Chapter.9 Star Fall (11)
****
“Yes, thank you for your hard work. See you later~”
Passyuk!
The holy light that illuminated the early morning darkness faded, and the image of the communication magic connected by the monk of the Gwangmyeong Church disappeared.
“What is the headquarters saying?”
“Tsk. Well done. “He wants you to return.”
“Is that all? “Do you not realize what a great achievement it was for the church and the higher-ups of Roderick to capture the chamber maid?”
“They said it wasn’t just discovered here, but all over the world, so that’s probably not true. “It was a tired voice, but I could tell that he really liked it.”
It’s 3 am now.
It was late in the day when I asked for a communication connection immediately after arriving at the place where the monk was, so I planned to ask Senadis to relay some information once I got the call from anyone.
But why? Light emanated from the relic, and within a few minutes after the attendant asked the priest to wait a moment, Senadis appeared. He was so tired that he looked like he was about to collapse at any moment.
“I can’t believe a man called a bishop is keeping vigil until this hour. “Even without looking, you can see what kind of situation King’s Land is in.”
“Ratura Lo Haram… With warriors from all over the world gathering in one city, it is only natural that personnel related to administration are busy. I think it would be a good idea for the warrior to return quickly. “When I left, there were rumors that all the high-end lodgings available in the country were full, so if it’s too late, you might end up sleeping in a shabby inn that doesn’t suit the stature of a warrior.”
“Oh my gosh, I don’t want to give it to you. A group of warriors from all over the world. “I’d rather just sleep outside.”
“I agree. “Wouldn’t it be much better to stay overnight in a well-watered stream on the outskirts of the city rather than crawl into the middle of all that chaos?”
Ottoman shook his head in agreement with the professor’s words.
What is a warrior? Basically, the hero ‘saved a country from danger!’ It refers to a person who has achieved a high level of achievement. He is a legendary knight who cut off the head of a runaway sun demon lord while challenging the 8th rank, or he is a castle knight who went straight to the front line when the Orc Lord’s great northward advance began and blocked the attack for three days without any other support, giving him time to prepare. Bad Hameln, who drove out the black rats that suddenly spread and caused a great famine. Each and every one of them is a person or group of people with extraordinary abilities, and they are wearing all sorts of honorary titles as they saved the country.
“In the first place, about 60% of the warriors are the king’s sire. From the country’s perspective, if there is a talented person at the level of a warrior, they will want to retain him at all costs. The best way is to marry a princess and tie her by blood. Imagine that in one city there are ten to twenty kings’ sons-in-law from different countries. Nobles with positions related to diplomacy must be running around screaming God’s name right now.”
“Are you saying you’re wasting manpower on such useless work? “It’s nothing else, but an evil spirit was born and gathered around?”
“Of course the church was shocked and sent reinforcements. 2nd World…. Hmm! Because I experienced that undead wave 70 years ago. But wouldn’t nobles think differently? The church just said, ‘It’s an evil spirit! If you do not cooperate with this, I will excommunicate you and treat you as a heretic!’ They’re going on a rampage, so I’ll send it first, but no matter how much I think about it, I don’t want to send our country’s best strategic weapon for free, right? You also have the best card called [Reinforcements sent to other countries on the verge of collapse]? “It may seem like they came to help without receiving anything in return, but I can guarantee that they must have sent two or three diplomats among the members of the warrior corps.”
Knight commanders and nobles who are well-versed in military strategy are divided into groups to organize the nuclear bombs delivered from around the world according to their respective characteristics, while nobles who are well-versed in social relations and diplomacy are responsible for making sure that warriors from other countries do not feel uncomfortable or fight among themselves. Divided into management. In addition, while you are so busy, there are probably people who are just going around here and there trying to make connections. Ugh, I’m throwing up. I’m throwing up.
So, in ‘Geumui’s return’, the ‘Geumui’ side is ready, but the hometown to ‘return’ is burning.
The professor hung the relic once again around his neck, sighed, and patted Borka’s leg.
“You still have some stamina left, right?”
“There is still enough left to carry one person.”
