Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 106

“Hmm!”

Johan blinked his eyes, staring at the man standing in front of him.

A man wearing a red hat, a red cassock, and a mask covering his nose.

He was Joshua, Johan’s confidant and the inquisitor of the heretics.

Another name he was called by was Swift Joshua.

As swift as a strom and as elusive as a goblin.

That’s why Joshua received most of Johan’s orders.

A strong and fast presence was just that useful.

Johan tapped his fingers on the table and spoke.

“You wouldn’t dare lie to me….”

“….”

“Tajik wandered the desert and ended up as food for a Sandworm? That’s an unbelievable story.”

Johan’s face stiffened ominously.

But tiny eyes behind his glasses gleamed eerily.

He had only met Tajik once.

But even with just one glance, Johan knew Tajik wasn’t an easy man.

He was a man with enough resources and abilities to find Johan.

A man like that getting lost in the desert and becoming worm food?

It’s hardly believable.

There must have been some force at work behind the scenes.

Whether it be an individual or a group.

“What’s Xiao Lun’s response?”

“They are moving under the surface, but it seems they haven’t found out anything yet.”

“Your thoughts?”

“….”

“Well, you don’t make judgments. You just execute.”

Johan furrowed his brow deeply.

It had been a long time since he had been this displeased.

In Dongdaemun, where he ruled, there weren’t many who could think properly.

Most judgments were made by Johan, and the rest simply followed his orders.

That’s why it took quite a while to come up with a proper response when unexpected events like this occurred.

It was frustrating, but he couldn’t change the system.

Johan had no intention of sharing his power with anyone.

Joshua silently waited for Johan’s orders.

As frustrating as Joshua’s presence was, there was nothing to be done about it for now.

When Johan gestured, Joshua bowed his head and left.

Alone, Johan approached the window.

“All of this happened after he returned.”

The “he” Johan referred to was Zeon.

After Zeon’s return, Goran, who ruled Sinchon, disappeared, and the Crocodiles’ Den collapsed. And even Tajik, who was interested in Zeon, met an unexpected death.

“Is it a coincidence? Unlikely. Surely, he had something to do with Tajik’s death.”

It was not a guess but a certainty.

Johan received revelations from God.

As devoted as he was to God, his senses were more sensitive and delicate than anyone else’s.

From the moment he first saw Zeon, he felt an ominous sensation.

Zeon’s presence was that unsettling.

“If he really eliminated Tajik, eliminating him through conventional means would be impossible.”

Of course, if Johan mobilized all the resources of Dongdaemun, he could eliminate Zeon.

There were followers of Johan scattered throughout Dongdaemun like grains of sand.

The power of the warriors he raised was especially formidable. But they couldn’t be used recklessly.

The moment they moved, the authorities of Neo Seoul would take notice.

It was premature to spread the gospel of God to Neo Seoul.

It was time to strengthen his power.

At least, he had to swallow up the entire slum before he could consider Neo Seoul.

Until then, he had to move while plugging the leaks in his power as much as possible.

Johan suddenly looked down at the table.

Documents investigating Zeon’s whereabouts were spread out on the table.

What was written in the document was extremely limited.

Because they hadn’t been able to find out Zeon’s whereabouts in the desert.

At best, it was just the reason why Zeon had to leave Neo Seoul and what he had been doing since returning.

That’s why he had been neglected until now.

Because he thought there was nothing to use.

But today, one name stood out vividly.

“Lee Ji-ryeong? Could it be the Lee Ji-ryeong I know?”

* * *

Zeon stared blankly out the window.

All he could see was the bright red neon sign and the scenery of the desolate slum. Still, Zeon didn’t shift his gaze even once.

Right now, he didn’t want to do anything.

He just wanted to enjoy this moment of idleness.

But his peace didn’t last long.

“Ta-da!”

Brielle burst in through the door.

In her wide-open arms was a bag filled with unidentified objects.

It was quite surprising that she managed to safely traverse the slums carrying so many bags.

“Did you carry all those bags by yourself?”

“Levin helped me.”

Or more precisely, Levin’s friends helped move them.

At the mention of Levin, Zeon nodded in understanding.

“I see. But what’s all this?”

“Materials for the next experiment.”

“Are you seriously putting all this on my tab?”

“Hmph! I earned it myself. Who do you think I am, a freeloader?”

“You earned it? How?”

“There’s a saying. Don’t pry too deep. You might get hurt.”

Brielle grunted and set the bags down on the floor.

Zeon sensed that his peaceful time was over.

With so many materials brought for an experiment, it was clear that Brielle would clutter the house with her experiments again.

“Do you have any intention of becoming independent?”

“I love this house too much. It’s safe, and I can use electricity as much as I want. Where else in the slums is like this?”

“… ”

Zeon was at a loss for words at Brielle’s shamelessness.

‘Are all High Elves naturally this shameless?’

Brielle was already unpacking the bags and cluttering the house.

Just looking at her made Zeon’s head spin.

He sighed and put on his coat.

