By Zephyria 
“It’s a quiet neighborhood. Convenient, too. But the rent is a bit high, so unless you work nearby, everyone finds a place in the next district over.”
Information flowed out as soon as he asked, as expected of someone who’d spent his whole life in Bay City.
As Mu-hae hailed a taxi, Lau quickly hopped into the passenger seat and started rattling off all sorts of trivial news.
“Especially here in the center, there are quite a few buildings that are great for hosting various social gatherings. Rather than dealing with the exorbitant rental fees in Central, businessmen like CEO often gather in the Witz District, which is nice to look at and quite presentable.”
“Hmm… I like it. The building you showed me earlier had a classic charm, too.”
“This place? It’s Hyangta Building. It’s practically a landmark of the Witz District. It’s so distinctive in appearance.”
He went on to detail where to see the best night views, what kind of incident happened before the building was constructed, and stories of the district that a low-level mercenary wouldn’t usually hear.
He’d picked the right person. Age isn’t the measure of knowledge, but surviving in this world until now means he’s quick-witted and knows a lot.
“I like this city. Especially the neat atmosphere is eye-catching. The city I live in now is gloomy and a bit noisy.”
“Where are you from?”
“Seogyeong City…”
“Ah.”
Lau understood quickly and nodded, as it wasn’t too far away.
In this day and age, moving from the city you’ve lived in your whole life isn’t common unless you’re a mercenary with nowhere to settle. However, if the comfort zone that serves as your foundation is small and has clear limitations, someone has no choice but to take drastic measures.
“Besides, recently, some strange groups have been popping up.”
“Strange groups?”
Lau cleared his throat slightly, glancing around the taxi as if he was wary of being overheard, his eyes shining with curiosity.
After waiting long enough to make the other person impatient, Mu-hae cautiously opened his mouth.
“In Seogyeong City, you can’t set up proper facilities unless it’s a religion that’s been reported in advance, but no matter how you look at it, these cult-like groups are running around calling themselves research societies.”
“Ah… that’s a problem, those kinds of things.”
“There aren’t many groups like that here, right? Is Bay City Central a bit more lenient towards this sort of thing?”
“Well, most religions talk about the afterlife, don’t they? What city would welcome machine parts that run the economy neglecting the present?”
Even as he spoke casually, his eyes darted to the side. He clearly knew something, but it didn’t seem like he’d spill it easily.
Mu-hae cleared his throat again and reached into his pocket. Hanging from the tip of his long fingers was a small perfume bottle he’d taken from Cheong’s small aircraft.
It was placed as an amenity, but it was obviously an expensive item. After receiving a bribe that could easily be flipped for a few dozen deal, Lau’s attitude became friendly again.
“Ahem… there’s good news and bad news, though. So, there are things that gather here pretending to be other meetings from time to time. But they haven’t caused any major accidents. Bay City isn’t lenient towards cults.”
He definitely heard something. Mu-hae sat back in his seat with a troubled expression.
“Actually, the reason I’m looking for a city to move to is because I recently discovered a group that seems to worship something strange. Thanks to that, the treatment of miners in Seogyeong City is decent, but for someone running a business, it’s better to avoid neighbors who aren’t in their right mind.”
“Seogyeong City… was it like that? By the way, if you’re a miner, are you perhaps mining Blue Energy?”
“…Do you know about it?”
“No, it’s not that I know, but when you’ve been a mercenary for a long time, you pick up rumors.”
Lau glanced at Mu-hae as if he was contemplating something, then lowered his already quiet voice even further.
“For decades, there have been stories circulating among older mercenaries, whether they’re just kids’ nonsense or not. That there are guys who call Crystal Blue the substance of God and are obsessed with it? It’s not reliable information. Actually, the whole world runs on Blue Energy now, so in a way, it’s true.”
Thump. His heart beat loudly. He thought they were thorough, but it seems they’d left a tail somewhere.
If it’s been decades, it’s understandable, but at the same time, thinking about how old this society is, he worries about how far its roots might have spread.
“Decades. Could those guys in Seogyeong City have come from here? Could Bay City be their base?”
“Eh. No. I was actually in Great City more than 20 years ago. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it. In terms of distance, it was closer to Solar City than here. I heard the rumor there, too. Something about a natural phenomenon…”
With those words, Lau closed his mouth. He didn’t know anything more than that, and it wasn’t a comfortable topic to talk about for long.
Even that was helpful enough. Jin Mu-hae forced a soft expression and quietly looked out the window.
The year written in the NPS message. If he remembered correctly, that society hadn’t been around for more than twenty years.
Even so, if there had been a similar group near Solar City even longer ago, could they be the predecessor of NPS?
Or perhaps they were scattered and moving in a cell-like structure, like a return flight…
Either way, the only conclusion he could draw was that the cult Jin Mu-hae had stumbled upon was just the tip of the iceberg. Unlucky, but he’d gained useful information.
Even though he was repeatedly worried about leaving Joo-oh behind, he was glad he came here.
“Here. This is Hyangta Building. You can see it at a glance, even from far away, right?”
