How to Live as an Immortal - Chapter 264
Only Noblemtl
How to Live Immortally Episode 264
264 Then I won’t buy it
* * *
A fireplace blazed in one corner. Outside, a heavy snowfall was falling. The wind, carrying heavy snowflakes, beat hard against the glass, making the rattling noise unusually loud.
A cabin located in the heart of a mountain range―
“Is this the location of this exchange meeting?”
The first person to enter, Anonymous, takes the top seat as if it were a given. Cheshire also jumps up onto the table and curls up into a ball.
Gaon, who was the last to enter, made eye contact with a woman.
Even though she was wearing an ominously bright red robe, her alluring body was revealed, and there seemed to be a strange charm lingering around her.
It would have been even more impressive if the fingers supporting his chin weren’t scissors.
“Oh my, is that the new recruit that Anonymous was talking about here?”
As I turn my head to follow Scissorhands’ gaze, I notice the man sitting across from her.
At first, I thought he was wearing full body armor, but when I saw the cold light flickering instead of his eyes, I knew it wasn’t him.
“I’m not interested.”
A mechanical sound that resonated without any pitch. The man was a cyborg with his entire body modified.
“But you should still know the name.”
Scissorhands, who had been scolding the man in a hoarse voice, tapped the seat next to me.
“Honey, come here and sit down.”
It seemed like he was used to dealing with subordinates.
“I’m Red Hood. Over there, that chubby kid is Wood Chopper.”
With the Tin Woodman in the red cape, it seemed like he had come to a fancy dress ball. Of course, that wasn’t something a person who had chosen a dobok should say.
“What is your baby’s name?”
I reveal the nickname I had prepared for the subtle question.
“It’s Yongyeong.”
“Long Young?”
Scissorhands, who had been blinking his round eyes like glass beads, soon started to dizzy like crazy.
“Hahaha, hahaha. My stomach hurts. No, anyone can tell it’s a fake name.”
“I heard it was a place like that.”
It was a bold move. If I act so confidently, it will only end up revealing to the world that I have nothing to do with Ryung-young.
“Yeah, yeah. Anyone who comes here has to have that much guts to be together.”
Moreover, even if they were from the other four major dark factions, if they were from Ryongyeong, they could be introduced as Ryongyeong. The pride they have in their culture is extraordinary.
A nickname that throws a topic for the other person to think about twice.
“Did you take that into consideration when choosing it? What should I do? I already think I’m going to like this baby.”
“I feel like I’m going to die.”
Wood Chopper, who had been watching from a distance, shows his discomfort without any filter, as if he is displeased.
“You look like an Asian, but your name is Ryung-young? You’re all sorts of people.”
“It’s not a good habit to be presumptuous. They might be trying to deceive you by taking advantage of that.”
“Do you dare to doubt my judgment? I already saw that the style of the uniform you implemented was different. It is a quality that could never be achieved without the person in question.”
“If you’re jealous, buy me a set?”
“Don’t climb up, monkey. Even if you’re in the same place, your level is different.”
It was the 24th century, a time when there were more mixed bloods than pure bloods. It was a time when the world had once been destroyed. There was no point in distinguishing between East and West, but the fact that they brought it up made it seem like they were racists to the core.
This will later provide a clue to identify the wood chopper.
‘No… … .’
Just as he had set up a shield called Ryung-young, his racism could also have been an extension of his acting.
“Anyway, judging from the fact that you called yourself Yongyeong, there must be quite a bit of ill-fated relationship. You still haven’t been able to subdue those who are still stuck in the Sinocentric ideology, and you can only express it in this way. That’s your level.”
-Isn’t it?
Wood Chopper’s remarks were somewhat sharp. It was difficult to see them as a restraint on newcomers.
“There’s nothing more ugly than a racist guy who slanders other people’s thoughts. Isn’t it true that he turned his entire body into a machine because he didn’t like the color of his own skin?”
“Ahaha. That’s right, that’s right. Our baby, you know it well, right?”
Red Hood, unable to hold back, responds with bated breath. It is only natural that Wood Chopper, who stands up and slams the table, is furious at the unusual audience reaction.
“You dare to insult me, you punk who wouldn’t even raise his head if I met you outside!”
A third person intervened in the tense situation.
It was an old man sitting alone, far away.
“Enough is enough. Watching your pointless arguments makes me feel like gold is flowing out of my pocket.”
He had bleached hair growing out in a messy manner, a short beard and was wearing a toga.
An appearance closer to that of a deity than a gentleman.
The old man’s name is―
[Yahweh]
It was God who once told Noah to build an ark.
This is a very meaningful choice, considering that Noah was the owner of the ark.
It was as if he had sensed that the owner of the ark had taken the nickname Noah and declared that he would be in a position to give orders to him.
Both the idea and the distribution were not normal.
“You get out.”
The same goes for Wood Chopper, who doesn’t back down an inch from such an opponent and rushes at him.
“How can that be? Because you jumped in without even knowing the topic, we’ve already been delayed by 16 minutes. My time is gold. I can’t just watch it get wasted.”
