Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Cleaning Season (2)
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Cleaning season.
It was an unofficial event that regularly visited Randa.
True to its name, it involved cleaning, but of course, it wasn't the kind done with brooms and mops.
"So, specifically, what are we cleaning?"
"The contaminated zone in F District."
"Contaminated zone?"
"Yes. It's a quarantined area within Randa's F District, sealed off by the city. Dangerous contaminated organisms and zombie hordes appear periodically."
F District was the hub where Randa's numerous labs were clustered, and the densely packed G District beyond it was where the upper class resided.
One couldn't help but wonder how such a dangerous contaminated zone had ended up in a place like that.
"Cleaning means entering whenever the danger level rises and dealing with the rampaging zombies, contaminated organisms, and mutants. Under a secret agreement between the Brokers' Guild and the city, we provide manpower as well."
Oliver nodded.
Then he glanced around at the other fixers nearby.
Their expressions weren't great, so Oliver tactfully asked,
"Is this cleaning thing optional for individuals, by any chance?"
Al closed his eyes and slowly shook his head.
"Not this time."
After Miss Coco went in, and a few other fixers had entered and come out, it was finally Oliver's turn.
He entered the manager's office at the back of the restaurant and saw Forrest looking exhausted, his collar loosened.
The moment he spotted Oliver, Forrest straightened his clothes and returned to his usual composed self.
"Hello, Mr. Forrest."
"It's been a while, Dave. Good to see you."
His words were half sincere, half false.
For some reason, he seemed to have a bit of trouble saying something to Oliver.
"...Did you hear anything outside?"
"Yes. I asked what was going on, and Al explained. About the contaminated zone and cleaning season. Could I hear more details?"
"Of course. Have a seat."
Oliver sat as Forrest suggested.
Forrest poured him a glass of liquor, as usual.
"So, you've heard about the contaminated zone and cleaning season?"
"Yes. I heard it's crawling with zombies and contaminated organisms."
"It's also a place where criminals who fled from society or dangerous black mages hide."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. And it's a dumping ground for hard-to-dispose-of corpses... Why do you think zombie hordes appear regularly?"
"But Al said the city had sealed it off."
"Maybe the surface, but not underground."
Forrest pointed to the ground below.
Oliver recalled Kant's words about another city beneath Randa, made of sewers and tunnels.
"Even if the city blocks it, organizations with power and influence can bribe the city guard stationed there regularly and use the back door."
"How did such a dangerous place end up in F District?"
"Good question. There are all sorts of rumors—like aftereffects of magic experiments or traces of the Great Catastrophe that weren't cleaned up—but no one knows the exact reason."
"I see."
"That's right. That's just how Randa works day to day. Even when something huge and nasty blows up, they spread so many lies it gets buried like dough. Most people are too busy scraping by to care for long, so in this city, the truth is all the more valuable... and dangerous."
"...You've always been kind, but you're especially so today."
Forrest gave a wry smile.
"I have a favor to ask you."
"Is it about the contaminated zone cleaning?"
"Yeah. For some reason, the city insisted on designating their own personnel for this cleaning. They said last time they sent incompetents and it wasn't done properly."
Oliver asked calmly, as if discussing someone else's story.
"Is that true?"
"Half-true? It's true we try not to send our best. Can't risk competent folks on a low-pay, high-risk job... But the other half is a lie."
"A lie?"
"Yeah. We do care about our best, but we still clean properly. The bare minimum, at least. Otherwise, we'd be hounded by city officials for a while. Last cleaning was done as usual. Then suddenly, they threw a fit and made this demand. We had no choice but to accept."
Oliver sensed a hint of frustration and helplessness in Forrest's emotions.
It seemed the Brokers' Guild was at a severe disadvantage in their relationship with the city.
Forrest spoke again.
"And the city official demanded you specifically."
"Me?"
"Yeah. Seems they've heard the rumor you took down a mage. It's mostly hearsay, but enough to catch their eye... I never planned to send you on something like this, but things turned out this way. Please, go on this cleaning run... Sorry about that."
Forrest's words were sincere.
He felt guilty toward Oliver.
It was odd.
This seemed like something Forrest couldn't avoid from his position.
Oliver didn't feel any particular dissatisfaction either. Everyone had to do it, after all.
Above all, the contaminated zone piqued his interest.
'Black mages hiding out there...'
But that was that, and his curiosity was another matter. Just in case, he asked,
"What if I refuse? The cleaning."
"Breaching the secret agreement with the city means I'd face massive fines that could bankrupt me or lose my broker license. You'd become a criminal. They'd make an example of you and the police would come down hard."
"Ah, then I guess I have to."
"Wise choice. Thanks. So, can I assume you're in and explain the job?"
Forrest pulled out a binder and asked. He clearly had no intention of just sending Oliver off lightly.
"Of course. I appreciate it."
"Good. First off, let's be clear: this cleaning season has a lot of suspicious elements."
"Suspicious?"
"Yeah. Demanding specific participants is odd enough, but the timing's way off too. It was supposed to be in four months, but suddenly they notify us to clean now. Said the number of rampaging entities inside has spiked."