“Just as I imagined. That building alone gives the surrounding streets a unique flavor.”
According to Lau’s explanation, Hyangta Building and the hotel that Hawkins had guided him to were just business facilities that could be rented with money.
Even if he broke in and searched now, there wouldn’t be any traces of NPS left.
“Hey, don’t worry too much about what I said earlier. Just think of it as an urban legend. Bay City has never really been noisy about those kinds of problems.”
“I know. Thanks to you telling me in detail, I feel a lot more relieved. Next, I’d like to take a look around Central, if possible?”
“If CEO has given you permission, I can accompany you. The famous attractions of Bay City Central include the tall tower in the east and…”
Perhaps thanks to the generous payment, Lau showed him around various parts of Bay City like a true veteran guide.
Even as he admired everything like an ordinary tourist and even bought travel gifts, Mu-hae’s mind lingered on the beach where the battle had taken place.
A land where even Bay City, suffering from energy shortages due to the high risk, doesn’t send miners. What was NPS doing there?
He couldn’t help but feel regret that he might have been able to find out more if he hadn’t lost consciousness then. It was fortunate that he survived thanks to Joo-oh’s actions, though.
Whoosh- whirring.
When he landed at the Goryeo City airfield as the sun set, Mu-hae had a large bag embroidered with ‘WELCOME BAY CITY’ tucked under his arm.
The bundle, so full that it seemed like the zipper would burst open, bumped against his body with every step.
A body trained by mercenary work wouldn’t tire from such heavy luggage or a half-day trip. But somehow, he felt a bit mentally exhausted.
It felt subtly empty without the chatterbox next to him… Since when did he ever travel with anyone? It was ridiculous.
“Jin Mu-hae!”
The building with the goblin neon sign. As soon as the door on the upper floor opened, a welcome voice rang out, and someone burrowed into his arms.
A warm body. Black hair fluttering beautifully. It was his simple-minded colleague who had been waiting for Mu-hae all day.
“You’re late. I thought you’d be here an hour ago.”
“How do you know that?”
“I just know. But Jin Mu-hae, you smell delicious.”
Joo-oh, who had been jumping up and down while hugging his waist, shifted his gaze to the bulging bag. He always had an amazing nose. How did he know he’d brought back a bunch of Bay City food?
Come to think of it, he’d been facing Cheong with that beaming face the whole time. It was nothing, but he felt inexplicably twisted.
“Did you resolve the request well?”
“I told them I handled it enough to get paid. By the way, you tempted this idiot with food, but judging by how he’s smacking his lips, you must have fed him stingily.”
“What?”
Cheong frowned rarely and made an unfair expression. Joo-oh chuckled quietly and whispered in Mu-hae’s ear.
“I ate all of Cheong’s food, too. Just like Jin Mu-hae told me to, much more than usual. Now Cheong can’t even eat dinner.”
Thinking that he had done his best in his own way, even with that task, Mu-hae felt a little better.
Even Joo-oh didn’t care about Cheong as soon as the door opened. He was rubbing his face all over Mu-hae’s chest and shoulders.
As if he was trying to inhale the scents he hadn’t been able to smell and feel the textures, he moved his feet with every step, clinging to him until the end.
“Stop. We have to go home.”
Only after hearing the warning did Joo-oh let go, holding the bag. His tousled hair was round and made him want to touch it.
Cheong, who had been quietly watching the scene, tossed a nail-sized object to Mu-hae. He caught it in one go and examined it; it was a data chip.
“I thought you’d drag it out annoyingly, but you’re unexpected.”
“The payment is certain. If you’re greedy in a clumsy way, you won’t survive in this industry.”
Ding-!
At the familiar sound, Mu-hae reflexively twitched his eyebrows and turned his head. Joo-oh was taking pictures with an overflowing face.
Such a satisfied smile. He didn’t know what part of the conversation they had just had was so pleasing.
“We won’t be involved in the future.”
Mu-hae, who had stored the chip, turned his body coldly. The interior scenery he saw in passing was etched in his eyes one by one.
A tea table piled high with snack wrappers and a sofa with only one spot slightly indented. Joo-oh had probably been sitting there waiting for him the whole time.
It was a place somewhat distant from the blue-haired guy’s desk. Only then did his temper finally subside completely.
“I’m going to save this little by little.”
“Just finish it all at once. Don’t carry it around in your mouth forever like those crazy meat skewers or sandwiches.”
Thump. As the two chatted and closed the door, the office, which was almost vast, became quiet.
Cheong, who had put his feet on the desk and leaned back, muttered quietly to himself.
“You will be involved.”
His voice was laced with laughter.
[Quest]
Main Quest
Tutorial (Completed)
Chapter 1 (Completed)
Chapter 2 (Completed)
Chapter 3
☞ Rampaging Clown (In Progress)
Unidentified Sender’s Love Letter √
Special Delivery √
Missing Persons List
[Missing Persons List]
The data Cheong handed over contains a list of missing persons from Goryeo City.
People who disappeared within a certain period. Could West Wind be among them?