130. Fatigue (2)
late night. Oliver returned to his house with a warehouse.
My body was quite heavy because I was walking around until late.
What a crazy day indeed.
How the hell did you get so busy?
Returning home, Oliver went straight up to the second floor, put the quarter staff against the wall, took off his clothes, and washed himself lightly.
After walking around all day, I felt unwell, but after washing, I felt refreshed to some extent.
Then, without hesitation, Oliver lay down on his bed.
After staying up all night or taking a nap for a few days, I wanted to get a good night’s sleep today.
without any thought.
Closing the duvet, he laid his head on the pillow, and Oliver closed his eyes.
“················ogue.”
“················ogue.”
“················ogue.”
“················ogue.”
Oliver opened his eyes.
It was truly a bizarre phenomenon.
obviously fell asleep And I wanted to sleep. Still, I couldn’t sleep for some reason.
I just rolled my body and closed my eyes. I couldn’t leave the cozy unconscious world.
This was the first case.
Really.
From the orphanage, the beginning of memories, to a mine, a sausage factory, a beggar’s house, an inn, and even a warehouse here, there was never a time where Oliver couldn’t sleep.
Even when I was tired or not tired, I fell asleep easily within a few seconds after I lay down with the intention of going to sleep.
But, I can’t sleep now. It was strange.
I was tired enough, and I slept well.
I can only describe it as weird.
Oliver thought for a moment and then got up.
Then I looked down.
To the basement in the basement of the warehouse.
The basement was cleaner than when Oliver first arrived.
Of course, if you cleaned it, of course. In the same way, it felt like a laboratory in its own way.
Compared to the glyphs and puppets, it was just a joke, but it had a minimal assortment of lab benches, lab tools, shelves, medicines and materials, books, etc.
Perhaps, as Oliver continued working as a solver, raising money, and expanding his network, he might later be able to set up a laboratory comparable to that of Glip and Puppet.
At least it didn’t seem like a very silly idea.
Then I could practice black magic more comfortably, I could make several corpse dolls, and I didn’t know that I could even enjoy it by revealing the true nature of the beautiful light.
It was a very, very good and beautiful future.
For that future, patience and sincerity were required.
I needed a break right now.
Then I thought about what to do next.
After taking a little rest, I could make a doll with the corpse I ordered, or I could take my time and get a new job to earn money.
It wasn’t difficult at all. Rather, it would be fun and comfortable.
That’s it.
Having gathered his thoughts, Oliver closed the basement door and went up to the second floor again to go to bed.
And finally, after a few minutes, he got up again.
“ah······. I can’t.”
***
“This is an unexpected guest. Also at this late hour… What the hell is going on?”
late dawn time. Cant came out of bed and rubbed his eyes.
Beside him were sturdy men from the poor brothers with lanterns, shotguns, clubs and pistols.
Oliver politely bowed his head and apologized.
“I’m really sorry for being late. There is something I want to help you with.”
Cant calmed down his tense subordinates and answered.
“I’m sorry. Even if there was something to do, I should have come to you through a person instead of coming right away. did you tell me People here don’t like it when outsiders come right away.”
Oliver nodded and apologized again.
Cant looked at Oliver without saying a word and opened his mouth.
“…but if you did that, there must be a reason. What’s going on?”
“There is something I want to help you with.”
“What help?”
Cant asked, reading the unusual atmosphere. Oliver replied.
“Do you know the way to the contaminated area?”
“A polluted area? Are you talking about the contaminated area in Area F?”
“Yes that’s right.”
Cant didn’t try to ask a question, but recognized that there were a lot of ears around and made everyone back down.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about me.”
After answering the young beggar who appeared to be the leader of the action, Cant took Oliver into his tent.
“You always surprise me.”
Oliver came into the tent and answered.
“sorry.”
“It’s not that I don’t like it, but… Did you get some sleep? You look very tired.”
Oliver rubbed his sleepy eyes once and answered.
“Yes, it is fine. I have trouble sleeping.”
“It’s amazing. I’ve been with you for a while, but I’ve never seen you fall asleep. Rather, I slept like a dead person. No nose, no teeth.”
“I am also curious about that.”
“…do you know the way to the contaminated area?”
