Firewood (4): Whispers from the Immortal King
My eyes went wide at the shocking news, but only for a moment before I fired off a comment. The thread was already a total mess, but I couldn't hold back my curiosity.
└YasaengGrill What the hell is this? They're sending a survivor for me?
└This lady has arrived.
└Grill bro. You won't be lonely anymore.
└They're sending a pursuit team from the Saint Country just for you lololol
└The Saint Country does what no one else could!
└YasaengGrill Can I just dismiss this as bullshit? Damn, it's giving me false hope.
└Normally you'd be scared shitless, but Grill's actually hyped lololol
└Makes sense with the Four Seasons Forest and all lolol
└But who the hell are they sending anyway?
└Rumor has it they're dumping people who oppose the current Pope.
└It's just a way to get rid of rivals lol
└Do they even have the skills to find Judaek?
└No way lololol Unless Judaek straight-up shares her location, impossible.
└Didn't Judaek once tip off about an emperor assassin?
└Yeah, but she gave real-time location updates. Not her own address.
└And that Judaek got her eye gouged out for stalking lololol
└So they can send messages to high-nics?
└Yeah. Those bastards will definitely message. It's all for show.
I had a pretty good idea what was going on. I figured this was something I'd only see back on Earth, but with the Gallery around here, it played out the same way. Classic public opinion warfare. The Gallery was pretty much the only window into what people really thought.
They're just stepping on landmines left and right.
Needless to say, public opinion on the Saint Country was in the absolute gutter. Sure, there were a few defenders or apologists, but they were a tiny minority among minorities.
I'd just sit back and enjoy the show. The Saint Country could call the Gallery evil all they wanted, but whatever.
Didn't some emperor in Jungwon try to ban Gallery use and end up with his head chopped off?
It was a pretty famous incident. The Jungwon emperor assassination. It popped up as bait every now and then, so I knew about it. The emperor banned Gallery access, then got assassinated one day. The palace called it a natural death, and folks in Jungwon chalked it up to internal power struggles. But the Gallery users from Jungwon were already riled up, so nobody bought it.
They'll handle it just fine, I'm sure.
Whether El Dorado shot themselves in the foot or barged into the Four Seasons Forest, none of my business. The key was how Judaek—aka Don'tAbandonHero—played it. She could've revealed my location in real-time and slapped on penalties too.
Judaek said not to worry, but seeing what the Saint Country's up to...
Judaek was probably from the Saint Country herself. Her devout faith in the goddess Aris gave it away. But with the country in such a mess, any patriotism she had was probably long gone. She worshipped the gods, not El Dorado.
Guess I'll just watch how it unfolds.
Looks like the little spark I tossed out had turned into a massive meteor crashing down. Cleaning up the fallout would take time. But if the Saint Country kept stepping on landmines, the fire wouldn't die out anytime soon. I'd just chill and do my thing until then.
Made an oven YasaengGrill (Photo of a pretty well-made oven)
Tried building an oven out of bricks and mud. Whaddya think?
└Cheonma Quite the fine hearth it appears. Planning to bake bread, perhaps?
└YasaengGrill More like a spot for fish. Saves time this way.
└Cheonma Now I wonder what fish roasted in such a hearth would taste like.
└YasaengGrill Want one later?
└Cheonma A piece would suffice.
└SwordTasteStar Weren't you the one squeezing flea livers or whatever lol
└Cheonma This lady has realized it is no flea liver.
└SwordTasteStar Lame excuses lol
└Cheonma This lady could do far more shameless things?
└SwordTasteStar Uh. Ma'am;;
└Pinned instantly lolol
└TasteStar sis. Fight back with allergies?
└Turn blue yourself ^^
└SwordTasteStar No plans to die even for sub-mod;;
└StarlightPrincess Did you make this yourself? It looks great!
└YasaengGrill Thanks haha
└StarlightPrincess With an oven, you can try all sorts of cooking now. Any ideas?
└YasaengGrill Just fish here tho...
└StarlightPrincess I could send you some flour. Wanna try bread?
└YasaengGrill Nah, that's too much. Bread's a luxury. Unless I'm growing wheat myself, it's full belly talk. At best, I can warm up smoked stuff now. Pretty much it.
Like I said earlier, the oven was all about saving time.
Won't be easy till the dwarf gives me that iron plate.
He said it'd come with the barricades at lunch. Training till then.
Today's morning session: sword training.
Ding!
I was just closing the Gallery when a notification pinged. That meant either a comment on my post or a message. If it was a comment, I'd just check who, but this was a message.
Wondering if it was from Judaek, I checked right away.
NecromancyIsLove Are you the one who posted Rice Kraone's final records?
A high-nic I'd never seen. My eyes narrowed at the message.
Come to think of it, if they could message Judaek, they could hit me too.
The nick's a bit weird...
Only the Saint Country would message me like this right now. Curious what bullshit they'd spew, I replied politely.
