Genius Wizard Takes Medicine [EN]: Chapter 297

[We’ll give you ten days. There are two conditions we want.]

Kugugung!!

The mobile fortress’s steps are infinitely slow, yet incredibly powerful.

The fact that a large-scale fortress, built for the purpose of maintaining this entire front line, has the ability to move is truly an unrealistic thing.

[The transfer of the city council’s authority to manage the city budget. The ownership of the 13th Area, designated as a restricted zone. If these two conditions are not met, we will take the lives of the Balkan citizens as the price.]

Weeeeeeeng!!

At that moment, the camera screen rapidly switched, instantly changing to a view from a dizzying altitude.

The scenery of the giant city is visible from the distant high sky.

Sharing the view from the sky, far removed from human perspective, the old man’s last words continued.

[If our dedication is not rewarded, we have no choice but to undo the results.]

Click-!

With those words, the video cut off, and a deathly silence descended upon the conference room.

“They’re insane…”

Someone’s low murmur represented the feelings of everyone who had just watched the video.

To say that they would take the lives of the Balkan citizens as a substitute if their demands were not met, is this something that should come from the Defense Force Command?

Radical negotiations and demands that are closer to a terrorist than a soldier.

Even though the Defense Force has been consistently mistreated with budget and personnel cuts, taking civilians hostage and staging a rebellion was a response far beyond common sense.

“They are insane.”

Mayer echoed the words.

“The operation response team organized by the city government interprets this statement as an indiscriminate bombing of the 30th district.”

“……”

“The residential area where most of the Balkan citizens live. The variable road where the thickest and most powerful distribution network in this city is installed to match that population. If even a part of it collapses, the city’s transportation and material distribution will immediately fall into chaos.”

The audience, understanding the meaning of those words, fell silent.

The Defense Force was really planning to stage a coup against the giant city and was proceeding with all of this.

Mayer looked around at the silent people and picked up the microphone again.

“Those gathered here today are people who have built their reputation and status by working with considerable trust and guarantees even in the outer districts, which are close to lawless zones.”

“……”

Mayer, who had put a golden sheen on the faces of the people gathered, said.

“You are not bound by the Gold Restriction Edict [a law limiting the activities of high-level magic users], and yet you have sufficient ability and credibility to build your own territory in this city, so you came to this place knowing it was a call from a city council member, didn’t you?”

He looked around the audience with skillful eloquence and spoke emphatically.

“Once is enough. Promise just one cooperation under the government’s authorization.”

Lenok glanced around, assessing the atmosphere of the audience.

Criminals, freelancers, gang members. Businessmen, brokers, mercenaries… The identities and affiliations of those gathered here were diverse, but no one showed any antipathy to Mayer’s words.

That was probably because Mayer had thoroughly filtered out those with rebellious tendencies from the beginning and selected the targets to call.

All the preparations to dominate the atmosphere of the conference room from the beginning were complete.

All that remained was to ride the flowing atmosphere and promise them compensation and trust.

Almost simultaneously with Lenok’s thoughts, Mayer drove the wedge in, instilling confidence in them.

“Then, I promise to give fair compensation and privileges to everyone who participates in this matter, putting my councilor position on the line.”

* * *

“Will this be alright?”

“What do you mean?”

Mayer, having finished what he had to say, left the room, saying he would give them some time to think.

Those who knew each other quietly exchanged opinions, and those who came alone were lost in thought.

Panoa whispered to Lenok, who was looking out the conference room window at the distant scenery of the city.

“It’s too vague to make a decision like this. The councilor hasn’t shown enough of his cards yet.”

“……”

Panoa muttered, stroking his chin.

“I thought that since they came out with the city council’s approval, they would come up with something more enticing.”

“What are you planning to do?”

“We plan to cooperate no matter what proposal we receive.”

Panoa answered immediately.

“Since we are already partially in the public eye with our industrial machinery business, it’s difficult to refuse the city council’s request. Even if we suffer losses, we need to maintain a good relationship in the long term.”

“……”

“If we succeed in preventing the Defense Force’s coup, a significant portion of the giant city’s military supply business will come to us. The profits we can gain from that expected effect alone are considerable.”

“So, it’s a win for the company no matter how the situation unfolds…”

Lenok also did not want the Defense Force’s mobile fortress to turn the outskirts of the city into a wasteland.

Currently, Jenny’s material distribution business is being carried out using the underground distribution network.

If the mobile fortress abandons its mission and advances into the city, it is inevitable that the business will be disrupted, whether they like it or not.

However, Lenok also had no intention of handling a matter directly related to the safety of the city at a cheap price.

Everyone gathered here, regardless of whether they understood the necessity of this matter, was questioning that point.

How much would the city council be willing to pay the outlaws of the underworld?

Perhaps this matter could serve as a precedent or model when working with council members, so this was a more important issue than it seemed.

Because once a price was set in this world, it took blood or money to change it.

At that moment, a giant with a bronze complexion walked up to Lenok and tapped the table.

A man with an impressive tattoo winding through his bald head.

He stared down at Lenok silently and spoke in a heavy voice.

“You’re Kenroe, right? Can I talk to you for a moment?”

“…Sure.”

As soon as Lenok finished speaking, the man pulled up a chair and sat across from him.

“I’m Donovan White. I run a small hardware store in the 46th district.”

“A hardware store, huh.”

He was a very modest man for the owner of the largest and most solid powder keg in the underworld.

The man continued, unconcerned with Lenok’s reaction.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re one of the most skilled freelancers in this world.”

