Chapter 224
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 224
I stayed at the Handicraft Industry dormitory for three days.
I wasn’t picky about where I slept, but the dormitory’s hygiene was atrocious.
Whenever I woke up, I was greeted by pillows and bedsheets stained with yellow splotches. The stains were so deeply set they wouldn’t wash out.
Scratch, scratch.
I scratched my neck and sighed.
My body was inexplicably itchy, and it felt like invisible bugs were crawling through my hair.
It’s not like Son Seok-jae is intentionally mistreating me.
This was just the norm at the Handicraft Industry. It was a company of rough, filthy men.
My physical condition is improving, at least.
I knelt and meditated lightly. Thanks to Lapis, my prosthetic body had stabilized. My organic injuries were also healing, thanks to the pain relief and recovery patches I’d been applying.
Still, it would be better if I could get proper medical treatment.
Opening my eyes, I changed the gauze on my forehead.
I left the dormitory and headed to the factory. The Handicraft Industry had been working around the clock for three days straight, analyzing Mushir Al-Kashura’s prosthetic body.
Some employees were catching quick naps on sagging cots or in torn armchairs.
Step, step.
I walked over to a table tucked into a corner of the factory. Leftover Japa Pizza and beer were scattered across it.
The topping on the Japa Pizza was a single snake, thinly sliced and laid out. Well, sliced is better than whole, I guess.
Chomp.
I picked up a slice of cold pizza and started chewing. It tasted similar to a Japa Burger; they probably used the same sauce.
“…It’s actually good.”
Before I knew it, I had devoured the entire slice.
I grabbed another piece and watched the engineers work.
“Ah, you’re so short I didn’t even see you. My bad.”
An employee from the Handicraft Industry shoved Lapis as he passed. It was clearly deliberate.
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Lapis replied sweetly. “Since you’re a blind cripple who can’t even use the eyes in your own head, I suppose a normal person like me should be understanding. But I am curious. What kind of garbage did your mother eat while she was carrying you to give birth to such a dumbass? Radioactive coffee?”
I nearly dropped the pizza in my hand.
For a second, I thought I had misheard. I stared blankly at the source of that long-winded tirade.
Lapis?
Her usual gentle demeanor was nowhere to be found. Then again, being polite to bastards like this would be stranger.
“Hey, you… what did you just say?”
The employee slammed his tool onto the floor. Lapis didn’t even flinch.
“Are your ears rotten and useless, too? Does your lower half even work? Just because you have one doesn’t mean it functions. Though, I suppose you’d need someone willing to use it with you to even find out. Looking at that face of yours, it doesn’t seem like anyone ever will.”
“You…”
The employee’s hands and feet trembled with rage. Before he could utter another word, Lapis tapped a metal plate with her tool and continued.
“Your mother must have been confused about whether she gave birth to a child or a piece of shit. Is she even still alive? Even if you don’t show her any filial piety, I’m sure everyone around would understand. Mm-hmm, she shouldn’t expect any respect after squeezing out a lump of half-chewed meat like you.”
Lapis spoke calmly, swapping tools and continuing to dismantle Kashura’s leg.
The employee’s face was bright red. He didn’t dare resort to violence, however, as two Equesian mercenaries were watching from a distance.
Wow…
I forgot all about eating my pizza, utterly mesmerized by the sheer creativity of her insults.
I thought I was pretty good at provoking people, but compared to Lapis, I was a rank amateur.
“Fuck, you tiny alien bitch… Just like your unlucky blue skin, your—”
The employee spat out crude, vulgar insults I had no desire to repeat. He spat on the floor and continued.
“…If it weren’t for the boss’s orders, I’d have torn you to pieces right here.”
It seemed xenophobia was a basic requirement to work for the Handicraft Industry.
The looks the employees cast at Lapis and the Equesians were far from friendly. They were filled with raw hostility.
Honestly, my sense of responsibility and guilt toward Lapis was growing. She was right. I didn’t really know what kind of company the Handicraft Industry was.
I had to do something.
Splat!
I threw the pizza I was eating right into the face of the employee arguing with Lapis.
