Chapter 764: One-Man Show (16)

A week remained until the departure to Military City, Yorta.

Originally, Lennok had planned to simply prepare for his third paper, use it as a plausible excuse, and then leave.

However, as he began to properly design it, a surprisingly good picture started to emerge.

He was seeing concrete results that, if all went well, meant he could even complete and present the paper within a week.

“From the perspective of creating an alibi, finishing the paper isn’t bad. No, it might even be more helpful.”

If Evan produced a tangible achievement like a paper and then took a leave of absence, who would question his absence?

In terms of avoiding suspicion or creating a pretext, it might even be better to complete the paper before leaving.

“The problem is obtaining the necessary modules…”

Even if Lennok handled the circuit design himself, one or two core components for the hardware needed to be procured separately.

Whether he could get them within a few days would determine if he could complete the paper within a week.

“As expected, the most crucial thing is the Magic Flow Recreation Module. Without it, the whole thing falls apart.”

[Didn’t you say earlier that if you needed anything, I’d get it for you?]

“Let’s keep it a secret from the university for now. It’s hard to promise whether I can present it immediately.”

Lennok said, immediately starting to rummage through his phone.

“First, on the deep web… no, not that either. There’s no need for that with Evan’s identity. Then—”

Though he didn’t know many people through Evan’s identity, Lennok knew how to find the right business partner.

The agreements between the magic towers and the university. Evan Vylun stood at their center, and an enormous volume of contract emails had poured in towards him.

It was no exaggeration to say that there wasn’t a single business, research institution, or megatech company he wasn’t connected with.

All Lennok had to do was select the businesses and research institutions that handled the desired components and specify his conditions.

Selecting one of the constant stream of messages at this very moment and sending a reply, a response came immediately.

Ding!

“They want to meet right away. Let’s go.”

Lennok immediately gathered his things and left the research building.

Vroom!!

He rode his motorcycle towards the bustling district located outside Rebatenon University.

A complex street where commercial areas and facilities surrounded the university, given the high foot traffic.

As he rarely visited the bustling district, he wasn’t familiar with its facilities, but Lennok drove his scooter boldly towards its outskirts.

[It’s a studio-style cafe located in the suburbs. It seems they also understood the situation and chose the location carefully, didn’t they?]

“The faster the conversation, the better. It’s not bad news.”

Following the path Davi showed him, he immediately twisted the bike’s throttle.

Just by slightly leaving the bustling district and heading outside, the surroundings became remarkably quiet.

Beyond a street where buildings were sparse, almost to the point of being deserted, stood a vast, standalone multi-story cafe.

“……”

Lennok silently stopped in front of the cafe, looked around, and then opened the cafe door and stepped inside.

Click!!

“Ah, over here.”

Someone standing behind the counter raised a hand towards Lennok.

A young man with a neat appearance, wearing glasses and with his hair swept completely back, was looking at Lennok.

He was dressed in a clean suit, as if he had just left work. With the hand wearing a wristwatch, he was pouring coffee that looked freshly brewed.

The young man, naturally holding two freshly brewed espressos, smiled faintly at Lennok.

“I rented the entire cafe. No one will overhear us.”

“It’s a weekday afternoon, and you were able to rent the entire establishment?”

“I know the building owner here.”

The young man placed an espresso cup in front of Lennok and said,

“Back when I was studying at Rebatenon, I used to drop by this cafe whenever I had a chance.”

“……Were you an undergraduate student at the university?”

“It’s been a very long time since I graduated, though.”

The young man smiled.

“It’s been a while, but nothing around here has changed. Sometimes I miss those university days.”

“……”

“My apologies for the late introduction. Allow me to formally introduce myself.”

The young man, who had set the cup down in front of him, bowed politely towards Lennok.

“I am Prescott Beiner, Chief Secretary of Balitz Corp.’s 3rd Senior Secretary Office, and a member of the Central Council Technology Advisory Committee directly under the Central Council.”

Among the colossal corporations in Vulcan, Balitz Corp. was a megatech company expanding its business across various sectors.

Some wouldn’t hesitate to call it the largest and most massive corporate entity in the mega-city, a giant profit group.

Lennok had directly contacted Balitz Corp. to obtain the modules needed for this sample production.

