185. Altered Phase (2)
“thank you for your effort. Dave.”
A suit with a subtle sheen. set head. Murphy, who had changed remarkably, said politely.
He had become a completely different person.
When we first met, he was trying to set up a moonshine factory in a warehouse, but he quickly turned into a wealthy businessman and grew enough to open an office in a few buildings in District T.
All of this is the power of magic. It seemed like a really great business.
“If you hit the jackpot, your life will change. Of course, if you fail, you lose everything, and you collapse.”
Murphy smiled, as if reading Oliver’s thoughts, then poured the sorcerer out of the crystal bottle on the table and handed it to Oliver.
A drink reprocessed by mixing potions.
Oliver drank the drink and nodded.
“It’s delicious.”
“thank you. This is a new product made for export. It’s an honor to hear you enjoy it.”
Murphy’s appearance changed, but his attitude toward Oliver didn’t change much.
Of course, it wasn’t pure favor. There was a calculated feeling that linked Oliver’s abilities to his own business.
Even so, kindness is kindness. Oliver responded politely.
“Here, take this.”
Oliver handed over the old notebook. It was a recipe for magic wine that was obtained by raiding a moonshine factory.
Murphy, who was quick-talking, received it with his eyes shining.
“This····?”
“This is the magic wine recipe you mentioned. I got it while suppressing a man named Adri.”
Murphy was delighted.
“Five·····. thank you I’ve been wanting to ask for it… Was there anything else?”
“I have obtained a magic bag, money, a magic book, and a research journal, which I would like to own.”
“Ahh. sorry. The way I asked was bad. I asked if there were any other recipes. Of course, that’s Dave’s rightful right.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Sorcerer recipes are all that.”
“okay·····. A moonshine factory?”
“I exploded everything as you said.”
“ha····. Okay. I can stretch out and sleep for a while. You’ve been through a lot. We will take action to ensure that you receive success rewards and additional rewards for bringing recipes within the promised time.”
Oliver nodded. The harvest was pretty good.
The success pay itself alone was quite a lot of money, plus an additional bonus. Other captured items, etc.
However, this was not the real goal of this quest.
“May I know what happened to your request?”
Oliver asks a question. Murphy nodded in anticipation, then pointed his hand at the black wooden table.
“Yeah, of course, I checked it out. This is going to be a long story, would you like to sit down for a while?”
Oliver sat down at Murphy’s suggestion.
There were several factors in accepting this quest, such as a decent pay, an opportunity to try the invoice doll, and an acquaintance with Murphy, but the most important factor among them was information.
About the invaders 1, 2, 3 I met at the Subureptor Large Museum.
It was there that he met Marie, and although relatively interested in them fell behind, Oliver did not forget them.
It was not easy to forget the bizarre black magic they used.
Wouldn’t it be a pity if we could find out anything about the collapsed flesh as a sample?
So, instead of accepting Murphy’s request, Oliver asked him to investigate it. Since I’m a crime perm insider, I thought it would be easier to investigate.
Murphy spoke seriously.
“First of all, please bear in mind that I cannot tell you that the information I researched is 100% true. The atmosphere is not good these days, and people like me have to take care of themselves, which limits the investigation. Please understand this.”
“it’s okay. It’s not that I don’t want you to overdo it. But what’s going on?”
“There is always work on this floor. I wondered if the city’s intensive crackdown was over, and the paladin made a fuss and caught the warlock who was doing business with this place. The auction was over… Everyone in the retail industry is at a loss.”
“ah·····.”
“Above that, they say it’s for the safety of the city, and the Security Bureau is established, and below it, non-affiliated gangs are installing it, so it’s getting harder and harder for good gangs like us to live.”
Oliver asked, examining Murphy’s feelings. It was meant to be funny rather than lying.
“…are you kidding me?”
“It’s half sincere. We pay taxes all over the place.”
It wasn’t a lie. One of the main businesses of the Crime Firm is to launder huge black money. During the laundry process, he had no choice but to pay huge taxes.
“ah····. Is this a funny joke?”
“All my friends laughed.”
“Well·····.”
Oliver recalled the joke and remembered it.
“Then, let’s get back to the topic. I have a lot of stories to tell.”
Murphy opened the secret room on the table and took out a paper bag with papers.
“This?”
