"It was your first private request, and you completed it splendidly. I'm glad my eye for talent hasn't rusted."
Cromwell said as I returned to the office to report the completion of the request.
This ti too, the treat was a glass of liquor.
As I downed it in one shot, a groan escaped .
I put down the glass and asked.
"Are there guys who fail private requests?"
"As they are only given difficult missions, there are quite a few. Sotis they lose their lives due to troubles not ntioned in the request details, so as a broker, it's often a headache."
It would be great if everything proceeded according to the prepared docunts, but the world didn't roll as planned.
Like when the goblin went berserk with the spirit's cocoon and I encountered the black magician.
The role of the broker was also important, as he had warned about the true nature of the Python rcenary Corps in this request.
And how to deal with it based on that was the contractor's skill.
In that sense, violence was the right choice in nine out of ten cases.
The fist was faster than the law, and it was a job that worked in the blind spots of the law.
In the end, it was a job where everything from A to Z was coordinated by one's own skill.
"The paynt for the completion of the request has been deposited into your account after deducting the commission, so please check it."
"My account?"
When I asked back, Cromwell handed a passbook with one hand.
When I opened it, it was a central bank passbook issued in my na.
"Ah, this is out now."
I rembered requesting it at the sa ti I asked for things like getting a cell phone.
"From now on, I'll try to deliver the paynt this way whenever possible. I'm not trying to show off, but it was tricky for to prepare it in cash until now."
Especially in the case of this request, the amount of the reward was a large sum that was not easy to prepare.
Even for a large corporation, it would have been difficult for Cromwell to ask them to distribute it all in cash.
It was soone else's problem, but I also had my own difficulties.
Storing the money.
I didn't even have a safe, so it was hard to keep it in a hotel room, and it was even more awkward to carry around such a large amount.
"Should I select a large corporation for the next request as well?"
"Please do."
"You can co anyti. Large corporations have been moving actively recently, so there will be no shortage of requests."
"Large corporations?"
I was about to leave, but Cromwell brought up a topic that piqued my interest.
As I sat down again, I was served cold water this ti.
So petty.
I wasn't a strong drinker, so I accepted it readily.
"It's information that would cost a pretty penny if you asked an information rchant..."
"If you're going to drag it out, then don't."
"It'll be announced by the city governnt soon anyway, so it doesn't matter."
Cromwell quietly turned off the radio that had been playing.
In the silence, his voice rang out clearly.
"Are you aware that the agreent between Gellerg City and Persear was recently broken?"
"I saw it in the newspaper a while ago."
It was an article I found in a yellow journalism paper in the marketplace when I was contemplating how to contact the Mage Tower.
"Then you've saved the trouble of explaining. The clouds of war are gathering. It's an annual event for cities bordering Persear."
The war between Gellerg City and Persear, which would happen soday, although the timing would vary depending on the player's actions.
Cromwell's statent was sothing I was also keeping a close eye on.
"From the higher-ups' point of view, it's an unwelco event. A war with barbarians has more losses than gains, even with a great victory. They'll probably try to negotiate one last ti by adjusting the timing."
War may be a winner-take-all, but the war with Persear was on a different level.
Their army was elite and not easy to defeat, and they were skilled in sabotage, not just barbaric wars of attrition.
On top of that, their own land was barren and undeveloped, so unless they annexed Persear, it was a one-sided loss.
Even then, considering the cost of civilizing the local tribes and the maintenance funds, it was ultimately a deficit.
This was why the city governnt leaders tried to lead disputes to negotiations as much as possible, even though they were not lacking in any area.
"Various ulterior motives are intersecting, aiming for that. Whether or not they can get a piece of the pie then will change the future value of the company."
Even among companies, the betting changed according to their own interests.
If their brains were working properly, most would bet on war, but you never know.
A stroke of luck could happen, and the negotiations could end amicably.
'I don't think there's even a one in a million chance of that happening, but...'
There were often gamblers who bet their fate on such a gamble.
A representative company is the eternal number two, Sylvester.
Since it was difficult to overturn the superiority with Centrim normally, they repeated a vicious cycle of taking on huge losses by relying on gambles.
"Since you've made a good haul, it wouldn't be bad to take a good rest for a while. You're not the one in a hurry, so you can take your ti and choose a request with conditions you like."
"That's what I was planning to do anyway."
"You pretend not to be, but you seem very tired."
"I'm not tired, the conditions are finally right."
Cromwell squinted one eye and expressed his doubt.
I said in a nonchalant tone.
"Since you've done a service, I'd like you to do one more."
"I'll decide after hearing it."
"Do you know any other brokers you could introduce to?"
So that Cromwell wouldn't misunderstand, I quickly added.
"A real estate broker, I an."
***
In a city where capital is concentrated, a tall building is a symbol of wealth and honor.
The width of the building proves the authority of the company, and the height of the building proves the financial power of the company.
This was a truth that was commonly accepted in the construction industry, which had filled its lack of technology with the mystery of magic engineering.
Even in the city center, which boasted an extraordinary prosperity, there was one building of unparalleled size.
The upper floors of Sylvester's headquarters were no different from a fortress prepared for the top executives, each floor by each floor.
Even though it was a space she entered and exited every day, it was inevitable that the secretary, who was her closest aide, would get nervous.
This did not change even if the owner of that space was the head of a has-been faction that had slipped from real power.
"Co in."
It was a voice that was polite but could not completely hide its annoyance.
The quality of a competent subordinate is the sense to grasp the general situation just by hearing the voice.
It seed that things hadn't gone well today either.
But then again, when had they ever?
The secretary swallowed a sigh and entered the room.
"What is it?"
The interior of the room had an absolutely insufficient number of furniture occupying the space compared to its vast area.
