Chapter 1215: Adamant Thunder Annihilation Campaign (6)

“It’s been quite a while since I last came here.”

Vulcan’s District 30s were areas where facilities requiring large spaces, like amusement parks or ports, were gathered.

Among them, the botanical garden located in District 31 was one of Vulcan’s largest public facilities.

It recreated ecosystems from across the continent, offering many sights and being safe, so many people visited it.

During his freelance days, it was also one of the few places in Vulcan where he could feel human warmth.

The reason Lennok visited the botanical garden today was not to watch people with whom he could not grow close.

“…Move. There’s work to be done.”

Lennok, who had been gazing at the couples and families visiting the botanical garden with an inscrutable expression, turned his steps.

From the day he first visited the botanical garden until now, there had always been only one reason to come here.

Davi spoke, as if reading Lennok’s thoughts.

[Come to think of it, I wasn’t there when Master first visited the botanical garden.]

“Because I had to buy medicine a few days after arriving in Vulcan. That was quite a long time ago.”

Lennok walked among the people, lost in thought.

“Even when I acquired the powerful AI that became your model, I was smoking the tobacco here. Now that I think about it, I can’t believe I smoked something with such severe side effects… Why are you looking at me like that?”

[No. It’s not really an important issue, but.]

Davi wagged her tail in Lennok’s arms.

[Thinking back to when Master named me, I think I understand where that naming sense came from.]

“…I didn’t name you that carelessly.”

Ever since he proposed a new elixir name candidate, her reaction seemed strangely off.

Lennok coughed awkwardly, clearing his throat slightly before answering.

“It’s one thing to combine it with an ability and a Mental Image, like with spellcraft or Domains. But for names, the more intuitive, the better it usually is. And the name Davi isn’t just intuitive; it was given with many different meanings.”

[It’s not that I dislike the name Master gave me.]

Davi rubbed her head against him, then tilted her head as if remembering something.

[Well, as long as Master doesn’t change my name to something like King Davi later… Huh?]

“Davi?”

[Now that I think about it, that actually sounds kind of cool, like a nickname?]

“…”

Listening to the unpredictable Cybernetic Spirit’s thoughts, he walked through the palm trees, cutting through the crowd.

Even on streets full of people, Lennok walked as smoothly as a ghost, never bumping into anyone.

“Huh? That person…”

“Wait, I feel like I’ve seen them somewhere before…”

People unrelated to him occasionally looked back, as if feeling a sense of déjà vu from Lennok.

But before their gaze could land, Lennok’s figure had vanished far away.

Swish!!

A souvenir shop located inside the botanical garden.

He naturally bought a leaf-shaped ornament and headed for the back door.

Opening the side door he had used countless times, he bypassed the endless stairs with Flicker.

The moment he arrived in front of a vast basement, thickly covered in purple mist.

Lennok immediately opened his Mystic Eye and drew up his mana.

Whoosh!!!!

“…”

The thick purple smoke obscuring his vision.

When he first came here, Lennok knew nothing about this purple smoke.

Only as time passed, as he improved his magical achievements and developed his skills and insight, did he understand that this was no ordinary mist.

And only now, after a long time, could Lennok precisely identify what it was.

This purple smoke, swirling around the orchard, strangely familiar to Lennok—

“Oh, dear, dear.”

Before he could draw a conclusion, someone slowly emerged from beyond the mist.

Thousands of wooden drawers filled one side of the wall. In front of them, an ill-tempered old man sat at a counter.

Leaning against the counter with a pipe in his mouth, his face looked a little worse than before.

The old man grinned, revealing his yellowed teeth.

“Well, well, who do we have here? I’m not seeing things, am I?”

“…”

“I didn’t expect the great Grand Mage to grace my orchard with his presence again.”

The owner of the orchard located in District 31, Plumber.

The apothecary Lennok had visited dozens of times to buy doping agents and stimulants during his freelance days.

The orchard he hadn’t visited for several years, ever since he became able to craft custom tobacco.

“I wasn’t planning on doing business today, but if it’s you, that’s a different story.”

