An act that clearly defied the laws of physics. However, Lennok's sharp senses didn't detect any mana.
The man put a finger cot on his hand as he watched Lennok grab the business card with two fingers.
"Call me Sebastian. I do similar work to Jenny."
If he did similar work to Jenny, that meant he connected clients and freelancers in this business and took a commission fee as a result.
In a way, he was both her partner and competitor.
However, Lennok was more focused on thinking about the event that had just occurred.
There exist several supernatural abilities that don't require mana, but the type of ability that Sebastian displayed is rare and limited in number.
These abilities produce easily observable and instinctive outcomes without any discernible preparation. Given the absence of any apparent energy expenditure, they likely fall under the category of mental-energy consumption.
The conclusion is unambiguous…
"…You're a psychic."
… And a relatively popular one at that, capable of exerting telekinetic powers.
At Lennok's words, the man burst out laughing with a delighted expression.
"Hahaha! I showed you right in front of your eyes; isn't it obvious?"
"……"
"I guess the rumor that you trained somewhere outside the city and recently came to the city is true. Normally, people wouldn't be so surprised by a psychic. In terms of rarity, actually, young wizards like you are much more rare than an old man like me."
In WORLD, psychics had the advantage of being extremely intuitive, but to be frank, it was not an ability that was particularly versatile or conducive to deep exploration.
Therefore, there were few players who chose psychic abilities as their main focus… However, in this place, psychic powers were only inborn abilities, so it was natural that such common sense didn't apply.
"Sebastian, when are you gonna quit messing with my clients?"
In the meantime, Jenny had finished her call and approached them, raising her voice.
Her sharp, raised eyebrows looked fierce, but he just leaned back casually and waved his hand.
"I just had a little chat with him. Don't get so worked up."
"I thought I hadn't seen you for a while, and here you are, showing up like this. It's no fun."
"Of course, I did give our wizard friend here my business card, but I also have something for our valiant lady,"
Sebastian nonchalantly brushed off Jenny's words and pulled a file from the briefcase he had brought, handing it to her.
Jenny immediately began reading through the file as soon as she received it. It was a typical action for her.
It didn't take long for her confused expression to surface as she read through the documents.
"Conscription orders? And they happen to come out now?"
"Evidence that the city government is in trouble. Haven't you seen the news?"
At Sebastian's words, Jenny responded irritably.
"They said there's more than two months left before the delegation from the Philenom Autonomy District visits, and they haven't even put together a response team yet. And yet, they're already throwing out orders like this? That's kinda whack, don't you think?"
"It's certainly unusual."
He leaned slightly into the bar and spoke in a low voice.
"I heard rumors that one of the city council members is pushing this agenda very hard."
"… Did they straight up run out of cash to bribe 'em or what?"
"The chances are low. Aren't they both holding each other's weaknesses and acting as allies? Rather, there are rampant speculations that they have a separate agenda."
Lennok tilted his glass, listening to the conversation between the two.
It seemed they had no intention of hiding anything from Lennok, as they spoke openly with him nearby.
From what they were saying, it appeared to be about the visit of the delegation from the Philenom Autonomous Region, which he had seen on the news the previous day. The city government had issued a draft order to individual entrepreneurs, like Jenny.
Considering that Sebastian, who said he did similar work to Jenny, brought this news, it seemed that they specifically called in intermediaries in this area. Judging by their expressions, the matter did not seem to be a light one.
Although their faces were serious, the conversation ended quickly.
They both knew that there would be no immediate conclusion to the matter at this point.
Sebastian finished the rest of his drink, got up, and offered a handshake to Lennok.
"Well, I'll be going. If you ever want to try something other than what Jenny arranges, feel free to contact me. I can provide a different approach and different rewards."
With that, he used telekinesis to pick up his briefcase and disappeared from the bar.
Watching him leave, Jenny, who had her arms folded, grumbled.
"What a sly oldman."
"Have you known him for a long time?"
"Sebastian? He settled in this area before me. He pretends to run a company in the 45th district, but his minions and clients are all similar people. It's utterly disgusting."
Judging by her words, it seemed they were more than mere acquaintances, but Jenny continued to grumble in displeasure.
Lennok pretended to drink while listening to her with one ear. Lately, she had been talking more and more about unnecessary things.
"Well, I must admit, he's good at pleasing the tongues of the rich and entrepreneurs. It wouldn't be a bad idea to visit him if you want to try some private requests."
Despite her grumbling, Lennok was slightly surprised by Jenny's seemingly approving words.
It wouldn't be strange for her to try to prevent him from going to a competitor who also dealt with freelancers, but it seemed like she didn't really dwell on that fact.
When Lennok asked her about it, she shrugged.
"Do customers not leave when a merchant tells them not to? I can only do what I can do."
"I see…"
If Jenny said so, it might not be a bad idea to try working with Sebastian at least once.
