NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
#067. Artificial Emotions (1)
The leaders of the five factions were kneeling before Ray, their faces bloodshot.
“There are three things I want to know. A rainbow. Black rain. A woman with brown hair.”
I was dazed. I still didn’t quite understand the situation.
“Come to my lodgings every day and report. What information have you gathered? How many times have you walked?”
Clearly, five people rushed towards that white head at the same time, and then… .
“I will give a prize to the person who finishes the task most satisfactorily.”
prize money.
At those one words, the captains’ minds and ears perked up.
“Uh, how much is the prize money…?”
“One hundred thousand shillings. I will give it to only one person. Do you understand?”
The captains’ mouths dropped open.
He nodded madly, jumped up from his seat, and ran out of the alley.
“Rainbow! Black rain! Brown hair! Rainbow! Black rain! Brown hair!”
“My job starting today is information gathering!”
Repeat the keywords that Ray gave you.
And with renewed vigor, I vowed to fight.
Philip, who had watched the series of events in which Ray dealt with the gang leaders, could not help but exclaim in admiration.
‘That’s amazing. They deliberately gave the prize money to one person to encourage competition. I never thought of that method.’
He simply gave a light-hearted advice that there is a ‘reward’ as well as ‘force’ in dealing with children.
But Ray had now mastered the method and was even applying it.
“I think it would be better to stop by the hotel first and change clothes. These are expensive clothes, so I don’t want them to get dirty.”
Ray and Philip agreed with Veronica.
Now that my hotel visit is over, I can say that my clothes have served their purpose.
After returning to their accommodation and changing clothes, the group went out again to explore the sector.
“Philip and Veronica are going together. They’ll be able to move around without any problems since they’ll be leaving the gangs in fear, but just in case.”
The mana that took up the largest portion of Veronica’s ring after white was sky blue mana.
Associated emotions are cheerfulness and joy.
The main elements dissolved inside are wind, change, speed, connection, etc.
It was mana mainly used to increase the body’s mobility or increase the speed of projectile magic.
Or create the wind itself.
‘I guess things won’t be a big problem without me.’
When a threat arises.
If Veronica wanted to, she could conjure up blades of wind that would rip apart the bodies of her opponents.
Of course, given Veronica’s personality, the chances of that actually happening are slim.
Veronica, who usually used the wind to cool off or clear away fallen leaves in front of the bookstore, rather than attacking.
Ray added one more safety measure.
Woof─!
The mana stream that shot out from the palm of their hand seeped into the back of the three people’s hands, forming a certain pattern, and then disappeared.
It was ‘unity’.
This makes it possible to detect each other’s location.
You can also signal danger by infusing mana into the pattern and making it resonate.
“It’s a magic that was originally mainly used by wizards who dealt with servants or creatures. However, it can be applied in various ways depending on the situation.”
One of the many spells I learned from Graham.
The range wasn’t infinite, but it was enough to cover a few streets around it.
“We’ll go this way.”
“See you later, Ray!”
Ray watched the backs of the two people walking away from the accommodation.
Then he turned around and spoke toward the alley.
“Please come out now.”
Knock, knock, knock
A slow gait.
The person who appeared was Skye.
“I didn’t intend to hide. It just seemed like you were having a conversation, so I was going to leave when it was over.”
Ray didn’t really care.
After the ring was formed, the body’s five senses improved dramatically to a level incomparable to that of ordinary people.
I had already noticed that Skye was arriving.
He arrived at the end of the conversation.
We weren’t having a conversation that would be problematic if someone was listening.
“Are you done talking with Mr. John?”
Unlike when we met in the wilderness, he used polite language.
A temporary but cooperative relationship.
A minimum of respect needed to be shown.
“Yes, that’s right. I’d like to talk to you about our plans for the future… If that’s okay, would you mind changing seats?”
*
The place Skye guided us to was a bar located in the center of the sector.
——————
faqwiki.xyz
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
Clang!
Inside a luxurious room located inside.
The ice slid down the wall of the glass, scraping against it, and the drink poured over it.
“Do you drink alcohol, sir?”
“… … .”
I have tried drinking alcohol before.
One day Niles gave me a bottle of cheap whiskey as a gift and said:
“You said you’ve never had a drink before? Try it. Only when you experience a hangover the next day with your stomach full of knots and a hot soup to soothe it can you say you’ve become a true adult.”
