Ch.306Traces (1)

“I’m sorry to call you when you must be busy.”

“Haha. Not at all, senior.”

Two Cult members sit across from each other at a desk in a formal office.

Both had yak horns on their heads, but their attire was completely different. The male Cult wore the uniform of a Megacorp crisis management team, while the female Cult wore a purple Cult military uniform.

“I should have contacted you earlier. Is the accommodation I arranged satisfactory?”

“Accommodations at the ‘Water Fortress’? I’d heard they were good, but this exceeds my expectations.”

“For you and those who saved you, even the imperial palace wouldn’t be too much.”

“It’s such excessive kindness that I wonder if I deserve it. Thank you, Alshas.”

“Senior! Please raise your head!”

The Cult in the Megacorp uniform bowed respectfully. In response, the female Cult, Alshas, waved her hand as if embarrassed.

“When you contacted me, Senior Nern, I offered prayers of gratitude to the great Providence. For giving me a chance to repay the debt I owe you.”

“Alshas, you…”

“So please raise your head.”

At her insistence, Nern reluctantly lifted his head.

Well-maintained silver hair, a face radiating mature beauty and dignity. Facing his much younger colleague, Nern recalled the past.

Long ago, Nern and Alshas had served on the same ship.

Back then, Alshas had struggled to adapt to ship life. If Nern hadn’t saved her multiple times, she wouldn’t be here today.

‘That crybaby is now the captain of an Imperial Mothership.’

The Cult who used to burst into tears after every battle was gone. Nern glanced at the emblem on the right side of her chest.

An emblem with a small circle inside a golden diamond. When Nern became captain of the “Judge of Damos08” ten years ago, he received an identical emblem.

When had his once unreliable subordinate grown to become the commander of the Imperial Mothership “Defender of Beryan02”?

He knew she had been captain for several years now. Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that time had passed incredibly quickly.

“By the way, are you really not coming back? The empire is in chaos. We need heroes like you.”

“I told you. I have no intention of returning until I complete my revenge.”

“You mean the three-headed demon? I’ve seen the records. It’s impossible to eliminate it without the empire’s cooperation.”

When the words “three-headed demon” left Alshas’s lips, Nern involuntarily tensed. The fear from his encounter with that monster still lingered.

“You know as well as I do. The empire has no resources to spare for capturing that monster. Even if they did, the council would oppose it.”

“If I could help…”

“And if you get expelled from the Innovatives too, that would be the end of the empire.”

“…”

“They are humans. It’s true they’re a weak and primitive species. But they are the only key to my vengeance.”

Sihyeon Yujin, the leader of the group Nern currently served with, could use a relic of immense power. With her—no, with the relic she possessed—even the three-headed demon could be killed.

“Is it because of that relic?”

“Yes. Do you remember?”

“Of course I remember—it saved both our lives. I never expected someone else capable of using such a terrifying relic would appear.”

Alshas had been on that ship when the relic activated. However, she was hospitalized at the time and didn’t witness the relic’s operation. By the time she heard about it, Nern had already hidden the relic on some planet.

“Anyway, I came to see you today about something related to that.”

“Yes?”

“Help Sihyeon Yujin meet with a council member from the Innovatives.”

“The Innovatives?”

“We need various weapons and ships. The Providences are advocating rearmament, so they won’t hand over weapons. But…”

“The Innovatives who advocate disarmament are different. That’s true.”

Alshas slightly furrowed her brow. Even as an Imperial Mothership captain, requesting weapon sales from council members wouldn’t be easy.

Moreover, the trading partners were of unclear identity. They could potentially harm the empire at any time. If it weren’t for Nern, she would have refused outright.

After brief consideration, Alshas sighed shortly and nodded.

“How could I refuse an opportunity to repay my debt? As it happens, someone I consider a mentor is here. I’ll speak with them.”

“Really?”

“Yes. They’re well-versed in Megacorp affairs, even among the Innovatives. You should be able to communicate well.”

“Thank you!”

“If you’re that grateful, please return. We have many Imperial Motherships here.”

“Ahem, by the way, how is your brother doing?”

Seeing Nern clear his throat and change the subject, Alshas smiled wryly.

“Brother Alqadi is the same as ever. Still indulging in his refined hobbies.”

“No need to put it that way. He’s certainly a capable person.”

“You’re the only one who speaks well of my good-for-nothing brother.”

Despite her sarcastic tone, her expression wasn’t negative. As Nern recalled, the siblings Alqadi and Alshas got along unusually well for Cult members.

“Why not give him an opportunity? With your recommendation, a governor’s aide position wouldn’t be difficult.”

“Impossible until he abandons his disgraceful hobbies. The council members would oppose it.”

“Tsk. Between him and that person from the Providences, why are so many obsessed with slaves?”

“You mean the missing youngest shaman? I heard all the slaves disappeared too…”

Though their important conversation had ended, Nern didn’t leave.

The long-separated colleagues continued discussing various recent events.

–

‘The Water Fortress, huh.’

I pondered what I’d seen earlier while swallowing a tasty chunk of meat.

