Chapter 29 - Princess Run (4)

Minjun had several creeds, one of which was a representative.

“Chief of Staff, I am only doing what I can.” The Elf bowed in an unusually polite posture. “Agent, please. There is no one else I can trust now.” He bent his back close to her right angle. His look was now completely different. For now, he didn’t seem to have the time to hide the situation or to be edgy. When he reported that the warehouse had been robbed, it was clear that Jenkinson had been roasting it. ‘After that, that friend also died a lot. We can’t win in this timeframe.’

Both the Elf and the fairy in front of them seem to have good limbs. Still, the Elf was desperate, as if he had intuition that they could be really dangerous if they went in a farther direction than they are now. The two were arguing rather than arguing over whether Minjun could come forward to resolve this case, which appeared to be related to the Human Rights Alliance. “···” Minjun didn’t answer immediately, but instead folded his arms. Blair did not straighten his back, as if waiting for him to answer, but stiffened as he drew the scribe. Larisa fluttered her wings next to her with a restless expression. Seeing this, Minjun frowned. “Elder dragons are the ones who couldn’t catch the leadership even if they turned on their lights and stalked them. You want an all-out war with those guys? Using me?”

“The president will handle such an area himself. I’m just trying to find as many traces of him as possible until he returns to Earth.” “Hmm.” Minjun then asked when Jenkinson would return. “It will take at least another week. In order to prevent the escape of the suspects, the Dimension Leap Terminal is closed as of today, but it will give you an opportunity to destroy evidence if you keep your hands on it until the president arrives.” “Did you shut down the terminal?” For Min-Jun, this was just the beginning. It seemed that it has not been revealed to the media yet. He scratched his chin and pondered for a moment. “You know it’s not easy, right?” The Solidarity for Human Rights was a global terrorist group, and in the course of several sweeps, it had gone deeper into the shadows. Currently, it was operated in the form of a thorough point organization, and it was difficult to find traces as one were to go up to a higher level. In the case of Korea, it was not that Jenkinson was stupid or incompetent and thus far failed to uproot his branch. The return-to-return cost was too high, so the stop had been repeated at an appropriate level. However, this time, he would have a different position than before because they had had a really big accident. ‘You really have to start from zero to dig those bastards. You have to climb up from the very end…’

It would be a lie to say that it was impossible even with Minjun’s ability, but it was extremely labor intensive and bothersome to the point of fainting. He brought another of his creeds out of his mouth. “I work only as much as I receive.” He was thinking of leaving without even looking back if the Elf could not be sure with his own decision-making authority. “Well sir.” Blair’s response was surprisingly like a sword. “I prepared a blank check for you. It is a kind that can combine global currency and talents.” “?!”

It was clear that he had already received the approval of the president. This also showed how much the elder dragon trusted Minjun. He was doing this because he believed that he wouldn’t ask for an outrageous price. ‘Damn it, it’s hard to tell the truth when it comes out like this.’ If that was the case, then, after stating that he would convert the amount of effort and effort required for this job into his own standards, he would then claim it with an appropriate bonus. Minjun nodded promptly. “All right. Let’s brush it off.” Only then did the elf show a dead-to-life expression, and the fairy’s face, which looked like a corpse, also turned red. In fact, they couldn’t guess, but there was a reason Minjun accepted. It was because he had calculated in advance that he would be able to avoid heading to the bare ground.

‘The higher you go, the harder it is to find, the other way around is that you can catch the lower end. It’s up to the investigator’s ability to connect that link.’

If one were to go to the finish line right away, there would obviously be no trace at all. Moreover, Minjun recently happened to witness something that could be a clue to them. With the elf and fairy in front of them, Min-jun immediately called.

“Lieutenant! Inspector Park Jeongpal! Here’s another bunch of homeless goblins!”

It was a vigilante member who reported to Jeongpal as if shouting. It was the same young man who questioned the identity of Ye Minjun during the bank robbery. All day today, Jeongpal led him and three vigilantes to patrol the outskirts of the Orc community. This was not to carry out routine patrols for the purpose of preventing crime but to carry out a mission descended from a distant superior. If he could sum up the guidelines that came down to dozens of official documents in one word, this was it – environmental beautification. “Shut up! I… us… here… continue… Crack! I was wrong… I was wrong… Please forgive me…”

There was an indescribable stench in the dark alley. The smell of sewers, rotten food, and a terrible body odor that had not been properly washed in months stung his nostrils. “Wow! Fuck you, you filthy bastards!” “I was wrong… I was wrong…!” As he turned the corner, he saw more than thirty goblins gathered and homeless. This alley was the most underdeveloped area within the Oak community and was the area where homeless people like these mostly lived in. Oak neighborhoods did not necessarily mean that only oaks lived there. Synonyms for that word include crime zones, slums, dangerous neighborhoods, and avoidance zones. “Kreuk… Kreuk!” Whether it was because they knew they were a police officer or a habit they had acquired from long-distance life, they fell to the floor and trembled, begging for forgiveness incessantly. The vigilante raised his arm as if he didn’t want to touch his body and pointed to a place. “Can’t you get up early? I don’t see the bus over there. Get over there!” “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