‘It’s time to go out.’

After being cooped up in the house for so long, his joints felt stiff.

Zeon walked out onto the street and made his way to Old Man Klexi’s shop.

As expected, Old Man Klexi was sitting in the shop when Zeon arrived.

When he saw Zeon, a hint of recognition flickered in Old Man Klexi’s eyes.

“Long time no see.”

“How’s your health?”

“Not great. I was trapped in the coffin of death for a long time.”

“It’s a miracle that you’re still alive after being trapped for that long. How much good food have you been eating everyday…?”

“Don’t you age too. You end up eating everything that’s supposed to be good for your body.”

“Thankfully. You endured so much.”

“Thanks for the delayed gratitude. I appreciate it. Thanks to you, I was able to come back alive.”

“It’s fine. It’s something I did for a price.”

“I heard you did a lot to save me. I’ll make sure to repay that debt.”

Despite being incredibly greedy for money, Old Man Klexi had a sense of gratitude.

After all, he couldn’t help but think of Zeon with special consideration since he saved his life.

Zeon changed the subject.

“By the way, being locked up in the coffin for so long hasn’t diminished your cooking skills, has it?”

“There’s no way. Just wait a moment. I’ll prepare it for you right away.”

Old Man Klexi stood in front of the stove and began to cook.

Zeon looked around while waiting for the food to be ready.

The wary looks from the merchants had greatly diminished.

They knew that Zeon had saved Old Man Klexi, their master.

Thanks to that, Zeon could wait for the food to be served with a much more relaxed mind.

“Here, eat up.”

After a while, Old Man Klexi brought out a plate of stir-fried rice that looked delicious.

The aroma of various seasonings mixed with cultured meat made one’s head spin just from the smell alone.

Zeon immediately picked up his chopsticks and started eating the stir-fried rice.

Old Man Klexi watched Zeon eat with a satisfied smile.

Zeon really enjoyed the stir-fried rice.

As if suddenly remembering something, Old Man Klexi spoke up.

“I heard Tajik is dead.”

“Is that so?”

“He was a sinister guy. He had skills that made him more of a headache. But somehow, he went mad, wandering into the desert and ended up becoming food for a sandworm.”

“That’s… surprising.”

“There are many strange things in the world. Some things just don’t make sense by common sense. This seems to be one of those.”

“Strange things indeed.”

“Anyway, now that Tajik is dead, Xiao Lun won’t pay much attention to the slums for a while.”

“That’s fortunate.”

Zeon replied with his head buried in the bowl.

Old Man Klexi looked at Zeon with a deeply sinking gaze.

“Se-hee is my granddaughter.”

“I know.”

“She’s leading all of my businesses except for one. If you ever need help, you can ask her. She’ll help with most requests.”

“Didn’t you hand over everything already? Just hand over the rest and live comfortably.”

“If I give away the last one, what fun would I have left? And Se-hee’s capacity isn’t large enough to handle it all. It needs more refining and expansion.”

“You’re picky.”

“It’s natural to be picky with family. It takes only an instant to destroy a family business”

“You’re quite skilled.”

Zeon raised his head with an expression that he couldn’t hold back. But Old Man Klexi remained cautious.

“Aren’t you curious?”

“About what?”

“The last business I didn’t hand over to Sehee.”

“Well, I’m a bit curious. Will you tell me if I ask?”

“If it’s you.”

“Then I’ll ask. What’s this business that you cherish so much?”

“The Eye of Argos.”

“What? Argos…”

“Argos. A creature with a hundred eyes from mythology.”

“A hundred eyes? It must be related to information.”

“As expected, you understand immediately.”

Old Man Klexi showed a face of admiration.

But Zeon remained dumbfounded.

“It would be strange if you gave such a big hint and I still didn’t understand.”

“It’s even stranger that you understand immediately.”

“Leaving that aside, why the Eye of Argos?”

“If you need information, you can use it anytime.”

“Oh!”

Zeon burst into admiration.

It wasn’t fake; it was genuine admiration.

He knew better than anyone the usefulness of information.

While he wasn’t sure how extensive the information power of the Eye of Argos was, at the very least, it would be invaluable regarding the situation in the slums.

Old Man Klexi called someone.

“Will!”

“Yes!”

A man with a large build and a red apron approached with his response.

“Will owns the butcher shop at the entrance to this market. He’ll provide whatever you need whenever you ask.”

“Nice to meet you, Will! We’ve met a few times, right?”

Zeon shook his hand slightly.

Will’s butcher shop was located in a position where anyone passing through Old Man Klexi’s shop would inevitably pass by. That’s why Zeon had seen his face a few times before.

Will nodded his head and said.

“Yes.”

“I’ll count on you from now on.”

“If you need anything, feel free to visit our butcher shop anytime.”

“Thank you.”

“I’m more grateful to you. Thank you for saving the old man.”

Will bowed his head in gratitude towards Zeon.

Feeling a bit awkward, Zeon just smiled without saying anything.