Last night, I infiltrated Alqadi’s mansion and implanted a parasite in him. He’s somewhat famous on this planet. I decided to control him the same way as Charas, primarily by manipulating his body.

I demanded two things from this Cult who owned the most slaves in the Street of Light.

Information and goods.

First, I asked for the ledger containing all the slaves he had sold.

He refused despite my standing right in front of him. Said it was his livelihood and couldn’t be handed over.

Of course, his refusal meant little when the parasite had already occupied part of his brain and spine. I inflicted pain on him and ordered again.

Bring the ledger.

Only after emptying the entire contents of his stomach did he comply. After receiving a small data chip from him, I asked about the creatures he possessed.

If Alqadi had only sold slaves, he would never have amassed his current wealth. As expected, he owned numerous creatures for both sale and collection.

‘I didn’t expect him to have apex-class rare creatures too.’

Naturally, I ordered him to bring those as well. To secretly send them to my hiding place.

Having already suffered greatly, he followed my orders without resistance. Alqadi swore to me he would send everything with utmost discretion.

That concluded our business. I left the cleanup to him and returned to my hideout.

Upon returning, I immediately called PS-111.

He was analyzing the power suits brought by our enemies to upgrade his metallic body parts. I asked him to analyze Alqadi’s data chip when he finished.

I told him there was no rush, but PS-111 examined the enormous volume of records overnight. He extracted only the Coldblood slaves from Alqadi’s sales and showed us the list.

And the Sky Mother said one person on the list was particularly suspicious.

She called it suspicious because she had last seen No. 22 ten years ago. Back then, No. 22 was a young Coldblood, so they would now be fully grown. Their appearance would have changed significantly.

‘Well, she seems certain though.’

Anyway, the Coldblood presumed to be No. 22 had been sold just two months ago to a new owner staying at the Water Fortress. Since it had only been a few months, they should still be there.

‘The problem is that breaching the Water Fortress won’t be easy…’

I chewed the food Alqadi had sent while thinking.

The Water Fortress is like this planet’s capital and houses the largest branch of the Prophet Council. Its defense level is incomparably higher than here.

If there are other players on Beryan02 besides No. 22, they’re likely in the Water Fortress too. It’s the planet’s economic center. If I were a Cult player, I’d definitely use it as my base.

‘Breaking through within two days is impossible.’

The duration of “Clever Weakling” has only a few days left. The transformation will almost certainly wear off before I enter the Water Fortress. While I could wage all-out war against the city, infiltrating with a body dozens of meters tall is nearly impossible.

I need to spend time here until I can use Clever Weakling again.

Of course, I don’t plan to waste those 30 days doing nothing. There’s much to do during that long period.

Prepare for infiltration, and…

[Predation Effect activated!]

‘Good.’

When the container sent by Alqadi arrived, I immediately used “Symbol of the Hunt.” I needed to acquire the characteristics of the creatures he sent.

The creature I just ate was a “Red Worm” morphlet. It’s a carnivorous worm that only inhabits desert-type planets, also known as the sand dragon or red snake.

This creature’s unique characteristic has a deep connection with me. I acquired it by chance shortly after arriving in this world.

‘I put it to good use.’

I used this characteristic well for a while before using it as fusion material. It’s been extremely useful so far, and I plan to continue using it actively.

[“Mimicry” characteristic stolen from “Red Worm”.]

[Apply “Mimicry”?]

‘Of course. Confirm.’

The treasure I obtained from the Megacorp research vessel’s cargo hold has returned to my hands.

As I absorbed the characteristic displayed by the predation effect, I began contemplating the most important matter.

I plan to give this useful characteristic to one of my children. The question is, who would use it most effectively?

‘The simplest good choice would be PS-111, but…’

More than half of PS-111’s body is mechanical, and he can modify his body through upgrades. Changing his voice wouldn’t be difficult for him.

‘It would be useful, but that’s about it.’

Next is the Sky Mother. Not a bad choice. Among my children, she’s the most predictable in terms of how she’d apply mimicry.

However, being predictable makes it somewhat boring.

‘Or maybe No. 26 and Adhigh?’

Adhigh is probably not suitable.

Gallergorn uses tentacle clusters instead of a mouth. Even if the mimicry organ were implanted in its throat, the oral structure would make producing sound difficult.

The same applies to No. 26’s oral structure, but he has one differentiating advantage.

‘He can change his body.’

Thanks to the “Faceless” he consumed at the space fortress “Kesha Arma,” he can freely change the form of his tentacles.

Even if the mimicry organ doesn’t fit his body well, it shouldn’t be a major problem. He can adapt his tentacles to the newly formed organ.

Of course, this might result in something quite different from what I imagine. It could be much better than expected, or it might only produce sounds that can hardly be called voices.

‘Should I give it to the Sky Mother, or to No. 26?’

One option has almost no risk, but the results are predictable. Whether in a good or bad way, the outcome won’t deviate much from my expectations.

The other option also has little risk, but the results are unpredictable. Could be good, could be bad.

‘…I’d better give it to him.’

After brief consideration, I finally made my decision.