The road heading to Hanseong’s lowest level.
However, Taewoong and Mooyoung sitting across in the car had puzzled expressions.
“Young Master. Physicians specializing in artificial bodies are usually located in the city’s commercial districts.”
“That’s true if we’re talking about clean artificial bodies registered in the Administration’s main system.”
But unfortunately, what I’m looking for isn’t that kind of thing.
While thinking that, the car stopped in place with a notification sound announcing our arrival.
When I opened the door and stepped outside, the scene before my eyes unfolded exactly as I’d imagined.
A mountain of garbage.
The final destination where all waste produced by the massive megacity called Hanseong arrived.
In a space where you couldn’t even breathe without respiratory assistance devices, heavy transport drones and workers were processing garbage.
“You said you didn’t know why we came to a garbage dump like this?”
I raised my finger and pointed to one spot.
“Look at the people working in that waste disposal site.”
“The people?”
Only then did they see the workers moving waste in the garbage mountain.
Krrrrnch, crrrunch—!
Most of the workers at the waste disposal site wore filthy clothes and had expressions exhausted by fatigue.
Scrap metal being crushed by old mechanical arms.
And people lifting and moving scrap metal that must weigh hundreds of kilograms.
The reason people rather than transport drones were working was simple.
Because people were cheaper than machines.
But that wasn’t the problem.
Only then did the two look at the reinforced exoskeletons installed on their spines and the artificial arms made of artificial bodies.
“Those arms are…?”
Mooyoung hadn’t noticed yet, but Taewoong, who’d been around the block, easily recognized their abnormality.
“Artificial bodies capable of producing that level of muscle strength are third-grade or higher. They’re definitely products not permitted for ordinary workers…”
“Yet the people here are using such things without any concern. Why would that be?”
Taewoong answered immediately.
“Unregistered artificial bodies… with security modules removed.”
“Correct.”
Taewoong’s expression darkened upon hearing my words.
Unregistered sounded nice, but those artificial bodies were literally garbage.
Discarded goods whose usage durability period had long passed.
Forget security modules—they were chunks of metal without even the minimum safety devices to prevent rejection reactions.
The toxicity emitted from unsanitary metal would eat away at biological tissue, and rotting, festering nerves would burn with pain throughout the body.
If they roamed this garbage dump wearing such things, those workers’ remaining lifespan would be four years at most.
“Well, whether those pitiful citizens die from disease or get crushed by transport drones, that’s not our concern.”
“…”
“What we need to know is one thing. Where did these people obtain such artificial bodies?”
“…Young Master, don’t tell me?”
Before Taewoong could finish speaking, I moved my feet toward the inside of the hill made of waste.
A massive garbage mountain that buried the old city.
The moment I opened the massive door positioned inside and entered—
“Two arms for 70? Does that make any sense as a price?! Huh?! Give back my arms, you crazy bastard…! Gack?!”
“That’s a good deal for you, dipshit. We have an oversupply of human arms, where do you get off whining… Next!”
“Haetae Products’ third-generation artificial bodies arrived! Brand new! Unopened, still in packaging!”
“Now, today’s auction item, a 16-year-old full human body set goes for 420! Sold for 420!”
Along with dizzying voices, a massive dome stadium from the old downtown appeared.
Temporary structures made of slate and signs created by haphazardly tangling discarded goods.
And countless artificial bodies hanging like meat in a butcher shop.
“There’s a place like this in the middle of Hanseong…?”
“Whooa…”
Their surprise at seeing this scene for the first time was brief.
Taewoong who turned his gaze asked me.
“How did you know such a place existed, Young Master?”
Oh, a sharp question.
I answered with a mischievous face.
“Of course I know. I came after seeing the future.”
“…In other words, you don’t want to tell me. I understand.”
It’s true though.
What a guy lacking faith.
While thinking that, something bumped into my body amid the swarming crowd.
“Young Master!?”
“Ah, it’s fine. It was just a bump.”
While saying that, the shadow that bumped into my chest bowed their head and offered an apology.
“Ah, sorry! Mister!”
A child who apologized with a smiling face and scurried away.
Ah, this is too obvious.
Looking at Mooyoung approaching to ask if I was okay, I sighed quietly.
“Pickpocket. Skilled one too.”
“Pickpocket? Most money would be stored in accounts—what would there be to steal…”
“They must’ve stolen something. Let’s see, in my case…”
Thinking that, I searched my pockets briefly and well, well.
“Ooh.”
After checking my pocket, I muttered with a chuckle.
“My identity tag got stolen.”
“Heheh, if you’re spacing out like that, you get cleaned out in an instant!”
The pickpocket child ran vigorously through the black market with a pleased smile.
The place the child arrived at was a church prepared in one corner of the black market building.
“I scored big!”
When he entered while shouting triumphantly, friends swarmed around him.
“Hey! Jeong Haesang stole something!”
“What did you bring? Is it food?”
“Don’t know yet! Gotta open it now!”
“Open it, open it! Hurry!”
But that was brief.
“Haesang.”
“Eek.”
With the sound calling the child’s name, a man walked out from inside the room.
“Don’t tell me you stole something again? I told you so many times you can’t do that…”
The young man sighed while carefully covering the cross hanging around his neck with his hand.
His eyes held a mixture of affection and worry toward the children.
Though his appearance was no different from any other young person in Joseon, his presence seemed not to fit this place.
“Stealing other people’s things is wrong. And I told you many times that outside is dangerous…”
“Open it! Hurry!”
‘They’re not even listening to me.’
Thinking that, the priest snatched the item the child stole from among the gleefully chattering children.
