Chapter 574: Power Play (1)

Lennok’s private residence, basement laboratory.

With only a small stand lamp lit, Lennok moved his pen.

The complex blueprint spread across the workbench meticulously analyzed and replicated the form of a pocket watch down to its most precise details.

“Internal lubricants from Taylor Workshop, gears from Jenkins Foundry, hands and dial markings from Hollinger Mold Company….”

With a haggard face, Lennok rolled his pen for a long time, noting the origins of the parts, then sighed and leaned his head back.

“Every single one is either a discontinued product or from a company that no longer exists.”

The old pocket watch Kaiser had left Jenny as his last gift.

Unlike Lennok’s, Jenny’s watch had no special abilities, but was it merely a coincidence that another identical item remained?

“Given this situation, Jenny might have more secrets she doesn’t even know about.”

Could that also explain her unusually rapid mastery of the Ouroboros magic system’s fundamentals?

If Kaiser’s bloodline was traditionally born with a similar Talent’s Bane, then it wouldn’t be strange for his granddaughter, Jenny, to be affected similarly.

The only question was, how much did Kaiser know about this fact right before he died?

“…”

Lennok couldn’t know what Kaiser was thinking when he left this watch to Jenny.

However, it was true that Lennok, who had known nothing about the pocket watch’s origins, had suddenly been given a clue.

That’s why Lennok had asked Jenny for permission, disassembled the pocket watch on the spot, and recorded every component down to its most precise details.

[I tried searching with 500 different keywords, but official activities for most of the parts’ manufacturers ceased decades ago.]

Davi, lying on the workbench, licked his front paws and said.

[It’s possible too much time has passed since the organism Kaiser acquired the watch.]

“He didn’t acquire the pocket watch. If anything, it makes it clearer now.”

Lennok tapped Kaiser Bajour’s watch, which lay beside him, and said.

“Kaiser bought the parts from different manufacturers and assembled the watch himself from the beginning.”

The pocket watch was custom-assembled from parts acquired from various manufacturers from the start.

However, the artifact Lennok obtained looked identical to the real pocket watch, but its lack of manufacturer information made its origin impossible to guess.

This probably happened because it was materialized within Kaiser’s Mind Imprint and left to Lennok at the very last moment.

Although Lennok had unexpectedly learned about the pocket watch’s parts through Jenny, the problem was that many components, including the battery, were no longer produced.

“The company that manufactured the battery for this pocket watch was Ultrus Workshop in the Machine City, Machina…”

Lennok tapped his pen and shook his head.

“A company that went bankrupt and closed its doors 28 years ago.”

[At that rate, there’s practically nothing left, is there?]

Lennok’s thoughts were not much different from Davi’s.

Holding the pocket watch, Lennok leaned back in his chair and nodded.

“Why did he make the watch in such a complex way?… Was it an attempt to understand the concept of time in more detail?”

[Perhaps it was just a personal hobby. Humans like assembling things, don’t they?]

Davi said, audaciously snorting.

[I really can’t sympathize with the bizarre hobbies of organisms.]

“…”

That wasn’t advice one would expect from a mischievous Cybernetic Spirit causing trouble in the community.

Lennok grabbed the little fox’s ears and squeezed them, then fell back into thought.

[Squeal!]

As he kneaded Davi, who squirmed wildly in his hands, Lennok mumbled.

“To customize it by collecting parts from various manufacturers is proof of attachment. It must have been a special item to Kaiser himself.”

That was certainly true, given that Kaiser’s legacy, left behind after his past self vanished, existed in the form of a pocket watch.

Perhaps, up until that point, it had been an item of particular significance to Kaiser himself.

And what was the meaning of leaving such an item as a gift during his encounter with Jenny?

“What happened in the Sealed Zone was completely unpredictable. Even the real Kaiser himself would have had a low probability of foreseeing that and leaving behind such an arrangement.”

[Do you think it was just Kaiser’s whim?]

“Whim? Rather than a whim… wouldn’t it be a decision?”

That he left behind an item imbued with his own heart.

Wasn’t that evidence of a colossal change of heart in Kaiser’s future self?

Perhaps, as Kaiser himself said, the Kaiser who reached the brink of death after the project failed might have been a completely different person from before.

That was all Lennok could infer for now.

“Whew…”

[Where are you going?]

“Both Kaiser’s research journal and the pocket watch’s parts all point to the Machine City.”

Lennok rubbed his eyes, turned on a screen in the corner of the lab, and inserted a data chip into the computer.

“I received information from Jenny about the current status of the Machine City, Machina. I should check it before I sleep. A brief summary, please.”

He had originally intended to hear about Machina directly from Jenny, but he had spent a considerable amount of time inspecting the other pocket watch and meticulously disassembling and recording its parts.

[Heeheehee, no problem at all!]

Davi, looking somewhat excited, leaped onto the lab projector and wiggled his tail.

[That seaweed-haired organism is quite logical at organizing data. Well, not as good as my logic circuits, but it’s tolerable.]

“…You should never say that in front of Jenny.”

Though she doesn’t show it, he knows she’s subtly self-conscious about her curly hair.

