Chapter 298: City Councilman (3)

“I’ll give you ten days. There are two conditions I desire.”

Thump-thump-thump!!

The mobile fortress’s steps were infinitely slow, yet incredibly powerful.

The mere fact that such a massive fortress, built to sustain an entire battlefront, possessed mobility was truly surreal.

“The transfer of the City Council’s authority to manage the city budget, and the ownership of the 13th area designated as a restricted zone. If you do not accept these two conditions, I will take the lives of Vulcan’s citizens as payment.”

Wiiiiiiing!!

At that moment, the camera screen abruptly shifted, instantly changing to a dizzyingly high-altitude view.

The cityscape of the mega-city, seen from an impossibly high altitude.

Sharing the perspective from far above human sight, the old man’s final words continued.

“If our dedication goes unrewarded, then we will have no choice but to undo its fruits.”

Click!

With those words, the video cut off, and a deathly silence descended upon the conference room.

“He’s insane…”

Someone’s low mumble represented the feelings of everyone who had just watched the video.

To say that if their demands weren’t met, they would take the lives of Vulcan’s citizens as payment—could such words truly come from the mouth of the Defense Force Command?

It was a radical negotiation and set of demands, more akin to a terrorist than a soldier.

Even though the Defense Force had consistently been neglected, with their budget and personnel steadily reduced, taking civilian lives hostage and staging a rebellion was a response far beyond common sense.

“He is.”

Meyer echoed the sentiment.

“The special operations response team assembled by the city government interprets this statement as an indiscriminate bombardment targeting the 30-series districts.”

“……”

“The residential areas where most of Vulcan’s citizens reside. The variable roads, which are the city’s largest and most robust distribution network, were built to accommodate that population. If even a part of it collapses, city traffic and material distribution will immediately fall into chaos.”

Those present, understanding the implications of his words, fell silent.

The Defense Force was truly proceeding with all of this, intending to stage a coup against the mega-city.

Meyer surveyed the silent faces and picked up the microphone again.

“Those gathered here today are individuals who have built their reputation and standing by working with considerable trust and assurance, even in the lawless outer districts.”

“……”

Meyer, having flattered the people assembled, continued.

“Isn’t it precisely because you possess sufficient ability and credibility, and have established your own domains within this city, all while not being bound by the Prohibition Edict, that you came here, knowing it was a summons from a City Councilman?”

He skillfully spoke, sweeping his gaze across the room, emphasizing his words.

“Once is enough. Just promise one act of cooperation under government authorization.”

Lennok subtly shifted his gaze, assessing the atmosphere in the room.

Criminals, freelancers, gang members. Business owners, brokers, mercenaries… The identities and affiliations of those gathered here were diverse, yet no one expressed antipathy towards Meyer’s words.

That was probably because Meyer had thoroughly filtered out rebellious individuals from the start when selecting whom to summon.

All preparations to dominate the meeting room’s atmosphere were complete from the beginning.

All that remained was to ride the flowing tide of the atmosphere and promise them compensation and trust.

Almost simultaneously with Lennok’s thought, Meyer drove the point home, instilling confidence in them.

“Then, I pledge my councilman position that all who participate in this will receive appropriate compensation and privileges.”

“Is this enough?”

“What do you mean?”

Meyer finished what he had to say, then left the room, offering them time to think.

Those who knew each other quietly exchanged opinions, while those who came alone sank into thought.

Panua whispered to Lennok, who was gazing out the conference room window at the distant streetscape.

“The proposal is too vague to make a decision like this. The councilman has shown too few of his cards.”

“……”

Panua stroked his chin and mumbled.

“Still, since he came with the City Council’s authorization, I thought he’d bring something more enticing.”

“What are you going to do?”

“We intend to cooperate regardless of the proposal.”

Panua replied immediately.

“Since we’re already involved in the industrial machinery business on the legitimate side, it’s difficult to refuse the City Council’s request. Even if we take a loss, we need to maintain a good long-term relationship.”

“……”

“If we succeed in preventing the Defense Force’s coup, a significant portion of the mega-city’s military industrial shares will come to us. The expected profit from that alone is considerable.”

“So, no matter how the situation unfolds, it’s a benefit for your company…”

Lennok also did not wish for the Defense Force’s mobile fortress to devastate the city’s outskirts.

Jenny’s current material distribution business primarily utilized underworld distribution networks.

If the mobile fortress abandoned its mission and advanced into the city, it was only natural that business would be disrupted, whether they liked it or not.

However, Lennok also had no intention of dealing with a matter directly related to the city’s safety at a cheap price.

Everyone gathered here, despite understanding the necessity of this task, likely harbored doubts on that point.

Just how much would the City Council be willing to pay the lawless individuals of the underworld?

This was a more important issue than it seemed, as it could even set a precedent or standard for future work with councilmen.

Because in this business, changing an established price usually required a commensurate amount of blood or money.

At that moment, a bronze-skinned giant walked up to Lennok and tapped the table.

A man with striking winding tattoos across his bald head.

He looked down at Lennok and spoke in a deep voice.

“You’re Adamant Thunder, right? Can we talk for a moment?”

“……Sure.”

No sooner had Lennok finished speaking than the man pulled up a chair opposite him and sat down.

“I’m Donovan Whyte. I run a small hardware store in District 46.”

“A hardware store, you say.”

He was overly modest for the owner of the largest and most robust armory in the underworld.

The man continued, disregarding Lennok’s reaction.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. They say you’re one of the most capable freelancers in this business.”

