Bab 319
[Pesawatan, pertukaran, rumah lelang—apakah semua ini benar-benar akan datang ke Busan?]
[Gemuruh konstruksi menyapu Busan! Dibangun dengan cepat seperti kilat!]
[Pakar ekonomi: u201cSebuah bandara internasional, pertukaran batu permata magis internasional, dan rumah lelang barang sertifikat—fasilitas yang bahkan bisa mengubah konstitusi sebuah negeri meski hanya satu saja—semua bertumpuk di dalam satu kota. Hanya berjarak semprotan roket! Kamu benar-benar bisa mempercayaminya?!u201d]
[Kami harus ke Busan. Perusahaan-perusahaan berseliancar ke sana satu demi satu.]
[Pekerjaan mengalir deras, warga Busan riang: u201cSetetinggi-tingginya seorang pemimpin grembigian pun tak setinggi seorang gubernur.u201d]
Tidak peduli berapa kali seseorang berjuang…….
[Busan Economic Daily: u201cSemakin besar harapan, semakin besar kekecewaannya. Mengapa ketenangan diperlukan di atas antusiasme.u201d]
[Beberapa ahli: u201cSaya meragukan kemungkinannya sama sekali.u201d]
[Saat ditanya wartrep apakah ini realistis, Lee Shin tersenyum. u201cRealisme? Lihatlah jejak yang kudapi. Jawabannya ada di sana.u201d]
Di situlah, dunia pria ini—walikota Busan—sedang runtuh.
Tak jauh beda dari koran yang dilemparkannya ke lantai.
u201cPecundang, pecundang……!u201d
Kracbek! Kracbek!
Kuku Penggaranya, menghilang seiring kesabaran yang menghilang.
Gerak-geraknya yang tak tenang dan ujung jari yang sedikit gemetar mengungkapkan rasa cemasnya.
u201cKenapa ini bisa rumit sekali!u201d
Tidak seharusnya seperti ini.
Hari ketika ia memastikan ambisi Lee Shin di lokasi pembangunan bandara. Pada momen itu, ia menyaksikan dalam diri Lee Shin bayangan Iron Man Lee Sang-byeok, satu-satunya pemikiran yang mengisi pikirannya adalah, u201cAku harus membuktikan kegunaanku!u201d
Entah bagaimana dengan menunjukkan kemampuannya sendiri, atau dengan kelakuan membesarkan seperti katak Noh Hyung-shim. Sebelum diganti seperti suku lama, ia ingin menunjukkan sesuatu—apa saja saja.
Jadi walikota memilih untuk mengumpulkan faksinya, tetapi Lee Shin masuk langsung ke konstruksi tanpa peringatan.
u201cKenapa harus terburu-buru?!u201d
Terasa seperti memulai konstruksi lebih cepat dari munculnya pengumuman resmi di media.
Sejak saat itu, telepon seluler walikota tidak pernah ada jeda sekalipun selama sepuluh detik.
u201cWalikoooooot—!! Benar ini? Apa lagi? Aku bicara tentang pertukarannya dan rumah lelang!!u201d
u201cIni bukan yang disepakati. Kau bilang akan mendukung kami!u201d
u201cSaya kecewa, Pak Walikota. Kau dulu banyak mengklaim akan mengalihkan proyek Mir Guild berikutnya ke pihak kami, dan inilah hasilnya?u201d
Keluhan dari anggota rakyat, permohanan dari kepala distrik.
u201cHa ha ha…… Kamu lebih berani dari yang kuduga, menyembunyikan proyek sebesar ini—eh? Kau tidak tahu? Apakah masuk akal seorang walikota Busan tidak tahu proyek apa pun yang terjadi di Busan?u201d
u201cJadi apa katanya dari junior di sini, Lee Shin sedang memukul gendang dan menekan sismum sendirian, bertindak secara sepihak? Wow, kamu juga hebat. Kamu banggam mengatakan bahwa kau hancur oleh seorang pemuda berusia dua puluh tahun? Luar biasa sekali.u201d
u201cTunggu dulu, berarti semua hal yang kau klaim adalah hanya memakan kredit atas yang dilakukan CEO Lee Shin? Apa maksudmu? Kamu jauh lebih tidak kompeten dari yang kau kira!u201d
Bahkan para pemimpin fraksi yang menguasai hidup politiknya, dan para pengusaha yang selama ini mendukungnya.
