Ch.224Outside. The Faceless Fixer’s Closing Ceremony (2)

The mechanical being’s request was adorned with various modifiers as if trying to conceal the details, but once all the flowery language was stripped away, the content was simple.

During dimensional navigation research, space had twisted and the laboratory collapsed. Currently, the ruins of the laboratory were situated in the depths of an area with extremely high extra-dimensional contamination.

The conditions for completing the request were: find survivors or research records including samples from the laboratory and return, or secure a stable route to access the laboratory contaminated by extra-dimensional forces.

Either way, it was a dangerous mission. Securing a “stable” route in a contaminated area where the terrain changes every moment due to extra-dimensional magical forces could be just as difficult as reaching the laboratory interior and retrieving items.

I calculated the difficulty of the request. With my eyes, it wouldn’t be impossible, but it wasn’t economically viable.

Just as I was about to voice my refusal.

“I’ll give you an extra-dimensional vessel.”

“Pardon?”

“Your peculiar obsession is quietly known in this extra-dimensional front. They say you always want to go deeper, farther? We judged that you want to head ‘beyond the extra-dimension.’ So this is the maximum condition we can offer.”

An extra-dimensional vessel. Not a trap (陷穽) to fall into, but a vessel (艦艇) that could navigate the extra-dimension.

…Having a ship alone wouldn’t immediately allow me to reach Earth, but if I secured a means of transportation, I could attempt to return as soon as I found Earth’s coordinates.

I looked at the machine mimicking a human. Why would whoever was operating this machine from behind offer something so expensive to a mere solver with no proper identity?

“To be frank, we’re recruiting several other solvers besides you.”

“Have you promised them the same expensive compensation as me?”

“Of course. We have plenty of money. We can spend generously to save our lives.”

“Because you don’t need to pay the dead, right?”

A simple test. A common-sense question asking if this was just an empty promise they had no intention of keeping.

The other party seemed to have anticipated the question, as the answer was immediately output.

“That would mean mission failure, so naturally. But we’re also generous with advance payments. Those recruited before you received enough money to live luxuriously for 10 years just as an advance.”

People recruited before me. While I might have the highest reputation for diving skills, a small misunderstanding has lowered my overall trustworthiness.

Does this mean they’ve already secured other solvers who combine both trust and skill?

“Will the solvers depart simultaneously?”

“As you wish. Forcibly grouping people with different pride and tendencies would only reduce efficiency, but if you feel the need to cooperate on your own, we won’t interfere. We won’t get involved in how you divide the compensation.”

Their strong intention to just pay money and have us show up is palpable. In exchange for guaranteeing the highest level of autonomy and compensation, the difficulty of the request is also top-tier.

“Could you provide me with a list of those who have accepted the request?”

If this mysterious client has truly gathered industry-top talent, it’s worth taking seriously. Rolling around in such a harsh neighborhood for a long time inevitably makes everyone stubborn and eccentric in their own way.

For them, advance payment doesn’t hold much significance. It’s just a rough indicator of the client’s ability to pay.

If such top-tier solvers accepted the request, it means the “compensation” offered upon completion was beyond imagination and to their liking.

Customized compensation like the extra-dimensional vessel offered to me. Additionally, only those who were convinced that the compensation they offered wasn’t just empty talk would participate in this dangerous mission.

If multiple top-tier solvers were “convinced,” it was worth taking the gamble.

The client presented a magical contract. It had a magic circle drawn on it with binding power for confidentiality.

There’s only one excuse to use at times like this.

“I have issues with my body’s magical operation system, so I can’t use contracts that require magical injection.”

“Don’t you want to replace it with a mechanical body? You’ll earn enough money.”

Haha, damn. It’s not about the mechanical body, but that magic doesn’t accumulate in my body at all.

There’s no need to voluntarily disclose such a fatal weakness. I offered another excuse.

“I’m a martial arts practitioner. It would be fatal if my body’s balance is disrupted.”

“…Hmph.”

From that soft sigh, I could feel the typical disdain magicians have for martial arts. As if I’m someone who rolls around on the ground without dignity. I just responded with a faint smile.

