by Yoo Seong
“City management is under the jurisdiction of the Domestic Affairs Department!”
“But you just said that this department won’t be liable for Charem.”
“T-that…..I mean……”
“I already proposed this to the Prime Minister and received permission. I was worried that this would upset Marquis Jyubel who is in charge of city management but luckily you don’t want responsibility. Thank you. ”
Jyubel couldn’t say anything else.
“Since the Prime Minister approved it, the problem will be handed over to Marquis Martin.”
The Chairman who was watching the two Marquis’ psychological warfare anxiously put the situation in order. And he brought out a different agenda.
“But how are we going to handle this problem?”
“The problem?”
“The video sent by the Rama on Hanan.”
The nobles started buzzing again after hearing those words. The Chairman was talking about the message made from the corpses of federation soldiers. The Rama warrior called the Red Slaughter had sent a challenge to Ark. Most of the nobles already knew about this unprecedented event.
“This is unrelated to the agenda but I would like to hear opinions.”
“It is not worth doing anything.”
Marquis Martin replied without thinking about it.
“This is a war. It is a war where the federation and Rama soldiers risk their lives. Reacting to a message that an enemy soldier sent is foolish.”
“But the opponent is the Red Slaughterer.”
“So that makes it even more difficult. The Red Slaughterer is the Rama’s hero while Ark is designated Beltana’s Hero. Their battle would have a significant impact on the morale of the military. It isn’t necessary to explain if Ark wins but this defeat would pour cold water on the situation. With this agreement with the Aschulat, the tides of the war will turn in our favour when they send reinforcements. In such a situation there is no need to bother with a risky gamble. So just dismiss and ignore the message from the enemy.”
“……That makes sense.”
The Chairman nodded his head.
“I understand. Like Lord Martin said, the Aschulat reinforcements will be sent soon.”
The council meeting was ended after that. Marquis Martin received the greetings of some nobles before exiting the assembly hall and saying to his adjutant.
“Do you know what Ark is now?”
“I just know that he left Charem not long ago.”
“From now on keep an eye on Ark’s whereabouts.”
“I understand. But why the sudden interest in Ark? Didn’t you say to ignore the Red Slaughter’s message?”
“I have decided to ignore it, now.”
Martin stopped walking and laughed.
“Soon an even better stage will be prepared. Watch him until then.”
—————————————————————————————–
“Hyung-nim!”
Milan greeted him after he arrived in Nabe.
“There were no replies no matter how many emails I sent so I really thought you died!”
Milan complained as soon as he saw Ark’s face. If he explained for a moment, the Nymphe was like a smartphone with communication capabilities and other functions attached. The communication range was only 50 km. This was because communication antennas weren’t installed anywhere other than cities. There were many electromagnetic pulses outside the area so there were many times when communication failed. This also applied to communication between cities.
There could be problems even if the city had a large communication relay. Therefore there were many constraints to communication through emails. The recipient had to enter the city and link to a relay machine to receive the email. That was why Ark only received Milan’s emails once Charem was recovered. It had taken a fortnight. It was natural for Milan to be worried.
“I’m sorry. I was in a situation where I couldn’t receive the mail.”
“Where on earth did you go……?”
“I’ll explain it slowly. Where is the slab?”
“Here it is.”
Milan carefully observed the surroundings and pulled out the slab. When Ark first saw the slab, the surface was considerably damage and many characters weren’t recognizable. But the slab Milan pulled out was neatly written. The slab had been restored using the 3D restoration machine.
“Now then…..”
Ark received the slab. The Nymphe vibrated and automatically translated the letters.
–Descendant of the great ruler, you who have inherited the lineage of the Murat.
Although it has been a long since our great blood relatives left, the Elim hasn’t forgotten them.
The Elim have left a great legacy in the place where the sun sets and the sun rises for the descendant of the Murat who will someday come! It is for a true pilgrim! Don’t hesitate. You will need to prove your qualifications.
But you have to reach that place.
You have stumbled across a slab and acquired information about the ancient alien species the Murat.
Numerous alien species have disappeared that weren’t recorded in Galaxian’s history. The science and technology of these alien species will far transcend the imagination of modern species. Therefore explorers who find historically significant relics can gain wealth and honour.
Of course this doesn’t apply to all relics.
Difficulty: ???
A quest was registered on the Nymphe.
‘This slab really is related to a Murat relic!’
In fact, slabs weren’t a rare item in Galaxian. The slab was like a treasure map on the frontiers. Actually Ark had found a treasure map while hacking the circuits to raise his skill. But when he visited there, other users and NPCs had already been there and only trivial japtem remained. Therefore there were almost no users that collected slabs anymore. If this was a different time then Ark probably wouldn’t care about it. However the slab had Murat letters written on it.
‘So I had some expectations in my heart…..’
The slab said that the Murat’s legacy was hidden somewhere. The only problem was to find the place referred to on the slab.
“I have to go to the library.”
