Chapter 79

< 79. Preparation (1) >

After that, Oliver stood up after receiving additional explanations from Forest about the contaminated area and cleaning.

Five days from now.

This would be enough time to prepare for everything.

Just as he was about to leave the office, Forest took out a small communication device from his drawer.

"What's this?"

"It's a secret communication device I bought through a dealer. You can contact me directly with this."

Oliver examined the beetle-like communication device.

"A communication device?"

"Yes, it's something I only give to the top-performing agents I've contracted with... I should have given it to you earlier, but there's a procedure, you know."

"That's fine. I'm glad to receive it now."

"That's a relief. If anything happens, contact me."

"Yes... Can it be used in the contaminated area?"

"Hmm... No, it would be difficult. For some reason, the contaminated area has restrictions on communication. It might work sometimes, but it usually doesn't... The cleaning assembly point will likely be decided in 2 or 3 days. I'll contact you then."

"Yes, I understand. Then, I'll take my leave now."

"Not so fast, let me say one more thing."

"What? What is it?"

Forest didn't answer immediately but took a sip of his drink before speaking.

"Before the cleaning starts, the agents will have a brief meeting. The city explains the mission before deploying the agents."

"I see."

"Some of the agents will approach you. A few of them will mention my name."

"Your name?"

"Yes... You'll have to make the decision, but don't trust anyone too easily. Remember what I told you?"

Of course, he remembered. It was what Forest had just said.

"Be careful of mercenaries and agents in the contaminated area, besides the zombies and contaminated organisms."

"Got it. I'll contact you again."

***

After that, Oliver left the office, exchanged polite greetings with Al, and headed straight to the Gray Market.

Although he had five days to prepare for the trip to the contaminated area, it was better to start early, wasn't it?

Oliver decided to visit the Gray Market, which Forest had told him about, and the underground Gray Market, which Murphy had mentioned, to gather the necessary items.

The necessary items were mainly black magic tools like emotion and life force, and a gluttonous bag.

From what Forest had said, the contaminated area wasn't just a place where contaminated organisms ran rampant; it was also a lawless zone where looters and black magic users had established their bases.

Oliver planned to gather useful items when he visited the contaminated area.

If there was a black magic family, there was a good chance they would have black magic books or books about demons.

That's why he had readily accepted the cleaning mission.

"Do you have a bigger gluttonous bag?"

"Huh? A bigger one?"

"Yes."

Oliver asked a black magic user who was selling items at a stall in the Gray Market.

He looked so old that walking seemed difficult for him.

"Why are you looking for a bigger one when this size is enough?!"

The old man got angry. His words weren't entirely wrong.

Most of the people who came to this place to look for black magic items were gangsters, pickpockets, and thieves.

For them, a wallet-sized gluttonous bag was sufficient.

They would only need to store small items like watches, rings, and banknotes.

However, Oliver wanted more.

He needed something that could easily swallow books, surgical tools, and work tools...

So, he needed a larger gluttonous bag.

Oliver explained his situation indirectly and asked the old man if he had any other items, but the old man said he had none and told Oliver to leave if he wasn't going to buy anything.

He then searched other black magic merchants, but they also shook their heads like the old man.

To put it bluntly... the people here didn't seem very enthusiastic.

It wasn't a misconception caused by his few visits. Just then, a man intervened.

"Hey, mister!"

Oliver turned his head toward the voice.

In the worst spot of the market, a chubby man was looking at Oliver cautiously. When their eyes met, the man spoke excitedly.

"Yes, you! ... Over here!"

Oliver obediently approached the man.

Not only because he was called, but also because he found the man interesting.

The man looked chubby and was trying to appear cheerful, but he was trembling inside.

He kept questioning himself if he had said something wrong or if he was being too casual, but he still mustered the courage to speak calmly.

"I noticed you were looking for a bigger gluttonous bag, right? I mean, am I correct?"

The man's voice trembled as he spoke, sweating profusely.

Regardless, Oliver didn't mind and explained what he wanted, just as he had before.

After listening for a while, the chubby man took out a notebook.

"Could you explain it again? What exactly are you looking for?"

"I want a gluttonous bag that can hold books and tools. It would be great if it could hold a lot and be foldable for easy carrying."

The chubby man wrote down Oliver's requirements in a beautiful script, as if he were an expert.

"Specifically, how big?"

Size...

"About the size of a person?"

Oliver said without much thought, as if it were enough.

However, the chubby man looked up at him in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

"A person-sized bag would hold a lot... Why? Is there a problem?"

"I'm not sure... Do you think a gluttonous bag is just a convenient bag like a magic bag?"

The chubby man dropped his artificial attitude and spoke more naturally.

"Is that not the case?"

"Of course not! That's why beginners are no good... Listen, a gluttonous bag is only safe when it's the size of a wallet. When it's the size of a person, it's very dangerous."

Oliver showed interest.

He hadn't read any books that covered this topic, so he wanted to hear more.

"Why is that?"

"A gluttonous bag is almost like an artificial life form with a sense of self. It can move on its own... When it's the size of a wallet, it's weak and will follow orders, but when it's the size of a person, do you think it will follow orders?"

Oliver recalled a past event.

After becoming an agent and staying at an inn for the first time, he had ordered the gluttonous bag to spit out money to plan for the future.

The gluttonous bag had briefly resisted.

At first, he thought it was nothing, but it was more interesting than he expected.

"You seem to know a lot. Impressive."

Oliver said sincerely.

"Of course! I make a living from this, so it's basic knowledge."

The chubby man said this, but he didn't seem to mind.

His artificial merchant attitude had disappeared.

"Then, let's talk again. I'll try my best to meet your needs. I have some expertise in making magic tools... Oh! A baby-sized one can be made to be well-behaved. Even a child-sized one can become rebellious. What size do you want?"

"An adult-sized one."

Oliver said with more confidence than before.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Is it impossible?"

"It's not impossible... But it's really dangerous. There are gluttonous bags that eat their owners."

It was a plausible story, considering the greedy appearance of the gluttonous bag when it swallowed banknotes.

A gluttonous bag... He had thought it was just a black magic tool made from human skin and teeth, but it might be more interesting than that.

"I don't mind."

Oliver's unwavering attitude made the chubby man sigh. It seemed he had given up on persuading him.

"Alright... But making such an item requires a lot of time and money. How much do you have?"

"How much do I need?"

"Let's see... Materials, my labor, and a risk premium... 3,000, no, at least 4,000 lanas. I can't make many of these, so the quality might be lower. Don't even think about negotiating."

The chubby man was very firm at that moment, showing pride in his work and self-respect.

4,000 lanas... It was a considerable amount, enough for Oliver to do 3 or 4 agent jobs.

But he decided it was worth paying, considering the necessity of the item and the satisfaction of his curiosity.

After making his decision, Oliver took out a gluttonous bag from his pocket, forced his hand into its mouth, and pulled out 200,000 lanas.

The gluttonous bag made strange noises and shed tears as he did so.

"Here's half as a down payment. I'll give you the rest when the item is completed."

"Really?! No, I mean, that's fine."

"By the way, when can I get the item?"

"Considering the time to gather materials and make it... A week?"

"I need it within 5 days. Can you do it in 3 or 4 days?"

"No, I have other things to do, so I can't."

"Can you do it if I add 10 million lanas after the job?"

The chubby man suddenly stood up and started packing up his stall.

"What are you doing?"

"What do you think