“yes. I want to go in, but the city defense force is guarding the ground. Going underground, I don’t know the way. By any chance, do you know Cant? The underground road leading to the contaminated area.”
Cant didn’t answer right away.
He stroked his chin and fell into thought.
“Uhm… I know one.”
“Could you please guide me?”
“I can do it, but it’s not that easy. The road under the ground is complicated and dangerous, and there are those who claim to be in their own right.”
“is that so?”
“Yeah, sometimes murders happen. That is why we are careful even though the earth below is the home of our poor brothers and the main road. . . . I can help, but I can’t just help.”
Oliver pulled a bag of gluttons from his pocket.
“I don’t have a lot of money right now, how much is it?”
“done. put your wallet back If it’s money, I’ve already received enough money from you.”
“then····?”
Cant stroked his beard.
“Why do you want to enter the contaminated area?”
“I have something to go and check.”
“You’re talking about something that isn’t like you. If you tell me properly, I can help too.”
At Cant’s words, Oliver yawned slightly and told the truth.
About the disappearing Rothburn and Mattel.
Cant’s emotions and expression darkened immediately, but his reaction was not much different from the others.
“What does that have to do with contaminated areas?”
“I’m going to go check it out. Was Rothburn really taken as a test subject?”
“how?”
“World demand.”
“World tree?”
“Yes, there are some World Trees in the polluted area. I think you should go there and check it out.”
“… now my ears are doubtful. world number? I’m sorry, Oliver… The World Tree can only be used by wizards with magical powers.”
Instead of explaining, Oliver took the test tube out of his arms. That’s right, the test tube in which the extracted magical power was stored.
“that····.”
Before Cant could even finish his words, Oliver had extracted his powers.
“…was your rare case?”
“Yeah, that’s what I recently learned.”
Oliver answered with the magic in his hand. Now he was as adept at emotions as he was.
Cant fell in thought and opened his mouth.
“If there are many World Trees other than polluted areas, why do you want to go to the polluted areas?”
“You have to be in a contaminated area to avoid being chased. Aren’t the general public banned from using the world tree? As soon as you connect, people can come.”
“like····. Looks like you studied By the way, you can’t use the world tree just because you can use magic. Didn’t you study this?”
“No, I can write.”
“Hey, I don’t know that well—”
“-Do not worry. Cant. Can be used. I have used it before.”
“·················ogue.”
Cant opened his mouth like a fool and didn’t say anything.
It was full of questions about when he accessed the World Tree, whether he could read code words, but that’s why he didn’t dare to ask.
It wasn’t that I didn’t believe it.
In the case of common sense, it is right to doubt that statement, but strangely, Cant believed everything Oliver said.
For some reason, Oliver seemed to be able to do that.
It’s a nonsensical expression, but Oliver’s existence itself was convincing.
“Then don’t go any further.”
“Why?”
“You are a rare case, and Forrest even warned you that the child you used to be close to went to Mattel… Isn’t it strange?”
“…you took Rothburn to lure me in?”
“It’s not certain, but it’s not entirely impossible. I’m too lazy to touch you first, so I might have done something like that to get you in. It’s also a method that works surprisingly well.”
Oliver was reminded of the fact that Cant was the solver in the past.
“Then what should I do?”
“Now go home and get some sleep.”
“How about Rothburn?”
“Pretend you don’t know and forget about it.”
“····How amazing. Forrest said something similar.”
“Because that friend and I have been together since we were kids. Did Forrest not teach you about the rules of this city?”
“You have told me. Don’t go against the trend.”
“right. It’s taboo in this city, and unless a miracle happens, it’s hard to escape death.”
“It’s a little strange for Cant-nim to say something like that.”
“It’s not strange. I’m just helping out when I can afford it, but what you’re trying to do is… It’s just pointless crazy. stop it Just pretend you don’t know and go back. Who dares to blame you for pretending not to know?”
Oliver looked at Cant silently.
His feelings were genuinely worried about Oliver.
After looking at it for a while, Oliver said.
“Thank you, but I am not trying to save anyone by blaming anyone.”
“Then why are you trying to save me? Is that child special to you?”
Oliver shook his head.
We just asked for help and helped, and we promised to see each other again later.
It was nothing more and nothing less.
“Then why are you doing this?”
