Chapter 304

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]

Chapter 304

“You want me to find them?”

“Yes, I know it’s a shameless request, but that’s exactly what I’m asking.”

“Why me?”

Zeon frowned, his expression clearly showing his confusion.

The Northern District was one of the largest factions in Neo Seoul.

Naturally, they had a vast number of people and a significant number of Awakened among them. With such overwhelming resources at their disposal, why would they turn to an outsider like him? It simply didn’t make sense.

Borin’s answer was simple.

“Because you’re Zeon.”

“What?”

“We’ve gathered that you’ve already crossed paths with scavengers multiple times. Naturally, you’re more familiar with their movements and habits than anyone else in Neo Seoul.”

“And?”

“The people Eli is working with are scavengers.”

“So you think I’ll be able to find them easily?”

“That’s one of the reasons, yes, but…”

Borin bit her lip.

From here on, she would have to discuss some of the Northern District’s shortcomings. But if she wanted Zeon’s cooperation, she needed to be honest.

“People like us, non-human races, are naturally distrusted by scavengers. It’s almost impossible for us to approach them. In fact, we’ve had virtually no direct contact with scavengers at all.”

“Hmm, that makes sense.”

Zeon nodded in agreement.

Scavengers were far more wary than regular humans. They even distrusted their own kind, so it went without saying that non-human races were entirely out of the question.

Even elves and beastfolk, whose appearances were close to human, could not slip past scavengers. The scavengers, like bloodhounds, could always tell them apart.

To most scavengers, non-humans were not negotiation partners, they were just prey.

Because of this, the Northern District had always regarded scavengers as enemies to be eliminated.

It was impossible for the Awakened of the Northern District to infiltrate the scavengers, unless they were someone like Eli.

Borin bowed her head slightly.

“Please, I’m asking for your help.”

“Fine. But I have one condition.”

“Please, name it. If it’s something we can do, we’ll make it happen.”

“Grant me one favor in the future, when I need it.”

“A favor?”

“I don’t have anything specific in mind yet. Just consider it a debt you’ll owe me.”

“I understand. We were prepared to pay a price for your help anyway.”

This was, after all, a matter involving Eli’s rebellion. Borin had no room to negotiate.

Moreover, given what she’d observed of Zeon’s character so far, she didn’t think he would demand anything that would pose a problem for the Northern District.

Zeon smirked slightly.

He had been planning to track down the scavengers anyway because of Brielle. Now, if he could get a reward from the Northern District for doing so, it was an added bonus.

Getting a major faction like the Northern District indebted to him was certainly in his favor.

“I’ll look into the scavengers for you.”

“Thank you. If you need any assistance while tracking them, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Northern District. We’ll do our best to help.”

“Got it.”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Borin stood with a relieved expression.

As she left, Brielle poked her head out from behind a door.

“Is she gone?”

“She’s gone.”

“Seriously, what’s with showing up unannounced like that? Elves are so annoying.”

“You avoided her on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Well, nothing good comes from meeting her face-to-face. One elf in my life is more than enough, and that’s Mandy.”

“Fair enough.”

Zeon nodded.

For some reason, Brielle didn’t enjoy interacting with other elves. Zeon, knowing her disposition, didn’t find it odd.

More importantly, Gaia’s head was peeking out from behind Brielle. She had been with Gaia in the room the whole time.

Letting anyone, even an elf, see Gaia was a risk Zeon couldn’t afford.

Elves would undoubtedly do whatever it took to acquire Gaia if they found out about her.

That was why Zeon had completely erased Gaia’s presence and scent before Borin entered. Thanks to that precaution, Borin hadn’t noticed Gaia at all.

“Still, a rebellion? Eli’s really lost her mind this time.”

“Why? Are rebellions rare in the elf world?”

“Not rare, they completely don’t happen. At all. Elves are a race that live in harmony with nature and never defy established order. Not ever.”

Elves adhered strictly to laws and principles.

Even if something was unjust, they accepted it and adapted, believing that was the proper way to live.

“Elves have only ever broken their rules once.”

“When was that?”

“When Kurayan was destroyed. The elves should have perished alongside Kurayan. But instead, they defied their fate and chose survival. And because of that, the Earth was ruined.”

It was an original sin the elves were burdened to carry for the rest of their existence.

A world destined for destruction.

Everything living there was meant to meet its end. But the creatures of Kurayan rejected their fate and tried to continue their existence in a new world.

The result was catastrophic.

Earth underwent near-apocalyptic upheaval, and over ninety percent of its lifeforms perished.

The land became desert, and the few surviving creatures were left to endure grueling lives.

In the end, the greed of elves and other non-humans had brought misery to both worlds.

Brielle hadn’t thought about this in the past.

She never believed the elves had committed such a grave sin.

Back then, she had been consumed by hatred toward humans and thought the destruction was well-deserved. But after Zeon saved her and freed her from her drug addiction, she spent time in the slums and learned to see things differently.

She realized the extent of the wrongs committed by non-human races.

“A race burdened by deep, original sin. And I am one of them. How could I ever stand tall in front of humans?”

―Beep!

Gaia gently wrapped her chest fins around Brielle, as if comforting her.

Gaia looked at Brielle with a soft, smiling expression.

It felt like she was saying, “It’s okay.”

