Chapter 623: The Mysterious Consultant (1)

“Heart-Star Vault……?”

Mauser repeated, as if unable to believe it.

“Are you saying they’re calling for a meeting in that hidden sanctuary, which hasn’t allowed any craftsmen other than Meisters in decades?”

“I’m only relaying what I’ve heard, so I can’t give you a definitive answer, but……”

Ibert spoke with a troubled expression, but the moment Lennok heard him, he understood what was happening.

After Lennok successfully refurbished the Old World’s Magic Gun, Teremer’s Demise, at the Meister Selection Ceremony, other Meisters must have attempted to refurbish the Magic Gun as well.

But unlike Lennok, they failed, and realizing that he still harbored undisclosed knowledge, they now wanted to hear the rest of it.

They wanted to confirm if Lennok truly possessed the knowledge and skill to refurbish Old World artifacts.

They wanted to know if what he showed at the Selection Ceremony wasn’t just a fluke.

Calling a meeting in a hidden sanctuary like the Heart-Star Vault surely meant they didn’t want to reveal that fact to other artisans or outsiders.

However, Lennok wasn’t particularly pleased even after hearing about the Ex Machina’s summons.

‘Even if I go down to the Heart-Star Vault for the summons, I can’t just steal the Magic Gun from there.’

If the Magic Gun disappeared the moment Lennok, someone only Meisters could access, visited the Heart-Star Vault, it would be glaringly obvious who the culprit was.

‘Ultimately, this means I need to pick a suitable day around the scheduled summons and infiltrate the Underwater Barrier alone……’

Fortunately, he had obtained the Armadelta Alloy manufacturing method, so there would be no problem producing the alloy with Mauser’s help at the workshop.

All that remained was to accurately grasp the summon date, which Ibert himself didn’t seem to fully know, and devise a plan.

“Craftsman Lyman. My apologies for the late introduction.”

While Lennok was deep in thought, Ibert extended a handshake to him with a quite formal demeanor.

“I heard you personally intervened to subdue the assassin. I’m very grateful that you stepped forward for my elder sister. Thanks to you, she was able to preserve her life.”

“It wasn’t me; the bodyguard did the heavy lifting.”

“We plan to reward them appropriately once they regain consciousness.”

Saying so, Ibert waved away the rising cigarette smoke with his hand and sighed.

“More than that, I’m worried this incident is spiraling out of control……”

“Narcissa was an administrator of the Upper Workshop District and an elite Meister who inherited the Furnace General’s workshop.”

Mauser said in a stiff voice.

“If the Sidesquad truly moved, the culprits would have to be fellow Ex Machina committee members.”

“That’s true, but…… the problem is that even within the War Hammer faction, the relationships among Meisters aren’t good.”

Ibert let out a small sigh.

“A considerable number of Meisters are closer to entrepreneurs than artisans, constantly checking and undermining each other to secure large-scale production orders or projects.”

“……”

Did this mean there were Meisters within the same faction who disliked Narcissa enough to attempt assassination against her?

Lennok knew that the internal divisions and conflicts within the Machine City were serious, but he hadn’t imagined the conflict would be so intense that it would be difficult to pinpoint the target.

“Especially you, Lyman. You should be careful.”

Ibert said with a serious expression.

“I understand your identity is somewhat ambiguous, is that correct? As a craftsman of unclear origin who gained attention at the Selection Ceremony, the number of artisans who envy you will only increase.”

“……”

“They’ll even consider your workshop being moved to the Upper Workshop District a special privilege. There are many apprentices in other workshops who resent you.”

The act of a craftsman of unclear origin gaining so much attention and growing so rapidly in such a short period was naturally met with jealousy.

Lennok could not entirely disagree with that fact.

He remembered the expressions on the Meisters’ faces at the final moment of the Selection Ceremony, when Lennok revealed his intention to refurbish the Old World artifact.

Their faces looked not at a promising junior, but at a competitor to be wary of and kept in check.

He had glimpsed the essence of those who, rather than acting as master and apprentice, would ruthlessly crush someone once they became an equal.