“Then let’s move.”
“You mean right now?”
The professor nodded at Aldrich’s angry face. Everyone’s faces were clearly tired, but there was a need to return to the capital as soon as possible.
‘About 5 days to reach the capital… It seems like it’s already too late, but it’s still better to hurry.’
At the professor’s urging, the group eventually began moving towards the capital. From near Pellas to Kingsland. Since the road has already been paved on the way here, there won’t be any particular threat. There is no need for the enemy to abandon the western front they have already secured through victory and return here.
Tiring-!
[Warning: Abnormal logout detected. If you do not log out of the safe zone, the player’s character will move autonomously according to the game situation. Do you really want to log out?]
‘….Is it really okay? Are you going back along the same path you came from in a town where there are only level 9 mutes?
I’ve been playing for about 8 days in game time, so more than 24 hours have already passed outside. The situation outside changes every day, so we can’t just focus on this.
‘It will take 5 days from here to Tobrun and a week to Kingsland, so let’s just leave the auto running for the duration and go out!’
The professor suppressed his anxiety and pressed the YES button on the warning message.
****
Rumbling- Rumbling! Rattling! Rattling!
“hmm? what. Why doesn’t this suddenly open…..”
Clunk! Rattling!
“Oh right.”
I opened my eyes, but the connector lid wasn’t open, so I looked and found that the door was stuck at the end of my left hand, which I had crumpled.
“…No matter how I look at it, I can’t get used to it. I can’t get used to it.”
The professor carefully got out in case the connector broke, and then carefully moved his left arm, which still felt unfamiliar.
Tak-tak-tak-tak!
“…Well, I have to get used to it. “Is there anything I can do?”
There was something that looked like an alarm clock on an old sofa, no matter who had brought it there. One o’clock in the afternoon.
“…Corduro!! “The master has arrived!!”
I decided to eat first and think.
****
lunch.
Instant ramen and five heads of lettuce.
This is a ramen launched by Dome’s Marketplace with the clear trademark ‘Doodle’.
Instead of being packaged in plastic like the old ramen bags, this is a very luxurious food sold in small, thin wooden boxes with dried noodles, seasoning, and dried vegetables. It is sold in boxes, so you have to buy at least 20 servings at a time.
He suddenly came out and said, ‘Give me food!’ This means that it is too extravagant for a lunch that was served.
‘….Isn’t this child’s programming fundamentally flawed?’
As I looked at the delicious steaming ramen in the red soup, I was reminded of Corduro’s ‘Bucket List FLEX’ in the past.
“Aren’t you spending too much when you have money? Even though I’ve earned quite a bit this time, I don’t know when I’ll earn this much again. “You have to calculate the money you have going forward, not the money you have now.”
“Oh, don’t say anything you don’t know. Do you know how desperate I have been since I forced my master into the wasteland with my last impulse purchase? I tried to save it, but Bex said so. It is said that children grow well if they eat well. So I decided to try it and ordered it. Did you know that if you just add eggs here, it’s a complete food? Unfortunately, I couldn’t buy eggs because Dom is currently in poultry population control period.”
“Raising chickens? Well… I guess if you raise it, you’ll make money. Dom: Are you saying the food problem is very serious right now? “Due to embezzlement and hoarding… Grain prices have skyrocketed, so we won’t be able to make ends meet, right?”
“According to the rumors, all the chicks were taken to the Under Dome. Surprisingly, chickens eat animal feed well. “Because they also eat earthworms and bugs.”
“If it’s animal-based…”
“It’s just a rumor, but… I guess it’s not that bad, right?”
Slurp!
As he sucked on the impressively plump noodles, the professor thought about the ‘cheap meat’ on the exchange. Quite a few people have died near the dome recently.
“….no way. Just in case, let’s not buy eggs and chicken for the time being. The president didn’t seem like that kind of person, but if it was outsourced, there’s a possibility. But how did you hear that rumor? “Isn’t it easy for news from inside the dome to come out?”
“Ian, who is currently at the Dome, sent it to me. ‘These idiots can sell beer but not chicken! ‘This is starting a fight, right?’ While doing so.”
