Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 319
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The Water Fortress is the most prosperous city on Verzan02.
Unlike other cities, the Water Fortress was built solely for strategic purposes and only served as a defense base during the Empire's peak years.
Even after the frequency of wars decreased, the fortress did not fall into ruin. The wealth and infrastructure it had accumulated while functioning as the planet’s central hub were enormous. It was said that around 30% of the entire planet’s earnings came from the Water Fortress.
Its immense wealth allowed it to continue thriving, unaffected by the decline of the Empire. Despite being called a fortress, it had become one of the major cities that represented the Empire, surpassing even Verzan02. Thanks to this, today, numerous spaceships still visit the Water Fortress.
There were many shops in the city, just as old as its history. Some had been around for decades, with some being run by multiple generations.
Of course, despite their age, these shops were managed better than most planetary government offices, so they didn't give off a shabby vibe.
Buildings near artificial waterfalls, built with advanced engineering, were similar. These buildings, each built hundreds of years ago, still maintained their beauty.
Like the waterfalls, which had flowed continuously for centuries, the residents of these buildings had spent long periods of time there. Heinrich, the shopkeeper, was one of them. Specializing in information, miscellaneous goods, and warehouse rentals, he had been operating a store in one of these buildings near the waterfall for over 100 years. The number of customers who had passed through his shop over the years was countless.
But he could confidently say one thing: he had never received such a strange customer as today.
“…Did you say Coldblooded Slave?”
｢Yes. They say if you need information, this is the place to come.｣
In front of him, sitting at the counter, was a Wolf with a peculiar appearance. The Wolf had a white bird-like head, and its amber eyes were striking. It was wearing a Megacorp manufactured exoskeleton.
A bird-headed Wolf was rare, but not unheard of. The outfit it wore was an illegally modified high-grade exosuit, but such attire was common here. Some cults even dressed their slaves in similar clothing.
｢And I also need a large warehouse to store products for several days. The size...｣
But what made Heinrich feel uneasy wasn't the Wolf speaking in front of him.
His senses were fixated on what was behind the Wolf.
It was a woman from the cult, who was looking around the shop.
She had goat horns on her head, indicating she was an ordinary cult member. However, she was no ordinary member; she was a Knowledge Administrator. This was clear from the cult’s symbol of knowledge management the Eye hanging from her shoulder.
He had seen Knowledge Administrators before, so it wasn't particularly awkward. However, Cult couldn’t shake off the uncomfortable feeling.
Having met countless different types of customers over the years, he could usually tell whether someone was a criminal or dangerous just by looking at them.
This woman appeared normal. Her appearance and behavior were natural.
But that was the problem.
‘She seems ordinary, so why do I feel so uneasy?’
His rational mind told him there was nothing wrong, but his instincts were warning him. He needed to leave the place immediately.
‘And this smell…’
A strange scent, one he had never encountered in his life, wafted beneath his nose. At first, he thought it came from the Wolf after all, wolves often had a distinctive smell due to their fur.
But upon a second glance, he realized it wasn’t from the Wolf. The smell was coming from the woman, who was browsing the displayed products.
‘She must leave quickly.’
"I understand what you’re asking. As it happens, I do have a warehouse that fits your requirements, so there shouldn't be a problem."
｢And the Coldblooded Slave?｣
"I'm sorry, but I can’t help with that. I don't deal with slaves."
As soon as those words left his mouth, the Knowledge Administrator’s gaze turned toward him. They merely exchanged a glance, but cold sweat began dripping down his back. Heinrich hastily continued.
"However! I do know someone who deals with Coldblooded Slaves. If you mention my name, the transaction should go smoothly."
｢Where can I find this shop?｣
"Head east from here, and you’ll find a building in the shape of an inverted triangle."
The Wolf seemed satisfied with his answer, but the Cult woman was not. She slowly approached him.
"Well, the price could probably be lowered because of my name. And for the warehouse rental, if you tell me the price you're looking for, I can make it cheaper for you! So, um..."
The Cult woman had gotten closer than the Wolf.
A growing sense of fear surged within him. When she raised her hand, he flinched.
"I will pay with this."
"......"
The strange woman placed a small, dark mineral fragment on the counter. He nearly fell backwards in shock, managed to calm himself and picked up the mineral.
"Moon Silver, huh? It's small, but the purity is quite high."
"Will this be enough for the warehouse rental?"
"It'll work."
The woman nodded in satisfaction and stepped back. Instead, the Wolf she brought with her stepped forward again.
The deal was concluded smoothly.
Now, the strange customers would be leaving the shop.
‘Once this transaction is done, I’m out of here.’
Recently, there had been unpleasant incidents involving the city being locked down. And now, with these bizarre customers visiting, Heinrich no longer wanted to stay here.
He was thinking of leaving Verzan02 while taking a break. But just as he was about to leave, the cult woman suddenly hesitated. She turned around and walked back to the counter.
‘Damn it! What now?’
His heart rate spiked as the strange customer returned when he was about to relax.
"Why, why are you doing this?"
Without a word, the cult woman approached and picked up a small package displayed on the counter.
"I’ll take this too."
"Th-that’s a product for those who are inexperienced with psychic powers. It’s not something a Knowledge Administrator should use."
"I’m not going to use it. I plan to give it as a gift to a friend."
It wasn’t common for a cult member to gift a psychic power training kit.
