Chapter 587: Quaul Ganesto (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 587: Quaul Ganesto (2)
Quaul reflexively reached for the machine, but Jin lightly evaded his hand and tilted his head.
“You shouldn’t try to snatch other people’s things like that.”
“Why the hell is that yours?!”
“Because I won it from the Zipple.”
“Ha! The Zipple, those pathetic bastards! They lost that to you?”
“You speak as if there’s a reason it had to be theirs.”
Quaul had been reacting with outrage the entire time, but now his face was turning a mottled shade of purple, as if he were truly incensed. His eyes grew bloodshot in an instant, and his hands began to tremble.
“Those… those sons of bitches! They dared to deceive me…?!”
“The Zipple deceived you?”
Jin’s brow furrowed. He needed to hear more, but the fact that Quaul harbored resentment toward the Zipple was undeniably to his advantage.
“That isn’t the Zipple’s; it’s mine!”
“Sounds like a lesson in the importance of guarding one’s property.”
“Give it back.”
“Surely you don’t think the Runcandels are the type of family to cough up something they’ve won just because someone asked nicely.”
Jin wasn’t saying this just to provoke Quaul.
The mechanical device and the ship blueprints—how much had been sacrificed in the Sota Desert to obtain those two items? They were the spoils won at the cost of Black Knight Jane’s life.
To Jin, it was almost offensive that Quaul dared to claim ownership in his presence. Had Quaul’s potential not been so immense, Jin might have already unleashed his killing intent. Anyone else would have been held accountable for such insolence immediately.
“Fine, I get it. Instead, I want you to tell me where and how you got that thing.”
“Why should I?”
“You said you wanted my skills, didn’t you?”
“That’s a separate matter. If you want to hear the story, you’ll have to tell me something that piques my interest first.”
Quaul gnashed his teeth. The initiative had shifted in an instant.
Until now, he had never lost control of a conversation like this. The powerful figures who had sought him out for his abilities—the Zipple included—usually resorted to meaningless threats or bribes before eventually resorting to flattery.
As long as he possessed his skills as an engineer, Quaul was always the one in the superior position. Or at least, he had been until this very moment.
‘It seems these items were even more precious to him than I anticipated.’
Jin’s intuition—that an engineer would possess an inherent desire to complete their masterpiece—was spot on. The recruitment was already halfway finished. All that remained was ensuring Quaul adopted a cooperative attitude.
“…Jin Runcandel, you called that a teleportation device earlier, didn’t you? That thing isn’t for teleportation; it’s a tool for near-instantaneous summoning. It is fundamentally different from teleportation.”
“What’s the difference?”
“Teleportation, like the gates, is restricted by climate and environment. That device is exempt from such limitations. It can transcend spacetime.”
This was why the device was called a ‘Spacetime Device’ rather than a teleportation tool. Jin’s eyes widened at Quaul’s answer.
‘If it can transcend spacetime…’
Perhaps this was the technology needed to bring his siblings back from Laprarosa.
Of course, he couldn’t trust Quaul’s words implicitly. It could be a far-fetched claim, or Jin might be over-interpreting it out of sheer desperation. However, a Spacetime Device was a technology considered impossible until now. Even in his previous life, Jin had never heard of such a thing existing.
“Is that all?”
“For now, yes. Now it’s your turn to answer.”
“Feels like we’re just trading barbs. Fine. I obtained those items in the Sota Desert. I acquired both the mechanical device and the blueprints from a warehouse in the 2nd Magic Tower. It’s strange that you didn’t know. Were you not working for the Zipple when the Sota Desert incident occurred?”
“Hmph, so that’s why you suppressed your killing intent the moment I claimed ownership. You must have suffered heavy casualties.”
“You’re surprisingly perceptive for someone who doesn’t look like a fighter. I’m impressed.”
“I apologize for my earlier claims. The device is clearly your prize now.”
This time, Jin found Quaul’s attitude acceptable. While the man was undoubtedly prickly and eccentric, he wasn’t completely unreasonable.
For a while, the two remained silent, organizing their thoughts. Quaul was the first to speak again.
“And there’s something you’ve misunderstood. To be precise, I didn’t create that item.”
Jin couldn’t help but think Quaul was lying. Valeria’s Record Magic had already identified Quaul as the creator of the machine and the blueprints.
“Then who made it?”
“Lokia.”
“What?”
“Lokia Ganesto. That mechanical device wasn’t made by me, but by my distant ancestor. The Spacetime Device I built based on it was merely an attempt to restore the original relic from that era.”
