Chapter 136

July 27th. 1 p.m..
At the scheduled time, the party began. In a building separate from the dignitaries’ accommodations. The multi-purpose auditorium has long been used as a party hall, and this time was no different.
“This is kind of lazy.”
“Do you want to go and be a waitress?”
“Me? I’d be an international fugitive in three hours.”
“It’s all down to lack of social experience. Chelsea is….”
“Alas, I can’t hear you. Konsterike.”
Chelsea yawned softly as she tried to cover her ears. For a girl with a screw loose in more ways than one, she knows when and where to cover it up, and she had the good sense to put her hand over her mouth.
As it turns out, the venue’s expenses were low.
In a way, it was a no-brainer. Well over a hundred people surround an auditorium. That’s a lot of people to cover a radius of more than a kilometer beyond the neighborhood, if zoned properly.
Unsurprisingly, the deployment of guards was also subject to political interference. The lower the status of the country, the more remote the location. Dustborne was assigned to a fairly remote location.
No complaints, of course.
“Comfortable and good.
At set times, they parrot the same report back and forth. Sector clear, sector clear, sector clear. Sometimes, listening to Ghost and Westcreek’s comms was unnecessarily awkward.
The situation was ridiculous, but it wasn’t a bunch of misfits.
The bodyguards are hand-picked from various countries. In addition to Rap’s agents, there are many other familiar characters. There are only three six-star agents guarding the inside of the venue.
Currently, they’re Shran, Harenhal, and Cadillac, respectively, and in-game performance aside, they’re arguably the strongest characters in the setting.
“I don’t know if I’ll be joining them in the future.
The scenario is twisted, and it’s inevitable that recruitment will be disrupted. There are many agents who have joined the lab because of a tenuous connection, so it’s not surprising if the thread is broken.
“You don’t have to force him to come.
In terms of proportion, agents in the main episode make up less than 3% of all characters. Indiscriminate scouting is a poison. Just make sure you only get the characters you need.
“It’s not my role.
Something to do in the lab, indeed.
-Ah, Mr. String. Can you hear me?
Suddenly, there was a voice in my head. It was not an unpleasant voice, but a pleasant, cerebral one. Kim was startled for a moment, but quickly understood the situation.
-You answer in the sense that you’re muttering under your breath.
-Is this how it’s done?
-Good, you’re connected.
Synapse, a 5-star agent in the lab.
Your class is Supporter. Possesses the spell [link]. The ability to establish a mental communication link with a target by exchanging a certain amount of blood and taking it into your body.
He’s telepathic, which isn’t exactly ideal for combat. However, she is highly motivated and tends to go into battle. In the past, he was beaten by Kim Yi-hyun, who was wearing the [Merciful Touch].
Passes are pre-drilled when you make an agreement with a lab. You can’t communicate with multiple people at once like you can with a group call, and there are distance limitations, but it’s definitely a useful ability.
-Is something wrong?
-It’s not a problem, but there are some reports.
-View?
-Leila, as told to me.
The voice continued.
-Ainoa is very, very sorry for your loss.
-To me? What did I do?
-Why can’t I see it when it’s already here?
-If you don’t know why, it’s a little short….
Ouch. I’m thinking in my head.
-Can I pass it to you like that?
-…Tell me you’re not available because of work.
-hoohoo. Got it.
He was clearly enjoying himself. Lately, I’ve noticed that at some point, there are more agents who seem to have an inner affinity for me. More and more of them were following him around the lab.
I don’t hate it, but it’s annoying at times like this.
-What’s next?
-We have a special request from the director, asking if you’d like to join us for a meeting.
-Directly, not as a bodyguard.
-Yes. I guess you could think of it as a reference.
-It looks like Legion is on the agenda again.
-I think it’s likely.
Upon receiving the news, Kim breathed a sigh of relief.
“It doesn’t start off with a bang.
It’s the same old story.
The summit is to discuss how to deal with the Legion. In the game, Kushan attends the meeting and reveals to the world the madness of the Legion and the horrors they have wrought.
A period of high-profile action for Celbrox Labs, which has been actively fighting the Legion underwater. As a result, nations recognize the Legion as a public enemy and resume long-standing diplomatic relations.
The lab has wings. Previously, every time we went on a deployment, we would run into friction with the country’s law enforcement organization, but after the summit, we were welcomed.
“So you can’t be a jerk here.
Be tactile.
I asked him one more question.
-Where did you request this?
-The Shran Empire.
-……shiran.
-They say Shran spies are everywhere, so maybe they’ve been keeping an eye on the Legion internally? I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the talks were held at this time.
Kim was thinking the same thing. Why Episode 13 was moved up a couple years. The timing would have been influenced by the events in Bastitera.
-I guess you can take credit for that, too.
-Don’t overinterpret. Is that it?
-I don’t think that’s too much… Yeah, that’s it.
-Okay, thanks for passing that along.
The communication is over.
As expected, the Labs were as talented as the player’s faction. In the game, it was applied in a way that improved the stats of agents linked to Synapse, which was just as useful.
“Shiran, by the way.
To be honest, I didn’t want to get involved right away.
* * *
Luckily, the three days of the party were uneventful.
‘I wouldn’t want the emperor to approach me.
Rather than being self-conscious, he had good reason. The connection between the Labs and Dustborn was not lost on Shiran. It’s not surprising that he’d be intrigued by the man who’d watered down the Legion so many times.
But my fears were unfounded.
