157. Wonderful New World (1)
rudder.
wide corridor.
The sound of a man’s shoes rang out.
pure white.
It was a pure white corridor with no other colors to be found.
Portraits of successive members of the imperial family were attached endlessly to the pillars that followed.
rudder. rudder.
It is as if you have stepped back in the history of the empire.
Ordinary visitors must have felt overwhelmed or exclaimed in admiration in front of it.
But the man didn’t.
To be precise, there was no time to be drenched in sentimentality.
Because of the thought of a figure waiting for him in a room at the end of the corridor.
rudder.
The man’s feet stopped in front of the door.
A tall and huge gate that requires turning your head completely backwards to look up at the end.
Dede-
The door opened by itself, as if waiting for a man to arrive.
The room is pure white like a corridor.
He squinted his eyes slightly at the glare.
Dede-
As the man’s body entered the room, the door closed on its own again.
Because the room was spacious, furniture such as bookshelves and tabletops gave the impression of being sparsely arranged.
A gloomy and office atmosphere.
But it didn’t feel empty at all.
Rather, it was the opposite.
in the middle of the room.
The overwhelming presence of a man at his desk filled the space.
said the being sitting at the desk.
“Gerat. It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face in person.”
A man whose name was called.
The director stopped at a certain distance from the desk, got down on one knee, and bowed.
“The glory of the empire. I see your Majesty the Emperor.”
“Get up.”
The chief got up from his seat.
The floor where the desk is located is higher than the other places, which naturally created a difference in eye level.
When he looked up, the first thing he saw was the emperor’s hand as he signed the piled up documents.
‘You are still busy with work.’
No further upward gaze was allowed.
Only the same imperial family could see the emperor directly.
“Lionel was gone a little while ago. They say they haven’t caught the warlock who destroyed the image yet.”
Lionel was the name of the Pope.
“Is there nothing to point out?”
The emperor’s meaningful voice pounded into the chief’s ears.
“… … .”
A feeling of intimidation like suffocation.
The feeling of the air from all directions constricting the whole body was not simply due to the mood, but it was probably because the emperor made the mana in the room fluctuate.
The Emperor, of course, was aware of the existence of the Blue Serpent.
But there is nothing to be upset about.
Because I’ve never posted a report on Cain before.
In other words.
It was a story that the imperial family and the denomination did not know that the warlock who destroyed the goddess statue and lost the mana tank was ‘Cain’.
‘There will be no reports of Cain going up in the future.’
Hexa Medical’s stock, which continues to skyrocket, is being periodically transferred.
He had no intention of giving up such an attractive source of income.
Moreover, the emperor trusts this.
If you don’t get agitated, there won’t be any problems at all.
“There is nothing to point out. It is only regrettable that what happens when the gatekeeper is away.”
As expected, the mana flow in the room returned to normal and I felt my breathing become easier again.
“Did you say that the beast’s name was Laika? He said he lost his life a while ago while carrying out your instructions.”
“Yes. you’re right.”
“I heard he was a pretty good guy. I accepted the gatekeeper on condition of the forest vision.”
“You probably didn’t know exactly what you were protecting. He’s pretty smart, he must have guessed a lot.”
The emperor let out a smirk.
“I am so sorry. If I had been on the ark, I would have arrived in the New World and lived in a real forest.”
“Isn’t that the policy not to burn prisoners?”
“It’s a joke. That’s what it means.”
Silence passed for a moment.
The sound of the pen rang out, and the emperor opened his mouth again.
“I’m thinking of rebuilding the statue of the goddess.”
“… again?”
“I delivered it to Latium. I want you to prepare the mana transmission and reception equipment again.”
“I understand that you already have enough mana to activate the ark and magic in the imperial basement. There is no need to accumulate more mana… .”
“I am thinking of increasing the number of people on the ark.”
“… … .”
The chief thought of a huge ship sleeping in the basement of the imperial palace.
It was literally a ship.
Although it moves with mana and flies in the sky.
‘Most of the people on board the ark must have already been appointed.’
Nobility and politicians and business figures who offered astronomical amounts of money and valuables to the emperor in order to secure a high rank in the new world.
The embarkation list is almost final.
They were in the middle of fierce competition by continuously paying ‘donations’ to change the rankings.
But you want to increase the number of passengers.
The chief asked cautiously.
“May I ask why you changed your mind?”
“It’s nothing. I just thought that the new world needs more young talent. Talent who will work for older people like us.”
“… … .”
“So I’m thinking of collecting more mana. At least for the next year or so.”
“understand.”
The chief nodded his head slightly.
It was impossible to disobey the emperor’s words.
He is a being who can casually press down on this side with one finger to kill it, and he is the person who holds all the powers on the New World Project.
‘But it doesn’t matter. A slight whim has no effect on the plan.’
The chief’s top goal is to secure a high position in Shinsegae as it is now.
already promised a ruling class.
The gap with new passengers will not be narrowed at once.
‘Let’s adjust the rhythm a little bit.’
What to do for the rest of the year.
It’s no different than before.
However, the runners in the lower ranks, knowing that they have more time, will spur the race.
In order not to catch up, this side also had to speed up.
It was the moment when the revenue generated by ‘Cain’ became more important.
“And say it. It was quite noisy outside the palace.”
The emperor said as if he had just remembered.
“Jabir Kalta. The name kept coming up and I couldn’t help but remember it. They say they rooted out drug crime in District 17.”
The general had an intuition that this was the reason the emperor had called him.