Tidak kompeten. Tidak berharga. Apa yang kau tahu? Lalu kenapa kau berada di posisi itu?
Mereka menyerang walikota dengan antusiasme. Di dalam kerusuhan itu, walikota menjadi kain lap yang koyoh.
Sekarang, situasinya sudah berubah total.
u201cAku harus! Aku benar-benar harus membuktikan kegunaanku!u201d
Awalnya, ini adalah upaya untuk menghindari pengabaian oleh Lee Shin, namun sebelum ia menyadarinya, hal ini telah menempatkan seluruh karier politiknya di garis api.
Mungkin karena tingkat keputusasannya berubah, cahaya tajam muncul di mata walikota yang sebelumnya redup seperti ikan koi.
u201cTenang. Masih ada kesempatan.u201d
Siapa yang berada di pusat gelombang ini? Tentu saja, Lee Shin.
Bisnis yang berkembang di Busan mengelilinginya, tak terhitung banyaknya mogok di dunia yang tergugah olehnya, dan bahkan masalah yang menggigit kuci ujung jari walikota ini semuanya bergantung pada dirinya.
Jika begitu, menyelesaikan masalah mungkin jauh lebih mudah dari yang diperkirakan.
u201cAku hanya perlu membuktikan bahwa hubunganku dengan Lee Shin masih utuh.u201d
Jika ia mengatakannya kepada Lee Shin, dia mungkin akan menjawab, u201cHubungan? Aku?",u2014karena seberapa tidak masuk akalnya itu terdengar—tetapi walikota sepenuhnya meyakini hal tersebut.
Ia bahkan tidak berharap pada aksi dramatis seperti menyusun cangkir soju dan memeluk punggung.
Hanya satu foto, satu pengambilan gambar Lee Shin dan walikota salaman pada momen ini, dan setengah dari panggilan yang menyiksa teleponnya akan hilang.
u201cDan lalu segalanya kembali normal. Seperti biasanya—purada tidak tahu, tidak memperhatikan, meninggalkannya sendiri. Buanglah sombong dan segala-galanya, berdirilah dengan tangan terikat di belakang, dan jika ia menginginkan sesuatu, setujui dengan bijaksana. Benar. Itu adalah jawaban yang tepat.u201d
Mainan boneka yang mencetak stempel.
Tak kuhilangan, justru pada saat kritis ini, walikota sebenarnya sudah sangat dekat dengan jawaban yang benar.
Lee Shin adalah seseorang yang siap mempertaruhkan kehormatannya sendiri bahkan hingga kakek-neneknya pada masalah terkait hunter, guild, dan liga, tetapi menunjukkan tingkat keinginan yang anehnya minimum pada segala hal lain.
Kau hanya tidak boleh sentuh sisi itu.
Tentu saja, tidaknyamannya Noh Hyung-shim yang memahami sifat sebenarnya Lee Shin dalam waktu 30 detik sementara ia baru menyadarinya sekarang—but better late than never.
u201cDuluan, duluan, aku perlu membeli waktu dulu.u201d
n
Wali kota mengangkat teleponnya untuk mencari Sekretaris Kim sambil melanjutkan pikirannya yang terganggu.
u201cMasalahnya adalah dia bahkan tidak memperhatikan kita di situsnya.u201d
Bagaimana caranya ia bisa mencengkeram Lee Shin yang tidak begitu tertarik pada dunia ini, memulihkan hubungan mereka di tengah kesibukan yang luar biasa, dan mengambil satu foto yang elegan?