“……”

“An Archmage who has reached Level 7… You killed the Cartel’s heretic monk and gained the position of an outside director. You’re undoubtedly the most powerful person here.”

“What do you want?”

Lennok stared intently at the no-smoking sign visible behind the man’s back as he asked.

The man, slightly surprised by Lennok’s intense gaze, turned around and spoke with a puzzled expression.

“……I really want you to participate in this operation.”

“……”

“For a man like you, the outcome of this matter will have no impact, but for us, it’s different. If the conflict between the Defense Force and the City Council escalates, our businesses will be disrupted in many ways. It’s hard for operators like us to endure such losses.”

Upon hearing that, Lennok raised his gaze and looked around.

In the now quiet conference room, everyone had turned their heads towards them.

While Panua cleared his throat awkwardly, the man continued.

“I’m willing to hand over all the compensation I’m set to receive. If that’s not enough, I’ll gather additional funds to contribute. Many people share my thoughts. If we pool together, it’ll be a significant sum.”

“It seems you’ve already broadly agreed.”

“Most of them are businessmen similar to me. We also work as freelancers to survive in this business, but we also know that in situations like this, one reliable individual is better than an ambiguous majority.”

“……”

Lennok finally realized the source of the awkwardness he felt from the man’s proposal.

Those gathered here, summoned by Meyer, were relatively clear in their past actions and had clean business dealings—operators or freelancers.

Unlike the madmen, outlaws, or irrational criminals Lennok had met so far, these were people capable of rational thought.

Unlike those who would pick fights at the drop of a hat and offer a pistol before a handshake, the man’s proposal was extremely rational and grounded in concrete reasons.

“Hmm…”

“Even at a minimum, it will take well over half a year for all the Prohibition Edicts to be lifted.”

The man continued, as if knowing Lennok’s concerns.

There was a reason why capable individuals in the legitimate world accepted the inconvenient restrictions of the Prohibition Edict and were treated as authorized professionals.

The budget the city government poured into winning over high-level mana users was enormous.

Powerhouses above Level 7, who were key targets of the Prohibition Edict, received treatment akin to nobles.

Priority access to all city facilities and confidential information, immense monthly support funds, residency benefits in central districts, and priority access to various entertainment—these were all things difficult to give up.

Unless there was a compelling reason to abandon the immense privileges granted by the city government, or if they had already seized comparable standing in the underworld, the inconvenience of the Prohibition Edict wasn’t even felt.

The only thing those who accepted the Prohibition Edict had to observe was to not cause physical damage to the city government’s property.

However, the leash placed on these high-level abilities was now, at this very moment, becoming a hindrance.

“To unilaterally ignore the Prohibition Edict, the entire city would have to declare martial law, equivalent to a state of war. The economic losses to be endured in that process would be enormous. The City Council doesn’t want to suffer such losses, which is why they called us to handle this.”

“You know a great deal about the Prohibition Edict.”

Lennok’s eyes gleamed sharply.

“Did you perhaps work for them?”

“……”

Donovan and Lennok’s gazes swiftly intersected.

Lennok realized Donovan’s true nature at that moment and nodded.

‘He was a plant, then.’

Meyer hadn’t just finished his speech and left without any plan.

He had enlisted Donovan beforehand, presenting a counter-proposal to Lennok to sway the judgment of the others in the room.

They would concentrate the compensation for participating in this task on Lennok, while the others would work for relatively less pay.

The process of making this acceptable was Donovan’s audacious proposal, and through it, he made them realize how serious and urgent the situation was.

Perhaps it was even calculated that Lennok would figure out Donovan’s true identity during this process.

‘Still as cunning as ever. Should I accept the conditions?’

Meyer never intended to use Lennok cheaply from the start.

Instead, he was working behind the scenes to funnel the city government’s limited budget to Lennok, while getting others to work for free.

Before the suddenly cut-off conversation could make the atmosphere awkward, Donovan quickly wrapped up the discussion.

“……With Divine Bow absent, you are likely the only strong individual we can trust with such a task. I ask for your help. I’m ready to entrust my stake to you.”

In the end, it wasn’t wrong.

It wasn’t that there were no individuals in this vast city who had completed their Hierarchy, but most of them were tied to specific interest groups or bound by the Prohibition Edict.

Lennok was almost unique in his activity as a freelancer without any specific affiliation or power up to this point.

And Lennok’s special status made this situation and the proposal itself understandable.

Those quietly observing the process began to nod, one by one.

“He’s not wrong. If the Defense Force really launches a full-scale war on the city, there won’t be any money or even work left.”

“Large organizations like the Cartel or Palgung Fortress are preoccupied with internal affairs right now… If things continue like this, only we will suffer losses.”

“Alright… If you, Adamant Thunder, participate, I’ll also give up some of my share.”

How far did Meyer’s influence reach?

As a few broke the silence and expressed their intent, others quickly began to nod as well.

Just as everyone gathered in the conference room was about to collectively express their agreement to Lennok.

“I find that proposal difficult to agree with.”

A chilling female voice echoed from the corner of the conference room.

“……”

A haughty tone mixed with intense magic.

At that resolute will, everyone in the room turned their heads simultaneously.

To infuse such will into a voice implied a formidable practitioner. Moreover, a vivid premonition that could only arise from resolving to fight immediately.

A woman dressed in a pristine white suit, with hair that held an unusual reflective sheen, was striking.

Leaning back in her chair, arms crossed, she spoke again without even looking their way.