“It doesn’t matter. If I just pretend like I don’t know, I think I’ll think of it sometimes when I’m eating, before going to bed, studying, or studying. That’s a little bit… I think it would be annoying.”
***
Cant think for a long time whether Oliver’s words worked or not, and decided to help Oliver.
But it wasn’t just. Later, when he asked for help, he made a condition to ask for help.
‘So please don’t force yourself to die.’
Oliver agreed to the terms, and Cant began walking down the sewer with a few beggar companions.
The road to the polluted area was very long, and it took a long time to take a shortcut.
“It’s up to here. This is the only way we can guide you.”
Cant stopped the way he was going and said.
“From here you can enter the contaminated area.”
Cant’s words were sincere.
Oliver focused his eyes on the ground. There were countless emotions on the ground.
It looked like the city’s defense force.
“thank you. Cant.”
“Honestly, I wonder if I did well. I want to forcefully take him now, but it’s just a pity that I don’t have the strength to do that.”
“Thank you for listening to me.”
“I just have to go. old man. It’s been too long.”
A fellow beggar who accompanied me whispered to Cant.
“I know…. Look. Dave.”
“Yes, Mr. Cant.”
“I ask you again as a friend. Please don’t do anything dangerous.”
“Were you and Cant-sama friends?”
“Well····. At least I want to be friends with you. Seriously, will you allow me?”
“… it is an honor for me. This is the happiest word today. Seriously.”
At that, Kant’s eyes widened slightly, then nodded and backed away.
After Cant disappeared into the darkness, Oliver took off his current leather mask, replaced it with a new one, and moved on.
Fortunately, as Cant said, as I continued, I felt like I had entered a polluted area.
It had entered an underpass similar to when dealing with puppets in the past.
Oliver walked all the way down the sewer. for a while
After walking for such a long time, I felt a space different from other places.
Oliver focused on his eyes, widening his field of vision in all directions.
more. more. more.
Then, eventually, I found something and walked, and came to a dead end.
Oliver brought his emotions to the wall to extract.
Black emotions moved along the cracks in the bricks, and with it, the bricks moved like a clockwork, revealing a small secret space.
The space was narrow and plain, but there was one peculiar thing.
A single stalk of the world tree that has dried up and is almost dying.
Fortunately, it was not completely dead yet, so it was usable.
The colorful magic that moves through the trunk of the World Tree as a pipe is proof of that.
Oliver went inside and closed the door the same way he had opened it, leaving him alone in the dark.
Then, after extracting magic power and emotions, he brought them to the World Tree.
Pak—!
With the sound of a strong wind like blowing out a candle, Oliver connected to the root net, the inner abyss of the World Tree.
It was more natural than when I first connected accidentally.
Oliver looked around.
A world of empty space where there is no sky and earth, and the four sides are as black as the night sky.
There was nothing but colorful magic passing by as fast as a meteor.
It was still strange, but I got used to it because it was my second visit.
This was fortunate. Here, you can search for information about Mattel to find out what happened to Rothburn, and if you do, you can look through Mattel’s building schematics to figure out how to get it back.
Oliver rearranged his plans and tried to move. oh·····. I was so tired.
“Life Lab Mattel.”
As Oliver spoke, magical powers flew from afar and exploded like fireworks in front of my eyes.
Along with that, numerous code words were listed in the air. The amount of information was so vast that I thought it would be difficult to read.
‘Doesn’t it take time to read it all? Well·····. No, no. You can save time by applying keywords to collect unnecessary information.’
Oliver rubbed between his eyes, recalling what he had seen in the book.
As I was about to raise my hand and move, I felt a strong gaze.
dizziness.
I had a similar experience when I first accessed the world tree.
When he turned his head to the place where he could feel his gaze, he saw eyes made up of countless magical powers in the air.
Snow said to Oliver.
[Who are you?]
“·················ogue.”
[Who are you?]
“·················ogue.”
[Who are you?]
His eyes suddenly came close to Oliver’s eyes and pressed against him.
Even the intense obsession can be felt. Oliver swung his hand towards those huge eyes.
Pad-!
Then, the magical eyeballs shattered and disappeared like shards of glass, and Oliver rubbed between his eyes and entered keywords into the Mattel information he searched for, collecting unnecessary information.
“keyword····. Experiment, test subject, Rothburn.”