Saat walikota terus berjuang, jawaban datang dari tempat yang tidak terduga sama sekali.
u201cMeski kau bilang beli waktu, Mayor, itu tidak akan mudah. Karena Lee Shin membeli 100% lahan dan melanjutkan proyeknya, hampir tidak ada cara untuk menghentikan konstruksi melalui prosedur formal.u201d
u201cJika kita benar-benar perlu membeli waktu, secara realistis satu-satunya cara adalah dengan merekrut orang-orang terpisah untuk membuat tuntutan yang tidak masuk akal.u201d
Inilah jawaban Sekretaris Kim terhadap perintahnya untuk membeli waktu.
Dan pada suatu titik, mata walikota berbinar.
u201cJelaskan rinciannya.u201d
________________________________________
u201cHa ha…… Aku diminta menjelasnya. Poniman Porter, katamu orang tua itu punya banyak keluhan tentang penelitian kami?u201d
u201cBrengsek, akulah yang malu untuk menghadapmu, Profesor.u201d
Pangkang malam di Songdo, sebuah platform kayu tempat bulan terlihat.
Gale Porter mengangkat cangkir soju-nya bersama cangkir yang Lee Shin pegang erat, tersenyum.
Kedua mereka pertama kali saling mengenal melalui u201cMetode Resonansi Gelombang.u201d
Kedua geniuses yang saling mengenali seketika itu saling mengenali saling, mereka saling mengobati penyakit yang tidak bisa disembuhkan Baek Yeon-woo. Berdasarkan proses itu, Gale Porter menyajikan u202eTeori Sistem Lee Shin,u202e menjadi bintang muncul baru di masyarakat akademisi sihir.
Dengan begitu, membangun hubungan yang berharga, dan berinteraksi terus-menerus setelahnya juga.
u201cJika apa yang ingin katakan Teori Sistem Lee Shin adalah bahwa dunia berjalan di atas sistem yang sangat luas, apakah ini tidak menyentuh determinisme?u201d
u201cDari jaman dahulu, manusia selalu mencarikan tuhan seribu satu cara. Astrologi seperti tarot barat, dan studi nama dan takdir seperti Four Pillars timur. Biarkan apart dari kebenaran atau keboongannya, apakah pendekatan semacam ini tidak layak untuk diteliti?u201d
u201cFokus pada hasilnya. Potensi dan bakat yang dimiliki seseorang, dan arah ke mana potensi dan bakat itu dilproyeksikan. Jika kita bisa menyajikan hanya dua petunjuk ini, apakah tidak akan berkontribusi secara luar biasa pada pertumbuhan para penjaga?u201d
u201cOleh karena itu, bukanlah ini arah yang harus diambil Menara Sihir Olympus?u201d
Mereka menekan waktu untuk bertukar pendapat. Tentu saja, mereka tidak bisa bertemu secara langsung karena jadwal, tetapi mereka pastikan untuk berbicara di telepon setidaknya sekali seminggu.
Meski jauh secara fisik, namun akal besar mereka bersama—tidak berlebihan jika kita menyebut Lee Shin dan Gale Porter sebagai saudara akal.
Dan akhirnya, kedua geniuses ini berhasil mencapai kesepakatan.
u201cHipotesis 1. Makhluk yang paling sensitif terhadap mana adalah spirit yang lahir dari mana.u201d
u201cHipotesis 2. Negara yang paling sensitif terhadap sifat-sifat mana adalah negara netral, tidak bertribuknya (Null) yang tidak memiliki atribut dan tidak condong ke arah mana pun.u201d
Dan ketika hipotesis yang bermula dari 1 mencapai tepat 316.
u201cHipotesis 316. Identifikasi atribut menggunakan spirit tak bertribok adalah mungkin!u201d
Diberi nama u201cMetode Identifikasi L&P (Lee Shin & Porter).u201d
Lagi-lagi, sebuah penemuan yang akan mengguncang seluruh komunitas sihir dunia!