Eat.
“It’s like that guy.”
Now that I think about it, before starting the game, he said he was going to sign a contract with Life and Murder. It looks like the story has gotten quite long and he hasn’t returned yet.
“What about Vex? “Where did Cynthia go?”
As the professor spoke, Corduroy pointed to an empty wheelchair and a cut rope.
“You went out to have fun.”
“what?”
“Ian said he was fully healed and didn’t need to use the wheelchair, so Ian tied him up and went out, but as soon as he heard the car leaving, he cut the rope and went out with the young lady. “He said that if a child stays indoors too much, he or she will grow up passively, and he said he would come and see the neighborhood to teach him how to live in the wasteland.”
“Isn’t that… too complacent? Even though he’s a Bex, he who hasn’t even recovered very long is taking Cynthia outside. “There are still quite a few Type 2 variants roaming around near my house, right?”
“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that at all. Things have changed a bit. “Bex already told me to report to you when the master comes out. If you’ve finished eating, why don’t you take some time?”
“What happened? “It’s only been a day and a half since I went in and out to play the game, right?”
“It would be quicker to see it for yourself.”
Chijik –
Corduro, who had cleaned up the table, opened the drone’s panel and displayed the screen. There are a lot of numbers moving around in a dizzying way…
“What is this?”
“It’s my master’s balance.”
“….what?”
I picked my ears, wondering if I had heard something wrong.
“what?”
“Master, what is your balance? account. “A bucket of money!”
Can you hear me well? Then you have an eye problem!
This time, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the screen.
Balance: 304237650 sil
Snap!
Balance: 304257690 sil
“….is it worth it?”
This is strange. Why are there so many numbers? Why does it keep going up?
About 200 million, yes. Let’s say that’s possible. I didn’t know that the president’s two shots of espresso would really be worth hundreds of millions, but I did think about the possibility. But 300 million? suddenly?
Corduroy spoke in a lively voice to me who couldn’t keep his mouth shut.
“It is a settlement of the remuneration sent from the Dome and the broadcasting sponsorship.”
“You received that much donation money?”
“yep! In fact, there were only a few that came out during the broadcast, and most of them came in while the master was in the hospital. Most of them came with messages like wishing you a recovery, thanking you, etc. About 25 million from the marketplace and about 40 million from Life & Murder, saying they are grateful for promoting their products. In addition, many great-grandchildren also visited.”
“Oh my… no matter how much it is….”
“You have to realize it little by little. I told you this a month ago, right? A ranker! Now the money is going to pour in like a waterfall, right? Even if we don’t do anything from now on, our owners won’t have to worry about making a living.”
The professor, who had been hit hard from the start, was so startled that he put down his hand while trying to dry his face without realizing it.
Rich, rich. There was enough money to overflow. 300 million won is money that you will not be able to spend in your lifetime even if you buy expensive meat and install 10 top-of-the-line air purifiers.
“Hmm… It’s troubling if you’re already so surprised.”
“why. “What else is left?”
“Something a bit unusual remains. Recently, the owner’s reputation is estimated to be a problem caused by stabbing the sky …. ”
I
saw the main gate of the wall around the shelter over the window. Doors opened on the left and right, and a turret that detected movement was seen sticking out and aiming at something. A typical wasteland person wearing tattered clothes with miscellaneous items hanging from their body pockets. This is the first person I see.
“oh my! That human is here again! “I even put a sign on it telling me to stop doing that!”
Slam!
“what. “Do you know someone?”
“yes? ah. It’s not like I know it. “You are not an enemy, so you can put down your gun.”
At Corduroy’s words, I put the gun in my hand and stood at the window, peeking out. The visitor, who seemed taken aback by the suddenly opened door, bowed deeply toward the shelter about four or five times and then hurriedly pushed something piled up in front of the door into the gate and disappeared.
As I looked at him with a questioning face, Corduroy continued.
“I am an outsider who has been visiting for a few days. At first, of course, we stopped outside the door and warned them. When it comes, shoot it. don’t approach Identify yourself. “Even though I warned him, he kept wandering around, so I fired a few warning shots.”
