Welcome to the Great Palace Hotel
Jin-cheol wasn't the only one taken aback by the sudden blaze of light and the deafening metal riffs echoing through the space. His companions reacted instantly—Aiman and Snow drew their sword and spear, dropping into combat stances, while Haeta clasped her hands in a mudra and lowered her posture. Rahiman hit the deck flat on his stomach.
> Welcome to the Great Palace Hotel—!
> How long has it been since we had a guest?! Hehe! Haha! I'm thrilled!
> Anything you need, just say the word! As Las Vegas's finest hotel, we're ready with the ultimate service for our guests!
> Ah, of course, due to staff shortages and external factors, some services may be limited. Haha! Hehe!
Staring blankly at the dashboard, Jin-cheol heard Aiman, who had drawn his sword, whisper sidelong.
"What the hell's that thing saying?"
"...Can't you understand it?"
"No clue. Never heard the language before."
But Jin-cheol could. It wasn't English or Korean.
After a moment's thought, he approached the dashboard again and placed his hand on it. Aiman and Snow flinched but didn't stop him.
> Woooow! The touch of a guest after all this time—my circuits are tingling all over!
...
This fucker's nuts, isn't he?
Jin-cheol felt a chill but kept his hand there.
"...Hey, what is it? Final Decree? Does that apply here?"
> Of course! Under the Final Decree, you can use all Great Palace Hotel services for free!
> Lodging, buffet, theme park—everything the hotel offers, gratis! Free!
> The pinnacle of modern capitalism, billions in value, yours without spending a dime! Awesome, right? Hehehe!
> Of course, only if any of those services are still functional!
"Then kill the music first."
> Pardon? You mean it?! After eons, you're shutting down the myth of metal...!
"Too damn loud. Turn it off."
> ...Yes. If that's what the guest wants.
A dejected response came, and the wind-up dolls' frenzied performance halted abruptly. Their bodies jerked to a stop, slumping like marionettes with cut strings. They didn't fall, but hung limp.
Now we can talk.
"What language is that? Not Korean or English."
> It's called Brainwave Vibration Language. Only you and this hotel can understand it.
> No one can eavesdrop on our conversation. Awesome, huh?
"Neat. But I wish my friends could understand too."
> Friends? You're the only full human here.
> Oh, you mean the Frankenstein monsters next to you? No way! A guest after millennia, and a synth rights advocate! Hehehe! Haha! Beautiful!
Are all AIs missing a screw?
Jin-cheol felt baffled but pressed on.
"What the fuck. Got a problem?"
> No problem at all! Under the Final Decree, we accept all guest requests unconditionally!
> The four synth discrimination clauses in this hotel are now fully repealed!
> Your friends can communicate with the hotel too! Nice to meet you, synths!
The cheerful shout made Snow and Haeta twitch. Haeta exclaimed in awe.
"Whoa! You convinced the spirit to let us understand without any yo-sul? Persuading it just with words... incredible!"
> Naturally! All Great Palace Hotel guests are special and amazing!
> Especially this one—pure human! So beautiful!
"...?"
This one's nuts too.
After Jindallae, another half-mad AI. Jin-cheol shook his head slowly. Then he noticed something odd: unlike Snow and Haeta, Aiman and Rahiman still looked confused, unable to understand.
"Hey, what about those two? They can't hear it."
> Huh? 'People'? No people here now, right?
> Gasp! Not just synths—bio-roids as people too?! The world got so inclusive while we were buried underground! My circuits are tingling—gonna overload! Hehehehe!
Suddenly, Aiman and Rahiman's ears perked up.
> Nice to meet you! By special guest request, we'll treat you as quasi-guests too!
> Stick close to the guest, or we'll charge a million dollars per footprint! Hahaha!
Aiman let his longsword droop at the half-unhinged voice, chuckling dryly.
"...Wandered many places, met spirits now and then, but never one this manic-depressive."
"Its yo-ryeok isn't that strong either. Probably went weird from being alone so long."
"That so?"
While Aiman and Haeta talked, Jin-cheol refocused on their goal.
