Chapter 128
Mandy looked at Brielle with a slightly troubled expression.
It was because she didn’t welcome the sudden appearance of the cone-hat-wearing girl tagging along.
This wasn’t just anything—they were going to find the scavengers’ hideout.
Even for Mandy, it was a dangerous task she couldn’t confidently call safe.
She couldn’t understand why Zeon would take a young girl along on something so risky.
Not knowing Brielle’s true identity, Mandy’s concern was only natural. But she soon pushed those worries out of her mind.
Because she felt that as long as Zeon was with them, there wouldn’t be any major danger.
Zeon walked forward without hesitation.
Mandy tilted her head in confusion at the sight of him leading the way despite not having mentioned any clues.
“By the way, where are we going right now?”
“To gather information.”
“Huh?”
“If we want to find the scavengers’ hideout, we need to collect information about them.”
“Where are we going to get that information?”
“There’s a place… for that.”
Zeon answered without any tension.
The place he headed to was the food street where old man Clexi ran his stall.
The butcher shop at the entrance of the street was Zeon’s destination.
“Welcome, Mr. Zeon!”
The butcher, Meul, greeted him politely.
Mandy shrank slightly at his fierce appearance.
Unlike Eloi’s tough personality, Mandy herself was rather timid. Just Meul’s outward appearance was enough to make her uneasy.
Brielle, on the other hand, was different.
“Hi, Meul.”
“It’s been a while, Miss Brielle!”
“Where’s old man Clexi?”
“He’s at the Goblin Market right now.”
“Because of that explosion?”
“Yes!”
“Ugh, what a mess this turned into.”
“Indeed.”
Even as he answered, Meul smiled faintly.
It was because Brielle was cute.
Wearing her cone hat and always wobbling as she walked, Brielle had become something like the mascot of this street.
As if nothing had happened, Meul wiped the smile from his face and asked Zeon,
“What brings you here this time?”
“I came because of the scavengers.”
“Ah!”
“Do you know anything about their hideout?”
“No information about that has come in yet.”
“Then what about unusual movements?”
“Just a moment.”
After asking for a moment, Meul went inside the butcher shop.
Shortly after, he returned holding several sheets of paper.
He handed them to Zeon and said,
“This is a summary of the main areas where scavengers appear.”
“Is that so?”
Zeon’s eyes gleamed as he read the report.
After a moment, he closed it.
“The scavengers appear in quite a variety of places.”
“Yes. Not only Neo Seoul, but throughout the slums.”
“But there’s exactly one place where they don’t operate.”
“That’s right. Dongdaemun. Only there have no scavenger activities been reported.”
“Is it because of the fanatics?”
“That much, we don’t know.”
“But it’s worth investigating.”
“I only provide information. The judgment is yours, Mr. Zeon.”
“Thank you for such valuable information.”
“It’s nothing…”
Meul smiled.
Zeon handed the report back to him.
Mandy, standing beside him, whispered,
“Is it really that strange that scavengers aren’t seen in Dongdaemun? Isn’t it hard to act openly there because of the fanatics?”
“That’s true, but the fact that not even a single activity has been detected is definitely strange.”
“Hmm!”
“People tend not to cause trouble in their own territory subconsciously. Scavengers are no different. They’re likely to loot places far from their base to avoid attention.”
If there were only one or two scavengers, Zeon’s assumption wouldn’t matter. But if dozens were active and yet none were detected only in Dongdaemun, it was certainly suspicious.
Mandy frowned without realizing it.
Dongdaemun was a place even she, an awakened, hesitated to approach.
Honestly, she didn’t want to go there unless absolutely necessary. But since Zeon had pointed it out as strange, she had no choice but to follow.
Just then—
“Are you scared?”
Brielle, who had been quiet until now, suddenly asked.
“Scared?”
“Come on, you look like you are.”
“Why would I be scared? And why are you speaking casually to me?”
Mandy glared at Brielle.
Brielle didn’t flinch at all—instead, she smirked.
“You are scared.”
“Hey!”
“Half-elf sister, people who are scared usually raise their voices.”
“You—!”
For a moment, Mandy’s eyes trembled.
The fact that she was a half-elf was a secret.
Unless Eloi’s personality surfaced, there was no way to tell.
Other than Zeon, no one had ever recognized it at a glance.
“How did you know?”
“How could I not? You’re giving off such a strong scent.”
Elves have a unique scent.
But it’s something only other elves can detect. Ordinary humans cannot smell or distinguish it.
“You’re… an elf too.”
“I am, but I don’t have human blood mixed in.”
At that moment, Mandy’s expression completely changed.
Brielle’s words had touched a nerve.
“You—what are you?”
At once, Eloi’s personality surfaced.
Eloi was different from Mandy.
Although it was the same face, the fierce gaze and the aura she emitted were overwhelming.
Even most awakened would tuck their tails just from seeing her eyes.
Yet Brielle, who was facing her head-on, showed not a single sign of intimidation.
Brielle casually lifted her cone hat and smiled.
“My name is Brielle. As you can see, I’m a junkie who can’t live a day without medicine.”
She popped a pill into her mouth.
