The Druid Who Swallowed Mother Nature - Chapter 92



Only Noblemtl

Episode 92. It works after all

After seeing Colin and Sage off.

I didn’t go home, but just walked down the street.

There was no word from Cromwell.

It’s only been a day since we returned from exploring the ruins.

Although it was not a request but something I had personally arranged, it was difficult to immediately deploy him on the mission unless the purpose was to break him down like a part.

There won’t be any contact for at least a week.

If it were just some random contractor, the broker would call them as he pleases without worrying about their condition.

‘Now I am also a person Cromwell has to take care of and manage.’

It means that there is no good that goes against my wishes.

Even if you had contacted me in the first place, I would have ignored you.

Since I had gained a lot, I needed time to digest it.

Thud! Thud!

Although I had a destination in mind, I didn’t really care and just walked aimlessly.

As I gained more, I had more to worry about, so this was a walk to clear my complicated head.

‘It reminds me of old times.’

It was a passage of time that felt like a long time ago, even though it was only a few months ago.

In the past, when I would feel stressed, I would often go for a walk.

Because on a warm, sunny afternoon, I would feel better when I walked along a path with trees casting cool shade.

Compared to that time, it was a very poor walking trail.

A thick cloud of smoke hung in the air, and instead of sunlight, the roads were lit by dull neon signs. Instead of neat trees, only greasy pipes and buildings packed tightly together like chicken coops lined the streets.

‘Is it better than not doing it?’

That was exactly my impression.

“The World Tree smelled a strange fragrance.”

I was just walking around when I noticed some suspicious smoke.

‘Was the direct sales center around here?’

Looking at the sign, it was 11th Street, District 3, a deep place even in a general commercial area.

I stepped into the billowing smoke.

It was different from the smoke that filled the city.

There was a strange smell that could only be described as sweet yet pungent enough to make you want to hold your nose.

The spirits floated about in the smoke, staggering out of nowhere as if imitating the gait of a drunkard.

Then it suddenly fell on someone’s head and stopped moving.

“Phew.”

There was a person.

The unfocused eyes were dimly released in the smoke.

Sunken cheeks that reveal the cheekbones and dull hair.

Compared to the beggars who overflowed in this city, his appearance was even more shabby.

“Phew.”

If it weren’t for the deep, periodic exhalations, I would have thought it was a corpse.

It wasn’t surprising at all.

This shallow city, by its very existence, gave people the plausibility that it was not strange for them to act in any way.

“… … .”

But even so, it was a pretty bizarre scene.

Because there were countless living people lying in the alleys in the shape of corpses.

They all had something in common that made it difficult to dismiss them as a coincidence.

Above all, this thick smoke.

It was impossible to ignore the smoke that had caught the attention of the World Tree and intoxicated the spirits.

Of course, I had a rough idea of ​​its identity.

I spoke to a guy nearby.

“hey.”

“Phew.”

Are you even listening to me?

There wasn’t much of a reaction, but I asked without caring.

“Where is the direct sales office?”

“Phew.”

Instead of answering, the guy rolled his eyes and gave directions.

Is your body not listening to you?

‘This makes me no better than a living corpse.’

I clicked my tongue and moved on.

After asking several people like that, I finally reached a dead end.

Swish!

The smoke had now become so thick that it was difficult to even recognize the faces of passersby.

Even the white color was mixed with purple and red without a hitch, so I felt like I was experiencing an avant-garde experiential art piece.

‘Is it over there?’

At the end of the street there was a small building.

There was a fence around the perimeter, but it was only as high as the shins, probably to keep out animals.

I lightly stepped over the door and grabbed the handle of the half-open door.

Chorus!

The chain that was roughly hanging on the doorknob came loose and made a sound.

It was some kind of alarm.

It was a bit unusual in its taste, but it was usually hung on the door of a store to announce the arrival of customers, like a bell.

There was another Chinese door on the first floor.

