Pierce, how did it go?
A slender druid, swathed in a verdant cloak, inquired.
His hair and even his beard were tinted green, lending him an air of profound wisdom.
Shamus Indeed, that young one endured.
Pierce, who had been striding a pace ahead, halted and replied.
Despite his robust, bear-like build and fierce countenance, his eyes glead with the unique sagacity of a druid.
The inquiry may have varied, but his skills alone were unquestionably authentic.
Pierces companions, a bearded druid and a female druid cloaked in leaves, nodded in tacit agreent.
Pierce ranked among the top ten druids in hand-to-hand combat, a testant to his remarkable prowess. Yet, his strength was just the beginning; he possessed the knowledge, intelligence, and experience to impart his skills to others. In fact, he had been the one to train Shamus.
His affirmation carried undeniable weight, leaving the other two with little choice but to accept it.
Even though it was a light attack, he managed to block your strike.
Pierce dismissed any need for contemplation, shaking his head, his eyes emanating an icy calmness.
Whether I held back or not, hes no ordinary individual.
Is that so?
Pierce nodded, recalling the mont when his initial assault was thwarted, with a quarterstaff no less. At the ti, he had been mildly surprised but had still remained within his expectations. His intention had been to press the attack further, seeking to gauge the skills of the person who had defeated Shamus. However, he abruptly halted.
It was during this mont, as the person turned their head to respond, that Pierces innate druidic intuition was triggered.
I was just lucky.
At that precise instant, Pierce felt an ominous foreboding. He couldnt pinpoint the exact nature of it, but he was certain that fighting in this manner was ill-advised.
What is certain is that hes a highly skilled individual who overca Shamus.
Are the others who ca here fleeing in danger?
The long-bearded druid inquired. It may have co as a sowhat unexpected question, but it was a valid one. Their objective was not to kill but to apprehend the escaped Enjoynts.
There may be others with skills comparable to Shamus, but none stronger. Theyre in grave danger. In fact, it might even be worse, as Shamus possessed the greatest potential.
The female druid, who had been silently listening, voiced her concerns.
This situation is dire. In addition to pursuing them, we must ascertain Eves whereabouts. Weve already lost the other one to Heimdall, havent we?
First, lets observe and initiate contact with the city. Weve brought sothing for negotiation. If that doesnt work, we may need to use force to compel them to cooperate.
Upon the words of the long-bearded druid, everyone concurred and proceeded on their path.
anwhile, the Druid Enjoynts, who had been monitoring through the World Tree, disconnected and returned to reality for deliberation.
Heh What could those elders have brought thats making them so confident?
Dont fret. What can humans whove been confined to the forest offer? At best, fruits or herbs grown in the woods? We also have commodities for trade within the city, dont we? Sothing more impressive, perhaps?
The other Druid Enjoynts nodded in agreent with the statent of one of their own. After extensive deliberation, they had settled on a negotiation card that Landa could not easily refuse, involving new technology.
But what Pierce said What do you make of that statent?
A solemn silence fell upon them. Those engaged in this discussion hailed from impoverished and barren Greenland and held deep respect for the traditional and reformist Druids, who had undergone rigorous training and earned recognition. They were individuals who had ascended to a higher plane through more demanding discipline, and Pierce was proudly among them.
For him to acknowledge the skills of the solver Dave posed a considerable risk.
Of course, there were potential avenues to explore. The Enjoynts gathered in District X due to the ABC fraud sequence numbered around a hundred. If they were to launch a coordinated attack, even against the person who had defeated Shamus, it might be worth attempting. However, this could disrupt their plans to establish a presence in the city. Drawing excessive attention through an escalated confrontation could jeopardize future relations.
To avert such a scenario, they had to either decisively incapacitate their adversary or eliminate them discreetly, which presented its own set of challenges.
The guys skills were too good for a clean decapitation, and it wasnt easy to lure him to a secluded place now that he had an organization.
Then, a woman raised her hand. She was a female Druid Enjoynt infiltrated as a singer in the T-District pub.
May I give an opinion, taking ti out of my busy schedule to co here?
What is it?
In short, its a headache to face him directly because its tricky, right?
Yeah, thats right. We could win if we faced him directly, though wed suffer so damage. There are over a hundred Druids.
We can also recruit unaffiliated gangs here. Weve already completed contact with several places.
Then, we just need to create a reason to confront him directly.
A reason?
Yes. If we do it well, we can win without fighting. Anyway, lets first connect with the city.
***
Is your work done?
Oliver, holding a Calorie Bar in one hand, asked rlin.
rlin had his wooden doll-golem move a large amount of docunts into his personal office and also had it bring out a large number of books.
By the way, the books brought out were the personal research diaries of Human-at Chef or collected black magic books, numbering in the hundreds, most of which showed signs of age.