And added:
“People become emotional when they drink alcohol. So after drinking, you can’t suddenly do things to me that you don’t normally do? Like expressing gratitude to me in a big way. Looking at me with eyes of respect. Calling me hyung.”
“I don’t think that’s what you want me to do?”
“well?”
Alcohol makes people emotional.
I’ve never tried it, but I agree with that statement.
In reality, drunks on the street have a lot more emotions in their vessels than other people.
Sometimes, he would show incomprehensible behavior, such as walking on all fours or crying and then laughing, as if his emotions were excessive.
Niles said that the magic potion that could transform a human into a dog was alcohol.
“Thank you for the gift. I’ll try it and let you know.”
“Where are you going! Drink here!”
“no, I do not want.”
Ray returned to the bridge and sat down on the riverbank, opening the vodka Niles had given him.
There were no high expectations.
Anyway, the time when I made every effort to feel emotions was over.
He poured alcohol into a broken glass cup and drank it all in one gulp.
A burning sensation spread through my esophagus and throughout my body.
「… … .」
I waited for a moment.
There was no significant change in mood.
Another drink.
This time, there was no change in mood.
Another drink.
As expected, there was no change in mood.
“Have you been scammed?”
No matter how much I drink, it feels like water.
The cycle of filling and emptying the glass was repeated.
Ray, who had so brutally slaughtered a bottle of liquor, got up from his seat without a single wave of movement and left the river.
‘Maybe it was because the alcohol was cheap back then.’
I don’t know, but the alcohol in front of me must be a much more expensive type than the one from back then.
Then, wouldn’t it help to feel emotions?
“Yes. Drink it.”
“great.”
Skye pushed the glass he had just filled towards Ray with a satisfied smile.
And he made two glasses in total, following his own example.
Skye’s glass was raised high.
“It is fate that we are working together like this, so let me introduce myself first. My name is Skyle of the Skyle Mercenary Corps.”
I wonder if there was any change of heart while moving from the hotel to the lodging.
His bowl was full of good feelings.
Anticipation. Confidence. Excitement, etc.
Of course, there was still a considerable amount of hostility in the corner of the bowl.
And the biggest part of all emotions was materialism.
A golden color that is blinding.
Its brightness and clarity were the second strongest golden light I had ever seen since arriving in Sector 48.
Even in this everyday life, it is possible to have a strong desire for material things.
‘I guess that means he’s a person with a very strong desire for money.’
Ray followed Skye and emptied his glass.
“Ugh.”
“… … .”
Only the emotions contained in the other person’s vessel were greatly fluctuating, and there was no change in one’s own mood.
I guess it doesn’t work after all.
Or maybe it’s because it’s your first drink.
“You’re a good drinker. If you don’t mind, may I ask which mercenary group you belong to?”
“I haven’t decided on a name yet.”
A moment of silence followed.
It took Skye a moment to understand what Ray was saying.
And at that moment of understanding, his vessel began to rapidly expand with anticipation.
“Oh. When you say mercenary group, you mean that you are already affiliated with a certain place, not that you plan on working as a mercenary in the future!”
Ray nodded.
I reached for the bottle to pour myself a drink, but Skye moved faster than I could and poured me a glass.
The second glass was poured.
“Ugh! If there’s anything you don’t know, feel free to ask me. I’ll be happy to help you!”
Bang!
The third glass was poured.
“Let’s have another drink! First, let me tell you the basics, like how to register at the mercenary office… .”
Even though it was quite a strong drink, Skyle continued speaking smoothly without showing any sign of being drunk.
He was a strong drinker.
The reason he brought Ray to the bar was to get him drunk and take advantage of his weakness.
But something seemed a little strange.
The opponent, a young man at that, is showing no signs of wavering at all.
‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
Since my son is a human, if I keep feeding him, he will inevitably get drunk.
Skye continued her story in high spirits.
“Oh, and thank you for not telling the client about hunting. It would be a headache if they brought it up instead of not carrying out the request faithfully.”
“… … ”
It wasn’t that I didn’t talk about it on purpose.
The purpose of going to John Grid was simply to obtain information about the Blue Jewel Rock Deer.
I didn’t come here to report or accuse anything.
But the other person seemed to think that it was for his own convenience.
Ray asked quietly.
“Is the tracking of the Rock Deer herd still ongoing?”
“Of course. My men are following them at a certain distance. They help control the population every time the truck returns.”
Population control.
It meant hunting.
At the same time, Skye’s greed grew wildly.
