Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 603

“Ah, this feels wonderful.”

Brielle strolled along the street, a satisfied smile gracing her lips.

The meal she had savored after such a long time at Old Man Klexi’s eatery had brought her immense contentment and a feeling of being completely full.

Thanks to Brielle’s presence, Zeon had also the occasion to relish a generous amount of delectable food.

Their destination was none other than Zeon’s own building.

They intended to visit Levin’s office after a substantial period and also take a tour of the underground city.

With an expression brimming with anticipation, Brielle voiced her thoughts,

“I imagine the underground city must have undergone quite a few transformations too.”

“You’ll be quite taken aback when you witness it for yourself.”

“Hehe! I’m eagerly awaiting to see how much it has changed.”

Brielle’s pace naturally picked up, her steps growing quicker.

A short while later, upon reaching the vicinity of Zeon’s building, Brielle’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

The external appearance of the structure had been dramatically altered.

“What in the world? Did you undertake a complete reconstruction?”

“I know, right?”

The exterior boasted such immaculate cleanliness that one might easily assume it was a newly erected edifice, and Zeon himself appeared utterly perplexed.

“Oh? It’s Sir Zeon.”

“Lady Brielle has also arrived.”

The Awakened guards stationed at the building’s entrance recognized their familiar figures and called out greetings.

After offering their salutations, Zeon inquired,

“The building’s exterior has been modified once more?”

“Ah, City Hall deemed the previous appearance unsatisfactory and thus initiated a renovation.”

“City Hall?”

“Indeed! They dedicated several days to the work, resulting in this striking transformation.”

“Hmm.”

“Furthermore, they didn’t merely address the exterior; the interior has also undergone extensive reinforcement, significantly enhancing its defensive capabilities.”

Elicited by the Awakened’s explanation, Zeon’s brow furrowed slightly.

At this juncture, the building no longer resonated with him as a personal property but rather resembled a public facility.

Nevertheless, this sentiment did not engender any negative feelings within him.

In the first place, he harbored no particular attachment to the building itself.

As long as it served its purpose effectively for those who required it, that was sufficient.

“Where might Levin be?”

“He’s currently in the Fixer’s office.”

The Awakened responded as he graciously opened the door for them.

Expressing their gratitude, Zeon and Brielle proceeded inside.

The interior of the building presented an even more surprising spectacle.

Previously, the lower levels were densely packed with shelves used for storing provisions; however, not a single one was now in sight.

In their stead, a multitude of transport vehicles and buggy cars occupied the space.

Instead of warehousing supplies for the underground city, as was the practice before, they now utilized these vehicles for direct transportation.

City Hall had designated this location as a critical strategic base and was managing it with meticulous care.

Access was restricted to a select few individuals, all of whom held significant positions within Neo Seoul.

Under the directives of Jin Geumho, they remained stationed here, overseeing every detail with utmost diligence.

Zeon let out a subtle shake of his head as he ascended the stairs.

“At this rate, it’s practically half owned by City Hall.”

“Does that make you feel like it’s being put to waste?”

“It’s not precisely a waste, but the situation does feel rather peculiar.”

“Conversely, you have a significant stake in the World Tree village. You can establish a residence there at a later time. I’ve already secured the most prime location for you.”

“Thank you.”

Zeon offered a smile at Brielle’s comforting words.

In truth, the likelihood of constructing human-style dwellings within the World Tree village was rather slim.

The High Elves predominantly favored abodes fashioned from living trees over conventional human architecture.

The exact mechanism remained a mystery, but the trees flourishing in the World Tree village possessed the remarkable ability to morph their forms, accommodating the living needs of the High Elves.

Consequently, a considerable number of High Elves resided in comfort within these sentient trees.

As Zeon and Brielle conversed while climbing the staircase—

“What? What were all of you doing while things reached such a critical state?”

Levin’s indignant shout erupted from the fixer office.

The tone was unlike anything they had ever heard from him before.

Zeon and Brielle exchanged glances.

“Something significant must have transpired.”

“He sounds genuinely incensed.”

The two immediately entered the fixer office.

Inside, Levin, his face flushed a deep crimson, was vehemently reprimanding Aaron and Dominic.

“You were entrusted with the responsibility of overseeing the apprentices. Three of them have disappeared, and you failed to even notice? Does that seem rational?”

“Our apologies!”

“We merely assumed they were slacking off again…”

Aaron and Dominic uttered their excuses in hushed tones.

Levin fixed them with a glare, his eyes blazing with intensity.

“Now that the office is established, you’ve ceased paying attention to the apprentices? Three are missing, and you’re only realizing it now? Damn it! We established this fixer office with the primary objective of providing employment for those apprentices, didn't we? And you’re telling me you didn’t even apprehend their disappearance until this very moment?”

“We are truly sorry! We have no defense for our actions.”

“We shall commence the search immediately.”

“Do not even contemplate returning until you have located them.”

“Understood.”

Aaron and Dominic hastily exited the office, too flustered to even acknowledge the presence of Zeon and Brielle.

Zeon approached Levin and inquired,

“What is the situation?”

“Ah, hyung! Brielle, you’ve arrived as well?”

“Greetings!”

“My apologies… that you had to witness such a scene.”

“What transpired to provoke such an outburst from you?”

In response to Brielle’s question, Levin shook his head.

“They claimed they hadn’t even registered the absence of three of the apprentices.”

“Perhaps they merely decided to skip work, disinclined to attend.”

“One must assess the individual’s circumstances. Those apprentices all have families to provide for. They are in no position to take even a single day off.”

“Ah, I see…”

“Yeah! They work themselves to the bone just to feed their families. And you think kids like that would just stop showing up without a reason? That they’d just disappear?”

“Hmm.”

