Report
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator – Seraph]
[Proofreader – Draxx]
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Chapter 325
The place located beneath the warehouse was as shabby as the long stairs leading down. It was hard to imagine that it had been created in an era where entire planetary environments were altered and star systems could be freely navigated.
The ceiling varied in height, and the narrow passages, barely tall enough for a person to squeeze through, looked as though they could collapse at any moment.
Despite accommodating dozens of individuals, there were no advanced energy-consuming devices. Not even a small light bulb was visible, and only the glow of candles provided the meager light in the underground space.
It was a place so poor that it could be called a cave rather than a structure.
The state of the Coldbloods praying there wasn't much better.
Coldbloods are slightly taller than humans. On average, males are around 2 meters tall, and females are about 180 cm. Their weight is also significantly higher than that of humans due to muscle mass and scales. Isabel, who stands under 150 cm with a delicate build, is an exceptional case.
But the Coldbloods here were in even worse condition than Isabel. Their scales were in a terrible state, and their arms, legs, and waists were deformed. Since none of them were wearing clothes, their pitiful bodies were fully exposed.
It didn't take long to figure out why they were in this condition, thanks to Isabel's actions. She placed the fruits and groceries she had bought at the store in front of them.
"This is today's food."
At the sound of her words, the Coldbloods immediately stopped their prayers. They moved awkwardly along the floor and began eating in a frantic manner.
Despite our presence, they showed no reaction. To be precise, they seemed too absorbed in the food to care about anything else.
‘This state is worse than that of slaves or employees.’
Unless you're a space dog, no one treats slaves like this. Judging by their appearance and physical condition, they were most likely runaway slaves.
‘Given that they’re staying here, they probably are runaway slaves.’
The air was mixed with an unpleasant smell, and the Coldbloods' bodies emitted a similarly bad odor as they consumed the food. This was proof that they were solving all their living needs here underground.
‘Didn't we ask to move them to a safe planet?’
According to the check via the Auxiliary Organ, the number of Coldbloods here, excluding Isabel, was 40. That's too large of a number to secretly transport on a spaceship. Moreover, it was difficult to say their health was in good condition, even as a formality.
‘This won't be easy.’
At that moment, one of the Coldbloods eating the food stood up and bowed his head to Isabel.
"Thank you for the grace of our saviour."
"Th-thank you for the grace of our saviour."
"Savior, grace, thank you."
Starting with him, the other Coldbloods stopped eating and expressed their gratitude to Isabel.
"I am not a savior..."
‘?’
The voice of the one who murmured was too faint to catch, drowned out by the reverberating sounds from the cave walls. He nodded silently, receiving the greeting, and then walked toward us.
"We'll talk about the details upstairs."
Isabel, aware that this was not the right place to explain the situation, led us back to the surface.
The Coldbloods kept their heads bowed until Isabel was no longer in sight.
We passed through the long stairs and returned to the old warehouse.
｢…….｣
While Isabel began to erase the marks on the floor, Mother of the Sky said nothing. After seeing the state of the Coldbloods, she was visibly disturbed.
‘Now that I think about it, she did say that.’
She said she had done something her sister didn’t do.
‘Is she blaming her for leaving her behind?’
She said this as she was descending the stairs. Perhaps she was referring to the actions of the one who had left her.
While I was lost in thought, Isabel, having finished cleaning up, turned to us.
"If you have any questions, ask."
At that moment, Mother of the Sky was clearly not in a mood to speak. So, I decided to ask.
"Which planet are we sending them to?"
"It's a jungle-type planet. It hasn't been discovered yet, so it doesn't have a name."
It seemed likely.
To send runaway slaves to a safe place, it would have to be an unregistered planet on the route. It was probably a place like the ice planet where Adhai's kin stayed.
"Are you sending all 40 of the people in the underground to different planets?"
"Yes."
"That's too many."
"There's nothing to worry about."
Isabel took out a pad-shaped terminal from her pocket.
"This contains the information about the transport ship. I've already set the destination, so you just need to move them to the transport ship."
I took the pad and checked the stored information with my small arm near my chest.
The transport ship Isabel mentioned was a civilian-modified version of a cult-style spherical patrol ship. In addition to the transport details, there were also detailed records about the food, fuel, and ship-related personnel.
"The ship has an owner? Who is this person?"
"Another slave trader. You should be able to control it easily."