“Aaah!”
“Ah, Father!”
Children reaching out as if disappointed.
But the answer from the man called Father was firm.
“Bringing things without even knowing what they are—what if it had been something precious like a life support device?”
‘I need to quickly return it to its owner before more problems arise.’
Thinking that, the priest took the contents from the pocket.
“…Huh?”
Inside the pocket was an identity tag shining with a jade light.
[Andong Kim Clan, Descendant of the XX Generation, Kim Changwoon]
“Oh.”
“Ooh.”
“Ah…”
The item that popped out of the pocket.
And the name written on that item.
The moment they saw it, the older children closed their mouths in sequence.
Looking once, rubbing their eyes and looking again—it was certain.
An identity tag.
And not just any identity tag, but the identity tag of the Andong Kim clan, which boasted the greatest power among the power clans.
After freezing for a while holding the identity tag emitting brilliant light—
“Aw man.”
The very child who stole the identity tag spoke quietly.
“We’re screwed.”
“Hmm, hmmm.”
I was leisurely and calmly going to find my stolen identity tag.
In this lawless land, walking around in flashy clothes like me would normally attract all kinds of flies, but fortunately that didn’t happen to me.
“Hey, you crazy?!”
“That’s a first-grade artificial body…!”
“Move a single finger wrong and you’re pulverized. Run, run!”
The one guarding me was none other than Seo Taewoong.
Because a human weapon covered head to toe in a first-grade artificial body, the highest grade, was attached to me.
Forget doing something to me—they’d become ground meat just by carelessly approaching.
“Young Master. Even with me attached, aren’t you being too relaxed?”
“What. It’s not like the identity tag is running away, and the location tracking function is working too, right? Might as well sightsee the neighborhood while we’re at it.”
Answering Taewoong’s seemingly worried words, I found the location the signal indicated.
A concrete building easily over a hundred years old.
It was hard to recognize because it was covered in dust, but I could easily figure out what this building was.
“There’s even a church in a place like this.”
“A church?”
“Yeah. In this place rampant with illegal weapons and artificial body trafficking, a church—isn’t that interesting?”
The moment he heard the word church, Taewoong hurriedly activated his ocular interface.
“The structure above ground is a disguise. Underground there are numerous heat sources and metal objects. Looking at the shapes, those are…”
“This seems like it’ll be much easier than expected.”
I pushed past Taewoong and flung open the door.
“Young Master!”
Taewoong following me saying it was dangerous.
But the moment he entered the building, Taewoong had no choice but to drop his fully extended hand limply.
Inside the shabby church.
What was waiting for me there was…
“I-I’ve committed a mortal sin! Please spare my life!”
A man lying flat on the floor, holding out my stolen identity tag.
And children huddled together as if protecting that man.
“That’s right! Please spare our lives!”
“Or can’t you just end it with Father’s life alone?!”
“Children? What are you saying right now?”
“Father! Now’s the time to follow God’s teachings!”
“Self-sacrifice for benevolence! If only Father sacrifices himself, we all live!”
“Children? What are you saying right now?!”
Oh, what’s this.
This is kind of fun to watch.
Watching them chattering among themselves while trembling with fear, I quietly called Taewoong.
“Lower your weapon. Taewoong.”
“Young Master. They are thieves who stole a noble family’s identity tag. Moreover…”
The man trembling behind the children.
After confirming that man’s necklace, Taewoong narrowed his eyes.
“A Catholic who disturbs Joseon’s order and preaches heretical beliefs. Having discovered them, we can’t just leave them…”
“Order? Sticking those precious citizens in a garbage dump and working them to death is your precious Joseon’s order?”
“…!”
“Stop it, Taewoong. That’s an order.”
At my firm voice, Taewoong slowly stopped operating his artificial body.
Of course, just because I said that doesn’t mean I’m particularly siding with these Catholic bastards.
However, considering this church’s structure, this human called Father…
‘Looks like he’ll be quite useful.’
“Father?”
“…!”
As honorifics flowed from my mouth as a noble, the startled priest bowed his head.
“P-please lower your speech! We are…”
“Committed a mortal sin. Spare your life. That’s what you said, right?”
“Yes, yes?”
His blank expression asking back was brief.
“Ah, yes! Not recognizing such an esteemed person, our children were rude…”
“Ah, rude? Over a measly identity tag getting stolen.”
A measly identity tag.
Perhaps shocked by hearing those words instead?
The priest with widened eyes raised his face and looked toward me.
Taewoong and Mooyoung were the same.
Well, it would be natural not to understand.
Aren’t we aristocrats the tribe that lives and dies for that damn name, that damn honor?
“That trashy name that’ll flutter around as toilet paper after one revolution—what’s so precious about it?”
“Huh? What?”
“I’m talking to myself. Now then, let’s see…”
Ignoring the priest asking back as if he’d misheard, I brought my face close to him.
A kind face. An angelic smile.
After making the most gentle-looking face in the world, I looked at the priest’s face.
“Including the value of Father’s life and hush money, let’s just have one favor from me.”
“A f-favor… you say?”
The priest asked with a trembling voice, his face turning pale.
“Yes. A favor.”
At least there was one fortunate thing.
“Let me see the church basement.”
In this black market with not a single person to trust, I’d struck gold.
Hello! If you any questions and if you found any errors on my translations, please do @ me on our discord server (@_dawn24) since I might miss your comment here. FYI, you can periodically check my Patreon page where I usually uploaded the completed version of the novels that I translated (including regular and advanced chapters), they come with a discounted price too!
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