“So what?”
Instead of answering, Corduro took out the screen again and showed the video.
——–
Tu-tu-tung!
[It is the last warning. This AI has been given the authority to kill unauthorized intruders – ugh!]
“Don’t shoot! “I just came to say hello!”
[Rearrange your clothes…. Disruption of public morals is also considered a terrorist act.]
“Unarmed! Take a look! “There is nothing!”
——–
Crackling!
The moment the middle-aged woman touched her yellow, mat-like underwear, the screen turned off.
“Do you want to see more? “I’ll tell you in advance, that woman did a great job proving herself.”
“Not required. At least you clearly showed that you were not armed. Why did you come? “Greetings?”
“From that day on, I have been bringing scraps and miscellaneous things little by little and leaving them in front of the door like this. “In addition to that woman, there were about two other people who came to the door and took off their clothes, leaving behind something like scraps, as if they had seen something strange somewhere.”
“Oh my head…”
I felt like I knew what was going on. An unarmed, valuable item for greeting people.
“That’s protection money.”
Among the scavengers, some large-scale scavengers manage small areas, and such people are called raiders.
It’s hard to see them in our neighborhood, where whales like Dom and Raptor run amok, but if you go down to Area 42, those raiders are fighting over territory like in the Spring and Autumn Warring States Period, and their main source of income is that protection fee. They say that in return for fighting mutants and shedding blood, the survivors in that territory live safely, so they are receiving a natural reward, but it is no different from a gangster taking a bribe.
In that context, it is easy to infer what the outsider’s actions mean.
“So you want to live around here and be protected by us?”
“That’s the way it is. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about. “Ian will take care of everything himself, so please don’t worry and focus on taking care of your arms.”
“If she said that, well… tell her not to kill her. “Still, they came here because they wanted to live, so it’s a bit weird to kill them.”
Bringing in outsiders has its own pros and cons. The advantage is that the surrounding area is safe from variants. Once people settle down, they will move around trying to make a living, and as they do so, the variants will be sorted out, drastically reducing the density of variants in nearby areas.
The downside is that he is dangerous.
There is a possibility that someone who looks so harmless may be a scout sent by someone. Because the video spread. Among the people who saw us wielding the awesome Dome weapon, there were those who thought, ‘I’m going to kill them all and use that!’ ‘There are only three people!’ There will definitely be idiots who do this. If you made a lot of money, there will be rumors going around, so sooner or later, some shady guys like that will come looking for you.
Tak tak tak.
The professor, who closed his eyes for a moment and scratched his knuckles, spoke to Corduro.
“Corduro. From now on, don’t open the door unless you are from our shelter. Knowing the internal structure makes it much easier for attackers. “Who told you to open it?”
“Cynthia. They said it was difficult to get in the car, so when they came, they told us to open the door and let them inside. “You also organize scraps?”
“He probably did it to grab what he wanted among the scraps. Don’t open it again. When Bex and Cynthia come back later, tell them exactly what I told them. People are more dangerous than variants. “Bex will be able to take care of it, but he seems to have loosened up a bit these days because of Cynthia.”
“Why didn’t you tell me in person? Why don’t you come in right now?”
“I think I’ll have to stay out for a while when Ian comes back. I’m trying to proceed as much as possible now while I have some free time. “I filled the connector with some good meal maintenance powder.”
“All right! If you need anything else, please call! Good luck~!”
A corduroy that flies away. He probably went to clean up the ‘offerings’ piled up in front of the house.
“…Everyone is busy, so I can’t rest alone. Let’s take a quick shower and go home.”
With such determination, the professor went into the shower room located in the greenhouse and turned on the water in the shower without thinking.
Shoo-ah-
and I didn’t come out of the shower room, praising the pleasure of a hot shower that I had forgotten about for two hours.
When he entered the connection, he had been nagging Cynthia and Bex, who had returned with flushed faces after playing to their heart’s content, about using up all the water the pump had pumped for several days, and then eating dinner.
****
