Chapter 517: Negotiations (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 517: Negotiations (3)
Tikan was still undergoing heavy construction. It was only natural, as the massive installations from the Black King Mountain Fortress were being completely remodeled and reinstalled.
Even with the work unfinished, Tikan already possessed over eighty percent of the old Black King Mountain Fortress’s defensive power.
That eighty percent only accounted for the equipment brought from the fortress. When factoring in the strength of Jin’s original comrades and his new blood allies—who considered themselves his subordinates—Tikan was effectively the strongest city of its size in history, second only to the two great powers.
No small or medium-sized nation could dare look down on Tikan. From the moment the Ghost Squad and the Black King Corps joined forces, Tikan had become a land worthy of being called the “Fifth Power.”
"Uuuhuh... The declaration of statehood is just around the corner..."
Perhaps that was why the master of Tikan, leader of the Seven-Colored Bird, and a man often mistaken for a profound mystic—Ghost Sword Casimir Alfrion—had been moved to tears so often lately.
His heart overflowed with an inexpressible sense of achievement. Now in his forties, he felt a delicate sensitivity, a conviction that his long-held desire was finally reaching its conclusion and a new beginning, and a deep gratitude toward his comrades. These were the reasons Casimir shed tears of joy.
"Oh boy, Sir Casimir is crying again."
"Yuria, go get your father a handkerchief. How can he show such a pathetic side in front of Lord Jin?"
"Why are you crying, Uncle Casimir?"
Jet, Alisa, and Amela spoke up.
It was a rare occasion for all the comrades to be gathered for a meal. Except for Strawberry Pie—no, Gilly—who had gone for a walk (thanks to Murakan’s persistence), everyone was seated at the table.
"It is still too early to declare statehood," Jin said.
He wasn't without his own deep emotions. However, after returning from his latest mission, a renewed sense of urgency had taken root in his heart.
"He's right. As the Lord says, it's still not enough," Lata said as Valkas nodded in agreement. "It's unlikely Zipple or Kinzelo will attack us directly anytime soon, but they'll surely try to apply pressure whenever they can."
"The installation of the fortress's defense equipment is slower than expected, my lord."
"I heard it's because the equipment was specialized for the mountain range where the Black King Mountain Fortress was located, Sir Valkas."
"That is correct. The compatibility with Tikan isn't bad, but it isn't perfect, either. And as I felt back at the fortress, our equipment has much room for improvement. In fact, thanks to Amela, a great deal of improvement has already been made."
Amela.
As she had demonstrated in the Gaifa Archipelago, she was a master of war who wielded the power of chaos.
In the Gaifa Archipelago, she had displayed even greater power than usual by merging with Bubar’s chaos, but even without that, she was the world's foremost expert on operating war machinery.
Valkas had even assessed that in a true 'war,' as opposed to a simple contest of martial skill, Amela alone was more valuable than the entire Black King Corps.
"That’s why the equipment is already operating at eighty percent of its power, despite not being fully installed. But watching Amela strengthen the equipment, I realized something. It can still get better. This means we can achieve more than double the firepower of the old Black King Corps."
"Is that possible?"
"It’s possible, Lord!" Amela said, waving a hand from within her bush-like attire.
Jin still felt a bit awkward around her. They had fought to the death in the Gaifa Archipelago, and after Yona’s 'verification,' Amela had been unconscious. He had left for the Sota Desert without exchanging a single word with her.
Amela, on the other hand, followed Valkas and Lata's example in calling Jin 'Lord' and acted surprisingly friendly. Since her chaos had been subjugated by Yona, she now had the disposition of a rather sociable child. Her fear of Jin and Murakan seemed to have vanished completely.
"Most of Uncle Valkas's equipment is modern magitech. But some are relics—what people usually call Masterpieces. Like your helmet, Lord. Uncle Valkas is a dummy; he didn't even know. My little cuties didn't either."
Before meeting Jin, Amela had spent her life wandering the world with chaos as a mercenary and explorer. Thanks to that, few in the world were more knowledgeable about relics and artifacts than she was.
"Haha, to be called 'Uncle' by someone my own age."
"Dammit, stop calling us 'cuties'...!"
Since Amela’s appearance, hidden by the bushes, made her look younger than Enya—let alone someone his own age—Valkas felt a little stung. It was Lata and Fey who reacted violently to being called 'cuties.'
"A Masterpiece?"
"It was probably made by demons or the Zipple of old. Specifically, the thing Uncle Valkas calls Black King Cannon No. 1. In my opinion, its real name is the 'Mana-Suction-Injection All-Weather Accelerated Crushing Cannon.' Uncle Valkas didn't know any better, so he was just using it like a regular old cannon."
"Mana-Suction... what? Wow, Lady Amela knows how to use such difficult words. Did you understand that, Milord?"
"Mana-Suction-Injection All-Weather Accelerated Crushing Cannon...?"
Jin, who had long endured the critiques of the Academy, was quite used to such long, formal names.
"Heh, as expected of Milord."
"If we can restore its full functionality, it'll be the most powerful cannon in existence. Hmm... let’s see, for comparison... the Kozec! It’ll probably be even more powerful than the Kozec’s Mana-Injection-Spray-Type All-Weather Crushing Cannon."
Even just comparing the subtly different names, the former sounded stronger. Of course, there was no way to know if Amela’s words were true.