Ark immediately looked for Nabe’s public library. He said library but it was more like a type of internet that connected to the federation’s enormous data base. The city also had a network that users and NPCs could access but the information there was more general and less reliable. However, the library contained only government-certified materials so the reliability was 99%. Therefore the conditions to use it were difficult.
1st class citizens had to pay 5 gold as an admission fee.
‘5 gold just to browse some materials, what a rip off!’
But now wasn’t the time to save money. Ark paid the 5 gold and entered the library. Despite the expensive fees, quite a few people were running around the library. They were probably people like Ark who came to gather information about a slab or treasure map they found. Therefore reading rooms were created in the library to maintain security.
-What information are you searching for?
A mechanical voice murmured as he entered an empty room. He didn’t need to worry about this. Looking at the contents of the slab, the write was a species called the Elim. The Elim historian stated that the legacy was sealed in a hidden location. Naturally the search keyword would be Elim!
-There is a total of 130 different data retrieved about Elim 35 cases are the names of an item, 63 the name of a person and 3 cases are related to species. 4 are brands…..
“Species.”
-All materials associated with Elim species will be shown.
A huge amount of text popped up in front of him. But there was no reason to read the huge wall of text. He already found the information he desired at the beginning.
–The Elim is the name of an indigenous
people that used to live on Istana.
According to the records, the Elim were people granted special powers by the gods and helped keep the peace on Istana. But the Elim suddenly disappeared hundreds of years before humanity migrated here.
Why they disappeared is still a mystery. Not much is known about the Elim but according to information recently registered by pioneers, they worship at the place there two suns intersect around a dormant volcano called Fargo……
He had a feeling as soon as he read those words. Istana has two suns, one large and one small sun. They moved around a different orbit so there were points where the two suns overlapped. That was the dormant volcano Fargo! The place written on the slab where the sun set and the sun rose.
“The location of Mt. Fargo.”
The GPS coordinates were transmitted to Ark.
“The result is good despite wasting money.”
Spending a bit of money will sometimes release a lot. Milan also nodded after explaining it to him.
“In my opinion Mt. Fargo also seems to fit.”
“Okay. Then let’s do the necessary preparations to leave.”
He had finally figured out the location of the new Murat ruins. There was no reason to delay. But Mt. Fargo was 1,800 km away. Furthermore, Ark’s air board only had the ability to move 1 person. Therefore Ark was forced to tearfully take the shuttle to the pioneer village nearest to Mt. Fargo.
‘I need to gain some capital!’
Ark once again became motivated when his pockets became lighter. Ark finished making his preparations at the sector. When he left the sector the atmosphere had completely changed. The Outlands were filled with strange trees and bushes. Completely different types of flora and fauna grew in the Outlands. Ark had only experienced a small fraction of the Outlands. The swamps around Mt. Fargo contained thorny vines that wrapped around the body and contained venom as well as other natural traps.
“It is dangerous out there. There are black plants that discharge poisonous gases instead of drawing in air. And some bushes will cause you to lose consciousness suddenly.”
Milan was a NPC that specialized as a treasure hunter. Milan’s experience was a considerable help in the Outlands. However Ark wasn’t the type to follow behind Milan.
Chi chi chi chi! Chi chi chi chi!
Red eyes appeared in the shadow of the forest. The Outlands were infested with monsters. The monsters in the forest zone were stronger than the monsters around the northern lake. They were 10 levels higher than the Bellos. But Ark wasn’t the same as his previous self.
“Back off!”
Ark instantly swiped through the bushes. The monster was shattered by his attacks.
“Hyung-nim, what happened in the meantime? You became stronger.”
A light of respect dawned in Milan’s eyes. As a treasure hunter, Milan needed to explore the frontier so he had strong combat power. No, he was even higher level than Ark on Beltana. Ark was weaker but Milan had followed him in order to obtain food. And Milan was pardoned so he only remembered his original impression of Ark. Now he realized that Ark was different from the warrior he met on Beltana. But Milan was impressed for a separate reason.
“Heok! T-this! Hyung-nim!”
“It’s dangerous! Ugh!”
When Milan was in a crisis, Ark would run down and protect him. This made Milan recall his memories of Beltana.
‘As expected, Hyung-nim is different from other people. He changed the situation by gaining food and gathering colleagues. I received Hyung-nim’s favour but I didn’t completely believe in him. But Hyung-nim has changed. He is stronger compared to Beltana and I can now consider him a colleague.’
Ark laughed as he shed blood. He could smile with accomplishment despite being hurt when saving his colleague! Milan’s respect increased by 100 times! He was so impressed that tears gushed out. However, that wasn’t the reason for Ark’s laugh.
‘As I expected.’
-Proof of Faith: Rescue your colleagues (1/200)
It was the completion condition for the quest he received not long ago! He could accomplish it by saving his colleagues. But Milan didn’t know the circumstances and couldn’t help being impressed.
