Genius Warlock

The Forrest restaurant, situated on District T's Street 27, stood tall and proud, its presence unmissable. Oliver stepped inside the establishment, the bell ringing out softly as he did so. The familiar figure of Al, the clerk, greeted him with a polite smile.

"Good day, Mr. Dave. It's been a while. How have you been?" Al asked, his demeanor warm and welcoming.

Oliver returned the gesture, replying in kind, "I have been well, thank you. And yourself, Mr. Al?"

"I am doing quite well, thank you. The boss has been taking good care of me. Please follow me, I'll show you the way," Al responded, leading the way toward the underground office.

As he descended the lengthy staircase and entered the room, Oliver's eyes fell upon Forrest, and a man dressed in a striking pink suit seated across from him. He recognized the face of the individual as Jonathan, the head of security at Pinkman's office.

"Hello, Mr. Dave. It's been a while. Do you remember me?" Jonathan inquired, extending a polite greeting.

Oliver acknowledged the man with a nod, recollecting their previous encounter when he had been asked to hand over Jane after the battle with Duncan.

"Yes, I remember you, Mr. Jonathan. We met in regard to Ms. Jane's incident in the past," Oliver replied cordially.

Jonathan went on to explain that he had been appointed the head of the general operations team, and handed Oliver his business card. After some initial pleasantries, Forrest cut to the chase.

"Dave, the reason for my call during the break was due to Mr. Jonathan's direct request. The Pinkman office wishes to hire you for an ongoing project," Forrest divulged, getting straight to the point.

Oliver nodded, though he was not entirely surprised by the news, having received some indication of it through the communication device.

Jonathan had been tasked with a crucial mission: to recover stolen goods that were commissioned by the notorious Crime Firm. And the items in question were none other than the auction items that had been stolen from the Subreptor auction house.

Although he wasn't privy to the details of how the theft had occurred, Jonathan knew that the stolen goods were of great importance to the Crime Firm, and they had entrusted Pinkman with the request to retrieve them.

"Since the goods are so important, they asked us to handle the recovery operation," Jonathan explained.

The Crime Firm's decision to entrust Pinkman with this delicate task made sense, given the level of expertise required to recover such valuable items. It wasn't surprising that they had sought out the best in the business to get the job done.

However, what did raise eyebrows was the fact that Pinkman had chosen to hire an outsider like Oliver for this operation. It wasn't unheard of for outside help to be brought in for certain tasks, but typically only for filling headcount. Oliver's exceptional skills and combat power far exceeded what was typically required for such tasks.

Oliver inquired about this, as Forrest had previously advised. “Is the Pinkman office hiring me?”

Jonathan acknowledged the unusual nature of the request. "Yes, it's not a common occurrence. We usually rely on our own personnel for tasks that require exceptional combat skills or expertise. I understand if you find it strange."

Jonathan was completely honest. He didn't seem to have any ulterior motives.

Oliver pressed further, "Is there a specific reason for this?"

Jonathan explained that the nature of the job was the reason for the unique approach. Given the fact that most of the auction items Crime Firm dealt with were illegal, it was difficult for Pinkman, as a reputable organization, to openly involve themselves in the recovery of these stolen goods. The situation called for a discrete approach to minimize any potential damage to Pinkman's reputation.

"Therefore, this operation will be carried out independently, rather than under the auspices of Pinkman office. That way, even if something were to go wrong, the organization would suffer minimal damage," Jonathan explained.

This tail-cutting approach was not uncommon in Landa, but it was unusual for the person in charge to acknowledge it openly. Oliver understood the situation and why Jonathan had sought him out for the operation.

"I see. So, since this is an independent operation, there is a shortage of manpower that can be mobilized, which is why you are hiring me," he surmised.

"Exactly. It's not easy to find a Solver with both skill and credibility like you, Mr. Dave," Jonathan replied with admiration.

It was a flattering remark, but it wasn't entirely empty words. Jonathan did have his own high opinion of Oliver.

Working with the Pinkman office, which was highly regarded in Landa, wasn't a bad experience, but there was one thing Oliver wanted to ask before moving on.

“Can I ask you a question?”

"Go ahead."

"I don't know much about it, but I think this job might be quite difficult. The raiders who stole the goods should have been from the Black Hand… To be precise, it must be the Human meat Chef faction, is that right?"

"……!!"

Jonathan's expression fluctuated for a moment, surprised that Oliver had obtained information that was known only to the top members of the Crime Firm.

Perhaps it was obvious. This information was obtained by Oliver through Murphy with great difficulty.

"… Yes, that's right. It's not yet confirmed, but we’re almost certain. How did you know?"

"I just assumed it was them since they tried to rob the auction house last time. I personally investigated them because I was curious.”

"Oh, I see. You've heard rumors too, but I didn't know you'd find out that far already."

"I think if they came from the same side, they would have people stronger than the one I have fought. I don't think the Pinkman office doesn't know what I know."

"The point is?" Jonathan prompted.

“The opponent is a powerful enemy, and the manpower that can be mobilized is limited, so I'm curious why you took on this job."

After some back-and-forth, Oliver finally got to the point. Jonathan admitted by raising his hands.

"I know I can't do this. I tried to talk about it first, but someone beat me to it…. I'll admit it honestly. Originally, we should have rejected it because it was unprofitable, but we were offered a big offer from the crime firm and we accepted it."

“What kind of offer?”

"We will receive some of the recovered auction items."

