## Chapter 1901 – 1901. Dark Moon
The carriage, pulled by a battle-ready mechanical horse, drew closer. Things that were previously unseen became visible. It wasn’t just the mechanical horse. The carriage itself had also been modified for combat.
The gentlemen and nobles of Neo London didn’t favor excessive tuning. The purer it was, the more excellent; the closer to the root, the more refined. That was their basic belief.
People who rode in such carriages were likely to have many enemies. It could be assumed that they had amassed their wealth through illegal means. Like a gang, for example.
The carriage stopped in front of us. The coachman glanced around before opening the carriage door.
*Clunk!*
The steel door of the carriage opened, and the first to step out was a maid. A gray-haired maid with a cigarette dangling from her lips. Half of her face was covered in black tattoos. Despite her rebellious attitude, her maid uniform was neatly arranged. She carried a spear on her back.
“You can come out. There are no enemies. It’s not a trap.”
The gray-haired maid said cynically, taking a drag from her cigarette.
Next, a man with pale blonde hair and unusually long limbs emerged from the carriage. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he released mana. He narrowed his eyes, sensing the pulsating mana.
It was incredibly rude to test the waters with a mana wave like that, but the mana wave itself was quite refined. Seeing how he handled mana in this way, there was a 90% chance he was a mage.
“I’ve been waiting for you, Mr. Hightech!”
The broker, Marik, approached the man with a hearty laugh. The man didn’t acknowledge the greeting and said,
“What are those?”
“Those.” He was referring to me and Yuria. I calmed the mana that was about to surge. It was obvious that this guy was a nouveau riche who engaged in illegal activities. There was no need to react to each of his words. I glanced at Yuria. She was standing behind me with a blank face. However, her eyes were much colder than usual.
“Ah, they are also interested in the factory that’s up for sale this time. We agreed to look around together.”
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it?”
“I forgot to mention it beforehand.”
“……”
The man’s face contorted. Marik’s actions must have been bewildering to him as well. The man glared at Marik as if he wanted to kill him, but Marik just continued to smile shamelessly.
‘There’s no connection between that man and Marik. That’s a relief, at least.’
If there had been a connection between the two, coming here would have been a wasted trip.
It was easy to figure out Marik’s intentions. He wanted the two of us to compete for the factory. That way, he could sell the factory for a higher price.
The man seemed to have figured out the scheme as well, as he turned to look at us. He first looked at me and released another mana wave. If the mana wave he released earlier was to announce his presence, this one was for exploration.
‘If I get ignored here, it’ll get annoying.’
It wasn’t always wise to hold back.
I also released a mana wave. The invisible mana waves collided in the air. My mana wave shattered the man’s mana wave and swept past the man and the maid.
The gray-haired maid’s expression became strange, and the man frowned deeply. He looked at me, then at Yuria, who was standing a step behind me, and then at the carriage I had arrived in.
I could tell that the man’s mind was working quickly. Soon, the man’s face became calm. I didn’t know what he was thinking, but at least outwardly, he showed no hostility.
He must have realized that I wasn’t just some mediocre mage, and he must have highly valued my wealth based on Yuria’s appearance and the Unicorn Company’s first-class carriage.
The man and the maid approached.
“Greetings. Since we’ve met like this, let’s introduce ourselves. I’m Gillian Hightech.”
Gillian extended his hand for a handshake. Frankly, I didn’t like him, but in Neo London, those who ignored handshakes were considered ruffians. For the sake of my reputation, I couldn’t ignore the handshake. Of course, those who tried to pull tricks during a handshake were treated like the scum of the earth.
“I’m Eugene Meyer. This unexpected meeting is a bit perplexing.”
“Our Hightech family is in the transportation business. We’re planning to expand our business by buying this factory. What kind of business do you do?”
“I’m in the food service industry. Have you heard of YuYu Chicken?”
“Ah. The chicken franchise that’s doing well these days? I’ve met a rising star.”
There was a subtle hint of contempt in Gillian’s eyes. It was a familiar look. The food service industry wasn’t a highly regarded field in Neo London.
“Alright, alright, gentlemen. Now that you’ve introduced yourselves, let’s go inside the factory. Time is money. None of us are idle, are we?”
Marik interjected. We followed him towards the factory. From behind, I could hear the maids talking.
“I’ve never seen a maid like you before. I’m Barbara. As you can see, I specialize in security.”