"Hey, weren't there Lavitos here before us?"
> Lavitos? Ah, you call BR003 models Lavitos! Way better than Bio-Rabbits! Cool! Hehehe!
> But your question's a bit off, guest. Lavitos have always been here.
> For millennia, since Las Vegas got buried underground.
"Always? Lavitos have been here the whole time?"
> Of course!
With that perky reply, a clunk echoed from the podium where the limp dolls hung. Something whirred up from below, just as the dolls had.
"...?"
The group narrowed their eyes at it—hard to identify at first glance.
But Rahiman yelped and fell back. Rising from the podium was a mummified Lavito in a small iron cage.
> BR003 models were bio-roids from the 22nd-century Underground Project.
> Used in this hotel and all Vegas hotels, casinos, theme parks, etc.
> From simple cleaning and serving to mascot and staff in every theme park—huge hit!
Another clunk, and more Lavito mummies rose. Not caged, but bound to poles, mummified upright. Unlike the first, they wore tattered but ornate military uniforms.
> The biggest hit was our 'War of the Worlds, Myth of America' theme park!
> British Redcoats to Nazis, Soviets, Coalition forces in WWIII! Even medieval knights!
> Armored bunny knights were super popular! That was the golden age...
The lights illuminating the plaza flickered. They projected hazy shapes across the space—bluish figures of ordinary people happily interacting with Lavitos. Smaller and more cartoonish than modern ones.
For a moment, Jin-cheol and the group faced a snapshot from ten millennia ago.
They couldn't hide their shock. Aiman and Haeta sensed ancient breath; Snow saw quarrel-free families laughing; Rahiman stared at ancestors serving humans happily, without care.
Jin-cheol gazed blankly too. Ordinary people after so long—he was speechless. Families, lovers, friends laughing in the theme park.
But an uncrossable gulf of time separated them. Like staring at bright outside from an abyssal pit. Grounded yet falling, disoriented.
He spat it out curtly.
"...Fuck."
Sensing his mood? The blue hologram vanished. The group blinked, dazed. Rahiman especially stared into space from the floor, confused.
Aiman, recovering first, said,
"Wait, did I hear right? That spirit's saying Lavitos were an ancient slave race...?"
> Slaves? Maybe you could call 'em that.
> But unhappy? Nah, hehehe. Genetically designed to find obedience comfortable.
> Slavery might've been higher status for them. Freedom scary, cages peaceful. That's the crowned rabbit's life—shackles as a crown. Hehehe...
"Bullshit!"
The sudden shout drew all eyes. Rahiman, face twisted in turmoil, stood using one leg, glaring at the mummies.
"Designed as slaves from the start? Then what about countless Lavito kin living on the surface?! Insulting their lives, everything we've built, as slave civilization?!"
> ...I see. A mutant, huh?
The dashboard's tone shifted—calm, then gleeful.
> Hehehehe. Yeah, underground humans avoided the final war. That's why the cities were built.
> Lived off slave support, Final Decree power. Some eventually left for surface; rest died slowly.
> Their end? Hehehe. Eaten by their cute slaves. Mutants like you.
One wind-up doll quietly resumed, laying down a soft guitar intro.
> Mutants killed masters, left underground. But not all BR003s left.
> In dark, userless depths, they bred, ate each other over ages. Hehe, haha. Like mutants killing masters, mutants changed them. Beautifully.
Jin-cheol heard a sound and looked up. His gaze hit the brightly lit plaza ceiling—open, with remnant steel beams suggesting former glass.
White hide emerged from above. Eyeless white beast. A grotesquely evolved Lavito kin from underground.
Its maw gaped, revealing glass-shard teeth. A guttural SKREEEEEK erupted.
"...Oh, fuck."
> Hehehe! Hahaha! Beautiful! Beautiful! Fake steels! Start the song again—!
With the dashboard's cry, the heavy metal Jin-cheol had stopped blasted anew. Against the ear-splitting riffs, four-legged Lavito kin swarmed in through the hotel ceiling.