If someone were to point out both Jenny’s hair and her work ability at the same time, even a seasoned broker would find it hard to maintain their composure.

[But if I enlist the help of the community… Ow-ow-ow!]

While Lennok vigorously squeezed the messenger’s cheeks for spouting nonsense, the data finished loading, and information about the Machine City, Machina, began to appear.

Wooong!!

The colossal gears hovering over the hazy sky.

And below them, the gleaming city of machines and metal.

[The Machine City, Machina.]

Davi hopped onto Lennok’s head and said.

[A pioneer in mechanization. A trailblazer in magic engineering. The birthplace of automated industry. It’s called a paradise for artisans and a holy land for workshops.]

The first city to integrate almost all its functions into a network system, yet uniquely, each district of the city still retains its autonomy.

Contrary to the inorganic image evoked by the name “Machine City,” it is also at the pinnacle of bio-engineering applied to humans.

[Like a megacity, it operates by dividing its regions into districts with barriers, but what’s peculiar is that it completely resets the purpose, width, and location of these districts and barriers at regular intervals.]

“Meaning the districts themselves are fluid.”

[Whenever new industries or companies emerge and disappear, they pursue efficiency, often causing the city’s size to fluctuate wildly, so it’s easy to get lost without a navigation AI.]

Davi continued.

[The problem is that even residents of the Machine City can’t move freely without a bio-code called a Ticket.]

Because the city’s districts constantly change and are separated by barriers, even if one manages to infiltrate the city’s outskirts, they’ll be stuck without a Ticket.

Moreover, elite forces known as Enforcers actively weed out such unauthorized intruders.

[After the failure of the Ascension Gate project, the city itself became incredibly insular, making it practically impossible for most outsiders to easily enter or exit the Machine City.]

That probably meant the aftermath of the Ascension Gate’s failure left severe scars on the Machine City.

Didn’t Maiya Lonsdale, once called the Machine City’s top Enforcer, continue to dwell on that incident even while working with Pandemonium?

It seemed clear that the failure originating from that city had caused them immense pain.

Lennok, who had quickly scanned the files Jenny provided with Davi’s help, quietly stroked his chin.

“Looking at it this way, there are quite a few similarities with Vulcan’s administrative system… Did they take it as a motif when designing the city?”

[If you look at related papers, there are quite a few conjectures that they adopted the general framework for order, and gave up complete control to scale up Vulcan.]

Davi replied.

[Whoever designed the megacity, they probably had similar experiences multiple times, didn’t they?]

“…”

Similar experiences.

Lennok knew that the concept of experience wasn’t necessarily limited to this world alone.

“Anyway, to operate legally in Machina, I need a bio-code called a Ticket, then.”

After getting some rest, should he start looking for it?

Thinking so, Lennok turned to switch the other systems in his lab to automatic mode.

“It seems the Iron-Plated Wings will be repaired surprisingly quickly if I just replace the necessary parts and internal circuits…”

Since the wings themselves functioned as an artifact that assisted spatial abilities, they might be even more useful than he thought.

Lennok watched Gileon’s wings being restored by automated equipment in a laboratory section, then turned off the light, went up to his second-floor bedroom in the mansion, and lay down.

There had been too many difficult tasks, and almost no time to rest.

A brief respite after dealing with everything that needed to be handled as soon as the situation ended.

Lennok had no intention of wasting this time.

“I’m going to sleep for the next three days, so handle all external calls yourself.”

[Master, even healthy humans will get bedsores if they sleep that long!]

There was no answer to Davi’s grumbling.

Lennok’s breathing gradually became shallower, as if his consciousness was fading, and then quickly fell silent.

The habit from his factory days, when he had to learn to sleep without making a sound.

Davi was about to say more to Lennok but then quietly closed his mouth when he saw the deep dark circles under his eyes.

Instead, he coiled up beside Lennok’s pillow and carefully rested his head.

The dark night passed, and dawn broke, bringing morning light.

For a long time, only quiet silence filled the bedroom where the wizard and the spirit slept.

“Truly pathetic.”

Murphy adjusted his glasses and retorted.

The vampire doctor’s cold gaze openly displayed his undisguised contempt for Lennok.

“Your health management is truly pathetic.”

“…Is there a reason to emphasize it twice?”

“I suppose I’ll have to completely revise my preconceptions about high-ranking wizards.”

Murphy said, his hands rather roughly and incessantly typing on the keyboard.

“Among all the wizards I’ve met, you’re the first one so unconcerned with your own health. How can your condition be worse than when you first came to me?”

“…”

Well, that was probably because his condition was at its peak after taking the Archangel’s Tear.

Consecutive battles against monsters in past timelines. Alkaid’s machinations faced with Kaiser.

From deploying his Domain to manifest his Mind Imprint and rewinding the spacetime dissociation phenomenon in the Sealed Zone to annihilate it.

None of it was easy, and he had pushed himself, relying on the power of the medicine.

Although Lennok’s face was slightly shiny from three days of good rest, it was only natural that he would suffer from injuries and mana overload after-effects.