It wasnt bad. Magic or black magic books often had value when they were old. Especially so if the owner was a major figure, comparable to a giant.
rlin stood beside the wall-like pile of books and answered.
Its just the beginning. After being treated like a hero, now Ive gotta play the part. Sorting out stuff can be trickier than kickin it off, though. But what are you eating?
Oh, sorry. Its a military calorie bar. I was hungry.
Theres bugger all you can do when the tummys rumblin Anyway, Im flat out. Besides this, I still have to finish tasks for the Life School, at this age reckon youre in a similar boat, eh? Hows your business going?
I dont really have anything to do.
Is that so?
Yes.
Oliver nodded in response. It wasnt modesty. Literally, Oliver had nothing to do.
Thats because Forrest handled the significant internal and external tasks, while other minor tasks were taken care of by the Fighter Crew, select individuals, rcenaries recruited by Forrest, and solvers.
In the past two weeks since the business started, the only thing Oliver had done was to move once during negotiations with an independent gang alliance.
That too ended when the negotiations broke down and he unleashed a barrage of firepower at the beginning.
The independent gangs were taken aback by the unexpected firepower, and the rest was handled by Marie and Joe. They had beco strong enough in District X to be formidable opponents.
You dont seem too happy for soone in such a position. Dont you like earning money?
Oliver almost responded with I have too little to do, more than I thought.
Whatever it was, he had taken on this role to clear his head filled with miscellaneous thoughts. However, he couldnt say that out loud.
Out of consideration for Forrest, Joe, and Marie, who had staked their lives on this endeavor, it would be impolite.
Oliver took out BigMouth from his waistband.
As usual, BigMouth puffed up like bread dough.
Oliver asked BigMouth for a favor.
BigMouth, could you swallow those books for ?
Oliver pointed to the wall-high and thickly piled books and research diaries.
With rlins wooden doll-golem tirelessly adding to the already colossal wall of books, the sheer quantity was becoming overwhelming. BigMouth cast a disdainful glance at Oliver, and rlin couldnt help but notice.
It does seem like quite a lot, doesnt it? Even hes giving you a scornful look. Cant bla him. Hows a bloke supposed to scoff all this alone?
No, its possible.
Why?
I had him compete against two other glutton bags yesterday. BigMouth erged victorious and devoured both, enhancing its capabilities. Its size hasnt changed, but it can handle all of this.
My word Youve been quite busy while I was away.
Oliver nodded, taking it as a complint. Indeed, he had been quite productive.
His most significant accomplishnt had been creating internal components and implanting them into a corpse doll.
Eventually, BigMouth began to grab and consu chunks of the book wall as Oliver had requested, and the conversation resud between Oliver and the returning rlin.
They discussed Kevin, Yareli, and Terence, who had safely returned to the Magic Tower.
They all ca back in one piece and are cruisin. Ca back as heroes, part of the front line. Dont you wanna have a crack at being a hero too? Aint ya gonna jump in?
Ah No, Im fine.
Oliver replied, recalling Human-at Chef whose words haunted him as much as his persistent hunger.
As Oliver unwrapped and devoured another calorie bar to quell his rumbling stomach, rlin broached the main topic.
If youre fine, then lets get to the point.
Yes?
Youve been dilly-dallying, and its startin to worry .
Im not sure why youre hesitating so much to start this conversation. Spit it out, mate. Youre the one who went lookin for the books about demons and asked to keep an eye on em. Whats with the cold feet?
Is it that obvious?
Most of the ti, youre a bit of a mystery, but now and then, youre clear as a dingo pup. This is one of those tis. Get yourself into a pickle, did ya?
No, its not that.
So whats the go? Spill the beans. Are you scared?
It might be sowhat intrusive to ask.
Better to be nosy than leave things hangin, right?
Encouraged by rlins words, Oliver finally spoke up.
Did you ever use Mr. Kevins family for human experintation, similar to what they do in Mattel?
A fleeting emotion passed over rlins face. His expression remained inscrutable, but the flicker in his eyes betrayed his inner turmoil.
Yes, thats true.
And after becoming an Archiver, you stopped and took Mr. Kevin as your disciple. May I ask why you made that decision?
Hmm feels like dj vu. When you were off to Wineham reckon you said sothin like that, didnt ya? That what matters isnt the past but the present.
Oliver recalled saying those words as well. He had spoken them confidently then, and now, he was once again seeking answers. It was embarrassing, but he continued.
Not havin a go at ya, just wanna wrap my head around it. Why the sudden curiosity again? Doesnt seem like its for no reason.
That was the correct response, an incredibly accurate one. Oliver closed his eyes for a mont, contemplated, and then admitted.
Back then, I understood, but now, I dont.
What dont you understand?
Myself.
(To be Continued)
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