Chapter 448: Situation Summary (2)
Whisper, whisper.
Child-Third, who had entered the testing chamber, spoke in a low voice.
The whisper was so faint that it was difficult to discern the words, and even if they were heard, they carried no real significance. The main body of Child, which had not inhabited a corpse puppet, could not speak in any comprehensible language. At best, it sounded like the faint buzzing of insects.
Except for one person—Oliver, the creator of Child.
In the freezing cold storage room, where one could see one's breath in the air, Oliver sat at a desk and transcribed the druidic knowledge whispered by Third, not omitting a single letter.
Rustle.
Oliver, having densely filled the page with writing, quickly flipped to a new, blank sheet of paper.
Just as he was about to continue recording the new content, Third's whispers abruptly ceased.
The memories or knowledge that had been read seemed to have run out.
Oliver marked the page.
[20–30]
Then, he made another request to Third.
"Third, could you please examine corpses numbered 31 to 40?"
In response to Oliver's request, Third immediately exited the testing chamber and entered the body of the 31st corpse among the 82 druid corpses neatly lined up before Oliver.
As Third entered through the corpse’s mouth, the raw, unprocessed body seemed to gain life; its eyelids trembled slightly, and its fingers and toes twitched.
This process of examining the knowledge or memories contained within the corpse took about an hour, after which Third emerged and immediately entered the 32nd corpse.
‘The time is shortening.’
Oliver recorded the times in Child's observation journal as he thought this.
Initially, examining the vast amount of information within a druid's corpse took a full day to review just ten bodies. Now, it averaged one hour per corpse, cutting the time in half. At this rate, he could complete the examination of all the corpses within the agreed-upon period.
‘As expected, Child is growing. The control over Seamus has contributed as well… I wonder how things are progressing outside.’
Oliver glanced outside while flipping through the thirty-four notebooks he had filled with druidic knowledge.
Currently, outside the cold storage, Child-First, Second, and Fourth were inhabiting temporary corpse puppets with reduced physical strength and receiving socialization training from the ladies of the House of Angels.
The training covered conversation skills, etiquette, clothing, and even ordering coffee at a café.
Although Oliver had intended to start this training earlier, time constraints had delayed it, but recent events made it necessary to proceed immediately.
‘Judging by the lack of commotion, it seems like they’re learning well.’
As he thought this and continued reviewing his notes on druidic knowledge, a heavy metallic clatter resounded as the thick door of the cold storage opened.
It seemed the expected guest had arrived.
"My goodness..."
James, accompanied by Jo, entered the cold storage and murmured in disbelief.
James, an employee of the Wineham apothecary, was taken aback by the sight of 82 druid corpses laid out in neat rows. It wasn’t an everyday scene, so his reaction was understandable.
"Welcome, Mr. James."
Oliver, clad in thick clothes, rose from his seat to greet him.
James spoke as he looked at Oliver.
"The rumors were true."
"Rumors?"
"Yes, the word going around is that you wiped out a hundred druids who were obstructing your business to show who the real ruler of X-District is."
Oliver tilted his head in confusion. He knew how rumors tended to spread and become exaggerated, but the notion of being a 'ruler' was absurd.
"Is it absurd?"
"Yes, it's entirely incorrect. For one thing, I only killed 82 of them."
"Ah..."
James let out a breath. Although 82 was fewer than 100, somehow, it felt more unsettling.
"I see... Then, is it also untrue that the gangs and factions in X-District are all bowing their heads to the Redevelopment Coalition and swearing allegiance?"
Jo, who had been standing quietly nearby, frowned slightly, impressed by James. He seemed quite knowledgeable about Landa for someone from the countryside.
Indeed, as James suggested, X-District, once divided into several small factions, was now unifying under the Redevelopment Coalition, specifically around its CEO, Oliver.
And they were doing so voluntarily.
It made sense, considering the power he had demonstrated.
As a result, there were even rumors circulating that Oliver was practically the king of X-District, and these weren’t entirely unfounded.
However, Oliver himself denied such claims.
"No, they are not submitting. They are simply cooperating after seeing the vision we have for the business."
James raised an eyebrow, expressing disbelief. He glanced at Jo, silently asking if Oliver was serious.
Such an attitude indicated some understanding of who Oliver was.
"Well, I... understand. I’ll believe you."
James lied. He did not believe a word Oliver said.
Although Oliver wanted to persuade him, he had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment.
"In any case, thank you for coming. I called you here because there is something I would like to discuss."
"There’s no need to thank me. In fact, we had some business here as well, with the Tower of Magic project and the X-District redevelopment. Now that we've finished the urgent tasks, you can fulfill the promise you made to us, can’t you?"
The promise James referred to was assisting the apothecary with druidic plant research.
This promise was made during the process of helping Mari, but due to circumstances, it had been delayed repeatedly.
