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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 ck, 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 ck hair, Si-hyun Yujin, who reviewed the report on her own pad.
She had originally never intended toe to Berzan 02.
After acquiring a relic on the Gagon 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 ounts from witnesses who had seen it in action, making its acquisition rtively straightforward.
The issuey 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 concernsplicated her investigation. She had lost contact with her operatives stationed in the Star Union''s capital, Jax-01.
ording 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 alls 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 nned to recruit mercenaries at Kesha Arma…’
Kesha Arma, a space fortress upied by pirates, was an ideal location for recruiting skilled mercenaries, acquiring rare information, or securing gic material from exotic creatures. Even before her death, the original Si-hyunn Yujin had visited the ce multiple times.
This time, rumors imed 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, hadid a trap.
Thus, her n 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 ve market. As an added bonus, his sessor 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 shiftedpletely. While his true feelings remained a mystery, outwardly he showed no opposition to Nern. ?
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 La Chambein, a woman d in a ck life-support suit.
‘…The Reformists?’
Among the Noble Capitals, La’s TNC and Garmelda families were known to frequently interact with cults. Leveraging TNC’s name could make acquiring cultist weapons rtively easy.
‘If only it were that simple.’
La 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 La.’
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 sessor. 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 ce was iparable to anything that once existed on Earth.
That was because the entire street was housed within a single building.
Known as the ‘Street of Radiance’, this location was a bio-dome modeled after traditional arcades. It was designed to shield visitors from the scorching heat and sandstorms of the red desert while providing an optimal environment.
Now, I was walking through this technologically advanced yet old-fashioned street with the Mother of the Sky.
Thanks to the ‘Fur of the Unknown Organism’ and ‘Mimicry Organ’, no one could discern my true form. Those capable of detecting pheromones would perceive me as a cult member operating as a heavy cannon specialist aboard an elite surveince ship, while cameras wouldn’t register me at all.
‘Without these traits, I wouldn’t have considereding here in the first ce.’
The reason for my presence here was simple: themunicator of the 22nd-ranked yer had been traced to this area. While its exact location within the buildings remained unclear, I would have to search for it manually.
"Was this ce always a bio-dome?"
?No. It’s newly built. While the Street of Radiance was always famous as a trade hub for equipment, it didn’t have facilities like this.?
"Really?"
?Yeah. That’s because you crashed an imperial carrier into this ce, taking out two equipment manufacturing ns in the process.?
Her snarky tone triggered my memory.
Just before engaging in an all-out war with the Cult, I had invaded Berzan 02.
Back then, Berzan 02 was renowned as an impregnable fortress world, making it a difficult target, even for a fully matured version of me. To ovee its defenses, I had exploited the enemy’s offensive capabilities against them—luring imperial carriers into the and causing them to crash, thereby breaking through the defensive lines.
The yers defending the hadn’t expected me to use imperial carriers as projectiles, and they were ill-prepared to counter the strategy. Many were killed in the collisions, and the survivors were picked off one by one.
"Since this ce is crucial to the Empire, I had to neutralize it to avoid future headaches."
?I suppose so. Berzan 02 is one of the Empire’s top five bustlings. Even the High Priest asionally visits.?
"From what I know, this wasn’t your base of operations, so how do you know so much about it?"
?One of the ns here used to supply my equipment—before you wiped them out.?
"…Well, I’ve got no excuses for that."
I’d heard that numerous high-ranking yers suffered significant losses due to the copse of Berzan 02. Judging by her tone, the Mother of the Sky was likely one of them.
We continued our idle chatter as we made our way into the district where ves were predominantly traded.
The scenery didn’t change much upon entering the ve market. The goods for sale were all stored inside the shops, leaving the street itself rtively unremarkable. However, each building had advertisements showcasing the wares they offered.
Some billboards detailed the specifications and physical traits of the ves on sale, while others listed the rare creatures avable for purchase.
Aside from the billboards, one notable feature of this area was the abundance of individuals wearing silver cors.
The silver cors were a clear indication of very. Each cor contained a code on the inside to identify the ve''s owner.
While such conditions were arguably better than being at the mercy of a Megacorp that casually disposed of its workers or treated them as experimental subjects, the fates of ves varied greatly depending on the character of their owners.
For instance, Jason—now reduced to the form of a parasitic worm in my body—had, in life, treated female ves as little more than sexual ythings.
The ves on the street bustled about, fulfilling their masters'' orders with mechanical efficiency.
‘This scale is staggering.’
A nce at the billboards revealed that while ves dominated the market, biological trading was equally robust. The sheer quantity of creatures in Kesha Arma''s underground storage might have been greater, but in terms of diversity, this ce was unmatched.
‘I might be able to find traits here that I can pass on to the others.’
Even with a cursory nce, I spotted several creatures possessing useful traits.
‘I need someone familiar with this market.’
Searching every corner for suitable prey would be time-consuming and cumbersome, especially given the need to maintain a low profile. Unlike before, I couldn’t simply tear through shops in a frenzy.
It would be far more efficient to manipte a local, as I had done with smugglers in the T&C Special Trade Hub, and have them bring the prey to me.
?That shop looks big. Should we check there first??
“Good idea.”
The Mother of the Sky and I entered an imposing building that stood out for its sheer size.
The luxurious front entrance led to a reception area where an insectoid clerk greeted us.
"Wee to our establishment… ah, excuse me."
The silver-cored clerk sneezed abruptly, likely reacting to the pheromones emitted by my Mimicry Organ.
Naturally, being an insectoid sensitive to pheromones, he couldn’t resist the organ''s effects. To his senses, I would appear as a heavy cannon specialist aboard a cult battleship.
Embarrassed, the clerk nervously rubbed his antennae before continuing.
"Wee to our store. Is there anything in particr you’re looking for?"
“I’d like some information on cold-blooded creatures.”
"Please wait a moment."
As the insectoid examined the list of avable ves and creatures, someone approached the desk.
"Hey, you."
"Hmm?"
I assumed they were addressing the clerk, but the voice was directed at me.
The speaker was a wolf-headed figure in a suit-like outfit, resembling a humanoid leopard.
"How much for that ve?"
"ve? What are you talking about?"
"The female next to you. She’s naked, so she must be a ve. Are you here to sell her?"
It took me a moment to grasp what the wolf-headed figure meant.
"…She’s not a ve. 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 ve, silently began reaching for the spear tucked into the pack.
“Hold.”
?...?
She froze at mymand.
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 ve. 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 yer, 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 ve, 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 ves 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 ves, 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 ves?"
"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, ncing at me nervously.
"What’s the problem?"
"Well… the owner of that ve you were just speaking with also deals in cold-blooded ves."
"Ah, I see."
"They have thergest 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 rtions 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 thergest 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.
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