“……”

“A Saint-level mage who reached level 7… They say you killed a heretic monk of the Cartel and obtained the position of outside director. You’re probably the most powerful person here.”

“What do you want?”

Lenok asked, staring intently at the no-smoking sign behind the man.

Slightly startled by the intense gaze, the man turned around and said with a puzzled expression.

“…I’d like you to participate in this operation.”

“……”

“This matter won’t affect a man like you, no matter how it ends, but we’re different. If the conflict between the Defense Force and the city council escalates, it will interfere with our businesses in many ways. It’s difficult for us business owners to withstand such losses.”

Hearing those words, Lenok raised his gaze and looked around.

In the conference room, which had become quiet, everyone was turning their heads towards them.

While Panoa was clearing his throat awkwardly, the man continued.

“I’m willing to transfer all the compensation we receive to you. If that’s not enough, we’ll gather funds separately. There are many people who think like me. If we gather, it will be a considerable amount.”

“It seems like you’ve already come to an agreement.”

“Most of them are business owners like me. We also work as freelancers to survive in this world, but we know that in this kind of situation, one reliable individual is needed more than an ambiguous majority.”

“……”

Only then did Lenok realize the source of the awkwardness he felt in the man’s proposal.

The people who had gathered here at Mayer’s call were relatively clear in their past actions and had clean business relationships, like business owners or freelancers.

Unlike the madmen, outlaws, and irrational criminals Lenok had met so far, these were people capable of rational thought.

Unlike those who would pick a fight at the drop of a hat and offer a gun before a handshake, the man’s proposal had extremely rational and concrete grounds.

“Hmm…”

“It will take at least half a year for all the Gold Restriction Edicts to be lifted, no matter how short it is.”

The man continued, as if he knew Lenok’s concerns.

It was not for nothing that the powerful people in the public eye endured the inconvenient restraint of the Gold Restriction Edict and received official treatment.

The budget that the city government poured in to win the favor of high-level magic users was enormous.

Those who were level 7 or higher, who were the core and main targets of the Gold Restriction Edict, were treated like nobles.

The priority access to all facilities and secrets within the city, the huge subsidies paid monthly, the benefits of living in the central district, and the right to experience various entertainments first were not easy to give up.

Unless there was a reason to give up the enormous privileges given by the city government, or if they had already gained that much status in the underworld, they would not even feel the inconvenience of the Gold Restriction Edict.

The only thing that those who accepted the Gold Restriction Edict had to do was not to cause physical damage to the city government’s property.

But the leash that had been put on high-level ability users in that way was now, at this moment, becoming a stumbling block.

“To ignore the Gold Restriction Edict across the board, a martial law equivalent to wartime must be declared throughout the city. The economic losses that must be endured in that process would be enormous. The city council doesn’t want to endure such losses, so they’re trying to get us to handle the matter.”

“You’re very knowledgeable about the Gold Restriction Edict.”

Lenok’s eyes flashed sharply.

“Did you happen to work there?”

“……”

Donovan and Lenok’s gazes quickly crossed.

At that moment, Lenok realized Donovan’s identity and nodded.

‘He was a shill.’

Mayer hadn’t just finished speaking and left without any countermeasures.

He had previously recruited Donovan and was swaying the judgment of the others gathered in the conference room by showing them the scene of him making a counter-proposal to Lenok.

He would give the compensation for participating in this matter to Lenok, and make the others work for relatively low pay.

It was Donovan’s bold proposal that made them understand the process. And through him, they realized how serious and urgent the situation was.

Perhaps it was even calculated that Lenok would notice Donovan’s identity in this process.

‘He’s still as cunning as ever. Should I accept the conditions?’

Mayer had no intention of using Lenok cheaply from the beginning.

Instead, he was trying to concentrate the city government’s limited budget on Lenok and use the others for free by pulling strings behind the scenes.

Before the atmosphere turned strange due to the sudden interruption of the conversation, Donovan quickly wrapped up the conversation.

“…With Hyun-Gung absent, you’re the only strong person we can trust to handle this kind of matter. Please. I’m ready to entrust my stake to you.”

As a result, it wasn’t wrong.

It wasn’t that there were no powerful people who had completed their hierarchy in this giant city, but most of them were tied to specific interest groups or the Gold Restriction Edict.

Lenok was the only one who had been working as a freelancer without a specific affiliation or power until now.

And Lenok’s special status was making this situation and the proposal itself understandable.

The people who had been watching the process quietly nodded one by one.

“It’s not wrong. If the Defense Force really launches an all-out war on the city, there won’t be any jobs left, let alone money.”

“Large organizations like the Cartel and the Citadel are preoccupied with internal affairs right now… If we continue like this, we’ll be the only ones to suffer losses.”

“Okay… If Kenroe, you participate, I’ll also give up some of my share.”

How far did Mayer’s influence reach?

As a few people broke the silence and expressed their opinions, the others quickly began to nod as well.

Just as the people gathered in this conference room were about to gather their opinions towards Lenok.

“I find it difficult to agree with that proposal.”

A cold female voice echoed from the corner of the conference room.

“……”

A haughty tone mixed with intense magic.

Everyone in the room turned their heads at the resolute will.

If a voice could contain this much will, she was a considerable powerhouse. It was also a clear sign that was impossible without resolving to fight immediately.

A pure white suit. A woman with hair that held an unusual reflective light was impressive.

With her arms crossed and leaning back in her chair, she opened her mouth again without even looking at them.