Chapter 104

Honoring the Old, Embracing the New (2)

The add-on Kairus needed wasn’t something that could be mass-produced.

An add-on that turned water into mist by vibrating it.

“To other people, that’s just a completely useless add-on.”

Therefore, he had to commission it as a custom-made item.

“It’s not impossible.”

He could probably find the right person. The problem lay elsewhere.

‘If someone’s skilled enough to produce custom-made items, and I offer them money, I might not see it until this time next year.’

Talented add-on crafters always had a long backlog of reservations.

Things you needed could usually be bought with money, but that didn’t mean you could get them delivered quickly.

As Kairus continued to wrestle with the issue, Irena smacked him on the back.

“For now, we’ve wrapped up something big, haven’t we?”

When Kairus looked back, Irena was pretending to tip a glass.

“Let’s have a drink and think it over. If you stay holed up in the office any longer, mushrooms are going to start growing on your butt.”

Kairus had just barely survived, so there was no reason to turn down Irena’s offer.

“You don’t have any money.”

“Obviously the master should be treating the student. How could you eye your disciple’s wallet?”

Kairus clicked his tongue at Irena’s words and headed toward a nearby pub.

Two shot glasses filled with amber-colored liquor were placed on the wooden table.

“You went through a lot.”

“Of course I did. I still feel like I reek of the sewers.”

As Kairus raised his glass and spoke, Irena clinked hers against his and responded.

Irena quickly downed the liquor in her shot glass, wiped her lips, tossed a peanut into her mouth, and said,

“About the add-on technician. If you go through money, it’s going to take a while, right? Those kinds of technicians often have production schedules booked out years in advance.”

Irena was also concerned about the very thing Kairus had been mulling over.

If someone had the skills to make a custom item, they were bound to be busy.

“I have the money, so if I ask, it’ll get made eventually.”

“You really plan to wait that long?”

Irena narrowed her eyes and scanned the pub.

“Everyone here has something hanging from their belt. I’ve never seen a city with so many people carrying battle gear.”

“Most of it’s junk, and half the people don’t even know how to use it properly.”

At Kairus’s words, Irena grinned crookedly.

“Like me?”

“Exactly.”

Irena, too, had used battle gear the wrong way before. The thugs and punks in this city weren’t much different.

They wandered around using faulty battle gear in ways that could easily wreck their own bodies.

“This city’s dangerous. I need to get stronger fast.”

That’s why everyone walked around with at least a faulty battle gear strapped to their belt. Irena refilled her glass, tossed in a pinch of pepper, and downed the contents in one gulp.

“I can’t wait for years. Besides, I’m technically still on vacation. I need to show results.”

Irena was currently on extended leave, and once she returned, she would be expected to prove her growth.

“You could probably prove yourself already. At your level, you’re easily knight of merit material.”

“Sure, I could prove something. But I’m not satisfied.”

Irena was ambitious. She couldn’t settle for just taking time off like everyone else or growing at the same pace as others.

“We’ll need to start by finding a technician. Got any good ideas?”

At Irena’s question, Kairus nodded.

“The best case is finding someone within the city, but…”

“Yeah, right.”

Irena immediately shot down Kairus’s hopes with an incredulous expression.

“Thought so.”

If there were a technician in this city skilled enough to craft a high-quality add-on, it was obvious what kind of life they’d be living.

They’d be part of a powerful organization.

That wasn’t much different from how top-tier talent usually ended up tied to groups. Unlike Kairus, who could at least protect himself, technicians typically didn’t have the means to defend their own bodies.

“It’s probably best to give up on finding one in the city.”

After that, silence lingered for a moment. Kairus continued to rack his brain, searching for a sharp, workable solution.

Irena, who had been quietly observing him, finally spoke up.

“Should I pull a few strings?”

Kairus responded with a thoughtful hum.

If they leveraged the influence of the Kellogg family, they could not only find a top-notch technician but also receive the requested add-on in the shortest time possible, with no need to wait.

The authority of the Treasury Chief and the prestige of the Kellogg name were not to be taken lightly.

“If it’s possible, let’s use some of that influence.”

Creating the add-on needed to operate Nimbus was something Kairus also wanted to hurry along.

Normally, he wouldn’t have leaned on the Kellogg family’s power, but since Irena brought it up first this time, he was open to accepting the help.

“I’ll give them a call once we get back to the office. But first, one more drink.”

With that, Irena grabbed a slightly larger glass and filled it about three-quarters full with the liquor.

Then she added hot sauce. That hot sauce was made from nothing but salt, vinegar, and chili peppers.

“Now that I see it, you drink in some weird ways.”

“Do I?”

Ignoring Kairus’s comment entirely, Irena downed the mix of hot sauce and liquor in one go and stood up from her seat.

“I’m heading out first.”

Irena said goodbye to Kairus and left the pub, heading back to the office.

— I’m sorry, but the Kellogg mansion does not accept phone calls at this hour.

The moment the call was connected to the Kellogg mansion through the operator, a voice promptly refused the call, brushing against Irena’s ear.

