The Scorched Desert's Sand Mage (Novel) - Chapter 159

Chapter 159

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Zeon did not head straight back to the slums and instead walked through Neo Seoul. He had entered Neo Seoul before as well, but at that time his goal had been to gather information so he could deal with Tajik. So he had not had the leisure to properly look around. Zeon walked the streets slowly. Though in name it was divided into City Hall and the east, west, south, and north districts, there were no clear boundary lines, so he could go anywhere. Because of that, Zeon was able to look around Neo Seoul freely. Neo Seoul was a different world from the slums. If the slums hovered somewhere between the modern age and the present day, Neo Seoul had clearly leaped beyond present-day civilization.

“This really is incredible. To build a civilization like this in barely a hundred years.”

Jin Geum-ho was a man worthy of respect.

If not for him, creating a city like this would have been impossible.

Because Jin Geum-ho had rebuilt Neo Seoul, as many as twenty million people had been able to escape the threat of demonic beasts.

Zeon looked around with an expression of admiration at the miracle forged by one man’s obsession and will.

It was then.

“Huh?”

“It’s Zeon.”

At the sudden sound of children’s voices, Zeon turned his head.

The instant he saw their faces, a crease formed between his brows.

A pair of twin sisters with exactly the same face, as if stamped from a mold.

They were Eun Su-jin and Eun Su-yeong.

“Why are you two here?”

“That’s what we want to ask.”

“Why are you here instead of being in the slums?”

The girls walked toward Zeon in a brisk, jaunty manner.

Since he felt no hostility from them, Zeon answered plainly.

“The mayor called for me.”

“What? Then does that mean Zeon is joining City Hall too?”

“Are you coming into the Numbers? Then we’d be on the same team.”

“That won’t happen.”

“Why?”

Zeon let out a short laugh and replied, “This place is too clean.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no sand.”

“Ah! Right, Zeon is a sand mage.”

It was an unconvincing reason, yet unexpectedly the two accepted it right away.

They had already burrowed into Zeon’s mind and learned long ago that he was a sand mage.

Because they knew that an environment without sand was the worst possible place for a sand mage, they accepted it without question.

Then another voice spoke up.

“I was wondering where you all had disappeared off to, and here you are.”

An old man leaning on a cane approached the three of them.

It was Old Man Go, another member of the Numbers.

When he saw Zeon’s face, Old Man Go wore a complicated, subtle expression.

Since they had faced Balrog together, he knew better than anyone how formidable Zeon’s ability was.

“What brings you here, lad?”

“The mayor summoned me.”

“The mayor?”

Old Man Go looked at Zeon in surprise.

As a member of the Numbers, he knew Jin Geum-ho better than most.

Jin Geum-ho was not someone who casually let just anyone into the mayor’s office.

He only granted an audience when the person had enough value and business to justify it.

“Did he make you a recruitment offer?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“We just exchanged a few casual words.”

“Hmm!”

Even on Old Man Go’s already heavily wrinkled face, even more creases formed.

‘The mayor called that man in just to exchange a few meaningless pleasantries? A dog wouldn’t believe that.’

There had definitely been some kind of secret conversation.

But there was no way to pry any further.

Even within the Numbers, Jin Geum-ho assigned missions individually.

No one could ever know what sort of mission someone else was carrying out.

The twin sisters only worked the same missions because they were sisters and Old Man Go also acted as their guardian, but there was no way to know the circumstances of the other Numbers members.

Likewise, he was sure Jin Geum-ho must have proposed something to Zeon as well.

Whether Zeon had accepted that proposal, however, was impossible to know.

“Since we’ve met like this, why don’t we have a meal together? I owe you for your help, and I’d like to treat you to a good restaurant.”

“That sounds fine. I don’t really have anywhere else to go anyway.”

“Then come with us.”

Old Man Go spoke with a smile.

The twin sisters clung to Zeon’s sides and chattered away.

“When did you awaken?”

“What rank are you?”

“How long are you staying in the slums?”

“Do you have any friends?”

“Do you at least have a place to stay?”

The continuous barrage of questions nearly made Zeon’s ears bleed.

Old Man Go spoke with a kindly expression.

“They’re a little noisy, aren’t they? I ask for your understanding. They only act like this around people they like.”

“They are a bit troublesome.”

“Please understand. I’ve lived like this for years.”

“All right.”

Zeon gave a small laugh.

Until not long ago they had been warily watching one another, yet now they were chatting together like friends. That fact itself felt rather amusing.

The twin sisters saw the look on his face.

“Oh, he’s smiling!”

“So Zeon does know how to smile.”

“He’s handsome.”

“He really is handsome.”

Their voices nearly made Zeon’s soul flee his body.

Even so, he thought this much was not a bad reunion.

It was certainly better than constantly trading blows and fighting.

The place Old Man Go led them to was an opulent restaurant at the very top of a thirty-story high-rise.

Many guests were already inside.

All of them were dressed in luxurious clothes.

Among them were even a few Awakened still wearing medium armor. They paid no attention to others’ gazes and conversed only among themselves.

In a world where the Awakened held overwhelming superiority, no one would dare complain just because they were not properly dressed.

“We’ll sit over there.”

Old Man Go led Zeon to an empty table by the window. The moment they did, someone who looked to be the manager hurried over.

“Sir, that table is already reserved.”

“Then cancel that reservation.”

“I can’t exactly…”

“Even so, are you saying you still won’t cancel it?”

To the hesitant manager, Old Man Go casually showed his identification card.

The manager’s face turned pale the instant he saw it.

That was because Old Man Go’s ID bore the seal of the mayor’s office, indicating a high-ranking City Hall official.

In Neo Seoul, an ID stamped by the mayor’s office was no different from a free pass. Anyone carrying one could use any facility without restriction.

