Became an Evolving Space Monster - Chapter 303
Only Noblemtl
Episode 303 – Berzan02(2)
–
A living room decorated with luxurious ornaments.
Several intelligent beings sat around a cult-style table in the shape of overlapping shapes.
Most were human, but not all. There were male cultists with yak horns, and beings who covered their entire bodies in black powered suits that resembled the walkers of the Star Union.
Members of various appearances were listening to the report of a human man holding a pad.
“Thanks to Captain Nern’s connections, we were able to secure a new supply route for our manpower. We have recovered 67% of the losses from Sachs-01… .”
The black-haired woman sitting at the head of the table, Sihyeon Eugene, used her pad to check what her subordinate had reported.
Originally, she had no intention of coming to Berzan02.
After acquiring the artifact from Gallagon’s planet, she focused on interpreting another record left behind by Panho.
In the case of the already acquired relic, the ‘Abyss Destroyer’, it was possible to roughly infer what kind of effect the weapon had. Since there were actually people who witnessed this weapon in action, it was not difficult to obtain it.
The problem was that the records were about another artifact besides the Abyssal Destroyer. They were able to determine that it was some sort of navigation chart, but nothing more could be confirmed.
In addition, the practical problems she was facing made the investigation of the relic difficult, as contact with her subordinates planted in the Star Union’s capital city of Sachs-01 was lost.
According to intelligence obtained through other channels, the Grand Commander has ordered a search for spies and dangerous elements, not only on Sachs-01, but on all planets under the jurisdiction of the Star Union.
Because of that, she lost half of her forces.
No matter how powerful the weapon is, if there is no force to support it, it is impossible to operate. We had no choice but to postpone the relic investigation and focus on restoring our forces.
‘Originally, I planned to recruit mercenaries from Kesha Arma… .’
‘Kesha Arma’, a space fortress occupied by pirates.
It was the perfect place to acquire skilled mercenaries, valuable information, and the genes of rare creatures, as large-scale auctions were held there periodically. In fact, before she died, the original Sihyeon Eugene had visited there several times.
In addition, there were rumors that many rare documents and navigation charts would be included in this auction. From her perspective, it was an extremely attractive option.
However, what greets them as they fly near the space fortress is ‘nothingness’. Kesha Arma, who was fine until the auction opened, has completely disappeared.
Even she, who had been through all sorts of hardships, could not have imagined that the space fortress would disappear in an instant. No wonder she thought that Akira Eugene had already known her destination and had prepared a trap.
So the plan to get mercenaries and navigation maps ended in failure.
The person who helped her, who was worried about what to do, was the former captain of the Imperial Carrier, Nern.
He suggested that they go to Berzan 02 and recruit the necessary manpower from the slave market. He also added that his successor happened to be there, so he could ask for help.
So it’s already been a month since I came to Berzan02.
“It seems like securing manpower won’t be a big problem, but is the equipment the problem?”
“There’s nothing we can do about it. There’s talk of rearmament in the council from time to time. It won’t be easy to get weapons here.”
Nern, who cooperated with Sihyeon under the pretext of taking revenge on the monster, continued to help her even after arriving at Berzan 02.
Sihyeon’s butler Minseok Yujin also ignored him as a cult member before coming here, but now they have completely changed their attitude. I don’t know what they are thinking, but outwardly they don’t show any negative attitude towards Nern.
While the meeting was in progress, a short message arrived on her pad.
“I’ll make contact with the reformists and get them the supplies they need. They’re against rearmament, so they might sell you weapons.”
It was a message from a woman in a black life management suit, Layla Chamberlain.
‘…innovationist.’
Among the Noble Capitals, the TNC and Carmelda families, to which Laila belongs, are families that frequently interact with the cult. If you use the name of TNC, it won’t be difficult to obtain the cult’s weapons.
‘The problem is that it can’t be done.’
Currently, Laila is reported to have gone missing when the TNC Special Trade Center collapsed. If she were to contact the innovation faction using Noble Capital’s name, the news would spread to Megacorp as well.
‘If Akira finds out, he’ll definitely use his numbers.’
If you are being pursued by the CEO of Megacorp while your power is weakened, it will be difficult to escape.
‘It’s good to be in contact with the reformers, but you can’t use Leila.’
After much thought, she finally opened her mouth.