The old man slowly raised a hand towards Lennok.

“Come in. It’s been a long time since I last saw your face, so let’s talk up close.”

“Plumber.”

Lennok called his name.

“It’s been a while.”

“…”

The old man, who had been turning away from the counter, suddenly froze.

Slowly turning back, the old man chewed on his pipe, looking up at Lennok.

“You, on the other hand, haven’t changed a bit since I first saw you. To an irritating degree, even.”

How many people in this world could tell Lennok he hadn’t changed?

But Lennok knew what memory the old man was recalling as he spoke those words.

The memory of when he first started working as a freelancer, visiting the orchard on Jenny’s recommendation, and buying doping tobacco for the first time.

The bitter memory of spending almost all the bounty he had just earned to buy a few sticks of tobacco was still vividly clear.

Even though countless things had happened, and he had experienced many more important events that couldn’t even be compared.

Why was the memory of that day, spent breathing dust and staying up all night in Vulcan’s back alleys, so vivid?

Because the memory of when he first opened his eyes in this world was so painful, yet so precious, Lennok was still here.

The old man knew that Lennok still stood here, harboring the same feelings he had back then.

“You, on the other hand, have changed a bit.”

Lennok said, looking down at the old man’s wrinkled face across the counter.

“You look more… worn out than before.”

“Once you reach this age, every day is different. It’s not something you need to concern yourself with.”

The old man waved his hand, then squinted at Lennok.

“Rather, what’s strange is you. Even more so now that you’ve become a Grand Mage.”

“…”

“And that ridiculous formal speech, which sounds like you have no respect for the other person, is exactly the same as before.”

Instead of answering, Lennok gazed silently at the old man leaning against the counter.

The old man, who shrugged at the emotionless gaze, exhaled smoke from his pipe and asked.

“You didn’t come here just to exchange pointless sentiments, did you? Why are you here?”

“My purpose in visiting the orchard is no different now than it was before.”

Lennok replied.

“I came to buy something.”

“Ha, medicine…”

The old man chuckled.

“Unexpected. From the moment you stopped coming here, I thought you no longer needed the orchard’s medicine.”

“…”

“I thought either you had learned to make your own medicine, or your health had deteriorated so much that medicine was useless. Was neither true?”

“Neither is entirely wrong, but.”

When he was a freelancer, he bought and used the orchard’s medicine as often as once every three days.

His visits to the orchard stopped when he mastered alchemy and could make his own medicine, so it wasn’t that long ago.

He could only stop relying on the orchard after he became able to artificially adjust and customize the abilities and side effects he needed for himself.

Not relying on others’ medicines in the long term was absolutely necessary for Lennok, and it wasn’t difficult to achieve results proportional to the time he steadily invested.

“It would be faster to show you than to explain.”

Lennok reached into his pocket and soon pulled out an unlit stick of tobacco.

Approaching the counter, Lennok slowly pushed it through the window, then looked at the old man.

“…Hmm.”

The old man, who had been staring at the tobacco, soon recognized it as the same product Lennok smoked and nodded.

The old man slowly picked up the tobacco, then tapped the filter and body with his wrinkled hand.

“C-type. Anti-balancer. Combustion blend with mana absorption… A product that burns for 10 minutes and provides 45 minutes of effect, I see.”

“…”

“It wouldn’t be difficult to extend the duration, but it seems some compromises were made to maximize the potency.”

He sniffed the filter once, then with a practiced hand, lit it and put it in his mouth.

He inhaled the smoke once, then exhaled it, and the second time, as he drew it deep into his lungs.

The old man’s subtly furrowed expression instantly softened.

“Epinephrine regulator. A small amount of central nervous system stimulant. Caldion anesthetic and Stania stabilizer, mixed in beta proportion, then distilled and steeped in Mitaka tree leaves.”

“…”

“The leaves were finely ground, mixed with various catalysts including ‘amplification stones’, then preserved for three days. Sealed again for a week, then rolled into a filter and enchanted with spellcraft…”

“How is it?”