“Thank you.”

―Beep!

“I’m glad you’re here with me.”

―Beep beep!

“Yeah.”

Thanks to Gaia, Brielle quickly regained her energy.

Zeon smiled and slipped on his robe.

“Heading out?”

“Now that I’ve accepted the Northern District’s request, it’s time to get moving.”

Several days had passed since they’d asked him to track down the scavengers, but Argos’s Eyes had yet to report anything.

It wasn’t that Argos’s Eyes were incompetent, it just meant the scavengers were operating with extreme secrecy.

In cases like this, taking direct action was always the best approach.

Brielle adjusted her pointed hat and said.

“I’m coming with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“About what?”

“The trauma. You know, from before.”

“I’m still a little scared, but I can’t stay afraid forever. I need to overcome it.”

At her resolute response, Zeon smiled.

“You’ve grown strong.”

“It’s a world where you have to be strong to survive. What, is that weird?”

“No, I just find it admirable.”

“Really? Hehe.”

Brielle blushed, smiling sheepishly.

Once the two of them were ready to leave, Gaia voluntarily entered Zeon’s subspace.

The two stepped outside together.

The streets were already shrouded in darkness.

In the slums, there were far more people out at night than during the day.

During the day, people stayed indoors to avoid the sun, only coming out at night to work and trade.

Zeon and Brielle headed to Old Man Klexi’s shop first.

They wanted to grab dinner and check in on any recent developments.

As they arrived, Old Man Klexi greeted them as though he had been expecting them.

“You’re here.”

“Any news?”

“First, take a seat. Brielle, you sit there too.”

At his invitation, the two sat across from him.

“You haven’t eaten yet, have you?”

“Nope!”

“I’m starving!”

Hearing their replies, Old Man Klexi pulled out two bowls, as if he had known they’d say that.

The bowls were filled with what looked like soup or stew.

It resembled dog food at first glance, but in these times, there was no better meal than something like this, efficient and nutritious.

There was no need for additional side dishes.

“Eat while we talk.”

“Got it.”

“Okay!”

Zeon and Brielle picked up their spoons.

Slurp!

They sipped the broth first.

As expected, it was delicious.

It seemed Klexi’s cooking skills had improved even more since they first met.

“This is great.”

“It’s delicious!”

The two began eating in earnest, while Klexi watched them with a contented smile.

“Listen while you eat. We’ve been keeping Argos’s Eyes on the lookout for several days now, but there’s been no noteworthy information. There’s nothing about scavengers in Sinchon, Dongdaemun, Guro, or Cheonho-dong—nowhere.”

“That’s strange.”

“Strange, isn’t it? If outsiders had come in, they should’ve caused a stir. That’s why I even considered whether they haven’t entered Neo Seoul yet.”

“That’s not possible.”

“I know. So I changed my perspective. Those scavengers must know they’d be noticed the moment they stepped into Neo Seoul. Naturally, they’d look for somewhere they wouldn’t stand out.”

“Somewhere like… the sewers.”

Zeon’s gaze shifted downward.

Beneath Old Man Klexi’s shop ran an underground sewage pipeline that drained waste.

Following the pipeline further down led to the main sewers.

Zeon had already been to the sewers before.

He had ventured into them while tracking Croker and the Crocodiles, who had stolen his Mana Stone Generator.

It was an environment so vile that ordinary people couldn’t endure it for even a moment. But for Awakened, it was manageable.

“If the sewers are large enough, it’s possible for them to hide there without being noticed.”

“Exactly. The sewers where the Crocodiles live are beyond the reach of Argos’s Eyes. If those scavengers have entered Neo Seoul, they’re likely hiding there.”

It was a reasonable deduction.

The problem was that the underground sewer system was vast and complicated.

“If they really are hiding in the sewers, Argos’s Eyes won’t be able to find them.”

“Looks like I’ll have to go in myself.”

Klexi frowned and asked.

“You?”

“It’s the only way.”

“Tch!”

Klexi clicked his tongue in frustration.

Just thinking about the sewers made his stomach churn.

He wanted to send members of Argos’s Eyes into the sewers instead of Zeon, but he knew better than anyone that it wouldn’t work.

Argos’s Eyes were most effective when blending into crowded areas to gather information.

In a confined and isolated space like the sewers, their abilities were useless.

“If you need anything, just let me know. I’ll do my best to get it for you.”

“Will do.”

“Ugh! I just wish we could live peacefully for once. There’s no end to this, is there?”

“Indeed.”

“When do you plan to enter the sewers?”

“Might as well go right now.”

“Now?”

“There’s no point in delaying.”

“Seriously, your decisiveness is something else.”

Klexi gave Zeon a look of genuine admiration.

It was easy to talk about going into the filthy underground, but it was no small feat to actually do it.

Just then.

Boom!

A powerful tremor shook the ground beneath them.

Zeon and Brielle furrowed their brows and focused their attention on the floor.

“Is anyone there?”

From beneath Klexi’s shop, a faint voice could be heard coming from the sewage pipeline.

The voice was so small that an ordinary person wouldn’t have noticed it, but Zeon and Brielle, both Awakened, caught it instantly.

Brielle set down her spoon and stood up.

“Someone underground is calling for help.”

[Translator - Peptobismol]

[Proofreader - Demon God]