Chapter 250
The first place Zeon and Brielle visited after entering Neo Seoul was Mandy’s apartment.
“Welcome.”
Still dressed in pajamas, Mandy greeted the two with a surprised expression.
She had never expected them to suddenly show up without any notice.
“You seem to have been doing well.”
“Hi!”
At Zeon and Brielle’s greetings, Mandy awkwardly offered them seats.
“What happened? You didn’t even contact me beforehand.”
“Sorry. We haven’t heard from Levin…”
“It’s already been over half a month since he entered here, and he hasn’t contacted you even once?”
Mandy’s eyes widened in shock.
She was the one who had issued Levin a one-month entry pass.
Since she hadn’t heard anything afterward, she simply assumed he was doing fine. Naturally, hearing that he hadn’t contacted them at all was surprising.
“Yes. Do you happen to know where he went?”
“Wait a moment. Ah! He said he was going to stay at a hotel in the West District.”
“The West District?”
Zeon frowned slightly.
The West District was ruled by Kim Kyungsoo, known as the West Tyrant King.
Even within Neo Seoul, the pinnacle of human civilization, the West District was famous for its exceptionally advanced mechanical technology.
Most of the Awakened there were Korean mechanized Awakened.
Because of that, pure humans like Zeon actually stood out more in the West District.
“You said he was staying at a hotel in the West District?”
“Yes. I’m certain that’s what he said. But he didn’t tell me which hotel. Still, there aren’t that many hotels there, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find him.”
“Understood.”
As Zeon rose from his seat, Mandy stood up as well.
“I’ll come with you.”
“There’s no need.”
“The West District is a pretty rough place. Of course, I’m not worried about you, Mr. Zeon. But if I go with you, I can reduce a lot of the troublesome procedures. I may not look like it, but I am a supervisor in Neo Seoul.”
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“Just wait a moment. I’ll go change quickly.”
Mandy soon returned after changing clothes.
Brielle stared at Mandy with fascination.
“You’re completely different.”
“Different how?”
“Completely different from Eloi.”
“Well, of course. Eloi’s rougher and stronger than me. Compared to her, I’m basically a coward.”
“Mandy’s strong too.”
“Hm?”
Mandy looked puzzled by the unexpected statement.
“Either way, you’re the one actively leading your own life. Being strong doesn’t just mean having power. Living your life proactively like that is strength too.”
“Haha! That’s quite a mature thing to say. Thanks for trying to comfort me.”
“I’m not comforting you. I’m just saying what I genuinely think.”
At Brielle’s blunt response, Mandy silently smiled with her eyes.
‘You’re the one who’s grown the most.’
When she had first met Brielle, she had been unbelievably cold.
Distrust toward humans was deeply rooted within her, and she was suspicious of everything.
Because of that, she and Eloi had constantly bickered every day.
Back then, Mandy had remained submerged beneath the surface of consciousness and couldn’t take initiative herself, but she had heard every conversation with Eloi.
Thanks to that, she had been able to continuously watch Brielle’s growth.
Mandy had never realized that watching someone else grow could be such a joyful thing.
There were still many things about Brielle that she found frustrating. Yet perhaps because their emotional closeness had grown considerably, Brielle now seemed a little cute to her as well.
The three walked down the street side by side.
Brielle still seemed unable to adapt to Neo Seoul, constantly looking around with wide eyes.
She looked like a country bumpkin visiting civilization for the first time.
The mature Brielle who had spoken wisely to Mandy moments ago had vanished, leaving behind only a bewildered elf staring at a massive city in awe.
“Waaah! What kind of building is that…?”
No matter how much she had matured, she was still a child.
“The West District is this way.”
Mandy led the two onward.
Zeon silently followed behind her.
Even though he had entered Neo Seoul several times before, he still couldn’t get used to its ultra-modern civilization.
After walking for quite some time, the three finally arrived at the West District.
Mandy spoke.
“Once we cross this river, we’ll be in the West District.”
“There’s a river running through the city? Is water really that abundant here?”
At Zeon’s question, Mandy shook her head.
“Not exactly abundant. The water in this river is actually recycled wastewater from Neo Seoul. After flowing through the river once, it goes through another purification process before being redistributed to households.”
Nothing in Neo Seoul was carelessly discarded.
Almost everything was recycled and redistributed back to the residents.
Beneath Neo Seoul existed an enormous recycling plant that melted down and repurposed everything thrown away.
Water was no exception.
Since water was essential for survival, they paid special attention to purifying it with magic.
That was how Neo Seoul had managed to survive until now.
A fairly large bridge stretched across the river separating the West District from the Central District.
Clank! Clank!
As soon as they crossed the bridge and entered the West District, the sound of metal clashing echoed from all directions.
It was the sound made by mechanized Awakened as they moved.
True to its reputation as the holy land of mechanized Awakened, the West District was filled with all kinds of machinery in operation.
From workshops crafting mechanical prosthetics to stores selling lubricants that kept machine parts moving smoothly—
There were countless machine-related businesses everywhere.
The air constantly carried the smells of metal and oil.
“Ugh!”
Brielle frowned deeply.
To an elf who cherished purity, the smell of oil was unbearably irritating, almost like poison.
Her nose and throat stung so badly that she could barely endure it.
In the end, Brielle pulled something out from her cone hat.
Mandy watched the object with curiosity.
It was a transparent bottle.
The small bottle was filled with a clear liquid.
Brielle hurriedly drank it.
“Khaah!”
The moment she consumed the liquid, she immediately felt much better.
Mandy asked Brielle,
“What kind of potion is that?”
“Mental Stabilization Potion.”
“What?”
“It’s exactly what it sounds like. A potion that blocks out external stimulation and calms the mind and body.”
