Chapter 45
Chapter 45
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Eyelids (18)
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***
She walked off with familiar steps to somewhere, then returned with a large sheet of cloth and tossed it to me.
"If you go inside, there should be a room with flowing water. Of course, in my personal opinion, you look just fine as you are right now.... But leaving a guest in that state would be a failure as a host, wouldn't it?"
"A room.... with flowing water?"
"Yeah~ They built it so a river flowing northwest passes under the salon. We're running a business on the outskirts due to circumstances, but that area isn't exactly a pleasant environment, right?"
For example, that. Telling me to go wash up.
[Based on the knowledge in the shell, this, this is....!]
Unlike the parasite starting to go berserk again, my mind calmly settled and began to rampage in a different direction. Water. Water coming down from the Mage Tower's water source. I want to experience it. I want to feel it....!
Professor headed straight to the back of the salon. He didn't need directions; he knew instinctively. Here. He could definitely hear the sound of water from here.
Creak!
Opening the luxurious wooden door revealed a room filled with soft furnishings. Refined carvings. Small glass bottles of unidentified colorful liquids. A large white bathtub. And.....
Splashhhh—
It was real. A river was flowing right inside the bathroom.
"Ca. Can't hold back."
[Uh.... Shell? Your consciousness is shifting into a terribly complex form...?]
"Can't hold back! I can't hold this back! Wheeeee!"
Splash!
Professor, having lost all reason, dove straight into the river. Water splashed everywhere like a rock had fallen into it, and his body submerged completely.
'Ahhh.... I'm melting away.... All worries and troubles, all delusions washing away....'
The vivid sensations and soft curves of the woman lingering in his mind were swept away by the river. What remained was pure satisfaction. This.... Yes, this feeling. After completing a grueling mission and returning. The sensation of stripping off the uniform and collapsing onto the bunk.
"Water. Water.... Water always knows the answer...."
With the cool river water wrapping around him, Professor let go of consciousness entirely. He knew Laksasha was waiting outside, and that this wasn't polite, but it was unavoidable.
It was an hour later when Professor regained his senses and emerged from the water.
***
After thoroughly enjoying the bath and drying off, he came out to find clothes neatly folded in front of the door.
A cloak large like a tent, sturdy leather pants that somehow fit his body perfectly, and a large shirt that was a bit torn but still wearable enough. It was clear someone had put thought into it.
Professor dressed and was about to head out but peeked from behind the counter to scout the situation. Now that he was wanted in the city, if any customer recognized him, it would be trouble. Fortunately, the salon had a quiet, upscale atmosphere overall, with thick curtains over all the windows and no customers in sight.
Laksasha sat alone at a wide table, smoking what looked like a hookah.
"No need to worry about prying eyes from outside. We don't open for business on guild member visit days."
She gestured invitingly to the seat across from her.
Fwooo—
The hookah smoke enveloped the two like clouds before dispersing.
"So, shall we get down to business?"
***
Laksasha had a habit of collecting rare and exotic items.
Rare things. Things of which only a few existed in the world. The sensation of having such an item in her possession was one of the few precious thrills in her languid life.
So when she saw the massive man dragged in by her guild members, she took a brief interest. An appearance that could be mistaken for a mutant. The fact that he knew the guild's code and had come looking for them.
'Should I.... poke at him a bit?'
She wasn't deeply invested in guild affairs, but this seemed entertaining enough, so she handled him personally.
Then came the questioning. Seeing the man's dazed eyes soaked in drugs and his inability to resist her seduction, her expectations quickly turned to disappointment.
'Just your average guy tormented by a mage.'
She was about to wrap up the interrogation and hand him off to the guild members when she saw it. His pupils reflected in the blade, staring straight at her eyes.
'....Acting?'
Without hesitation, she slit his throat. It might get interesting, but it was dangerous. She still enjoyed life here and didn't want to end her secretive leisure.
She gave a wistful farewell to the corpse and turned away, only for a voice to emerge from the dead man's mouth.
