Chapter 25

25. Joseph (2)

The next morning.

After following Joseph to have breakfast, Oliver changed into unremarkable clothes and stepped out of the hotel.

Of course, he also took the bag of money.

Landa was crowded even in the morning, with as many cars as people.

"There are really a lot of people here."

"Yeah, that's both an advantage and a disadvantage. Come on, follow me."

Joseph led Oliver to the road.

He raised his hand, and a yellow car that looked like a beetle stopped after a few seconds.

There was a triangular sign on the car, which read "Dobs Taxi Association."

"Get in."

Joseph said as he opened the door.

Oliver got in the car as instructed, and Joseph followed, closing the door.

"Where would you like to go, sir?"

The driver, dressed in a neat uniform, tipped his cap and asked.

"X District... Just to the entrance."

"X District, you say...? Yes, I understand."

A shadow of darkness briefly crossed the taxi driver's face, but he started driving without asking any more questions.

As the car moved, the outside scenery changed rapidly. Oliver looked out for a moment before asking Joseph.

"Master, I'm sorry, but where are we going?"

"Well, we're going to meet Andrew... It's quite an interesting place."

***

Joseph was not lying.

After driving for a while, the tall and long buildings turned into short and squat ones, and the street became visibly rundown.

They had traveled much farther than when they first got in the car, but the interesting thing was that the number of people had not decreased; it had increased even more.

Like cockroaches, really.

The car stopped. The driver in uniform turned his head and said politely,

"Sir, this is the entrance to X District. I'm sorry, but I can't go any further."

"I know. Thanks for bringing us here. This is the fare, and this is a little extra for your trouble."

Joseph gave the taxi fare and a considerable amount of money as a tip.

The taxi driver tipped his cap in gratitude and left the place as if fleeing as soon as Oliver and Joseph got out.

Oliver had a vague idea why.

The street looked quiet, but there were people everywhere, and they all exuded a cunning and malevolent aura, as if they were waiting to pounce at the slightest opportunity.

"Master?"

"What is it?"

"Is this place also part of Landa?"

"Well, yes. The high-ups in Landa don't care about it, but it is still part of Landa... Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just curious."

Joseph smiled slyly.

"What are you curious about?"

"The same city, but the emotions are so different."

"There's nothing strange about that. This is X District, after all."

"X... District?"

"I'll explain on the way. Let's go."

Joseph started walking, and Oliver followed.

The street, a mix of shabby concrete buildings and shanties, was as complex as a maze, with graffiti and curses drawn everywhere.

But this was still relatively tame.

As they went deeper, they saw more than just graffiti—there were profane drawings made in blood and totems made from animal bones and skin.

"What's that...?"

Oliver asked, pointing to a totem on a side street.

It seemed to be made from the skulls of birds and rats, marking some territory.

"I don't know... I've never seen it before. It's probably made by some insignificant sorcerer or black magician, or maybe by beggars as a threat."

"...... Do you know this place well?"

"Of course. I've visited a few times for business and to broaden my horizons. Besides, this is where I was born."

"Oh..."

Oliver nodded, surprised by the new information.

"Landa has 26 major districts. For convenience, they are divided into A, B, and C. Now, a question for you. Which districts are more important?"

"...... I don't know."

"Aww, what a shame. If you were a bit more observant, you could have guessed. Of course, the A districts are more important and have better security. Not all of them, but generally speaking."

Oliver nodded silently.

"But conversely, the back districts like Z, Y, X, and W are not so good. What do you think?"

Oliver looked around.

The deeper they went, the more rundown and dangerous the street became. But what worried him more was the increasingly dangerous emotions.

"A bit... It seems so."

"Haha! A bit? Well, everything is subjective. You could be right."

"...... Then, is this where you met your master?"

"Huh?"

Joseph's emotions twitched. It seemed to be an unexpected question.

"Well, yeah. He lived here as a black magician."

"Are there black magicians in Landa?"

"Are there black magicians in Landa? What a silly question. There are more here than in Wynham. In Wynham, even if you count the small black magic organizations, there are only single digits. Here, there are double digits for major organizations, and triple digits if you count the smaller ones. In fact, no one knows how many black magic organizations there are. They are scattered everywhere."

