Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Ozz Revelations and Coup Whispers
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This comet purchase yielded two major achievements.
The first concerned this substance called Ozz.
Why couldn't ordinary people detect Ozz?
By conventional physics, that was impossible. Dark matter existed without being visible to the naked eye, but could it really only be observed by specific individuals?
What was the point of doubting if it was possible? It was right there in front of me.
This Ozz material could only be sensed by entities capable of detecting 'thought waves'.
In other words, it wasn't visible to the eyes—it was felt through the sixth sense. A substance perceived by the mind.
And no matter the method—inhaled through the nose, ingested by mouth, or injected into the bloodstream—once it entered the body, it activated the mind instantly without any notable absorption process.
If drugs were this easy to absorb, Earth would have turned into a den of addicts long ago.
This led me to suspect that Ozz itself was a form of superpower. It defied physics and chemistry in too many ways, and it demonstrably aided mental enhancements linked to psychic abilities.
That was as far as my own deliberations went. I was the Queen, not a specialist scientist, so I set aside any more complex thoughts.
I dumped the comet chunks without Ozz—essentially space trash—somewhere remote in Lushaka territory, and sent all the Ozz to EinsteinaVis. He'd figure out something useful with it.
Now that I knew Ozz came from comets, I checked every comet orbiting the star systems owned by the Lushaka Kingdom.
And sure enough, I found quite a few within kingdom space that contained Ozz components.
With all those samples, EinsteinaVis boldly pressed on with his research. As a result, the legion evolved another step.
"Oh... so you are useful after all."
"An honor, Your Majesty."
Ozz had the power to strengthen the mind. And psychic abilities were essentially the mind gaining physical form. Ozz could even enhance that manifested mental substance.
In short, we could now generate shields like in ProX.
Shield technology wasn't impossible just for the legion—other nations used it fine.
They confined plasma with magnetic fields, ionized atmospheres to give them physical substance, or various other methods. The strength varied, but they produced proper shields.
The problem was that the legion, without attached machinery, currently lacked shield tech.
If we found organisms that freely manipulated magnetic fields internally or ionized surrounding air, we could base it on their genes—but unfortunately, none had been discovered yet.
But we'd found a breakthrough through the mind, not genes.
However, psychic powers from my main body differed from those manifested by the countless distant fragments of me. To generate shields, Ozz assistance was essential.
Even if my mind outstripped even the finest Bahilila specimens, most of it was tied up controlling those myriad bodies. Available mental capacity was limited.
Ozz amplified my mind itself—a buff proportional to maximum output—creating enough spare capacity to briefly draw alien attention.
In the end, a fantastic discovery. Pleased, I returned the comets to their orbits.
Investing in tech was definitely the way. Low risk, high return. Science was the future.
The second achievement concerned this mercenary firm, Black Mango. Or perhaps it was an extension of the first.
Psionic shields were a great breakthrough, but I'd secured the Ozz comets to deter whatever force was disrupting my stable exploitation. I couldn't lose sight of that essence.
Yet investigations into psionic users hit a wall.
Around the time I handed the comets to EinsteinaVis, I began digging into the congressmen who'd opposed the tech agreement.
No matter how nimbly taxis zipped through the skies or pulled stunts between buildings, my eyes—rats everywhere in the city, even whales gliding overhead—covered every corner of Katea Planet. Dodging me was impossible.
I confirmed the anti-agreement congressmen kept changing locations for their meetings. The president was even involved.
To eavesdrop, I tried infiltrating with rats, but psionic guards stood watch. Any stealthy approach ended with the rats dying instantly.
But rats shielded with our newly researched psionic barriers were different.
A rat wrapped in a psionic shield survived a soldier's telekinesis unscathed and slipped inside the building leisurely.
"…!"
"What? What's up?"
"No... uh. Nothing."
"Punk, you're no fun."
That's right, soldier. You couldn't admit letting one little rat escape. Classic bottom-rung dodging responsibility. Thanks for the show—it benefited me.
The futuristic building, set against a space backdrop, was impeccably clean, but its decorations were so ornate and cluttered they felt messy. Finding cover for a rat was easy.
Fortunately, no psionic soldiers patrolled the interior. Were there not enough awakened for personal guards, or did these old humans resist new tech? Unclear.
After scouting inside, I spotted humans gathered in what seemed less like a conference room and more like a dining hall.
"When's Congressman Anders arriving?"
"Issue at his arms manufacturer. He notified us he'll skip today, Mr. President."
"Understood. Let's begin."
The man at the head table, President Leonard A. Taniguchi, loosened his tie impatiently and continued.
"Psychic Dust. Can we secure it through other channels?"
"Apologies."
"Why did those aliens take the comets? Wasn't it a substance undiscovered except in Bahilila trees?"
"…"
As the congressmen offered no reply to the president's question, a heavy silence blanketed the dining hall.
"Tch. So, can we prepare soldiers as planned?"
"We've recalled all cigarettes containing Psychic Dust. Surveillance on smokers intensified too. Any awakening signs, we can abduct... er, hire them immediately."
Amid the grim news, this usable update softened the president's expression for the first time since entering.
"Good. Minimize delays to the plan. Our alien friends don't seem endlessly patient."
"Mr. President, shouldn't we seek cooperation from Lushaka too, not just Varisa? Test the waters without leaving tracks."
"No. Don't. Bad vibes there. Suspiciously pro-Deneb since Moretti's regime. Varisa's joker enough. No extra variables."
"Yes, Mr. President."
As the president pulled a cigarette from his pocket, a nearby congressman promptly lit it courteously. It was the same brand I'd bought to test for Ozz.
"Whew—. That awakening thing real? I'm getting no signal."
"Success rate's low. Maybe one in a hundred thousand."
"Shame. What about mass dosing Psychic Dust?"
"Seems to trigger stronger psychics reliably. But most died soon after. Human bodies can't handle it, probably."
"So it's possible, at least."
The president pondered briefly, then said,
"Feasible, then—"
"Infiltrate Lushaka and steal Psychic Dust possible?"
"Tough. Locals are like zealots—no hiring them. No news or internet, can't even track comet paths."
"So. Can't get it?"
"…Apologies."
"Scour Lushaka Kingdom planetary orbits. If they don't know about Psychic Dust yet, one's bound to be out there in that vast space. If they do, oh well."
"Pardon? But if caught…"
The president's silent gaze turned on the replying congressman. Meeting his eyes, the sweating man bowed and affirmed before leaving first.
"Committee Member Luo Han. Space Whale handlers' routes mapped?"
"Yes. Immediate assassination viable. One psionic per. No interference from Space Whales during the deed."
"Ships that recognize owners—such a hassle. Confirmed. Good that Treegalaon-Alpha's handler's ours."
The president rose.
"Dismissed for today. I'll head out first. Next is five days after Varisa friends enter. Location later. Space out your exits."
Even after the president left, I kept eavesdropping via rat, but nothing useful followed.
To avoid detection and suspicion, I left the eavesdropping rat in hiding to starve.
Summarizing the intel:
-Owns arms manufacturers and mercenary companies.
-Deliberately awakens psionics with Ozz to build soldiers.
-Receiving some cooperation from Varisa Space Company.
-Plans to paralyze the Space Whale fleet during their 'great undertaking'.
Hm. Coup?