Chapter 67

#67 Episode The Tin Knight and the Clockwork City Act 4 (1)

A week in TikTok.

Well, I mean “week” in a symbolic sense; it wasn’t actually a week, but anyway.

Dorothea and the Tin Knight resolved an incident related to the Smith & Sync Doll Workshop and powered up the Tin Knight.

Adelheid and the Tin Knight sorted out the power struggle involving the Lenart Dojo and snagged the position of representative instructor.

To anyone who didn’t know better, it might seem like the Tin Knight had mastered some kind of cloning technique, but not really.

He was just zipping around so fast that it looked like he had duplicates.

“Welcome, Tin Knight.”

[‘Tin Knight’ greets warmly!]

The meetings between the Tin Knight and Sophia mostly took place at night.

Not for any particularly significant reason; it was just that the Tin Knight was free during those hours.

You might think, “What a nuisance in the middle of the night,” but Sophia didn’t seem displeased or tired at all.

When the Tin Knight asked if she slept during the day, she replied:

“I’m tied to this column all the time, and it’s boring, you know? So, I’ve been trying various things in that state. Most were accident experiments, but sometimes I practiced not sleeping. After repeating it for about 30 years, I found the line between meditation and sleep disappearing.”

Sophia claimed that spacing out with eyes open was basically the same as sleeping.

At first glance, it sounded like a crazy claim, and even after thinking about it again, it was still a crazy claim, yet the Tin Knight didn’t mind.

[‘Tin Knight’ is thrilled to see his watch buddy!]

[‘Tin Knight’ is excited about having less boredom at night!]

Dorothea, despite being the styled evil executive, had a good-girl routine of going to bed early and rising early. (In fact, it was purely an efficient schedule regardless of good or evil.)

Adelheid often fell into such a deep sleep after training that she could be taken away without anyone noticing. (The Tin Knight, lacking a conscience, didn’t consider the intensity of her clueless training.)

From the Tin Knight’s perspective, who had to keep lonely vigil at night every time, Sophia being able to function perfectly at night was quite a relief.

Of course, whether it was the two of them—or rather, the two non-humans—being lively at night, human civilization naturally thrived on sunlight.

With most people sleeping at home in the middle of the night, the activities available were indeed more limited than during the day, but they didn’t care.

The destination they were heading to was one of the few places more lively at night than during the day.

Outside of TikTok.

Though it was somewhat distant from the commercial district, there was a building where an unusual number of people were bustling about, enjoying food and drinks.

As Sophia and the Tin Knight entered the brightly lit place that stood out amidst the encroaching darkness, the drinkers in the first-floor lounge erupted in cheers.

“Hey, sis! We’ve been waiting for you!”

“Jack, you stupid fool, I’ve told you about this sis countless times, but you just don’t listen! Show your skills!”

“Ha, come on. Hey, girl. Looks like you’ve taken a few to the cleaner’s in a poker game, but I’m not about to be an easy target.”

Cheers filled the air, a blend of welcome, interest, lust, and excitement.

With a completely unfazed expression, Sophia walked to her assigned seat, where a man who initially wore a confident smile suddenly fumbled.

“Hmph. Uhm. This hand was terrible. Next.”

“No way! You went all-in with that garbage hand?”

“I won’t fall for the same trick twice! This time for sure! Huh!?”

“Damn it.”

Finally, the overly confident guy raised the white flag, and after wiping out a few more challengers, Sophia cheerfully addressed the bar owner.

“Same as always, please.”

“Alright, order received! Listen up, folks! Sis is treating! Be grateful and drink up!”

“Whew! It’s been worth the wait!”

“Jack! Ranpro! You don’t let me down! Thanks to you, I’m drinking well!”

“Hey, if you’re going to give thanks, do it to sis, not to some random guy! Hahaha!”

The atmosphere grew even more boisterous.

At the center of it all was none other than Sophia.

“By the way, sis, where did you get such gambling skills? Everyone here is somewhat competent, but they’re all falling flat.”

“Well, it’s probably the power of experience?”

“What? Experience? Hahahaha!”

At Sophia’s response, the opponent burst into laughter.

Though they called her sis, it was merely a term of admiration for her exceptional gambling skills mixed with some playful mischief.

Among the patrons, there was not a single soul who looked younger or less mature than Sophia.

“Wait, what does that make Jack over there? Judging by looks, you’d have to be about double her level for it to make sense.”

“Shut it. Who’s talking about face value when you look like a droopy-faced old man? If I’m double, then you’re at least quadruple, you punk.”

“Anyway, next loser, please.”

“This punk…!”

The man named Jack’s face turned crimson, trembling, but the people around him only laughed harder.

It had already been the fourth day since Sophia and the Tin Knight started coming around here.

Initially met with wary and suspicious gazes, people were now showing friendly attitudes, having relaxed their guard.

Sophia’s exceptional gambling skills, sociable demeanor, and, most importantly, her habit of blowing all her winnings on food and drinks was more than enough to win over the drinkers.

No matter how stunning Sophia might look, if she were just pocketing money, people would have gradually avoided her, but since her winnings were going straight back to fill their stomachs, it didn’t differ much from them taking turns treating one another.