Oliver felt genuinely sorry and was about to feel apologetic again.
"I actually have something to say regarding that."
"Why do I feel uneasy... Very uneasy."
This time, James spoke with genuine concern. Understandably so, since he had already been accommodating twice before.
"I'm afraid there’s been another development that will make it difficult to help you this time."
"Come on now, Mr. Dave... We know of your capabilities, but may I speak frankly?"
"Yes, please do."
"We’ve already made concessions twice. To ask us to wait a third time is unreasonable, no matter how you look at it."
Oliver nodded in agreement.
The apothecary had provided help when he needed it and had even been willing to delay the promise twice. To ask for yet another postponement… it was indeed excessive, even by Oliver’s standards.
However, he had no choice. There were urgent matters to attend to. Once again, he realized how selfish he was.
"…I am truly sorry. However, I will provide compensation befitting the inconvenience."
"Whatever this compensation is, we don’t care about money. You know we are not in this for a few extra coins, right?"
Oliver nodded again. Money was never the reason for this arrangement.
The apothecary was already quite wealthy and had grown even wealthier through dealings with Mari. He was well-off enough to live comfortably in Landa.
His interest in knowledge stemmed from his personal intellectual pursuits and his dream of reviving Wineham.
"I apologize once more. However, could you please accommodate us just one more time? If you’re not satisfied, I will help the apothecary immediately."
"And what exactly is this compensation?"
"Druidic herbalism knowledge. It may not be complete, but…"
As soon as Oliver said this, James’s expression froze like a stone, completely shocked.
For about five seconds, he remained in that state before slowly turning his head to observe his surroundings more closely—the desk that seemed out of place in the cold storage, and the 82 druid corpses laid out in front of it.
It was only then that he realized why Oliver was there and what he had been doing.
"Could you explain in more detail?"
Oliver answered James's question, explaining how he had acquired the druidic herbalism knowledge.
It was a reasonable question. After all, it was common knowledge that druids did not record their knowledge in writing due to their traditions and secrecy.
For this reason, druidic knowledge was considered more precious than even magic.
"Child?"
"Yes. Child reads the knowledge or memories and relays them to me. Third, could you stop what you’re doing for a moment and come over here?"
At Oliver’s call, Third, who had been examining a druid’s corpse, returned to the testing chamber.
Oliver removed the test tube mounted on the stand and showed it to James.
Inside the transparent flask was Child, appearing like a small, dark lump of flesh floating as if it were black smoke. It whispered softly, with tiny leaf-like structures emerging from it.
To James and Jo, the sound was nothing more than a faint, insect-like buzzing that hurt their ears.
"...It's a creature, isn't it? An artificial lifeform created using black magic from the creation branch."
"You recognize it?"
"I’ve done some studying on the subject… So, it enters the corpses and extracts the information?"
"Yes, although it's more accurate to say that it extracts knowledge or memories."
"Aren't those the same thing?"
"Similar, but slightly different… In any case, Child enters the corpses, reads the druid's knowledge, and relays it to me. I then transcribe it."
James whistled softly as he glanced at the thirty-four notebooks stacked on the desk.
All of them contained druidic knowledge, each one worth a fortune. This was no exaggeration—it was literally the truth.
"…That's impressive."
"I was just fortunate."
"You're still as humble as ever."
"I'm being sincere."
Oliver genuinely meant it. He had not anticipated that Child would possess such a capability.
Child’s original purpose had been simply to control corpse puppets in Oliver’s stead. It was a stroke of luck, like a cow backing up and accidentally catching a mouse.
Moreover, it would have been impossible without the cooperation of the Reformist Druids, who had accepted certain conditions. He was thankful they had granted him a one-week grace period.
James spoke again.
"Well, I understand... Then, does all that knowledge in those notebooks pertain to herbalism?"
"No, not all of it. It includes herbalism, as well as animal communication and breeding techniques, shamanism, druid-specific physical training methods, and natural communion training methods."
For a brief moment, James's eyes gleamed with greed.
All of this knowledge was valuable. Simply selling it could bring in a huge profit, and utilizing it would yield even greater benefits.
However, James hesitated to speak. He knew the worth of this knowledge and was also aware of Oliver’s growing influence.
Considering Oliver’s recent reputation, he could not afford to make any rash moves. Oliver was practically the leader of a faction now, and any attempts at deception could have serious consequences, not just for himself but for those around him.
As James calculated the risks and rewards of this newly revealed situation, Oliver spoke.
"Are you interested? In other druidic knowledge, I mean."
The sudden question caught James off guard, and he answered hesitantly.
"Yes, well… I'd be lying if I said I wasn’t."
"In that case, you should speak with Mr. Forest."
"Mr. Forest… You mean the intermediary you’re working with?"
