When Oliver returned to District T from District V, the time passed from evening to night.
The streets were quiet compared to the daytime, but it was not very quiet either.
Unlike Districts W and X, large and small pubs in alleys and main roads were opened to welcome guests.
And it was the same with Forrest Restaurant.
TRING.
As Oliver opened the door and entered, the red-skinned Al appeared and greeted him just like the first time he had visited.
"Hello. Mr. Dave. Welcome. Nice to see you again. Boss is waiting for you."
He guided him as if he knew everything, and Oliver didn't ask any questions.
It seemed true that it was like a savage market, but it unexpectedly was systemic and detailed.
As Al said, Forrest, the owner, and broker of the restaurant was sitting in the middle of the cleaned-up restaurant, waiting for Oliver.
“Nice to meet you. I was looking forward to seeing you again, but I didn’t think it would be today.”
Forrest got up and greeted Oliver politely.
Oliver also matched with it and greeted Forrest with high courtesy.
“Wow, It was really great. I expected that you would take some time to catch it, but it’s a bit unexpected that you could catch it in one day…”
“I was just lucky.”
“Then, it’s really your lucky day. Have you had your dinner?”
Oliver thought and answered
“… No, I haven’t yet.”
"It's late, but if it's okay, I'd like to treat you to a meal, will you allow me?"
Oliver tried to say no because he wasn't hungry, but he quickly stopped saying that and agreed.
It seemed like Forrest only favors the people he likes, and Oliver felt maybe he was treating him well because Kent has asked in advance, so he decided it was better to just accept whatever he gives.
As soon as Oliver accepted, the staff in relatively neat clothes brought the dishes.
It was a fish dish with sauce.
“Do you hate fish?”
“No… I will eat, thank you.
Oliver skillfully cut the fish meat with a fork and knife.
Forrest also ate at a similar pace and pretended not to observe Oliver.
“…you eat pretty well.”
"Um?"
“Oh, excuse me. I apologize if you feel offended. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone who eats with dignity like you, so please don’t mind it.”
"Is that so?"
“Yeah, instead of the proper meal, most of them prefer alcohol or a big chunk of meat. Kent was the former.”
"I see."
“Yeah…that’s why it’s amazing to see people who eat so politely.”
"Thank you for the compliment."
Oliver responded briefly and politely according to Kent's advice.
So far it was going well.
Forrest stared at Oliver, with a piercing gaze on his face similar to Kent, Pharmacist, and James.
Oliver did nothing but look at him as usual.
Forrest took away his gaze and resumed eating.
‘Did he just move on?’
Oliver ate while thinking about it.
CLATTER CLATTER.
About the time the plate was half empty, Forrest stopped eating and beckoned the waiter and told him something.
After a while, Al brought 42 million reward, or 35.7 million to be exact.
“The reward is 35.7 million. I have replaced the large bundle with the highest denomination bill so that it's easy to carry around. Originally, the reward was 42 million, but 15% of it, which is 6.3 million, was deducted, as my commission. Do you have any questions?”
"No."
At Oliver's short answer, Forrest's eyebrows rose slightly.
It was the same reaction as someone who didn't get the answer they had been waiting for.
It was then that Oliver understood the situation and said.
“I don’t care if the fee is a little higher. Mr. Kent said that Mr. Forrest takes a 15% commission, 1.5 times higher than other brokers, but he deserves it.”
"…did he say that?"
“Yes, he said, there are dark corners, but when it comes to working in this field, you have a strong sense of responsibility, and you also provide various services. So he said that I could do business with you with confidence.”
At that moment, Forrest's emotions fluctuated slightly.
Regret, guilt, sorry, longing.
Oliver felt that these emotions had something to do with Kent, but soon, Forrest recovered his composure.
He seemed to have a strong will.
Forrest clasped his hands and said.
"Thank you for your kind words… Shall we get down to business now?"
"Yes."
Oliver also stopped eating and showed that he was concentrating.
“First of all, I would like to say congratulations on passing the test formally. I will be your broker as promised. Al?”
At Forrest's call, the employee named Al brought the documents.
"It's a formality, so please fill it out. It's a simple employment contract."
“Can I read it once?”
“Of course, of course. The basic fee, the provisions you must abide by, the penalty for breaking the law, and the duties and services that should be provided to you by me were all written down.”
Oliver read through the papers while listening to his words.
Perhaps it was thanks to reading a lot of books, he was able to read the documents smoothly without clogging.
There was no problematic content in the contract. As Forrest said, the commission, the distribution of responsibilities that arise during the mission, and the provisions to be observed between each other were written down.
It wasn't much different from what Kent explained.
There were parts that were too strict and complicated, and there were parts that looked unfriendly, but it was rather perfect because the responsibility could be clearly identified.
The contract was as if a representation of Forrest's personality.
“Can I ask you a question?”
"What is it?"
Oliver pointed to the protection clause written at the bottom.
“What is this part?
“As you can see. Brokers like me are all over Landa. Even in the political and administrative Districts A, B, and C, we belong to one union, so we check and help each other.”
“Yes, I heard about that.”
"I'm glad. Then you might also have known that our brokers' union is lobbying the police department. Thanks to that, the Solvers who do business with us get some benefits. For example, they will ignore crimes committed by a person under a certain threshold. Of course, it shouldn't be an issue, but they will close one eye in most cases.”
"I see."
“And the same goes for a warlock like you. Warlocks are people who use humans as their material. In fact, you can be arrested for being a Warlock."
Oliver nodded.
He already knows about this through Joseph's books and from Kent.