“What the fuck— Y-You…”
The employee recognized me and froze, his face a mask of fear. They all knew what I was capable of in a fight.
“…That Tarpa is my personal mechanic. If you don’t want to die, watch your mouth. And don’t pick fights while pretending it’s an accident.”
“You’re a human, too! Why are you taking an alien’s side?”
It was a ridiculous ‘us versus them’ mentality. But I supposed they had their reasons.
“Because she’s better at her job than any of you. I defeated Mushir Al-Kashura using the prosthetic body she built. And now, you’re all scavenging the spoils. Do I really need to spell out who the superior engineer is? Before you start whining about species, if you have any pride as a technician, show some respect to a colleague with better skills and try to learn something.”
I spoke fiercely.
The employee backed off, pulling his cap down low. For a moment, it seemed like he would shut up, but then he muttered under his breath.
“What a fucking weirdo. Must be sleeping with an alien chick who barely reaches his chest…”
Sometimes, having exceptional hearing is a curse.
I bent down, picked up a stray gear from the floor, and stood up. It was only about the size of a fingernail.
“Don’t mumble. Say it loud enough for everyone to hear.”
At my words, the employee glared back, his eyes filled with spite.
“You should be ashamed of yourself as a human. Is that tiny alien bitch really that good in—"
Fine. He was a dog that couldn’t be reasoned with.
Flick!
I flicked my thumb, launching the gear balanced on it.
“Agh! Argh!”
The gear embedded itself in the employee’s cheek. He doubled over, clutching his bleeding face.
“Hey, stay right there. I’m going to rip that tongue out of your mouth. I’m not joking.”
I walked slowly toward him.
The moment violence erupted, the atmosphere in the factory shifted. It felt like someone might draw a gun at any second.
My senses sharpened, tracking the movements of every single employee.
Even Lapis isn’t stopping me.
She was watching the situation with her arms crossed. Given her usual personality, I would have expected her to try and mediate.
What on earth did the Handicraft Industry do in the past?
I had already made the threat. If I didn’t follow through, I’d look like a fool.
“Geez, I finally close my eyes for a second, and you’re already making a racket.”
The blanket on a cot rustled. It was Son Seok-jae.
“B-Boss!”
The injured employee cried out, a look of relief washing over his face.
Son Seok-jae, having just woken up, ran a hand through his messy hair. Instead of his usual suit, he wore light blue overalls. The armband reading Safety First was particularly striking.
Flick.
As if his mouth wasn’t the least bit dry upon waking, Son Seok-jae immediately stuck a cigarette between his lips. It seemed he smoked cigarettes instead of cigars when he was working.
“Assistant Manager Oh, come here.”
Son Seok-jae gestured to the employee. Clutching his cheek with the gear still embedded in it, Assistant Manager Oh scurried over.
“Boss, I…”
“Shh, shh. It’s fine. Oh dear, that handsome face of yours is going to have a scar. You’ve had your tetanus shot, right?”
“Ah, yes, sir.”
Son Seok-jae grabbed the employee’s chin and tilted his head from side to side, inspecting the wound. To any observer, he looked like a kind boss caring for his worker.
“Mr. Luka, even so, threatening to rip out his tongue was a bit much.”
While looking at me, Son Seok-jae shoved his hand into the employee’s mouth and grabbed his tongue.
“M-Mph, b-boss…”
The employee mumbled incoherently, his tongue pinched tightly.
Sizzle!
Son Seok-jae pressed his lit cigarette against the man’s tongue, leisurely burning it. Assistant Manager Oh’s pupils dilated, and his limbs trembled violently.
“Please let Assistant Manager Oh’s rudeness slide with this. If only for my sake.”
Son Seok-jae smiled gently at me. I nodded.
Truthfully, I had been hoping someone would intervene, and Son Seok-jae had handled it perfectly.
He let go of the employee’s tongue. Finally free, the man stuck his tongue out to cool it, then frantically gulped down some flat beer.
Clap, clap.
Son Seok-jae clapped twice, gathering everyone’s attention.