“It makes no sense. Something definitely happened.”

Levin answered with absolute certainty.

The biggest difference between him and Aaron and Dominic was experience and insight.

Having lived their whole lives in the slums, Aaron and Dominic naturally had a limited perspective.

On the other hand, Levin had followed Zeon and gained countless experiences.

He had been to places ordinary people didn’t even know existed, like the Primordial Forest and the World Tree village, and met many people.

Those experiences gave Levin sharp perception and insight.

Because of that, he could catch even the small details that Aaron and Dominic missed.

Zeon looked at Levin with a pleased expression.

He was glad to see the growth of someone he cared about.

Seeing Zeon like that, Levin said,

“Sorry, hyung! Please, have a seat.”

“Okay.”

“I was away too long—everything’s a mess.”

“Aaron and Dominic are doing well.”

“They are. But sometimes they miss important things like this.”

“No one can do everything perfectly. Don’t be too hard on them.”

“Alright, hyung.”

Levin nodded.

Looking around the office, Brielle said,

“Looks like you’ve been getting quite a lot of work.”

The walls of the office were filled with request papers from outside.

It was proof that the office was running actively.

At her words, Levin smiled brightly.

“Our name’s gotten out now, so we’re getting a lot of requests. The kids are happy too—they’ve got plenty of work.”

“That’s good.”

“At the very least, the kids working with us shouldn’t go hungry.”

Originally, the fixer office had been created to give jobs to the kids of the slums.

As the portal was installed in the slums, the floating population increased, and with it, more people needed their services.

Levin welcomed this situation.

The problem was that too much work had come in at once, creating gaps in manpower management.

Like this time—kids who absolutely had to show up for work didn't, yet it had been brushed off as nothing.

Levin couldn’t let that slide.

That was why he had personally sent Aaron and Dominic, both his friends and managers.

Zeon asked,

“Any other problems?”

“Not for now. City Hall’s also quietly helping out.”

“Really?”

“They’ve been giving us a lot of requests behind the scenes, so work hasn’t dried up.”

Levin thought Seo Taeran was cunning.

After the portal was installed in the slums, she had been sending a lot of requests to his fixer office.

Most of her requests were about tracking suspicious individuals.

Identifying and monitoring people who might pose a threat to Neo Seoul or the portal in advance.

Originally, City Hall and Seo Taeran hadn’t considered the slums very important.

They didn’t have the manpower to actively intervene, and more importantly, it hadn’t been worth it.

But with the creation of the portal, the situation changed.

The portal, which allowed free travel to places like the mana stone mines and the Steel Fortress, removed the constraints of time and space.

It was, in other words, a strategic asset.

Naturally, it had to be specially managed.

Potential risks had to be identified and eliminated in advance.

For that, Seo Taeran made full use of Levin’s fixer office.

Hearing Levin’s explanation, Zeon shook his head.

“She really is sly.”

“Well, it’s mutually beneficial.”

“If she ever gives you unreasonable demands or dangerous missions, refuse them.”

“Of course. I hate the idea of sending our kids into danger.”

“Good. I trust you’ll handle it.”

Zeon smiled.

The clumsy boy was gone.

He had grown into a capable man with insight.

Someone who could be trusted with anything.

After that, Zeon, Brielle, and Levin continued talking for quite some time.

When the conversation finally died down, Zeon stood up.

“I should get going.”

“Already?”

“I want to check the underground city too.”

“Then you should go.”

“I’ll come too. I want to see Lemura.”

Just as Brielle stood up to follow Zeon—

The door suddenly burst open, and Aaron rushed in with a pale face.

“Something’s wrong, Levin!”

“It’s bad.”

At his urgent voice, Levin’s expression hardened.

“What is it?”

“You have to see it. Come with me.”

“Fuck!”

Sensing that something was seriously wrong, Levin cursed and followed Aaron.

Zeon and Brielle also gave up going to the underground city and followed them.

The place Aaron led them to was a secluded alley in the slums.

Compared to this place, the “ant hole” where Zeon’s house was located could be considered paradise—it was that much worse in environment and crime rate.

Because of the harsh conditions and constant crime, people died here every day.

That was why this place was called Dead Man’s Street.

Even people living in the slums avoided it—it was that terrible.

Levin and the others entered a shabby building on Dead Man’s Street.

Inside, there was no electricity, as if the lights didn’t work.

Because of that, it was dark, as if a ghost might appear at any moment.

Opening the door to a room within, Aaron announced,

"This is Veron's room."

Veron was among the trio of youths who had failed to appear at the office.

As the door swung open, a repulsive odor immediately assailed them.

Overwhelmed by the dreadful smell, Levin and his companions instinctively shielded their noses.

"What in the world is this?"

Upon inhaling the scent, a searing pain shot through their heads.

It was as though the stench itself was burrowing into their very minds.

"Ugh…"

"Hey! Wake up!"

A pained groan, followed by Dominic's voice, echoed from inside.

Crouched in a corner of the room, a figure was huddled tightly.

Dominic was vigorously shaking him, attempting to rouse him from his stupor.

The individual was gaunt, as if he hadn't consumed food for ten agonizing days. His face was devoid of any life, and his eyes lacked all focus.

The horrendous stench emanated from his emaciated form.

Levin uttered in utter disbelief,

"No way… Veron?"

The Veron he recalled was a spirited young lad.

Even while dwelling on Dead Man's Street, he had diligently toiled, holding onto the hope of one day relocating to a more prosperous place.

Yet, that very boy had now become listless and was on the verge of death.

Levin seized him and demanded,

"Veron! What transpired?"

"D-drugs. Someone administered drugs to Veron."

Dominic's voice quivered with dread as he responded.

A malevolent glint flickered within Levin's eyes.

"Drugs?"