Chapter 171
Chapter 171
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Kergo Autonomous Zone (3)
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Outsiders trampled Kergo, making all sorts of excuses and justifications. Countless women lost their purity under the pretext of security checks. No matter how misguided her companion's hatred was, it was impossible to side with the outsiders.
“The inspection will begin now. You, come here and raise your arms.”
Amy held her ground, her expression a mix of refusal and caution.
If the man hadn't been a master, she would have struck him in the stomach the moment he insulted her, but his killing intent was extraordinary. A fight would cause a commotion, and this wasn't a good place for it.
“This is going too far.”
Rian stepped in front of Amy. While Amy was better at judging situations, if their opponent intended to humiliate a woman, it was right for him to step forward.
“Falcoa may be dead, but Freeman's organization is still intact. If you treat us like this, you won't get away unscathed either.”
Rian's strategy of borrowing Freeman's authority was witty. Amy also thought it was a good approach.
But the Kergo native was far more aggressive than they'd expected.
Mahatu's face flushed as if a raw nerve had been struck.
“Is that a challenge? Bring it on. The Kergo do not run.”
-Everyone, step back. Mahatu's mind is focusing.
Arin announced through the mental channel.
By the time she finished, everyone felt it. It was a fighting spirit so intense that even the insensitive Rian could sense the discord.
Amy aimed her Spirit Zone. The method of combat would be decided by how high Mahatu's fighting spirit soared.
*Bwooooooooo!*
Just then, the sound of a horn echoed from the far side of the cave.
The fact that it could be heard deep inside the winding tunnels gave an idea of how loud it was.
As the horn's call spread throughout the cave, Mahatu stared at the entrance with surprised eyes.
His companion's reaction was even more extreme. He trembled, as if in disbelief.
“Mahatu, that's the Horn of Jingo. What in the world…”
Before his companion could finish, Mahatu bolted.
“Damn it! Why the Horn of Jingo? Has a war broken out?”
The Horn of Jingo was the highest-level alert set by the Kergo tribe. Upon hearing it, all tribe members had to gather at its source immediately. There were no exceptions, regardless of status, and failure to attend resulted in punishment.
With the natives gone, Amy's group was also thrown into confusion.
“What was that? Something must be happening outside.”
“Let's go check it out. It's dangerous to stay in a dead end.”
Amy's group left the tunnel and arrived at the source of the sound.
It was a massive plaza where seven tunnels converged.
Natives were gathering, but there were so many that it was impossible to see what was happening.
The murmuring noise merged into a din, making it hard to speak. They hoped for a mental channel, but Arin was just staring at the platform.
“Kneel and worship! The messenger of God, who will save us, has arrived!”
The old man on the platform shouted. In response, well over a thousand people knelt and spoke as one.
“We welcome the messenger of God.”
The crowd sank to their knees as if the world itself was collapsing. The view to the platform cleared, revealing Shirone standing before the old man.
Shirone, looking around, met Amy's eyes. Though they had only been separated for two hours, they had been through so many absurd situations that he couldn't contain his emotion.
“Amy.”
Those who had been shouting about the messenger of God fell silent. The quiet spread out in concentric circles, and a few people turned to look at Amy.
Mahatu was among them. Amy felt she wouldn't forget the look of bewilderment on his face for a long time.
“Shirone.”
The natives' gazes returned to Shirone, their attitude suggesting they wouldn't miss a single word he uttered.
Shirone's face crumpled as if he were about to cry.
“Amy, why are these people acting like this? I can't understand a word they're saying.”
Seeing Shirone on the verge of tears, Amy scratched her eyebrow.
And she thought to herself.
*How should I know?*
***
As Shirone walked, the crowd parted like splitting bamboo. The fact that they moved in perfect unison even while kneeling was proof of their tension.
Shirone's face was haggard. It was only natural after two hours of exposure to an unknown language.
Normally, one would give up on conversation when there's a language barrier, but the officiants of the altar hadn't left Shirone alone for a moment.
“I thought I was going to die of frustration. Every time I said anything, they'd just bow, so I ended up not saying a word. Why are these people acting this way toward me?”
“I don't know. We just got here too. Did you pass the test?”
“Uh, I think so, but there's a problem.”
“A problem? What kind of problem?”
Explaining the scenes he had witnessed in Miro's Spacetime would be a long story. But there was no time for that now, and the situation wasn't good.
The old man who had blown the horn approached Shirone.
Mahatu followed behind the old man, his mind in turmoil. If this was the messenger of God, it meant he had opened all eight of Miro's Spacetimes. The shock was that, contrary to what he'd always imagined, the messenger was a boy with downy hair.
-Absolute obedience to the messenger of God.
It was a phrase he'd heard so often since childhood that his ears might as well have callused over.
This was on a different level from the religious faith outsiders spoke of. Just as subjects obey a king, to the Kergo, God was a real, existing power.
Mahatu quickened his pace and approached Shirone. If he truly was the messenger of God, then Mahatu had to atone for his disrespect toward Amy's group before the old man confronted him.
“Revered messenger of God, forgive my impertinence, but are these people your companions?”
As Jis stepped forward to translate, Mahatu raised a hand to stop him.
“No, it seemed someone was using a mental-type magic. If that person is here, please allow me to speak with the messenger of God through them.”
Mahatu had realized this when Amy's voice had risen.