Ray said, unable to take his eyes off the interesting sight.
“That’s what I’m talking about.”
“yes?”
“I would like you to stop hunting. Not the group you are currently tracking.”
His goal is to closely examine the blue-skinned rock deer.
It would be a problem if the entity in question died or was injured.
“Why are you suddenly saying something like that…?”
Confusion, disbelief, suspicion.
Skyle’s bowl is filled with all sorts of emotions.
The material desire that had been swelling up stopped expanding, and the enemy that had been stuck in the corner began to shake rapidly and move to the center of the bowl.
ah.
Ray was very sorry.
I was wondering how far my opponent’s greed could grow.
I expected it to some extent, but I never thought it would decrease this much.
“What you just said. May I ask why?”
A note of discomfort in the voice.
Ray swallowed his regret and decided to deal with the enemy whose presence was already apparent.
Instead of answering, he put pressure on the glass with his mind.
Bang!
The alcohol spilled over the table.
Shards of glass flew everywhere.
“Are you dissatisfied?”
“Oh, no. That’s not it. I was just curious as to why…”
Skye’s enemy, who had been struggling to occupy the center of the bowl, hurriedly returned to the corner where he had been.
The size also shrank sharply.
“After I leave, I don’t care if you hunt or do anything. But while I’m here, it’s forbidden.”
“Haha, I see. It’s not that hard.”
Skye’s facial muscles twitched as if he was trying to control his expression.
I tried hard to control my facial expression.
I was angry, but I had to endure it.
Because even the weakest wizard knows that he can easily send dozens of ordinary people to the gallows.
“When do you plan to leave? I’d like it to be as soon as possible.”
“You said your goal was to explore the rock deer herd. We can leave tomorrow morning.”
Also, the opponent is a person with potential value who can provide much greater profits than the income from hunting.
So it was right to try to please them as much as possible.
Even if the other person is a fool who believes the nonsense of a senile old man.
“Come on! Eat!”
Skye increased the speed at which he emptied his glass to get Ray drunk.
But as the bottles of strong brandy and whiskey were emptied, only he was feeling dizzy.
The opponent’s expression didn’t change at all, as if he had no conscience as a living creature.
‘What the heck. Why do I feel like I’m the only one getting tipsy right now?’
While he was slowly losing his senses, the boy in front of him was drinking alcohol like water.
As if conducting an experiment, he opened several types of alcohol and drank them alternately, mixed them together, and even drank them all at once.
“You really are a good drinker, sir.”
“I think so. It’s a shame, though.”
You feel sad?
Are you mocking me?
Skye frowned and reached across the table.
No matter how I looked at it, the bottles of alcohol in front of the boy seemed to contain water, not alcohol.
‘Especially Captain Jack, that’s such a strong drink.’
It was a devil’s drink that was said to be a joke, like putting it in your car instead of putting gas in it so it would start, or that if you drank it, you would wake up two days later so there would be no hangover.
But as I was gulping that down, I started to have doubts.
I’m sure he must have poured out the alcohol and filled it with water when I wasn’t looking.
“Captain Jack. It’s a good drink.”
Skye took Captain Jack from Ray’s table with a bitter smile and poured himself a glass.
Gulp, gulp, gulp. Gulp! Bam!
I took a confident one-shot.
“Guweeeeeeek──!”
I threw up.
His lunch menu included beef stew with shiitake mushrooms and fish with lemon sauce.
While Skyle was checking on her balanced diet, Ray continued to monitor his emotions.
‘I wish there was a little reaction.’
Perhaps because he had been stopped once before, Skye’s greed had stopped and he was not moving.
‘Let’s try stimulating it.’
Almost all people I’ve met have either become greedy or acted rough around the edges when they see money.
How much money would you have to shell out to entice a mercenary captain who is already accustomed to paying quite a bit of money?
There is a total of about 5 million shillings in the safe in the car trunk.
Would that be enough bait?
“… … .”
no.
Revealing one’s assets rashly can cause unnecessary trouble.
So how can we whet the other person’s greed without taking too much risk?
Suddenly, that thought occurred to me.
Ultimately, what is contained in the vessel is the mana in the air related to each emotion.
It could be said that mana flows to where emotions are expressed.
‘Then what about the opposite case?’
What if you push mana into your opponent’s bowl in reverse?
Ray, as if possessed, mixed the mana in the air to create golden mana.
And just like that.
Moved towards Skye’s bowl.