Mage Manual-Chapter 1314 - 959: What Matters Is Satisfaction

"This station allows transfer to Line 3..."

It’s nearly 11 PM, yet the transfer station is still ridiculously crowded. Commuters with briefcases add a weary touch to the subway. It seems the labor laws in the Kingdom of Allstars aren’t being well enforced; even during the New Year, people have to work.

However, as the subway starts moving, the chattering noise brings the subway to life again—after all, tomorrow is a holiday.

The subway leaves the mountain tunnel and glides along overhead tracks, soaring over the City. Looking at the neon-lit steel jungle, Ash feels no discomfort despite being in the cramped carriage; instead, he relaxes.

The bustle of the earth soothes the hearts of the overworked.

"There’s a fantastic griddle down there," Ash said, pointing at a commercial street below, "but the portions are huge. I can’t eat much alone, so if we have time before leaving tomorrow, let’s go there for a meal. I’ll sit with you, and no matter how much we order, nothing will be wasted."

Rose twitched her nose and frowned, "I feel like you’re mocking me."

Ash’s lips curled slightly when footsteps sounded behind him. He turned to see a burly man with a backpack pushing through the crowd to the last carriage. He glanced at the long bag that appeared to hold a fishing rod, then grabbed Rose’s hand and silently threaded through the crowd.

Rose quietly followed him, and they stopped at the connection between the second-to-last carriage.

Ash pressed against the wall with her, scanned the carriage, and whispered in her ear, "Seven people, those seven people’s backpacks contain guns."

Though Ash had never specifically trained for this, his long time wandering the Void Realm, charging through iron and fire, had honed his ability to sense unknown threats in unfamiliar environments. He could almost smell the alluring scent of gun oil and hear the clink of gun bullets in those backpacks.

Rose took a look, "It’s Sekilo and Florres."

"You know them?"

"They were among the collaborators recommended by a middleman. I’ve worked with them once, but their work wasn’t reliable. The police even got involved, and after settling the payment, I never hired them again," Rose replied.

"What are they armed for?"

"Probably planning a massacre at the Bell Tower Plaza transfer station and then fighting their way to the plaza," Rose said. "After all, the station with the largest crowd is the Bell Tower Plaza station."

"Huh?" Ash was startled, "Why would they do that?"

"Canaan City disappeared, the capital, Jashi, suffered the Gold Rain incident, with over a million deaths. Coupled with economic decline and class conflicts, public sentiment is turbulent nationwide. Ambitious figures in control of power and authority believe the era of the democratic government is over and want to hasten this process," Rose calmly explained. "A massacre would obviously leave the government in turmoil."

Ash blinked, "You know all this so well."

"Because I was at every one of their meetings," Rose said calmly, "I just don’t know who they’ve hired."

"Meetings?"

"Yes, previously to enhance your assets, I occasionally had to use some means to suppress other forces. Later, they conceded, asking me what I wanted and promising not to interfere. I didn’t bother notifying each one individually, so I gathered them together to inform them directly," Rose explained. "However, I spoke rarely; rather, they frequently reached agreements among themselves. After Canaan City’s destruction, their meeting frequency increased, as if they intended to formally intervene in political situations everywhere."

Ash listened, dumbfounded.

My assistant secretly established a mysterious organization wielding nationwide power, with her having defeated every major underworld boss?

"Can you stop them?"

"I can’t," Rose gave him a strange look, "Why would they listen to me?"

Ash rephrased, "Can you sabotage their conspiracy?"

Rose thought for a moment, "I can, but why do that? It’s not our business."

"Consider it my order," Ash glanced at the seven hidden mercenaries in the carriage, "Can you terminate this group’s task?"

"You do like getting involved," Rose frowned and shook her head, "I can’t terminate it. Even if I plan to sabotage their conspiracy, it would take time to execute, requiring at least five working days."

Ash nodded, rummaged through his backpack, and pulled out a short sword, "Luckily, there’s no security check. Otherwise, I’d be unarmed... But if there were, they wouldn’t be able to board the subway, and I wouldn’t need to act."

Rose frowned deeply, "I don’t advise you to stop them; getting off early and calling the police is a better option."

"But since I’ve seen it and I have the ability to handle it," Ash said, "then why shouldn’t I do it?"

"Is that why you save Allstars?" Rose asked, "You don’t fit the image of Mages I have. You really like meddling; do I have a wrong impression of Mages?"

Ash glanced at the indicator board—there were still several stops to the Bell Tower Plaza, so he wasn’t in a rush. "What’s the image of Mages in your mind?"

"Selfish, greedy, cowardly, and ruthless,"

Rose explained, "You said Mages created this world to hunt Source Angels, and then destroyed it for the same reason. They lord over others’ Fates high above, competing and fighting as if they’re all enemies."