Chapter 135 – Cube (One)

“Can we ride?”

The man dozing off on the seat opened his eyes at the voice.

Three boys and girls in fancy clothes.

The man wiped his drool and hurriedly straightened his posture.

“Yes! Of course! Please, get on!”

Ray’s party stepped on the footboard and climbed into the passenger seat.

“Hup! It’s nice and spacious.”

“Ray, take Nero here!”

The elongated sofa had enough space for three people to sit side by side.

A black waterproof tarp stretched over the frame extending from the backrest and armrests served as a roof.

“You all look so distinguished! Young masters and misses rarely come to slums like this. Where shall I take you?”

The man asked while putting on worn leather gloves and turning to look back.

“To Nero Bell Plaza on 1st Street.”

“Yes! Right away!”

The man firmly gripped the bicycle handles and began pedaling.

Creak…! Creeeak…!

At first, the pedals turned with some difficulty.

Creeeak—! Creeeeak—!

But in an instant, they gained momentum and began spinning at a terrifying speed.

The rickshaw briskly advanced, weaving through the people on the street.

“Amazing…! I didn’t know it could be this fast…!”

“And you don’t seem tired at all…! Your leg strength and stamina must be incredible…!”

Seeing a different picture than expected, Philip and Veronica whispered in admiration.

Of course, it couldn’t match a car, but it was much faster than walking or running on two legs.

“It’s like Magic.”

“Magic…? Ah!”

Focusing her mind at Ray’s words, Veronica could sense various elements flowing along the rickshaw’s frame.

“This must be what Curiosa meant. That Magic is a bit more commercialized and has convenient aspects.”

Ray said while observing the flow of Mana.

The colorful Mana flowing along the frame gathered at the pedals, fused, infused power into the rotation, and then rose into the sky as Black Smoke.

What instantly came to mind upon seeing that scene was.

‘Golem.’

In his heart, anger suddenly boiled over.

But only for a moment.

The boy pulled on the leash of his anger and instantly calmed his emotions.

He calmly sank into thought and continued analyzing the situation.

‘It’s the same as with the Golem.’

The Atmospheric Mana that was sucked into the Golem’s core with each of its steps.

That colorful Mana tangled together, forming a vortex, and turned black.

The completed black Mana seemed to gradually shrink in volume and convert into the Golem’s motive power.

And at the end, from the Golem’s core where all Mana was consumed.

‘Black Smoke rose like dregs and headed for the sky.’

Just like now.

Curiosity and the desire to investigate boiled up uncontrollably.

The boy thought about the properties contained within the black Mana.

First, it was Mana of a color that did not exist naturally in the atmosphere.

‘It only appears when Mana of various colors mixes.’

Whether it’s a situation where Mana soaked into people’s Vessels lacks space and tangles together.

Or a situation where Mana is artificially guided and merges, as with the rickshaw or the Golem.

Black Mana could only be obtained by mixing colors.

…However, the method of color mixing wasn’t limited to one.

Mixing red, blue, and yellow.

Or mixing green and purple.

Or mixing blue and orange.

The proportions of the component colors might need to differ slightly, but black could be created in various ways.

‘Though not all blacks made that way feel the same.’

Depending on what colors were used as components.

There were subtle differences accordingly.

A light feeling and a heavy feeling.

A warm feeling and a cold feeling.

A smooth feeling and a rough feeling.

From Ray’s perspective, it was merely a difference in saturation, but from a general viewpoint, such differences existed.

And the fact that black Mana had infinite birth routes meant that the types of elements contained within also varied depending on the component colors.

…Did it mean that black Mana was Mana of a color that held that many possibilities?

But so far, he had never seen Magic that used black Mana as a material.

Creak—! Creeeak—!

“Move aside there! Coming through!”

The rickshaw currently running wild.

And except for the special case of the Golem.

“Driver! Go! Go! I am the speed racer of this very sector!”

“Kyaak! It feels like my insides are being cleared out!”

“…….”