It was desolate rather than simple.
It was partly due to the owner's simple taste, but the decisive reason was her miserable situation of being pushed out of the mainstream.
"There is a docunt to report."
"I'm busy, didn't I tell you to handle most things yourself? Millina."
"I judged that it was a matter that needed to be reported directly."
The woman swept her hair back and threw the docunt she was reviewing onto the desk.
Just by stealing a glance at a few words of the content, the content was roughly drawn.
It was a report analyzing the trends of the city governnt and the movents of each company.
It was a docunt that would make even a capable executive's head split the deeper they delved into it.
Seeing this, the secretary, Millina, could understand the woman's irritability.
Because each and every na ntioned in the report was a big shot who could lead the flow.
In the other offices on the upper floors of the headquarters, there were already nurous colleagues who had been broken, either ntally or physically, by the executives' tantrums.
Millina, being in the sa boat, had been hearing about their grievances.
However, the woman neither criticized nor laid a hand on them.
All she did was nod her head with her intelligent eyes, as if to say she would listen.
She was a very exemplary boss.
Even though she had beco a kite with its string cut, the woman was rational and reasonable.
That was why she remained in this business departnt, even though there was no future.
To Claire Sylvester, the only blood relative of the current chairman of Sylvester.
"It's about the new business project in District 16."
"You reported on that before. You said it was a success, right? I rember it because I wasn't expecting anything."
It was a look that said she would be disappointed if that was all.
Of course, Millina was not a fool who would make the mistake of a duplicate report at such an important ti.
"Wasn't it concluded that we would absorb the legacy of the Race Lizard gang while maintaining the frawork of a new business?"
"The original result was that, but... it has changed."
"It has changed?"
Millina handed over the docunt she had been carefully holding to her chest.
It was right after she had glanced through it that a glint appeared in Claire's eyes, which had been weary with fatigue.
"...Is this really true?"
"I reported it after confirming it myself."
"I can't quite believe it."
Complex emotions were swirling on Claire's face.
"The mire of District 16 is being restored."
A report that the environnt of the remote area, where people were said to be unable to live, was changing.
There was no evidence of manipulation in the attached photos.
It was a highly credible story, as it even included the testimony of an employee who said it was noticeable day by day.
"If this is really true..."
"We can proceed with the new business."
"It's information only we know. If we speed up, we might be able to get our hands on and control the entire District 16 before the rats who slled it stick their faces in."
After the Race Lizard gang was annihilated, the only forces left in District 16 were the employees she had dispatched.
She didn't know what kind of business value District 16 had, but if she could find even a single value, she could use it as a cornerstone to restore her fallen status.
"What's the cause?"
Claire was not an amateur who would bet on a gamble by relying entirely on coincidence.
If sothing happened by chance, it could also go back by chance.
If it was sothing that happened artificially, she had to know how to control it.
"I don't know the details, but there was sothing unusual."
"Unusual?"
"The contractor who led the success of the request is said to have visited the Race Lizard gang's headquarters."
"The purpose must have been to loot the remaining supplies."
"A project employee provided a vehicle, but he was said to be empty-handed."
"...It's strange, but that's an over-imagination."
A single person had changed the environnt of an entire district.
It was a hard-to-believe story.
Perhaps a miracle like that would be possible for soone like the Mage Tower Master.
Not a contractor.
"First, let's investigate with various possibilities in mind. It's a pity that we couldn't clearly identify the cause, but the important thing is the progress of the business."
"Yes."
It was a golden opportunity to overturn the political dynamics within the company.
Every minute and every second was urgent.
"As for the ntioned contractor... rember him and consider him as a top priority if there's a request later."
Since he had succeeded in a request with a low probability of success, his skills were guaranteed, and whether he intended it or not, he also had the luck to be presud as the cause of the miracle.
He was a talent worth knowing for a long ti in the contractor industry where gems were rare.
"That's enough."
The na Allen, the contractor, was thus rembered in Claire's mind as if passing by.
***
Whether it was on Earth or in a world where a ga had beco reality, finding a house was a troubleso task.
It was a job that required a lot of money, so a broker was hired, but scams targeting that were rampant.
Since even experts could not be fully trusted, personal study was necessary.
Fortunately, the broker Cromwell introduced to was a conscientious person.
He openly said how much of a bribe he wanted, and after receiving it, he worked passionately, so in this city where you could get your nose cut off if you closed your eyes, he was conscientious enough.
After looking at several properties like that, the one I chose was a small mansion on the outskirts of the city.
It had a reasonable price without a bubble, and the water, electricity, and so on were all fine.
The transportation was inconvenient, but it was sothing I could endure.
If I went into the city center for the sa price, the square footage would decrease drastically.
'It can't be smaller than this.'
One room had to be left for Sage, who would return from the Mage Tower.
It might seem spacious for one person to live in, but it could feel small when the ti ca.
"It feels different."
I muttered to myself as I looked around the cleaned living room.
Having your own house was a special feeling.
A sense of stability from having a place to settle down, shedding the status of a stranger.
It felt like even the minimum tension that had arisen from having no place to put my heart was being released.
"It cost a lot of money, but..."
I had enough to spare for living expenses.
Anyway, money would continue to be earned.
I hadn't even received the bounty for the Lizardman yet, and I could save on food by eating for free.
I was no longer in a position to struggle for every penny.
"I wish you could have enjoyed this feeling with ."
I poked the motionless sprout on my forearm.
The World Tree had been in this state ever since it took the essence of the Unchanging Swamp.
[The World Tree falls asleep for growth!]
[Ti remaining until the World Tree's growth]
[22:18]
I wasn't worried.
It was just asleep.
"One day left."
Tomorrow, I would be able to et the grown World Tree.
(End of Chapter)
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