Chapter 106

Chapter 106

“Hmm!”

Johan narrowed his eyes and looked at the man standing before him.

A man wearing a red cap and a red monk’s robe, with a mask that covered him up to his nose.

He was Johan’s confidant and Heresy Inquisitor, Joshua.

His other alias was Swift Joshua.

He was as fast as lightning and as elusive as a goblin.

Because of that, Johan used him more than anyone else.

A strong and fast being was that useful.

Johan tapped the table with his finger and said,

“There is no way you would lie to me......”

“......”

“Tajik wandered through the desert and became food for a Sandworm? You are saying this unbelievable story is true.”

Johan’s face had stiffened frighteningly.

Instead, his small eyes behind his glasses gleamed ominously.

He had met Tajik only once.

But seeing him once had been enough for Johan to know that Tajik was not an easy man.

He had both the courage and the ability to come find Johan alone.

And such a man had lost his way, wandered through the desert, and become food for a Sandworm?

Not even a dog would believe such nonsense.

There was certainly a force acting behind the scenes.

Whether it was an individual or an organization.

“How is Xiaolun reacting?”

“He is moving beneath the surface, but they do not seem to have discovered anything yet.”

“What do you think?”

“......”

“Well, you do not judge. You only execute.”

Johan frowned deeply.

It had been a very long time since he had frowned this much.

There were only a handful of people in Dongdaemun, which he ruled, who knew how to think properly.

Most judgments were made by Johan, and the others only moved as his hands and feet.

Because of that, whenever an unexpected situation like this occurred, it took quite some time to establish a proper countermeasure.

This was rather frustrating, but he could not change the system.

Johan had not the slightest intention of sharing his power with anyone else.

Joshua silently waited for Johan’s command.

The sight of Joshua like that frustrated him, but for now, there was no helping it.

When Johan gestured with his hand, Joshua lowered his head and left.

Left alone, Johan walked to the window.

“All of this happened after he returned.”

The one Johan referred to was Zeon.

After Zeon returned, Goran, who had ruled Sinchon, vanished, and the Crocodile Den collapsed. Even Tajik, who had taken an interest in Zeon, met a death that did not suit him.

“Is it a coincidence? It cannot be. He must have been involved in Tajik’s death in some way.”

It was not a guess, but a conviction.

Johan had awakened through a revelation from God.

Because he served God, his senses were sharper and more delicate than anyone else’s.

From the moment he first saw Zeon, he had felt an ominous sensation.

That was how unpleasant Zeon’s existence was to him.

“If he truly eliminated Tajik, then removing him through ordinary means will be impossible.”

Of course, if he mobilized Dongdaemun’s full strength, erasing Zeon would not be impossible.

There were as many fanatics following him in Dongdaemun as grains of sand.

In particular, the combat power of the Berserkers he had raised was immense. But he could not use them carelessly.

The moment they moved, the powerful figures of Neo Seoul would certainly take an interest.

His dream was to someday spread God’s gospel to Neo Seoul, but it was still too early.

This was the time to build more strength.

Only after swallowing the entire slum could he even attempt to scheme against Neo Seoul.

Until then, he had to move while preventing as much loss of combat power as possible.

He suddenly looked down at the table.

Documents investigating Zeon’s movements lay scattered across it.

What was written in the documents was only a small part.

That was because they had failed to uncover anything about Zeon’s activities in the desert.

At most, the documents contained the reason Zeon had been forced to leave Neo Seoul and his movements after returning to Neo Seoul.

Because of that, Johan had ignored them until now.

He had thought there was truly nothing useful to exploit.

But today, one name came into focus with unusual clarity.

“Lee Ji-ryeong? Could it be the same Lee Ji-ryeong I know?”

＊＊＊

Zeon stared blankly out the window.

All he could see were red neon signs and the desolate scenery of the slums. Even so, Zeon did not turn his gaze away once.

At the moment, he did not want to do anything.

He was merely enjoying this time of empty stillness.

But his peace did not last long.

“Ta-da!”

That was because Briel kicked the door open and came in.

In her outstretched arms, she carried bags filled with all kinds of unidentified items.

It was surprising that she had managed to cross the slums safely while carrying so many bags.

There must have been many who targeted her.

“Did you carry all that luggage by yourself?”

“Levin helped.”

To be precise, Levin’s friends had carried them for her.

At the mention of Levin, Zeon understood.

“I see. But what is all that?”

“Materials for this experiment.”

“Did you put that on credit under my name too?”

“Hmph! I bought it with money I earned. Do you take me for a beggar?”

“You earned it? How?”

“There is such a thing. Do not try to know too deeply. You might get hurt.”

Briel snorted and set the luggage down on the floor.

Zeon sensed that his time of peace had ended.

Since she had bought so many materials, she would surely make a mess of the house again with her experiments.

“Do you have any thoughts of becoming independent?”

“I like this house too much. It is safe, and I can use as much electricity as I want. Where else in the slums would I find a place like this?”

“......”

Zeon was left speechless by Briel’s shamelessness.

‘Are all High Elves originally this shameless?’

Briel was already unpacking her bags and making a mess of the house.