Ray let the excited voices of Philip and Veronica flow in one ear and finished organizing his thoughts.

The point that black Mana was the only one that left dregs in smoke form after Magic use.

The point that to create truly pure black beyond the general forms, you had to mix Mana of all colors, not just specific ones.

‘…Then the Element of Destruction is created.’

The boy’s brow furrowed slightly.

It was a bit frustrating.

As the boundaries of the world expanded, he encountered many phenomena, but he lacked the knowledge to clearly explain them.

‘I need to move faster, and more.’

Only then could he gather any kind of knowledge and attempt to pull out the questions stuck like nails in his head.

And in a situation where a specimen causing the same phenomenon as the Golem had appeared.

It seemed about time to share with Veronica about the relationship between black Mana and the Black Rain.

“Veronica.”

“Kyahaha! The wind is so─ Huh, yes?”

“I have something to tell you. I’d like to talk in a quiet place once we secure lodging later.”

A voice that pierced through the considerable surrounding noise, low and clear.

“Huh…? Something to tell…? Me…?”

Instantly, the girl’s world stopped.

It was truly inevitable that the meaning of a red tulip flashed in her mind.

‘No. Absolutely impossible.’

At first, the disbelief and suspicion that filled her Vessel─

‘But what if… really…?’

─were rapidly replaced by expectation, excitement, thrill, and embarrassment as emotion grabbed reason and logic by the collar and threw them down.

“Wha, what kind of… something?”

“A very important talk. I really want you to hear it.”

The girl’s world stopped again.

Veronica, her face red as if about to burst, bowed her head and spoke in a voice that seemed to crawl away.

“Yes… okay.”

Philip, unaware of the exchange beside him, only wondered why Veronica had suddenly gone quiet.

But only for a moment.

Creak—! Creeeak—!

As the street scenery began to show clear differences from the previous sectors, Veronica quickly regained her liveliness.

“Wow! Look there! That must be a Magic tool too!”

“Oh, you’re right! I’ve never seen anything like that before.”

Tools and equipment that seemed to operate by Mana power were noticeable here and there on the streets.

Like crystal orbs that seemed for contacting others.

Or footboards that created wind to leap up to upper floors in one go.

Or gloves that seemed to slightly enhance the wearer’s strength.

They weren’t in numbers enough to call commercialization, but compared to the 40s where Magic itself was unknown, it was a huge difference.

“It’s really amazing. It’s not even a complex mechanical device, but it performs functions like that? On the outside, it looks no different from ordinary objects.”

Philip marveled.

Of course, the simplicity was only external.

Inside the objects, colorful Mana flowed just like in the rickshaw.

In most cases.

The mixed and used Mana was exhausted along with the object’s function, disappearing without leaving anything behind.

But objects with slightly more complex uses and powerful functions were different.

The mixing resulted in black Mana, and the result was.

“…….”

Ray gazed at the Black Smoke crawling up the sky like a snake.

At the end of his gradually rising gaze, he saw a Black Cloud.

‘This place also has Black Clouds.’

Listening to the vagrants, they said Black Rain also fell here.

Differences in precipitation or frequency would have to be experienced firsthand to know.

“Look! They must be having a festival over there!”

“Wow, what building is that?”

The same gloomy sky.

Still, the overall atmosphere of the sector was much brighter than the 40s.

It felt like the liveliness of the streets somewhat pushed back the gloom cast by the Black Clouds.

The singing voices heard on the streets.

Tall buildings with splendid exteriors.

The positive emotions people held.

Compared to Sector 40, the frequency of discovery was much higher, and that tendency became more pronounced the closer they got to the city center.

“Isn’t it much better than moving by car? You can enjoy the scenery like this while going!”

Perhaps pleased by Philip and Veronica’s enthusiastic reactions, the man also shouted in a loud voice.

After a not-so-short journey.

The rickshaw arrived at Nero Bell Plaza in the sector’s downtown.

“Huff… huff… We’ve arrived.”