Oliver was stunned and speechless. It wouldn't be easy to just hand over the auction items like that.

"They're trying to recover some of the items instead of losing everything. According to our research, some of the items have already been traded. ”

Oliver nodded, seemingly convinced. Jonathan then opened the remaining cards.

"We will give you two of the recovered auction items, except for the designated item. If you don't want anything, we will compensate you accordingly."

Finally, the core of what Forrest had said over the communication device emerged.

When he called Oliver, he anticipated that this was how the conversation would unfold, so he called Oliver who was taking a break.

It wasn't just a big deal for getting a lot of commission, it was something that was helpful to Oliver.

Oliver continued the conversation, pretending not to know about this.

“Auction items?”

“Yes. Is there anything you want?”

"Well… I do have something in mind, but I'm not sure if it's available."

As if Jonathan had expected it, he pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. It was the auction item list.

"You can choose from here. We haven't decided yet what we want, so if it overlaps with Dave's, we would like to coordinate through conversation."

Oliver perused the documents before his eyes, and among them, he caught sight of a book about demons that piqued his interest. He barely managed to keep himself from openly expressing his desire to have it, knowing full well that as a warlock, coveting such a book was not something he should do publicly.

Although he had received a similar book from Coco in the past, he couldn't take the same level of risk with the Pinkman office, lest he faces persecution in the underworld.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to obtain such a valuable book was too tempting to pass up. Despite having established his reputation and financial freedom on the floor, procuring a book about demons was a challenge he couldn't easily overcome.

The name alone held significant value, and it couldn't be obtained with a few extra pennies.

As Oliver struggled to reconcile his desire with reason, Forrest interjected, addressing Jonathan in a hushed tone.

“Mr. Jonathan.”

“Yes, Mr. Forrest.”

“If you don’t mind, could you wait a little longer for an answer? I will give you an answer as soon as possible.”

Forrest's timely intervention caught Oliver's attention, and he looked at him in silence, waiting to see what would happen next.

? ? ? ? ? ?

Jonathan rose from his seat, agreeing with Forrest. Since they were still searching for the raiders, there was no rush to give a response.

Once Jonathan had departed, Oliver and Forrest were alone in the office.

"You are amazing, Mr. Forrest,"

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't everything Mr. Jonathan asked for and the proposed reward go exactly as you anticipated?"

Prior to Oliver's call, Forrest had gathered information on the background of the request and the transaction with the crime firm, informing Oliver of what he could expect.

Even with some time to prepare, the quality of the information was impressive.

"I can't just accept things at face value and move on,"

"I'm not sure what you mean,"

"It's not important. More than that, you're amazing too. I told you about the details of the request and the reward, but I didn't tell you about the enemy… Did you see this coming?"

"No… I just found out out of personal curiosity."

"Right. But don't talk about it to other people. Jonathan seems to have been quite impressed.”

That was right. Strength was essential on the solver floor, but it wasn't the only factor. As the scale of the work increased, other factors, such as situational awareness, decision-making ability, networking, and even luck, became important.

Having these qualities could affect the commission price, and Oliver was aware of this. Therefore, it was better to maintain the image he had shown earlier, even if it was unintentional, because it was also a skill.

Forrest posed a question to Oliver, “How about this job?”

Oliver replied with a question of his own, “What do you think, Mr. Forrest?”

Forrest had mixed feelings about the job, “I want to stop you, but I also want to push you to accept it.”

“Why is that?” asked Oliver.

“Because the enemies you have to deal with are terrible. Not many people want to get involved with the black hand on this floor. They are like back alley urban legends. However, you can also obtain rare auction items, so it's difficult to just refuse. Ultimately, the decision is up to you. Are you willing to take the risk?”

“… Honestly, I am. There is one thing I would like to acquire though.”

“May I ask what it is?”

Oliver showed a section of the list, a book about demons.

“Ah, as I expected,” Forrest remarked.

“Right, I wanted to tell Mr. Jonathan, but I held back,” said Oliver.

Forrest remained silent for a moment, then spoke, “It's not impossible to obtain the book. A warlock might be hesitant to give it up, but if it’s Pinkman, if we use persuasive points, we can get it without any problems.”

“Persuasive points?”

“For instance, the Pinkman Office might have something they want to hide, so we can implicitly persuade them with it. Then they will naturally draw attention away from us. We can then negotiate to receive the item. Are there any other items you want?”

Oliver thought about it and said, “I'll think about the other one slowly. By the way, are you okay with it?”

"What?"

“About me seeking a book about demons?”

“Hmm… I would have come up with a good answer if you had asked me this about 6 months back, but now I don’t have anything to say.”

Well, it was true. It was too late to say anything after he had already obtained a Book about Demons from Edith Rock through Coco.

"I guess it's just your curiosity. Or what? Do you have a special, sinister reason for seeking a book about demons?"

"No. That's not it."

“To be honest, for a person like me, making a living comes before talking about demons or angels. You are the most skilled and trustworthy solver I work with. My job is to assist you well. It's in the best interests of everyone to be professional.”

“Yes, I understand…. Then, I will accept this job. Can you give me some time to reorganize my schedule?”

“Of course, it doesn’t matter since I don’t intend to answer right away anyway. I plan to wait as long as possible before answering. That way, we would also be able to gather our material.”

“What material are you talking about?”

“My own information about the people who stole the crime firm stuff…”

(To be Continued)

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