Just watching it was enough to make Zeon feel dizzy.

Zeon shook his head and put on his clothes.

‘It is about time I went outside anyway.’

After staying shut inside the house for too long, it felt as if all his joints had stiffened.

Zeon came out onto the street, looked around, and walked toward the street lined with restaurants.

His destination was old man Clexi’s stall.

Just as he had thought, old man Clexi was sitting at the stall.

When he saw Zeon, a strange light appeared in old man Clexi’s eyes.

“It has been a while.”

“How is your body?”

“Not good. I was trapped in the Coffin of Death for too long.”

“It is a miracle you are still alive after having that much vital energy drained from you. Just how much good food must you have eaten usually......”

“Try getting old yourself. You will seek out and eat everything that is supposed to be good for the body.”

“I am glad. You managed to endure even by doing that.”

“My thanks are late. Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to return alive.”

“That is enough. I did it after receiving payment.”

“I heard you played a major role in saving me. I will be sure to repay that debt.”

Old man Clexi was a man who sought money to an almost vicious degree, but he was clear about debts and grudges.

Since Zeon had saved none other than his life, he had no choice but to regard Zeon with special care.

Zeon changed the subject.

“Surely being trapped in a stone coffin for a long time did not diminish your cooking skills too, did it?”

“As if it would. Wait a moment. I will prepare something for you right away.”

Old man Clexi stood before the burner and began cooking.

While waiting for the food to come out, Zeon looked around.

Much of the wariness in the merchants’ gazes toward him had disappeared.

That was because they knew Zeon had saved their master, old man Clexi.

Thanks to that, Zeon could wait for the food with a much more comfortable heart.

“Eat.”

A short while later, old man Clexi placed a delicious-looking bowl of fried rice before him.

Cultured meat and various seasonings were mixed together, and the smell alone was enough to make a person’s mind grow hazy.

Zeon immediately picked up his spoon and began eating the fried rice.

Old man Clexi watched Zeon with a satisfied smile.

Zeon ate the fried rice with true enjoyment.

As if something had suddenly occurred to him, old man Clexi spoke.

“They say Tajik is dead.”

“Is that so?”

“He was a sinister bastard. He had ability to match, which made him all the more troublesome. But apparently he became possessed by something, wandered through the desert, and became food for a Sandworm.”

“How unfortunate......”

“There are truly many strange things in this world. Some things cannot be understood through common sense. This matter seems to be one of them.”

“All kinds of things happen.”

“Either way, now that Tajik is dead, Xiaolun will not be able to properly pay attention to the slums for a while.”

“That is good.”

Zeon answered with his face buried in the bowl.

Old man Clexi looked at Zeon with deeply sunken eyes.

“Se-hee is my granddaughter.”

“I know.”

“Except for one, she leads all of my businesses. If you ever need help, tell her. She will grant most requests.”

“Did you not hand everything over to her? You should hand over the rest too and live comfortably.”

“If I give her even the last remaining one, what fun would I have left in life? And Se-hee’s vessel is not large enough to handle that as well. She must be tempered and expanded further.”

“You are strict.”

“Family is precisely who you have to be stricter with. It only takes an instant to lose a family business.”

“I am sure you know best.”

Zeon shook his head with an expression that said there was no reasoning with him. But old man Clexi’s expression remained cautious.

“Are you not curious?”

“About what?”

“The last business I have not handed over to Se-hee.”

“Well, I am a little curious. Will you tell me if I ask?”

“If it is you.”

“Then I will ask. What is this business you have cherished so carefully?”

“Argos’s Eye.”

“What? Ar......”

“Argos. A monster from mythology with one hundred eyes.”

“If it has one hundred eyes, then it must be information-related.”

“As expected, you understand at once.”

Old man Clexi looked impressed.

Zeon, on the other hand, was calm.

“You gave me that much of a hint. It would be strange if I failed to understand.”

“In fact, you are stranger for understanding at once.”

“That aside, why Argos’s Eye?”

“If there is ever information you need, use it at any time.”

“Oh!”

Zeon exclaimed in admiration.

It was not false admiration, but genuine.

He knew better than anyone how useful information was.

He did not know how vast Argos’s Eye’s intelligence network was, but at the very least, it was certainly well-versed in the circumstances of the slums.

Knowing only how the slums were moving would be a great help in his future activities.

Old man Clexi called someone.

“Will!”

“Yes!”

A man with a massive build and a red apron approached while answering.

“Will is the owner of the butcher shop at the entrance to this market. If you ask this fellow for what you need, he will find it out for you at any time.”

“Nice to meet you, Will! We have seen each other a few times, haven’t we?”

Zeon waved lightly.

Will’s butcher shop was located in a place one had no choice but to pass when coming to old man Clexi’s stall. Because of that, Zeon had seen his face several times in passing.

Will lowered his head and said,

“That is correct.”

“I will be in your care from now on.”

“If you need anything, you may come to our butcher shop at any time.”

“Thank you.”

“I am the one who should thank you. Thank you for saving the elder.”

Will bowed his head to Zeon in gratitude.

Feeling oddly embarrassed, Zeon only smiled silently.