The man caught his breath heavily.

Although the pedals were semi-automatic, he still had to move his legs, so considerable stamina was consumed.

The party got off the passenger seat with lingering impressions.

“I’ve decided. I’ll change my future dream from being a civil servant to a racer.”

“Whew. It felt like stress flew away all at once.”

Ray asked the man.

“How much is the fare?”

“Just a moment… 2,530 Shillings!”

That was the number displayed on the electronic panel attached beside the bicycle handle.

Confirming that no emotion of trying to deceive his Vessel showed in the man, Ray took out money and handed it over.

“Uh… a 50,000 Shilling note…….”

A golden greed momentarily arose in the man’s Vessel, but it soon subsided to the size of a speck of dust.

“Do you perhaps not have money in smaller denominations?”

“No.”

“Yes, I see. Then could you wait a moment?”

The man opened a leather pouch taken from his pocket and began counting change.

Ray watched him and asked.

“Aren’t you tempted?”

“Huh?”

“You saw a large sum of money but had little reaction.”

The man, looking blank for a moment, soon burst into loud laughter and said.

“Haha! Folks like me know our place. Greeding for big money only leads to big trouble in the end.”

“Trouble?”

“Yes, there’s plenty. Like robbers or pickpockets. Actually, the public order here isn’t that great….”

The man glanced around briefly and lowered his voice.

“Young master and misses seem to be from out of town, so it’s best not to take out large sums carelessly. You never know when or who might be watching from beside you.”

The man’s body, which had leaned closer to Ray, returned to its original position.

“So I don’t carry large sums. Of course, earning a lot is good… but if I can earn enough to eat each day, that’s enough for me.”

Ray felt a bit interested.

Based on experience, desire for material things tended to grow the poorer one was.

But the shabby-looking rickshaw puller before him had surprisingly little greed.

“Here, the change is…”

“Are there many people who ride rickshaws?”

“Uh, yes? Not really. People with enough leisure to ride rickshaws usually have their own vehicles.”

He said earnings weren’t high.

Even then, after paying the office fee, there were days he couldn’t even afford meals.

Ray briefly looked at the company name engraved on the rickshaw frame and said.

“Are you familiar with the sector’s geography?”

“Uh… I am, but.”

“Then you don’t need to give change.”

“Huh?”

“We’ll hire you exclusively for a while. Is that possible?”

The man, blank at first, understood Ray’s words and slowly opened his mouth.

“Po, possible! It’s possible! Th, then I’m really grateful…! Why, for what reason…?”

“We’ll likely need to go many places here and there for a while.”

Of course, the most efficient method was not hiring the man but immediately purchasing and operating a car.

But Ray had seen Niles’s vehicle turning into a tin can wearing a car’s disguise.

Thus, he had come to recognize the need for a vehicle specialized for the journey.

‘Current money is insufficient. To buy the kind of vehicle I want.’

He needed to check, but he expected it would be possible without issue if he secured John and Skyle’s deposits.

…However, to use that money, there were conditions to resolve first.

That was why Ray was hiring the man.

He could serve as their legs while they had no car and also act as a guide for the sector.

“Keep that money and deduct the fare each time we ride the rickshaw.”

“Yes! Yes! Understood! Thank you!”

The man, putting the change back into his pouch, bowed his head several times toward the party.

“Then, while the young master and misses take care of business here, may I briefly go to the nearby office? I heard I need to charge, that whatchamacallit.”

“Mana.”

“Ah, yes! Mana! I heard if that blinks, I need to charge Mana into the rickshaw.”

The man’s gaze turned toward the electronic panel.

A pattern presumed to be a fuel gauge was blinking rapidly.

“No need to go.”

“Huh?”

The man, though flustered, first got off the rickshaw following Ray’s instruction.

Ray gripped the frame with his hand.

A few seconds later.

Creeeeeeeeeeeeeeak────!

Watching the pedals start to run wild, Philip spoke in a very flustered voice.

“Ray… this isn’t stopping…?”