Chapter 293: The Meaning of the Message (3)

“So, you completely turned Palgung Fortress upside down during your vacation?”

Jenny, leaning her chin on the bar, asked with a bewildered expression.

“And those two are the result?”

“Something like that.”

Lennok nodded, subtly averting his gaze.

The dark-haired female spear wielder, and the timid-looking young man.

Oren, who had eliminated Palgung Fortress’s isolationist policies and declared open communication with the outside world, had immediately sent the two of them out as the Fortress’s envoys.

There was no need to mention where these two, with no ties to Vulcan’s underworld, would seek refuge.

“I’m Soo-ryun. It’s a pleasure.”

“Ah, I’m Asi.”

“……”

“Both of them are experts in their respective fields. They’ll be helpful in some way.”

Not only would Soo-ryun’s skills directly bolster the company’s power, but Asi’s shadow magic was also very useful.

In particular, his Domain Projection, a ‘Shadow Veil,’ born from his reluctance to fight, was as efficient as Lennok in blocking or concealing sight.

The reason these two, who would hold considerable power even within the Fortress—now renamed Yukbang Fortress—chose to come outside was simple.

Rather than concentrating on strengthening their military power by staying cooped up inside the Fortress, they decided to actively communicate with the outside world and seek other negotiation methods.

It was clear that after the sudden death of the previous Fortress Head, who was close to level 8, and the self-destruction of the Ilwon and Ibon Families, Yukbang Fortress could hardly compare to the other Triad members in terms of military strength.

This was Oren’s will: rather than struggling to artificially maintain their size, they would quickly accept reality and change.

Despite his somewhat prickly demeanor and stern personality, he possessed the qualities of a good leader.

After Lennok briefly explained their backgrounds and abilities, Jenny’s face finally brightened into a wide smile.

“If they’re from a high-ranking family of the Fortress, then they’re more than welcome. I had given up on opening a distribution network with Palgung Fortress, but having these two will be incredibly helpful.”

“……Is that so?”

Even at Lennok’s unenthusiastic reply, Jenny quickly nodded.

“Of course. The population density within the Fortress is very high compared to its area. They’re all potential customers.”

“……”

“I was just thinking that the growth of our distribution network had entered a stagnation phase recently, but where did you find such wonderful connections… Hehehe.”

Emitting a sly laugh, she floated up from her seat like a ghost and extended a hand to the two of them.

“Welcome to the company, both of you. Let’s work until our bones wear out.”

“Hmm, I never thought I’d be working in such a gloomy basement, but this isn’t so bad. Please take care of me.”

Perhaps it was because she had always yearned for life outside, but Soo-ryun’s face seemed filled with excitement as she said that.

“……”

Jenny looked at Soo-ryun’s face askance, then squeezed Soo-ryun’s hand tightly.

Soo-ryun gazed at Jenny with a bewildered expression, then nodded.

“Why? Oh, is this how people outside shake hands?”

Squeeze!

“Kyaaak!! No, no!! I made a mistake, wait a minute!!”

Jenny’s sharp shriek erupted, and the bar instantly became boisterous.

“Jenny, what are you doing!”

“A broker shouldn’t fail to gain the upper hand against a client!”

“Close up shop and go get some exercise!”

From behind the bar, amidst peals of laughter, Jenny rubbed her hand with a tearful face.

Lennok sighed as he poured a potion onto Jenny’s swollen hand.

He had never imagined she would try to test her grip strength against a Commander Wizard.

“Both of them have only lived inside the Fortress, so there’s a lot they don’t know. It would be best to assign someone to them.”

“Y-yes, you’re right. I thought she was suddenly picking a fight…”

“……”

Could it be that she lost her temper after hearing that her painstakingly decorated bar was gloomy?

Jenny had been a broker for years in this field, but despite her thorough professionalism, she had a hot-headed side.

With a reluctant expression, Jenny nodded, rubbing her hand while typing on her laptop.

“If the Fortress has opened up, we need to significantly increase the frequency and scope of updating our information on them. Until now, we’ve only collected rough information about the Fortress Head and their three closest families, but we’ll have to completely revise our scope of operations.”

She said that and turned her gaze to Soo-ryun and Asi.

“Soo-ryun, I’ll need you to take charge of employee training for now. We’re putting together a special materials transport unit that will operate under Dray’s command, and Manson is helping with their combat training. You can join them.”

“I’m confident in my spear handling. I don’t know what I can do with that lunatic, but… it would be good if I can be of help.”

“Asi, you’re on standby for now. I’m not quite getting a feel for your shadow magic yet. I think we need to compare efficiency by progressively deploying you in low-risk tasks. It looks like you’re about the same age as Weian, so it might be good to pair you two up for a team.”

“M-me, with him?”

Weian, who had just finished training and was wiping sweat with a towel, asked with a reluctant expression.

“The front and back balance perfectly, and if skilled individuals like you operate as a team, the company can handle more tasks.”

“T-that’s true, but… Hmm… He’s someone Van brought, a wizard and a genius… He seems completely opposite to me…”

Was he feeling competitive because Lennok had brought someone his age?

Weian mumbled a small protest but couldn’t argue with Jenny, who was pushing him under the guise of a work directive, and had no choice but to agree.

Lennok chuckled lightly at the sight of Weian, taking Asi with a bitter expression, and Soo-ryun, who began her spear demonstration in the training room in the company building’s basement, introduced by Dray.

“You’re working too fast. Haven’t you finished everything while I was away?”

Jenny’s recent directives and the employees’ subsequent actions would have been impossible without clear distinctions in specialized fields and tasks within the company.

It felt like just yesterday they had announced the start of the material distribution business under their names, but while Lennok was handling various matters outside, the company had steadily grown in size.

