Chapter 125
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Waste Disposal Business
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"He spoke?"
"Yes."
Was my prediction spot on? Not long after lending Desmond to Pandora and sending her to the witches' dungeon, the progress on the [Sub Quest] changed. Thanks to that, I even scored 10,000 points.
When Pandora returned from her dispatch and handed Desmond back to me, she said that the moment Desmond touched the dungeon core, his consciousness flickered back for just a brief instant, and he uttered some words.
"What did he say?"
"Just... he seemed really angry."
Vulgar curses hurled at someone—things like "get lost," "you filthy scum," "I'll kill you," and the like.
'...Is that aimed at me, or at Dry?'
Checking his status now, he's lost consciousness again. To regain awareness only to spew curses immediately... I'm a bit worried about what'll happen when he fully wakes up later.
"Good work. Go rest. Tomorrow and the day after, just repeat the same task at the dwarves' dungeon and the arachne dungeon. Think you can handle it?"
"I must stay by Master's side."
"Hm. In the end, that protects me."
"I'll do it."
With the [Sub Quest] progressing smoothly confirmed, I plan to repeat the process at the other dungeons. That'll net another 20,000 points, solving the immediate salary issue. Seeing Desmond's bizarre reaction upon core contact makes me wonder if he might actually wake up...
'If he wakes, whatever.'
Right now, Desmond's just an empty shell. No undead minions, all his power drained by Dry—he's no threat at all, no matter how much he hates me. Honestly, I'd prefer he woke up sooner rather than later.
"For now... the immediate salaries are covered, but that's just the start of the problem."
If I have to hunt down other dungeon cores every payday, that's no good. I need a steady source of points. Already nearly 20,000 points are going out monthly, and with staff only growing, never shrinking, I'll need even more.
'Cleaning alone won't cut it.'
In the game, cleaning from afar via monitor was quick, but this is reality. Cleaning takes forever, and the points earned are meager.
So the solution... is [Decompose], of course. Use the incinerator and grinder to pulverize trash and generate points to cover costs.
'Best would be holy relics, though.'
Strangely, every holy relic heroes carry is deemed decomposable and spits out hefty points. The [Collect] function works sometimes, not others—total crapshoot—but relics have been my reliable income source so far.
Can't just snag more relics to grind, so alternatives... and I happen to have one in mind.
"Phantom!"
"Yes, Master."
I called in Phantom, who was busy repairing the interior of the ruins. Lately, with the brilliant dungeon manager Alfred stealing his advisory role on dungeon ops, I'd assigned Phantom other duties.
"Have the demons I sent outside returned?"
"Yes. They got back an hour ago."
Phantom and the demons he originally commanded were demons who'd hidden in human villages. They knew human culture inside out and were pros at laying low, so I often dispatched them to human cities for intel or to procure supplies.
However...
"Aren't they starting to get suspected?"
"Honestly... yes."
Can't keep that up forever. Even with Lilith's help disguising them each time, outsiders repeatedly buying the same types of goods on a schedule was bound to raise eyebrows.
Especially lately, with the ruins' population booming, every city trip meant bulk purchases. Massive sums changing hands naturally drew scrutiny.
"Deals with that much coin will always prompt ID checks..."
"We've made temporary identities with Lady Lilith's help, at least."
Thanks to Lilith's illusion magic, the frequent dispatchers had fake IDs. Should hold up for now.
No, even if issues crop up, Lilith's recent growth means she can smooth over minor hiccups. Seriously, her charm and hallucination powers are total cheats. Still, uncertainties linger.
So... what if we set up a proper business front?
"Business... you mean?"
"Yeah. With all those IDs ready, we can pose as a legit outfit with multiple staff, hide the fund sources too. Any small snags, just 'Lilith' them away."
"That could work, but is it really necessary...? Aren't there better options?"
Necessary? Absolutely.
Because business isn't just about fund trails or IDs—those are side benefits. There's a real reason.
"What kind of business?"
"Waste disposal."
Where there are crowds, filth and trash inevitably pile up.
Even eating produces food scraps, gnawed bones, fish bones, fruit seeds... And eating means excretion, so human waste to handle, plus rancid oil, rusted metal bits...
Humans spew all sorts of garbage and sewage just living. In packed cities, you need ways to deal with it. Otherwise, stench and plagues breed.
The modern world has systematic methods.
Procedures vary by country, but sorting and recycling are standard. Proper protocols: landfill some, incinerate others, with compression, crushing, aerobic/alkaline treatments—physical/chemical processes galore.
So... this world?
"Cough! Cough! Hey! Burn your trash over there!"
"Who just dumped filth out the window?! It's all over my clothes!"
Total chaos.
No proper incinerators—just households burning unsorted trash haphazardly, dumping it outside city limits willy-nilly, or chucking it straight into streets. No established waste management.
-Squish squish...
"What? A slime. Ugh, gross..."
"Leave it. They pass by and the smell gets better at least."
Should've been a plague-ridden hell long ago, but slimes that devour anything kept human cities precariously sanitary.
Of course, the imperial capital uses magic beyond slimes—recycling waste into catalysts and such—but costly.
Most cities just release slimes in filthy spots, let them grow, then haul 'em out for disposal—barely extending urban lifespans.
Far from perfect: trash fires spark blazes, buried dumps poison soil and farmland. And amid all that...
"What's that? Never seen a building like it before?"
A small caravan of outsiders rolled into the city. Instead of selling goods, they offered a 'service'.
"What? 1 silver and they'll dispose of any trash?"
Food waste, bulky junk, spent magic catalysts, rusted metal—any type, no matter. Just 1 silver, they'd handle it.
Citizens scoffed at first, naturally.
"Trash? Why pay good coin to dispose of it?"
"Just dump it in the street. Slimes swarm and eat it eventually."
"That's for nobles and priests. They hate dirt."
Response was lukewarm at the start, but inevitably, some folks were sick of trash piling up around home...
"...Still, just 1 silver... Worth a shot?"
"Any trash for 1 silver? Could clear the factory stockpile in one go?"
1 silver—about 10,000 won back on Earth. Huge for scraping-by poor, but doable for average citizens once.
Curiosity or genuine hassle drove a few to pay up at first, then...
"What?! All the trash piled here is gone!"
"Uwak! They took the 10-year-rotted food scraps stinking up the place!"
"No smell! No bugs!"
To citizens numb to filth, a new world of 'cleanliness' unfolded.
"M-me too! Here's 1 silver! Five kids means diapers everywhere...!"
"Our factory's daily waste alone...!"
Cheap price turned heads—initial skepticism vanished as folks rushed to pay and offload trash.
They ignored where the mystery merchants hauled the loads. Dumping nearby would've felt wasteful; far off was better.
Thus, at a remote spot outside town, piled high with trash before the demons...
"All set, Master."
[Employee Dispatch]
"Yup! Ow!"
A cute red-haired girl popped into existence mid-air, landing flat on her butt.
"Hehe. Just burn all this, right?"
[Incinerator lv.max]
She clutched the now-almost-hers [Incinerator] preciously to her chest.