Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 260

After returning home, Levin locked himself in his room and slept for several days.

Brielle, watching him, remarked that he seemed like he was hibernating. However, she didn’t bother dragging him out or intruding into his space.

She had a good idea of what Levin was going through.

"He used up all his energy on revenge. It’ll probably take a while for him to recover. But once his energy is replenished, he’ll come out on his own."

Zeon smiled.

Brielle had spoken with a maturity that surprised him.

Just as Levin had grown, so had Brielle.

She no longer acted like a carefree child, and she was beginning to think from other people’s perspectives.

Her development was truly remarkable.

Thanks to this, Zeon’s life had become a bit easier.

He didn’t have to look after every detail like he used to, which gave him more freedom in his day-to-day life.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

“Okay! Take care.”

Zeon left the house, leaving Brielle and Levin behind.

His destination was the Goblin Market.

The Goblin Market was always bustling, no matter when you visited.

Zeon sat on the side of the street, watching people come and go in a daze.

As he sat there for a while, someone approached him.

“Living the good life, aren’t you? What are you staring at?”

Zeon looked up to see who had come near.

“Oh!”

“Oh?”

“It’s been a while.”

“What do you mean, ‘a while’? We just met not too long ago.”

“That just shows how glad I am to see you.”

“Cut it out.”

The woman who wrinkled her nose and sat next to Zeon was none other than Yoo Se-hee, the owner of the Goblin Market.

As always, the Black Lion followed behind her.

Zeon exchanged a silent greeting with the Black Lion and then turned his gaze back to Yoo Se-hee.

“Aren’t you busy?”

“Very busy.”

“Then why...?”

“But I can’t just ignore the strongest person in the slums.”

“The strongest? Who’s that?”

“You.”

“Me?”

“There’s no need for modesty. It’s common knowledge around here. Even the rulers of the districts in Neo Seoul must think the same. Why else would Kim Hyun-soo have let you go so easily, even after all the trouble Levin caused?”

“Ugh!”

Zeon cringed at the praise, finding it unbearable.

Yoo Se-hee looked at him with a curious expression.

Zeon might not realize it, but he was someone whom everyone acknowledged as a powerhouse. Why else would both Johan, who had so aggressively invaded Sinchon, and the Dongdaemun forces retreat so suddenly?

Even the fanatics who were willing to throw their lives away feared Zeon.

Yet Zeon didn’t seem to pay much attention to this.

‘If I had that kind of power, I would have already taken over the entire slums.’

If she had done that, the slums would have likely been bathed in blood.

Yoo Se-hee was grateful that Zeon had a more moderate temperament.

If someone as powerful as Zeon had been more ambitious, all of Neo Seoul would have been thrown into chaos.

That’s why she liked Zeon.

With a powerful person maintaining balance, she could focus on running the Goblin Market.

‘Maybe he’s the protector of balance?’

As her thoughts wandered, Yoo Se-hee brushed off her knees and stood up.

Unlike Zeon, she had plenty to do. She wasn’t free enough to sit around wasting time like this.

It was time to get back to work.

Just as she was about to leave, a commotion erupted nearby.

“Damn it! Catch that bastard!”

“Hurry! After him!”

Suddenly, there was a large uproar from one side of the Goblin Market.

It looked like a chase was taking place, with guards and merchants running around in a frenzy.

“What now?”

Yoo Se-hee looked toward the disturbance with an irritated expression.

It was a common sight in the Goblin Market, happening multiple times a day.

Money and people always gathered trouble, but it annoyed her every time she saw it.

“There’s no end to these troublemakers.”

“Should I handle it?”

“No need! You don’t use a sword meant for monsters to kill a chicken. The guards can take care of it.”

Yoo Se-hee responded curtly to the Black Lion’s suggestion.

The Black Lion was the Goblin Market’s strongest asset. Using him to chase down petty thieves would be a waste.

The guards in the Goblin Market were also quite competent.

Most Awakeneds who caused trouble were easily dealt with by them.

“Whoa, what the hell?”

“Damn it! He’s over here!”

“He’s getting away over there!”

But this time, the target wasn’t so easy.

He was so fast that the guards couldn’t keep up with him.

Crash!

“Damn it!”

“He’s too fast!”

The guards were so flustered that some of them tripped over themselves.

Zeon furrowed his brow slightly.

The person darting through the Goblin Market seemed familiar.

“No way...”

“Do you know him?”

Yoo Se-hee’s eyes lit up at Zeon’s reaction.

“Wait a moment.”

“You really do know him, don’t you?”

“I need to check.”

Zeon started walking toward the person fleeing from the guards.

“Hey! Zeon!”

The person running away spotted Zeon and rushed toward him.

He was a man with an ordinary face and simple clothes.

He was the kind of person you could see dozens of times while walking around the market—completely unremarkable.

But his face lit up with relief when he saw Zeon.

“Huff, huff! Please help me!”

He quickly hid behind Zeon.

Seeing this, the guards stopped in their tracks, unsure of how to proceed. The looks on their faces made it clear they were at a loss.

“Is this man someone you know, Zeon?”

