"Mhm! Darn, why does everything taste so much better when it's free? Hey, can I get that piece of meat?"

"...Sure, help—"

"Thanks! Oh man, I love that stuff!"

Glenn and Milena exchanged a gaze, one with confusion and the other with slight shame. They were sitting at a table in the Dining Hall, waiting awkwardly as their interlocutor was voraciously devouring half a dozen plates of different meals. Manalok Tuleam was a peculiar man, around his late thirties, and could probably be described as charming, if it weren't for the dark circles, the badly kept beard, and the shaggy dark green hair. He was wearing a dirty white coat with soot covering it, over what should have been a white shirt once.

His wide-opened blue eyes were darting around, lighting up with happiness or disappointment as he dug into every plate in front of him. Glenn moistened his lips and turned slightly toward Milena.

"...Did he forget to eat for the last week, or...?" He whispered, almost in awe at how fast Tuleam was eating. Milena winced, and shook her head, similarly at a loss. Diamanes laughed inside his host's mind, unable to contain himself.

'Do you remember how you were back when you woke up from your three-week sleep to create Nelg?' The entity reminded him. Glenn groaned as he remembered devouring similar quantities of food after his forced three-week fast. Indeed, there were some similar points there. He couldn't even criticize Manalok for he was the same when he was hungry. Well, at the very least, he cleaned himself regularly; the Restoration Operator didn't seem so concerned with cleanliness.

Manalok grabbed a clay pitcher of water and gulped it down in one fell swoop, sighing as he finally leaned back. He patted his stomach and licked his fingers, grunting as he looked at the empty plates.

"Meh, acceptable. Next time, order twice that, at least you'll be able to eat as well, heh!" The Operator cackled as he wiped his fingers on his coat.

"...I'll do that, then," Glenn forced a smile, his eyelids trembling with annoyance. What was wrong with everyone in this world? Why are they all so fucking weird? That was a question for later, for Manalok seemed to finally take an interest in Glenn and Milena.

"So..." He pushed the plates to the side and leaned forward, bored, "...What kind of exclusive, very rare, and never seen before item do you have to show me?" He asked Milena, who shook her head slightly.

"I'm only here as the intermediary, Sir Glenn is the owner of the object."

Manalok grumbled and looked at Glenn, looking up and down at him.

"...Hmf, you look like a mercenary. A Fixer, maybe. High-rank? Huh, not that high. Only a True Initiate, not even a Magi..." He shook his head with disappointment and sighed, "...What can you even show me? You can barely survive against the lower rank stuff, I doubt you'd be able to have an adventure in dungeons or the like...Come on, what kind of shitty pottery did you find? Let me see."

Glenn drew a deep breath, closing his eyes as he forced himself not to swear at the annoying Operator. He sealed his lips tightly and pulled the worn, Project Damocles notebook out of his dimensional pouch, lifting it above the table. Manalok sneered and almost stole it from Glenn's hand, the young man was quicker.

"Careful," He said coldly, "...The notebook is so old the pages are crumbling with the barest movements."

Manalok rolled his eyes and held his hand out.

"Suuure, whatever, just give it to me so we can be done with it."

Glenn reluctantly handed him the notebook, hoping he had made the right choice trusting Milena's recommendation. In the end, he didn't have a choice, for he couldn't read the book without it being repaired to a minimum level.

Wasn't there some Mend spell or something? That'd be great, even more in these situations. The young man knew his Soulbound suit was enchanted with Self-Repair and Self-Cleaning, so that should definitely be possible. He'll have to look in the Magi Brotherhood's archives for such a spell. That'd be the first thing he was going to do once he was back in the Northern Town. As he had these thoughts, Manalok frowned and held the book with both of his hands.

"Hmm...Indeed, it's quite the old piece of shit..." He opened the notebook brutally, not even batting an eye when a few pages disappeared in a dust cloud. Glenn's eyes widened and he began unsheathing Nelg, veins popping on his forehead one after the other. Milena hurriedly restrained him, pulling him back in his seat. Manalok squinted as he read the few pages not destroyed. His eyes widened, and he hurriedly pulled his own notebook from an inside pocket in his white coat, trying to compare the characters to something in his notebook.

Glenn slowly sat still, grabbing at the edge of his seat tensely. Whatever Manalok was doing, this lack of respect for his property was simply unacceptable. What if there were the secrets to godhood in that notebook, hmm? Would Manalok take responsibility, or just act as if it wasn't his problem? The young man couldn't wait to see what explanation the eccentric scientist was going to give him. Manalok Tuleam finally sighed and placed the book down on the table, shaking his head.

