Published at 26th of December 2020 09:28:28 PM
Translator: Kell Editor: Weasalopes
Voices from the Ruined Continent
「From what I know, Dew Roke has already fallen into the hands of the people from the New World . 」Kaglai said .
「Did a fight break out?」
「I do not know of any details . But Vireocean requested for assistance from every nation . They sense a great threat from these people . 」
「I see . 」
Hikaru understood the situation . The waters to the east of Dew Roke were infested with huge sea monsters, and a fleet went past them . These people clearly had the forces to do so . Perhaps they employed some sort of method to avoid the monsters . Either way, they probably possessed unknown technology .
These people survived for five hundred years in an environment filled with monsters much more vicious than the ones in this continent .
「So there’s a crisis-response meeting after this . 」
「Yes . We still do not know what these people from Grand Dream want . That is what they call the continent, by the way . 」
「Is it really that important that you have to go yourself?」
It bothered Hikaru . A foreign invasion would be a threat to the concerned parties . Since Vireocean obviously bordered the eastern seas, and so did Quinbland, they saw the risk of an invasion . But that was not the case for Ponsonia and Forestia . Do the rulers of those nations have to go as well? Hikaru thought .
Kaglai smiled . 「It was the first time in history that Vireocean, a nation that boasted absolute confidence and prided itself to be the number one in the whole continent when it comes to the sea, sent such a humble message . 」
「They’re that desperate, huh?」
「That they are . I could not believe my eyes at first . I wanted to reaffirm it, so they sent the message again to be certain . “Please, we beg you to come here . It’s a matter of utmost importance that concerns the whole continent . ” They went as far as to beg for help . How could we not answer their call? Quinbland is on good terms with Vireocean as well, and Man Gnomes were involved in the matter five hundred years ago . 」
Vireocean’s earnestness spurred the emperor into action .
「Queen Kudyastoria and Queen Marquedo will come as well . The latter will pass through our empire . 」
「Oh…」
Even Marquedo’s going, huh? Hikaru thought .
「Anyway, let’s rewind a bit . Why me?」
「Is it not obvious? With Unken gone, you were the only one I thought of who was as skilled as him . No, you are even better than him . 」
「I thought there were competent Man Gnomes back in your hometown . 」
「I had already asked for their help . 」
「What on earth is going to happen anyway?」
「This is just my hunch, but I sense a battle coming . 」
Instinct . Hikaru checked Kaglai’s Soul Board .
【Soul Board】Kaglai G . Quinbland
Age: 73 Rank: 38
4
【Vitality】
. . 【Natural Recovery】1
. . 【Stamina】3
. . 【Perception】
… . 【Smell】2
【Magical Power】
. . 【Mana】4
. . 【Spirit Affinity】
… . 【Air】2
【Physical Strength】
. . 【Strength】3
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. . 【Weapon Mastery】
… . 【Sword】3
【Agility】
. . 【Power Burst】1
【Dexterity】
. . 【Dexterity】3
. . 【Tool Mastery】
… . 【Musical Instrument】2
【Willpower】
. . 【Mental Strength】8
. . 【Charisma】5
… . 【Heroic Nature】1
. . 【Appeal】2
【Intuition】
. . 【Instinct】2
… . 【Insight】
……【Music】2
…… . . 【Natural Talent】1
. . 【Memory】1
Like Hikaru, he had two points on Instinct . The emperor could sense things even with only limited information . So there’s a high chance of a battle breaking out .
「What do you want me to do?」Hikaru asked .
「I want you to obtain information . 」Kaglai immediately replied . 「These people from Grand Dream do not know anything about us, and we do not know anything about them . Just gather as much information as you can . 」
「And that’s supposed to be good for the empire?」
Kaglai smiled . 「Of course . But there is more: Who would not want to know how these people, who we had not contact with for five hundred years, think or how they lived? I want to know . I want to know faster than anyone else . We might find something we can use in our negotiations, and perhaps we can even settle things peacefully . Above all, my curiosity will be satisfied . Sneaking into unknown territory is a feat only you can do . Am I right?」
Hikaru thought about it for a moment . Lavia and Paula were in Pond waiting for his return . But if he went to Vireocean, he would have to go with Kaglai who already pushed his departure to the last minute . If he didn’t go with him, he might miss the first contact with the people from Grand Dream .
He could use the Drakon Passage, but Drake should still be asleep . Departure was at noon tomorrow . If he went to the Adventurers Guild first thing in the morning, he could send a message quick . He instructed Lavia to visit the guild every day in case he sent a message .
「Okay, I’ll go with you . But no one will know about me . Just prepare one more carriage that I can use as camouflage . Don’t worry about food and other accommodations . I’ll deal with those myself . 」
「Will coin do for your reward?」
「No, that’ll only get in the way . Besides, I’m not in any need of money right now . Let’s see… I’ll take one rare book from the palace library . 」
「You sure are a man of few wants . Do you want to visit my hometown? There are even rare books over there . 」
「I’ll pass… That’ll only come back to bite me later on . 」It felt like the yakuza had its eyes on him .
「I see . Very well, then . So we have a deal?」
Kaglai held out his right hand, hoping for a handshake . Then the wind blew, ruffling the curtains, drawing the emperor’s eyes in that direction . It took a bit of time before he realized that Silver Face had disappeared .
「Good morning, Paula . 」
「Good morning . By the way, Drake opened his eyes a little bit just now . 」
The girls were staying in a room in Grand Hotel Pond . Drake was sleeping in a basket, covered with a blanket . At a glance, he looked like a white furry puppy curled up on his bed .
「His belly’s gotten a lot smaller . 」
「Yeah . 」
At first, Drake’s stomach bulged too much after swallowing the dragon stone . It was actually possible to see where the stone was exactly . But now, it was hard to tell with just a glance . His tiny body was digesting the stone . It looked like he was really just asleep—he breathed normally and his body was warm .
「Sorry, Paula, but could you look after Drake today too?」
「Of course . Are you going to the Adventurers Guild? Take care, then . 」
Lavia made her way to the guild alone to check if Hikaru sent a message . As always, there weren’t a lot of adventurers around . Aurora, her face gloomy, stood quietly behind the counter . Her dismal aura was a waste of her beauty .
「I have a message for you, Miss Lavia . 」
「Really?!」
Is it from Hikaru? Lavia wondered .
「The guild has finished assessing the materials you brought the other day . 」
「Oh… you meant that . 」
Hikaru was told by Jill to wait for the computation until they could find places to sell the materials .
「The total amount is 687,200 gilans . 」
Lavia’s eyes widened . It was quite a lot of money . Still, it was nothing compared to what was in Hikaru’s account as of the moment—around 90 million gilans .
Aurora explained how they arrived at the number . She also included the materials in the explanation, which would take some time, but Lavia didn’t have any plans today, so it shouldn’t be a problem . She ended up listening quietly as she found the receptionist’s voice pleasant to the ears .
「That is all . Thank you for listening . 」Aurora bowed, and so did Lavia .
「Thank you too . If you’ll excuse me, then—」
「Oh, one more thing . 」
「What is it?」
「We received a message from Hikaru this morning . 」
「What?!」
You should’ve told me that first!