Chapter 289 |
"So, during your vacation, you turned the entire Eightfold Star Citadel upside down?"
Jenny rested her chin on her hand as she sat and asked with a bewildered expression.
"And those two are the results?"
"Something like that."
Renok nodded and glanced away briefly.
The woman with indigo hair, Suryeon, and the young man with a timid expression.
Oren, who had declared the abolition of the Eightfold Star Citadel's closed-off channels and proclaimed open communication with the outside world, had first appointed these two as the citadel's envoys and sent them out.
It went without saying where two people with no ties to Balkan's underworld would seek refuge.
"It's called training. Take good care of them."
"......"
"Both of them are experts in their fields. They'll be helpful in some way or another."
Not only did Suryeon's skills directly bolster the company's forces, but Asui's shadow incantations were also highly versatile.
In particular, his domain form—shadow veil—manifested from his aversion to combat and proved exceptionally efficient for blocking sight or concealment, rivaling even Renok's own capabilities.
The reason these two, who held significant power within the citadel now renamed the Hexafold Citadel, had ventured outside was simple.
Rather than holing up inside to focus solely on building their strength, they had decided to actively engage with the outside world and explore alternative negotiation paths.
It was self-evident that after the sudden death of the previous Citadel Lord, who had been approaching 8th level, and the self-destruction of Ilwon and Ibon, the Hexafold Citadel could no longer rival the other Three Rulers in terms of military might.
Oren's intent was to swiftly accept reality and adapt, rather than futilely trying to maintain their size by force.
Despite his somewhat prickly demeanor and stern temperament, he possessed the qualities of an excellent leader.
Once Renok briefly explained their backgrounds and abilities, Jenny's face finally broke into a wide smile.
"If they're high-ranking bloodkin from the citadel, that's more than welcome. I'd given up on breaking into the Eightfold Star Citadel's distribution networks, but with these two, it could be a huge help."
"......Is that so?"
Even as Renok responded half-heartedly, Jenny nodded vigorously.
"Of course. The citadel's population density is incredibly high compared to its area. They're basically all potential customers."
"......"
"I was just thinking our distribution growth had stalled lately, and now you've brought such promising connections out of nowhere... Heh heh heh."
Letting out a sly chuckle, she rose from her seat like a ghost and extended her hand to the two first.
"Welcome aboard, both of you. Let's work ourselves to the bone together."
"Hm, I didn't expect to end up working in such a shady underground spot, but it doesn't seem bad. Nice to meet you."
Perhaps because she had always yearned for life outside, Suryeon's face lit up with excitement as she spoke.
"......"
Jenny eyed Suryeon's expression askance before gripping her hand tightly.
Suryeon stared at Jenny in confusion before nodding.
"What's wrong? Ah, is this how they shake hands outside?"
Squeeze!
"Kyaa!! No, no!! My mistake, wait a second!!"
The bar erupted into chaos as Jenny's sharp scream rang out.
"Jenny, what are you doing!"
"A broker can't fail to get the upper hand against a client!"
"Go close up shop and hit the gym!"
Laughter filled the bar from behind the counter, where Jenny massaged her hand with a tearful face.
Renok poured a potion over Jenny's swollen hand and sighed.
He hadn't expected her to test her grip strength against a 6th-level elite esper.
"Since they've only lived inside the citadel, they'll be unfamiliar with a lot. It might be best to assign someone to guide them."
"Y-Yeah, that makes sense. I thought she was picking a fight for a second..."
"......"
Who would have thought that hearing her carefully cultivated bar called shady would make her snap like that?
Jenny was a seasoned broker in this underworld, but while her work ethic was impeccable, she had a hot-tempered side.
Nodding awkwardly while rubbing her hand, she tapped away at her laptop.
"If the citadel is opening up, we need to ramp up our info gathering on them—frequency and scope. So far, we've only collected basics on the Citadel Lord and the three allied families, but we'll have to overhaul our coverage entirely."
She turned her gaze to Suryeon and Asui as she spoke.