Kim listened to Ainoa’s story in one ear as Synapse relayed it to her while she did her security duties. Chelsea and Asterique also maintained their intelligent behavior in human society.
Then came July 30, the day of the summit.
It was a historic day. It was the first summit since 2003 to discuss measures to combat the disaster and sign an inviolability treaty. The list of participants has changed a lot from 41 years ago.
There were many developed nations that collapsed too easily, including Shalem. There were also a number of countries that survived, but were reduced to weak states. Countries that “survived” relatively well were invited.
Two notable exceptions.
First up was Bastitera. The kingdom of Pekatum, which hadn’t appeared on the continent’s public scene in more than 100 years, let alone 41. Adrian Salviati, recently crowned crown prince, was there in person.
Next up is the Xuran Empire.
The Millennium Empire was still standing. Though not immune to catastrophe, Xuran’s losses were fresh blood compared to the rest of the world. While the continent fell ill, Xuran held its own.
In doing so, Xuran has achieved a unique position. Even during the last three days of the party, all nations had their eyes on the emperor. Naturally, the talks were led by the emperor.
I was able to watch the talks from the outside.
The structure of the conference center was unique. An octagonal structure was installed in the center of the center. The interior was visible through its bluish surface.
Blue wolframite (青輝巖). A special mineral that transmits light like glass but is stronger than most iron. It was an iconic building in Geneva that utilized the absurdly expensive material as a barrel.
-First, let me thank you for coming to this meeting on such short notice. The continents have long been cut off from each other, and it must have taken a great deal of determination for you to take this seat in the modern age, when nations have gone their separate ways.
It didn’t.
The interaction is less active, but not completely cut off. Its position in the international community is still important. It was an opportunity not only to strengthen its position abroad, but also to consolidate its power at home.
Seventeen delegates in all, each with their own objectives and feelings.
-We are here today to discuss the future of the continent. We made an inviolable treaty to protect our nations and people from the very real and very great threat of monsters and catastrophes. This treaty remains in place to this day, but we face new threats.
The Emperor spoke up, his voice full of authority.
-Terrorism. A still-sick continent is being further ravaged by terrorists, whose indiscriminate criminal behavior has been confirmed by intelligence at home, and the damage is unprecedented.
The room roared.
Reactions were divided into three main categories
The embarrassed one.
They don’t know the legion.
The Darkened One.
They have a history of conflict with legions.
The Deep Throat. The placenta did.
They know the Legion, but they’ve never faced it.
-If you’re referring to the Legion, your home country is aware of it.
Regent Reindorf of Cadillac, representing the opinion, said.
-Literally indiscriminate, and I’ve also heard that they use biological weapons, which is against international law. They’re certainly horrible, inhumane people, but I have my doubts.
-What do you mean?
-The length of the day. It’s been 41 years. I don’t think it’s an appropriate agenda item to discuss at a conference that’s been 41 years in the making.
At this point.
Kim recognized a twist in the scenario.
“What is he saying?
It’s not so much a game as it is a game. A summit organized by Shiran. Naturally, the Emperor leads the talks and berates the Legion for ravaging the continent.
The response from other countries was less than enthusiastic.
Kushan also sensed the crisis and stepped in faster than usual.
-If so, what would you like to see on the agenda?
-Isn’t that a no-brainer?
-If you’re talking about monsters and catastrophes, there’s been a lot of talk about them in the past, and nine times out of ten it’s been pointless. Unless a breakthrough technology is developed to prevent monsters from occurring or predict disasters in advance, the discussion will be a rehash of the past.
It sounded right, but the problem was the messenger.
The head of a research company, a bastion of power that neither the state nor the country had a say in. Anything he said could be dismissed out of hand.
-The materials you’ve been handed are a record of the Legion’s activities as seen by the Institute. Already, Floria, Kilikia, Atlanta, Salares, and Bastitera have been Chaptered by the Legion.
The Regent and other council members looked at the papers on the table. For a moment, the sound of rustling papers hovered in the air, and then someone chuckled at the absurdity of it all.
-Manipulating risky numbers. Isn’t that a leap of faith?
-I can’t think of any other possibility given the circumstances.
-So it’s all just circumstantial.
-We have actual access to Legion’s research and various results. Inhumane research, such as drugging monsters with special drugs to create mutants and mating them with humans.
-But who knows if the research would have been successful. Perhaps if we had captured the Legion’s dangerous creatures.
Kenneth Klawewert. Kushan retorted to Führer Harenthal’s point.
-If that were possible, they wouldn’t be called dangerous.
-I understand that Legion are different from regular terrorists, of course. It’s just that it seems very inflated to me.
There were many who looked down on Legion, so why did things go so wrong. The conclusion was easy to draw.
“These assholes have a saggy belly.
The continent was currently remarkably intact. The major turning points, the collapse of Kilikia and the civil war in Pekatum, hadn’t happened.
“It’s probably because Episode 11 was skipped.
In this episode, a Legion force led by Snowfield invades the Shiran Empire. Even the great powers suffer heavy losses, and the entire continent fears the Legion.
And that’s why the summit is happening…….
“You’re too good to be true.
I knew I wasn’t going to get away with it.
-I don’t disagree that the Legion needs to be destroyed, but I disagree that they’re a continental threat. They’ve been a failure, after all. I think that’s a bit much.
That was the conclusion of the first day of talks,
“It’s what it is.
Kim decided to commit a crime.