Going Up 2

Returning to the Governor-General’s residence, I saw Oriana, who had been waiting for me.

“Long time no see?”

Oriana, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, was wearing her Overseer uniform.

A black coat with magical glyphs, a blue armband and a black hat that only First-Class Overseers could wear.

Even from a distance, she radiated an aura that screamed, “I’m an Overseer, so don’t mess with me, you bastards.”

When she picked me up in the Scrap Iron Forest, she was wearing comfortable casual clothes, so it seemed she was on a job that was closer to a vacation back then.

Seeing her like this, Oriana definitely had a powerful presence.

It felt like she didn’t become a First-Class Overseer for nothing.

Ah, I should greet her first.

“Alice, Governor-General of the lower layer and Third-Class Overseer, greets First-Class Overseer Oriana.”

“Come on, come on. Our Alice has become so stiff while I wasn’t looking? Just relax.”

“Don’t be lenient. If you tell me to be comfortable, I’ll keep talking comfortably.”

“Yeah, that’s better.”

However, the slight upturn of her lips was not much different from when I first met her.

Oriana casually threw her coat on a chair and stared at me.

“Your growth rate is certainly fast. Mana, strength, the density inside your body… It was like this when I first picked you up, but the speed at which you grow is ridiculous.”

“You can see that?”

“My eyes are a bit special.”

Looking at her eyes, Oriana’s eyes turned with a mechanical clicking sound.

“Are those prosthetic eyes? No, they’re not. Hacking is impossible.”

“They’re artificial spirits. If you develop them properly and implant them in your body, they have pretty good performance.”

Oriana’s ability was artificial spirits.

Spirits usually reside in nature and possess attributes of natural objects that have existed since the beginning, such as fire, water, and wind, but Oriana’s ability is to freely synthesize and create spirits that originally existed and those that did not.

The spirit of the sword, the spirit of clairvoyance, the spirit of magnetism, the spirit of the internet, the spirit of hydrochloric acid.

Oriana can literally create spirits as she names them, and she can implant these spirits into her body or replace her body by giving them appropriate attributes.

In a way, Oriana’s ability itself had similar advantages to mine.

I, with the body of an android machine can replace or upgrade my body at any time, and Oriana can create artificial spirits as she wants and replace her body parts or apply them immediately as needed.

“Looking at your outfit, it seems like you’re here for work?”

“I can’t deny that. Ah, before we talk about work, Rilstia has issued a reward.”

“A reward?”

Oriana handed me a stack of pure white documents.

The case of the missing Academy students in the lower layer and the case of the blood contamination investigation.

And including the defeat of True Ancestor Agatha’s attack, she even knew about the time I went down to the Abyss layer with Fira.

“True Ancestor Agatha’s solo subjugation, and the elimination of the Dunhill Family’s fugitive, Rilstia was very pleased.”

“…Putting aside the other things, Fira went up an hour or two ago, how did you know about this?”

“Administrator Rilstia is a bit special. She is one of the founders of the Ark and one of the few early leaders who are still active, so she is aware of many things that others don’t know.”

Well, Rilstia has the ability to dive directly into the Ark’s cybernet and CCTV with a human body, or to materialize as a hologram anytime, anywhere, so she can be said to be one step ahead of most administrators in terms of information gathering ability.

“Originally, the achievements of the Overseers are basically given in money, but… our Alice has something more important than money, right?”

I have a lot of money now.

The basic salary as an Overseer is quite good, but thanks to owning a stake in the Saya Guild, which occupied the Satellite City Jain, I earned much more than most First-Class Overseers.

Of course, as Oriana said, I needed something other than money.

“First of all, Administrator Rilstia is promoting the expansion of authority for the Governor-General of the lower layer.”

“Huh? But isn’t that just a Governor-General in name only?”

In fact, it was only a Governor-General in name, so I was handling all the reconstruction costs, layer reorganization, and Artificial Sun power sources with my own strength and money.

The lower layer basically had self-sufficiency and there were many abandoned machines and AI robots, so there were many things to recycle, but the basic raw materials and other necessary things had to be purchased from the upper and middle layers.

Perhaps because I was a Third-Class Overseer, I was able to bring in most things cheaply.

“Our cute Alice is trying to help the people of the lower layer somehow, how can I ignore that? I even submitted a petition.”

“Oh. I appreciate it, but what’s the result? Looking at the Central Administration’s actions so far, it seems like they’ll ignore the lower layer and tell them to fend for themselves?”

“Fira signed it and I signed it too. And Administrator Rilstia is more than a little fond of you. Thanks to that, the lower layer will have a direct passage to the middle layer and exchange of goods from next quarter.”

“Wait, what?”

Those words were practically the same as saying that the lower layer I was managing would be incorporated into the middle layer.

“No, I’m the one who reorganized and developed the lower layer, so the middle layer is going to swoop in and take it now?”