"Suryeon, I'll have you handle the agents' training for now. We're forming a special cargo transport unit under Dray's command, and Manson's helping with their combat drills. Join in there."
"I'm confident with spears. I have no idea what I can do with that lunatic, but... if I can help, that'd be good."
"Asui, stand by for now. I don't have a good read on shadow incantations yet. We'll ease you into low-risk tasks sequentially and compare efficiencies. You look about Weyan's age, so pairing you two as a team seems ideal."
"M-Me, with that guy?"
Weyan, who had just finished training and was wiping sweat with a towel, asked with a reluctant expression.
"It balances vanguard and rearguard perfectly, and teaming up operatives like you two expands what the company can handle."
"T-That's true, but... Ugh... Ban brought him in, and he's a spellcaster genius to boot... He's the total opposite of me..."
Was he feeling competitive because Renok had personally brought in a peer?
Weyan grumbled a bit but had no choice but to agree under Jenny's insistence framed as a work order.
Though he wore a sour face, Weyan led Asui away, and in the training hall beneath the headquarters, Suryeon began demonstrating spear techniques under Dray's introduction. Renok chuckled at the sight.
"You're handling things too efficiently. Did you wrap up all the work while I was gone?"
The instructions Jenny had just given and the agents' responses would have been impossible without clear divisions of specialties and roles within the company.
It felt like just yesterday they had started the logistics business under the two men's names, but while Renok handled external affairs, the company had steadily grown.
Jenny tapped her laptop nonchalantly as she replied.
"It's thanks to the ex-special forces guys who joined under Dray. Once you have a solid core group inside, you get a feel for how much you can expand and sustain."
"I see..."
"And since I'm still brokering on the side, offloading high-risk jobs as commissions to freelancers is super efficient..."
She turned to Renok.
"But most importantly, our boss keeps building reputation and connections out there."
"......"
"The citadel's decline is a big deal city-wide, but the fact that you, Ban, traded directly with the Citadel Lord is a massive win for us. We'll suck up as much of that prestige as possible before the Hexafold Citadel loses its seat among the Three Rulers. Heh heh heh..."
As she chuckled slyly and hammered at her laptop, Renok silently looked away.
Joden, quietly polishing a glass at the bar's corner, caught Renok's eye and offered a faint smile.
Dealing with headaches from the Cartel and the Eightfold Star Citadel in succession felt like it had cleared major obstacles for the company's management.
At this rate, the underworld logistics business Jenny ran directly seemed unlikely to implode.
"The bidding for ownership in the nearby commercial districts is already done. Expanding operations and getting rebuild permits for the headquarters won't take long. Given the fuzzy commercial zoning in District 49, slipping some cash to boost the floor area ratio might work too..."
Renok listened to Jenny's rundown of internal admin matters for a bit longer before excusing himself.
He knew the company's outlook was bright and operations solid, so there was no need to meddle.
Instead, Renok was pressed for time just sorting the knowledge and gains from the citadel.
Even knowing that, he had made time to visit Jenny because securing the future was as crucial as his own growth.
It wouldn't have been surprising if insurmountable trials arose someday.
And no one could predict how the seeds Renok and Jenny had sown in this megacity's shadows would grow and aid them.
Like Oliviera or Antares—transcendents who had already surpassed human limits alone—Renok understood why they built organizations and gathered talent.
[You're not heading straight home?]
Noticing Renok's steps veering away from District 49 toward the outskirts, Dabi asked.
"The experiment I want to try now is too risky for the home lab."
[The toad habitat... I miss home...]
"That's not your home."
Renok stroked Dabi's drooping tail as she mumbled sadly and quickened his pace.
*
The destination was an abandoned building on a quiet street.
The chilly road in the middle of nowhere, untouched by people.
Piles of concrete and rebar scattered about revealed the unfinished construction.
It looked like a spot unfit outlaws might use as a hideout, yet it was surprisingly clean, without a speck of dust.
An abandoned street in the Districts 50s, maintained under Cartel's permit.