“Perfect.”

The old man, smoking his tobacco, exhaled smoke and said with satisfaction.

“Among the custom products I’ve tasted, few have been this excellent. The aroma, aftertaste, even the sensation and kick – all flawless.”

“…”

“The dedication put into each process is immense, but what’s astounding is that every process yields more than expected… How can so many drugs and catalysts be combined while maintaining an optimal ratio?”

The old man smoked the tobacco down to the filter, exhaled all remaining smoke, then glanced up.

“You’ve created something that can temporarily invigorate even a dying person, yet its side effects are on par with a cheap cigarette. It could be prescribed as medicine in a large hospital right now.”

“…”

“This is a talent that most ‘pharmacists’ couldn’t even hold a candle to. With skills like this, it makes sense you haven’t set foot in the orchard for a while.”

Plumber’s Orchard was an apothecary that boasted an unusually large and vast scale even in Vulcan’s underworld.

It was natural that Plumber himself, who managed the orchard, was an equally skilled pharmacist and drug dealer.

Therefore, Lennok had anticipated that simply showing what he had made would allow Plumber to gauge his skill, but the old man’s discernment exceeded his expectations.

“It’s impressive enough that you can make something like this on your own, but all the medicines and catalysts used here are rare, premium products, hard to acquire anywhere.”

The old man glanced back at Lennok.

“If you can procure such ingredients on your own, why have you come to my orchard? Surely you’re not here to show off your skills to an old man like me?”

“The item I seek has effects precisely opposite to the one I just showed you.”

Lennok answered calmly.

“I’ve made many different medicines, but all the products I’ve created so far have had a specific purpose. To start manufacturing a different kind of medicine now would inevitably take time.”

“…”

All the tobacco and doping agents Lennok had made until now were focused on supporting his inferior physical abilities.

Efforts to bolster a body that struggled even to run without medicine, while minimizing the accompanying side effects.

After countless hours of research, Lennok had achieved satisfactory results, but they were solely focused on physical support and side-effect reduction.

To create a product with different medicinal effects, he would essentially have to research and establish the manufacturing process from scratch.

If he had enough time, it wouldn’t be impossible, but with the subjugation operation imminent, he didn’t have that luxury.

If he found what he needed at the orchard, that would be good; if not, there was nothing to be done.

However, Lennok was already certain that Plumber possessed what he sought.

“An item with effects completely opposite to this tobacco you showed me… I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

The old man frowned, propped his chin, and muttered.

“This tobacco provides physical enhancement and side-effect suppression at an extremely high level. If you want the opposite, are you looking for a drug that enhances the mind?”

“That’s right.”

Lennok nodded.

“And if it’s something with very strong side effects, all the better.”

“…A substance that artificially amplifies the mind, with very strong side effects.”

The old man looked at Lennok with a gruff expression.

“You can find plenty of those among cheap drugs. Defective products that are highly addictive, cause severe after-effects, and turn a person into a wreck immediately upon consumption.”

“…”

“But a wizard like you wouldn’t come all this way for something like that.”

The old man said, baring his yellowish teeth.

“Don’t beat around the bush; tell me straight. What do you want?”

“I want something powerful enough to artificially separate consciousness.”

Lennok replied.

“I don’t care how strong the side effects are; it needs to be something that can forcibly ‘isolate’ my consciousness immediately upon consumption.”

“Hey, are you messing with me?”

The old man said, annoyed.

“There’s no such drug that can isolate an 8th-level Grand Mage’s consciousness. If such a drug were commonly available, it would have been deployed in chemical warfare specifically for Grand Mages long ago.”

“…”

“Even powerful hallucinogens wouldn’t affect a top-tier wizard like you at all, yet you’re asking for a drug that separates the consciousness of a living Transcendent? You’re looking for something strange.”

The order and rules of magic are powers that depend on the wizard’s own will and preconceptions.

That is why most wizards who have reached a high level possess both a mighty ego and consciousness.

Many high-level wizards have unstable or mad minds precisely because their ego and consciousness have become so overgrown that they can no longer handle them.