Of course, Heinrich wasn’t at all curious about the woman’s intentions or purpose.
"Just take it."
"Is it really alright?"
"Of course! And take that thing next to it as well; it has good reviews, so take it."
After receiving several additional items as extras, the strange customers finally left the shop.
｢What was that all about?｣
"A gift for Number 26. I'll take care of the rest, so you can leave first."
｢Are you sure it's okay?｣
"I'll check the security level here again..."
As the voices outside the shop grew fainter, he quickly tidied up the store.
"...I should take a trip."
He had been here for 100 years. A short break wouldn't hurt.
After quickly organizing the shop, Heinrich moved toward the airport, almost as if fleeing.
‘Ah, before I go, just in case...’
On the way to the airship, Heinrich sent a message to his business partner, advising caution. His partner had experience dealing with dangerous customers like the ones from today.She would handle it well when he received the message.
Trusting that, he left the Water Fortress.
---
"Uh?"
Roberts, a well-known slave dealer in the Water Fortress, widened her eyes as she looked at her device.
‘Why is Heinrich sending a message?’
On the small screen was a short message from her business partner. It warned to be cautious because suspicious individuals were on their way.
"The atmosphere in the fortress has been strange lately... I’ll tell the guards to be more vigilant than usual."
"Yes, Mrs. Roberts."
She called the bodyguards and had them get ready. Since the store specialized in handling slaves, the surveillance staff was substantial. With this many armed guards, even if a suspicious person arrived, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.
Thus, Roberts’ store operated under a more tense atmosphere than usual.
However, the suspicious customer that Heinrich had mentioned never arrived. The customers she entertained were only regular clients with whom she had existing transactions.
‘Heinrich said a suspicious person would come, but what happened?’
She had done business with Heinrich several times. Since Heinrich was not very keen on the slave trade, they did not have frequent dealings. Still, she knew Heinrich was not the type to send such a message as a joke.
Despite her faith in that, the strange cult customer did not appear until the store closed.
‘Still, I should stay alert just in case.’
As the sun set and the night sun rose, Roberts called for her secretary.
“Someone might try to break into the store.”
“Are they trying to rescue a slave?”
“I’m not sure yet. Double the security around the slave pens.”
“Understood.”
“Oh, and if there’s any danger, immediately inform the fortress. They’ll come to protect us.”
“I’ll inform the guards.”
Having entrusted her secretary with the task, Roberts made her way to the parking lot where her personal airship was stationed.
The open parking lot was bathed in dark red light. Thanks to the night sun, the waterfall near the buildings seemed like a river flowing with wine rather than water. To someone not involved with the cult, it would have seemed awe-inspiring, but to her, it was all too familiar. Under the ever-present red night, she walked across the parking lot.
‘Huh?’
Just as she was nearing her personal airship, she caught a strange scent in the air. A faint, odd smell lingering in the atmosphere. It seemed similar to the smell of blood spilled recently, like iron, but it also gave off the impression of airship fuel.
‘Where is that disgusting smell coming from?’
While wondering if there was an issue with one of the airships parked nearby, a figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
At the end of the parking lot, there was a woman standing. Though the distance was too far to see clearly, her head stuck out, making it clear she was a cult member.
‘What’s going on?’
There was nothing particularly special about the woman standing there, but Roberts felt a strange sense of pressure.
The feeling that this entity was not a cult member was overwhelming.
“What business do you have?”
Roberts shouted, but the woman did not respond. The strange atmosphere around her remained, and she just kept staring at Roberts. Feeling the intense gaze from the other side, Roberts shivered.
That must be the suspicious customer Heinrich had mentioned. Trembling, Roberts took out her terminal.
“Excuse me.”
“?!”
As she struggled to call the guards, Roberts heard a normal voice.
Looking up, she saw the strange cult member raising a hand and calling her.
“How do I get to Roberts’ store?”
“…You need to enter the building and go to the 42nd floor.”
The woman didn’t acknowledge that she was Roberts. Pointing towards the building with her finger, Roberts hurriedly began moving toward her airship.
Just as she was about to board her airship at a fast pace, she heard the voice again from behind her.
“Don’t you know who Roberts is?”
“……”
She didn’t respond and quickly slammed the door shut. She immediately sent a message to her secretary.
There was a suspicious individual here, and she instructed them to send the guards immediately.
Without checking the reply from her secretary, she started the airship. She had a strange feeling that this person might try to board the airship if she stayed any longer.
The airship had just begun to rise from the parking lot when the hull shook slightly.
“Eek?!”
Could the ominous feeling she had sensed actually be coming true? Trembling, she checked the external cameras.
The camera feed showed nothing. It only displayed the luxurious exterior of the airship, adorned with fine decorations.
After checking several times, she finally managed to calm her nerves and started the airship.
From the cameras of the airship, she could see numerous cult members emerging in the parking lot below. They were all guards who had received orders from her secretary. They began to search the parking lot thoroughly.
“Phew.”
She didn’t know who these people were, but it was impossible to leave the parking lot without getting past so many guards.
Roberts sent a message to her secretary, asking for a report on the investigation results, and set the airship’s destination to her private residence.
‘Once I get home, I’ll have a drink.’
Lying in a hot tub with a sip of fine wine would surely calm her rattled nerves.
Whether or not the airship's owner was aware of the fear she felt, the airship quietly cut through the red curtain of the city as it descended.
——————
HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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