193. Things I thought were over (2)
Forest Restaurant located on Street 27 in District T.
There, Oliver opened the door and entered.
with daughter. with daughter.
A man greeted him with a gentle bell as usual.
It was Al, a store employee.
“Are you here? Dave Mr. Long time no see. Have you been away all this time?”
Al greeting politely. Oliver responded politely to him.
“I had a good time. How have you been, Mr. Al?”
“Hey, the boss took good care of me. Right away, I will guide you.”
Oliver nodded and followed Egg. The meeting place this time is not the restaurant president’s office, but the basement broker’s office.
When I went down the long stairs and opened the door, I saw Forest and a man in a pink suit sitting opposite him.
He was a man with a face. It was Jonathan, the head of the security team at Pinkman’s office.
In the past, a man who appeared after a battle with Duncan and asked to hand over Jane’s recruits.
“hello? Dave Mr. Long time no see. Do you remember me?”
He greeted me as politely as when we first met.
“Yes, I remember. Isn’t it Jonathan, the Pink Man’s security team leader? I met Miss Jane in the past.”
“It is correct. However, my position has now changed and I am in charge of general affairs team leader. Please remember.”
When he finished speaking, he politely held out his business card. It felt more polite than before.
After some conversation, Forrest intervened.
“Because I didn’t even have to go out and exchanged greetings with each other. Can I get straight to the point?”
Oliver nodded, and Jonathan nodded without hesitation.
He seemed to place more importance on efficiency rather than small pretentiousness, like the atmosphere from the outside.
Oliver took a seat, and as the atmosphere calmed down, Forrest spoke first.
“Dave. The reason I called you while you’re on break is none other than Jonathan’s own request. It’s unusual for Pinkman to want to hire you for a job that’s going on right now.”
Oliver nodded as if he had heard it for the first time, but had already heard some talk through the communicator.
Jonathan’s current task is to recover the stolen items commissioned by the Crime Firm, and the stolen items were none other than the auction items at Subureptor Auction House.
I couldn’t hear the details of what happened, but some of the auction items shared and kept by the Crime Firm were stolen.
“Because a thing is a thing, we entrusted it to us.”
said Jonathan.
To be honest, the choice of crime perm wasn’t bad.
In terms of scale, I did not know that the crime firm would be bigger, but retrieval of goods requires expertise, not mere strength.
It was effective in many ways to leave it to the experts. It wasn’t strange at all.
The odd thing was that Pinkman was trying to hire an outsider, Oliver.
It is not that there are cases where external personnel are not employed, but the service to fill the number of heads is common……. Oliver was far from that.
Oliver asked about it, as Forrest had previously advised.
“Pinkman hires me?”
“Yeah, honestly, it’s not that common. Manpower with unrivaled combat power or special skills mainly uses our office personnel for safety. Even if you think it’s strange, I understand.”
Jonathan was completely blown away. He didn’t seem to have any intention of using clumsy hair.
“Is there any special reason?”
“Because of the nature of the mission.”
“A mission trait?”
“Yeah, it’s because the crime-firm request itself is a bit gritty. Most of the auction items they deal with are stolen goods, so it’s a bit like an office like ours to move openly.”
I roughly understood what you meant.
It is certainly sad that the items were taken unfairly, but most of the auction items themselves are illegal. This in itself was illegal.
It might not be a problem if Pinkman is a group of mercenaries or solvers that are common in Landa, but it was necessary to be careful considering that it is a large office that is sometimes commissioned by politicians, business people, and the government.
In fact, several times, it went up in the newspapers and even held a hearing.
“···· So this time, it is not received at the Pinkman office, but as I have received it. Then, even in the event of an emergency, there will be little damage to the office.”
aka tail cutting. It wasn’t uncommon in Landa, but it was rare for someone who played the role of tail to say something like this to himself.
“I barely understood it. In other words, it is difficult to say that this work is being carried out in a way that has nothing to do with the Pinkman office, and as a result, there is not enough manpower to mobilize, so you are hiring me.”
“Exactly, that’s it. It was not easy to find a solver with both skill and credibility like Dave.”
It was a flattering remark, but it wasn’t very empty. Jonathan had a high regard for Oliver in his own way.
Working with one of the top Pink Man in Landa didn’t seem like a bad experience, but there was one thing I wanted to point out before that.
“Can I ask you a question?”
“You tell me.”
“I don’t know, but I think this mission is quite difficult. The assailant who stole the goods was Black Hand… To be precise, he must be a human meat cook, are you okay?”
“··········!!”
Jonathan’s poker face shook for a moment. It was quite surprising that Oliver was aware of this behind the scenes.
maybe it’s normal Oliver barely got this information through Murphy.
“…Yes, that’s right. It’s not confirmed yet, but I’m pretty sure. How did you know?”
“It was just that the auction items were robbed, so I thought it was the people who raided the auction house last time, so I assumed it was that. I was curious about them, so I personally researched them.”
“Oh, I see. I’ve heard rumors too, but I didn’t expect you to find out already.”
“I think if they came from the same side as you, there would have been stronger people than those I fought. I don’t think Pink Man can’t know what I know.”
“The point?”
“It is relatively strong, and the number of manpower that can be mobilized is limited.
After a few questions and answers, we finally got to the core. Jonathan admitted, raising his hands.
“I can’t stand this. I was going to talk first, but I lost a player… I’ll be honest. Originally, I had to reject it because it was not a good fit for me, but I offered a big price to the crime perm and accepted it.”
“What is the big price?”
“You will receive a portion of the auction items you have recovered.”
Oliver was silently surprised. A horse is an auction item, and it must not be that easy to hand over.
“If we lose everything, we want to get some back. From what I’ve discovered, some items have already been traded. If it is taken away like this, the deal will go down and the credibility and reputation of the crime firm will go down.