Yeah, that's me. Posted the book on the Immortal King.
NecromancyIsLove Then you must be the one who gave the book to Cardir too.
Cardir? The Magic King?
Magic King Cardir. I'd heard whispers on the Gallery. A being who knew all magic in the world and beyond, grasping the truths themselves. Teamed up with a previous Hero to take down the Immortal King, slew a madness-crazed dragon. Some called him an eccentric, but he was famous regardless.
I gave the book to Olfather, though? Wait, before that...
How'd they know I gave away the book? It didn't add up, and plenty suspicious. Maybe just fishing. No need to spill.
No idea what you're talking about.
NecromancyIsLove No need to play coy. We has already seen the book in Cardir's hands.
Does that mean Olfather is Cardir?
NecromancyIsLove Indeed.
Then who are you?
NecromancyIsLove The Immortal King—no. NecromancyIsLove paused, then revealed himself.
NecromancyIsLove We am Kazan Kraone III, the last king of the Vulcan Kingdom.
But I heard the Immortal King died?
NecromancyIsLove Flesh perished, but soul endures. Currently sealed in Cardir's refrigerator.
That's just a gimmick, right? Selling some scam... No, this is ridiculous. Sealing the mighty Immortal King in a fridge? Like it's aging kimchi or something.
Seemed like they guessed I gave the book to Olfather. But this high-nic was dead serious about the bit, chatting casually.
NecromancyIsLove Believe or not, your choice. That's not what matters to us.
Then what is?
NecromancyIsLove Merely to express gratitude. Intended or not, you cleared our kingdom's injustice.
Sincere messages were rare. I didn't feel it here... Total gimmick with a weird concept. World full of oddballs. Plus, undead supposedly couldn't Gallery—lacked ego, right? Nothing added up.
Even if Olfather's Cardir, whatever.
Far-off kingdom's business. Nobody'd believe it anyway. Might as well say Cheonma's the real Heavenly Demon from Jungwon. Best to play along vaguely.
I posted it to get info myself, y'know.
NecromancyIsLove Fair enough. Want something?
Come here and help me out.
NecromancyIsLove Regrettably, without flesh, that's difficult.
Figured. Wasn't hoping anyway.
I snorted and kept chatting with NecromancyIsLove.
Then give me some useful info. Curious how the book's author survived.
NecromancyIsLove First, how our brother died.
You can read it?
NecromancyIsLove We never forget our poor but happy kingdom's days. Nor its tongue.
Ah. Yes. I see.
Weird concept, but hey. Good he knew why the owner died. Zero trust, though—would ask Olfather later.
NecromancyIsLove Our brother, Rice Kraone, died of infection.
Infection?
NecromancyIsLove Wound rotted slowly; couldn't bear the pain, ended it himself. Final words say so.
Injured by who?
NecromancyIsLove A pack of gorilla-like apes, it seems.
Gorillas... Don't tell me those guys?
Remembered monkey-like cries when heading upriver. Probably ran into them.
Valuable intel.
No clue how far he explored, but best avoid that area. Not one, but a group.
Thanks for the good info. Helped a bit.
NecromancyIsLove Ask if curious. We must go.
Where to?
NecromancyIsLove Sightseeing the world. Long time out; strange feeling.
Just Gallerying, dressed up fancy. Gave off the same mad vibe as Cheonma.
I ended the chat and messaged one high-nic right away.
Olfather sir. Mind a question?
Olfather Ask away.
Some high-nic said you're Cardir. The Magic King.
Olfather Yes. Correct.
Wait, what?
I blinked. Didn't expect straight admission.
Olfather Do you believe it?
Uh... no?
Yeah, that made sense. I nodded to myself.
Just another weirdo.
No need to overthink.
*****
Current Hero and Gallery head mod Asella was in a bind. Not pursuit breathing down her neck or out of cash. It was the massive bait that spilled from Gallery into reality.
No messages... at all.
Asella awaited word from the Saint Country—El Dorado. Messaging required high-nic status. So sending her one meant barely Gallerying.
No messages so far, thankfully... but this was trouble too.
Does the Saint Country... have no intention to resolve this?
Message comes: problem. Doesn't: also problem. First meant they were guilty; second, no will to fix.
Either way, disappointing for Asella.
If a message does come...
Maybe reveal she's the Hero, clear the misunderstanding? She shook her head fast.
Like before, she had dumb moments but wasn't stupid. Even if cleared, El Dorado would use head mod her. Pressure the info leaker—Grill—hard. Maybe permanent ban.
Fatal for Grill, whose survival hinged on Gallery.
This... isn't right.
Gallery was for all. No nation could regulate freely. That's what she believed.
But Saint Country's actions clashed with her convictions. A god-blessed nation abusing those blessings.
Maybe...
Asella closed the Gallery. Mood sinking.
Maybe they just do nothing.
That way, less disappointment.