The manager knew very well what would happen if he refused.

“From this moment on, that table belongs to you.”

“Set the food at the highest standard. I’ve come to entertain an honored guest.”

“Of course.”

“Mm.”

Old Man Go sat down with a satisfied smile.

He looked like an old man who had withdrawn from worldly affairs, but he was still one of the powerful figures at the apex of Neo Seoul, and he knew how to use and enjoy the authority he possessed.

Old Man Go said to Zeon, “The veal steak here is absolutely incredible.

Once you’ve tasted it, you’ll keep coming back for more.”

“Is it made from real veal?”

“Of course. It’s on a completely different level from cultured meat.”

“Where in Neo Seoul are they raising cattle? The land is so cramped.”

“What’s great about humans is that no matter the situation, they always find a way.

So don’t worry and just enjoy the meal.”

Everyone who came here for the first time had the same thought Zeon did.

After the world turned to sand, even animals like cows that ate a lot of grass had all but vanished.

Since grass itself no longer grew, there was no way to raise them.

Even a city like Neo Seoul should not have had the conditions to raise cattle. And yet apparently they had found a way.

‘What an absurd world. They really are raising actual cattle.’

He could not even begin to imagine where in this glamorous city they had found space to raise cows.

“It’s really delicious here.”

“Once you try it, you’ll want it again.”

“I’m already drooling.”

“I want to eat already.”

The twin sisters pounded the table and chattered away. Even so, the other patrons only glanced over and said nothing.

Instinctively, they had recognized that this group held quite a high status even within Neo Seoul.

Not long after, the veal steaks Old Man Go had ordered arrived.

The veal steak laid on a spotless white plate looked so appetizing that merely seeing it was enough to make saliva gather in the mouth.

Old Man Go asked Zeon, “Would you like a glass of wine as well?”

“You even have wine?”

“Wine? If there’s anything else you’d like to drink, just say so. This place has everything.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t drink.”

“Then I’ll have a glass by myself.”

Old Man Go ordered a glass of wine from the manager.

Once the wine arrived, the meal began.

Slice. Slice.

Only the sound of meat being cut echoed around their table.

After tasting veal steak for the first time, Zeon’s eyes widened.

It was because the taste had surpassed all expectations.

It was on an entirely different level from factory-grown cultured meat.

The tender texture and the juices trapped within it made him think that perhaps heaven was something like this.

“How is it? Not bad, right?”

“It’s delicious.”

Zeon answered honestly.

Old Man Go smiled in satisfaction and sipped his wine.

“If you came to live in Neo Seoul, you could eat food like this every day.”

“It would be too much to eat every day. Once in a while would be enough.”

Zeon gently declined Old Man Go’s suggestion.

Food that tasted too good made people arrogant.

If he became accustomed to food like this, he would never again be able to return to an ordinary life.

That was not what Zeon wanted.

The veal steak he was eating now was delicious too, but Zeon preferred the food Grandmother Klexi cooked for him.

In any case, Zeon decided to enjoy this moment for now.

He chewed the meat slowly, little by little, savoring the taste.

The juices filling his mouth delighted his tongue.

Even the twin sisters, for once, stopped babbling and focused on the food.

Thanks to that, peace had finally arrived after a long time.

“Mm! The aroma is good.”

Old Man Go enjoyed the fragrance as he took small sips of wine.

It was when the four of them had been focused on their meal for some time.

“What, our table’s gone?”

“You want to die? You canceled our reservation without permission?”

Suddenly, a commotion broke out near the entrance.

Two Awakened were making a scene.

Apparently, they were the ones who had reserved the table where Zeon and the others were sitting now.

The manager was sweating profusely as he tried to persuade them, but it was no use.

“Move. Let’s go see what kind of bastards dared take our table so I can carve their faces off.”

“A bunch of beggar-looking trash…”

The Awakened strode toward Zeon’s table, giving off vicious pressure.

The manager no longer dared stop them and could only stamp his feet in distress.

In the meantime, the Awakened reached the table.

They seemed to be fairly high-ranking Awakened, decked out from head to toe in fine items.

“So it’s you? The vermin who stole our seats.”

“One old man, one brat, and two little bitches. What the hell are you pieces of trash supposed to be?”

Old Man Go looked up at them and said, “My apologies for taking your seats.

I’ll compensate you sufficiently, so withdraw quietly for now.”

“What are you talking about, you crazy old bastard?”

“Do you even know who we are to be spouting that kind of nonsense?”

The Awakened roared, eyes blazing.

“Who are you, then?”

“Fuck! We’re from the Dark Brotherhood.”

“The Dark Brotherhood? There was a group like that?”

Old Man Go tilted his head.

The ones who answered him were the twin sisters.

“It’s an organization that built a nest around the border between the West District and the South District.”

“Their main sources of income are illegal gambling dens and brothels.”

At that moment, a faint smile touched Old Man Go’s lips.

“Then I guess I don’t need to feel sorry after all.”

“What?”

“It was a place that was going to be swept away anyway, so don’t feel wronged just because you die a few days earlier.”

“Fuck! What did you just say, you crazy old bastard…”

One of the Awakened, unable to bear it anymore, swung a huge fist at Old Man Go.

But he never achieved what he intended.

Snap!

The moment Old Man Go flicked his finger, the upper halves of their bodies vanished as if erased by an eraser.

He had trapped only their upper bodies inside a barrier.

That was their end.

The patrons who saw blood fountain up from the lower halves that had lost their upper bodies screamed.

“Aaaah!”

“It’s murder!”

Unfazed by the uproar, Old Man Go said, “We can finish the meal later. Today, we need to wipe out this so-called Dark Brotherhood.”

It was the moment the Dark Brotherhood was sentenced to death.