Perhaps it was because, unlike a megacity filled with various types of people, almost all artisans were tested for the same abilities in the same market.

This kind of jealousy and vigilance was something Lennok hadn’t felt in quite a long time.

“Although I am acting as the administrator of the Upper Workshop District on behalf of Narcissa, I won’t be able to offer you any special consideration beyond acting on her decisions.”

Even if Ibert wanted to show consideration to Lennok for saving Narcissa, it would be difficult enough for him to manage his own responsibilities as acting administrator.

Lennok nodded docilely.

“I understand. I’ll handle the rest myself.”

At that moment, a young man who had quietly approached from behind Ibert whispered something in his ear.

Ibert, who had been listening with a serious expression, quickly turned his head and nodded to the two of them.

“I should get going now. Please excuse me. Our workshop will take full responsibility for nursing Narcissa, so you two don’t need to worry.”

“Alright, you must be busy, so go carefully.”

Mauser waved his hand, and Lennok was about to give a simple nod when he unconsciously stopped his movement.

He realized that the young man who had delivered the message to Ibert was sending an unfriendly glance his way.

“……”

He seemed to be an apprentice from Narcissa’s workshop. Was it true that Lennok’s reputation wasn’t very good?

“Seeing that craftsman, it seems Craftsman Ibert wasn’t entirely wrong after all.”

“Excuse me?”

Lennok, seeing Ibert startled and looking back at the young man, disengaged from the rooftop railing first and gestured to Mauser.

“We should leave too.”

“……”

With Mauser, who stood up with a wry smile, Lennok left Ibert behind and departed first.

They also had a lot of preparations to make for the workshop relocation to the Upper Workshop District.

The assassination attempt against Narcissa had caused significant delays, but since the relocation was decided, it couldn’t be postponed.

Immediately after the Meister Selection Ceremony.

An unknown urban legend began to spread secretly in the affluent residential area of Machina’s central district, so subtly that no one seemed to notice.

It was a rumor about a Night Raven appearing on moonless nights, gliding through the sky enclosed by the District Barriers.

What was surprising was that there were actually people who took this bizarre rumor seriously.

“I saw it myself. I saw that monster rip apart the mansion’s outer wall like paper.”

“It bent its body in an unbelievably bizarre way and flew through the corridors where people usually walk.”

“I don’t know what crazy craftsman made such a thing, but be careful. It’s a monster that could easily tear human flesh to shreds with its talons.”

Passersby, muttering in voices tinged with fear, disappeared into the night streets.

Those who believed there were no baseless rumors in this city quickly returned home, and a chilling wind swept through the deserted park.

Beneath an old bench, surrounded by tall, slender trees, sat an old man shivering in a coat.

His white hair was disheveled, unkempt, as he waited for someone, when suddenly, the man’s vision turned black.

Whoosh!!

“Ugh……!!”

The moment the old man shrieked and leaped to his feet.

A gigantic Night Raven, perched among the park’s trees, stared at him without a word.

A voice came from right beside the old man, who had slumped down, gasping for breath.

“The information you promised?”

“Hmph!!”

Right beside the old man, who had jumped up again, Lennok was already seated on the bench, extending his hand.

“Did you prepare it as a document? It doesn’t matter, just give it to me.”

“……These are circumstantial evidences of this assassination attempt that I secretly procured from the police department.”

The old man, Langmuir, finally handed Lennok a thin file with trembling hands.

Lennok said nothing, opening the file and quickly scanning through it on the spot.

Langmuir, glancing nervously at the Night Raven, tentatively sat back down and spoke.

“The assassination attempt on Narcissa Solmer is such a sensitive issue that many people are trying to get their hands on it. I barely managed to pull some strings to get this.”

“For that, it doesn’t contain much meaningful information.”

“……”

Before the speechless Langmuir, Lennok quickly read through the file and nodded.

“Long-term infiltration of the security department. Original military affiliation with the special tactics battalion Sidesquad. The only thing found through background checks was a huge sum of money deposited into a family-owned shell account…… This is practically not even starting an investigation, isn’t it?”