“He is a child who lacks in many ways. If you feel uncomfortable, I will take care of it. If a punishment such as dismissal of position or probation is given… .”
He wasn’t really worried about his daughter. The only thing you care about is your own well-being.
The chief was concerned that sparks would set off on him, and he gauged the intent of the emperor’s words.
A crime that takes place inside the wall.
The emperor is not very interested.
There is no reason to leave
There is no reason to eradicate them at the same time.
It has been like this until now, and it will always be so until the moment the Shinsegae Project is implemented.
“I would like to start a proper activity inside the wall. If the chief permits.”
That’s why he didn’t take it seriously when Cain talked about raiding Club Caslargo.
activity inside the wall.
Because I thought it would be to compensate for the desires that I couldn’t satisfy in my lowly status in the present.
“It may have the effect of diverting Lieutenant Xavir’s gaze away from Bama.”
I thought that statement made sense.
The moment Bama died, the tip of Zervia’s sword would again point toward Cain, which was also difficult.
“It looks like you want to enjoy your own game. Do whatever you want.”
so it was allowed
he said he wouldn’t care
After all, neither the status that Cain enjoys inside the wall nor the organization of the police are useless as soon as the ark is in operation.
While I was immersed in my thoughts, I heard the emperor’s dry voice in front of me.
“It’s a punishment, it’s the other way around. Shouldn’t it be rewarding you for doing the right thing? You took the lead in dealing with the things that other people do.”
“Are you talking about a reward?”
“Grow up. It might be the lumber to take to the New World.”
“… All right.”
prize.
Promotion and entitlement accordingly.
Well, it didn’t matter anyway.
Unless there’s no damage to this side.
“And I heard one more name. Johann Kirif, have you heard of it?”
If Zerbia’s name came up, it would be the next name that would be mentioned.
“It was all thanks to Hexa Medical’s representative Johan Kirif that was able to carry out this operation successfully.”
Zervia’s speech.
Also, as a developer of petrification treatment and the owner of a large mansion, he has shown progress in the past.
If I had to pick the person with the hottest rumors inside the current wall, it was definitely him.
“I’ve heard of it.”
“What do you think?”
John’s true identity is Cain.
But I couldn’t tell the truth.
“I did some research, but not much was known about him because he appeared so suddenly.”
“There were a lot of rumors. A wizard comparable to the elders of the tower, a descendant of a fallen noble.”
static again.
The sound of a creaking pen.
The emperor continued.
“I don’t think these are baseless rumors at all. If the rumor has spread that much, it means that there is some basis for it.”
“It seemed true that President Vulcan’s petrification was cured.”
“okay. I also paid most attention to the rumor.”
“Are you thinking of ‘talent’?”
“I don’t believe it unless I’ve seen it myself. As you well know.”
The chief seemed to understand the emperor’s next words.
He was well aware of his tendencies.
As a close friend and servant with whom we have been together for a long time.
“I’ve heard Lieutenant Xavir’s name over and over again. It means that performance has been verified to some extent.”
“On the other hand, you are saying that the character of John can be an embers that will burn once and be put out.”
“That’s correct. So, you continue your investigation and watch.”
“All right.”
Dede-
There was the sound of a door opening from behind.
The emperor was speechless and concentrated on his work.
The chief bowed his head deeply and left the office.
Dede-
I walked along the corridor.
with many thoughts in my mind.
* * *
District 13.
Cain’s mansion.
Vehicles bearing the logos of each newspaper were parked in a row near the tightly closed front door.
“Isn’t it harder to get an interview than the emperor?”
“Be careful. His Majesty, not the Emperor. Don’t make a book that someone just listens to and gets caught. First of all, I agree with you that it is difficult to get an interview.”
Reporters with wide eyes munched on a sandwich they had bought at a nearby cafe and spat out complaints.
“I go to and from the mansion day and night, but does this person sleep?”
“There was also talk that he was a vampire, not a human.”
“It might be real. Considering that pure white skin and intelligent appearance.”
Johan, the owner of the mansion, was famous for being difficult to understand.
From the first moment he made a name for himself by purchasing a mansion in District 13.
Until this moment, when people are constantly talking about various topics.
He held parties in the mansion day after day, and he would disappear without a trace, and he did not know where he was or what he was doing when he was away.
“People have a right to know. How can you keep your mouth shut while making me curious like this?”
When asked for an interview, he showed the atrocities of disappearing in a car with a smile that attracted people without saying a word.
He participated in the party at the mansion, but he did not answer the rumors he was curious about.
“If you’re that dissatisfied, why don’t you shoot something when they show up?”
“Oh, no, that’s a little bit.”
“Have you never made eye contact with that person?”
“Your mouth smiles, but your eyes don’t. It feels like I’m looking inside everyone, so my stomach feels numb.”
The aura that exudes even when standing still.
Everyone knew that John was an opponent they could not do anything about.
I was just hoping that somehow he was in a good mood and leaked information.
So when they wait for the appearance of John, hoping for a scoop.
cringe-
A police car stopped in front of the front door.
A uniformed police officer got off and showed his police ID to a magic lens attached to the side of the front door.
shudder.
Then he got back into the car and disappeared into the front door, leaving behind the bewildered reporters.
“What, what? Did John do something wrong?”
Embarrassment came in an instant.
But it didn’t last long, thanks to a single word thrown away.
“Lieutenant Xavir said it. Johan Kirif was a great help in carrying out the operation.”
For a moment, everyone in the room could understand.
Why did the police come to Johan’s mansion?