Murphy stopped looking at Lennok, typed on the keyboard, printed out a diagnosis, and handed it to him.

“Take the medications listed there three times a day, within 30 minutes after meals. If you miss even one dose, the effect will drop by half or more, so manage it yourself.”

“What if I don’t eat three meals a day?”

“…”

Lennok received an inexpressible look from the vampire doctor in lieu of an answer and, without asking further, obediently rose from his seat.

He had come for a regular check-up on the life-support device he used as a cane, but instead, he left with several diagnosis sheets.

Lennok purchased the prescribed medications from a nearby unlicensed pharmacy, paying a premium, and walked away, carrying the bag of medicine.

“You’ve finally arrived, Van. I’ve been waiting.”

At the Cartel’s headquarters, the Triad of the Underworld.

Virgil greeted him warmly in the 1st President’s office on the top floor.

After having coffee brought by his staff, Virgil sat across from Lennok on the office sofa and asked, puzzled, looking at the bag Lennok had set down.

“Why did you buy so much medicine?”

“The doctor told me to take it.”

“…”

Understanding the implication, Virgil’s face subtly turned serious.

He subtly gestured towards the male and female secretaries busily moving around, setting up snacks and chairs for a meeting.

“They heard, will that be alright?”

“Hmm.”

“I can make sure they keep quiet, if needed.”

There was no need to specify how the Cartel’s president would silence his secretaries.

At his words, the secretaries’ faces turned pale, but no one dared to show it or scream and flee.

Only the tips of their fingers trembled faintly as they set down the coffee cups.

Lennok watched them, then expressionlessly shook his head.

“No, it doesn’t matter.”

Virgil stared at Lennok’s face, then chuckled and leaned back on the sofa.

“Right. So, you don’t care if rumors spread now?”

Simultaneously, the chilling atmosphere in the president’s office seemed to ease.

“Hmph, whew…”

Amidst that, sighs of relief escaped from the secretaries.

“I’m not interested in that. Let’s get to the point. Did you get the Sealed Zone information from Jenny?”

“Yes. I confirmed it thoroughly.”

Virgil said, grinning.

“The timing was a bit tight, but we managed to acquire some of the necessary bonds before the quarantine was lifted.”

Jenny, assuming that her company alone would bear all the burden if they monopolized the information, allowed the Cartel to get involved in the Sealed Zone matter, sharing some information and allowing them to profit.

Given the relatively vast area of District 25, Jenny and the Cartel wouldn’t be able to monopolize the entire district.

Nevertheless, it meant the Cartel had also succeeded in securing a decent profit.

“I understand your intention was to share the responsibility, but thanks to you, we also benefited, so we’ll certainly compensate you handsomely later. Do you have any specific payment in mind?”

“Where is Olivera now?”

“She’s been in the lab since returning from the dam. She said not to look for her until anti-gravity technology-equipped airships can be mass-produced.”

“…”

“She seems quite interested in the anti-gravity technology recently presented at the conference. The headquarters will soon be producing airships using commercialized anti-gravity engines. Evan Vylun, you know about him, right?”

“To some extent.”

“If you know anything about Assistant Professor Vylun… No, never mind. I spoke unnecessarily.”

Virgil shook his hand with a wry smile.

“Even if he has prodigious talent in magic, his field is too different. I just wondered because Evan Vylun himself has been so out of touch.”

Was Olivera also recognizing the value of anti-gravity technology and taking an interest?

Indeed, no one in this city wouldn’t be interested in the news of the Skyway opening.

While thinking that and drinking his coffee, Virgil placed a small data chip on the table.

“This is a sample of the internal redevelopment plan for District 25, which was designated as a Sealed Zone. It contains all the urban layout and resource burial maps of District 25 from 50 years ago.”

By sharing information and allowing the Cartel to profit, he could freely borrow their manpower and intelligence for the lifting of the Sealed Zone quarantine and the redevelopment project.

Virgil, naturally inferring that much, was providing Lennok with this information on his own.

“Regarding Machina’s Tickets, the planning department is discussing it. If you wait a moment, we can even confirm if there are any Ticket holders within the headquarters.”

“I appreciate it, but that’s not why I came to the headquarters directly.”

Lennok said, picking up the data chip and shaking his head.

“I have something to ask. I want to see your chairman’s face directly.”

“…About Kaiser and the Chairman?”

“Tell her I know how she obtained The Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye.”

After traversing past timelines in District 25, Lennok had learned a few facts about Olivera.

The Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye Olivera obtained was an eye created through the failure of the project.

In other words, the project’s failure was deeply connected to the origin of that mystic eye’s awakening.

If the real Olivera couldn’t tell Lennok the truth about the project due to a Geas placed on her, then by focusing on The Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye, she might be able to talk about the project’s failure, bypassing the Geas.

Lennok’s eyes glowed quietly.

“I want to hear about Kaiser. Then she’ll understand what I mean.”

“…”

What happened after the project failed.

Kaiser’s death. His final actions and what he left behind as a legacy.

Before heading to the Machine City, Lennok had sought out Olivera to confirm the truth related to that.