Those Who Live Without the Law

Chapter 81

An Unexpected Addition (2)

With the four-person team finalized, the next step was to compile a list of necessary supplies.

Kairus approached the members of the Rose Garden.

“I’d like to discuss the supplies and provisions we’ll need. You’ve been given that level of authority by the Representative, right?”

One of the members responded to Kairus’s question.

“We plan to organize the items you request and report them to the Representative. If the list is reasonable, they’ll be delivered by tonight.”

“Good.”

Having received a definite answer, Kairus immediately began the discussion with the other three who would be joining him.

“It’s best if we bring impermeable protective gear and gas masks.”

The first to speak was Tanya Lysand.

To put it simply, the main issue was the filth and waste that had been accumulating and rotting in the sewer system.

“The gas produced by the decaying waste contains a lot of toxic substances. We won’t just need simple masks—we’ll need gas masks, the kind that use filters.”

According to Tanya’s explanation, the air in the sewer wasn’t just smelly and dirty.

Toxic gases like hydrogen sulfide, which form along with the decomposition of proteins, could be dangerous enough to knock a person out in an instant.

Tanya Lysand’s suggestion was clearly reasonable.

When Kairus turned to look at the Rose Garden members, they nodded and took notes on her recommendation.

“Oh, and you’ll be providing information about the other teams too, right?”

In response to Kairus’s question, a member replied.

“Once the other groups have finalized their teams, that information will be shared.”

Just then, Irena motioned slightly toward Kairus.

Seeing the gesture, Kairus excused himself from Melvin and Tanya and stepped outside briefly with Irena.

“What is it?”

“I thought I might have something helpful to offer.”

Kairus made a questioning sound and looked at Irena.

“I’m a Kellogg. And the Empire Security Corps is in this city too, right?”

It wasn’t just that they were present—they even held a seat on the Canal Operations Committee. Of course, their power wasn’t as strong as the crime syndicates, but still...

The fact remained that they did have a seat on the committee.

“As long as they belong to the Empire, they can’t ignore Kellogg’s influence.”

“I know that well enough. But…”

Simid Kellogg was currently plotting a rebellion. It was better for Irena not to use her family’s influence if it could be helped.

If she started poking around under the pretense of helping Kairus using her family’s power, there was a real risk that Simid Kellogg’s plan could be exposed.

There’s a reason people say you can catch a rat while backing away.

“You’re here not as a daughter of the Kellogg family, but as an apprentice knight of the Scarlet Leaf Order.”

“…”

Irena flinched for a moment.

“The name Kellogg is just like makeup.”

Skin was essential for survival, but cosmetics were not. They merely served to make someone more appealing.

“Yeah, I suppose that’s one way to look at it.”

Irena relaxed a little, and Kairus felt relieved as well.

‘If I wasn’t careful, I could’ve offended her pride and ended up pushing her to act instead.’

With Irena’s personality, she might have taken Kairus’s words as a challenge and gone off on her own, despite his attempt to stop her.

“Once we head down into the sewer, I’ll be counting on you. Among the four of us going down, you’re the only one I can really trust to watch my back.”

“Alright.”

With that, Kairus and Irena wrapped up their talk and returned to Tanya’s infirmary.

“Did you two have a good talk?”

“Sorry for leaving so suddenly.”

Tanya smiled and shook her head at Kairus’s apology.

“It’s fine. Talking with Dr. Istovan turned out to be more interesting than I expected.”

While Kairus had been speaking with Irena, it seemed Tanya Lysand had also been chatting with Melvin.

“I’m not very good with words. So I think it’s more that Ms. Lysand has excellent comprehension.”

Just as Tanya had shown interest in the conversation, Melvin seemed intrigued by her as well.

‘A madman and someone about to go mad. How touching.’

Kairus sat back down, thinking that to himself.

“While we were talking, we also put together a list of additional supplies we might need.”

Tanya handed him a sheet of paper, with a neatly organized chart drawn on it.

“Mostly medical supplies.”

“That’s all I really know.”

Kairus nodded slightly and looked over the list. It seemed wise to bring everything listed.

In fact, he even recognized quite a few of the items among the medical supplies.

Tanya Lysand had been a battlefield doctor. Some of the medicines she listed were things Kairus had heard of before.

“Oh, we won’t need saline solution.”

Kairus recalled the function of the norigae he carried and decided to exclude the sterilized saline from the list.

“You can’t do anything in the field without that, though.”

In response, Kairus explained the norigae’s capabilities to her.

Hearing their conversation, Irena let out a small gasp of admiration.

“So that means we don’t even need to bring drinking water.”

Not needing to carry water drastically reduced the bulk and weight of their supplies.

With the saved space, they could pack more of other essentials and stay underground for longer during each trip.

“Since we won’t need water, I’m thinking of bringing more nutrition blocks.”

At Kairus’s words, Irena’s expression immediately turned sour.

“You mean the dog food? Well, I guess that really is our only option.”

It was a widely used item, from remote explorers to military combat rations.

