Chapter 206

“It’s Van. Thank you for coming to this matter.”

After the customary greeting, she waved her hands dismissively.

“Well, there’s no need for that. After all, we are here on behalf of Dylan and Mila. In fact, there were quite a few mercenaries in our office who wanted to participate in this matter, but we came first. If the situation improves, we might be able to call more of them, you know?”

“There were quite a few?”

In response to Lennok’s question, Velita smiled slyly.

“It’s the first time the chief is openly taking sides like this in such a conflict. He’s basically saying he’ll help the wizard, isn’t he? Even if he didn’t say it directly.”

“......”

“Now, I wonder if the chief is also starting to look for a nest to stay in~ Everyone seems to think so.”

“A nest to stay in... that’s quite a poetic expression. And to begin with, I never made such a promise to Antares.”

“You don’t always have to say things out loud to understand, do you? Sometimes, actions that are shown instead of spoken can be more trustworthy. Since the chief’s intentions seem to be clear, wouldn’t it be better to raise your hand first to make a good impression?”

Lennok’s lips curled up in response to Velita’s persuasive words.

“An interesting perspective. It seems that you value getting into the good graces of that chief over dealing with the Cartel.”

“......”

Velita’s demeanor shifted slightly as she realized she had spoken too much, but Lennok simply chuckled and nodded.

“Well, it’s not strange for there to be secrets within the mercenary group that I don’t know about. Even if it’s not directly from the mouth of Antares himself. Isn’t that so?”

“That, that’s right.”

Apparently, rumors were circulating within the Antares Mercenary Office that Antares might eventually achieve more than just leading the mercenary group, but Lennok wasn’t particularly concerned about it.

Velber, who had been observing the conversation, chimed in as if possessed.

“Getting into the chief’s good graces now means there’s a high chance of reaping rewards later. Therefore, participating in this operation is a sound investment from a business perspective. It can be said that Velita has made a wise decision.”

“You shut your trap! A money grubber who’s never done business but always talks about investments when opening his mouth. Ugh...”

“Every indicator is pointing to prosperity, and when it comes to money, I’m usually right. You’re out of this.”

“This is ridiculous. Let’s compare our accounts right here, shall we?”

“......”

Lennok discreetly slipped away as the twins resumed their argument.

It appeared that the Antares Mercenary Group had its fair share of eccentric characters alongside its skilled members.

As he exited the bar, Lennok couldn’t help but glance back at the three-story building.

If he were to establish a legitimate business and expand, this building would eventually be bustling with people.Cheêck out latest novels on novel/bin(.)com

Until now, working alone hadn’t posed any inconveniences, but the surrounding environment was evolving with time.

Even Madria Falcia, who had attained the pinnacle among sorcerers, had eventually formed an organization known as the Lighthouse.

Even the formidable creatures that were currently beyond Lennok’s capabilities were making moves under the infamous banner of the Pandemonium.

Was it pure ambition to seek self-fulfillment in such a vast world?

At least, it wasn’t a question that could be answered at this moment.

Lost in thought, Lennok shook his head and exited the bar.

The lingering unease from the initial clash with the Cartel kept him from sitting still for long.

According to Jenny’s plan, Lennok would have to be the most active.

There were matters that needed to be addressed even before he could roam the streets freely.

***

“I’m disappointed with the lack of contact.”

Sebastian chuckled as he swirled his wine glass.

“Just like with the exploration team, you’ve made good use of our intelligence, so don’t forget the aftercare. Essentially, the last matter was akin to me serving you for free, wasn’t it?”

He couldn’t help but recall the agreement where, in exchange for providing the list of sponsors for the Arasha Exploration Team, Lennok was supposed to involve him in handling the relic ‘Compassion of Archangel’.

But since Lennok had ingested the ‘Compassion of Archangel’ entirely during his dealings with Irina Pheffield, it was only fair from Sebastian’s perspective to feel let down.

However, Lennok let out a derisive snort and accepted the wine glass that Sebastian offered, offering his response.

“Do you think I don’t know that you brought in the sponsors as clients? I’ve kept quiet until now because I thought you had made a fair profit then.”

“......”

“Of course, using this opportunity to solve my problems using your name is a tempting proposition... but I shouldn’t steal time from a busy person, should I?”

“I didn’t know you thought so highly of me.”

Lennok responded dryly, and Sebastian giggled.

“It’s a gift, meaning I hope you’ll consider working with me more positively in the future. Just looking at the scale of the tasks you inquire about, we could become quite decent partners ahead.”

Sebastian’s candidness, without concealing his intentions, made Lennok chuckle.

Although he presented it as a light-hearted jest, it was clear that he genuinely intended to maintain an ongoing cooperative relationship with Lennok.

Jenny and brokers like her had a peculiar knack for leaving a somewhat agreeable impression while openly displaying materialistic attitudes.

Even now, he was casually gifting Lennok a bike, dropping hints without making it overt.

While Lennok recognized this, he didn’t rush; it was an attitude that appeared casual but was, in fact, that of a shrewd and serious businessman.

“Alright.”

He took the bike keys and inserted them.

Whiiing!!

[User’s biometric information recognized. Synchronization will commence.]

“Just put the key in once and recognize the owner, then you won’t need to carry the key around afterward.”

Sebastian explained with a satisfied expression as he stood by.

“It has an AI that starts up and finishes preheating automatically when the rider is nearby, and it helps with driving assistance as well-“

[Recognition failed. Powering down.]

“......”

“......Hm?”

Lennok silently stroked his chin, observing Sebastian’s bewildered expression.

“Just a moment. No matter that it’s a prototype, Autoble is not such a sloppy company. Its performance should be much better than the officially released product, so what’s this......”

Sebastian, unable to conceal his panic, began tapping various parts of the bike.

However, Lennok had a rough idea of why this was happening and shook his head.

“No, I’ll handle it. It’s probably not a problem with the bike.”

Considering Lennok’s modified magical pattern, which even Evelyn couldn’t decipher, it was understandable that the bike’s biometric system couldn’t properly recognize Lennok.

So, avoiding Sebastian’s gaze, Lennok subtly invoked mana and summoned Davi.

Fizzz!!

[......]

Davi looked up at Lennok, understanding his intentions, and promptly merged into the bike.

It’s hacking abilities, coupled with the computational power of a formidable artificial intelligence, surpassed those of a mere spirit.

It took her less than five seconds to breach Autoble’s biometric system security and display the authorization signal.

[User setup complete. AUTOABLE AI CONTROL 1.2 POWER ONLINE.]

Whiiing!!

The green light illuminated the dashboard, the engine roared to life, and the bike began to vibrate with a low hum.

Sebastian tilted his head in confusion.

“Uh...?”

“Looks like it’s working fine after a few taps,” Lennok said with a smirk, looking down at Sebastian who had been tapping the bike.

“Aren’t you supposed to fix machinery by hitting it?”

“......Is, is that so? I didn’t know that applied to such items,”

While it may have sounded absurd, both of them seemed to accept it relatively well.

It appeared that both the wizard and the broker had experienced fixing malfunctioning machines by giving them a good tap.

Meanwhile, Davi crackled with electricity inside the bike, listening to the two of them engaging in their somewhat foolish conversation.

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