“Yes. But what’s going on?”

“He forged an entry pass to get in.”

“Ah.”

Zeon quickly understood the situation.

He turned to the man hiding behind him and asked.

“What’s going on?”

“I-I was trying to meet you, Zeon.”

“Me?”

“Yes!”

“Let’s move somewhere more private. Is that alright?”

Zeon looked at Yoo Se-hee.

She nodded without a word.

Normally, no one who illegally entered the Goblin Market was forgiven. But if this man was Zeon’s guest, the rules were different.

After giving Yoo Se-hee a grateful nod, Zeon left with the man.

Once they were somewhere more secluded, Zeon spoke again.

“What’s going on, Aslan?”

The man who had come looking for Zeon was none other than Aslan, a trusted aide of Urtian, the ruler of the Steel Fortress.

Back when Urtian had led the Scavengers, Aslan’s job had been to approach targets first and gather information.

“What brings you here, Aslan? You’re not planning to raid Neo Seoul, are you?”

“Oh no! How could we even compare the Steel Fortress to Neo Seoul?”

Aslan quickly waved his hands in denial.

At that moment, someone else appeared behind Aslan.

It was a woman with dark skin, wearing a hood pulled low over her face.

She smacked the back of Aslan’s head and spoke irritably.

“Didn’t I tell you to stay quiet? You just couldn’t help but cause trouble, could you?”

“Ow! It wasn’t my fault!”

“What would you have done if we hadn’t found Zeon?”

“Well, we found him, didn’t we?”

“You idiot! I can’t take my eyes off you for a second.”

The woman sighed.

She was Duduyan, a Dark Elf who often worked with Aslan on reconnaissance missions.

She bowed to Zeon.

“Sorry to trouble you like this, Zeon.”

“You too, Duduyan? Is something wrong at the Steel Fortress?”

“There’s no problem with the fortress.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Well...”

Duduyan hesitated for a moment, checking to make sure no one was around.

After confirming they were alone, she continued cautiously.

“To be honest, after you left, some people came to the Steel Fortress.”

“Oh?”

“And they’re in quite a bit of trouble.”

Zeon’s expression became puzzled.

He couldn’t understand what any of this had to do with him.

“They’ve been searching for you. They say you’re the only one who can save them.”

“So you both came all the way here just to tell me that?”

“Yes.”

“And who are these people?”

“They... came riding on a giant turtle.”

“A giant turtle?”

“Yes. A massive one, with an entire village on its back.”

Hearing this, Zeon immediately realized who was looking for him.

A nomadic tribe that roamed the desert on the back of a colossal turtle named Archelon.

“The Motte Tribe.”

* * *

Seo Tae-ran’s office never went dark, even late into the night.

Most people only knew her as Jin Geum-ho’s secretary, but her actual responsibilities were far greater.

She managed the entirety of City Hall’s operations in Jin Geum-ho’s stead.

Her authority was so extensive that she could handle most matters without reporting to Jin Geum-ho directly.

After reviewing reports for a long while, Seo Tae-ran took off her glasses and sighed.

“Haa.”

Jin Geum-ho didn’t bother reading reports.

It was Seo Tae-ran’s job to read all the reports submitted by various organizations and summarize them for him.

This took a significant amount of time.

So much so that she had no personal time to herself. Nevertheless, she never once felt tired or bored.

It was work for none other than Jin Geum-ho.

Just as Seo Tae-ran was rubbing her temples and about to put her glasses back on,

“Secretary Seo!”

Someone knocked on her door.

She would never let anyone else in at this hour. But the owner of the voice was a very cautious person, one who never visited her carelessly.

He would come only when there was a reason that justified it.

Seo Tae-ran set her glasses down and said.

“Come in.”

“Yes!”

The owner of the voice quietly opened the door and entered.

He was a man dressed in a black suit.

A man around 170 centimeters tall, with neatly combed-back hair styled with pomade.

His physique was small, and his face was ordinary. But the man’s gaze was anything but ordinary.

His eyes were so narrow that they were barely visible.

Commonly referred to as narrow eyes, but occasionally the glint in his eyes was as sharp as a blade.

Seo Tae-ran stood up to greet him.

“Welcome, Chief Ho.”

“I apologize. I know you must be busy, and I’m sorry to trouble you.”

“It’s alright. I was just taking a short break.”

“That’s a relief. I’ve come to report an urgent matter and I’ve risked intruding to do so.”

“What’s the matter?”

Seo Tae-ran tensed up.

The man who had come to report at this late hour was Ho Cheong-yeon, the head of the Shadow Unit, the intelligence organization of City Hall.

His reach extended not just throughout Neo Seoul but even into the slums.

He usually had subordinates handle most matters, and it was rare for him to come in person.

The fact that he had come directly at this hour was evidence that the matter was extraordinary.

Ho Cheong-yeon said,

“Number Five has made contact with an outsider.”

“Number Five?”

In the City Hall, individuals were assigned numbers based on their level of threat.

Naturally, the rulers of each district held up to Number Four.

Number Five was a recent addition.

“You mean Zeon has made contact with an outsider?”