There is an organization that has remained largely hidden until now.
They possess power and influence beyond imagination, and despite having such strength, they have never surfaced above water.
'There's a saying about a hidden treasure in a bag. No matter how much an outstanding person tries to hide, they will inevitably be revealed. The same applies to organizations.'
If an organization is simply massive, it would stand out, but what if it had capabilities matching its size?
Even the Blood Brotherhood, which operates with an elite few, has a red alert issued in Tirna.
What about an organization that's even more serious, like the one Mother Goose, who recently terrorized District 34, belongs to?
It wouldn't be strange if martial law was declared throughout Tirna, not just a red alert.
'Moreover, they have a long history. Their secret influence across the continent is very threatening, even just considering what's visible on the surface.'
There's only one reason why such an organization hasn't been revealed until now.
With their powerful authority and strength, they've thoroughly maintained secrecy.The method of maintaining secrecy is simple. Either persuade with definite rewards, or if not...
'They'll silence people by any means necessary.'
The method wasn't that difficult. After all, dead men tell no tales.
Even with thoroughly hiding their identity, traces could be found. They would have cut off those traces and thoroughly eliminated witnesses.
While doing so, they were still influencing the entire continent, which made them truly dangerous.
Would such people really leave Basilio alone?
The answer to that question was obviously 'no.'
"No, uncle! Aren't you being too relaxed about this?"
Seeing Basilio's deflated response, Seren crossed her arms and glared at him.
Basilio sheepishly scratched the back of his head. Even though he would only feel the hard touch of his helmet.
In a way, Basilio had brought about an enormous danger.
'But for something like that, there doesn't seem to be any sincere anger or criticism.'
Neither Seren nor Mist, and above all, Ronan wasn't saying anything.
That was because they trusted Basilio himself more than worrying about future issues.
They must have watched Basilio for a long time, so they would know about his abilities.
The evidence was that even Edgar, with his high self-esteem, didn't act arrogantly towards Basilio.
"Well. What can we do? It's already been done. Hahaha!"
"Is this something to laugh about? Sigh, really. Now we have one more thing to worry about."
"Still, you don't need to worry right away. If it's Tirna, no matter who they are, they won't be able to act freely."
Currently, Tirna's security is very strict due to the District 34 incident.
Unless they were fools, they would have to be as careful as possible.
"Even so, they might not need to put in much effort to kill one person."
Mist offered his opinion.
Would Tirna even care if a few fixers died? Of course, it would be different if it were a special-grade fixer, but even special-grade fixers aren't immune to death.
Assassination.
That's the first word that comes to mind.
"Ah, you don't need to worry about that. I'm not some street vagrant, how could I be taken down easily?"
Basilio said not to worry.
Osian suddenly recalled the smell of blood he noticed when shaking hands with him.
'Certainly, the smell of blood from his body included both the blood scent he was born with...and the physical blood smell from a recent battle.'
Who was his opponent, and how did Basilio subdue them?
Osian was curious but didn't bother asking.
"Now, now. Let's stop with the heavy talk here. If any problems arise, I'll take full responsibility."
"Sheesh. You sure talk well."
Even Seren, who had been the most resistant, agreed and backed down, and no one brought up this topic anymore.
"Ah right. More than that, I received an interesting request on my way here."
Basilio naturally changed the subject.
He pulled out an envelope from his pocket. It was a request for a fixer.
Usually, it's standard practice to request through a broker, but since Basilio was a special-grade fixer, he could receive requests directly.
Knowing this, Ronan wasn't particularly displeased about it.
Perhaps they maintained a good relationship for so long because they didn't mind such things with each other.
"What's the content? You're not planning to open it here, are you?"
To Edgar's question, Basilio playfully shrugged his shoulders.
"Actually, I already read it on the way here. I've received many direct requests before, but it's rare for someone to contact me so quickly when I've barely entered the city."
"That means the people who submitted the request can move quickly regarding uncle's movements."
"Yeah, I guess I'm becoming obsolete. I thought I was moving quietly, but I've been caught twice now. Should I start thinking about retirement?"
"Enough with the unfunny jokes. It's rather strange to avoid the eyes of major corporations in Tirna. And from the start, uncle, you had no intention of hiding, right?"
At Edgar's sharp observation, Basilio hunched his shoulders.
"Oh my, now I can't even joke. Please don't take away my chance to show a friendly image in front of the newcomers."
"The more you act like that, the more pressured they feel."
That was true. Since earlier, Diolan, Lorraine, and Ena had been too tense to say anything.
"That young man doesn't seem to be like that though?"
Basilio said, looking at Osian.
Edgar looked at Osian at those words, then nodded with a small sigh.
"Well, that's because this one isn't normal either."
"Oho. For the boy to say that much. You must have already had quite a bout?"
Indeed, Basilio's insight was sharp. Given Edgar's personality, he immediately grasped that Osian and Edgar had had a confrontation.
And also how the outcome of that victory and defeat had flowed.
"Whatever it is, it's still a request from a major corporation to uncle, right?"
"That's right. Anyway, this request. It seems quite an interesting rumor is going around."