The Chief Secretary’s Office of Balitz Corp. A member of the Technology Advisory Committee who had risen to the position of Chief Secretary would undoubtedly be a recognized talent in both skill and rank.

He was a suitable counterpart for Lennok to present his conditions and exchange a deal.

“Thank you very much for giving us the opportunity to speak with Professor today.”

Prescott said, his eyes fixed intently on Lennok with a strange fervor.

“Whatever proposal or deal you present, we are prepared to listen and respond with our utmost effort. If you state your desired conditions, we can immediately—”

“I don’t have much time, so let’s get straight to the point.”

Lennok said, pushing aside the overly enthusiastic Prescott, pulling a chair from the opposite side, and sitting down.

“I’m looking for a Magic Flow Recreation Module. If I specify the performance and conditions, can your company procure it accordingly?”

“All technologies developed by Balitz Corp. are thoroughly managed through our internal security network.”

Prescott replied, rubbing his hands together very skillfully.

“Information viewable is determined by authorization, but for this meeting today, I’ve specifically obtained special authorization from the board of directors.”

Click!!

The small bracelet on his wrist came undone and transformed into a touchscreen.

Prescott skillfully manipulated the screen, turned it on, and nodded towards Lennok.

“Since the professor seems to be in such a hurry, let’s get right to it. Would you please state the desired conditions and performance here?”

“Very well.”

Lennok had been wary, as this was his first time working with or officially contacting Balitz Corp., but the conversation was progressing much faster than expected.

The claim that it was one of the largest megatech companies in Vulcan was certainly not false; their business processing was quite decisive.

Lennok immediately began to state the conditions for the desired module.

“Magic idle speed below 380%. Output conversion durability secured. Conversion rate as low as possible. Variability as high as possible. Pattern conceptualization should be non-existent or very old—”

The Magic Flow Recreation Module Lennok was seeking was a filter device that outputs the magic flow determined by the circuit design into reality.

Other components or circuits could be custom-made, but for the module, there was so much technology applied within it that it would be difficult for Lennok to create a new one in just a few days.

Since the module was not the core of the paper’s content, there was no problem with procuring the component externally.

“Most importantly, the magic must complete one full circulation immediately after passing through the module.”

As Lennok mentioned the final condition, Prescott silently entered something into the screen for a long time.

Was he perhaps comparing all the performance data of the module he just heard in real-time and feeding it into a network search engine?

Throughout Lennok’s explanation, Prescott never once asked for clarification or posed a question.

That must be because Prescott had already perfectly mastered the knowledge related to the modules produced by Balitz Corp.

Even for an employee working in Balitz Corp.’s Chief Secretary’s Office, it was undoubtedly an incredible memory and concentration.

While Lennok pondered this, a reply came back very soon.

“Ah, I found it. There’s exactly one module that meets all the professor’s desired conditions.”

Prescott nodded with a smiling expression from behind the screen.

“Let’s see, it’s not a module we manufactured ourselves, but something custom-made for someone a very long time ago.”

With a relaxed gesture, he zoomed in on the module’s product number to confirm the detailed data.

“Components like magic modules are not ordinary items; various pieces of information, including the manufacturer and designer, are managed relatively strictly. Thanks to that, I was able to find it easily.”

“……Something custom-made a long time ago? Who was the client who placed the order?”

“The name of the client who placed the order back then was, well…”

Normally, client information shouldn’t be leaked, but with the transaction with Evan imminent, Prescott didn’t hesitate for long.

Prescott’s hand, scrolling down the data list, paused for a very brief moment.

“……”

A silent pause.

Prescott, who had maintained his smiling expression but remained silent, slowly turned his gaze towards Lennok.

“Before that, would it be alright if we first negotiate the conditions for trading the module’s blueprint?”

“Why?”

“Since I’m directly searching our internal network, I feel a bit uncomfortable disclosing it unless the professor guarantees the conditions.”

“……”

“The condition is simple. In a way, it’s related to the fundamental reason why the professor and I are gathered here.”

Prescott calmly clasped his hands and gazed at Lennok.

“I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s a rumor circulating that the professor might announce new research achievements thanks to this agreement.”

“……”

“Whatever the professor plans to announce this time, we would like to obtain the full sales rights for that result.”

“……Without even checking the content of my research?”

“Of course, we are aware that the professor recently partnered with Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower.”

Prescott whispered, as if understanding Lennok’s thoughts.

