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The reception room was adorned with luxurious decorations.
Around a cult-style table several intelligent beings were seated.
Most of them were human, but not all. Among them was a man with yak-like horns and another figure entirely encased in a black, reinforced suit resembling the walkers of the Star Union.
These individuals of diverse appearances listened intently as a human man holding a pad delivered his report.
"Thanks to Captain Nern's connections, we’ve secured a new personnel supply route. We’ve managed to recover 67% of the losses incurred on Jax-01..."
At the head of the table sat a woman with black hair, Si-hyun Yujin, who reviewed the report on her own pad.
She had originally never intended to come to Berzan 02.
After acquiring a relic on the Gallagon homeworld, her focus had been on deciphering another record left by Beomho.
The relic already in her possession, the ‘Abyss Destroyer’, had its functions partially understood. There were accounts from witnesses who had seen it in action, making its acquisition relatively straightforward.
The issue lay with the other relic mentioned in the records. Though she had deduced that it was some sort of navigation chart, further details eluded her.
Moreover, pressing real-world concerns complicated her investigation. She had lost contact with her operatives stationed in the Star Union's capital planet, Jax-01.
According to intelligence obtained through other channels, the Grand Leader had issued an order to purge spies and subversive elements, not just on Jax-01 but across all planets under the Star Union's jurisdiction.
As a result, she had lost half of her forces.
No matter how powerful her weapons were, without sufficient support, they were useless. With no choice, she had set aside her investigation of the relics to focus on rebuilding her forces.
‘I had planned to recruit mercenaries at Kesha Arma...’
Kesha Arma, a space fortress occupied by pirates, was an ideal location for recruiting skilled mercenaries, acquiring rare information, or securing genetic material from exotic creatures. Even before her death, the original Si-hyunn Yujin had visited the place multiple times.
This time, rumors claimed the auction would feature rare documents and navigation charts, making it an irresistibly attractive prospect for her.
But what awaited them near the fortress was nothing. Kesha Arma, intact when the auction began, had vanished entirely.
Even for someone as experienced as her, the sudden disappearance of a space fortress was unthinkable. She had even considered that Akira Yujin, anticipating her movements, had laid a trap.
Thus, her plan to gather mercenaries and navigation charts had ended in failure.
While pondering her next move, she was assisted by Nern, a former imperial fleet captain.
He proposed traveling to Berzan 02 to procure the necessary manpower from its slave market. As an added bonus, his successor was stationed there and could potentially offer additional aid.
And so, it had been a month since she arrived on Berzan 02.
"Securing manpower shouldn’t be too difficult, but the equipment remains an issue," she remarked.
"That can’t be helped," Nern replied. "Talk of rearmament has been floating around the council, but it won’t happen quickly. Acquiring weapons here won’t be easy."
Nern, who had allied with Si-hyun under the banner of avenging a monster, continued to offer assistance even after arriving at Berzan 02.
Si-hyun’s steward, Min-seok Yujin, had initially dismissed Nern as a cultist, but now his attitude had shifted completely. While his true feelings remained a mystery, outwardly he showed no opposition to Nern. ř
As the meeting continued, a short message arrived on Si-hyun’s pad.
「I’ll contact the Reformists to secure the necessary supplies. Since they oppose rearmament, they might be willing to sell weapons.」
The message was from Laila Chamberlain, a woman clad in a black life-support suit.
‘...The Reformists?’
Among the Noble Capitals, Laila’s TNC and Garmelda families were known to frequently interact with cults. Leveraging TNC’s name could make acquiring cultist weapons relatively easy.
‘If only it were that simple.’
Laila was officially listed as missing after the fall of TNC’s Special Trade Hub. Should she use the Noble Capital’s name to negotiate with the Reformists, Megacorp would inevitably catch wind of it.
‘And once Akira learns of it, he’ll undoubtedly make his move.’
In her current weakened state, being pursued by the Megacorp CEO would make escape nearly impossible.
‘Contacting the Reformists might be an option, but I can’t use Laila.’
After much deliberation, she finally spoke.
"I’ll put equipment acquisition on hold until we’ve replenished our personnel. Captain Nern, I’d like to meet your successor. Is that possible?"
