Chapter 472
Well then, today I'm traveling alone for the first time in a while.
I've got the Transfer Pendulum. The rest is running.
Casual steps for contacting an underground organization. But getting worked up would be a pain. So I'll just go.
Hagets.
A well-known organization in FBO. An underground group with several scout-type Named characters. People with dark pasts are at its core. They support orphanages. They have a good side. But they're also heavily involved in illegal activities.
Drugs and human trafficking are forbidden. Their main income is情報. Especially from the underworld. They're also fighters. Bodyguards.
They also run small night establishments and casinos. I recall that from the game. I teleport to the royal capital. Then head southwest.
The border between the Edelgard and Marduk territories. A medium-sized town on that line is my destination.
Hamberto. A politically delicate town. Both dukes claim it.治安 isn't good. But it's not fatally bad either. Because an organization secretly controls it.
"Hmm. Just the right mix of prosperity and decline. This is Hamberto."
A child entering such a town alone might be strange. But dwarves exist. A small figure with a spear, looking like an adventurer. They wouldn't stop me. I pay the entry tax and walk in.
I go to the market. Compared to the town where Penne was confined, this one is more prosperous. The selection is average. Nothing excellent. Nothing bad. I observe the average market. Now the tricky part.
"Will this work?"
Hagets is a true underground organization. They use proxies for surface dealings. Multiple intermediaries separate them from their clients. They value secrecy. Enemies are eliminated through covert operations. Not direct confrontation. They slowly tighten the noose. They choose to kill. Head-on, I could win. But I can't be on guard 24/7. Poison me, and I die.
To contact them, I need to follow the proper steps. Become a customer. Use a shortcut, and they'll wonder how I knew. They won't trust me. So I'll use the proper method.
"Oh, there it is."
I find a tavern. Off the main street. Not run-down. Not too busy. It fits the town.
Inside, a few customers are drinking. Early.
"Welcome. What'll you have?"
"Food?"
"Simple stuff."
"Fine. And some beans. Drink, not alcohol. I'm working later."
"Got it."
The owner is fat. But his arms are thick. Getting hit would hurt. He serves me without question. A first-time customer. The other customers glance at me. Then ignore me. They think I'm a dwarf.
The food should come quickly. I ordered that way on purpose.
"Here you go. Twelve zenni."
"Here."
"Exactly."
Bread, soup, sausage. Beans and fruit water.
"Anything else?"
"Not for food. But I have a question."
"What?"
The rough-looking owner stops. He's not busy. I offer a silver coin. He grins. Takes it. Pockets it.
"I heard there's a knowledgeable person in this town. How do I meet them?"
"Knowledgeable, huh."
"Yeah. Knows a lot."
The owner looks like he doesn't know. But I know. He's Hagets's front. Hagets leaks some information. Adventurers can find it if they dig.
"There's an old man who runs an antique bookshop. West. Knows a lot."
"I see... Anyone else?"
"The old woman at the apothecary. Her family has run it for generations. Knows the town's history. On the main street. Easy to find."
"Thanks. That helps."
Follow the steps. Ask for the knowledgeable person. You'll hear about the bookshop and the apothecary. If you don't dig deeper, you'll go to the bookshop. Buy an expensive book. End of story. Dig deeper, and you'll hear about the apothecary. If you stop there, you'll go there. Buy expensive medicine. End of story. Think both are wrong, give up. You'll never reach Hagets.
I eat. Watch my surroundings. The number of people in the tavern is a test of my情報 gathering. Finish the soup. A customer leaves. Start the bread. Three new customers come in. Order drinks. Start the sausage. Two customers leave together. Eat the beans. Drink the fruit water. One customer comes in.
"..."
Subtraction for leaving. Addition for entering. Multiplication for ordering drinks. There were five customers, including me. Five minus one is four. Times three is twelve. Minus two is ten. Plus one is eleven. The answer is eleven. They're sending codes through tavern traffic. That's how they stay hidden.
The key is this number eleven. Combined with the old man and old woman.
"Thanks for the food."
"Come again. At night."
"I will."
I leave. Head for the bookshop. Count the people passing me. One. Two. Three.
"Excuse me."
"Yeah?"
"Can you direct me to the bookshop?"
The eleventh person. I hand him twelve zenni.
"...Follow me."
The price of the meal was a password. In the game, finding this was incredibly hard. The owner kept changing the price. I knew something was up. The combination of customers and gestures was the key.
The man takes the money. Turns left into an alley. I follow. One thing to remember. Normally, I'd follow him. But FBO isn't that kind. Neither is the underworld.
"Here."
"The old man's inside."
We turn a few corners. An old bookshop with a weathered sign. I stop. The man passes. I look up at the shop. He stops. Turns back. Nods.
First stop.
"Thanks. Have a drink on me."
"You know it."
I hand him a silver coin. He grins. Leaves.
"..."
I go inside.
"Welcome."
A basement shop. Bookshelves left and right. An old man at the counter. His glasses glint in the lamplight.
"What kind of book?"
"The tavern owner sent me. I need a book for the apothecary."
I approach. He asks what I want. I request the key item.
"...This."
"Price?"
"Eighteen zenni."
"Okay."
"Don't remove the bookmark on page 23."
"Understood."
The old man's expression doesn't change. He takes a book from the shelf. Hands it to me. Books are expensive. Eighteen zenni won't buy a real book. But the old man accepts. I pay. Leave.
"Hey. Get what you needed?"
The man from before is outside. My tip worked. If I hadn't paid, he'd be gone. The path to the real apothecary would be closed.
"Yeah. Can you take me to the apothecary?"
"Okay."
He guides me. No money changes hands. We leave the main streets. The alleys get darker. More shady people appear. Without him, they'd bother me. They'd try to steal the book. That's their security. Triple, quadruple layers. That's how they've survived.
"Here."
A lone shop in an alley. Barely a sign. Dirty. Unkempt.
He leaves. I go inside.
"...Welcome."
A figure in a black robe. Hood up.
"What do you need?"
A croaking voice. An old woman. Stooped.
"I need the medicine on page 23 of this book."
"I see. May I see it?"
"Don't remove the bookmark."
"...Understood. Follow me."
I hand over the book. Specify the page. The bookmark. The old man's words. The croaking voice changes. A young woman's voice. Sharp eyes under the hood. She stands straight. Taller than me.
She goes behind the counter. Not to the door. To the stone wall beside it. She knocks. A rhythm. Twenty-three times. She waits. The stone wall changes. An opening appears.
"They're inside. The ones you're looking for."
"Thanks. I need to be back by night. For dinner."
"Do that. Don't linger."
I leave the message. Enter the passage. The wall closes behind me. Torchlight. A dungeon.