Interfering with or separating such a high-level wizard’s consciousness with just a few drugs is virtually impossible.

The old man, who instantly reverted to his gruff demeanor, waved his hand dismissively.

“My orchard doesn’t deal in such things, so be on your way. You’ve wasted my time for nothing.”

“…”

“I only answered because of the sincerity you showed today. If anyone else had asked such an absurd question, I would have thrown them out immediately.”

“I didn’t come to the orchard to buy ‘medicine’.”

Lennok replied with a calm expression.

“From the beginning, I knew this orchard had what I wanted.”

“What in the…”

The old man’s gruff reply abruptly stopped.

Because he realized Lennok’s calm gaze, now lifted, was directed at the thick purple mist surrounding the orchard.

This mist, which had never changed its form or color from Lennok’s first visit to the orchard until now.

He was now certain of the mist’s identity, something he couldn’t even guess at before.

“I’ve seen a similar scent and color in the Central Front.”

Lennok said.

“The sanctuary of a fallen Ascendant. In the orchard of knowledge, cultivated with Spell-Word Stones as trees… there were fruits.”

“…”

The purple-stained Demonic Realm of language located on the outskirts of the Central Front.

Cursed fruits growing on the Tree of Wisdom, nourished by humans.

Lennok remembered the scent of corruption emanating from those fruits.

Jinwa’s Paradise Lost, which he had peered into using the Fifth Lighthouse. The tree and fruits he encountered there.

Lennok realized that this purple mist emanating from Plumber’s Orchard was identical to the scent from Jinwa’s Paradise Lost.

“…You.”

The old man, Plumber, asked with a stiff, rigid face.

“Surely, you haven’t been to her Paradise Lost, have you?”

“I’ve known for a long time that you aren’t just an ordinary apothecary.”

Slowly, Lennok walked around the counter and stopped in front of the old man.

“I also thought that using the name ‘orchard’ wasn’t a coincidence.”

“…”

“I knew Jutiya Heiberk visited you when she had the time, and I didn’t think there was any reason to be concerned… but now the situation has changed.”

Lennok said, looking down at the old man’s stiff face with a cold gaze.

“Plumber. I will be taking a portion of Jinwa’s Fruit, that piece of corruption you possess.”

“…That’s foolish, Adamant Thunder.”

The old man stammered in a terrifyingly rigid tone.

“This isn’t something I possess by choice. It’s a tribute I received from her, a mere part of a curse.”

“…”

“Even a Grand Mage couldn’t endure the Dead Thoughts of a fallen Ascendant with a clear mind. This isn’t something that can be used with a specific purpose or intention–”

“That’s precisely why I need that fruit.”

Lennok smiled.

“If it’s not that powerful, it wouldn’t be possible to forcibly drive a being with consciousness like mine into a rampage.”

“…What in the world are you planning to do?”

Instead of answering the question, Lennok looked up at the basement, thick with purple mist.

Wooosh…!!

Behind the counter, in the deepest core where thousands of wooden shelves stood.

Only after looking through his Mystic Eye could Lennok properly see the scene beyond.

The epicenter from which the thick purple mist spread, engulfing the entire orchard.

As Lennok ‘mentioned’ and ‘perceived’ it, the purple fruit appeared from the center of the wooden shelves.

As he walked past the counter, the fruit’s aura grew stronger.

The fact that he had a personal acquaintance with Jutiya Heiberk. The fact that he was keeping Jinwa’s Fruit from Paradise Lost.

The fact that he maintained his sanity, surrounded by the purple mist flowing from that fruit in his orchard.

All might be proof that he was once a being comparable to nobility or an Ascendant.

But the reason Lennok only now pointed this out, revealing the truth, was—

“I have no intention of changing a direction already set, with war looming.”

Lennok, standing before the old, antique shelf where Jinwa’s Fruit rested, raised his gaze.

As if piercing through the thick ground beyond, and looking out far past the megacity, Lennok muttered.

“However, if I’m going to start, I intend to go all the way with a single attempt.”