“You weren’t that friendly when I came in, were you? Are you Asian too?”
Yahweh shook his head as if he disagreed with the innocent provocation and gave a soft warning.
“Enough. Do I have to use the forced expulsion I got last time because of such petty friction?”
“… … .”
For a moment, Wood Chopper, who had been glaring at Gaon, clicked his tongue briefly and sat down. It was then that the storm that had swept through the room died down.
“Tsk, if you take it as it is, who knows what will happen in a few hundred years. This is not a daycare center. Are you listening? Anonymous.”
“Oh, yes. I’ll tell the Master. Wood Chopper was an adult.”
“Even if I say so… … !”
Yahweh took over, stopping Wood Chopper from shouting with a single wave of his hand.
“While we’re on the subject, is Noah not coming this time either?”
“I guess so.”
“He didn’t die without us knowing, did he?”
“Haha, there are few people who are as unsuited to death as he is.”
After that, many conversations came and went.
All the members gathered here were unique. To the extent that the legacy left by Baek Seok-do was not of much use.
He had already collected information on the members. He started to backtrack based on the conditions of the Ark’s recruitment.
Even if it was disguised as death, the subsequent flow of funds and public opinion could not be avoided.
There were so many variables to consider, like an inheritance being passed on to someone you never expected, or a person suddenly becoming clear-headed one day.
Thus, Baek Seok-do, who focused on investigating those who stood out, ended up identifying three members.
Founder of Alpha Stroke,
A genius doctor from Inatomi Corporation,
And the former president of Maximum Noise.
It has already been revealed that Cheshire is Aaron Howard, so the other two are likely to be members as well. Whether they are here or not will be a matter for us to find out later.
At that moment, Myeong clapped his hands and attracted everyone’s attention.
“It seems like you’ve become friendly with other people, Mr. Ryong-young, so I think it would be a good idea to start interacting with them.”
As he says that and snaps his fingers, the cork board floats into the air.
Red Hood pokes her in the ribs and laughs bashfully.
“You don’t know what that is, baby?”
“Looking at the form, it looks like they’re going to hold an auction.”
“Haha, that’s right. Now you can see why this gathering, among all the other names, is called the Exchange Meeting.”
Of course, in order to gather members, a certain event must be held. The Ark seemed to be replacing that with a networking event. If members who had hidden their identities and positions were to trade, the Ark’s guarantee would be essential.
As expected, Wood Chopper steps in and takes out the items.
“This is what I want to sell.”
A hologram floating in the center of the table.
Information about the entity is briefly summarized, with a list of technical terms.
“It’s called Spore.”
Yahweh looks at me as if he finds it funny.
“The slime mold detected in the alien species? It can communicate primitively by sending spores. What a strange thing you’ve picked up.”
His impressions as a layman ended there, but not Red Hood. She saw right through Spore to its core.
“If we transplant cultured mycelia into humans, we could develop a new nervous system. Moreover, the risk is close to zero compared to the return. This is truly a revolutionary discovery, my dear.”
“I knew you would appreciate this. Thanks to you, I can now conduct the transaction with ease.”
“Of course you’re selling it to me, right? As you know, I’m the only one who collects such things.”
“Well, I don’t know if I should be more lenient with the guy who showed interest in me today than with someone I’ve known for a long time.”
“Yes. Honey, if there’s something that’s upsetting you, you should talk it out.”
Red Hood, who noticed Wood Chopper’s intentions, lifted his butt and slowly fell down. He was clearly treated as if he did not exist. Yahweh also looked away without saying anything.
Watching them gossip among themselves, I started to feel a sense of alienation that I never felt before.
‘I see.’
Not only did they fight with the Second, but they also had next-generation technology. It was obvious that they would gain power. However, who would take the lead within that was another issue.
A power struggle within power—a very interesting topic.
Of course, the one that has the upper hand here is the more advanced civilization.
Everyone was both comrade and enemy.
It wasn’t a situation where you were pulling from the front and pushing from the back.
Survival of the fittest.
It was thrown into there.
Cheshire yawned as if he was not interested and picked at his fur. I don’t know if he was absorbed in method acting or role-playing, but that’s how it was.
On the other hand, the nameless one looked at this side as if it was interesting.
With a gesture that showed great curiosity about how this initiation ceremony would be overcome.
It was then that Wood Chopper laughed bitterly.
“Our great Lord Ryung-young is so surprised that he can’t even close his mouth.”
It’s not that he doesn’t know, he just knows too well, but to other people, it must have looked like a country bumpkin being shocked.
‘Those are Blob Kids.’
Moreover, the original blob was recovered by the punitive force, and the blobsieve, which had been modified into a biochemical weapon, was recovered by the 11th Border Patrol Battalion. Since both were carefully managed by the Mars Defense Force, it was easy to infer that Wood Chopper was a military official.
“The Ark is a place to exchange such things, I don’t know if you can meet the standards.”
“I have quite a bit of money.”
“Money? I won’t take that even if you give it to me. The only thing of value here is information that can’t be bought with money.”
“I see, then I won’t buy it.”
For a moment, silence falls over the cabin.