"Cough! Well, didn't you say earlier? Relationships are about getting to know each other."
She saw it. The severed carotid artery and windpipe reverting to their original state as if time had rewound. His hand, cut off by Elder Spider silk, reattaching and regaining function just by pressing it back.
Unbelievable. Wasn't that close to the immortal body from legends?
'A rare.... human...!'
Her languid heart throbbed with pleasant excitement.
***
She worked to keep her relationship with this man called Professor on a razor's edge.
'A man who wants a commission. Too submissive is bad, too aggressive is worse....'
Fortunately, he knew how to negotiate. By pretending to value her guild member's life, she naturally maintained a proper distance while forming a friendly rapport.
After that, it was her pace.
'Impressive physically too, and surprisingly good at using his head despite appearances. But.... that weakness to reason. Fun.'
His trembling at her slightest touch was adorable. She planned to tease him, then gently coax out his secrets one by one....
"Uh.... Professor?? Care for some tea—"
"Ah, let's talk business. Not big on tea."
"Th-then maybe some snacks?"
Clink!
Crunch crunch crunch!
"Mm. Tasty. Good enough? We're both busy, so let's skip the fluff and get to the important stuff."
This man, after taking nearly an hour to wash up, had suddenly turned to stone.
'Weird? He was within my senses the whole time? All he did in the bathroom.... was stay submerged without moving for an hour.'
No actions, no traces of magic.
"S-so, what exactly is the commission you want...."
"Ah, nothing grand. You know what hijacking is? Like plane or car hijacking."
The man said it casually, smacking his lips at the empty snack plate.
"Hm. In this case, towerjacking. I'm thinking of taking the whole Mage Tower hostage."
....Pardon?
This man existed far beyond her imagination, in a realm distant from common sense.
***
'The mountain is a mountain. And water is the best.'
Having finished his ablutions, Professor reappeared before Laksasha with a mind as clear as a still mirror.
'How could I waver over a mere woman's body when supreme pleasure was right before me, Professor? Someday, I'll sit before the great sea and apologize to those deep blue depths for today's folly.'
[Wh-what is this....! For even the deepest unconscious to be filled only with thoughts of water.... Shell, what horrific brainwashing did you undergo!]
'Poor parasite. With only consciousness and no senses, you'll never know this pure bliss. I pity you, parasite.'
Professor looked at Laksasha before him. Eyes brimming with unintentional allure. A small face that seemed cute yet mature. Silky hair like satin. And a perfect figure as if God had taken an extra week to sculpt it. Yes. This woman was endlessly beautiful. Enough to shake any man's composure.
But Professor had already washed away such vain thoughts in that river. In his mind now floated only the tasks at hand and the methods to accomplish them, serene and undisturbed. At least until the water in his hair dried.
"I'm planning to clean out the entire Mage Tower. Wondering if you could help."
He could see Laksasha's eyes widen at his commission. Well, yeah. Even I think it's absurd. Against the Mage Tower wielding city-scale power, what could one person do?
"It's a bit.... disorienting commission? You might not know as an outsider, but going against the Mage Tower and surviving in this city is no easy feat."
"I know. Learned it real quick after less than a day here. City transport? Mage Tower. Local specialties? Mage Tower. Residences, welfare, everything.... They've got the whole city in a chokehold. Lucky for you, I'm pretty reasonable and don't make excessive demands."
Professor looked around for something to write with, then dipped his finger in the tea Laksasha had offered and drew on the table. A circle in the center for the Mage Tower, dots at east, west, south, north roughly mapping Tobrun's layout.
"First, cause a commotion in the west part of the city. Type doesn't matter, but make it big. At least enough to draw the lord's knight order to the west gate."
Laksasha frowned at his words, showing reluctance.
"Hm.... Not an easy request? To move the knights, it'd have to be a city-wide crisis level."
"Not that hard, right? Lordric folks are super jumpy these days. Just go 'Mutants attacking~!' and poke around, shouldn't it work?"