“I’m Yuria Grace. I assist my master.”
“Ah, a secretary type? So, what’s your rank? I’m a double.”
She was referring to the ranks of maids and butlers. More precisely, the rank printed on the certificate obtained after completing the maid academy. There were a total of seven ranks, and double was the second from the bottom. Being second from the bottom didn’t mean she was someone to be ignored. Just having a maid certificate meant you were an elite.
“…I don’t have a certificate.”
“Aha.”
The gray-haired maid sneered.
“So, you’re a decorative maid hired for your looks. I bet your main job is moaning in bed.”
“Heh.”
Gillian, who was walking next to me, laughed. Judging by the twitching of his lips, he was trying to hold back his laughter.
I felt the urge to smack the gray-haired maid in the head, while also thinking about Yuria moaning in bed.
‘Come to think of it, she’s not wrong. Yuria moans in my bed every night.’
I glanced at Yuria’s expression. If she looked upset, I was going to confront them right away, but her expression was calm.
“Double, huh… I see your level. I guess you can’t do anything else besides fighting. Your speech is also vulgar, so you must have failed your etiquette classes. I despise people like you who tarnish the name of a maid.”
“What?”
“Heh heh.”
I laughed. I laughed on purpose, but I also laughed because it was genuinely funny.
“A woman with nothing but looks.”
“A maid is a servant. A maid’s dignity represents the master’s dignity. In that sense, you need to cultivate your character and appearance more.”
I heard giggling. Gillian was laughing. Seeing him laugh even though his maid was being insulted showed what kind of personality he had.
“Oh, really? You don’t even have a certificate, but you’re good with words. You’re obviously acting up because you trust your master, but you won’t last long in this city like that.”
“Barbara, that’s enough. You were rude.”
Gillian, having wiped the smile off his face, stepped in. Barbara frowned.
“Yes, yes. I’m always the bad one.”
“It’s not necessary for a maid to have a certificate. You didn’t have one until three years ago, did you?”
“I was a mercenary back then.”
“Yes. You were a mercenary back then. What that maid said isn’t wrong. If you act vulgar, I, your master, will also become vulgar, so be careful with your attitude.”
“Ah, yes.”
Barbara answered as if she was annoyed. Gillian clicked his tongue but didn’t say anything more. A master couldn’t insult or force a maid. In reality, it was an employment relationship. If a master didn’t like a maid, they could fire her, and if a maid didn’t like a master, she could quit.
I was thinking about the maid certificate as we walked.
‘I knew that maid certificates were important in the maid world, but… I didn’t expect them to openly look down on Yuria just because she didn’t have one.’
It wasn’t something to just brush off as Barbara having a bad personality. I was going to rise to the top. Naturally, I would meet the upper class and nobles. Every time, their maids and butlers would subtly look down on Yuria.
In other words, the same thing could keep happening.
‘I need to tell Yuria to get a certificate.’
I had originally planned to send her to the maid academy. It was also Yuria’s goal. But I had been trying to ignore the fact that I would have to part with Yuria. No, after graduating from the maid academy, she could leave for another place.
‘Hmm. What should I do to keep Yuria? Should I raise her salary? Or…’
One method came to mind.
Pregnancy. Since we were sharing a bed every night, if I deliberately tried to get her pregnant…
‘Was that too much?’
While I was lost in thought, we arrived at the factory’s main gate. Marik pointed at the factory with one hand and said in an exaggerated voice,
“Now, look at the exterior of the factory. Isn’t it clean? This factory was built only three years ago. And three years is practically brand new.”
Except for a bit of accumulated dust, the factory itself was clean. The dust could be taken care of by cleaning the factory.
“I don’t know what kind of factory you two are planning to run, but the site and area are not bad. However, it’s a bit small for mass production. It would be full if you put in a few machines.”
Marik stated the disadvantages without hesitation. He already knew. That those kinds of disadvantages were not really disadvantages. Anyone could tell that mass production would be difficult just by looking at the size of the factory.
‘I can expand the factory later. The important thing is to get it running and produce steadily.’
I roughly looked around the outside of the factory. Even after looking again, the space was a bit lacking.
“Now. The most important part is the inside. Let’s go in.”
We entered the factory.
“Wow.”
Gillian exclaimed quietly. I was just as surprised. There were machines left inside the factory. Moreover, they were in very clean condition.
“Why are the machines still here?”
I asked Marik.
