Chapter 169
Chapter 169
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Return of the Progenitor
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"How much ransom can we get for the only son of such a major trading company?"
"Keha! This booze hits the spot!"
"It's all thanks to Captain Elis. Queen Pirates are the best around these parts!"
Rowdy cheers filled the air. Amid the endless indigo sea and sky, the pirate ship Queen stood out as the sole beacon of orange light, torches blazing everywhere as the crew reveled in their drunken feast.
"Those rascals. They're really fired up."
Kish—no, the woman now called Elis—listened to the clamor from her captain's quarters. She propped her booted feet on the table with a thud, leaned back in her chair, and grinned wickedly.
"Let's see. How many gold pieces should I ask for the trading company brat?"
On top of that, the ship and goods seized from the trading vessel were of decent quality.
The best part would be bundling them together when handing over the son.
'Though if his ransom's too high, they might refuse the goods.'
Passing them to the pirate merchants meant razor-thin margins.
As Elis lifted a bottle of rum to uncork it, someone knocked and entered without waiting.
"Captain. That gentleman named Zero has arrived."
Short, neatly trimmed cream-colored hair and brown skin not from the sun's tan. One eye covered by a jeweled eyepatch.
At Ranka's words, Elis lowered her feet from the table and shot to her feet.
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Honey met him in that small fishing village to the east and brought him here."
She knew he'd come to the South Sea Archipelago. But no resonance until he'd gotten this close?
The brief puzzlement faded; unlike her, who'd grown by devouring countless humans, he'd been traveling with that blond human, stunting his growth as a progenitor. Busy as she'd been lately, Elis must not have sensed him. She opened her mouth.
"Bring him here."
Her heart pounded. Some might call this treason.
'But it's not. This is for the progenitor, for our little master.'
A simple death. If that was the end, and those bloodstained hands led another doppelganger... yes, it would be treason.
But for doppelgangers, the death of the flesh meant nothing. They'd return to seed and be reborn.
Zero, the progenitor, was no different.
If she devoured him and absorbed his power, Zero could step down from a role unfit for his frail, gentle nature.
She'd give him a fine body, let him live doing only what he pleased.
Food, clothes—everything in abundance.
If he wanted books, she'd procure a whole ship stuffed with them.
If he wished to settle in a scenic spot, she'd build him a house on the most beautiful island in her firmly controlled inner archipelago.
'Progenitor... no. Zero. Our little master.'
Only pretty, beautiful things for him. The dirty and ugly were her burden.
Elis recalled Zero in that labyrinth prison, forever in pain, blaming himself for her sake.
'I'll never let it happen again.'
He just needed to be happy in her arms. And gather all the comrades scattered under that butler Alkaido's orders—each devouring someone important, biding their time—to build doppelganger paradise.
Knock knock—
As Elis's lips curved up, she turned at the knock.
"It's Ranka. I've brought him."
The captain's quarters door creaked open. Ranka entered with a robed figure.
Elis's gaze fixed on the figure's chest, then slowly rose.
'His height...?'
Tall. And clearly robust. The robe hid his face, but the build alone ruled out Zero.
'Did he devour humans and change his form in the meantime?'
That Adelian human had sworn never to let him eat people at first, but maybe necessity won out.
Yet no resonance or link, even this close—what did it mean?
'A fake.'
To be sure, she'd check thoroughly. Elis masked her disappointment, dismissed Ranka, and spoke to "Zero" alone in the quarters.
"Progenitor. It's been a while."
"Indeed. Long time no see, Kish."
"You've changed a lot since I last saw you?"
"More than you, Kish?"
Laughter drifted from under the robe. The speech and tone felt like Zero during conversation, but the lack of resonance so near confused Elis, silencing her momentarily.
Slowly, he raised a hand, pushed back his hood, and met her purple eyes with the green gem eyepatch.
"...Progenitor."
"Did you think it wasn't me?"
Handsome, flowing ash-gray hair and the green gem eyepatch. His gentle face remained, but...
Elis knew.
Her progenitor had shattered that small seed and emerged.
Just as the colossal world tree had once been a mere seed.
The Zero she'd seen in the labyrinth was simply a seed.
This being before her was an unfathomable deep swamp. The lofty sky. The natural predator of all flesh-bound beings, a false creator granting rebirth.
"Look at me."
'Ah, why did I forget? Foolishly.'
The master of all doppelgangers. The origin, the value—the one she'd protect and follow even if her flesh was cast aside, her core shattered.
Elis slowly met Zero's eyes. The candlelight in the quarters bathed his green gem eyepatch in faint orange.
"We'll meet again soon."
"Yes, Progenitor."
'The lack of resonance or link...'
Because Zero willed it so.
The gap was too vast; if Zero didn't wish it, she couldn't sense a thing unilaterally.