“We will hold off on securing equipment until we have adequate manpower. And Captain Nern, I would like to meet your successor. Is that possible?”
“Meeting them isn’t difficult. But getting a weapon will be difficult.”
“How about opening another route through him? For example, the innovation faction.”
“That’s… hmm. I guess I’ll have to meet him in person and ask him.”
“Then let’s decide what to do next through the meeting. We’ll end the meeting here.”
The path she chose was on hold.
–
“It’s a much busier street than I expected?”
“That’s right. It wasn’t on this scale in the game.”
Above, there is a transparent shield, and on both sides, there are buildings with clean designs modeled after shapes. The floor below is covered with blocks made of a special material, so no matter who walks on it, no footprints are left.
In the arcade-style street with an exotic atmosphere, numerous intelligent beings were wandering around, looking for things to do. In fact, although it was called an arcade, its scale was incomparable to the arcades that existed on Earth.
Because the entire street was one building.
This place, called ‘Street of Light’, is a kind of bio-dome modeled after an arcade. It was built to block sandstorms and heat from the red desert and provide the best environment for visitors.
Right now I am walking down an old-fashioned street implemented with high technology with my heavenly mother.
Thanks to my ‘fur of an alien creature’ and ‘mimetic organ’, no one could see my true form. Those who could detect pheromones would think I was a gunner cultist from an elite surveillance ship, and the cameras wouldn’t recognize me at all.
‘If it weren’t for those two characteristics, I wouldn’t have even thought of coming in the first place.’
Anyway, the reason I came here is because the 22nd ranker’s communicator was found to be in this area. Since I can’t confirm exactly which building it is in, I have to look for it myself from here.
“But was this place originally a bio dome?”
“No. It’s newly built. Gwangmyeong Street was famous for its equipment exchanges, but it didn’t have a facility like this.”
“Was it so?”
“You crashed the Imperial Carrier here and destroyed two equipment manufacturing clans?”
I remember hearing her nagging.
They invaded Berzan 02 just before going into full-scale war with the cult.
At that time, Berzan 02 was a planet with a reputation for being impregnable, so it wasn’t easy for even an adult like me to conquer it. So the method I chose was to take advantage of the enemy’s means of attack. I lured the imperial carriers to the planet and made them collide, thereby breaking through the defense line.
The players who were guarding the planet also didn’t know that the imperial carriers would crash, so they didn’t respond properly. Many of them died in the aftermath of the collision, and the rest were defeated individually by me.
“This is an important location for the empire. If we don’t clean it up in advance, it’ll be a headache.”
“Well, that’s true. It’s one of the five most prosperous planets in the Empire. The High Priest comes here sometimes.”
“As far as I know, your base isn’t here. You know better than I thought, don’t you?”
“The clan that made my equipment used to have a stronghold here. That is, until it disappeared because of you.”
“Ugh. I have nothing to say.”
I heard that there were quite a few rankers who suffered great losses because of the collapse of Berzan02. It looks like Heavenly Mother was one of them.
She and I chatted about this and that as we entered the area where slaves were mainly traded.
The surrounding scenery doesn’t change much because it’s called a slave market. All the goods for sale are inside the shops. Instead, there are billboards in each building introducing the goods for sale.
Some billboards listed the specifications and physical conditions of the slaves they owned, while others listed the rare creatures they had for sale.
In addition to the billboards, there were a lot of people in this area wearing silver necklaces.
That silver necklace is proof that the wearer is a slave. Inside the necklace is a code that indicates the slave’s master.
It’s better than Megacorp, which frequently kills its employees or treats them as test subjects, but it varies from case to case. Depending on the personality of the master, the fate of the slaves varies drastically. Jason, who lives as a human-faced insect in my body, also treated female slaves as sexual toys during his lifetime.
The slaves on the street were busy carrying out the orders given by their masters.
‘The scale is enormous.’
Judging from the billboards, it seems that slaves are slaves, but the trade of living creatures is also active. The quantity itself is greater in Kesha Arma’s underground storage, but in terms of variety, this place wins by a landslide.
‘If I do well, I might be able to get some traits to give to the kids here.’
Even with just a quick look, I noticed several creatures with useful traits.
‘We need someone who is well-versed in market conditions.’
It is cumbersome and time-consuming to go around looking for things to eat one by one. It is also not possible to run wild by sneaking around the stores.