“We have compiled the requested information and related information. I think you might be interested. I was going to explain it in words, but it was too much, so I put the details in paperwork. Of course, don’t expect too much.”
Murphy shivered with humility as if it was nothing, but it wasn’t emotion. It seemed to have some pretty good information.
Oliver read the paperwork.
There was something that caught my eye from the first chapter.
“Does the intruder belong to the Black Hand?”
black hand. A huge, secret criminal group made up of warlocks.
Murphy nodded.
“Yeah, I think it’s also from the human flesh cook lineage.”
“If it’s a human meat cook…”
“It’s the finger of a black hand and a high-risk criminal human meat chef.”
“ah·····.”
“When I investigated based on the kitchen knife, disease-based black magic, and the filthy nature, I was able to get some information from the Gallos Police Department. I am not a direct disciple, but rather a disciple of a disciple.”
“The Gallos Police Department?”
“Yes····. Oh, you don’t know. The main realm of the Flesh Chef is Gallos, not the United Kingdom. I marked it on the material I handed over.”
“ah·····.”
Oliver read the material aloud. There was cannibalism, empowerment through it, organized crime for secular purposes, and so on.
“This is information from the police department, so you can trust it to some extent.”
Oliver nodded and asked.
“······ By any chance, is Crime Perm going to fight the Black Hand?”
Oliver asked just in case a member of the Black Hands raided the crime farm.
Murphy shook his head.
“Given the current situation, I don’t think we will fight. I agree with that.”
“Is there any reason?”
“Crime Firms and the organizations under them are clearly gangs, but they are also entrepreneurs. I use violence when necessary, but I do not enjoy it.”
It was half a lie, but Oliver didn’t bother asking.
“No one wants to harm their business by starting a useless war in the midst of the recession. Especially if your opponent is in another country across the sea.”
“okay.”
“But this is a disgrace, and the truth is, I was intimidated.”
“…?”
“Crime Firm is a business to make a profit, whereas Black Hand is hard to measure honestly. The size, location, members, and purpose are more unknown than known. I don’t want to fight and suffer losses with those guys. It would be better to spend money to move another organization.”
“Any other organization?”
“The police, the military, or the paladin. We are all people who have to make a living, so if we show kind words and sincerity, they will listen to our requests.”
“ah····. okay.”
“Yes. That’s right. The biggest concern of a crime perm is profit, that is, money. However, the atmosphere is changing these days.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Since the city has created a security bureau, there is talk of whether the crime firm should have its own armed forces. Of course, crime perm is not without its fists, but it is not very systematic and each organization has its own, so there are limits to its use.”
Murphy said so and smiled.
He seemed to have something to say, but Murphy didn’t say it.
Like people sneaking around here from behind the wall over there.
He pondered for a long time without saying a word. I immediately gave up and asked.
“Do you have any more questions?”
***
Oliver asked a few questions and then left.
Murphy left Oliver and sat alone in the office. However, that too for a while.
The secret door inside the office opened, and everyone who had been eavesdropping there came out.
Aunt Maggie and cousins Morrison and Morgan.
All of them were members of the Kimbell family and executives of the Kimbell family.
Orthodox nepotism management.
Although the number of crime firms, such as immigrant gangs and corporate gangs tailored to the flow of the times, decreased somewhat, it was the most orthodox organization.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Maggie, the aunt and the family’s finances, asked quietly. There was regret in her voice.
“What?”
“Dave, Mr. You don’t want to work with us.”
Instead of answering, Murphy pulled a small socket out of his arms.
A storage device for information, which I received a few hours before I met Dave.
widely-!
When Murphy pressed a small button on the socket, the socket’s magic power turned and a video was floated in the air.
“Where…?”
“This is the moonshine factory that Dave asked for. No more now.”
Before Murphy played the video, his cousin Morrison spoke up. Unlike Morgan, who was in charge of security with an honest personality, he was a salesman who pioneered a market with a flexible head.
He was clumsy and not serious, but he was a resourceful person who even penetrated overseas markets.
“Brother, now that I have to say, was there any reason to destroy that road? If we had a facility like that, I think it would have been much more profitable for us to use it.”
“On the surface it is. All those moonshine factories were built out of debt in the name of investment… If it is destroyed, it will be vague for investors to argue, but if we take over and use it, we will definitely get a kick out of it. Another problem is that it is a prohibited area. Destroying it is neat in many ways.”