"This is surprising. Very surprising, even more considering it came from a mannerless, ugly, dumb ruffian..."

'Should I just kill him?' Glenn thought as he forced a fake smile on his face, ready to punch that annoying face in. Manalok scratched his beard and frowned, before putting his hand above the book.

"Mhm...What should I go with..." He looked at the ceiling for a second, his nose creased, "...maybe...Electio tempus situs aetas."

Mana swirled around the book, lifting it above the table for a few centimeters before dropping it down. Manalok groaned and rubbed the corner of his eyes.

"Alright, fuck..." He looked up at Glenn with an annoyed gaze, "...Where did you even find a two-thousand-year-old book? This thing should be a little bit of dust in the wind by now, it's a miracle it's in this condition."

Glenn whistled, glancing at the notebook with a refreshed look. He expected it to be old, but not that old. Two thousand years old...How old was King's Rise? He'd have to confirm that at some point...The young man shook his head and pointed at the notebook, his previous anger dissipated.

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"I can't tell you where I found it, but I'd love to know if you can restore it."

Manalok shrugged and picked the book up before shoving it carelessly into one of his pockets.

"Bah, if I couldn't Rewind this thing, I wouldn't be called the Restoration Operator. Now, let's talk remuneration, yes?" His eyes gleamed with greed for gold, Glenn tensing up.

"How much do you want? Unless you take information trades?" The young man asked, his eyebrows creased. Manaok Tuleam cackled and leaned back in his seat before putting both of his feet on the table.

"Before, I would have said that there was no way a dumb-looking imbecile like you would have any information for me, but then you bring this book to me. Seems like everyone can be wrong, right?"

Glenn grinned coldly as he crossed his arms.

"It does seem like it. How much does your services cost, Sir Manalok?"

Tuleam grimaced and moved his hand dismissively, disgusted.

"Don't call me that! It's either Operator or Tuleam, but never this dumb-ass' name," he grunted, before taking a look at his notebook. After a minute or so, he flashed a yellow grin at Glenn.

"Yep, from my calculation, that'll be fifty gold for reparation and fifty more for translation. How's that?"

Glenn's face froze. He remained emotionless for a good minute until he gathered his thoughts back.

'Fifty gold? FIFTY GOLD?' The young man wanted to scream. 'That's half the fee to get to the Bourgeoisie!'

Nelg grunted in his host's mind, "What do you even need money for? Your passage and Sahro's are assured by the recommendation letter from the Gold Church, you can just ask Maron anytime for it."

Glenn calmed down and pressed both of his lips together. That's true that money wasn't that important to him, since he had now the support of the Maron's Company. And he did have around seventy gold on hand, while the rest was on contribution points to the Cleaner's Workshop and credit to the Maron's Company. He could technically spend the money to fix the notebook.

But it bothered him to just pay this asshole that much.

'Ask him to prove he can translate the book,' Diamanes suddenly suggested. Glenn rubbed his chin and nodded to himself. He opened his mouth and replied to Manalok.

"This is quite the sum—"

"Is it?" The Restoration Operation asked mockingly as if that amount was beneath him. Glenn bit down on his lower lip and insisted.

"Fifty gold is a lot, so I'd like it if you could prove that you can translate a part of the notebook."

Manalok flinched slightly, but his grin only grew as he pulled the notebook back out and flipped open a random page with a few readable words. Glenn glanced them over, reading something about "the theoretical importance of the ratio between body and mind and Mana." The scientist pointed at the words and smiled.

"See these lines?" He looked at his notebook as if to confirm something, before turning back to Glenn confidently, "...This is the recipe for an elixir of healing, allowing to regrow even lost limbs!"

Glenn squinted, not saying anything as the Restoration Operator leaned toward him and Milena with a salesman smile.

"I heard your Black Heir friend lost an arm. That's a happy coincidence, ain't that right?" He cackled. Glenn looked at him, before laughing with him. The two laughed like a pair of idiots until Glenn suddenly stopped. Manalok stopped as well with a puzzled look. Glenn sank his hand in his dimensional pouch to pull a heavy satchel out. He threw it in front of him on the table, Manalok's eyes lighting up as he looked at the satchel.

"Forty gold coins, then," Glenn suddenly stated before standing up and dusting his hands off. Manalok frowned and looked at him.