She hadn’t completely recovered from the aftereffects of the drugs, so she still needed them.
Even now, it was heavily reduced—just a short while ago, she used to take them like candy.
“A junkie pure-blood elf, huh. That’s interesting.”
“I never thought I’d end up a junkie either.”
“Life rarely goes the way you want.”
“Life, huh… You really are a half-elf. You think like a human. Is that why you’re scared?”
“Who are you calling scared, you little brat? I’m not scared at all.”
“Then why are you hesitating?”
“Damn it! Who says I’m hesitating? I’m going.”
“Then that’s settled.”
Brielle let out a small chuckle.
Eloi realized she had completely fallen for Brielle’s provocation. But it was too late to take back her decision.
“Damn it… Where are you from anyway? The North District?”
“North District?”
“Weren’t you under the Ice Queen?”
“What are you talking about? Who’s the Ice Queen?”
“You don’t know?”
“……”
“You’re not from Neo Seoul, are you?”
Brielle pressed her lips shut. That alone gave Eloi her answer.
“An elf from outside, huh. Where did you come from?”
“Why is your voice so damn loud? Ugh, my ears hurt.”
Brielle picked at her ear with her pinky and walked ahead.
Eloi followed behind her and pressed on.
“Hey! I asked where you’re from!”
“Is there a mosquito? Why is there so much buzzing?”
“Did you grow up with no manners? You little elf brat…”
“What are you saying? You half-breed…”
“Half? You little—!”
“You’re spitting. Mind stepping back a bit?”
“Hey!”
“Why?”
“You’re tiny, but you sure talk back a lot.”
“You have a mouth to answer with, don’t you?”
“You little—!”
Watching the increasingly childish argument between the two, Zeon shook his head.
The two elves kept bickering endlessly, as if they would never tire.
Zeon felt a headache coming on.
He was already worried about whether he could keep traveling with this combination.
‘Anyway… this is my first time visiting Dongdaemun.’
Dongdaemun didn’t have any special walls or gates.
If you followed the road east from Sinchon, you would suddenly find yourself there before you realized it.
The biggest difference between Dongdaemun and Sinchon was the atmosphere of the buildings and the people.
At the center of Dongdaemun stood a large church, and the surrounding buildings also reflected its influence, sharing a similar architectural style.
Most striking of all was how the people were dressed.
Like Sinchon, most were ordinary people. But noticeably many wore priest robes or heavy armor engraved with crosses.
They were all fanatics who followed Johan.
At Johan’s command, they were killing machines ready to fight to the death at any moment.
The moment they entered Dongdaemun, Eloi unconsciously frowned.
The air here, so different from Sinchon, pressed down on her unpleasantly.
Zeon spoke.
“Relax your expression.”
“How am I supposed to help it? It just happens.”
“If you can’t, then let Mandy take over.”
“Tch… disgusting…”
Eloi muttered.
Soon, her eyes softened, and her expression became gentler.
Just as Zeon suggested, Mandy had taken over.
Not everyone in Dongdaemun was a fanatic or an awakened.
Most were ordinary people.
They needed to blend in naturally among them.
Standing out with unusual behavior or presence would be a problem.
Someone like Eloi—with her aggressive personality and striking beauty—would draw attention far too easily. It was better for Mandy to act instead, as she attracted less notice.
Zeon walked calmly among the crowd.
His movements were so natural that nothing about him seemed out of place.
Brielle was the same.
She wasn’t the type to feel intimidated just because they had entered a different district.
She followed behind Zeon casually, looking around.
“Sigh…”
Mandy let out a quiet breath and followed them.
The three of them wandered through Dongdaemun as if they were out for a stroll.
Dongdaemun was much cleaner and more organized than Sinchon.
Because of that, it wasn’t difficult to find or remember the roads.
Mandy spoke with a tired expression.
“On the surface, nothing seems unusual. I don’t think we’ll find any answers like this.”
“It doesn’t seem like we’ll learn anything just by walking around.”
Brielle agreed with her.
It was the first time the two of them shared the same opinion.
Zeon nodded.
Simply wandering the streets wouldn’t get them the information they wanted.
To obtain proper information, they would have to approach people and ask questions—but if they did that, word would surely reach Johan quickly.
It wasn’t that he feared Johan, but he wanted to avoid unnecessary conflict.
Zeon spoke to Mandy.
“Let’s head back for today. It would be better to prepare and come again tomorrow.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
Mandy agreed.
Just as the three were about to leave—
“Hey, you there. Stop for a moment.”
A strange voice called out to them.
A man wearing armor engraved with a cross stared at them intently.
He was an awakened from Dongdaemun.
He approached the three of them.
“I don’t recognize your faces. Did you come from another district?”
“That’s right.”
“Which district?”
“We’re from Sinchon.”
“What business do Sinchon trash have in Dongdaemun?”
“We just ended up here while walking.”
“So you’re saying you have no particular purpose?”
“That’s correct.”
The awakened from Dongdaemun frowned, clearly displeased with Zeon’s answer.
Then his gaze shifted to Mandy.
The moment he saw her face, his expression changed.
“This is suspicious. You’ll have to come with me.”