Ch.329Contract (1)

The fortress of water is dyed in a dark red.

Isabelle still hadn’t appeared.

“…Something seems to have happened.”

In the dim alleyway, amber eyes wavered anxiously.

‘Why so suddenly?’

When I met her yesterday, there wasn’t anything particularly strange. She did go back earlier than usual, but she’s a slave. It’s understandable given the restrictions on her freedom of movement.

Today could be the same situation, but somehow I have a bad feeling.

‘This won’t do.’

Continuing to wait here is meaningless.

[Zzzzz zzzzz (Let’s go to the warehouse)]

Perhaps she might be at the old warehouse where the Coldblood slaves hide. We moved there together.

When we arrived, the warehouse entrance was blocked by a barrier as usual. I lowered my head to the ground. I was using the auxiliary organ under my chin to search for traces of Isabelle.

While scanning the faint footprints on the floor and fingerprints near the terminal with my auxiliary organ, I detected something unusual. Several traces felt much clearer than the others. This meant those traces were made more recently.

[Zzzz zzzzzzzz (I need to open it)]

“Did you find something?”

[Zzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzz (Maybe. Take out the MPS-05)]

The Sky Mother looked around and then pulled out the MPS-05 from her backpack.

“Confirm. Confirm.”

It climbed up the wall using its pointed metal legs. Then it extended a cable from its head-body and plugged it into the small port on the terminal.

“Password, input. Required.”

“Password?”

“Password. Needed!”

At the mention of a password, the Sky Mother and I looked at each other. She was thinking the same thing I was.

“‘Penelope’.”

“Confirmed.”

This warehouse protects the legacy left by Isabelle’s twin sister. If a password is required for such a place, there could only be one.

When the MPS-05 entered the password, the barrier was deactivated as expected.

The first thing we saw upon entering the warehouse was a pad-type terminal placed on the floor.

“It’s Isabelle’s.”

The terminal was neatly placed on top of the door leading to the basement stairs. As if asking us to look at it.

I picked up the thin pad with my small arm near my chest. As soon as my fingers touched it, it activated and displayed various information on the screen.

‘What’s this?’

After scrolling through the screen and checking the information, I could guess why Isabelle hadn’t come. And what she was thinking.

“What does it say? Why are you like that?”

Instead of answering, I handed the pad to the Sky Mother. With each swipe of her fur-covered fingers across the screen, her eyes grew wider.

The data on Isabelle’s terminal was mainly of two types.

One was personal information about 10 high-ranking Cult members in the fortress of water. It was well-organized with important details about when they entered and left, what positions they held, how powerful they were, and what to be cautious about.

The other was a list of trading vessels. It only included those in the gray area between legal and illegal, making them difficult to receive Imperial protection. They seemed useful for evacuating Coldbloods. At the end of the list was a locked file, set to automatically unlock after 7 days from now.

“Don’t tell me…?”

[Zzz (Yes)]

A list of trading vessels and a file locked for 7 days.

Isabelle intends to entrust the Coldbloods to us. She doesn’t plan to return to the warehouse.

If you’re wondering about the contract with the Sky Mother, the locked file is the key.

It’s not hard to guess what’s in that file. She must have organized the information about the illusion that she promised to tell me.

“That child doesn’t plan to come back!”

The Sky Mother seems to have thought the same as me. Her dismay was clearly evident in her thought waves.

[Zzz zzzzz zzzzzzzz (I think I know why)]

Why would Isabelle, a slave, create a list of high-ranking Cult members? The answer isn’t difficult. Among those listed here is a ranker.

However, Isabelle didn’t specify who the ranker was. She simply recorded detailed personal information about 10 individuals.

It’s unlikely she didn’t know who the ranker was. After all, she possesses the power to read information.

The reason she didn’t specifically identify the ranker is simple.

[Zzzzz zzzzzz (She made a contract)]

It was clear she had made a contract with another ranker and Voltex One, just as she had with the Sky Mother.

“But contracts are impossible without Coldbloods.”

[Zzzzzzzz zzzzzz (Generally, yes)]

It’s nearly impossible for species other than Coldbloods to form friendly relationships with Voltex One. Especially Outspacers and Cult are very hostile to Voltex One by setting, so they cannot make contracts.

So in this case, there’s only one answer.

“…She was blackmailed.”

It’s unclear what card the enemy used to pressure Isabelle. What’s important is that she entered into an unfair contract.

While I can’t know the exact terms of the contract, I can roughly guess from the data she left. Most likely, it’s a contract preventing her from harming the ranker. Additionally, it probably includes not being able to leave Beryan02.

‘That’s why she tried to send the Coldbloods out through us.’

Judging by the amount of data, she had probably been planning this for quite some time. She just couldn’t implement it without helpers.