“Alright, alright, let’s get to work, work! Money doesn’t grow on trees, you know! Let’s chant our safety slogan! Safety!”
As Son Seok-jae started, the employees shouted in unison.
“First!”
“Once more! Safety!”
“First!”
“Even switched-off power!”
“Double-check!”
The atmosphere instantly returned to its usual noisy bustle, as if the tense standoff had never happened.
He knows how to handle people. His employees both respect and fear him.
Son Seok-jae knew how to use fear as a tool. He probably treated his subordinates well under normal circumstances, too.
Indeed, even after having his tongue burned, Assistant Manager Oh showed no hatred or resentment toward his boss.
Dressed in his overalls, Son Seok-jae began actively directing the work. Since the company wasn’t large, he was essentially acting as the factory manager himself.
“Please don’t bully my employees too much,” he said, walking over to me after giving his orders.
“Keep your men on a tighter leash. And treat Lapis Lazuli properly as a guest.”
“I’ve told them, but it’s not easy. Every single one of my employees has been screwed over by an alien species in one way or another. That fellow holding the welding torch? His girlfriend was stolen by a Vagabundus whose dick was as long as he was tall. That bald kid over there had his parents murdered by Crawlers. And Assistant Manager Oh’s parents used to run a small workshop, but a rival Tarpa workshop opened across the street and completely ruined his family.”
“Hmm. Going bankrupt because you lost in fair competition isn’t something to hold a grudge over.”
“Can a Tarpa beat a human in physical labor? They’re small and weak. However, their ability to hyper-focus is far superior to ours. It’s in their nature. Unrestricted competition between different species is inherently unfair.”
“Unrestricted competition is unfair even among the same species. Humans have different innate talents, too. There’s nothing to whine about.”
“Haha, you have a point. But when the species are different, the gap is simply too vast. This society accommodates visible physical differences, but it doesn’t accommodate differences in intellect and mind. If a short Tarpa can’t reach a book, someone will gladly help them. But if a less intelligent species makes a mistake out of ignorance, society condemns them.”
It seemed Son Seok-jae’s hatred for aliens wasn’t entirely blind.
“But in this place, multiple species have to huddle together to survive. Complaining about unfairness won’t change anything.”
“If no one else will change it, then I will. That’s what it means to live proactively,” Son Seok-jae said energetically, snapping his fingers.
“You have grand dreams. If you hate alien species so much, why don’t you go to the Empire? Isn’t that the utopia you’re looking for?”
“Can we really call those who have discarded their flesh and blood fellow humans? Pure humans might be rare these days… but a full-body prosthetic is something else entirely. You should know that better than anyone.”
“Your utopia has some demanding standards,” I said with a twisted smile.
“In my eyes, the Empire’s full-body prosthetics… are even further removed from humanity than aliens. Because the desires and instincts one must possess as a living organism—even before considering species—have been castrated.”
A sharp observation. That was the primary symptom of losing one’s humanity.
Nobles with full-body prosthetics repeatedly performed unnecessary human actions just to prevent that loss, and slowly, they went mad.
Only a tiny fraction, those with exceptionally strong humanity, could project the vitality of a living organism from within the coffin of a full-body prosthetic.
Someone like Jin Gau, for instance. Even as his life was ending despite his full-body prosthetic, Jin Gau retained much of his human side, fueled by his thirst for knowledge and his desires as a scientist.
If Jin Gau had been a natural-born human, he probably would have been considered an inhuman monster of a scientist. His desires were too vast for a natural body to contain.
Because his desires were so bloated, he could maintain his humanity even after losing his physical body.
The essence of… being human is, ultimately, desire. There is no right or wrong in that desire. Humanity does not equal moral goodness.
“Anyway, if anything happens to Lapis while I’m away… consider our deal, our contract, and everything else off the table.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. But, just in case, let me ask…”
Son Seok-jae gave me a knowing look. God, this was driving me insane. I felt like I was going to develop a nervous tic.
“…I like human women. And women around my age!”
I emphasized. I had no idea how many more times I would have to repeat myself.
“Ahem, ahem. Understood.”
Son Seok-jae cleared his throat.