As Basilio was about to explain the request's contents, Osian looked at Ronan.
It was a glance asking if it was okay to disclose this.
Ronan knew this but gave no answer. In other words, he didn't particularly care.
'Well, these people aren't going to go around spreading this kind of thing anyway, so maybe it's unnecessary worry.'
Osian was curious about what kind of request Basilio had received. It seemed others felt the same way.
According to Edgar's guess, the client was a major corporation. Basilio didn't deny this fact either.
'What kind of request does a major corporation make?'
It would be qualitatively different from requests like "bring someone in" or "kill someone."
It must be something related to the corporation, and at the same time, a high-difficulty request that only a special-grade fixer could handle.
"It seems there are rumors going around recently about complete artificial intelligence."
The story Basilio brought up was something Osian remembered too.
Not something vaguely overheard. It was something that happened just today.
Osian waited quietly for Basilio's next words without interrupting.
"I can't say where, but they say a steam suit corporation has developed quite an outrageous item. And because of that, an automaton corporation that I can't name is in a state of emergency."
At Basilio's explanation, Lorraine, Diolan, and Ena made expressions of disbelief.
How many major corporations are there in Tirna, and among them, how many develop steam suits and automatons?
Although it seemed ridiculous to try to hide it with such words, others seemed used to it by now.
"That outrageous item seems quite threatening. So they're in emergency mode trying to catch up. They were already developing hard, but now that fire has fallen on their feet, they have no choice but to rely on some kind of illusion."
The outrageous item probably refers to the machine with a human brain transplant.
Although it was destroyed by his hands, it was certainly a threatening enemy.
And the uncertain illusion that the automaton corporation speaks of must be the urban legend that Kudan mentioned.
"Artificial intelligence. An automaton that thinks autonomously. They're trying to find it."
"Isn't that an urban legend?"
Ena cautiously offered her opinion. When Basilio turned to look at her, Ena shrunk back fearfully but didn't stop speaking.
"Are you quite knowledgeable about legends, young lady?"
"Just, there are things I hear here and there, and since there's a lot to know, I learned some things while looking things up on my own. Including this artificial intelligence that came up now."
"I see. If you know that, the conversation will be a bit easier. The automaton corporation is looking for artificial intelligence now. Something that's merely dismissed as a legend with abundant rumors."
Some kind of machine that possesses a self that's said to be impossible for automatons to have and Basilio's request was to find that.
"Find that? No matter how you look at it, it just seems like asking to find some kind of illusory item."
Seren clicked her tongue as if it was preposterous.
"Haha. Of course, I think so too. It's a bit perplexing for me as well. If I had to say, it's like asking me to pluck a star from the sky and bring it."
At Basilio's metaphor, some people's gazes briefly lingered on Osian.
"But I don't think it's entirely far-fetched. Of course, the automaton corporation is in a desperate situation to be fixated on this, but still, a major corporation is a major corporation."
"That means..."
"Yes. They must have obtained some information. And it must be highly reliable information. That's why they made the request."
"Can't they move on their own if they know that?"
"There must be separate reasons why they can't. Moreover, that location happens to be the Junkyard. The moment a corporation goes there, they'll face all kinds of attacks."
Even with mercenaries or private soldiers employed by major corporations, it wouldn't be difficult to suppress one district.
But that depends on the district. Just look at District 45 that Osian experienced.
'Rather than something big and strong, small but extremely vicious things are more troublesome.'
You might not die from a wolf bite, but a snake bite can be fatal.
Moreover, the automaton corporation is now in competition with the steam suit corporation.
If they fall behind even a little here, they're at a crossroads of being completely devoured.
They won't have the luxury of sending troops to the Junkyard. They'll have to focus all their attention on responding to the steam suit corporation's moves right now.
'Moreover, if they move openly, the steam suit corporation will inevitably interfere. It's like showing how important it is.'
From the automaton corporation's perspective, resolving it quietly was the best option.
That's why they hired a fixer. Moving as individuals, they wouldn't be watched by other major corporations.
"Anyway, that's the kind of request it is."
"So, are you taking it?"
Mist asked. He seemed interested in whether Basilio would accept this request.
Even just watching how the industry's most senior member handles a request can provide great inspiration.
Above all, it's a major corporation's request. The compensation would be astronomical.
Of course, corporations typically try to skimp on money, but they wouldn't dare do that with Basilio.
Rather, being a major corporation gave them more credibility in this regard.
"No. I'm not going to do it."
But Basilio's answer was crystal clear.
"I came back to rest for a while, and I got this kind of request right away. This old man neither has the motivation nor the ability for that anymore."
Basilio waved his hand weakly.
Such humility that it almost seemed like mockery. Whatever it was, he clearly seemed to intend to refuse the request.
"Then why this?"
Seren opened her eyes wide with a 'could it be?' expression.
Basilio nodded, confirming her guess was correct.
"I won't do it. However, it would be a shame for another capable fixer to miss such a request."
Basilio turned to Osian and asked.
"What do you think, rookie? There's a good request here, would you like to try it?"