"If that’s true, how did that thing end up in the Black King Mountain Fortress? Back when the Black King Corps existed independently, we often interacted with engineers from Zipple or the Imperial Palace for equipment maintenance. There’s no way they would have left a cannon like that alone if they saw it."
"The cutie asks some cute questions. Do you really think they sent their top-tier personnel to the Black King Corps? They probably sent mediocre leftovers every time, which is why they couldn't recognize it. You could figure that out if you just used your head a little."
"Why you..."
"Uh-oh, the cutie's gonna hit Amela!"
"Oh, anyway, I don't know what it is, but you're saying it's an incredible cannon, right? Can you restore it, Lady Amela?" Enya asked.
Amela shook her head. Since Lata was holding her back, her neck could barely turn, making it look as if the bush itself were simply shaking.
"No, ugh, that... ack, I... can't. Ah, my bones, my bones! You hit me! Wait a sec! I lack the ability. And I don't know if there's anyone in the world with the right people to restore it."
"Lord, whether Amela’s words are true or not, it seems we need to recruit a proper magic engineer," Valkas said. "Even if it’s not for Black King Cannon No. 1, there’s plenty of equipment to improve, and above all... we need to find a clue about the mechanical device you obtained from the Sota Desert."
An object that could change the course of the coming war.
That was how the Prophet had described the machine Jin obtained to Rosa.
Even Mother didn't hear the exact use of that object from the Prophet. If she had, she would have told me, since it would definitely benefit the family.
Of course, the Prophet’s words could be a lie. He might not actually know the machine's purpose either.
Still, it wouldn't have been kept with the blueprints for no reason. He had to find out why.
To do that, he needed the help of a genius magic engineer, along with Hister’s record magic.
"Jet."
"Yes, Milord!"
"Inform me immediately if Aria contacts you."
He hadn't met Valeria once since leaving the Wantaramo Forest last year and spending time with Yona.
She held the corpse of the Viment Demon obtained from the Wantaramo Forest as evidence to pressure the Imperial Palace later.
She was also analyzing the iron from the Kinzelo Leader that Jin had obtained at the Sword Emperor Castle and the recording devices he had given her, all while tracking Temar’s tomb by restoring Hister’s magic.
The lack of contact meant one of two things: either she had no results to report, or she was in some kind of danger.
Or perhaps she has entered the next heritage site.
Misha was also out of contact, which made Jin feel a bit uneasy.
"Of course, sir. Well, they say no news is good news, so don't worry too much. Contact is infrequent, but what could possibly happen to such a sharp young lady?"
"I hope so. Hey, Murakan. About Lady Misha..."
"Milord, Lord Murakan went for a walk with Gilly... Ah, there he comes! Huh? But why is he on a giant toad…? Is that Palace Master Talaris’s snow toad, Mort?"
Ryu and Hiten of the Secret Palace's Seven Swords, who were sitting at the table, shot to their feet and bowed.
"Greetings to the Palace Master!"
"Greetings to the Palace Master!"
It wasn't just Murakan and Gilly riding the snow toad, Mort; its owners were there as well.
For some reason, Kuzan, Beris, and Julian stood beside them with dazed expressions, like attendants.
"Oho, son-in-law. It’s been a while!"
"You’ve arrived, Lady Talaris, Lady Siris."
"How is it that my son-in-law never invites this mother-in-law when there’s a gathering like this?"
"Did you perhaps not receive an invitation from Lucas Manfran?"
"Ah, we must have crossed paths. I almost felt neglected again, you know? Hahaha... Ha! Unbelievable. I heard from this handsome Black Dragon over here that some strange little thing has attached herself to my son-in-law."
She was talking about Sandra Zipple.
At those words, Siris let out a sigh, as if she no longer had the strength to argue with her mother.
"My son-in-law doesn't have feelings for her, right? For the young lady of a hostile family?"
"Mother, even if she is a Zipple, she is someone who provided great help to Jin."
"Oho, look at you, being all stiff again. Can't you take a joke?"
"That probably wasn't a decision she made lightly."
Siris, of course, naturally, and absolutely did not care about Sandra Zipple.
However, she didn't think she could help Jin to the point of betraying the Secret Palace, yet the fact that Sandra had done so left her with a strange feeling.
If it were the old me, I would have just scoffed at how stupid and foolish she was. I suppose I’ve changed a bit since meeting Jin.
Talaris shrugged.
"Hmph, I’m grateful too. But still, to rebuke your own mother like this in front of everyone. I am still the Palace Master of the Secret Palace."
"I apologize for that, Mother."
"Ohoho, that was a joke too! You’re so jumpy!"
"Seriously, Mother."
"My daughter really is fun to tease. Anyway, good to see everyone. Seeing the world's top three mercenaries all gathered for a meal is quite a sight. As expected of the charm of the man I picked as my son-in-law... So, what were you all talking about?"
"The Mana-Suction-Injection All-Weather Accelerated..."
The moment Jin began to answer.
Whaaaaaaaaang—!
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout Tikan. The warning systems installed by the Black King Corps had been triggered.
It was an alert for an unidentified object detected in the sky.
And the one who had triggered it was none other than the person who had escorted Jin’s party in the Sota Desert not long ago.
It was Zephyrin.