"Is that true?"
"Yeah, that's fact. Miss Coco confirmed it, and I checked with Heimdall too. The zombie hordes multiplied exponentially in just a month."
"Is there a World Tree in the contaminated zone too?"
"Of course ther— Wait, did I ever tell you about World Trees?"
"I studied up on them."
"What?"
"I said I studied. ...Is there a problem?"
"No, not that, but how...? Never mind. Anyway, there is one in the contaminated zone. It's true the zombies increased because of it. So, that leads to three possible reasons."
"Three reasons?"
"Yeah. First, more people died this year, leading to a massive illegal dumping of corpses. It happens more often than you'd think... Second, the black contagion spread, infecting a ton of people hiding in the zone."
Black contagion.
Oliver had read about it once in the Dominic Family's books.
A natural plague born from masses of corpses, germs, and black magic energy that turned people into zombies.
More vicious and lethal than ordinary diseases, it could become an uncontrollable catastrophe in severe cases.
"And the third?"
"A dangerous black mage suddenly setting up nest there."
"A black mage?"
"Yeah. No offense, but for black mages unbound by even basic laws, there's no better spot than the contaminated zone. In fact, among the many reasons we can't reclaim it, dangerous black mage Families nesting there take up a whole line."
Ah... Oliver nodded. It made sense.
The contaminated zone was quarantined. Meaning it was a lawless free zone where city rules didn't apply.
Plenty of corpses too? If you had the power, it could be convenient for a black mage.
Even Oliver could empathize now, wondering if he could benefit from it somehow.
"You okay there?"
"Pardon? Oh, yes. I'm fine."
"...Anyway, that's my current theory on why the zombies increased. It's dangerous. As bad as Y or Z Districts."
As dangerous as Y or Z Districts, which were practically lawless...
"...Mr. Forrest. If I may ask one more question?"
"What?"
"If it's that dangerous, shouldn't they resolve it somehow, even if by force? Y and Z are out in the corners, so it's fine, but the contaminated zone is in Randa's core... Isn't that risky?"
"Good point. Logically, yes. But logic can be futile sometimes. It was noisy when the zone first appeared, but now the vibe is that it's not so bad having it."
"...?"
"It's sufficiently contained, and the labs get good samples from there... Plus, it's a great dump for their illegal test subjects."
Oliver understood Forrest's words.
The contaminated zone wasn't just a polluted area anymore.
It was a field for securing F District lab samples and a convenient landfill to hide illegal activities.
That's why they left it be—for the convenience.
"...And purely rumor, but some say there's a silent pact between the contaminated zone and F District. That they won't cause harm if you don't dig too deep."
"Who made that pact?"
Forrest chuckled.
"No one knows. That's why it's a rumor. Oh, right—sorry, got sidetracked. Here, take this."
Forrest handed over a dozen sheets of paper.
"Minimum workload per person for the contaminated zone cleaning and the corresponding rewards. It's dog wages, but better than nothing."
He was right.
The first page listed the minimum quota per fixer.
Categorized in detail—like zombies only, or zombies plus contaminated organisms—and you got extra pay beyond base only after filling the quota.
To claim performance bonuses, you had to bring proof: heads. They provided a magic bag for that.
Note: the magic bag alone cost tens of millions of Randa, so handle with care.
Lost or damaged? You'd pay for it. And looters targeted them.
"Hm? What's this 'capture' item listed here?"
"Exactly what it says. Capture alive and bring 'em in for pay."
"Doesn't make sense to me. It's cleaning—why capture?"
"For lab samples. Indirect request from the Mage Tower via the city. That's why the payout's four, five times higher."
Ah... Oliver nodded.
He'd suspected as much, but it confirmed the mages' status in Randa was exceptional.
Indirect requests through the city, no less.
Oliver flipped through the documents.
Toward the back was some unidentified map and black-and-white photos attached.
"This is...?"
"A rough map of the contaminated zone, with the most dangerous spots and groups marked."
"The city provides this?"
"No, a few brokers including me pooled efforts to make it. Can't have them giving impossible tasks without at least that."
"...Impressive."
"Thanks for noticing... See the skull marks on the map?"
Oliver checked.
"Yes."
"Places with the most zombies, dangerous black mages, and looters. The most hazardous even within the contaminated zone. Definitely reference and avoid them."
Oliver cross-checked the numbers by the skull marks with other documents.
As Forrest said, mentions of zombie hotspots, black mage Families, and looters.
He'd thought no one lived in the contaminated zone, but apparently people survived even there in harsh conditions.
As if reading his mind, Forrest said,
"Humans are something else, huh? People live even in places like that. But they're not the only danger."
"No?"
"Yeah. Besides fixers, a bunch of mercenary bands with dirt on the city are joining big-time. Watch out for them too."
"Mercenaries?"
"Fixers too. Rare, but some bad apples show up."
A faint worry glimmered in Forrest's emotions. Low odds, but possible danger.
Oliver nodded and asked,
"How many fixers are going?"
"Nine including you from my side, plus from B, H, N Districts. Probably over a hundred total."
"When does the cleaning start?"
"Five days from today."