"What do you mean, forty? I asked for fifty for the Restoration, does that mean you don't even want it to be translated? Anyway, I don't take work under my pay grade—"

Glenn slammed his hand on the table, grinning wickedly and startling Manalok, "—And I didn't think an organization as prestigious as the Seekers or the Magi Brotherhood would allow such open scams. Why would I even pay for your translation when you made it all up?" Glenn nudged Milena, who was watching tensely, before turning back toward Manalok.

"I've taken ten gold in payment for trying to scam me. That's better than a hand, right?"

The Restoration Operator looked at him fixedly, then at the gold satchel, before suddenly grabbing it and hiding it somewhere in his coat. His expression suddenly changed and he rubbed both of his hands together.

"Of course, I can throw in a twenty percent reduction for your first time paying for my services, dear client!" Manalok looked at the notebook and his confident mask cracked slightly, "...Your commission should be done in two months, three maximum. I'll send for you when it's done, of course."

Glenn didn't speak of the change in attitude, even though he did notice it. He smiled back and shook Manalok's extended hand, sealing the deal.

"Excellent, then. I'll come find you in two months, then."

Manalok smiled with an uneasy expression, "...Have a good day," He picked up the notebook and hit it, before whispering.

"...Fucking mage bastard..."

Glenn heard the insult, but he was pretty sure it was meant to be heard anyway. He shook his head and headed for the exit, Milena hurriedly following behind him. They left the Dining Hall, leaving Manalok to his own means. Milena looked back worriedly, before sighing.

"I...I'm sorry, Glenn, I didn't think he was...like that."

Glenn chuckled and shook his head.

"Don't worry, it's no issue. As long as he gets the job done, I'm fine with a few antics."

'As long as he doesn't insult you in your face, then?' Diamanes mocked. Glenn ignored him and went to the Dormitory, where Sahro, Javier, and Liara should be waiting. Milena and he quickly arrived at the Platinum floor, entering Glenn's suite. They found the three others waiting patiently. Sahro's face lit up when he saw Glenn enter the room and hurriedly stood up.

"Are we finally leaving?"

Glenn grinned.

"Yep, we are!"

Javier remained as emotionless as ever, while Liara only gently smiled, happy with whatever. She seemed satisfied enough to just follow along for now, but Glenn would have to clarify what she wanted at some point. And figure out a way to communicate, too. Sign language? Did sign language even exist in this world? Questions, always more questions...

The team left the Dormitory, heading to the Main Hall so they could warn Loran of their departure. The bald receptionist was waiting in the lobby, looking around impatiently. He glanced at Glenn's team with a distrusting look.

"What, you guys are already leaving? Didn't you enjoy your stay at the Eastern Workshop?"

Glenn chuckled and shook his head.

"No, we did, but we do have more work back in the Northern Town," he lied shamelessly. Loran grunted and pinched his lips, before throwing a look at Sahro.

"...You do know you cannot leave, right, Sahro?"

The Black Heir flinched and looked at Loran with faked confusion.

"W—What do you mean?"

Loran groaned and walked up to him, a vein appearing on his bald head.

"As mentioned in your special contract that I explained to you perfectly, you're supposed to remain here for at least three more months to clean things up," He hissed through his teeth, before pointing at Glenn with his chin, "...You can't even imagine the shit you left me in when you went to help your buddy the Devil's Hand over there"

Sahro gritted his teeth, his fists clenched, until he relaxed and sighed.

"I know..." He muttered, before shaking his head, "...I thought I could get away with it like I did last time..."

Loran's eyes bulged out as more veins appeared on his head.

"What—You thought you could get away with it? Who do you think you are, a Diamond legend? Fuck off and go to work, you lazy ass!" Loran exploded, waving his fist around threateningly. Sahro looked down pitifully, before glancing at Glenn and the rest of the team.

"Sorry, I guess I'll join you guys once I'm done with this place."

Glenn laughed and shook his head.

"No problem, then. We'll see you in three months, Sahro."

The Black Heir nodded dejectedly, "See you in three months."

Liara's eyes went from Glenn to Sahro, unable to decide. The Black Swordsman noticed and chuckled.

"Go with the rest of the team, you'll see way more things than you will with me."

The beautiful Black Heir looked at Sahro with shining eyes, before nodding hurriedly. Sahro smiled and turned back, sighing as he walked up to the Task board. Glenn moistened his lips and summoned the stone tablet the Magi Brotherhood gave him so long ago. A small light appeared to guide him to the nearest teleporting station. He left the Cleaner's Workshop, sparing it one last glance before departing, the rest of the team following in his footsteps.

It was finally time to leave the Eastern Town.