In that case, it would be effective to control the locals and make them provide food, just like they did with the smugglers in the TNC Special Trade Center.
“That store looks big. Should I ask there first?”
“good idea.”
I entered a building that was so large that it was almost toxic, together with the Heavenly Mother.
As we passed through the luxurious main gate, we were greeted by the insect-man clerk at the front desk.
“Our store… is big, sorry.”
He was wearing a silver necklace and tried to greet me, but he sneezed briefly. This must have been because he was stimulated by the pheromones released from his mimetic organ.
Of course, since Insectman is also a creature affected by pheromones, he cannot escape the effects of the mimicry organ. His body organs will recognize me as a gunner working on a cult battleship.
The clerk looked embarrassed and stroked his antennae before greeting me again.
“Welcome to our store. Is there anything you would like?”
“I want to learn about Cold Blood.”
“Please wait a moment.”
As I waited for the Insect Man clerk to look over the slave list, someone approached the desk.
“there.”
“huh?”
I thought the clerk had something to say, but no. A leopard-haired Wolf dressed in a suit-like attire spoke to me.
“How much does that slave make?”
“Slave? What do you mean?”
“That female next to me. She looks naked, so I guess she’s a slave. Isn’t she here to be sold?”
Only then did I understand what that Wolf was talking about.
“…she is not a slave, but a member of the tribe. She is not something to be sold.”
“That’s funny. The primitives came all the way to Berzan 02? And they were naked? Don’t lie to them when they use you as porters.”
Wolf extended his finger and pointed to the backpack worn by the Heavenly Mother.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Mother, who had belatedly realized that the leopard-headed Wolf had treated her like a slave, silently tried to take out the short spear from her backpack.
“wait.”
“… … .”
She paused when she heard me.
Was it because she had been insulted so unexpectedly? The hair on her body stood on end. It was the first time I had seen her so angry since she condemned Muriel.
“I won’t tell you twice. She is my friend, not a slave. I won’t sell her to anyone.”
“My master is willing to pay a price you cannot even imagine.”
“Please step aside.”
“… Tch. You idiot. You’ll regret it.”
As I spoke firmly to the Heavenly Mother, the leopard-headed Wolf clicked his tongue and stepped back. He approached the cult man in the distance, dressed in luxurious traditional attire, and said something.
‘This is my first time experiencing something like this.’
In the game or in this world, there were hardly any people who treated me like that. After becoming a ranker, there were none at all. So rather than feeling angry, I felt refreshed.
“… That kid.”
Of course, Mother Heaven was extremely angry at being treated like a slave so openly.
Cold, amber eyes were fixed on the cult and the leopard-headed wolf as they left the store. If I hadn’t stopped him, the leopard-headed wolf would have had a hole in his head.
At that moment, Insectman handed me a small pad.
“You can check Cold Blood’s transaction status through this.”
“thank you.”
I looked over the list of Coldblood slaves the clerk had given me.
‘There’s less than I thought.’
This place didn’t deal with many Coldblood slaves, so there weren’t many slaves. I checked the transaction status of which slaves were sold at the back of the list, and the number of transactions itself was small.
After checking everything, I handed the pad over to my heavenly mother. She quickly checked the list of pads, trying to suppress her anger.
“It’s not here.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. That kid is a lot smaller than a regular Coldblood. He’d probably be fully grown by now, but he’s still short.”
She also checked the names and personal information written on the transaction status, but eventually shook her head. Unfortunately, it seemed like it was a dud.
I returned the pad to the clerk and asked,
“Which shop carries the most Coldblood slaves?”
“There are only three places on this street that carry cold blood, including this one. If you’re looking for a specialty shop, you’ll have to go to another city.”
“What are the names of those stores?”
“One is close. You can go into the building opposite here. The problem is the other store….”
The insect man clerk who trails off while watching my expression.
“Why are you doing that?”
“That’s right, the slave owner I was talking to earlier handles Coldblood.”
“aha.”
“He handles the most items on this street. But as you can see, he is a very picky person… .”
He also saw the whole thing that just happened. He also saw that he was on bad terms with the owner of the leopard-headed Wolf.
‘Well, it’s nothing to worry about.’
“Just tell me the name of the store and its location. I’ll take care of the rest.”
“All right.”
Zara carries the most items on this street.
I really wanted to meet him. Even if he didn’t want to.