The establishment had a peculiar vibe.

The food was average, the service wasn’t exceptionally friendly or inexpensive, and critically, its location was quite poor.

Despite having all the traits of a “poorly performing establishment,” it always managed to be bustling with patrons.

The faces of the drinkers coming and going were mostly the same, and their limbs bore numerous unsettling scars.

“By the way, sis, what kind of request are you taking your sweet time with?”

That’s right.

They were adventurers operating from TikTok.

If you were to ask why these adventurers weren’t working in the guild but lounging in a tavern, it was due to a line in the imperial legal code.

– Adventurers belonging to the Adventurer’s Guild must adhere to the governance of the guild headquarters and recognized guild branches.

– Receiving or giving private commissions without mediation from the guild headquarters or branches is prohibited.

This decree, forged during the Ironblood Emperor era, aimed to control adventurers who had been nearly criminal and regulate commission costs to prevent unfair damages to clients while tracking and punishing errant adventurers.

The intent itself was good, and it contributed to bringing the profession of adventurers from the shadows to the forefront; however, there’s no such thing as perfection in this world.

Even though it was called the “Adventurer’s Guild Headquarters,” everyone knew it wasn’t operated by adventurers but by the empire’s officials.

Since the unification and reform of the Adventurer’s Guild, the headquarters became notorious for its strictness regarding branch establishment, and currently, there were only four officially recognized branches within the empire.

This means that to legally exchange commissions, clients and adventurers alike had to venture out to *only four* branches scattered across the vast empire.

For those near a branch, it wouldn’t be a big deal, but for those far away, it was nothing short of a bind.

To resolve this inconvenience, the “intermediary” that Sophia came to visit was established.

When a client visits the intermediary to request a commission, the intermediary forwards the details to the closest branch via a messenger.

The branch then assesses the request and determines suitable contract conditions, relaying that back to the intermediary.

The intermediary informs the client of the contract conditions and sends an adventurer waiting there if they agree.

It’s a lengthy and cumbersome process, but it had to be managed.

The authority of the imperial family was severe, and disregarding it recklessly could potentially eliminate the very profession of adventurers from the empire.

“You may not know this, but this isn’t an adventurer branch; it’s an intermediary, so if you request a commission, I can’t give you a straight answer yes or no. That decision is up to the branch. Given that sending messages takes a few days, you’ll want to hurry if you plan to request one.”

“…You’ve figured it all out, haven’t you?”

As Sophia wiped the cheerful expression off her face and lowered her gaze, some drinkers—no, some adventurers watching her gulped.

That lonely, sorrowful smile was as transient as a leaf about to fall, holding something poignant that tightened the chests of the onlooking men.

“I tried to keep it hidden as best I could, but in front of all of you who have seen and done it all, it seems that it was just a farce. You all pretended not to notice, didn’t you?”

“Uh… um.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Born a man, how could I pry into a woman’s thoughts and try to expose them?”

In truth, more than half of those present were thinking, “Oh? So that’s what was going on?” while tilting their heads, but intoxicated men are creatures whose veins pulse with pride and bravado instead of blood.

No one would openly admit, “I had no idea; I just came to enjoy some fun gambling and score free food,” for fear of embarrassing themselves in front of others.

As the serious-looking fellow next to them nodded in agreement, if anyone made even the slightest hint of doubt, they’d become the laughingstock.

“The chance to see a skilled and beautiful gambler. Plus, I get free food and drink,” was enough of a catchphrase to entice the growing number of adventurers over the past three days, prompting Sophia to say:

“To be honest… I’ve had a lot on my mind. No, I’m still thinking about whether or not to actually take this commission.”

“I won’t ask for details, but is it that dangerous?”

“Yes. It is dangerous. But more than the danger, I’m anxious. I fear that this commission may get buried without reaching the right people.”

At Sophia’s words, the adventurers began to murmur among themselves.

If it were just a simple “dangerous” commission, they would let it slide, but the idea of it getting buried was a different matter.

“Hey sis, are you warning us about the risk of the message getting intercepted?”

“No, not exactly. Just…”

After getting that far, Sophia let out a soft sigh.

“After all, I can’t say. If you hear this, you might end up in danger as well. How could I impose on you, having pretended not to notice all my shallow acting?”

“No.”

The adventurers had begun to set down their food and drink, fully absorbed in Sophia’s talk.

The man engaged in conversation with Sophia shouted to those around.

“Hey! Did you hear that? Sis is worried about us! The chicken-hearted ones should get lost already!”

“Pfft, don’t be a fool, Mash! Hey, sis. I guess you don’t know, but what adventurers do is flirt with danger like it’s second nature.”

“Yeah! No need to sweat it, so spill what’s going on!”

At this point, the answer was practically set in stone.

The moment anyone spoke up, “I can’t handle it,” they’d be branded a coward among their peers. Besides, they would be restless all night with curiosity about the ensuing events, so how could they leave?

Sophia scanned the audience, making eye contact with each one.

In the face of her strangely glowing pink eyes, the adventurers gulped.

“Alright. Then I’ll tell you. It’s about a colossal conspiracy tied to the Adventurer’s Guild Schwarz Branch.”