"It would take a couple of years to completely eradicate the addiction towards Kepadora," Duchess concluded.
"That's great," Compass Carburettor nodded, asking, "Also, can this drug be produced without any side effects?"
"That's not possible," Duchess shook her head cutely, "The anti-aging properties are directly related to the side effects. If the side effects are removed, the anti-aging property also vanishes. They are intrinsically tied together."
In her human appearance, the Duchess looked like a lady in her early twenties, sporting burgundy coloured hair and eyes. She had a sharp, angular jaw, accentuating her wide facial features. Her physique was mildly rotund while she possessed strong, muscular limbs.
Currently, she wore one of the emergency clothes Fealta had packed with her.
Compass Carburettor had lent his spare clothes to Defton so that he could return to Kettle City and pick some clothes for all the Grogars. This way, they'll be able to casually infiltrate Kettle City.
He also planned to pick some appropriate clothes for Duchess upon returning to Kettle City. After all, her current clothes were too tight and unsuited for her. Fealta has a lean physique and a thin hip. Moreover, her bust was on the smaller end, so her clothes were constrictive for Duchess who had an overall bulkier physique.
She looked similar to the weightlifting champions from Earth.
"Can you handle all the prayers from the Grogars?" Compass Carburettor asked, feeling that his head was hurting a bit from the constant messages.
"It wouldn't be a problem," Duchess said when he immediately passed on the burden to her. Even though she experienced a headache at the start, she quickly shut up everyone that prayed. After all, she controlled the Grogars using her authority as the Dungeon Boss.
With that, only messages of importance were transmitted to her. Thanks to her moderating all the prayers, Compass Carburettor was able to think freely, feeling his budding ego from the tremendous power beginning to wane out, causing him to sigh in relief. 'This power is easily capable of corrupting me.'
As for Duchess, since she was already a Dungeon Boss, she wasn't affected. It was in her mindset, so she didn't experience any ego increase upon receiving the prayers of all the Grogars.
Upon completing all necessary preparations, Compass Carburettor accompanied Duchess, returning to Kettle City. Denther was left in charge of protecting and maintaining the Grogar Dungeon. Since he was the previous Dungeon Boss, his work didn't change.
Upon returning to the city, Compass Carburettor obtained some money from Defton who had already made contact with the Bandit Boss and took charge of the place.
"What kind of clothes do you need?" Compass Carburettor asked as they entered a cloth shop.
"Anything that's free to move in would be fine. This act of wearing clothes feels strange to me. But, considering how weak human skin is, this seems necessary." She calmly pointed at a row of dresses, saying to the shopkeeper, "All of them, alter them to my size and pack them."
'That was…the fastest shopping spree I've ever seen a woman perform.' Compass Carburettor was stunned for a moment, soon realising the identity of the entity taking the form of a human woman, 'Well, this won't count then.'
The two of them then returned to the inn they had been staying at before, disguising themselves. Duchess disguised herself as the character of Duchess that he played before. As for him, he simply sported the appearance of an old man, only ensuring to make his facial features appear different.
The two of them then visited the engineer, noticing Dentle looking at many things in the workshop. As for the engineer, he was explaining everything to Dentle with a saddened expression. It seemed as if he had resigned himself to the fate that he would be killed once all his knowledge was inherited by the newcomer.
"Whatever you are fearing won't happen. I have vowed before, and I intend to keep it." Duchess said. Compass Carburettor had already informed her of everything she needed to do as in character. So, she calmly continued, as if she was the one who had conversed with the engineer before.
"Alright, if you say so." The engineer nodded lifelessly, clearly having trust issues. They weren't something that could be cured in short term.
Compass Carburettor enlightened Duchess of the various reason that might have resulted in the engineer ending up with such a mental state. After understanding it to a certain extent, and having witnessed the engineer's behaviour herself, she gave some commands to Dentle, "Work on improving his mindset slowly."
The Grogars were cunning and intelligent. The fact that they thought of using a drug to control Kettle City was a testament to this fact. And, as the daughter of the Dungeon Boss, Duchess was even more clear of human nature.
And, Dentle was the same. So, with some instruction from her side, he understand just what he had to do, assuring her through telepathy. Everything was performed swiftly, causing Compass Carburettor to become glad that he had the Grogars as part of his Secret Society.
They were a tremendous help.
He then pulled open a large sheet of paper and began to sketch on it, making detailed lines, spending more than three hours in the process. Upon completing it, he gave the blueprint to the engineer, asking, "Will you be able to create this Armament?"
"This is…basically a Puppet." The engineer said after glancing at the blueprint, commenting casually, "So, you wish to create a hand-held device that can fly? Some of the design choices here are inefficient and may cause problems during travel. Shall I change them a bit?"
"I'm happy if the result is what I need. As for the rest, you are free to do as you please. You're the engineer, not me." Compass Carburettor said, raising his hands for the expert to take charge. While the engineer commented, he pointed at a couple of places, immediately making Compass Carburettor realise the flaws in his design.
Compass Carburettor was the owner of a weapons manufacturing company. Therefore, he had significant knowledge of the subject. After all, his company had also manufactured helicopters and other flying transports.
But a casual exchange proved that the engineer was superior to him, causing him to recall what the underground boss had said before.
"No matter what we asked, he was able to easily create them. This engineer is a true genius."
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Author's Note: November Mass Release Quota
For every 10 GT (Golden Ticket): 1 Bonus Chapter would be released
[Major Gifts Extra Releases]
Gift (Castle): 2 Bonus Chapters
Gift (Spacecraft): 5 Bonus Chapters
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