"Meeting him won’t be difficult. But obtaining weapons through him will be challenging."
"What about opening another route through him? Perhaps with the Reformists, for instance."
"Hmm... I’ll have to ask him directly to know for sure."
"Then we’ll decide what to do after the meeting. That will be all for now."
The path she chose was to wait.
---
“This street is far more bustling than I expected.”
「Indeed. It wasn’t this expansive in the game.」
Overhead stretched a transparent shielding dome, while sleekly designed buildings inspired by geometric shapes lined the sides. The ground beneath their feet was paved with a special material that left no footprints, no matter how many people passed by.
The exotic atmosphere of the arcade-style street was palpable, with countless intelligent beings bustling about, tending to their own business. Despite being described as an "arcade", the scale of the place was incomparable to anything that once existed on Earth.
The speaker was a wolf-headed figure in a suit-like outfit, resembling a humanoid leopard.
"How much for that slave?"
"Slave? What are you talking about?"
"The female next to you. She’s naked, so she must be a slave. Are you here to sell her?"
It took me a moment to grasp what the wolf-headed figure meant.
"...She’s not a slave. She’s part of my tribe and not for sale."
"Ridiculous. Primitive folk making it all the way to Berzan 02? And naked, no less? Don’t lie to me when you’re clearly using her as a pack mule."
He pointed at the backpack the Mother of the Sky was carrying.
The Mother of the Sky, now realizing she had been mistaken for a slave, silently began reaching for the spear tucked into the pack.
“Hold.”
「...」
She froze at my command.
Her entire body bristled with anger, her fur standing on end. I hadn’t seen her this enraged since the judgment of Muriel.
"I will say this only once more. She is my friend, not a slave. She is not for sale to anyone."
"My master is willing to pay a price beyond your imagination."
“Leave.”
"...Tsk. Fool. You'll regret this."
The leopard-headed wolf clicked his tongue and retreated as I firmly stood my ground. He moved toward a Cult man adorned in luxurious traditional robes, whispering something to him.
‘This is a first.’
In all my time, whether in games or this world, few had dared to act so arrogantly before me. After I became a ranked player, it simply didn’t happen. Rather than feeling anger, I found the situation oddly refreshing.
「...That bastard.」
Of course, the Mother of the Sky, having been openly treated as a slave, was furious.
Her amber eyes, now cold as ice, followed the Cult man and the leopard-headed wolf as they left the shop. If I hadn’t stopped her, there was no doubt she would’ve put a hole in the wolf's head.
At that moment, the insectoid clerk handed me a small tablet.
"You can check the transaction history for cold-blooded slaves here."
"Thank you."
I scanned the list the clerk provided.
‘Not as many as I expected.’
It seemed this shop didn’t specialize in cold-blooded slaves, as their inventory was sparse. The transaction history at the end of the list confirmed the low volume of sales.
After reviewing the list, I handed the tablet to the Mother of the Sky. Still simmering with anger, she swiftly went through the entries.
「They’re not here.」
“Are you certain?”
「Yes. That child is much smaller than most cold-blooded ones. Even if they’re fully grown by now, they’d still be small.」
She had checked the names and profiles in the transaction history but ultimately shook her head. This shop was a dead end.
I returned the tablet to the clerk and asked, "Where can I find the shops that deal the most in cold-blooded slaves?"
"In this district, there are only three shops, including ours. If you’re looking for a specialty store, you’d need to visit another city."
"What are the names of these other shops?"
"One is nearby. Just enter the building across from here. The issue lies with the other shop..."
The insectoid clerk hesitated, glancing at me nervously.
"What’s the problem?"
"Well... the owner of that slave you were just speaking with also deals in cold-blooded slaves."
"Ah, I see."
"They have the largest inventory in this district. However, as you might have noticed, they are quite... difficult to deal with."
It was clear the clerk had witnessed the earlier exchange and understood that relations with the leopard-headed wolf’s master were already strained.
‘Not that it matters.’
"Just give me the name and location. I’ll handle the rest."
"Understood."
The one who managed the largest inventory in the district...
I couldn’t resist the thought of meeting them. Even if they weren’t willing, I would make sure our paths crossed.