Isabel assumed I would be able to use my parasitic abilities. After all, in games, both the "Mimicry Organ" and "Parasitic Swarm" were characteristic abilities of mine, so her reaction was not unusual.
The problem was that I couldn’t use the Parasitic Swarm right now.
Due to the artifact used by Si-Hyun Yujin, the Outspacer gene in my body had been erased. Until I acquired a new genetic essence, I couldn't use the Parasitic Swarm.
So, I would have to pilot the ship myself.
"The ship is scheduled to depart in 3 days. You need to take care of the slave trader by at least two days before departure. That way, we can load them onto the ship."
"Are you going too?"
Leaving Verzan-02, which was under tight surveillance, and returning wouldn't be easy. If Isabel was going as well, there wouldn't be a need to return here.
But she shook her head.
"I have things to do, so I can't leave."
"Things to do?"
At that moment, a message popped up on her terminal that I was holding. The recipient was "The Manager". It was a contact from the hotel where Isabel had been hired.
"That's all for today. It's time to work, so I should head back."
"How do I contact you?"
"Come to the alley you saw earlier, at this time tomorrow."
Isabel took the terminal back, led us outside the warehouse, and restored the camouflage wall to its original state. Without a word, she left.
"Looks like things got troublesome."
｢…….｣
"I guess I need to rethink the plan."
｢…….｣
Despite my words, Mother of the Sky didn’t respond. She simply stared blankly in the direction Isabel had disappeared.
I tapped her shoulder lightly with my left head. She blinked a few times and quickly apologized to me.
ï½¢...Sorry.ï½£
"Let’s talk about the details on the spaceship."
I returned with her to the hangar where the spaceship was located. During the walk, Mother of the Sky remained silent, perhaps feeling guilty about how things had turned out.
She had risked coming here because she was an old friend of Isabel’s. Thus, she probably felt responsible for this situation as well.
‘But there’s really no need for her to feel that way.’
I had already expected things wouldn't go as planned before we even came. Isabel had probably become involved with the cult's rankers, or perhaps the rankers had hunted down the Coldbloods before we arrived. If that had happened, we would be in a much worse situation than we were now.
The only part I hadn't anticipated was Isabel’s actions.
‘She’s trying to save her kin.’
As I understand it, she is being hunted by the Dominion Rangers. It is no easy task to protect a runaway slave like that while being pursued by the Rankers.
Especially when she's a slave herself.
It's impossible to act like that without a very strong sense of purpose.
‘Is she aiming for the ending?’
The ultimate goal of those reptilian humans is to lead their kin to paradise. It’s not just about seeking refuge in a safe place it’s about something more. In order for the Coldbloods to achieve the ending, they need to kill the Vortex One, the greatest threat to their paradise.
‘To be exact, they need to offer another Vortex One as a sacrifice to destroy the curse that affects their entire species.’
This process requires a special place for rituals, altars made of extremely rare materials, and ceremonial tools. Once everything is prepared, the next step is to kill the Vortex One and offer it as a sacrifice.
‘It’s impossible to prepare all this while taking care of the runaway slaves.’
Of course, in order to meet these conditions, powerful strength and immense wealth are necessary. With only a few dozen of her kin living in an underground den, it’s not feasible. So, Isabel's actions must be motivated by something other than the ending.
While I was considering Isabel's motivations, we arrived at the hangar.
"Welcome. Work. Finished."
As soon as the spaceship door opened, MPS-05, who had been waiting inside, greeted us.
"Anything happened?"
"'Little one.' Headache. Headache."
"Just a hangover. Give them lots of water."
"Main controller, water. Supplying!"
Specialized in communication and mechanical control, MPS-05 was currently synchronized with its main body, PS-111. As long as the communication range allowed, they could exchange messages at any time.
"Ah, and I think we should stay here a bit longer before we leave."
"Confirmed."
Using MPS-05 to contact the mansion, I lay down on the floor of the spaceship. From there, I faced Mother of the Sky, who was sitting in one of the guest seats.
"I expected things to get complicated, so you don’t have to apologize to me."
｢…….｣
"Rather, I’m the one who put you in danger. I’m truly sorry."
｢...There’s no need to apologize. I chose this myself.｣
"Just like you said, I feel the same way."
Understanding the meaning of my words, she briefly stared at me with her amber-colored eyes before nodding slightly.