Tetapi siapa yang bisa menyeberangkan bahwa penemuan besar ini akan justru menyinggung Menara Sihir Olympus hingga gempar?
u201cSihir adalah studi tentang diri sendiri. Di lautan mana, mantra adalah sebuah pelayaran mulia yang terbuka di sepanjang rute maritim. Oleh karena itu, proses menemukan atribut khusus seseorang adalah bentuk studi sihir itu sendiri. Dengan demikian, metode identifikasi ini adalah kerusakan bagi sihir.u201d
u201cPuhb……!! Benar-benar? Benar-benar? Mereka benar-benar berkata begitu? Para penyihir sejati?u201d
u201cHa…… Aku sudah bilang. Aku benar-benar malu tidak bisa mengangkat kepalaku.u201d
u201cMereka sudah melintasi batas.u201d
u201cBenar.u201d
Apakah ini karena mereka ingin menjaga Gale Porter yang semakin sukses? Atau memang benar-benar, seperti yang mereka klaim, karena keyakinan akademik?
Atau mereka menilai bahwa metode identifikasi ini tidak akan memberi manfaat bagi penyihir yang ada—secara tegas, kepentingan terjajanya?
Bagaimanapapun, akibat u201cMetode Identifikasi L&P,u202e Menara Sihir Olympus terpecah antara mereka yang menerima ide Gale Porter dan mereka yang tidak.
Dan saat konfrontasi itu memanas, seperti biasanya, solusinyya datang dari Lee Shin, dari se
Chapter 319
[The airport, the exchange, the auction house—are all of these really coming to Busan?]
[The construction boom blowing through Busan! Built at lightning speed!]
[Economic expert: “An international airport, an international magic stone exchange, and a certified item auction house—facilities that would change a nation’s very constitution even if you had just one—are clustered in a single city. Only an hour apart! Can you believe it?!”]
[We have to go to Busan. Companies are flocking to Busan one after another.]
[Jobs pouring in, Busan citizens cheer: “A well-raised guild leader is better than the mayor.”]
No matter how much one struggles…….
[Busan Economic Daily: “The bigger the expectations, the bigger the disappointment. Why calmness is needed over excitement.”]
[Some experts: “I doubt whether this is realistic at all.”]
[When asked by a reporter whether it is realistic, Lee Shin smiles. “Realism? Look at the path I’ve walked. There lies the answer.”]
Here, the world of this man—the mayor of Busan—was collapsing.
Just like the newspaper he had thrown down.
“Damn it, damn it……!”
Crunch! Crunch!
His thumbnail, disappearing as much as his impatience.
His restless movements and the fingertips that trembled from time to time revealed his anxiety.
“Why the hell did things get this tangled up!”
It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.
The day he confirmed Lee Shin’s ambition at the airport construction site. The moment he witnessed in Lee Shin the image of the Iron Man Lee Sang-byeok, the only thought filling the mayor’s head was, “I have to prove my usefulness!”
Whether by showing his own abilities, or by sucking up like that toad Noh Hyung-shim. Before he got swapped out like an old part, he wanted to show something—anything.
So the mayor chose to gather his faction, but Lee Shin went straight into construction without warning.
“What’s with being in such a hurry!”
It felt like breaking ground was faster than the official announcement appearing in the media.
From that exact moment, the mayor’s phone didn’t get even ten seconds of rest.
— “Mayooor—!! Is this true? What else could it be? I’m talking about the exchange and the auction house!!”
— “This isn’t what we agreed on. You said you’d back us!”
— “I’m disappointed, Mr. Mayor. You bragged loudly about diverting the next Mir Guild project to our side, and this is how you handle things?”
Complaints from assembly members, resentment from district heads.
— “Heh heh heh, you’ve got more guts than I thought, hiding a project like th—huh? You didn’t know? Does it make any sense for the mayor of Busan not to know about a project happening in Busan?”
— “So what our junior here is saying is that Lee Shin is banging the drum and clashing the cymbals all by himself, acting unilaterally~ is that it? Wow, you’re something else too. You’re proudly saying you got eaten alive by a snot-nosed 20-year-old? That’s incredible.”