"Yes, he is also a co-representative of the Redevelopment Coalition. When I discussed the matter of the apothecary’s promise, he suggested sharing the herbalism knowledge. Although the druidic knowledge here was obtained by me, it’s Mr. Forest who will be handling its use. I recommend you speak with him. He also mentioned having other proposals for the apothecary… At the very least, hearing him out won’t hurt."
James raised an eyebrow in curiosity.
He wasn’t sure whether Mr. Forest, who acted as an intermediary in deals with Dave, would be pleased to have someone like him snooping around. He might find it bothersome. Nevertheless, it was worth a try.
Securing the druidic herbalism knowledge alone would be a significant gain.
"Understood."
"Good timing. Mr. Forest is here right now."
Oliver spoke while looking at the wall of the storage room, indicating beyond it.
"Would you like to go speak with him first? I have something to finish up here and will join you shortly."
...
James promptly followed Jo's guidance to meet with Forest, while Oliver continued to transcribe part of the knowledge or memories relayed by Third.
Once he finished jotting down Third's whispers, about an hour had passed. Oliver then created an artificial soul for Third, allowed him a brief rest, and stepped outside.
"As soon as you return, we’ll resume working. Time is of the essence, so there will be no rest, including sleep, for the remaining time. So, make sure you rest well now."
"Dammit."
Third responded to Oliver's concern with a grumble.
Stepping outside the storage room, Oliver soon encountered the ladies of the House of Angels, who were training Child inhabiting the temporary corpse puppets.
The women were dressed in simple, casual clothes rather than their shop uniforms, which suited them well.
"Oh, Dave? You’re out!"
The eldest of the twenty or so women from the House of Angels greeted Oliver as she approached.
"Yes, I’m here to see Mr. Forest."
"Ah, he’s in the office over there."
She pointed to one of the temporary offices set up to improve the efficiency of the X-District redevelopment.
"Thank you... Are you finding your work manageable?"
"Yes, everything’s fine. First, Second, and Fourth are all learning well."
Oliver glanced over to where the Childs, surrounded by the women, were receiving various types of training.
"Now that we've finished learning natural makeup, let’s move on to party makeup."
"I’ll teach you how to choose the right dress."
"And how to deal with boring conversation partners!"
"Don’t forget about wearing high heels properly…"
"And perfume—"
"Let’s practice ordering coffee again. Just three more times and we’ll have done it a hundred times. This time, try to leave out the 'haak' sound."
"When in doubt, it’s good to ask about hobbies or work."
"Let’s practice smiling."
"A true gentleman is—"
"I don’t have anything else to teach for now, so I’ll just keep chatting."
The Childs, surrounded by twenty women from the House of Angels, were half out of their minds, forced to listen to these lessons.
In particular, Second seemed to be suffering the most, even forming his hand into the shape of a gun and pretending to shoot himself in the head.
Perhaps that was why...
As soon as they saw Oliver, they cried out, "Haaak! Save us! Or just kill us!"
The women of the House of Angels, who had received a substantial tuition fee from Oliver, showed no sign of releasing the corpse puppets.
It was impressive, considering that the puppets, despite being animated, were still corpses.
"Hehe, we’ve had customers worse than corpses visit our shop, so don’t worry," one of the women said with a smile. There was no bravado in her tone, just the calmness of someone strong. In her gentle demeanor, Oliver sensed strength beyond physical power, guns, magic, or black magic.
"You’re impressive."
"To survive in Landa, this is nothing. But thank you for the compliment."
"I’m just grateful to have someone strong like you helping us."
"Oh, don’t mention it. You’re paying us generously for our help, and besides, it’s quite fun."
"Is it really?"
"Yes… Although I initially learned it for work, I didn’t expect teaching to be this fulfilling, especially teaching someone like you. It feels… refreshing."
She had initially learned these skills for the Sisterhood. Oliver noticed a mixture of bittersweet memories and current enjoyment in her expression.
"Do you enjoy it now?"
"Yes, I do. It’s fun."
"Then you should consider starting a class of your own in the future. Something like 'Angel's Etiquette School.'"
"Heh… Are you serious?"
"Yes. I think you’d be good at it, and I’d be interested in investing if you decide to start."
"…Really?"
"Yes. You seem very capable, and I would like to keep learning."
When Oliver responded, the woman appeared genuinely surprised.
"I heard you’re studying humor. Is that true?"
"Yes… Oh, but this isn’t a joke."
"I know… I was just going to suggest that if you had evaluated the Child’s progress instead, it might have been funnier."
"Is that so?"
"Yes… Anyway, I’ll make sure the lessons are thorough."
The woman clenched her fists and expressed her determination, seeming even more pleased than before.
Oliver mirrored her gesture and asked her to continue doing her best before heading off to meet Forest.
Just as Oliver was about to leave, First, speaking more fluently than before, called out to him.
"Dave! Help me! Dave! Hey!"
Oliver stopped and, clenching his fists, turned to face First.
"I believe in you."
"Damn it."