Elis felt her heart stop and smiled slowly.
* * *
'As expected, too many memories devoured and corrupted her.'
Zero caught Elis's collapsing body and laid it on the nearby sofa.
After a moment, the doppelganger core rose.
Devouring someone's memories meant taking their life.
A normal human would splinter or go mad, but doppelgangers were built for it; one or two memories didn't break them easily.
The issue: doppelgangers centered on the memories of their chosen body, but couldn't erase excess ones piling up.
Like reading only wicked books or watching dark plays—eventually, even an innocent person gets tainted.
Elis's devoured memories from pirate life were mostly pirates, slaves, or slave owners—not ordinary folk.
The pirates' brutality, slaves' despair, owners' greed and lust dominated.
'Impossible not to be corrupted.'
Zero grasped the core in one hand, mana stone from Adelian in the other—just in case urgent funds were needed.
* * *
"That's how it happened."
With Kish—no, Elis now—seated beside him, Zero grinned like a large dog as he explained. I couldn't help but chuckle in disbelief.
"Wow, this ship's huge!"
"Rachel, no running."
—Cain-nim. There's a brig below too.
"Hmm."
Meanwhile, the others excitedly inspected the ship, drawing dirty looks from the pirates.
To separate from the noisy deck where Rachel romped, I gestured. Zero quietly closed the door and returned.
"But, Zero."
"Yes, Adelian-nim."
I sat on the sofa, chin propped, lips quirking.
"You could've just said you luckily hired Elis. Why reveal she's Kish—the doppelganger under you that I met before?"
I'd clearly told Alkaido to use them only as informants, and Zero knew that.
Sending them this far to the South Sea Archipelago as spies and to build another force— was this honest reveal a protest?
'No way. Not Zero.'
That softie wouldn't scheme sarcasm like that.
So I asked outright, with a nuance of "even if tricked, I wouldn't know."
"Well, to be honest, Adelian-nim... I figured you wouldn't believe I hired the Pirate Queen Elis, no matter what."
Fair point.
"Besides, a standard hire wouldn't remodel this ship to your specs."
You thought that far? Wanted a kitchen next to the bedroom that badly?
"And."
Zero smiled gently and added slowly.
"With a Prophetess by your side, Adelian-nim, I couldn't fool you forever."
You rascal. You don't even believe I have a Prophetess?
But it aligned with my usual claims, so I shrugged and laughed.
"Zero. You've grown a lot."
"Pardon? I've been the tallest for ages."
Not that, you fool. In many ways.
'User's Eye'
[Zero—Doppelganger's Beginning and End]
Main Traits: [Replication(SSS)] [Intimidation(S)] [Shapeshifting(S+)] [Mana Body(A)]
Hidden Traits: [Natural Enemy(SS)] [Gluttony(A)]
I'd barely used User's Eye due to sinking buoyancy, but now was the time.
Even Zero had changed drastically.
Replication from SS to SSS. Shapeshifting from A to S+. Mana Body from C+ to A. Cooking skill gone, Intimidation appeared.
Fun fact: Zero originally had Dignity as a hidden trait, not Intimidation.
'Why Intimidation?'
Hard to imagine that gentle smiler with dignity, but intimidation fit less? Gluttony rose too.
'And what's this Natural Enemy?'
Natural Enemy traits usually appeared on named NPCs in stages with dire racial matchups.
Like in Blade Gorge, main stage for serpents and birds—Natural Enemy units dominated opposing normal units.
So whose natural enemy was Zero's...?
"Good. Got it. You're dismissed."
"Yes, Adelian-nim."
"Yes. Then I'll..."
As Zero bowed with Elis and left, I rose and approached the window.
User's Eye on after so long—better check everyone.
[Luna Index—Gale-like Charger]
Main Traits: [Leg Power(S+)] [Valor(B)] [Loyalty(A+)]
Hidden Traits: [Berserk(A)] [Will(B)]
Luna's charger title shifted to "gale-like" for speed, Leg Power promoted. Valor (mental) replaced cuteness—encouraging.
'The timid Luna getting this...'
Touching, right? Berserk's rise bugged me, but Will emerged instead of evil horse traits.
Had I skimped on buoyancy too much?
'Absolutely not checking Rachel.'
[Leaf—Top-tier Golem of Ancient Airship Elenion]
Main Traits: [Regeneration(S)] [Mana Heart(SS)] [Obedience(SS)]
Hidden Traits: [Composition(D)] [Drawing(S)] [Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure(D)]
Leaf, as a created golem, started near-complete, so stats changed little.
Obedience likely from bonding with me longer—golem trait upgraded it. Joy, Anger, Sorrow, Pleasure was positive.
'If that levels up more, maybe hear Leaf laugh.'
Then I'd know Leaf's truly happy.
Scratching my head, I turned to Cain.