"You know what happens if you're caught stirring that up inside the city? Could be charged with treason."
Laksasha pondered briefly but soon nodded in agreement.
"Not that straightforward, but possible. Actually, since yesterday, there's been rumors spreading inside the city about a weird guy talking about red mutants...."
She trailed off unwittingly. Ruddy skin. Regeneration beyond human. Eerie aura.
Meeting her gaze, Professor grinned and waved it off.
"Real?"
"Fake. Overheard earlier—he knew everything about the prison incident. Mages notarized it, remember? I'm human."
"But you look exactly like the rumor describes?"
"'Cause it's my rumor."
Her eyes widened again. Cute.
It was a roundabout path, but the plan itself wasn't complex.
Use the thieves' guild to draw city forces west.
Once red mutant rumors spread, mages would hole up in the safest place: inside the Mage Tower. Mages and knights—the two potential threats. Pinpoint and separate them, cutting off external aid.
"Then I neutralize the Mage Tower, and you and your guild swarm in to grab all the high-end artifacts, grimoires, cash, precious metal decorations—everything valuable—and bolt. This should cover the commission fee plenty, right?"
Laksasha visualized his plan. It made no sense no matter how she thought about it.
Assume it all goes perfectly. Whatever power this man had, suppose he infiltrated the towering Mage Tower full of mages and subdued them all.
But the Mage Tower was in the city center. Her guild could only distract city forces so long; any major incident there, and troops would pivot toward it fast. Subdue, loot valuables, and escape in that short window? Impossible in reality.
'But.... looks fun.'
Her heart, beating lazily until now, perked up more. Stripping the ugly mask from the Mage Tower in this prettily wrapped city. Wasn't that straight out of a fairy tale epic?
Knowing it was impossible, she still wanted to hear more.
"Minor issues we can iron out later? First, how do you plan to subdue the Mage Tower mages?"
Professor's smile deepened at her question. He'd been waiting for this. Dying to talk about it.
"Laksasha, right? Ever heard of.... 'mana stones'?"
Her face naturally scrunched up at his words.
***
[Side Story] Spice Merchants of Sector 43
***
*Spoiler Warning! Covers events after Chapter 39 / Eyelids (11).
Sector 43.
Refers to areas prefixed with 43 in Gedroits Company's user zone divisions.
In this desolate, rugged wasteland like any other lived two merchants dealing in somewhat unusual goods.
"Bang!"
"How 'bout it? Pretty usable, right? Decent enough for practical use?"
Siiiip—
"Puhahaaaa— Herr Gott, bitte vergeb mir, dass ich den Dreck gesehen habe. (Forgive me, Lord, for having seen this filth.)"
Here was Ian of the Iron Jaw, commonly called Metaljaw, the merchant.
Ian stared at the bizarre hunk of metal in his friend's hand—the one he'd been living with for days now. According to him, it was a 'pistol.' Watching his buddy's expectant eyes begging for approval made his mind go numb.
'How 'bout it? My ass. Pulling the target to 5 meters makes that shooting? That's clubbing with the barrel.'
Ian finished his handmade cigarette in one long drag, pulled another from his pocket, then reached in for one more and lit it with a burning twig.
No matter what, he had to convince this stubborn little friend. Ian took a deep breath, cigarette in mouth.
"Hey, Bex. Doesn't it prick your conscience calling that trash a 'gun'?"
"Eek! Don't diss it! My precious 'gun'! Saved my life in Sector 45 more than a few times!"
The small man across from him, Bex, holding the crude gun, yelled back at his friend, face like he bore the world's sorrows.
Sure, reason whispered in his head, 'More near-misses from misfires--;', but he ignored it cleanly. He had a habit of obsessing over trivial things, unchanged even after its cause was resolved.
He'd followed Ian's advice to supplement firepower for his dangerous spice trade, coming to this makeshift range. But now, trying to ditch it, he couldn't part with his handmade pistol, leading to this bickering.
