Ch.299White Spectacle. The Pale Forest (2)

“We are nothing but grateful for welcoming us like this.”

“It’s fine, please be seated. The one will be here soon.”

The elders bowed respectfully to Simon in unison before taking their seats. After seating them, Simon served tea, and the elders sipped the black tea to calm their trembling bodies.

They had conversed with Apostles before. But a conversation with a god? This wasn’t a matter of child and adult. It was like a cat facing a tiger. Unless they left this ship, there would be no escape from this pressure that seemed to wring their entire bodies.

“Simon, may I come in?”

“Please enter. Everyone has gathered.”

Though Simon and Victor addressed each other casually in private, Simon had no choice but to show respect to Victor in public settings. Addressing him informally in front of others could severely damage Victor’s authority.

This was also why Raisha, despite always being attached to Victor’s side, remained silent. The perception that women shouldn’t interrupt men’s conversations, combined with the vast status gap between a male god and a female apostle, was extremely significant.

Humanity had been a male-dominated society since the Dark Ages, then transitioned to gender equality during the Imperial era, only to forget it all during the Eclipse Age when fighting men seized power again—a pattern that continued into the 1200s of the Extinction Calendar.

While adventurers were said to be free, that didn’t shield them from disrespect.

“Hmm. Excuse me.”

As Victor opened the door and entered, the elders rose in unison and bowed at a 90-degree angle.

He calmly gestured for them to sit again, then took the seat of honor and looked down at them.

“Are these all of your elders?”

“Yes, except for the 21 elders who are away on external missions.”

“Oh?”

Victor’s eyes narrowed at the mention of elders dispatched externally. There were five elders gathered here, meaning there were 26 elders in total.

“Why have elders gone outside?”

“Most are supervising business operations and importing external resources. This Pale Forest isn’t suitable for development. The soil is so purified that even microorganisms necessary for crop growth cannot survive, and trees once cut don’t grow back well. In this land where even logging is difficult, we must trade with other powers to survive.”

“I understood that spirits purified this land. Is that the cause of these side effects?”

“Yes. The spirits don’t understand human standards. They don’t know that even good things can be harmful in excess. This land was isolated and purified, resulting in this Pale Forest. Unable to even procure firewood for winter, we had no choice but to open this forest and collect money from outsiders like beggars.”

“There’s no need to demean yourselves so. You’ve survived well for 1,200 years.”

Victor calmed the elders who were excessively humbling themselves. In truth, having ascended to godhood, he could see through their thin tactics.

A strategy to evoke sympathy and minimize damage. It had probably worked well enough to ensure their survival until now. Neither the continent nor humans had room to accommodate pale elf subspecies when they were already overwhelmed with the existing elves, dwarves, and humans.

“I’m curious—does truly nothing grow in this land? Moss and grass seem to grow somewhat.”

“Those adapt through their inherent vitality. Crops, however, are not only weaker but require more nutrients. Even with fertilizer, the soil purifies too quickly for cultivation.”

“I see…”

Victor accessed the Layer Archive, mentally connected to him.

From the vast information, he selected immediately applicable foundational technologies, materialized them with divine power into a thick book, and placed it before them.

“…W-what is this?”

The elders gasped in unison at the sight of a book materializing before them.

Despite living for over ten thousand years, they had never witnessed such power. Creating an object from empty space—creating something from nothing—violated the laws of thermodynamics.

And laws, as it turned out, could always be changed. There was no escaping his authority under the sun.

“Read it. It will surely help you.”

“T-then we accept with gratitude…”

The elders hurriedly took out magnifying glasses and began turning the pages.

With each page turned, their expressions filled with astonishment, until they closed the book after barely reaching 30 pages.

“W-why are you giving this to us?”

“Because this forest holds great meaning to me. As some may know, I was an orphan from the streets. This Pale Forest played a significant role in setting me on the path of adventure. To a city boy, this white spectacle was like a legendary paradise.”

Victor said this while having his wife serve each of them a glass of apple brandy.

“I’ve learned through your tears that while the Pale Forest is beautiful, it’s not a good place to live. So I’ve offered ‘a little’ help. Don’t feel burdened.”

“H-how could we not? The Sun God has shown such great mercy that we don’t know how to contain ourselves.”

“Haha.”

Naturally, Victor hadn’t really extended this kindness because of memories.

The Pale Forest formed due to the conflicts of the Eclipse Age, which occurred because of the Sun’s fall.

And Victor was the Sun God. Gifting the Pale Forest elders with methods to cultivate their land was compensation to those who had suffered due to his fall.

“We will soon depart for the next continent, so we won’t stay long. However… yes. My soldiers are tired from long service. Would it be acceptable to let them enjoy this forest?”

“O-of course! The Luminator’s soldiers certainly deserve it. Please entrust the ship’s security to us!”

“Haha. Thank you for saying so. Then I’ll send the soldiers out with some money. They should experience the tourism industry that the Pale Forest has refined over 1,200 years.”

“Indeed. You won’t regret it.”

The elders clenched their fists tightly.

They had thought the sun had descended from the sky, but what had actually descended was a lifeline—a very sturdy one at that.

If they didn’t grab it, they would be despised for generations and unable to eat properly, so they had to seize it.

That day, the elders unanimously pledged loyalty to Victor and his empire. Upon hearing this, Lucia complained that she had been right all along, only to be hit on the head with a wine bottle and knocked unconscious.

*

“The Sun God has shown us mercy!”

“Money means freedom! Let’s eat and drink, comrades!”

“Kyooooh!”

The soldiers, who had been too busy to enjoy themselves, bounced around like fish in water, exploring every corner of the Pale Forest.

To prevent armed soldiers from creating a negative atmosphere, they were all dressed in formal attire rather than duty uniforms, given only a defensive dagger for protection, and each provided with one gold coin. Drinking was permitted, but they were required to maintain proper attire and not cause trouble for civilians.

“Refrain from vulgar speech and maintain soldierly conduct. If you maintain that, I won’t interfere until our departure. You know our lord—he doesn’t interfere as long as you follow the rules.”

“Yes, sir!”

With the officer’s permission, the soldiers began frequenting the various entertainment establishments scattered throughout the Pale Forest.

One might wonder if soldiers belonging to the Sun’s army should behave like this…

“None of the women here are leaving alive today!”

“Argh! Medina, you bitch! No matter how great you are, are you greater than the Sun?! Come at me!!!”

…As you can see, their sense of belonging to the Sun was so strong that they madly disparaged all other gods. The 50,000 soldiers swept through the Pale Forest like monsters starved for sexual and culinary satisfaction.

“Hey, owner! Lower the shutters!! We’re not returning to base today!!!”

“Oh my! Thank you!”

That’s right.

Since they couldn’t show vulgar behavior to civilians while drunk, they rented entire establishments and drank to their hearts’ content. Isn’t that the pinnacle of creative thinking?

Thus, the Pale Forest unexpectedly received a windfall, and three days later, when the soldiers returned to the Sky Warden in pristine condition, the locals clung to their pant legs begging them not to leave.