed back the demolition company.
As soon as he heard the answer, Forrest poured a drink for Oliver with a satisfied expression.
"How was it?"
"It was good."
Oliver answered honestly.
The mission overall was very satisfying.
It suited Oliver's tight schedule as it only required one action, and the reward was quite generous compared to the time invested.
The advance payment itself was not significant, but since Oliver could receive 8% of the fee that the labor union would receive upon successful completion of the mission, it was expected to be around 300 to 400 million.
It was a huge harvest, worth the risk Forrest took in approaching the labor union first and bringing in the job.
"Oh, and I also acquired a golem."
"A golem?"
"Yes, a golem made of rock. It had eyes on its torso and wielded a hammer the size of a house."
"A demolition golem. Judging from the design, it seems like the 2nd model… but how did you manage to acquire it?"
"I hit it."
"Ah…."
At the simple answer, Forrest let out an exclamation.
He didn't ask for that, but he decided not to pry any further.
The original question was how Oliver handled Founder…
From his healthy appearance and conversation, it seemed that neither Founder nor the golem had given Oliver much trouble.
Founder was a mercenary with a reputation in Landa, and the golem was a weapon that was hard to stop without considerable firepower.
His skills were indeed astonishing, now seemingly limitless.
Forrest asked,
"Where is the golem? It doesn't seem like something you could fit in your Big Mouth."
"Yes, you're right. I tried to put it in, but Big Mouth asked me if I was out of my mind. It said it was too big to swallow…. so I temporarily left it with the labor union."
"At the labor union?"
"Yes, they were very thankful for my help. They said they would temporarily store it in their warehouse."
It wasn't strange at all.
It was as if they had won a losing battle thanks to Oliver.
Giving him a small favor in return was not a bad idea, both morally and economically.
"They won't take the golem away, but it'd be best to retrieve it quickly."
"Yes, I agree. I left it there because I was in a hurry, but I feel sorry for continuously imposing on them."
"If you want, I can keep it in one of my warehouses."
"Would that be alright?"
"Of course. Thanks to you, I earned a huge commission today. But what are you going to do with the golem? Even if it's broken, a golem is quite expensive. Even if you do nothing, you could get a hefty amount. Do you want me to introduce you to one of our regular brokers?"
"Um… that doesn't sound bad, but I made enough money from this job, so I think I'll just keep it."
"Keep it and do what?"
"I'm thinking of studying it."
"Studying?"
Forrest furrowed his brows at the question. It made sense as a golem was a piece of technology so advanced that there were specialized institutions dedicated to it.
Even among wizards, only those with specialized knowledge could handle it. Yet now, a warlock was saying he would study a golem.
It was a truly absurd situation.
Yet, the even more absurd thing was that it felt like Oliver could actually do it. Despite having no evidence to support it.
"I'm not even surprised anymore."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing, nothing… Do whatever you want with your loot. But you'll need a considerably large space to study a golem."
Oliver nodded his head.
In fact, he had thought about that issue, albeit briefly.
While his new residence had a spacious basement, it was too small to study a golem.
"I'll keep it for you, so you can pick it up when you're free."
"Would that be okay?"
"If I didn't intend to do that, I wouldn't have offered. Just say thank you."
"I truly appreciate your kind consideration."
"I'm always kind to people who bring in good money. I'm materialistic… The labor union and the construction company will start negotiations tomorrow or the day after at the latest. As the Eviction Dwellers' Labor Union have the upper hand right now, they'll probably agree to their demands. This will also increase your remuneration. As soon as the negotiations are finalized, I'll let you know and get the remaining payment from the labor union."
"Yes, please take your time."
"I'll do it quickly. That way, I can get my commission too."
Forrest joked naturally. Oliver was envious of that ability. He wasn't able to do it.
As the conversation neared its end, Oliver casually checked the time. It was quite late.
Even if he went home now, he would barely be able to sleep for one or two hours.
Oliver asked Forrest for permission to get up from his seat.
"Of course. I held you up too late."
"No, not at all. Then, I'll take my leave."
"Alright, take care-oh!… Are you not going to ask about that?"
"What do you mean?"
"I said I saw something interesting in the newspaper, didn't I?"
"Ah… I forgot. What's the interesting news?"
"Shamus started an investment company."
With that, Forrest raised the newspaper where the article was and handed it to Oliver.
Oliver could see the headline that filled the newspaper.
[The Landa women investors. Founding an innovative investment company with Druids!!!]
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
Dave, who saw the newspaper article, showed a brief interest and left.
Forrest also was considering wrapping up and getting up from his seat.
What's the point of staying any longer now that the person he was waiting for has left?
Al, who went to see off Dave, came over. Dressed in a neatly pressed uniform, he gave a very neat impression.
"Boss. Mr. Dave has left."
"You've worked hard. You must be tired, too, why don't you go home?"
"I'm fine, so don't worry about me."
"But… You seem to have something to say?"
Forrest, who had known Al for a long time, noticed right away. Al didn't deny it.
"Yes, boss."
Forrest slowly drained the drink from his crystal glass and said, "Let's hear it."
"It's not my place to overstep, but shouldn't we start persuading Mr. Dave?"
The persuasion was about making Dave the captain of the Fighter Crew.
This was a request from a few Crime Firm directors,
They thought that if Dave became the captain of the Fighter Crew, he would automatically become an ally of the Crime Firm and they could wield his power.
Because of his docile nature despite his accomplishments and reputation, there were quite a few people with this idea.
Every time, Forrest turned them down appropriately, but the directors of the Crime Firm were a bit annoying.
‘They were the ones who suggested persuading Dave to the Fighter Crew guys in the first place. They're too greedy.'
"Al, do you think it should be done?"
"It's a request from the directors of the Crime Firm. You've accepted it."
"More accurately, I said I'd consider it. They keep nagging even though I've refused several times."
"Still, wouldn't it be good to bring it up? If we don't show some effort, our relationship with the directors might worsen."
Al, who was not accustomed to dealing with big shots, said this. In contrast, Forrest was calm.
"They're the ones forcing it anyway. They're the type to get upset if I don't bring about the result they want, regardless of what I do. Instead of dealing with that, it's better to build friendships with the directors I can currently communicate with, and look for our own defensive measures. There's nothing ruder than insisting on a request when you know it will be rejected."
Al bowed his head at the clear answer.
"Ah… I apologize. I was foolish."
"That's not true. You just lack experience… Even in case of an emergency, I'll secure a livelihood for you and your colleagues, so don't worry."
"That's not what I meant."
"I know, I know."
Forrest calmed down the flustered Al and handed him the newspaper.
"Instead, I'd like you to look into this."
The thing Forrest referred to was none other than the article he showed to Dave.
It was a story about women investors in Landa collaborating with Druids to start an investment company.
Starting an investment company in the money-filled Landa was common, but Forrest was caught up in one fact. It was very much so.
"Investments that never fail using the World Tree… quite a nerve-wracking sentence."
Al tilted his head.
"Do we need to go as far as investigating?"
"I'm not saying we should dig deep, just have a rough idea. Lately, my stature has grown, hasn't it? That's when you need to be careful. The bigger you get, the easier it is to get swept away by the waves… Somehow, I feel this great businessman is going to make a big wave. Whether it's in a good or bad sense."
Forrest pointed to Shamus in the picture.
He was standing holding a sign with the letters <ABC> along with three beautiful women and smiling broadly.
(To be Continued)
OR
$5/month6 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$15/month12 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$30/month19 chap ahead + 5 chap/week$45/monthAll advance chap + 6 chap/week
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