“There’s no way something like that exists.”
Mandy thought Brielle was joking, but Brielle was completely serious.
“I was just experimenting and happened to create it by accident. I was going to throw it away because it seemed useless, but I guess it finally came in handy.”
“You’re seriously amazing. How do you even make stuff like this?”
Mandy was genuinely impressed.
Brielle herself might think little of it, but a potion like that had countless uses.
Especially for dungeon raids.
Some dungeons were filled with horrific stenches.
Many Awakened avoided entering such places because they couldn’t endure the smell. But if they drank Brielle’s potion beforehand, they could continue the raid without being affected.
“Can you make more of it?”
“No. I don’t plan to.”
“Ah, why not?”
“The cost-performance ratio is terrible. I wouldn’t even make enough to cover labor costs.”
“What kind of elf is this calculating?”
“All humans live like that, so why can’t elves?”
Mandy was left speechless by Brielle’s retort.
The Brielle standing before her now was no longer a pure elf.
She had become just as calculating as humans.
For some reason, seeing a High Elf like Brielle change this way made Mandy feel a little sad.
While Mandy silently dwelled on those bitter feelings, they arrived at the first hotel in the West District.
The hotel’s name was Mechanic Paradise.
It truly was a paradise for machines.
Whoever named it had been incredibly straightforward.
Even from the entrance, the thick smell of oil drifted through the air.
The hotel’s primary customers were mechanized Awakened rather than pure humans.
As a result, the entire place was packed with facilities and conveniences designed specifically for mechanized Awakened.
The moment Zeon’s group entered, the hotel concierge looked puzzled.
It had been quite a while since pure humans last entered this hotel.
Not only the concierge, but every Awakened in the lobby focused their attention on Zeon’s group.
“What’s this? Why are pure humans entering this hotel?”
“Haven’t seen them before.”
“Who are they?”
“People from another district?”
The Awakened stared at Zeon’s group with obvious curiosity.
Not everyone in the West District possessed mechanical bodies.
Ordinary civilians still had normal human bodies.
Pure humans probably outnumbered mechanized Awakened dozens, even hundreds of times over.
And yet these Awakened reacted with surprise because this hotel, true to its name, existed purely as a resting place for mechanized Awakened.
This place offered one-stop services exclusively for mechanized Awakened.
On Basement Level 3, they sold mechanical arms, legs, mana pumps, weapons, and other parts designed for mechanized Awakened.
On Basement Level 2, those parts were installed and replaced.
On Basement Level 1, optimization procedures were carried out.
Mechanic Paradise was a place entirely tailored to mechanized Awakened.
Which meant ordinary people had absolutely no reason to enter.
Especially not residents of the West District.
That meant these newcomers were outsiders.
At that moment, one of the Awakened sitting in the lobby stood up.
Clank!
A heavy metallic sound echoed through the lobby.
Attached to his left arm was a massive mana gun, while his right arm had been replaced with a gigantic mechanical prosthetic resembling a log.
His enormous chest resembled that of a giant beast, and his slightly hunched mechanical legs completed the image.
Overall, he looked like a gorilla.
Thud! Thud!
Making heavy footsteps, he approached Zeon’s group.
“Hey, kids! Where’d you come from? This ain’t a place for the likes of you. Bodies that pathetic don’t deserve to step in here. Heh heh.”
He sneered openly at them.
The other mechanized Awakened joined in.
“If you really wanna come here, start by getting a mechanical arm. Then we might acknowledge you.”
“To get one, you’ll have to cut your arm off first. Want big bro to do it for you?”
“Ooooh! That sounds fun.”
Thud thud!
The mechanized Awakened rose from their seats and surrounded Zeon, Brielle, and Mandy.
Even then, neither the hotel concierge nor the guards made any attempt to intervene.
The very people responsible for preventing trouble were simply watching.
The mechanized Awakened surrounding Zeon’s group were infamous even within the district for being lowlifes.
Whenever they saw someone who looked easy to bully, they openly picked fights.
To them, Zeon, Brielle, and Mandy looked like perfect targets.
They were pure humans and didn’t appear especially strong.
Mandy frowned and spoke.
“What exactly do you think you’re doing?”
“Oh? Looks like the pretty lady’s angry. Want this big brother to comfort you?”
“Back off while I’m asking nicely.”
“You’re even prettier when you’re angry.”
Mandy pulled out her identification card and showed it to the Awakened.
Neo Seoul City Hall Supervisor Mandy Sistain.
The words identifying her as a city hall official were clearly written on it.
The rank of supervisor was by no means low.
It was a position high enough that most people wouldn’t even dare meet their gaze.
At the very least, it wasn’t a status deserving of ridicule.
The Awakened who had started the confrontation widened their eyes at the ID card.
At first, they looked slightly surprised.
Then they burst into loud laughter.
“Puhahaha! What the hell is this?”
“Keke! If you’re gonna forge something, at least make it believable.”
“Supervisor? Since when did city hall even have a rank like that? Fuck, why didn’t I know?”
Mandy’s face flushed bright red from their mockery.
The gorilla-like Awakened thrust his hips back and forth in front of Mandy and said,
“I replaced everything else with machines, but that part’s still original. Once you try it, you’ll never forget it. So how about— Gghk!”
BOOM!
At that moment, an explosive sound erupted from the Awakened’s face while he was making the obscene gesture.
“Know when to stop, you gorilla bastard! Fucking hell, your dick’s probably no bigger than a pinky finger anyway…”
The woman standing there breathing heavily with her fist still extended was Eloi.
Unable to contain her anger while submerged beneath the surface, Eloi had burst out.
Before Zeon or Brielle could stop her, Eloi crooked her finger.
“Come at me, you sons of bitches.”