Chapter 958 (1/2)

When Randidly and Helen arrived, Erickson Steel was bustling with activity like a beehive in springtime.

The small tract of land that had originally been the safe space for the many escorts that Tatiana helped ferry out of their prior lives was still there, but it was a tiny blip on the densely packed landscape. Thick pillars of smoke wafted up out of the deep valleys that had dug into the ground. Randidly had previously cleared quite a bit of space for the metalworking to expand, but it seemed that his vision hadn’t been ambitious enough.

With the expanded foundry, forges, furnaces, and the additional small housing complex to service Erickson Steel’s employees, the area was almost five times larger than Randidly remembered. It sprawled South, moving out of the forested area and toward the small river that meandered down to Lake Apollo.

In addition to the main buildings, there were also countless warehouses and testing facilities that acted as a halo around Erickson Steel’s businesses. Beyond that central area to the South, there was also a small park and a series of inns to handle the flow of people buying and selling Erickson Steel product.

There was even a small pair of steel rails with several hand carts sitting next to the small waystation.

“So, you own all of this?” Helen asked with a frown. “...and your business is in trouble?”

Randidly carefully looked around the bustling area. “Apparently so. We won’t know for sure until we can talk to someone important.”

The two of them were standing on the lip of the vast dug out space, looking down at the complex network of interlocking industrial buildings. From this distance, Randidly saw almost a hundred people carrying materials toward various places, but he didn’t see anyone that he recognized.

Well, it’s not like I’m without methods… even if I don’t send a message, heading toward the space where the old headquarters was built would be a good start...

Closing his eyes, Randidly let his Aether sweep outward away from his position. Even more clearly than before, Randidly developed a very intimate understanding of the state of Erickson Steel as he touched all the individual workers and felt the different Skills that they possessed. Their Levels and basic Skills appeared in his mind. Although he was dealing with a sea of information, his Intelligence gave him enough processing power to work through it all.

What he found left him confused. When he had informed Tatiana that he was heading over, her immediate relief was obvious. It seemed that the difficulties that Erickson Steel had faced over the last several months had not been small. Yet as Randidly scanned the surrounding area… the people he sensed were a high Level and were clearly using Skills that they had trained with for a long time.

Although everyone was busily working, everyone appeared satisfied; no one seemed to display any sort of fear for their own life from being openly persecuted or oppressed.

So the Skilled workers of Erickson Steel weren’t getting poached and the other party wasn’t using force to intimidate the people here at all. Those were positive signs but also signs that resolving the issue would be more troublesome. Violence was simple to address. Tatiana had mentioned the other party was restricting Erickson Steel’s access to raw materials, but could that really have such a non-visible effect? And could this other force do it without relying on rough instruments?

Very quickly, Randidly located Tatiana, working within one of the central facilities. It seemed that the same headquarters was still in place, although it had expanded upward five floors. He turned and looked at Helen. “On second thought, can you go gather some high-Level monster bones for me? I’m running a bit low, and it seems like the situation here isn’t simple; I’ll need to devote some time. If you head West, you should find some high-Level areas. Aim for monsters above Level 60.”

“Got it.” Helen’s eyes were bright with the promise of violence as she hurried away.

Chuckling, Randidly crouched down. After gathering sufficient bodily capability with Yyrwood Body of Yggdrasil and Monstrosity’s Appalling Physicality, Randidly was able to explode into the air, collapsing the edge of the slope on which he had been standing. The air travel was quick, but also dangerous. In order to obtain a clean landing, Randidly guided several roots upward to serve as a landing spot above the Erickson Steel Headquarters. It was almost silently that he finally alighted on the roof without destroying anything.

Afterward, Randidly figured it would be for the best to simply walk in the front door to get a good look at this renovated headquarters. As with many of the locations in Zone 1, the Erickson Steel headquarters was equipped with old-Earth automatic doors that slid easily open as he approached. Air-conditioned air immediately blasted outward, cooling Randidly’s face. Blinking, Randidly proceeded forward.

As he walked into the building, Randidly’s smile was slightly twisted. Honestly, it's felt like I’ve been in a different world for the past several years. This sort of building… it really brings me back.

Within the building was a lazy looking guard at a security desk, a young woman typing in the reception area, and several plastic chairs in which people could sit while they waited in the atrium area. When the security guard didn’t look up at all to Randidly’s presence, Randidly wandered over to the reception desk.

“Can you let Tatiana know that Baloo Erickson is here to see her?” Randidly said, even as he internally winced at speaking aloud the horrendous name that he had made up on the spot during his first arrival in Zone 1.

The young looking receptionist looked up when Randidly approached and smiled politely. But at the name, both the receptionist and the security guard perked up. It was clear that they recognized it.

“You… you’re the founder of this company?” The receptionist asked. Her fingers ceased typing and her whole attention seemed to focus toward him. Although Randidly hadn’t noticed initially, the eyes that waited for his answer were yellow, like a cat’s. As he considered her, he noticed her glossy chestnut hair and expensive looking coat. It was clear that she was well compensated for her position at Erickson Steel.

“Yes,” Randidly said simply. “If you could tell Tatiana as quickly as possible, I’d appreciate it.”

Behind him, Randidly felt the security guard giving him a rapid once over. Very quickly the man’s gaze landed on Randidly’s bare and dirty feet. Over Randidly’s shoulder, the security guard gave the receptionist an aggrieved look that probably translated to something like “why is it our job to deal with crazies like this?”.

Without bothering to assist the receptionist at all, the security guard slouched back down at his station and began to ignore Randidly. But the young woman continued to stare at him with her warm amber eyes.

“Do you have any proof?” She asked in a quiet voice.

Randidly thought about it. Perhaps he could produce a bar of Blood Steel in order to convince her, but would that really carry enough weight to go against his rather disheveled appearance? Would she even recognize a bar of Erickson Steel? Aside from the belt he acquired from Sam, Randidly wasn’t wearing any of his other new armors. In his mind, walking around in such obvious battle equipment looked a little silly.

So he had the ash-grey Sulfur, a leather vest, and a clean pair of worn jeans that he had obtained from Donnyton before the challenge. He looked like someone who just came from a long shift at work. If he wanted to walk in through the front door like this, he really needed to spend a bit more time on his appearance.