“Ah, you bastards!” The moment the vigilante spit swear words and raised the baton… “Hey, what are you doing?” The vigilante flinched as his forearm spat coldly. moaning like an excuse. “No, these crippled children don’t listen…” Hearing this, the Orc sighed deeply. It was repeated all day today, so the young people were also nervous. “Get up. Let’s walk over there together.” Jeongpal began to think to himself as he supported the homeless man’s shoulder and got him up. He didn’t know what the hell he was doing. He tried to keep his voice as calm as possible. “I won’t hurt you. It’s not scary. Take that bus to the camp, eat free rice, wash clean, and sleep in a warm place for a few days. Then we can come back.” The goblin then cried incomprehensively. Actually, the last sentence was the key. After a few days in the camps, the state would send the homeless back to the streets. This was because the budget was not infinite. The reason why the state was interested in the slums, which they did not usually care about, and decided to “clean up,” was to prepare for Princess Vermi’s Seoul city tour and business meeting, which would begin a few days later. Despite a 0% chance that she would walk here, the government was reacting hysterically and was preparing her curfew. What was expected to be the biggest problem in its implementation were those who were self-sufficient and did not have a covered dwelling place to stay. Considering it a shame for them to be exposed to extraterrestrial media, the government planned to isolate the princess until the end of her official schedule. That was why Jeongpal and the vigilantes were roaming around the slums now. ‘Yesterday, I was told that the vehicle was controlled for the entire 40km of the road from the terminal to the hotel…

After putting all the goblins on the bus, they started moving to the next location. The vigilante sitting next to the orc muttered with annoyance. “Aren’t they really just ‘mistakes’?” At this, Jeongpal looked at the young man. With the meaning of ‘Are you going to make a mistake in front of me again?’ The officer continued without hesitation. “No, honestly, all the other races are… Well, what should I say? I can’t remember the words because it’s going to be tough. Do what you have to do? Role? yes, role. Everyone is playing a role. Elves teach magic, orcs increase the population, trolls save sick people, dwarves make luxury bags… Aw, the fucking last thing doesn’t even help me.” He grumbles for a bit before continuing. “But those goblins aren’t helping the world at all. Even if the kids who are deceived and run as salt farm slaves on deep-sea fishing boats are… they must be stupider than the rest.” Jeongpal knew well that there were not many young people who would call goblins a “committee error.” For those who had not experienced the old days, it may be a natural thought. Jeongpal said politely, beckoning him to lower his voice. “It wasn’t like that in the old days.” The habit of goblins living underground was optimized for mining, and up until the early days of immigration, the demand for employment as a coal mine worker was high. Of course, coal mines accounted for the largest share of mines. The problems in their lives started after the dissemination of magic crystals in return for the 7th group immigration and the collapse of the coal market. According to their instincts, thousands of people gathered near the coal mines to live in groups and foster children. They lost all their jobs, homes, and communities and started wandering the streets. After leaving the coal mine, there were very few occupations where they showed excellent performance. Such a result would have been expected by the committee as well. Nevertheless, in the process of negotiating the 7th immigration conditions, which were particularly difficult at the time, they eventually pushed the magic stone. It was unreasonable to say that the goblins were effectively abandoned by the committee. From the point of view of that race, the Committee was the savior who made it possible to escape from the original dimension, and at the same time, it was also the enemy who ruined life on Earth. Even more bittersweet than this was that most of the goblins lived their lives without even realizing it. “Kreuk… Kreuk!” Jeongpal glanced behind him. Homeless people on the bus were watching with anxiety. Not a single teenager or small child could be seen among them. This was a characteristic that distinguished them from other races of the homeless. Even if they lived in tents without a house, they were quite different from Orcs that gave birth, to children. ‘Goblin women said that if they feel the environment is unstable, they will become temporarily infertile.’ As a result, the total fertility rate of modern goblins was 0.3. Scholars predicted that if there was no further influx at this rate, Earth’s goblins would become virtually extinct within five generations. This would not be caused by guns and knives, nor by extreme changes in the natural environment. It was perhaps the first recorded social extinction in Earth’s history. Extreme individual decline caused by failure to keep up with the changed socio-economic status.

And some were quietly waiting for that time to come.

Tirriri! Suddenly, Jeongpal’s cellphone rang. “Well?” He identified the sender and responds immediately. “Yes, brother.” It was Minjun who called. He began to ask from over the receiver. “Jeongpal, are you busy?” “It’s okay to talk for a while. Please tell me, brother.” “What are you doing now?” “Environmental beautification.” “Ugh.” Hearing this. Minjun sighed deeply.

“…The government is really doing all sorts of weird things. Hey, I’m sorry, I’m busy, but please confirm one thing. Last time we went to the Orc community. The day I caught the Society cub.” “Yes.” While chasing traces of someone warping at Jang Tae-joon’s house, he entered a slum, which was also under Jeongpal’s jurisdiction. “Among the bullies you met at the playground back then, you know the biggest guy? He can’t remember his name… Was it Kang Gam-chan?” He quickly figured out who he was talking about. “Oh, you mean Kim Yushin?” People in their twenties had been smoking and spending time at the playground. Among them, he was talking about a young man with a tattoo that extended to his face and a tight scalp. “By the way···” Jeongpal’s expression hardened quickly.

“Why are you looking for him? Any big accident?” It was unusual for an immigration agent to show interest in an Orc. Minjun quickly spoke as if to assure him. “Oh, there’s nothing wrong with him… it’s just, that tattoo.” The tattoo caught Minjun’s eyes when he first saw Kim Yushin. He was not interested because of the bold location of the engraving or the unusual color. “Wasn’t there ever be a word between you guys? Both within the police station and among the orcs.” “Yes? What about that tattoo? I just thought it was special, and I’m fine… Why?” “Well… no one knows, so he must have been there too. The person who carved it must have done it because he didn’t know it.” “?” “Can you call him and ask where he got it?” “Hm, alright. What’s this about the tattoo, though?” At this, Minjun hesitated for a moment before he spoke again. “…Well, he must have chosen it without knowing it. The tattooed bastard must have done some judo. Few people on Earth can read it these days. Don’t even dragons know? From what I saw, the grammar was all wrong because I was forced to look it up in the dictionary.” “Huh? Wasn’t that a text, not a picture? What do you mean?” After a few moments of listening, the Orc’s expression distorted like a demon when he heard Minjun’s answer.