Wow... Oliver found this new information intriguing.

Well, thinking about it, it wasn't that strange.

Landa surpassed Wynham in every aspect—size, development, and population.

It would be strange if there were fewer black magicians here.

Oliver realized this obvious fact and felt a renewed sense of the vastness of the world.

He was just a frog in a well... This obvious fact brought him great joy.

It meant there was so much to learn and explore. How could he not be happy?

Oliver asked to learn more.

"Then, why did you come to Wynham?"

"Well... To be honest, it's embarrassing to say, but the competition here was too intense, so I came down."

"Huh?"

"As I said before, there are many black magicians in Landa, and they fight each other every day. Many black magic organizations are formed and disappear every day. I became a black magician through desperate efforts, but it was still too intense here. So I had to think. Should I stay and endure, or leave to build my strength?"

"I see."

"Do you think I'm a coward?"

"No, I think you're smart."

"I see... Thank you. Now, stop here."

Joseph suddenly stopped and said.

The place where Joseph stopped was in front of a building with a fence. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be an abandoned hospital.

"Andrew is here."

"Oh... It looks like an abandoned hospital. Is it still operational?"

"Half right, half wrong. It is abandoned, but it's run by someone else. Come on, follow me."

***

Oliver followed Joseph through a side door at the back of the fence.

"That's not the way, this is."

Joseph stopped Oliver, who was heading towards the hospital.

"But the hospital is that way..."

"The hospital is closed. The actual operation is in the basement of that warehouse over there."

Joseph pointed to a large warehouse behind the hospital.

Oliver followed Joseph to the warehouse, where a large door leading to the basement was on the side.

"Andrew is being treated here?"

"Yeah, isn't it funny? A black magician treating people in an abandoned hospital."

"Yes, it's a bit funny."

Creak——

As Joseph opened the heavy basement door, the sound echoed around.

Oliver went in first, followed by Joseph. It was dark inside as no light came in.

But it didn't last long. Joseph snapped his fingers, and the torches on the wall lit up.

"...... But it's amazing."

"...... What is?"

"Using black magic to treat Andrew. I thought it would be impossible with vampiric magic because you said it was difficult."

"Ha...... Is that what you find amazing?"

"Yes. I thought all black magic organizations were like us."

"Well, we are the common form. But the realm of black magic is vast and deep, and it can take different forms depending on the magician's inclination and talent."

"Is that so?"

"Yes."

Oliver and Joseph continued their conversation as they walked down a narrow corridor.

"Actually, from an economic standpoint, making filigret or vitality-based supplements is the best. The profit is high, and the risk is surprisingly low."

"Risk?"

"Yes, risk. Since people are used as ingredients, the government can't just leave it alone, right? First, it's all illegal. We are targets for crackdowns... But they don't chase us to the death."

"Why not?"

"There are many reasons, but the core reason is that they are also consumers. Filigret has side effects and addiction like cigarettes, so it's easy to enjoy without much burden. Vitality-based supplements are in high demand... They only do formal monitoring, not eradication."

Wow... Oliver found this unexpected information intriguing.

He hadn't thought that filigret or supplements would be illegal, let alone that they would only be subject to formal monitoring.

The world was as intriguing as black magic.

As they walked, they saw a skull lying on the side of the corridor. It was decayed, with dark red flesh still attached.

"But there are always people with unique personalities. Some are far from efficiency, safety, and rationality. They don't just make drugs or supplements but engage in other industries."

"Is that so? Can you tell me more about what they do?"

Oliver asked, looking at the increasing number of skulls.

"Well, for example, there are those who, like the black magician here, treat people. They use vitality and twisted manipulation, disease-related black magic. Surprisingly, they have many high-level clients. Thanks to that, they have high profits and, in some cases, are safer than us."

"I see. Are there others?"

Now, beyond the skulls, a pile of half-decayed corpses appeared. It seemed to have been a long time, and maggots were wriggling.

"There are also those who love combat and live as mercenaries or hitmen. If they have the skills, their income and safety are good, and they can quickly improve their skills. After all, real