“But right now, they are busy raking in money through their item business in the shadows, and they have no interest in the professor’s research whatsoever. Isn’t that right?”

“You’re telling me to break an agreement less than a month after signing it.”

“You must be aware that Adamant Thunder’s health isn’t good.”

Prescott whispered, as if sharing confidential information.

“He seemed very tired just making a brief appearance at official events. He’ll likely not be making direct appearances for a while.”

“……”

“The Magic Tower is also busy with their own business, so even if the terms of the agreement aren’t properly followed, they won’t be able to pay much attention. Even if they find out later, it will likely be glossed over.”

Lennok chuckled, as if bewildered by the remark.

“Balitz Corp. can predict how Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower will react?”

“Because we intend to make it so.”

Prescott said with a smiling face.

“The process I’m telling the professor right now is merely a minimal formality. Once we acquire the professor’s research, we will naturally begin working to quell any opposition.”

“……”

“We will also arrange a separate meeting with the Magic Tower to explain this matter and distribute a certain amount of compensation.”

Leaving the silent Lennok, Prescott calmly took out several files from his briefcase.

“The basic contract will start as a one-time sponsorship contract where our company sponsors the professor, and if things go well in the future, we plan to activate an extension option. The associated ratio should be considered approximately this much…”

At a glance, it looked like they were openly pushing the percentages and benefits in Lennok’s favor.

Not only were the amounts generously set, but Balitz seemed willing to sacrifice some profit and promotional justification.

It appeared they were entirely focused on acquiring and holding the research results Lennok would present at this seminar.

With Lennok still silent, Prescott slowly leaned back and nodded.

“This is the best offer we can make. We’d appreciate an answer here, if possible.”

A calm attitude, as if it didn’t matter if Lennok refused the offer.

Prescott’s reaction seemed contradictory to how quickly and kindly he had found the module just moments ago.

The groundbreaking and even audacious proposal to purchase Lennok’s research results.

And the peculiar demeanor of making the offer without any lingering attachment to it.

Lennok stared at Prescott for a moment, then let out a small laugh and lifted his gaze.

“I know you’re trying to hide something, but aren’t you being too obvious?”

“……”

“You’re throwing out an unreasonable offer to provoke me into ending the transaction first. Is that Balitz Corp. Secretary’s Office policy?”

Even while proposing a deal that blatantly violated the agreement between Rebatenon and the Magic Tower.

The reasons presented for why it was possible were incredibly flimsy and illogical, trying to persuade Lennok with weak excuses.

Saying Adamant Thunder was not well, or that they could somehow persuade the Magic Tower later.

Prescott wasn’t throwing out empty promises, expecting Lennok to naively fall for such shallow lies.

He was simply trying to forcibly break this deal by subtly mixing lies and excuses, just enough for Lennok to immediately catch on.

If Prescott’s attitude, which had rushed to the university’s outskirts at Lennok’s call, had suddenly changed, what could be the reason?

Lennok knew there was no need to look far for the cause of that behavior.

“The module data you just accessed. It seems there’s information in there that needs to be hidden.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t quite…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Ignoring Prescott’s feigned ignorance, Lennok placed his phone on the table.

“I’ll just confirm the information about that module right here.”

Flash!!

At that moment, the content of the screen Prescott was holding was entirely copied and began transmitting to Lennok’s phone.

Directly hacking the network itself was impossible, but making a direct copy of the output data displayed on the screen and overlaying it on his own screen was something Davi’s power could achieve.

Lennok had only listened to Prescott’s absurd proposal to buy himself the brief time needed for that process.

“Wait, just a second!!”

The moment Prescott realized this, his expression completely flipped, and he shot up.

Lennok also pushed his chair back, stood up, and checked the screen reflected on his phone.

“Let’s see. The module product name is Life Support Device: Compressed Type. The manufacturer is Balitz Corp., and the name of the client who placed the custom order is…”

Upon seeing that, Lennok, just like Prescott earlier, was left speechless.

[Guido Cult Headquarters]

[Papal State]

“……”

Because the name Lennok had never expected to see there appeared on the screen.

In the endless silence, Lennok finally raised his gaze and looked at Prescott.

The Magic Flow Recreation Module that Lennok had sought consultation to procure.

The party who had requested its custom manufacture a long time ago was none other than the Pontiff of the Guido Cult.