The high-rise where Renok had clashed with defrocked monk Parden MacQueen using his innate domain wasn't far.
With his outside director position, using Cartel's commercial zones and territories had become freer.
Renok had no intention of letting his hard-won director privileges go to waste.
"I've already tipped off Cartel HQ, so this street shouldn't see much traffic."
Adding Nix's veil and a shadow incantation to block sight and senses completed a makeshift training ground for Renok.
After layering a simple magic barrier and security magic for extra protection, and having Dabi jam local communications, Renok summoned his mana again.
Dabi emerged from Renok's pocket and perched on a container, looking down at him.
Renok focused his mind in an instant and began rapidly reshaping his internal mana array.
Clatter clatter!!
His eyes grew cold as he watched the mana flows assemble swiftly in his palm.
'First attempt since leaving the citadel.'
In the hidden sanctum with its spacetime discrepancies, in the Old World relic site, Renok had fully grasped this world's facets.
It meant explicitly understanding and visually discerning the two pillars upholding the world—time and space concepts—and their operating principles.
It was akin to concretely accessing two concepts he had only vaguely sensed before.
'Manipulating time directly is impossible for now, but space comprehension is different.'
He had chased the cult's traces and relic sites seeking time magic, but progress beyond concrete data was nil.
For Renok, who couldn't even control his own time freely, meddling with the world's time was absurd.
But space was another story.
Unlike grasping neither personal nor worldly time concepts, space was different.
Personal coordinates centered on himself. Central coordinates centered on the world.
The various spatial artifacts he had acquired had ingrained these two space concepts into him through relentless use.
Enakpil's Five Fingers, enabling spatial movement via consumption.
Archangel's Compassion, a relic triggering spatial translocation limited to matter.
And Pure Land Binding Mantra, a dharma tool designating and binding targets spatially with sustained preheating and mana drain.
Through using these items—seeing, feeling, but unable to touch space directly—Renok had steadily memorized and internalized the experiences and sensations of handling its variations and applications.
The vague sense of space he had felt had finally surpassed the baseline through his citadel experiences.
"Huu...!!"
Whiiiing!!!
A fierce, engine-like roar echoed from Renok's body as he bit his lip, sweat beading.
Mana consumption surged madly with the manipulated space's scope, but Renok ignored it.
What mattered was burning mana to intuitively perceive space beyond the five senses.
Moving concrete concepts etched in the spellcaster's mental image, projecting them with mana.
The fundamental method of wielding miracles called magic. Yet what he manipulated was a realm no mage dared touch.
Reality bent to the intent projected onto the space before him.
Screeech...!!
A grotesque noise like thick iron twisting.
Simultaneously, the scenery beyond Renok's hand warped, crumpling like crumpled paper.
Dabi, watching, leaped to her feet.
[Beyond perception to interference...!]
She, who freely navigated the megacity's databases, clearly understood what it meant for a mere human to touch space.
Without aid or guidance, using only his talent and insights as footholds, Renok was creating a system to manipulate space.
It was as distant and arcane as charting constellations by faint starlight in darkness.
Intuiting worldly principles and caressing their mechanisms when even facing concepts clearly was impossible.
"Huuu...!!"
Renok's body drenched in sweat from burning mana at full throttle.
The aftereffects of heightened focus without potions crashed over him.
But his gaunt face beamed with intense fulfillment, unmarred by exhaustion.
"Like this...!!"
The spatial distortion in his hand, like a living haze, perched on his palm, quivering faintly.
Time and space—the two concepts upholding the world's spacetime. He had begun touching one.
Proof that his efforts and struggles weren't in vain.
An answer that enduring those grueling trials and hardships wasn't meaningless, now cradled in his hand.
Raising his trembling hand, Renok said to Dabi.
"It's... not full control yet, but it worked."
[Yes. It looks solid.]
"Transition and freezing might be tough, but briefly pushing space could be possible. That means..."
A step implanting hope for new mobility in Renok, who couldn't use any movement magic.
It hinted he might acquire true spatial translocation incantations.