Although it looked like a small building on the outside, it had a short, long structure.

dripping!

This time, instead of opening the door, I knocked.

That was the rule here.

Squeak!

Finally, the door opened wide.

As I entered through the middle gate, I felt refreshed as my previously stuffy view widened.

The thick smoke outside seemed to be blocking the entrance as if it were a boundary line.

It must be a magical barrier.

The barrier that divides and separates space wasn’t that rare of a magic.

“This is my first time seeing you.”

The person visible straight ahead in the room was an old man.

He had a unique hairstyle with the top of his head shaved into a circle around the crown.

It looks like the hairstyle of a medieval monk.

The old man welcomed the guest with a friendly smile.

“This is Bordon. Who introduced you?”

“The trash outside.”

“Aha, then you are not the one who took the wrong path, brother. That is fortunate. The smoke is thick here, and it is difficult to escape.”

Bordon welcomed him with open arms as if he were a friend from his hometown.

Then the sleeves of the wide-brimmed garment were pushed up to the elbows.

The material was so cheap that the skin touching the lining was red and scratched.

“That’s amazing.”

I walked across the center of the large room to Bordon.

Glass display cases were lined along both walls.

Inside, the bear and syringe were individually wrapped, and a piece of paper with prices written on it was placed in front of them.

Behind Bordon, there were so many drawers that it was hard to count them.

The chest of drawers was divided into intricately scribbled letters that were impossible to read, so much so that the word deciphering was more appropriate than interpreting.

“Usually, these direct sales stores have verified brokers who introduce stores to customers.”

“I heard that other brothers mostly do that.”

“Is it okay to do business like this? I don’t know how you’re going to handle the city government’s inspections.”

I stopped within striking distance of Bordon.

It was pure curiosity.

“Drug brokers and such.”

***

Direct sales outlet.

In the city’s slang, it refers to a drug store where a broker resides.

The direct sales office used every means possible to avoid city government inspections.

A typical method was to select customers through introductions from verified brokers.

It was a life-threatening act to have drug addicts lying around on the streets and to guide anyone in as if they were anyone.

‘Thanks to that, I was able to find the information quickly.’

There are many ways to obtain drugs, even without going through a broker.

And most of the things you get that way are cheap.

Because it is highly addictive and has serious side effects, they cannot get off the drug and become obsessed with obtaining better and more things.

The reason the network asked Beta to track them was because of the activity history of those who were so active.

Since it is a closed community, they might have let their guard down and leaked the location of the direct sales outlet somewhere.

This was the place where I got the clue.

‘I didn’t know you were doing business so openly like this.’

If I had known this situation, I wouldn’t have needed Beta’s help.

Bordon asked back, his smile still intact.

“Are you by any chance a city government official?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“I guess so. If I were a city official, I don’t think I would have asked that.”

Bordon’s answer was significant.

“You asked me why I do business here. It’s because I don’t have to fear inspection by the city government.”

“Why?”

“I have no reason to fear inspection when I am doing business legally. Unlike my other brothers, I am doing business legally.”

“Drug addicts are strewn about the streets like trash, and you say it’s a legal business?”

I laughed in vain, but Bordon insisted in an appealing voice.

“Well, they just smoked the leftovers I left after selling my products.”

“dregs?”

Bordon took a stick-shaped device out of his pocket.

I took a cartridge out of the drawer and put it in, and smoke rose up.

“Look, this is the product I’m dealing with. It clears your mind, increases your concentration, and circulates your magic. There are some side effects, such as addiction, tremors, and chronic weakness, but aren’t they trivial compared to the efficacy?”

Bordon introduced the product with a big smile.

Just hearing her soft voice, it definitely had enough charm to be alluring.

But when you think about what the drug addicts outside are doing, it was by no means a minor side effect.

“It only sounds like it’s packaged luxuriously and is said to be of high purity.”

“It’s not dangerous since it’s approved as a medicine.”

Poison and medicine are only a hair’s breadth apart.