He learned that the warlocks hide either in the shadows or through fake identities.
Of course, if the police department tried to catch them, it would be pretty easy to catch them, but because of the enormous cost, danger, and uproar involved, they just don't do it.
It was similar to catching a cockroach when you can’t see it and can’t beat it to death when you do see it.
"I know."
“Yes, but while you’re working with me, there won’t be any problems as long as you don't cause any major problems. Even if you had an accident while working, I’ll protect you to some extent as long as you don’t exceed a certain level.”
“I understand. So, all I have to do is not do things in this category?”
The category Oliver pointed at included demon worship and illegal human experimentation.
“Yeah, that’s something that should never be done, and if you do even one among them, then the contract with me will be automatically terminated. Besides, it also does not protect you against crimes that occur during missions that do not go through me, and the same goes for other disturbances in your daily life. Did you understand?”
Oliver nodded.
It seemed like he was protected only when he stayed quiet and performed his duties.
To be honest, it wasn't bad. Oliver didn't have any plans to do anything right away, and he didn't have any intention of causing a fuss. So, there was no problem.
However, it seemed like it will take a while to experiment on the human body. Oliver wondered if the carcass of a dog or other animals would be included in this clause.
The book he obtained from Puppeteer Gylph described how to preserve a corpse, remodel it, and control it from a distance.
Personally, he wanted to experiment with it right away if he could afford it because he was curious about it to some extent.
Unfortunately, he could only try it with the animal body at this moment… Of course, he wanted to try it with a human corpse if possible.
However, seeing the contents of the document, it seemed impossible right now.
“Is there a problem?”
“No, nothing.”
Oliver delayed the answer, thinking that it would be inappropriate to ask right now.
Oliver thought it would be okay to ask once he gained more experience and raised the value of his name.
Forrest looked at him suspiciously, but he didn't pry into it and moved on to the next topic.
"Why? Did it feel too grandiose? Don't take it seriously. You and I signed a contract out of our necessity, and accordingly, we have a minimum obligation to protect each other. That's it."
“Yes, I understand.”
“…do you have any more questions?”
Oliver wanted to ask him about the black market right away, but he suppressed his desire.
Oliver thought that it would be inappropriate to talk about the black market right away.
As he decided earlier, he thought he should ask once he gained enough experience and had learned about the field.
Perhaps, if Oliver was to mention the black market, then Forrest would definitely ask why. As he had already practiced it several times, Oliver was planning to answer, "To find a book about Black Magic."
It was perfect.
Oliver felt pity that it will take some time, but encouraged himself that there will definitely be something to learn in the meantime.
Oliver was determined.
"None."
"Okay…that's the end of it. Let's do our best from now on."
“Yes, thank you. Ah, that’s right……”
Oliver took out ten bills from the bundle of paper money he received as a reward.
Oliver asked Forrest to take the 100,000 denomination bills and exchange them for 50,000 and 10,000 bills.
This was because, more than 50,000, the 100,000 bills stood out, because it was the highest denomination currency.
“You want to change it?”
“Yes, I heard from Mr. Kent that Mr. Forrest offers such a service.”
“Then, you must have heard that the exchange fee is 10 percent.”
“Yes, it doesn’t matter.”
“All right, Al.”
Forrest picked up the 100,000 bills and handed them to Al, and Al went to the office for a while and brought the equivalent amount, half in 10,000 and the other half in 50,000 bills respectively.
Al gave Oliver a friendly smile, and Oliver also bowed politely and received the money.
When Oliver was done, he ate the remaining food, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and got up.
"If you don't mind, I'll take my leave now."
"Of course, you did a great job."
Forrest rose from his seat and reached out to Oliver.
Oliver held the hand and quietly stepped back.
Oliver left the restaurant while greeting all the employees he met on his way out.
⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩ ⏩
“What do you think?”
After Oliver left, Forrest, who stayed behind, ate the fish while sitting and asked the employee, Al.
“There's a little bit of innocence, like a kid who came out to the world for the first time, but basically, he seems like a good guy. He can communicate, there are no eccentric parts, and from what I heard from Mattel, he certainly seems to have skills.”
"That's the problem. I've never seen a warlock with good skills and a good personality. He was born as a Warlock, but his fundamentals are similar to that of a wizard."
Al laughed.
“It’s not a story that other warlocks would like very much.”
“Is that so? But that’s the truth.”
There was a clattering sound of dishes again
"What would you like to do, Boss? Mattel asked to share Mr. Dave's information, are you going to accept it?"
Forrest remained silent.
Mattel Research Institute, founded by the School of Life Magic, was a large research group built by combining capitalists’ money and Wizard’s technology.
It was a huge organization that had numerous patents and had a considerable amount of influence in the medical field.
The official image was good too, but in reality, they were madmen who are obsessed with magic supremacy and eugenics.
According to the rumors, the chimera which had escaped this time seems to be released on purpose, and it did not actually escape.
This was in order to extract data on how well the biological weapon they are developing works.
Of course, it was at the level of rumors, but it was also a story that was possible if it was Mattel.
Such people were interested in a warlock, a young 20-year-old who came in for the first time today.
"…for once, let’s refuse."
Employee Al nodded at Forrest's answer.
"Yes, but will it be okay?"
"If we look at the way they have spoken, they are just poking. There's no need to react to that. For now, let's watch."
"Yes, I understand."
Al answered and disappeared after taking the plate that Oliver had emptied.
Only Forrest was left behind in the hall, and he muttered with a meaningful smile.
“It seems like I won’t be bored for a while?”
(To be Continued)
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