Although the requests she provided from companies and other organizations were flawless, to be honest, many of the individual requests were unsatisfactory.
If Sebastian could offer tempting conditions in that regard, Lennok would be open to exploring those opportunities.
"Let's leave that discussion for now. What about the request?"
She must have finished talking with Amnac Pharmaceuticals, but there was still no word or reaction.
The deadline was today. It's possible that they had already found a client on their own.
While Lennok could find other work, this was an unpleasant outcome for Jenny, who had spent a long time filtering requests.
However, instead of getting annoyed, she furrowed her brows and answered strangely.
"They'll be here soon."
"What?"
"They said they'd come in person when I called. So I just left it at that."
Right after she concluded her speech, the bar's door swung open, and an individual stepped inside. This person appeared disheveled, with a worn-out face, carrying an aged bag, and looked uncomfortable under the faint illumination, clad in a somewhat shabby suit. It was evident that he didn't belong in the smoke-filled bar.
Lennok probably didn't look much different when he first came to this place. He wasn't the type to frequent bars or pubs on Earth either.
However, people adapt, and after visiting this place regularly to make money, he became accustomed to it.
The newcomer hesitated and approached Jenny, who was leaning against the bar.
"Excuse me, I'm supposed to meet someone here…"
Jenny muttered a single word.
"Amnac?"
"Ah, yes… that's right."
"I'm Jenny. This is Van."
It was then that the man noticed Lennok and bowed his head in surprise.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Luan Sage, the sales director of Amnac Pharmaceuticals."
"I'm Van."
After exchanging greetings, Sage fumbled with his bag without sitting down.
Seeing this, Jenny shook her head and spoke.
"Let's talk in a separate room over there."
It was clear that this wasn't the best place to entertain a client.
Jenny led the two men up the stairs at the back of the bar to the second floor of the building.
"…If there was a room like this, you could've told me sooner."
Seeing the clean and quiet atmosphere of the room, reminiscent of a sophisticated hotel parlor, Lennok grumbled.
Jenny chuckled, "What are you talking about? You always just take the requests and run off."
"……"
It was true that Lennok always returned to his hotel room to rest or study magic after receiving a job, so he closed his mouth.
Sage seemed more comfortable in this room's atmosphere and sat down with a much better complexion.
"Since we're short on time, can we get straight to the point?"
He said this and, without waiting for a response, immediately pulled a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to Lennok.
"Accepting our proposal means you already have some understanding of the request."
"I've looked into it."
Lennok replied, recalling the contents of the request proposed by the pharmaceutical company.
Currently, Amnac Pharmaceuticals is developing a sedative through small-scale crowdfunding.
Considering the size of the company, they've achieved substantial results, and the prospects are positive for surpassing the company's net profit.
The problem is that the district councilor, where their headquarters is located, is pressuring them to hand over the patent for the drug under development.
The councilor is closely associated with one of the underworld gangs in the area and is using these connections to pressure the pharmaceutical company.
Amnac is trying various methods to counter this, one of which is reaching out to people like Lennok in this line of work.
"So, what exactly do I need to do?"
"Contrary to what is publicly known as still under development, the new drug has already been fully developed."
Sage said in a much calmer voice.
"We were planning to secretly submit a sample to the patent office while the councilor believed the drug was not yet complete, but that has become difficult since information leaked from within the company."
"You're saying there's a spy."
Stealing information by planting spies in each other's businesses was a common occurrence on Earth.
Large companies with well-established systems could prevent such issues to some extent, but small-scale pharmaceutical companies like this one were vulnerable.
Sage nodded and pulled out a photograph from his bag, handing it to Lennok.
It was a warehouse located in a remote alley. The surrounding buildings were not very tall, indicating that it wasn't a busy area but rather on the outskirts of the city.
"Since becoming aware of the spy, the president has moved the developed drug samples to this location, fearing that the councilor might forcefully seize the samples. The problem is that it is almost certain that this information itself has also leaked."
Listening to him, it seemed as if security at Amnac Pharmaceuticals had no meaning, but Lennok understood.
In a relatively small company with a lax system, it would be difficult to maintain employee confidentiality.
If enough money was offered and no repercussions were promised, there would be no shortage of people willing to talk.
"Since information is already leaking, there's no point in moving the samples around anymore."
Lennok picked up the photograph and flipped it over. District 54. Address No. 8. The warehouse address was written in light handwriting.
"We've contacted the patent office and received approval to submit the sample the day after tomorrow. We'd like you to retrieve the hidden sample from the warehouse on our behalf and submit it to the patent office."
Sage said this and stared at Lennok with a tense expression.
Lennok, who had been silently looking at the photograph of the warehouse, suddenly spoke up.
"Your name is Sage, right?"
"…Yes."
A momentary hush ensued.
Lennok peered into his eyes with intensity and chuckled.
"If you want me to take the job, you should say it clearly."
(TO BE CONTINUED)