Morrison nodded his head as if convinced.
Murphy moved the video by pressing a button.
The moonshine factory and surrounding facilities exploded, and an intruder came from the front as the gangs panicked.
Thanks to the additional processing on the video, the outlines were clearly visible even though it was filmed at night.
“What is that? Do you have multiple arms?”
“It’s called an invoice doll. I’ve seen them on the battlefield against corpse-collecting warlocks.”
The video continued to move.
The eight-armed corpse doll was able to wield multiple guns at the same time, knocking out gangs in an instant.
Even though there was only one individual, it produced firepower for ten people, but it was quite intimidating because of its high accuracy.
The proof is that the gangs collapse without even being able to resist.
If he accidentally caught his ankle, he fired the sword-off shotgun he held in both hands and ripped the enemy apart.
㇇-!! ㇇-!!
A small cannon was more suitable than a gun.
“for a moment.”
Murphy changed the video by manipulating the button on the socket.
This was not the only video I had to watch.
A bald and four-armed warlock with a tonfa sneaked in behind the moonshine.
“That too?”
“Yes, it must be an invoice doll.”
The two corpse dolls worked together to subdue the gangsters who drew their attention to the front door in an instant without a word.
If he blocked his vision with black magic, the bald head ran and stopped breathing in one blow.
One person at a time.
It could be dismissed as simply back-street garbage, so it was easy to dispose of, but Murphy’s investigation revealed that there were some talented people among them.
This is because one of the investors who invested in Adri secretly planted a useful one among his subordinates to prevent an accident, and surprisingly, they all died meaninglessly in front of the intruder.
In other words, it is a story that the invoice doll itself is very strong.
In fact, even in Murphy’s eyes, each of the corpse dolls had outstanding skills. To the extent that it cannot be compared with a general solver.
As if to prove this, the moonshine factory, which consisted of about eighty gangs and magicians from the tower, was soon occupied.
Then Dave walked in. There was no need to see any more.
Tick-!
When the screen stopped, Murphy opened his mouth.
“Have you seen it? They took over the factory without lifting a single finger. How do you scout someone like that?”
Everyone shut their mouths, including Maggie who spoke.
It meant agreeing with Murphy.
Even if many organizations wanted the strong, it was only within the limits of what they could afford.
Dave has far surpassed that level.
Until just a few days ago, they were just one of the dark horses that were widespread in Landa, but now they have surpassed that level.
He possessed a force strong enough to be called a one-man organization, and if he wanted to, he had the ability to become an executive of any organization. Still, I don’t think I’m aware of it.
‘Or were you not interested….’
“How did you get it?”
Murphy answered Maggie’s question.
“Hey hey. I asked one of the brokers to get it. Option costs such as barrier hacking, video storage and editing were quite expensive, but as you can see, it is well worth it.”
Maggie, who was thorough in the calculation of the money, nodded.
On this floor, information was as important as money.
It was a place where life and death could be divided even with a single little piece of information.
“…it is beyond imagination.”
“Yeah, it’s beyond imagination…. I know what your aunt was thinking when she told you to bring in Dave. Because we have grown remarkably…”
Murphy paused, sighed, and then resumed.
“But Dave is more than that. A gang is a gang, but so is the auction house case… It’s not something we can afford. If you want an organization, you can build it yourself. It’s better to keep the relationship going by treating you well, since you’re ruining the relationship with an offer that doesn’t work.”
Maggie silently agreed with her nephew. But it was also sad.
“I’m still worried. The price of the name went up due to the auction house case, so love calls would come from all over the place. What if someone snatches you? We also need to strengthen our power.”
power boost. It was the current primary goal of families with some power.
This crazy city is getting harder and harder to live. Even the gangs.
Apart from the fact that the Kimbell family had recently become as wealthy as the director level, there was no outstanding force.
The number of members from veterans increased, and the organization was excellent, but there was no face to put forward. This was quite urgent.
There had to be a force that would not cause an argument just by being there.
“Don’t worry too much. Dave doesn’t seem like the kind of yangban he will belong to.”
“Well, do you have any beliefs? older brother?”
asked Morgan, who is responsible for the security of the Kimbell family. He seemed to be very impressed with Dave.
“No, I just don’t think there is an organization in this city to contain him.”