Earth Dungeon 66.1

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Chapter 66.1. Face-To-Face

The outer town was a diverse land. Near the inner town, elegant houses stood, and those who possessed more money and power than the lower-class residents of the inner town lived there. The guards are armed with automatic rifles. They're protected in the area, having undergone rigorous training.

In the middle, there were aging apartments and condominiums. People with some leisure, discussing what to have for dinner today or gossiping about their neighbors, occupied these buildings. Closer to the abandoned town. There were street vendors, run-down apartments lining the streets, and a bad-tempered crowd of individuals and prostitutes standing in the narrow alleys—a dangerous slum area.

A bicycle carrying tofu moved slowly down the street, with the sound of trumpets. A woman called out to buy tofu.

In the distant past, when humanity had the luxury to wage wars against each other, Sakimiori walked, feeling that the scene resembled something from old movies he had seen. 

And thus, after a while, I arrived at his destination. It was one of the mixed-use buildings.

The outer walls had been repainted multiple times, revealing the underlying structure. There were cracks, and the building seemed old, probably at least 30 years old.

I opened the door and entered. Signs hung on the walls, displaying the names of the companies occupying the building. He searched for Karin's company. I vaguely remembered something like Kazama Detective Agency or similar.

"It's a suspicious name just by listening to it. When 'demon' is in the company name, it feels even shadier. Or is it just me?"

[It's better if it's suspicious, don't you think? When 'demon' is in it, it gives the impression of fighting against demons. That was a detective agency, but I've become a fortune teller, took 990,000 yen out of the 1 million yen consultation fee.]

Shizuku-san smiled mysteriously while sitting cross-legged. She seemed to be performing the role of a fortune teller.

"The fee is way too high! Huh? The top floor, the 5th floor?"

I wondered if there was an elevator and strolled leisurely. Today, I was a tired-looking, hard-boiled middle-aged man in a serious outfit. I had come dressed formally for the transaction. All black might be a bit too conspicuous.

Electricity, I want it, but there's nothing I can do about it. It's difficult to run power lines and get electricity from a power station, and I'd need a generator, but it requires kerosene or gasoline, which are no longer available. Or is there some way to get them? Or an alternative? Nah, Couldn't do it.

Lost in thought, I entered the elevator and headed to the 5th floor. While making a rattling noise, the elevator moved with some unease, when it finally reached the top floor, the door opened.

There was a small cloudy glass door with a swinging sign that read Kazama Detective Agency. Karin, the intelligence officer, was not concerned about her true identity being exposed. Judging from this, investigating the abandoned town must have been a relatively low-profile task. In the current world, No one would plan a coup d'état from the abandoned town. It was different for me alone. Were others trying to create a similar market and establish a base elsewhere?

"Karin, I'm here~"

I reluctantly knocked on the door, since I couldn't find an intercom.

[Hey! Are you here to repay the money you borrowed today?]

Shizuku-san, who seemed to be enjoying herself, imitated knocking on the door, pretending to collect debts. Her childlike and innocent actions made him laugh involuntarily.

"Sure, sure. I'm opening it now, so could you please wait a moment?"

I furrowed my brow upon hearing an unexpected voice from behind the door. Wasn't it supposed to be just Karin's private investigation agency? Well, it seemed that wasn't the case.

I patiently waited for the door to open, and with a click, it did.

And then, I was slightly surprised by the person who appeared.

"Hello. I've been waiting for you."

Smiling gently was an albino girl. Her lustrous pure white hair flowed down to her waist, and her eyes, deeper red than rubies, framed a well-proportioned nose and small lips. She was a beautiful girl with delicate, snow-white skin and a slender body. For some reason, she was wearing a white robe.

I quickly concealed my surprise and inclined my head in greeting.

"Hello. I was called here."

"Hello, hello. Come on in. I've been waiting for you."

The girl skipped off towards the interior. Oh, I had never seen such a beautiful girl before.

[There's a beautiful girl right here. I'll reject the notion of her having a character because she's a beautiful girl. I acknowledge that she's beautiful. But she's the second one.]

Shizuku-san chimed in. It's okay; you're a beautiful girl too. You're the first one.

I followed the albino beauty, and inside, I saw a weathered table, a sofa, and in the back, a desk and chair for office work.

"Nyanko went to buy Nyanko Ultra Big Spin and some tea snacks. She'll be back soon, so please wait. I'm going to make tea now."

She seemed in a good mood as she headed to the water heater.

[Hmph. That joke is way too old. I think it's past its expiration date.]

Shizuku-san grumbled. Huh? Does she know the girl's joke? Where did she pick up this joke? Oh, it must be from the inner town.

[Mm? Mm?]

I tilted my head, and Shizuku floated in the air while crossing her arms. What's going on?

She must have noticed my questioning expression. Shizuku shrugged her shoulders playfully and then continued to float in mid-air.

[Oh, it's nothing. I was thinking too much. Hehe.]

She smiled mysteriously and then relaxed her posture, folding her arms behind her back. She's acting mysterious, isn't she? I should be cautious around this girl.

"I heard that you can solo conquer the Goblin King's dungeon. I was interested in that. Oh, do you take your coffee black?"

"No, I'll take some sugar, please. Sugar is quite precious in the abandoned town, you know."

I sat down on the sofa and crossed my legs. I was a hard-boiled middle-aged man, after all. Crossing my legs gave me room to maneuver, but it didn't have much to do with magic users.