“It’s been decades since an assassination attempt against an Ex Machina committee member got this close to success.”

Langmuir replied.

“While the situation in Machina has been chaotic recently, it’s also true that no one expected things to go this far. The police department says there will be an official announcement soon.”

“……”

As Lennok fell silent, the committee member, Langmuir, seemed even more nervous, glancing around.

Lennok paid no mind to Langmuir’s reaction and fell into thought on the spot.

‘I don’t know how deeply I should get involved in Narcissa Solmer’s assassination case……’

He hadn’t asked Langmuir for information about the assassination to seek revenge on Narcissa’s behalf.

However, if Narcissa Solmer was operating a workshop as a disciple of the Furnace General, who was called the Machine City’s greatest craftsman.

He thought that her being caught in an assassination attempt might itself be related to the existence of the Furnace General.

And wouldn’t the Furnace General, who was called the Machine City’s greatest craftsman, undoubtedly be connected to the Ascension Gate project?

Lennok had been thinking that, separate from tracking Kaiser’s secret, this incident might be related to the Ascension Gate.

The problem was that Lennok wasn’t the only one thinking this way.

Having made a decision, Lennok returned the file and said,

“You don’t need to bring me any more information about Narcissa Solmer’s assassination case for now.”

“Phew, phew……”

Watching Langmuir let out a sigh of relief, Lennok asked,

“What about the blueprints?”

“……For now, I’ve shared the blueprint files you gave me with other committee members of the Machine Head faction. By my standards, they are all trustworthy individuals.”

Langmuir replied.

“There’s no disagreement that it’s an internal structure of the central district, specifically a secretly hidden private space. However, we haven’t yet found anyone who has directly seen or known about these blueprints.”

“……”

The Machine Head faction was an intellectual group, mostly scholars who had risen to become Ex Machina committee members.

He had expected them to have a broader range of research areas compared to other factions, capable of providing some direction, but it seemed that wasn’t entirely the case.

“I’ll have to seek advice from committee members of other factions as well.”

“O-other factions……?”

Langmuir asked, looking slightly surprised.

“The committee members of Steel Heart or War Hammer don’t reside in this district. To reach the area where they gather, you must pass through the Upper Workshop District.”

“……Is that so?”

“Yes. In fact, the Upper Workshop District serves as a crossing point connecting the residences of the Ex Machina committee members.”

“The Upper Workshop District, huh……”

Given how things had turned out, perhaps it was actually a good thing for Lennok.

Langmuir, unable to read Lennok’s reaction, continued to speak.

“While I am taking responsibility for the errors of the Selection Ceremony, other committee members are different. There’s no reason for them to be harsh with you—”

Whoosh!!

A fierce wind blew, and Lennok and the Night Raven were nowhere to be seen.

Instead, right next to the bench where Lennok had sat, there remained a chilling scar, as if crushed by a massive talon.

Langmuir, his face pale, stared at it in silence, then let out a deep sigh and pulled out his phone.

He would have to endure the cold air alone until the attendant he had waiting outside the park arrived.

The relocation of the workshop to the Upper Workshop District went quite smoothly.

Not only was the location for Lennok’s workshop prepared, but also the moving company and the labor costs for the hired staff.

This was possible because Narcissa had completed all related tasks before she even visited Lennok’s workshop.

“She was meticulous, to the point of being cunning.”

Mauser, effortlessly carrying a bulky refrigerator on one shoulder, replied as if it were nothing.

Although a considerable amount of time had passed since he retired from active duty, his strength remained, allowing him to handle several times the workload of an ordinary laborer.

“I understand she also handled various other tasks in Ex Machina, not just workshop affairs.”

“Then doesn’t that mean there’s a very high possibility that various tasks will be paralyzed now that Craftsman Narcissa is in a coma?”

“……Even if Ibert acts as administrator, that’s likely to happen.”

As it wasn’t positive news, Lennok remained silent, helping the laborers decide the placement of workbenches and equipment racks inside the workshop, and assisted with moving the warehouse and internal facilities.

This new space was three times larger than the workshop he had previously used under Mauser’s name, and the forge was four times bigger—a massive shared space.