Usually, conversations through a translator become simple and brief, but he'd gotten the impression that some parts were understood with surprising accuracy in the Kergo language.
Arin's Spirit Zone seeped into Mahatu's shadow.
Shirone was startled by the voice echoing in his head, but he nodded upon realizing what kind of ability it was.
Taking that as a sign she was ready, Mahatu repeated his earlier question.
“Messenger of God, are these people your companions?”
“Yes. They're my friends.”
Mahatu nodded grimly. He wasn't afraid of dying, but disrespecting the friends of the messenger of God was a mistake that could endanger the fate of his entire clan.
The fall of Kergo wasn't due to a loop, a civil war, or a volcanic eruption. While that was the official story, a hidden truth lay beneath, unknown to anyone.
The Kergo had angered an angel.
And the boy standing before him was the angel's descendant.
The 500-year-old story, passed down through generations, was a deep-rooted fear embedded in the subconscious of the modern Kergo people.
Mahatu's expression shifted. From dismay to terror, and then, as if he had steeled his resolve, his original expression returned. He dropped to his knees so hard they might have shattered and cried out.
“I apologize! Please kill me! I have committed a grave disrespect against your companions!”
“Disrespect? What disrespect? You didn't use violence, did you?”
Shirone, wary of their fanatical behavior, immediately shot back. If they had laid a hand on his friends, he had no intention of forgiving them.
“Oh, it was nothing. We just bickered a little. You know, the usual for us.”
Amy's words were practically slang. She was implying that while there had been a conflict, the circumstances were complicated, and she'd rather they just move on.
Mahatu looked up at Amy with gratitude. Relieved that he hadn't brought a crisis upon his tribe, he yielded his spot to the old man.
The old man, introducing himself as Hasid, an elder of the Kergo tribe, posed a meaningful question to Shirone.
“Have you come after seeing Lady Miro's message?”
Shirone recalled the scenes he had witnessed in the room of accomplishment and sacrifice. The information floated as fragments, having passed by so quickly, but each one was vivid.
When Shirone nodded, the elder turned, leaning on his staff.
The natives gathered in the plaza were waiting for an answer.
“At last, the messenger of God has graced Kergo with his presence!”
Shirone's group covered their ears. The moment Hasid finished speaking, the natives let out a warrior's roar.
The cave filled with a sound so immense it seemed it would shatter the ceiling.
Amid the joyous shouts, sounds of weeping could be heard intermittently. From the crowd, ragged individuals approached and knelt before Shirone.
“Messenger of God, my child is sick. Please heal him.”
Because Arin's channel was also connected to Mahatu, he could understand her words. But Shirone had no ability to heal a sick child.
An old man crawled up beside the woman, cupped his hands, and pleaded.
“Please give us food! My family is starving.”
That was the start. More and more people arrived.
“Grant me eternal life!”
“Please spare my daughter, Atoreman! She is engaged to a man!”
“Please make me a woman!”
Arin not only covered her ears but also squeezed her eyes shut. The scene transmitted through her clairvoyance was entirely crimson, like looking at boiling lava. If she took in any more of the people's desires, she felt her mind would collapse.
“Canis! The voices of their hearts are too loud!”
“Close the channel. You might get hurt.”
Trapped by the crowd, Shirone couldn't move a single step. Arin had canceled the telepathy, making translation impossible, but the waves of emotion endlessly washed over him, squeezing his heart. It was like they were under mass hypnosis. The keyword would be madness.
Shirone looked back at Hasid and Mahatu for help. But they were only watching their people with sad eyes.
“Everyone, be silent!”
A man's roar erupted, and in an instant, silence fell.
A young man, flanked by sturdy warriors, walked out from the northern tunnel. He wasn't large in stature, but his muscles, bulging like balloons, were more than enough to overwhelm his guards. His long hair was swept back, and his face was adorned with golden tattoos.
Only then did Arin open her closed eyes.
The emotion of the natives, seen through her clairvoyance, was awe.
But that wasn't all.
They were afraid. It was a common sight in clairvoyance when facing a ruler with an iron fist. The man was clearly the chief of the Kergo.
The man approached Shirone and introduced himself.
“I am Kadum, chief of the Kergo. From now on, I will serve you.”
Shirone asked his friends for their thoughts.
No one objected. He was someone they would have to meet eventually if they wanted to get anything from the autonomous zone.
And this was as far as Jis's mission went.
Shirone spoke, showing a hint of regret.
“We'll take it from here. It could get dangerous.”
Jis nodded without showing any offense. The fact that he didn't let useless pride get in the way was why Shirone's group trusted him.
Shaking hands, Jis said worriedly.
“Be careful. This autonomous zone seems very different from the Kergo I knew.”
“Yeah. We'll be fine. And thanks for translating.”
“I'm glad I could help. When you're done, stop by my place. Yuna and I will have plenty of delicious food ready.”
Shirone asked Kadum to escort Jis to the ruins. At his request, everyone vied to be the guide, eager to follow Shirone's command. Arin chose someone trustworthy.
Jis left the Kergo autonomous zone, following the hulking warrior.
Kadum led Shirone's group into a tunnel.
Even after twenty minutes of walking, they didn't reach their destination. If this path were a dead end, any traveler would have collapsed in despair.
A maze isn't just about complex design. The maze of the autonomous zone was overwhelming in its sheer scale.