If Quaul’s words were true, then the Spacetime Device had already been created a thousand years ago.
A thousand years ago, the Runcandels and the Zipples possessed far greater power than they did now. It was entirely possible, considering that ancient artifacts often labeled ‘masterpieces’ were vastly superior to modern cutting-edge technology.
The fact that Record Magic identified Quaul as the creator wasn't entirely inexplicable, either. Since he had improved upon an existing object, he could still be considered its creator in a sense.
Above all, the Zipple’s history manipulation regarding the Ten Great Knights, including Lokia Ganesto, had only weakened slightly; it was still largely in effect.
“Were the blueprints also made by Lokia Ganesto and not you?”
“If the blueprints you have are on paper, then yes, I made those. But even they were restored from relics left behind by my ancestor. Just like my Spacetime Device, they are clumsy compared to the originals that would have existed a thousand years ago.”
That was new information. Jin remained silent, acting as if he already knew the originals were on a stone tablet, not paper. Quaul let out a short laugh.
“No matter how capable you are, you couldn’t have stolen that one. It’s in the 1st Magic Tower, the Tower of Stories.”
“Did the original blueprints belong to you as well?”
“No, I wish they did. Those have been in the Zipple’s possession for a long time. They’re different from the device component, which I kept hidden until I could start my research.”
“I heard from my source that research on the blueprints began in 1775, and on the component in 1780.”
“You have quite the impressive source. But that’s very strange. The only ones within the Zipple who know when my research began are Kelliark, Kadun, and Octavia…”
Quaul narrowed his eyes as if he had realized something.
“I see it now. That ‘source’ of yours—they’re a survivor of the Hister clan, aren’t they? Record Magic. There’s no other way you could know those details. Unless Kelliark Zipple told you himself!”
Jin didn’t answer, instead observing Quaul’s demeanor. A certain longing seemed to be smoldering within his dark eyes.
“Furthermore, my real name. Even the assumption that Kelliark could have told you doesn’t hold up. It’s impossible to know without Record Magic. You must have checked the device with Record Magic. And there, you saw the name Ganesto.”
The existence of a Hister survivor had been known among the great powers for a long time, and both major families had recently begun to suspect that she was with Jin. It was only natural for Quaul to make this deduction.
“Are you going to tell me I’m making a leap in logic?”
“That depends on the basis of your reasoning.”
“I have lived my entire life under the name Tingen Bauer. I only learned my true name, Quaul Ganesto, very recently. It was after the world was thrown into chaos. If not Record Magic, what else could have uncovered that?”
The history manipulation placed on the name ‘Ganesto’ had only begun to fail about a month ago. The weakening of the Zipple’s power caused by Gliek was now creating this butterfly effect.
And, though neither Jin nor Quaul knew it, this wasn't the first time the Zipple's history manipulation had faltered. There had been moments when the spell weakened during Quaul's birth and throughout the lives of his ancestors. The manipulation of the Ganesto family's history, in particular, had always been prone to issues.
“My mistake was assuming Kelliark even knew your real name. Yes, a survivor of the Hister clan is with me.”
It was no longer a situation where he could keep it hidden. Jin continued to watch the desire reflected in Quaul’s eyes.
Quaul was a descendant of Lokia Ganesto and the world’s greatest engineer. What he desired most wasn't wealth, power, or personal glory, but the restoration and completion of technology. If that was the case, then Record Magic—an ability only a Hister could use—was more necessary to Quaul than anything else in the world.
“These were the conditions I had decided upon. First, the person recruiting me must possess that mechanical device. And second, they must recruit a Record Mage to be my assistant. That’s why I didn’t expect anything from you. I thought both were impossible.”
Sssst. Quaul lit a cigarette and spoke.
“The first condition has already been met. The second condition will depend on how close a relationship you maintain with that Record Mage. Is it possible?”
“If you mean a collaborator rather than an assistant, then yes, it’s possible.”
“Well, the title doesn’t matter. Once they see my talent, they’ll naturally think of themselves as my assistant anyway.”
Jin doubted Valeria would ever think that way, but he nodded regardless. In his mind, he could already picture Quaul volunteering to be Valeria’s assistant instead.
Quaul extended his hand.
“There will be no greater stroke of luck for your life, your family, or your entire faction than having me.”
Jin shook his hand and replied, “I shall see to it that you are treated with the utmost hospitality.”
“What do you mean, ‘utmost’?”
“It means welcome to the Barmul Alliance.”
Quaul threw a fit, claiming he hadn't officially joined yet, but Jin lightly subdued him and tossed him into Mort’s mouth.