“We can’t just leave her like this.”

The Sky Mother said firmly.

‘I feel the same way.’

I’ve invested a lot of time and effort to get Isabelle. I can’t let her go now. It’s hard to find such an excellent assistant for gathering information. Even if it means fighting a ranker, I need to take her with me.

‘Anyway, since she’s made a contract, we’ll have to fight regardless.’

To leave Beryan02 with her, we need to deal with the contractor first.

To cancel a Voltex One contract midway, all parties must agree. We need to make the enemy agree to cancel the contract so we can escape the planet together.

‘The problem is figuring out who the ranker is.’

The Sky Mother and I examined the list on the pad.

“Here it says ‘Kixos’s Banquet Guest List’.”

[Zzzz zzzzz zzzzz zzzz zzzzzz zzzzzz (Since she couldn’t mention it directly, she chose another method)]

“…Which one of them is the ranker?”

Obviously, not all 10 are rankers. If there were that many, I would have been finished when I was discovered. The enemy rankers are likely at least one, at most two or three.

“Planetary Governor, Surveillance Bureau Chief… They’re all the highest authorities in this planet, no, this star system.”

[Zzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzz zzzzzzzz (It would be difficult to check each one)]

Once we start targeting even one, we’ll essentially be fighting the entire Beryan02 from that point on.

[Zzzzzzzzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzz (Anyone suspicious or that stands out to you?)]

“……”

The Sky Mother, squinting at the pad screen, extended her fur-covered finger. She pointed to a spot on the list.

“Alshas, captain of ‘Beryan02’s Defender’. This one is suspicious.”

[Zzz zzzzzz (Oh? Why?)]

“His position is ambiguous compared to the others on this list. While a governor or surveillance chief is a core Imperial power figure, an Imperial mothership captain doesn’t quite match up.”

It’s a valid point.

An Imperial mothership captain is a very important position in the Empire, but it’s slightly lower in rank than the other members on this list.

“There’s one more reason. Doesn’t the name Alshas sound familiar?”

Now I remember.

Alqadi, the most influential slave trader in the Street of Light.

I planted a parasite in his head to find Coldblood slaves. Thanks to that, I learned that Isabelle had gone to the fortress of water.

This somewhat useful underling died suddenly after attending some gathering with his brother.

[Zzzzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz (So he’s Alqadi’s brother)]

“Yes.”

Alshas is both on Isabelle’s list and was present when Alqadi died. He’s definitely suspicious as a ranker.

[Zzzzzzzzz zzzz zzzzzzzz (He’s suspicious, so let’s mark him)]

“Is there anyone you’re suspicious of?”

In response to her question, I chose the person at the top of the list. The host of the banquet, Councilor Kixos.

“True. Cult players benefit from running political parties well.”

If I were a Cult player, I would maintain good relationships with talented individuals from various fields. For sentient species like Cult or humans, relationships and social networks are powerful weapons. Even more so in the real world than in a game.

When we fought underground, the enemy mobilized various types of units and equipment in a short time. This would be impossible without connections to those in power.

If there’s a position that satisfies these conditions, it would only be Councilor Kixos, who maintains friendly relationships with powerful figures from various fields.

After identifying these two, we continued examining the list, but no one else seemed as suspicious as these two.

“Kixos and Alshas. These two are the most suspicious.”

[Zzzz zzzzzzzz zzzzzz zzzz zzzz (It could be one of them or perhaps both)]

“One is an Imperial mothership captain, the other is an influential figure in the Imperial council. Which one should we target first?”

Both are quite formidable enemies.

After much deliberation about who to check first, I made a decision.

[Zzzzzzzzz zzzz (Let’s go after Kixos first)]

There’s a reason for targeting him before Alshas. Kixos has established friendly relationships with the power figures of Beryan02. If something happens to any of the people on the list, he’s likely to immediately inform the others.

‘Once we start attacking, we can’t stop. So it’s better to strike at the head first.’

He functions as the command tower among the powerful figures. Whether he’s a ranker or not, it’s better to target him first.

[Zzzzzzzz zzzzzz zzzzzzzzzz (This time, we’ll all move together)]

Given the high possibility of multiple enemy rankers, we should all move together to minimize damage.

We gathered Isabelle’s terminal and left the old warehouse.

‘I was trying to leave quietly.’

Despite being bombarded from above and having restrictions placed on my well-used traits, I endured to achieve my desired goal.

But just as I was about to grasp that goal, I failed because of the annoying tricks the enemies had set up.

‘It’s very unpleasant.’

I still don’t know which ranker made the contract with Isabelle.

If they fall into my hands.

I’ll show them that there are beings in this world more fearsome than Voltex One.