Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 324
"Request?"
ï½¢...What do you want? If it's something we can grant, I'll do it.ï½£
The Mother of the Sky asked, but Isabel shook her head.
"First, promise that you'll listen. I'll tell you what I need afterward."
With that, Isabel closed her mouth.
She seemed unwilling to speak until we agreed.
‘She seems to know quite a lot from the way she speaks.’
It didn’t seem like a bluff to get out of an unfavorable situation. If she were trying to bluff, she would have either lied outright or taken a different approach.
‘Judging by her bodily responses, it's unlikely she's lying.’
The Auxiliary Organs of each head are monitoring every movement Isabel makes. The movements of her eyes, her heartbeat, the rhythm of her breathing, the tremors in her muscles all of these signals are transmitted through the air and flow down to the Auxiliary Organs beneath her chin.
No signs of nervousness or confusion are detected, except for the tremors in her leg muscles from having her toes cut off.
Unless she's a master of deception, it's clear that she knows something about the illusion.
‘Should I talk to her a little more?’
I moved my four legs and stood beside the Mother of the Sky. Isabel, who had been dazed, seemed startled, possibly by the shock of what she had just said.
"I never expected you to make a counterproposal," I said.
"The fact that the Amorph chose to 'talk' is even more surprising," she replied.
"Enough with the nonsense. I have a question."
Her sharp response came, but I ignored it and went straight to the point.
"You said you'd share the knowledge you have if we grant your request, right?"
"Yes."
"After it's over, how can we be sure you won't lie?"
The biggest issue here is whether Isabel will actually tell us the truth. If she lies or deliberately omits important information, it will all be a disadvantage to me.
When Isabel heard my words, she flicked her antennae, looking annoyed.
"Don't compare me to you."
"I can't grant your request without being sure you'll speak the truth."
"If you don't trust me, then forget it."
ï½¢Isabel!ï½£
The Mother of the Sky shot a mental blast to signal Isabel to stop, but Isabel paid no mind.
"If we can't solve this with words, we'll have to find another way".
"Do you think I'm here without any means of escaping?".
Of course not.
I already knew she was hiding her abilities. She possesses the true power of Coldblood: the Vortex, a special ability granted to the players who came to this world.
Although the exact abilities and privileges she possesses are unknown, at the very least, they should be enough to overcome the current crisis. If they weren’t, she wouldn’t have survived this long.
But that’s the same for me.
I too am hiding my strength. I have no intention of letting her off easily.
She holds crucial information that I need. The most reliable way to obtain that knowledge is to capture Isabel and turn her into a Humanoid Parasite. If I capture her, I won't be persuading her with words anymore, but with my teeth.
‘The problem is the high risk...’
If I fight Isabel and the Cults join in, things will get messy. The Cult rankers on this planet probably think I'm dead. If they realize I'm alive, they’ll try to kill me. That would mean I'd have to fight both the Cult rankers and Isabel at the same time.
‘Still, considering priorities, capturing her is more important.’
The reason I came to Verzan-02 in the first place was to get information from Isabel. Now that I've found her, I've accomplished half of my goal. Fighting here would expose my existence to the Cult, but it's better than letting her slip away.
ï½¢Wait a moment.ï½£
Just as I was about to make my decision, the Mother of the Sky intervened.
ï½¢The problem is that Isabel might lie, right?ï½£
[ZZ (Yes)]
"Right."
ï½¢Then there's a way to solve this.ï½£
She walked a few steps forward and stood between Isabel and me.
ï½¢Isabel, make a contract with the Vortex One. If there's any violation, I'll bear the cost.ï½£
"What?"
[ZZ (What?)]
At the sudden words of my long-time friend, Isabel flinched around her eyes. She seemed noticeably rattled, and her heartbeat wavered for the first time.
I was also shocked by what the Mother of the Sky had said.
The Vortex One, known as the ‘Demon of the Universe’.
As its name implies, all their activities are carried out through contracts. It’s thanks to these contracts that Coldblood can use the power of the Vortex Ones.
By borrowing the power of the Vortex Ones, one can use abilities with completely different effects, such as enhancing oneself or destroying something with overwhelming force.
Of course, the stronger the borrowed power, the greater the price to pay. The risk of failing to pay that price also increases.
The cost of the contract depends on the strength and type of power borrowed, but the risk in case of violation is always severe. Not only can one die, but the player could also suffer permanent damage.
As for Coldblood, due to their species' traits, there’s one method to minimize the risks of not fulfilling the contract: using a sacrifice.