Actually, I’m not even sure if what I use is martial arts. Hector told me to “control that ability as if using martial arts,” so I just trained that way.

“You must know my track record. The secrets I know have never leaked.”

Indeed, as if they had investigated me, a pre-prepared old-fashioned document was presented. I signed it with my somewhat cherished quill pen.

“Quite an old-fashioned taste you have.”

I couldn’t tell if it was mockery or admiration. But when you work in a people-facing profession like a solver, you often encounter difficult people. This level of fussiness is something I can overlook with a smile.

“It’s romantic, isn’t it?”

***

At Ortes’s smooth response, the magician controlling the fully mechanical android frowned.

Something didn’t feel right.

Despite being wrapped in artifacts to the point where the screen distorted due to magical interference, claiming that the magical operation system was damaged?

Taking the answer at face value would mean he couldn’t use any artifacts that required magical injection to activate. This would imply that most of the artifacts he was wearing now were either rechargeable ones operating on internal magic, or relic-grade items that didn’t even need charging.

Either way, it was extremely inefficient. Artifacts operating on internal magic were mostly cheap, low-grade items. They couldn’t guarantee safe operation in the depths of the extra-dimension.

A human who can’t emit magic handling relic-grade artifacts that don’t need charging?

It’s a waste that would make it difficult to bring out even 10% of their original performance. There’s no way a human committing such waste could survive in an extra-dimensional contaminated area.

The fact that he openly made such a ridiculous excuse demonstrated arrogant confidence, as if saying, “What can you do even if I lie?”

He was definitely a suspicious character.

But eventually, the Blasphemia agent set aside the unpleasant feeling from Ortes. After all, he was just a pitiful life willing to die in place of Blasphemia.

Not just him, but all the solvers currently recruited.

***

“Hey, great to see you all!”

It was a request from a remarkable group. Remarkable enough that all top-tier solvers, who consciously or unconsciously considered each other rivals, put aside their pride to gather together.

However, none of them thought that the person who had called them would accept this request.

“…What are you thinking? You accepted their request?”

The client who directly contacted the solvers never explicitly stated their identity, but they very blatantly revealed that the Ten Towers were behind the client.

The scale of compensation alone made that clear. Very few groups could execute such a massive budget so freely just for advance payment.

That’s why Ortes’s appearance was exceptional. The apocalyptist Ortes accepting a request from the Ten Towers?

Ortes, who had gathered the solvers, merely smiled enigmatically.

‘…Could it be that he plans to bury us all and sabotage the Ten Towers’ request?’

Probably not. Although Ortes was hosting, this conference room was operated by someone trustworthy, making it difficult to attempt something like poisoning.

The fact that Ortes had summoned all four request participants excluding himself also proved this.

Even the madman Ortes couldn’t handle the other four solvers at once without assistance. Unless he had planted a bomb or something from the start, prepared to die together.

“Though temporary, we’re colleagues performing the same request. So I arranged this meeting to build rapport.”

No one believed this story. If Ortes had truly called them together for something as harmonious as building rapport, he would have brought Knemon, who acts as a mediator between Ortes and other solvers.

“Why don’t you get to the point?”

Ortes deepened his already bright smile.

“I’m sure you all know this isn’t an ordinary request. And I’m someone who wants to live as safely as possible.”

While the previous statement might have been believable under the condition “if Knemon had accompanied him,” this statement was unbelievable no matter what clue was attached.

After all, someone who loves safety wouldn’t be so obsessed with the extra-dimension.

“Let’s cooperate.”

“Are you suggesting we share information?”

“Find the safest route, rescue that official, hand them over, and part ways immediately. Doesn’t that sound good?”

“And if we refuse?”

“That would be unfortunate. But I have no intention of hindering others. The mission is already difficult enough; why would I unnecessarily increase the difficulty?”

Ortes looked around at the other four solvers. Everyone had contemplative expressions. He clapped once with a crisp sound and stood up.

“I’ll depart in three days. If anyone wishes to cooperate with me, please come to dock number 17 by noon in three days.”