Beef was dried until it was hard as stone, ground into powder, then mixed with an equal amount of suet fat and kneaded into a block form.

One kilogram of nutrition blocks contained about 6,500 kcal. That amount could sustain a soldier for roughly two days.

For an average person living a normal life, it could serve as food for three days and in emergencies, even a week.

“It’s not like we’re crawling into the sewers to enjoy gourmet meals.”

Though nicknamed dog food, among those who had actually eaten it, most said dog food tasted better.

“With all the supplies we plan to take, we’ll be fine underground for about two weeks.”

“The others will probably max out at a week.”

At Kairus’s prediction, Irena nodded.

“Unless they plan on drinking sewer runoff to survive, a week is about their limit.”

Not needing to bring water effectively doubled their activity time compared to the other teams.

“Isn’t there the option of continuing to get supplies from aboveground?”

Melvin raised the question. It was certainly feasible.

“Each team can have a maximum of four people working underground.”

That meant, as Melvin suggested, anyone responsible for delivering supplies from above would still count as one of those four.

“A supplier is in too much danger if they run into another team.”

Fighting off four people alone was not realistic.

In other words—

“If we run out of supplies underground, we’ll have to return to the surface, restock, and then go back down.”

Irena nodded slightly and added,

“And actually, when it comes to carrying water, volume is more of a problem than weight.”

It wasn’t about how much weight a person could carry. Water just took up too much space.

“Going by the battle gear’s output, I should be able to carry around a ton without any issue.”

But that was impossible. A ton of water took up far too much space. Trying to move around while carrying that would make proper activity nearly impossible.

“If I just take the gear off when we’re about to fight…”

“And you think the enemy’s going to just stand there and watch while you take it off?”

If your skill level was close to theirs, you’d be dead before you finished taking off your water tank. At Kairus’s retort, Melvin fell silent.

“Our active time gives us a huge advantage. That’s for sure—so there’s no need to worry.”

“What Dr. Istovan should be worrying about right now is something else.”

At Irena’s words, Melvin looked at her.

“What’s that?”

“The taste of dog food. You’ll probably feel like throwing up the first time.”

At Irena’s remark, Melvin let out an awkward laugh and turned to look at Tanya Lysand.

“I’m worried about you too, Doctor.”

“Oh, I’m used to it. I had to rely on it often in field conditions. Two or three weeks is nothing.”

At Tanya Lysand’s reply, Melvin swallowed hard.

“I’ll get used to it.”

“That’s the spirit.”

Kairus wrapped up the conversation and handed the finalized list to one of the Rose Garden members.

“I’ll deliver it to the Representative right away.”

“Good. The sooner, the better for us too.”

Getting a head start was important.

Even if it was the kind of race where killing everyone made you win, the rule that the first to arrive wins hadn’t gone away.

“Don’t doubt the Rose Garden.”

At the member’s warning, Kairus nodded obediently and replied.

“Sorry. I’d prefer the approved supplies be sent to my office. Is that doable?”

Satisfied with Kairus’s quick shift in attitude, the Rose Garden members nodded and left the infirmary.

“We finally got an office, but I guess we won’t be using it right away.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

At Irena’s comment, Kairus sighed. He had planned to conduct the Pontus search cautiously and thoroughly after securing an office.

But the sudden introduction of a competitive element to the treasure hunt had turned it into a speed race.

“Well, let’s head back to the office anyway. We still need to collect the supplies the Rose Garden is sending.”

The others nodded in agreement with Kairus and followed him to the office he had secured.

“…What is all this?”

Kairus clearly remembered the office’s condition when it was introduced to him by Mr. Geumdaeji. It wasn’t even a few days ago—just a few hours.

“Stuff that wasn’t here before.”

Irena also looked around the office, visibly baffled.

Desks, chairs, and all kinds of essential office supplies had been fully stocked.

“These must be from the Representative of the Rose Garden.”

Kairus clicked his tongue as he read the note placed on the grand desk often referred to as the boss’s table.

Apparently, it was a carrot meant to encourage him to work harder.

“They filled a two-story office with top-of-the-line furnishings. A bit much for just a carrot.”

And every single item was high-end. So high-end, in fact, that even Irena had no complaints.

“Well, that saves us some money.”

Once you secure a space, filling it becomes another task.

But thanks to Cecilia’s gift, Kairus didn’t have to worry about furnishing the office anymore.

“On top of that—”

Kairus checked the additional documents placed on the desk. It was a list of mercenaries hired by various organizations to search Pontus.

“They’re fast. Well, I suppose they’d have to be—the Rose Garden handles the contracts.”

Any organization interested in Pontus had to hire up to four people from outside the group to form a team.

That already gave the Rose Garden an advantage.

‘Hiring means contracts.’

And if it’s a contract, the Rose Garden would be involved no matter what.

Therefore, the list Kairus was now reviewing was not only 100% accurate but also the fastest source of information available.

“Well then, let’s take a look at what kind of guys we’re dealing with.”

Kairus turned the page.