Oliver nodded in agreement. Jonathan opened the rest of the cards.
“I will hand over two of the returned auction items except for the designated items. If you don’t have the item you want, we will provide you with equivalent monetary compensation.”
Through the communication device, the core of Forrest has finally come out.
When he called Oliver, he expected the story to go like this, so he called Oliver on a break.
Because it wasn’t a big deal that just received a lot of commission, it was something that helped Oliver.
Oliver hid this fact and continued the conversation, taking the silliness away.
“Auction?”
“Yes. Is there anything you want?”
“Yes, yes, there is. I don’t know if there will be.”
As if expected, Jonathan pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was an auction list.
“You can choose from here. We haven’t decided what we’re going to ask for yet, so if there’s an overlap with Dave, we’d like to talk to him.”
Oliver looked at the paperwork. A book about the devil caught my eye.
At that moment, Oliver barely resisted the fact that he almost said he wanted to own it.
Even the ignorant Oliver knows that a warlock can’t openly covet the devil’s books.
Of course, I got it through Coco once, but it was safe based on the trust that Forrest and Coco had built up over the years, and Pink Man was a completely different case.
He did not know that he might be subjected to checks and persecutions in the afterlife.
But even so, it was very disappointing to miss this opportunity.
I gained some financial leeway by building a reputation on this floor, but nevertheless, it was difficult to obtain a book about the devil on my own.
The items in that series had a slightly higher name value, and it wasn’t something that could be obtained by earning a few more pennies.
In the meantime, are you going to blow up the opportunity right in front of you like this? That was too hard.
While Oliver was swaying between desire and reason, Forrest quietly spoke to Jonathan.
“Mr. Jonathan.”
“Yes, Mr. Forrest.”
“If it’s okay with you, could you please wait a little longer for my reply? I will give you an answer as soon as possible.”
At Forrest’s timely remark, Oliver looked at him silently.
***
Jonathan agreed with Forrest and stood up. We’re still looking for intruders, so we still have time.
When Jonathan left, Oliver and Forrest were the only two left in the broker’s office.
“Awesome.”
“what?”
“This is Forrest-sama. The contents of Jonathan-san’s request, as well as the suggested compensation, all went as expected, didn’t it?”
It was. Before calling Oliver, Forrest explained what Oliver could get by understanding the background of the request and the transaction with the Crime Firm based on Jonathan’s request.
There was time to look ahead, but even so, the quality of the information was considerable.
“Because you can’t become a human being who only takes it.”
“Yes?”
“It doesn’t matter. You are even better than that. I told you the contents of the quest and the reward, but I didn’t tell you about the enemy… Did you expect this to happen?”
“no····. I just found out out of personal curiosity.”
“Right. But don’t tell other people that. I think Jonathan was pretty impressed.”
That was correct. At the bottom of the solver, strength was important, but strength was not everything.
As the scale of the work grew, other parts were as important as strength.
It required an eye to see the situation, judgment and determination to make decisions based on it, a network to ask for help if necessary, and even the uncertain realm of luck.
To the extent that the price changes depending on whether you have this part or not.
In that sense, it was better to just keep the image Oliver showed me earlier. Even if I knew it unintentionally, it was also a skill.
“How about this?”
Oliver answered the question with a question.
“What do you think, Forrest?”
“I want to stop, but I want to push you to accept.”
“Why?”
“Because the enemy you have to deal with is so bad. There aren’t many perverts on this floor who want to get involved with the Black Hand. They are like urban legends in the back alleys. But on the other hand, it’s hard to say no because you can make connections with the Pink Man, get into debt to a crime firm, and even get rare auction items. In the end, it’s up to you. Are you willing to take the risk?”
“…to be honest. There is one thing I want to have.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“This is the thing.”
Oliver marked a piece on the list and held it out. It was a book about demons.
“Okay again.”
“Right, I wanted to answer, but I endured.”
He had already worked once in exchange for a book from the devil, but he knew that it wasn’t common.
So, I was silent without talking right away.
“Could you possibly have it?”
“It’s not impossible. It may be a little reluctant for a warlock to find this book, but as long as you get the points to persuade, you can get through it without any problems.”
“Points?”
“Yeah, for example, the Pink Men also have a story they want to hide, so that’s how you persuade them. Then they will naturally turn away from our interest. Then, I’ll negotiate to get this item. Do you have any other items?”
Forrest’s words were not a lie, but a well-founded conviction.
I thought confidently that I would bring the devil book to Pinkman without hesitation.
“Well·····. The other one, let’s think about it slowly. By the way, are you okay?”
“what?”
“Aren’t you tired of me looking for the devil’s books?”
“Well·····. If I had told that story half a year earlier, I would have come up with a good answer, but now I have nothing to say.”
That was correct. Already, it was too late to say this after getting the Devil’s Book from Edith through Miss Coco.
“I just thought it was your curiosity. Or why? Is there any special and evil reason to seek the devil’s books?”
“no. Not that.”
“Okay then. To be honest, for people like me, it’s more about making a living right now than talking about demons or angels. You are the best solver with the best skill and credibility among the solvers I am dealing with. My job is to help you well and get the most out of it. So, like a professional, don’t make weird fuss, and let each one say what they want and get it right.”
“Yes, I understand····. So, I’ll accept this one. Can you give me some time to adjust my schedule?”
“Of course, it doesn’t matter because I don’t plan on answering right away anyway. I’ll try to take as much time as possible before replying. That way your body doesn’t get hot. First of all, I will hand over the materials I have gathered on my own.”
“What data are you talking about?”
“My own information about the gangs who stole the crime perm…. But why? Did I mention that you don’t want to become a human being who only takes things?”