— “Wait a minute, then all those things you boasted about were really just you taking credit for what CEO Lee Shin accomplished? What do you mean they weren’t? You’re far more incompetent than you think!”
Even the floor leaders who held his political life in their hands, and the businesspeople who had been backing him.
Incompetent. Insignificant. What do you even know? Then why are you even in that position?
They beat down on the mayor with gusto. In that group lynching, the mayor became a tattered rag.
Now, the situation has completely changed.
“I have to! I absolutely have to prove my usefulness!”
What began as a struggle to avoid being abandoned by Lee Shin had, before he realized it, turned into a matter that put his entire political life on the line.
Perhaps because the degree of desperation had changed, a sharp light rose in the mayor’s eyes, which had been dull like a fish’s.
“Calm down. There’s still a chance.”
Who was at the center of this entire commotion? Needless to say, Lee Shin.
The businesses unfolding in Busan moved around him, countless tycoons around the world gathered around him, and even the trouble gnawing away at the mayor’s fingernails centered on him.
If that was the case, solving the problem might be far easier than expected.
“I just need to prove that my relationship with Lee Shin is still intact.”
If you said this to Lee Shin, he’d probably ask back, “Relationship? Me?” because of how absurd it sounded—but the mayor sincerely thought so.
He didn’t even hope for showmanship like clinking makgeolli cups and throwing arms around shoulders.
Just one photo, one single shot of Lee Shin and the mayor shaking hands at this timing, and half of the calls tormenting the mayor’s phone would disappear.
“And then things go back to normal. Just like usual—pretending to know nothing, not paying attention, leaving him alone. Throw away pride and everything else, stand back with hands behind my back, and if he wants something, approve it tactfully. Right. This was the right answer.”
A stamp-pressing doll.
Amazingly, at this critical moment, the mayor had come the closest to the correct answer.
Lee Shin was someone who would greedily stake even his grandfather’s honor on matters related to hunters, guilds, and leagues, but showed a strangely minimal level of desire in everything else.
You just didn’t touch that side.
Of course, it was unfortunate that Noh Hyung-shim had realized Lee Shin’s true nature in just 30 seconds while the mayor was only realizing it now—but better late than never.
“First of all, first of all, I need to buy some time.”
The mayor picked up the phone to look for Secretary Kim and continued his troubled thoughts.
“The problem is that he doesn’t even have us in his sights…….”
How could he grab Lee Shin, who had no interest in this side at all, restore their relationship in this extremely busy moment, and take one stylish photo?
As the mayor continued to agonize, the answer to this problem came from a completely unexpected place.
“Even if you say to buy time, Mayor, that won’t be easy. Since Lee Shin purchases 100% of the land and proceeds with projects, there’s practically no way to stop construction through formal procedures.”
“If we really have to buy time, realistically the only option is to hire separate people to make unreasonable demands…….”
That was Secretary Kim’s answer to his order to buy time.
And at some point, the mayor’s eyes were sparkling.
“Explain that last part in detail.”
________________________________________
“Haha, explain it in detail. Brother Porter, you’re saying those old fogeys have a lot of complaints about our research?”
“F**k, I’m really ashamed to face you, Professor.”
The night sea of Songdo, a wooden platform where the moon was visible.
Gale Porter clinked his soju glass with the one Lee Shin held out, smiling.
The two had first formed a bond through the “wave resonance method.”
The two geniuses who recognized each other at first sight cured Baek Yeon-woo’s incurable disease, and based on that process, Gale Porter presented the “Lee Shin Systems Theory,” becoming a rising star of the magic academic society.
Thus building a precious relationship, the two continued to interact afterward as well.
— “If what the Lee Shin Systems Theory wants to say is that the world runs on a vast system, wouldn’t that touch upon determinism?”