‘To be honest, I thought those guys will stupid for following Hyung-nim even after leaving Beltana. Now I believe in Hyung-nim! I will follow him to the end!’
And the heart was determined. There were a large number of traps and monsters but they couldn’t stop the two men whose friendship had solidified. He spent two days passing through thick greenery.
“Hyung-nim!”
Milan calculated the coordinates and lifted his head. He then pointed to a hill a short distance away with a thrilled expression.
“Over there! That hill is Mt. Fargo!”
He had finally arrived at his destination.
“Finally! Let’s go!”
Ark and Milan hurriedly jumped up the hill. But their faces warped strangely the moment they arrived at the top.
“Huk! W-what the hell?”
Space 4
In That Place
The universal space treaty.
Shortly after the 1st Space War ended, the three powers signed a special treaty. One of the conditions of the treaty was that they were banned from developing technology like the ‘TK’ that would deal tremendous damage to the military of all 3 powers. Another part of the treaty involved unexplored planets. When resources were found on an undeveloped planet that belonged to none of the powers then the right would belong to the nation of the pioneer that first discovered it. This was to avoid an unnecessary war of attrition and to encourage space pioneering. Whoever found it would grasp extravagant wealth and honour! Many pioneers headed to the frontier dreaming of a jackpot. Naturally pioneer villages called Sectors started to form in the Outlands. Irrespective of species! Irrespective of the past! If you have the money then it is OK! This was the location of the space station (Hive). On one hive called Kwain was a tavern.
‘Shut up…..’
A woman sighed and frowned. The tavern was filled with cigarette smoke and music. Her ears were tingling from the chaotic, loud noises of aliens drinking alcohol. She usually preferred quiet places so this was a hardship for her.
‘I should end this mission quickly……’
She sat down with a tense expression.
“Hey babe.”
Someone said from behind her. She turned around and saw a man that looked like a gorilla.
“I’ve been watching you just now and I like what I see. I’m Kurakan. If you mention my name in this are then there is no one who doesn’t know it. How about it? Would you like to have a drink with me? Well, it is good if you’re inclined. As you can see I’m a person with a lot of fame.”
“I’m sorry but I don’t have time to play with a gorilla.”
“What, what the? Gorilla?”
“If you are an orangutan then I apologize.”
“H-how dare you…..?”
The gorilla snorted with anger and grabbed her. No, he wanted to grab her.
Cheolkeok!
A muzzle was pressed against the gorilla’s head. The Hive was no different from a lawless zone. Pioneers who didn’t notice this didn’t last long in a place like this. The gorilla realized the situation and immediately raised both arms.
“Eh? You should’ve said if you have a companion…..”
“I don’t want to make a lot of noise so get lost.”
“Yes! Of course!”
The gorilla quickly ran out of the tavern. People in the tavern didn’t even look up at the commotion. That’s because incidents were common in the Hive. The woman turned around after the gorilla left and asked.
“Did you check?”
“The Katz were clearly here.”
The man with the gun answered before sitting down opposite her.
“Are you sure?”
“There is no doubt. According to the testimony of the staff working at the port, the identification code and
mark on the side of the transport ship clearly belonged to the galactic federation.”
“You’re speaking in the past tense.”
“I confirmed that they met someone here. But they already left 3 days before we arrived.”
“We’re one step too late.”
The woman sighing was Irina. The reason she came to Kwain was because she received the mission to track down the prisoners who escaped from Stael during the riot. She came across information that they headed to Kwain and tracked them here. However they had already moved to a different location.
“Do you have any other information?”
“There is something slightly strange.”
Her assistant Camel scratched his head.
“According to the staff at the port, there is another species mixed in with the Katz clan. It was a hamster like alien from the Tiny clan.”
“One of the prisoners who collapsed form Stael was from the Tiny clan.”
“I also thought that.”
“But what is strange?”
“That guy handed this to the staff just before the Katz left. He told them to give it to the person looking for him.”
Irina’s face warped after she read the note that Camel gave her.
Please help!
I have been kidnapped by evil guys!
Specific coordinates were also included.
“What do you think?”
“The hamster like Tiny and the cat like Katz…..”
The corners of Irina’s mouth rose quietly.
“But the coordinates written is weighing on my mind. Do you know? This is where……”
“I’m aware of that. I’m not going to run away because of the location. But the people they met here are weighing on my mind. They might have a different purpose that we don’t know about. Well we have no other information so we’ll go to that location for the moment.”
Irina stood up like she didn’t find it necessary to worry. All of a sudden 4 people interrupted them when they left the tavern.
“Hey, are you just leaving?”
The person in the front was the gorilla Kurakan.
“Didn’t I tell you? I’m a well-known person in Kwain. You’re mistaken if you think you can escape after humiliating me. You’re chicken who just entered the universe and I’ll teach you how scary it can be. Especially you! I will give you 1-on-1 training all night. Hihihihi!”