The sight of the workshop, with its smooth paint and neatly arranged, clean pipes, calmed even Lennok, who was not an artisan.

“Heh heh, still, moving in like this gives me a strange feeling……”

Mauser, too, seemed proud just looking at the spacious workshop, letting out a faint smile before shaking his head.

Perhaps he was thinking of Narcissa, who had arranged for this pristine workshop.

“I’ve put up a notice about the relocation through the workshop reservation app’s management menu. There’s a customer whose reservation we couldn’t process last time, so we should address that first, then gradually open the workshop……”

As Lennok said this, he lifted his phone to re-sync it with Davi’s mana.

Thump!!

The workshop door, which had been spotless, suddenly burst open, spewing dust from outside.

Ignoring Mauser, who frowned, a middle-aged man with a stubborn expression strode in.

He carried no equipment or luggage in his hands, striking a light figure.

He completely ignored Mauser, walked directly up to Lennok, and immediately spoke.

“Are you the one called Lyman?”

“……”

As Lennok stared silently at the man without answering, Mauser’s face twisted, and he stepped forward first.

“Hey. Who told you to bang on the door and come in like that without knocking?”

CRACK!!

Mauser gripped a hammer near the workbench and slammed it down forcefully, causing the middle-aged man to look back at him, slightly startled.

The middle-aged man, belatedly noticing the sturdy hammer in his hand, finally stepped back, speaking in a flustered voice.

“Oh, no…… I just heard this workshop was starting a unique business today, so I came to commission some work.”

“……A unique business?”

Mauser looked at Lennok with a puzzled expression.

Lennok silently scrutinized the man’s attire from head to toe before speaking.

“You seem to be an artisan working in the Upper Workshop District. What kind of work are you commissioning from me?”

“Huh? This guy works in the Upper Workshop District?”

Instead, Mauser raised his eyebrows in surprise at Lennok’s words.

The man, too, seemed somewhat taken aback to hear such a direct answer, looking at Lennok with a surprised expression.

“I don’t think I’ve said anything yet……”

“You were just sweating, and then you were exposed to cold air, causing your pores to close tightly. The skin color visible above your neck is also significantly different. That’s evidence you’ve been standing in front of a heat source like a forge for a long time.”

“Hmm, hmph……”

CRACK!!

Lennok, who had with difficulty placed a small box he was holding onto the workbench and wiped away sweat, turned around and said,

“Furthermore, if your ears are sharp enough to hear news about our workshop within a single day and seek us out, wouldn’t it be stranger not to consider you a fellow craftsman?”

“……”

“Oh, I see. Now that you mention it, everything fits.”

Ignoring the artisan, who stood with a peculiar expression, Mauser stroked his beard, looking intrigued.

Mauser ignored the man and instead asked Lennok what he was curious about.

“Then why would an artisan working in an Upper Workshop come to commission work from you?”

“He said he came to commission work, but he didn’t bring any equipment or items with him.”

Lennok replied, perched on the workbench.

Mauser frowned, deep in thought.

“Is it because the item to be commissioned is too large to transport?”

“No.”

When Lennok denied it, Mauser awkwardly scratched his cheek.

“If it’s an item important enough to be handled by an Upper Workshop, and it’s large, it would be property of a major business, like core equipment for a large factory. They wouldn’t entrust such important business to newly established artisans like us.”

“Then?”

“Didn’t he mention a ‘unique business’?”

Lennok, stroking his chin with a thoughtful expression, murmured.

“We never mentioned anything about it, so this must surely be a result of Craftsman Narcissa’s prior arrangements. And considering the results I showed her then……”

Narcissa knew how Lennok worked in the workshop and how he performed at the Selection Ceremony, and she sought him out to test him.

If, in that process, she notified Lennok of the Upper Workshop District relocation and intended to entrust him with some work, then it must surely be……

Lennok quickly pieced the puzzle together in his mind, chuckled, and nodded.

“Consulting for artisans. To be precise, it’s highly likely to be advice regarding overall business operations, including workshop management. Am I right?”