— “From ancient times, humans have sought divine fate one way or another. Astrology such as Western tarot, and name-and-fate studies like Eastern Four Pillars. Leaving aside whether it’s true or false, wouldn’t this kind of approach itself be worth exploring?”
— “Focus on outcomes. The potential and talent an individual possesses, and the direction in which those are projected. If we could present just these two clues, wouldn’t it contribute enormously to the growth of awakened ones?”
— “Therefore, isn’t this the direction the Olympus Mage Tower should head toward?”
They squeezed and squeezed time to exchange opinions. Of course, they couldn’t meet in person due to their schedules, but they made sure to talk on the phone at least once a week.
Though their bodies were apart, their great intellects were together—so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call Lee Shin and Gale Porter brothers of intellect.
And thus, the two geniuses finally accomplished it.
— “Hypothesis 1. The beings most sensitive to mana are spirits born from mana.”
— “Hypothesis 2. The state most sensitive to mana’s attributes is a neutral, non-attributed (Null) state that possesses no attribute and is not biased.”
And when the hypotheses that started from 1 reached exactly 316.
— “Hypothesis 316. Attribute identification using non-attributed spirits is possible!”
Named the “L&P Identification Method (Lee Shin & Porter).”
Once again, a great discovery that would turn the world magic community upside down was born!
But who could have known that this great discovery would plunge the Olympus Magic Tower into turmoil?
“Magic is the study of the inner self. In the sea of mana, spells are a noble voyage unfolded along maritime routes. Therefore, the process of finding one’s specialized attribute is itself a form of magical study. As such, this identification method is a harm to magic.”
“Puhb……!! R-really? Really? They actually said that? Real magicians?”
“Ha…… I told you. I was so embarrassed I couldn’t lift my head.”
“They crossed the line.”
“It’s true.”
Was it because they wanted to keep the increasingly successful Gale Porter in check? Or was it truly, as they claimed, due to academic conviction?
Or perhaps they judged that this identification method would not benefit existing magicians—put bluntly, the vested interests?
In any case, as a result of the “L&P Identification Method,” the Olympus Magic Tower became divided between those who sympathized with Gale Porter’s ideas and those who did not.
And while that confrontation was heating up, once again the one who resolved the issue was Lee Shin, from across the sea.
— “If you’re just going to snarl like that, why not put some distance between yourselves? Take a trip or something. Or how about this? Set up a branch. Sounds good. You were already talking about a branch anyway, right?”
— “No, then how about this, big bro Porter—want to come here?”
With a fine teaching aid called an academy already in place, and with infrastructure that had once been lacking now overflowing,
Just come here.
— “I’ll treat you well. Want me to build you a magic tower too? A f**king terrifying one.”
And so, Gale Porter and the mages who followed him came to the not-yet-built “Olympus Magic Tower Korea Branch.” Into Lee Shin’s warm embrace.
Perhaps because he had vented his pent-up anger, a much more relaxed Gale Porter asked,
“Whew, that guy finally calmed down. By the way, sir. Is it really okay for you to be leisurely sharing drinks with me like this?”
“Huh? Why? Big bro Porter, you don’t like drinking with me?”
“Nononono. Of course not. I’m enjoying it. It’s just that you’ve been busy lately.”
“Well look at that—now that you’re becoming a branch head, you even know how to say things like that?”
“An international airport, an international magic stone exchange, an officially certified item auction house. Oh God…… I still can’t believe all of these are being built in a single city.”
“Why leave out the magic tower? Yours costs more than all of those.”
“I’m not talking about money right now.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Not only the Mir Guild, but all of Busan was being turned upside down. The fate of an entire city was being completely rewritten by Lee Shin.
“That’s exactly why. I’m asking whether it’s really okay for you, sir, who’s leading a massive construction project of this scale, to be this relaxed.”
“Ah, I get what you’re saying. You’re wondering if all sorts of flies might start gathering, right?”
“Yes. No matter how safe and clean Korea is, greed is still greed, isn’t it?”
Would Europe really be any different—no flies gathering around construction sites?
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