It’s Not a Meeting, It’s an Invasion! 2

The Glectus layer, where the Dunhill Family is located, is a layer where they reign as the market, president, king, and emperor, and is considered a wealthy and powerful layer even in the central region.

However, being considered upper-class didn’t mean the people were wealthy, but rather that the Dunhill Family was wealthy enough to drive the layer’s capital and economy single-handedly.

The people here were actually far from wealthy when compared to the Ark average.

But even so, the city was huge.

This was because the Dunhill Family was directly pouring their money and capital into city development and providing welfare to the people free of charge.

However….

“It’s quiet.”

Originally, a layer is a place where you can see a hell of countless people, so noisy it’s almost terrible.

No matter where you go in the Ark, the population density is unbelievably high, and the density of buildings is denser than an ant colony, with endless ultra-dense Hive Cities, so it’s no wonder.

Even the Ruincrest layer, called the layer of nobles, boasted a population density comparable to New York, Tokyo, or Seoul on Earth, as Alice remembers.

However, the scenery seen from what appeared to be a layer elevator slowly became less populated, and at some point, there was no trace of people at all.

Due to the closed nature of the Ark, layers are usually connected without any space in between, with buildings and vertical buildings continuously connected, but strangely, all the nearby villages, cities, residential areas, and layers near the Dunhill Family were left completely empty.

It’s an ironic and strange landscape that looks like a deserted island in the vast ocean.

Even considering that the layer where the Dunhill Family is located is quite far from the layers where ordinary people live, it doesn’t make sense for there to be so few people.

“It seems the harvest period has recently ended.”

“Harvest?”

“Outside, it’s also called the Glectus layer’s large-scale regular recruitment period. The Dunhill Family periodically recruits people from nearby areas as family employees. Roughly every 5 to 10 years…”

“What do they do after recruiting them? I doubt it’s for the pure purpose of providing jobs?”

“The Dunhill Family mansion is so large that it uses an entire layer, so they use them as family employees and provide jobs. They pay well, you can use the Dunhill mansion as you please, and there’s 4 major insurances, 6 hours of work a day, three meals a day, and free supply of necessities.”

“Wow. Sorry.”

It was a complete god-tier job?

I’m sorry for misunderstanding, Dunhill Family.

“Of course, about half of the employees are also used as studs or seed-bearers.”

“Oh, um….”

Alice closed her mouth.

I knew it.

Are these crazy people only thinking about breeding?

Alice suddenly found it amazing that Fira, who grew up in such a family, had a normal way of thinking.

No, when you think about it, even Fira, when expressing her feelings for Alice, immediately suggested marriage instead of loyalty, so she must have been somewhat influenced by the Dunhill Family.

“As I said earlier, the Dunhill Family uses its enormous capital and power to hire, recruit, and persuade all the people around them… and if that doesn’t work, they don’t hesitate to use force to kidnap them. It’s no wonder there are no people left nearby.”

“The goal is to create that masterpiece or whatever?”

“Haa, that’s right. They don’t just want to complete it, but they want to mass-produce it. Even I find it a disgusting family.”

The people the Dunhill Family ‘hires’ include not only talented Awakened but also civilians with no power, and even executors and Overseers who perform the Ark’s public duties. And all those who are embraced by the Dunhill Family disappear into their huge mansion.

Of course, about half of them are truly hired as Fira said, or recognized as family servants, cleaners, or, if they’re lucky, as members of the family.

And the other half are usually used for breeding… as materials to give birth to Beelzebub’s descendants, who may have new talents.

Even the rich who have no problem making a living in the Ark are like beggars compared to the Dunhill Family.

Not only their wealth but also the Dunhill Family’s military power and authority are at the top level of the Ark, so how can ordinary people resist?

When the citizen population of the Glectus layer becomes insufficient due to this employment policy, they attract people again through upper Ark’s immigration encouragement policies and tax support policies.

As a result, there is no sign of people in the Glectus layer immediately after the harvest. Since the residents have already moved to the Dunhill Family’s mansion, which is out of everyone’s sight, no one can point out the reality of the Dunhill Family.

Therefore, to the outside world, the Glectus layer, where the Dunhill Family is located, is considered a very happy and problem-free terrestrial paradise.

“But why would they collect the seeds of ordinary people? There’s almost no chance.”

“Alice, do you know why people buy lottery tickets?”

“Hope for the future? Expectations? An escape from an insecure reality or a baseless belief that I can do it?”

“It’s the same. For that crazy family, as long as there is a probability, however slim, there is no reason to hesitate.”

“Huh.”

“For reference, my biological mother is also from human origin.”

“What?”

In a sense, Fira was like a lottery win from the Dunhill Family’s perspective.

It’s just that the lottery went out of the family on its own and told them to screw off.

Anyway, for the Dunhill Family, it didn’t matter whether it was the seed of an ordinary person or the seed of an Awakened.

If there is a 0.000001 percent chance, or even a smaller probability, that a masterpiece will be born, it is worth trying.

The mystery of genetics has not been completely deciphered even in modern times with highly developed magical engineering, so the Dunhill Family continues to update their crazy family tree without stopping.

As Fira and I chatted and arrived at the deserted layer elevator platform, only a stiff-faced guide who looked like an android or robot was standing on the platform.