Poppies and narcissus were used as panaceas in the distant past, but are now treated as illegal drugs.

At the same time, painkillers using the ingredient are being legally distributed.

It felt like they were exploiting a loophole in the law.

“If they simply sold the defective products that were supplied in that way at a low price, would the city government have any grounds to crack down on them?”

“You’re very resourceful. You’re a total slacker.”

I never thought there would be someone who would do business so boldly.

Even for me, who has experienced all sorts of human characters in games, this was the first time I encountered this type.

“Now that you’ve satisfied your curiosity, it’s time to take a look at the product.”

A sharp light shone through the old man’s narrowed eyes.

It meant that since I answered your annoying questions, you shouldn’t even think about leaving.

You’ve even put up a barrier on the door, so you should be confident about your security measures.

I had no intention of becoming a regular customer.

Since I asked the question out of genuine curiosity, I decided to look at the object as I originally intended.

“Show me just a few representative products first.”

“It might be easier to figure out if you could be a little more specific about what kind of item you want. For example, do you have preferences based on efficacy, ingredients, or format, like pills or cigarettes?”

“I would like something that has a doping effect regardless of its form, using plants as the material.”

If we had not attracted the Ulfirin tribe to the battle with Thorson’s expedition, we would have suffered a great defeat.

It was irresponsible to expect that trick to work forever.

‘Even if you don’t have the firepower to subdue a large number of people at once, you need the ability to prolong a fight against a large number of people.’

Drugs, doping with the help of medicines could be the solution, according to the broker in front of you.

It was a relatively popular method, although its side effects were problematic.

Because it’s better to suffer from side effects than to lose your life.

“Because it’s a product made from plants… … I’ll tell you first that you shouldn’t expect much in terms of quality.”

In this world where plant growth is erratic, even drugs are more developed as chemical compounds than as plant-based products.

Not only is it safe, it is also effective and has few side effects.

“doesn’t care.”

“If that’s the case.”

It was as planned.

When urged, Bordon took things out of several drawers.

“First of all, these are all the medicinal products made from plants. The rest are just leftovers that are sold to customers outside… … They are roughly mixed with impurities and dried, so it would be difficult to provide them to customers.”

Since he was only a pharmaceutical salesman in name, it seemed like he didn’t stock cheap products made from plants.

“Let me explain it to you one by one. This one is made from matcha leaves and has a slight awakening effect and pain-relieving effect… … .”

There were three things he gave me.

It was a form of injection or inhalation of a cartridge filled with liquid.

The effects were physical ability doping, magic power doping, and recovery power enhancement, respectively.

“Common side effects include vomiting, mild paralysis, convulsions, and organ damage.”

“If there are common side effects, then that means each has its own side effects.”

“It is difficult to control toxicity technically because it uses underripe and unripe ingredients. On top of that, the price is high due to labor costs, so it is only sought after by enthusiasts.”

Bordon’s tone was like, “Are you going to live like this?”

I made a suggestion after pretending to be hesitant.

“If it’s such a defective item, wouldn’t it be okay to use one as a sample?”

I wonder if I can handle these side-effect-prone products the way I want.

I also needed confirmation.

“Of course.”

Bordon readily handed over the items.

The business idea was clear: once you get a taste, you’ll be addicted, and then you’ll become a long-term customer, so it’s a profitable business.

It was as I had hoped.

I held the cartridge tightly and stamped it on my thigh.

Phew!

The pressure caused a thin needle to pop out and the concentrated liquid inside the cartridge began to be absorbed into the body.

The medicinal effect spread quickly through the body.

But at the same time, there is a strong toxicity characteristic of cheap, crude drugs that slowly accumulate in the body.

“The poison of the plant is neutralized by the body that has deeply absorbed the World Tree!”

The drug’s toxicity was quickly neutralized and disappeared.

‘It works, after all.’

I laughed heartily.

The side effects of plant-based medicines did not apply to me.

It was as expected.