If the risk of violation is transferred to a sacrifice, the harm to the contractor can be minimized. Of course, if the unpaid price continues to accumulate, the sacrifice will become useless, but that isn't the issue right now.
No matter how small the contract, the risk involved is extremely harsh. The Mother of the Sky knows this well.
Despite knowing this, she declared that she would bear the responsibility herself if Isabel lied.
"If I lie, you'll die."
ï½¢Then just don't lie.ï½£
"Why bother with such useless things now?"
ï½¢I think it's more useless for you two to fight here.ï½£
"...."
At those words, Isabel fell silent. The Mother of the Sky, having diverted her gaze from Isabel, turned toward me.
Her beautiful amber eyes showed no sign of wavering. She had already made up her mind completely.
ï½¢With this, Amorph, you can trust her, right?ï½£
[ZZ (Yes)]
I gave a brief acknowledgement.
It wasn’t because I was fine with her dying that I agreed.
Throughout this journey, the Mother of the Sky had become an important companion to me. While she wasn’t as dear as Number 26 or Adhai, who felt like family, she was still someone precious.
Even so, the reason I agreed was that Isabel’s reaction was quite intense. The one who had appeared to be detached from all relationships was visibly shaken when the Mother of the Sky declared she would risk her life.
This meant there was still some lingering affection for her old friend. The fact that she didn’t immediately consent showed that her feelings weren’t trivial.
"...Fine."
After a few minutes of contemplation, Isabel sighed and agreed to the conditions set by the Mother of the Sky.
She pulled out a device that resembled a shield generator from her worn clothes. If the shield generator was a hexagonal plate, this new object was shaped like a pentagon.
‘An energy-blocking device.’
When making a contract with a Vortex One, energy is always generated. Even for a very small contract that prevents lying. While the energy-blocking device can only limit a very small amount of energy, it should be useful in this situation. With that small device, it should be able to prevent the energy from leaking.
‘This reveals something else I didn’t know.’
Isabel doesn’t have a good relationship with the Cult rankers on Verzan-02. There might be some kind of hidden connection, but at the very least, she doesn't maintain an openly friendly relationship with them. This is likely why she carries an energy-blocking device around.
As I was thinking this, she activated the energy-blocking device and made the contract with the Mother of the Sky. A faint black light flickered within the shield, but no energy leaked outside.
"It’s done."
In less than a minute, Isabel had completed the contract and deactivated the shield. The Mother of the Sky appeared to be fine, except for her fur, which had flattened and her energy seemed drained.
"Now, tell me what you want."
"Alright. Follow me."
Isabel said as she picked up the basket of groceries that had been placed in the corner.
"Follow you?"
"It's a safe place. Now that we've made a contract, I have no intention of harming you."
Before the deal was finalized, Isabel couldn’t lie. When I glanced at the Mother of the Sky, asking if it was alright, she nodded in agreement.
We followed Isabel out of the alley. She only moved through areas that were in the blind spots of the surveillance towers. Her movements were so fluid, without any hesitation, suggesting that she had done this several times before.
She stopped at an old warehouse. Isabel manipulated an old terminal and deactivated the barrier blocking the entrance.
Once inside, the first thing I saw was a mess of scattered odds and ends. Beneath the haphazardly placed debris was a floor covered in thick dust.
‘Hmm?’
Though it looked like no outsider had visited for a long time, Amorph’s Auxiliary Organs couldn’t be deceived. There was a trace of someone deliberately sprinkling fine sand to hide footprints.
Some parts of the floor, although similar in appearance, were made of completely different materials. From beneath these differing materials, the sound of air moving through a space could be heard.
‘There’s an empty space under the warehouse.’
As expected, Isabel traced a specific pattern with her foot on the different material. The floor made a clunking sound and disappeared, revealing stairs leading down.
ï½¢Isabel, what exactly did you do?ï½£
"I did something you didn't."
Isabel casually dropped the cryptic comment and descended the stairs.
[ZZ ZZZ (Let's follow.)]
We followed Isabel down into the basement. There was not a single lightbulb in sight, and even the stairs themselves were so crude that they couldn't have been made by the Cult.
Only when we reached the basement did I understand why the stairs were so unusual.
And I also understood what Isabel had meant when she spoke to the Mother of the Sky.
In the darkness of the basement, I could feel the presence of many people. Dozens of Coldbloods were kneeling, praying.
As we watched them pray to an unknown figure, Isabel spoke.
ï½¢Isabel, you...ï½£
"Help me move them to a safe planet. That's my request."
The Coldbloods, lost in search of a paradise and salvation.
Isabel was their underground messiah, guiding them.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
Join our Discord for release updates!
https://discord.com/invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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