Ian took a deep drag. Maybe he'd burn through the tobacco leaves that trading partner paid with instead of seals today.
"Alright, Bex? Listen up. A gun is a weapon that fires a bullet from a closed tube using gunpowder or similar force. Pull the trigger, and it puts a hole in the enemy ahead. Right?"
Bex nodded, holding up his 'gun,' making veins bulge further on Ian's forehead.
"And, it ignites gunpowder via primer, fuse, firing mechanism, etc., to deal damage via explosion. People call that a bomb. Eh? Get it?! Bomb! As an expert in both firearms and explosives, I declare! That suspicious scrap heap you're holding is no gun—it's an explosive, you idiot!"
As Ian's neck veins throbbed insulting his precious 'gun,' Bex fired back indignantly.
"Don't call me idiot! That's why I reinforced the barrel so it won't blow!"
"Reinforce my ass! Who calls wrapping pipes over a 5.56mm barrel until it's over 6cm diameter 'reinforcing'?! You got money! Ditch it and get a new one!"
"You said treat firepower like a wife! She's my first love from years of wasteland life-and-death! Can't ditch her!"
Snap!
At that, Ian's pent-up temper exploded, grinding his teeth. Comparing his beloved wife M30 to that junk?
"Shut up! What you're holding ain't even wife material—it's a masturbation kit, you hear meeeee!!!!"
Crash!
Ian finally snapped and lunged at Bex, who clutched his 'gun' dearly and nimbly dodged the raging bull-like assault.
Zzt—zzzt—
The neon sign for [SPICY LIFE], wasteland gun and assorted刺激 goods shop, flickered faintly amid sand-caked grime. Another peaceful day in Sector 43, echoing with gunfire and blasts as usual.
***
"Let's ask Professor."
"Hm? Professor?"
It came from Bex's mouth in Ian's shelter, a converted pre-fall bowling alley, after their chase.
"Yeah, Professor. Most sane of us three. Honestly."
"Hm.... Yeah, true."
Ian recalled the flashy memories from days ago. Cool judgment. Lightning situational awareness. Bold execution once planned. His opinion would be reliable.
'And above all, that runt listens to him.'
He could convince the stubborn scrap-lover.
Ian berated himself for not thinking of this sooner, wasting time.
"Good. Let's ask now. He said he does game streams, right?"
"GG. Ongoing in Sector 47 chatroom."
Ian powered up the trading terminal in the corner. Luckily, he had an extra from last trade payment, so both could join.
"Alright, let's see what amazing game kept him from my courtship and sent him home."
Clicking Sector 47 chatroom, Ian's heart raced inwardly. A streamer friend? Felt like having a big shot buddy.
Flick—!
Screen lit up, showing a weird stone building.
Both lost words at the sight.
"Blurgh!"
"Pffft!"
Splash, splash!
"Get out! Get out of my head!"
- domaksaramu : lololol wtf's wrong with him?
- iwoduf3872 : Dunno. Hid from mutants there, then started mumbling and freaking out? Like mama, mama?
- Jokasss : Something wrong? Thought he was fine till now, but realistic mode? Can go insane suddenly?
Ding—!
[Player `dantanji` donated 1000 seals to `professor`!]
[Player `nomadulata` donated 1000 seals to `professor`!]
[Player `GuiGui2201` donated 5252 seals to `professor`!]
A hulking muscled man in rags flailed in a dingy tub in a bloodstained room's center, splashing filthy water, while viewers laughed.
'Is this the famed [刺激 content]?'
Something heavy stirred in his chest. While he and Bex fiddled with nonsense, Professor lived so intensely.
- landradroad : So anyway, hand-pumping beats purifier on power efficiency?
- baljakujungjindam : Water just from digging? Know how much groundwater's contaminated? Why not spike it with cesium like a psycho gang for that soda vibe?
- pompomkodo : O, sounds tasty.
- oswaldo : hehe! Lewd pic fap!
- Soy Sauce Gaybar : Wh-what is this
- Speed Wagon : No such room here.