[Welcome. This is the Glectus layer. The current time is 18:42 based on the Central Time Management Department, and the current temperature is 13.2C, and the humidity is 40 percent, which is colder than yesterday. How about wearing a light coat today? Have a nice day.]

Hmm, judging from the faint electromagnetic waves felt on the skin and the stiff tone, it seems to be a real robot.

“We’ve arrived.”

Fira slightly lifted the hem of her skirt and took Alice’s hand.

Alice made a face as if to say she didn’t have to do this, but Fira gracefully took one leg back slightly and waited with her hand down as if waiting for Alice to take it, so Alice couldn’t help but take it.

“Welcome to the Glectus layer, the Dunhill Family.”

As I felt when I saw it from the layer elevator, it was a very desolate place.

The buildings were tall, the shopping district was fancy, and the neon signs flickered everywhere as if the electricity was working well, but the crowds were frighteningly absent.

Except for the minimum number of cleaning robots and drones to manage the city, there was virtually no one walking around the streets. The shopping district was full of goods, but there were no customers to buy them or employees to guide them.

Everything in the city was the same, but there were no people.

It’s a desolate and lonely landscape, as if the world has been completely destroyed except for humans.

“There’s almost no one here.”

“It seems there was a harvest just recently.”

The electronic display board is still pouring out flashy advertisements, but Fira and Alice are the only ones receiving that light here.

The sound of the wind coming from somewhere was their only companion.

We enter the theater district.

The Glectus layer usually attracts poor people with welfare and free distribution policies, so of course, all the theaters here are free to watch.

In a slightly open screening room, an unknown black and white movie was playing, and famous plays and opera posters such as Phantom of the Fairy, Lion Queen, and Champe Miserable were still hanging on the wall.

Surely, until recently, there were people standing in long lines in front of this.

It’s not like poor people hate theaters or plays.

As Alice moved a little, a large park came into view.

The sunlight from the Artificial Sun shattered and fell between the huge trees.

Fira said that there would usually be people jogging.

Dogs have already become extinct due to mutant rabies, so the people here probably took their pet monsters or artificial familiars for a walk in this park. There used to be many people sitting on benches reading books, but now only the chirping of insects and maggots parasitizing the park could be heard.

‘Wait, do maggots even chirp…?’

Alice had a question, but she shouldn’t ask for existing common sense in the Ark.

Besides, this is the Glectus layer, ruled by the Dunhill Family, who are maggot other-non-humans.

It wouldn’t be strange if the maggots living in the park chirped or cried like birds… right?

Wow, and they even sing much better than most canaries.

It’s nice to listen to.

Is this Edelweiss?

Maggots can even sing.

-Hey. If you listened to the song, give me money.-

“Huh?”

Alice was startled by the sudden voice and saw a fist-sized maggot attached to a tree, staring at her.

No, since it doesn’t have eyes, I don’t know if it’s staring at me.

-What is it? Are you just going to listen to the song for free?

“…?”

The same voice that Alice thought was a good song was coming from there.

Wait, what?

Was the maggot singing just now?

“It’s a tradition.”

“What tradition…?”

Alice tilted her head at Fira’s words.

“Ah, Alice, you don’t know what busking is? Busking is another word for street performance….”

No, I know that, but why is a fist-sized maggot singing… no, busking in a park with no people?

Besides, it sounded really good.

It was the best of the songs I’ve heard in this life?

While Alice was dumbfounded, the maggot, presumed to have sung the song, looked sulky… no, I can’t tell if it has a face or if I can distinguish its expression, but for some reason, it looked sulky.

Anyway, the maggot with that face glared at Alice and sighed deeply.

-Ha, if you’re just going to listen to the song without giving me money, just go. I just strained my voice…

“Do you accept account transfers?”

-Of course! It’s 395-1411-21!

“…?”

It even accepts account transfers… Ark integrated electronic financial pay, it seems.

-Do you want a receipt?

“Uh, uh. No, it’s okay.”

How do you even issue a receipt?

I don’t know how much Fira received, but the busking maggot started singing again with a joyful voice.

I can’t even guess where its throat and vocal cords are, but it’s amazing how it can sing such a song… well, let’s not be bound by common sense.

“It was a pretty good song.”

“But except for the maggot that was singing earlier, we haven’t met anyone. You’re not acquainted with it, are you, Fira?”

“I’m not particularly close to the family, and I ate most of my siblings during the growing process for reasons beyond my control, so I’m not familiar with most of my kin. Judging from the fact that the singing friend from earlier didn’t recognize me, it seems to be a generation long after I was born.”

“It seems that there are only Dunhill Family maggots in the city right after the harvest.”

“Still, the song was good to listen to. It was a little unpleasant that it put charm on its voice in the middle of the song as if to ask for more money, but since the song itself was good to listen to, I’ll just let it go~”

Leaving the maggot’s song behind, Alice started walking again.

There was a long bridge made of glass over the yellow river, and the lights in the distance still reminded me of the city’s vitality, but there were no living things moving under the lights.

Even if there were, it was only a few maggots or occasionally seen ones that seemed to have been released by the Dunhill Family.

With everything the same and only humans gone, this city looked so lonely and desolate. And beyond that desolation, a huge mansion could be seen.

It was the Dunhill Mansion in the center of the Glectus layer.