"I get it, so let’s move on."
ï½¢Mm.ï½£
"You’ve heard Isabel’s request, so you probably know. It’s not easy to solve without using the parasitic abilities."
She looked at my arm, which wasn’t moving properly, and spoke.
ï½¢How about I lead them instead?ï½£
"I’ve thought about it, but it’s not a good solution. Here, you only look like a slave. Unless we falsify your identity, someone will surely become suspicious."
ï½¢Then how about using the starlight coordinates? If we plant symbiote spores, we could move the Coldbloods.ï½£
"That’s a trump card I’d rather save for the last resort."
｢That’s... definitely a good point.｣
She immediately agreed, knowing the potential of the starlight coordinates.
"What I’m thinking is to secretly board the slaves onto another civilian ship."
ï½¢Another ship? Like what the smugglers do?ï½£
"Exactly. Once we leave this star system, we can have the slaves take control of the ship and navigate it to the destination themselves."
｢Do you think that’s feasible? The ones Isabel was with, their condition was really bad.｣
"With the symbiote spores and the nests, we could help them recover. If we also give them weapons, they should be able to seize the ship without much trouble."
ï½¢How are you going to pilot the ship, though?ï½£
"Don’t worry. I’m planning to send MPS-05 along."
Considering its abilities to control ships, MPS-05, which was almost on par with the main body, would easily be able to take control of the vessel. The real problem lay in the process of getting there.
Even if we help the Coldbloods recover and equip them with weapons, they are not trained soldiers. Even if they could use the Vortex One's powers, they would need training to properly utilize them. Otherwise, they could injure themselves or harm their allies due to poor control.
Without someone’s help, the process of seizing the ship could end in a lot of bloodshed.
ï½¢...This is too dangerous a plan. Before we even reach there, at least half of them might die.ï½£
Mother of the Sky also pointed out the risks of my plan.
ï½¢Isabel will never allow it. Those people must be very precious to her.ï½£
"Precious to her?"
｢Yes. That look in her eyes, that emotion... it’s exactly the same as what her husband showed.｣
She had chosen to abandon her relationship with the players and blend in with the inhabitants of this world. Her union with the powerful creature that the Wolf Tribe worshipped, ‘The Father of the Earth’, was part of that decision. She had become known as ‘The Mother of the Sky’ because of that.
Despite failing to save her own child, the Mother of the Sky had instead taken care of the Wolf natives, protecting and nurturing them. If Muriel hadn't killed all the Wolves, she likely wouldn't have followed me. Instead, she would have dedicated herself to the remaining Wolves.
‘Could Isabel be the same?’
The Mother of the Sky seemed to think Isabel was similar to her in some way. Of course, unlike the Mother of the Sky, who chose revenge, Isabel seemed to have chosen the path of protecting her family.
ï½¢Can you give me one more chance tomorrow?ï½£
"A chance?"
｢I'll try to convince her. If she leaves with the Coldbloods, there’s no need for us to take such risks. We can all just board the ship together.｣
If Isabel could be persuaded, then the rest of our concerns would be unnecessary.
‘If she can be persuaded...’
Though I had no evidence, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Isabel’s motivations went beyond just saving her family. There was something in her actions that reminded me of the same kind of madness and obsession I had seen when the Mother of the Sky sought revenge on Muriel.
Of course, this might just be a thought that came from me, someone who has never experienced the loss of something so precious. If 26 and Adhai were to get hurt or killed, I might not be able to keep my sanity either.
｢I still don’t know what’s keeping her here. It must be something important. But I want to help her reconsider, to make sure it’s worth sacrificing her family for.｣
She didn’t want her old friend to experience the same pain she had gone through.
‘Maybe I should give it one more try.’
Her suggestion wasn’t entirely rational, but it wasn’t something that would harm me either. From my point of view, if this worked out, I could regularly count on Isabel’s help, which would be beneficial.
Even if her persuasion failed, it wouldn't change the situation much. There were other ways to move the Coldbloods, after all.
"Alright. You're the one who knows Isabel best. Let's talk to her properly tomorrow."
ï½¢Thanks for trusting me.ï½£
"And tomorrow, I’ll bring MPS-05 with me. If we go with the plan of hijacking another ship, we’ll need him."
"Need. Need."
That was the end of our discussion about Isabel.
How effective their long-standing relationship would be... We would find out tomorrow.
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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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