“Don’t worry. The lower layer administrative district will remain as it is, and the middle and lower layers won’t be integrated as much as you think. Your Governor-General position and the independence of the lower layer will still be maintained. It’s just that the restrictions on the flow of goods and people will disappear.”

“…Then, well. I guess I did a good job.”

Well, the people of the lower layer already hate the people of the middle and upper layers.

Now that the lower layer is becoming a better place to live, if the central government tries to take it, the central staff, not me, will know that there will be resistance.

“Once the flow of goods starts, it will be easier for people to live. Instead, information control over the Abyss layer will be strengthened. From now on, high-ranking Overseers of Third-Class or higher will reside in the lower layer for a certain period of time.”

“What?”

“If the traffic of people increases, the monsters of the Abyss will naturally be stimulated. Instead, all Overseers, Enforcers, and Hunters dispatched to the lower layer will be managed by the Governor-General of the lower layer. Of course, it’s not a unilateral notification. You can refuse if there are any things you don’t like, including what I just said.”

“Including the exchange between the lower and middle layers?”

Oriana nodded obediently.

“Yes, because you are the Governor-General here. The Central Administration has now begun to recognize you as a full manager with authority over the lower layer.”

“Not bad. But those stuffy central administrators are opening up the lower layer so easily? I’m only a Third-Class Overseer.”

“You’re Second-Class now.”

“Huh. Really?!”

“Yeah.”

With those words, Oriana handed me something.

It was a blue choker.

It was similar to the choker from Rilstia that I was wearing, but it felt much more luxurious overall, including the decorations.

“Wear this from now on. The higher-ups unanimously approved your promotion due to the solo subjugation of the True Ancestor and the successful development of the lower layer.”

“Heh.”

“Congratulations. Second-Class Overseer Alice.”

Taking off the choker I was wearing around my neck and putting on the new one felt different.

It felt a bit like a dog collar, but it was so luxurious that I wanted to show it off.

“Now, there’s not much left until you become a First-Class Overseer.”

“Yeah, that’s right…”

Oriana looked at me with a somewhat wistful look.

“You said that if I become a First-Class Overseer, you’d have something to ask me to do, right? Can’t you at least tell me what it is?”

“Ah, right. There was something like that. That is…”

Oriana’s lips fluttered a few times.

She seemed to be wondering whether she could say it or not.

“Well, not yet. Um, yeah. You’ll be able to understand it someday. Surely that’s… yeah, that’s what happened. It can’t be helped. Alice, it’s too early for you. As time goes by, you’ll definitely be able to understand me.”

“What, that way of speaking is very shitty.”

“Oh, you noticed? The conclusion is that it’s not possible yet.”

Looking at Oriana, who was trying to gloss over it with a smile, I thought to myself.

Oriana, who said she would entrust me with something secret, didn’t seem to really want to entrust me with anything.

It wasn’t a matter of whether I was trustworthy or strong.

To put it in a metaphor, it was as if she didn’t want her secret flaws to be exposed.

“Oriana, you picked me up and saved me. Thanks to you, I’m acting as the Governor-General in this shiny office.”

“Um, that’s because Alice is good. No Overseer has ever risen to Second-Class so quickly.”

“If it wasn’t for you, I would have been working as a Hunter at the Barrier Organization for years like a beggar. Besides, back then, I didn’t have enough energy, so I had to plug a wire into a power outlet in a bar and leech off it, you know?”

“Ah, that’s… wait, Alice. Then the large electricity bill that came out of my house in the Guryong residential area was…?”

“Ah.”

Oriana’s eyes suddenly became fierce.

It’s better to quickly apologize in times like this.

Isn’t it easier to ask for forgiveness than permission?

“I’m sorry. I’ll compensate you…”

“…No, Alice probably didn’t know anything back then.”

“How did you know that… huh?”

“These eyes can see unconscious emotions. I wouldn’t have let you off if you knew and did it.”

“…Ahem.”

Oriana pinched my face with a “look at this” expression.

The soft artificial skin stretched out.

It hurt quite a bit, perhaps because it was getting closer to human skin.

“Ugh… It hurts…”

“I will give a new mission to our naughty electric thief Alice.”

“Ugh, sorry… What kind of mission is it?”

“Originally, I was going to do it for you or give you a month off for our Alice who had been to the Abyss, but I can’t because you’re so impudent. Go up right now.”

“So, what mission is it?”

“Massacre the Academy.”

“…Huh?”

What is she talking about again?

Why massacre the Academy?

Of course, I was quite pissed off when I saw the Academy students sending orphans to their deaths at the Caracas layer last time, so I massacred them, but here, an order to massacre the Academy is coming down?

Perhaps sensing the question in my eyes, Oriana shrugged and said.

“It’s a rebellion.”

“Ah.”

If it’s a rebellion, well…

It must be destroyed.