Jenny replied casually, typing on her laptop.

“Things took shape thanks to the former special forces members who joined with Dray. Once a baseline power group forms within the company, we get a sense of how much we can expand and maintain our business.”

“I see…”

“Plus, I’m still juggling my broker work, so it’s incredibly efficient to outsource high-risk tasks to freelancers as commissions…”

She said that and turned her head towards Lennok.

“Crucially, our boss keeps building reputation and connections out there on his own.”

“……”

“The diminished status of the Fortress is a big problem for the megacity as a whole, but the fact that you, Van, directly transacted with the Fortress Head is a huge gain for us. We’ll drain as much of their prestige as possible before Yukbang Fortress descends from its Triad position. Hehehe…”

Lennok silently averted his gaze at Jenny, who was typing furiously on her laptop with a sly laugh.

Jordan, who was quietly wiping glasses in the corner of the bar, gave Lennok a faint smile.

After consecutively handling troublesome matters with the Cartel and Palgung Fortress, it felt like many major obstacles in the company’s management had disappeared.

At this rate, the underworld material distribution business run directly by Jenny was unlikely to self-destruct.

“The bids for ownership of the commercial district around here have already closed. Not only will we expand our business, but it won’t be long until we get permission for reconstruction of the company building. Considering how ambiguous the commercial zoning in Sector 49 is, I might be able to boost the floor area ratio with a bit of a bribe…”

Lennok listened to Jenny’s talk about internal company administration for a while longer, then left.

He knew there was no need to interfere since the company’s prospects were bright and its management was stable.

Instead, Lennok barely had enough time just focusing on organizing the knowledge and gains he had acquired from the Fortress.

Even knowing this, he had made time to see Jenny because he understood that securing the future was as important as his own growth.

It wouldn’t be strange if, someday, problems or trials arose that he couldn’t solve alone.

And no one could predict how the arrangements Lennok had sown with Jenny in the megacity’s underworld would grow and provide assistance.

Lennok now understood why powerful individuals like Olivera and Antares, who had already transcended human limits on their own, still built groups and gathered talents.

[Aren’t you going straight home?]

Davi asked, noticing that Lennok’s steps, having left Sector 49, were heading outwards rather than back towards the inner district.

“The experiment I’m about to try is too dangerous to do in the lab I built at home.”

[Toad’s house… I miss home…]

“That’s not your home.”

Stroking Davi’s tail as she mumbled with a glum voice, Lennok immediately continued walking.

The destination was a deserted building on a quiet street.

In the middle of a desolate street where no one ever set foot.

Concrete debris and rebar lay scattered, clearly revealing the unfinished state of its construction.

It was an out-of-the-way place where it wouldn’t be strange for delinquents and thugs to make their hideout, but surprisingly, it was clean and dust-free.

An abandoned street in the 50s sector, continuously maintained under the Cartel’s authorization.

The high-rise building where he had fought Parden McQueen, the renegade monk, using his Domain was not far from here.

After obtaining an executive director position, he had become relatively free in using the Cartel’s commercial areas and territories.

Lennok had no intention of letting the director authority he had acquired go to waste.

“I’ve already given a heads-up to the Cartel headquarters, so probably not many people will be entering this street.”

Adding the Nyx Badge and shadow magic to block surrounding gazes and senses, Lennok created a makeshift training ground for himself.

After setting up simple barriers and security spells to reinforce defenses, and using Davi to neutralize the electromagnetic waves in the area, Lennok once again drew upon his mana.

Davi, who had emerged from Lennok’s embrace, sat on a container and looked down at him.

Focusing instantly, Lennok rapidly began altering the mana array within his body.

Clatter, clatter, clatter!

Lennok’s eyes, cold and steady, watched the flow of mana quickly assemble on his palm.

‘First attempt since leaving the Fortress.’

In that isolated, spacetime-disjointed relic site of the Old World, Lennok had successfully observed a complete cross-section of this world.

This meant he had explicitly understood the concepts of time and space—the two pillars sustaining the world—and visually discerned their operating principles.

It was as good as realizing concrete approaches to two concepts he had only vaguely perceived.

‘Touching time right now is impossible, but my understanding of space is different.’

He had searched for time magic, traced the cult’s remnants, and chased after relic sites, but for now, there had been no further progress beyond acquiring concrete data.

The idea that Lennok, who couldn’t even manipulate his own time at will, could tamper with the world’s time was absurd.

However, it was a different story for the spatial system.

Unlike now, where he couldn’t grasp either personal time or world time, it was different for space.

Personal coordinates, centered on Lennok himself. Central coordinates, centered on the world.

Various space-related artifacts he had acquired so far had painstakingly ingrained these two spatial concepts into Lennok.

Enakphil’s five fingers, an artifact that allowed wasteful spatial movement.

Compassion of the Archangel, a relic that activated spatial translocation limited to matter.

And the Charm of Earth’s Embrace, a ritual tool that designated and bound objects or spaces after consistent warm-up and mana consumption.

The variations and applications of space, which he had seen and felt through item usage but could not directly manipulate.

By diligently remembering and recognizing the experience and sensation of handling these, his vague sense of space had,

Finally, surpassed a threshold through his experience in the Fortress.

“Huu…!!”

Whoosh!

A fierce engine-like roar echoed within Lennok’s body as he bit his lip, sweating coldly.

The mana consumption increased crazily, proportional to the range of space he was manipulating, but Lennok paid it no mind.

What was important was to perceive the concept of space through an intuition beyond the five senses, by burning mana.

Moving slowly within his mind a concrete concept established beyond consciousness, an elusive perception and prediction that couldn’t be simply explained by the word