“It’s me.”

As Irena spoke, the person on the other end paused briefly.

— Miss, what’s the reason for your call?

“I’d like to speak with my father.”

However, from the other side’s perspective, it was necessary to confirm whether the caller was truly Irena.

— Please say my name.

“Hold on… Lucia.”

The reason Irena took a moment to answer was simple. The person who answered the phone wasn’t actually named Lucia.

It was a kind of rotating code that changed periodically by date. Since there was no way to verify the other party besides voice, it was a security measure.

— Confirmed. Please hold for a moment.

After waiting about ten minutes, a familiar cough finally came through the receiver.

— What are you calling about at this hour?

Recognizing the voice of Simid Kellogg, Irena greeted him in a gentle tone.

“I’m glad to hear you’re in good health.”

At her words, Simid clicked his tongue.

— You wouldn’t be calling at this hour just to check on me.

If you were really worried about someone’s well-being, you’d send a letter or a telegram—not make an expensive phone call.

“I’d like to be introduced to a skilled add-on technician. I need something custom-made.”

At Irena’s request, Simid let out a dry chuckle and paused in thought.

— I can’t introduce you to a technician from the Empire.

From Irena’s perspective, Simid’s response was quite baffling. The Kellogg family was part of the Empire’s nobility. Naturally, any skilled technician he could introduce would be from the Empire.

“Pardon? Then where…”

— I can introduce you to a technician from the Republic.

But Simid had no intention of doing that. Even if it was his daughter asking, he needed to be cautious about recklessly introducing a technician from the Empire.

‘With power being consolidated in preparation for a shift in imperial authority, I can’t afford to make any careless moves.’

If it weren’t for the incident at the mansion, things might be different. But now that the situation had taken a strange turn, Simid Kellogg had already begun taking the necessary precautions and continued to do so.

One such measure was avoiding any action that might appear suspicious.

That’s why Simid intended to introduce Irena to a technician from the Aylan Republic.

“If that’s your decision, I understand.”

Even if it seemed a bit strange to her, Irena had no choice but to follow Simid Kellogg’s lead.

Simid Kellogg then readily provided the information he had on the technician.

— So, how have things been with you lately?

Since they were already on the phone, father and daughter took the chance to talk. While there were certain things they couldn't discuss, they could at least exchange some trivial stories.

After talking for a while, Irena ended the call when she heard the sound of the door opening.

“Why stop? You could’ve kept talking,”

Kairus said, catching on to the situation.

“No need. I’ve said what I needed to say.”

With that, Irena handed Kairus a slip of paper with some information written on it.

“What’s this?”

Kairus’s expression turned a little uncertain as he took the paper.

“What’s with the sour face? You said you needed it, and I helped you out,”

Irena said.

“You got this from your father over the phone?”

“Yeah.”

At Irena’s reply, Kairus clicked his tongue slightly. Fortunately, Simid had kept any talk of rebellion secret from Irena, so there was no chance he’d revealed anything sensitive during the call.

“Irena, the phone in this office was installed by the Rose Garden.”

“…Ah. Damn it.”

Only then did Irena realize her mistake and rubbed her eyes.

The conversation she just had with Simid over the phone had likely been wiretapped by the Rose Garden.

“Still, we didn’t say anything that could be a problem…”

Kairus gave a slight nod.

“Let’s hope so. Let’s see here… He said to go to Erens?”

Looking over the contents of the paper, Kairus raised his brows in surprise.

“This isn’t an Empire technician.”

“He seemed to have his reasons.”

Hearing Irena’s reply, Kairus could roughly guess Simid Kellogg’s current circumstances and nodded in understanding.

“Well, what does it matter if they’re from the Empire or the Republic?”

If Simid Kellogg considered this technician skilled enough to recommend, then they likely had the ability to produce the add-on Kairus needed.

“By the way, where even is Erens?”

“Erens isn’t a city. It’s a small village within the jurisdiction of Murdan City.”

There wasn’t even a train station, so they’d have to get off at Murdan City and then drive to Erens.

“Murdan City…”

It was a city in the Aylan Republic, about a 3–4 hour train ride from Bennett City.

“The roads aren’t in good shape either. It might take longer to get from Murdan to Erens by car than the train ride from Bennett to Murdan.”

At Irena’s explanation, Kairus let out a groan.

“Terrific. Why the hell would a top-tier technician live in some backwater village?”

“I didn’t get to ask about that.”

In any case, their destination was now set: Erens, Aylan Republic.

“Let’s get a forged ID we can use in the Republic by tomorrow, then take the train right away.”

Irena nodded at Kairus’s suggestion. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“…A visitor at this hour?”

With a puzzled look, Kairus got up and walked to the door, peeking through the peephole.

“Goddamn it.”

He muttered under his breath, cleared his throat, and opened the door.

“Representative.”

“Hello. We’re seeing each other quite often, aren’t we?”

Too often, really.

As Kairus stepped back and greeted her, Cecilia entered the office with a simple greeting.

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