- Deer Drug Please : Oh my, this treasure. I'll treasure it~
Before this herd of wild horses, Professor flailed like a clown, face visibly pained. Like fiercely battling something inside.
'Performance art, huh.'
Ian thought game streaming might have more depth than expected.
After much flailing, Professor calmed, opening eyes with an enlightened look.
- DOOMgay : Oh, Professor's awake.
- Unemployed : For real. Moving now? Was screaming solo earlier, ok now?
Ian wanted to greet but felt he shouldn't. As a sensible adult, sometimes pretending not to see someone's flaws is kinder.
Siii—clunk!
Ian logged off after seeing Professor rise. Bex did the same.
"....Bex. Back to work."
"Y-yeah.... sure."
"Keep that metal clump if you like. Real men have a attachment gun. Carry it with others."
"Yeah.... True. Performance sucks, fact. Recommend one?"
Witnessing Professor's fierce life, they seemed enlightened. With the other two wasteland friends nuts, sane him must stay sharp.
Of course, Professor had no clue about the absurd misunderstanding.
***
Bex loaded today's goods onto Ian's buggy at his place. Ian sure seemed filthy rich for a wasteland solo merchant. Others took a day crossing sectors without vehicles, but this mad bomber had a raptor-marked armed truck, daily buggy, now adding a vintage Hummer.
Staring at bullet scars on the blue Hummer body revived memories.
'Hepburn.... doing alright?'
That bizarre stream scene lingered. Knew he was diligent everywhere, but 'that way'?
Probably the debt mentioned before parting. Definitely.
'Hmm.... Might lend him money if needed.'
Bex dusted hands after stacking boxes and gun crates tight in the cargo bay.
Could be good. If Professor bankrupted on debt, only Metaljaw and he to turn to, right?
'If Professor joins, sell keys for a solid generator. Three vehicles perfect, drive wasteland, settle nice building. Buy shield, camouflage, groundwater pump....'
"Gotta make bank...."
"O, runt. Full of vim? Great attitude!"
Ian, fully armed, inspected buggy load unnoticed.
"AKs two, apples eight, industrial dynamite ten packs.... Damn, Bex you bastard, packing like a pro! No need to check. How so neat? Alphabetical from top, no gaps?"
Ian, admiring the precisely loaded cargo worthy of 'meticulous,' pulled a sleek black gun from his iron case on back and tossed to Bex.
Clack!
"Whoa! What the—?"
"What else? Gun matching your specs."
Bex eyed the hefty firearm suspiciously. Wasteland vet but mostly scavenger distant from proper guns. But this was famous even to him.
"USAS-12?"
"Kuhuhuhu. How's that? Worlds apart from your scrap, eh?"
"Good gun, sure, but...."
Bex had specified to Ian: not frontline firepower type, prefers light, mobile, ideally burst-fire. Didn't name to avoid burden, expecting Scorpion or Uzi SMG.
But this: long barrel like bayonet under sight, big stock, drum mag—massive auto shotgun.
"Which part of my order does this fit?"
"Hm? Burst fire, easy carry? USAS. `Universal ★Sports★ Auto Shotgun`. Sporty, right? Easy to tote?"
"Universal Sports my ass! Ultra Savage Autoshotgun! What insane sport needs 12-gauge at 360 RPM?!"
"Hey~ Easy easy! Try it! Hip-fire bursts, recoil shakes your soul. No need CPR for heart stop?"
"%$#@&*^^?{*&**%^!!!"
I'm insane. Asking that firepower nut for gun picks.
"Now at least—"
"We're late. 5 more mins, miss trade time."
Tricked. Ian timed it perfectly.
"Ughhhh.... Hepburn, miss yooou...."
"It's fine, fine. Tough first, but you'll love it!"
Ian seated teary Bex, fired up buggy.
"Alright, time to make deals today!"
Vrooom!
Garage door opened, Ian's modded buggy kicked sand and sped into wasteland. Inside bickering welcomed by gritty sandstorm.
***
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