32. The King's Memory (1)
“Hmm... hum hum hum...!”
Sara, feeling on top of the world after recently mastering the Odd Hole, was humming cheerfully in front of the carriage.
Curtis shook his head.
“Sera, aren't you enjoying this a bit too much? Think about those guys too.”
Glen and Mark were glaring at her with sullen expressions, but Sera didn't care.
“What's the big deal? They'll master it soon enough.”
“You're such a jerk sometimes.”
“Took you long enough to figure that out? Heh heh heh.”
Wayne emerged from the building, ready to head to the barren lands. But there, in front of a 3rd class Gigant from Grint Grand Territory instead of Artemis, Sera Raudi wore a baffled look.
“Squad leader! You're not seriously planning to ride that thing, are you?”
“Why not? Is there a problem?”
“Not exactly, but you've gotten used to Artemis. I just don't get why you'd hop into a Grint 3rd class Gigant now.”
It was only natural for Gigant pilots to crave higher-output, superior models. Even among 3rd class Gigants, Artemis boasted 1.3 times the power, and since Wayne could wield all eight limbs, it could take on three standard 3rd class Gigants at once. So to Sera, riding a lower-performance machine seemed downright odd.
“Might as well test the performance of Grint Territory's Gigants while I'm at it.”
“Huh? Why bother checking another territory's Gigants...?”
“You never know what the future holds.”
Wayne smirked at Sera.
“Squad leader Wayne, we're ready.”
Yann and Eleven approached, fully geared up.
“Take good care of Eleven. He's got a lot of work ahead.”
“Yes, sir...!”
Yann replied, but he still couldn't fathom why he had to tag along to the barren lands just to babysit a monster pup.
“Curtis, I'm counting on you to hold down the forward base.”
“Leave it to me. I'll defend it with my life.”
“No, don't go throwing your life away. Your lives mean more to me than this base or any Gigant.”
“Ah! Understood.”
To Wayne, Gigants could be replaced, and bases rebuilt. But training new pilots from scratch? That was no easy feat. Curtis, however, seemed deeply moved by the words.
Hiss! Clank!
The moment Wayne sealed the Gigant's hatch, visions of the Great Forest flooded in.
A brief but intense hallucination!
A massive 6-meter ant monster bowed its head before the queen.
What in the world! Is this the queen ant they call an extinction-level threat?
The extinction-grade monster said to wipe out entire kingdoms in a single emergence. Right before his eyes loomed an ant at least 40 meters tall—a veritable god among ants.
The queen ant was one of the rare S-rank beasts in the Great Forest. Taking one down required at least a full armored division, and even then, it was impossible if she was holed up in her colony.
Ugh! Even in this vision—her memory—the Odd pouring from her is overwhelmingly oppressive!
What special ability does this beast's Odd hold?
It felt like it hid something unique, much like the heat-sensing red Odd of the python.
The vision faded, and his field of view cleared. Wayne swallowed his regret.
If only this one had two extra arms like Artemis.
He'd thought the same during the monkey beast's vision—a tail would be nice—and even with the Stormtrooper, a lizard tail would've been better. This Grint 3rd class Gigant, modeled after the giant ant, had combined limbs into six for efficiency. But humans only had so many limbs to control it with, so two were sacrificed.
Is it the empty space where legs should be?
There was a slight vulnerability in the waist movement.
3rd class Gigants varied by grand territory. Those near the Great Forest picked a common C- or B-rank beast and based their designs on it. B-rank bases offered better power and mobility, but they were rarer and harder to hunt, risking production delays. So Grint chose the C-rank giant ant, while Dresden went with the B-rank black crocodile-type, making Dresden's 3rd class Gigants renowned as superior.
Lucky Stormtrooper's B-rank based too.
Wayne set off for the barren lands with Sera, Eleven, and Yann.
***
Ten days later, they crossed the barren lands and reached the eastern end at the Daeb River.
Daeb River. The lifeline slicing diagonally across the Barantia Empire from the Sky Mountains, passing the capital and twelve territories before emptying into the sea.
Narrow and swift upstream, but here at the mouth, it sprawled widest—up to 5 km across—with depths over 300 meters in places, more sea than river.
“This side really is a total wasteland. Nothing here at all.”
Across the river lay Northton Territory: forests, mountains, verdant fields. This side? Pure desolation.
“At least there's some grass by the riverbank. And a good breeze.”
Sera shot Wayne an incredulous look at his words.
“Sigh! You're really planning to build a territory here?”
“We'll see.”
“This just doesn't feel right. Lorenne Territory took twenty years with Kallung Grand Territory's backing. We'd be lucky to manage it in a hundred.”
Sera was the type to speak harsh truths over false hope. Wayne knew it well. No manpower, no equipment—not even starting from scratch. Reclaiming land here was impossible right away.
“Let's scout around first. That's why we're here.”
But he had an ace up his sleeve: the memories of the Carian King.
It's changed so much!
Old memories resurfaced, but no familiar landmarks amid the wasteland.
Once, this place teemed with lush vegetation and life.
The kingdom is gone... and only the king remains.
A pang of aching loneliness hit as the Carian King's ancient memories stirred. Wayne felt it all—the void of awakening centuries later, the faint nostalgia of a bygone era.
Memories from beasts and others jumbled together, chaotic for most. But to Wayne, they were all his: experiences, emotions, pasts. His greatest weapon, especially now.
[Stop!]
A massive canyon yawned ahead, halting Wayne's Gigant.
The hatch opened, and he stepped out.
“Whoa! It's insanely deep and sheer. No way across this way.”
The canyon was wide, its cliffs plummeting dizzyingly steep.
“Sera, how far from the Daeb River to here?”
“Rough guess? Five, six kilometers?”
“Six km. That's no small task.”
“Task? You don't mean...”
“Exactly. We'll channel water from the river straight to this canyon.”
“What?”
Sera was speechless in disbelief.
“Nothing's set in stone yet. No need to worry early.”
Wayne beckoned, and Eleven bounded up from behind.
“Looks like you've got your work cut out now! Scout for a path down.”
“Grrrng! Grrrng!”
Understanding perfectly, Eleven dashed along the canyon edge.
“We'll camp here.”
“Yes, sir.”
Sera grew more baffled by the day. What was Wayne thinking? Who was he? Turning academy dropouts into pilots in four months? Teaching crippled Odd gatherers like her and the others the revolutionary Odd Hole? Riding freakish eight-limbed rejects? Bonding with monster pups? Building a forward base right on the front lines when everyone else retreated? Rescuing people solo from the monster-infested Great Forest?
Absurd enough already. Now territory-building in the barren lands? And digging a 6 km waterway? Ridiculous—yet because it was Wayne, she secretly hoped he had a plan.
During the break, Wayne focused on implanting an Odd Hole in Sera Raudi by infusing her with Odd. He'd done it daily en route, each time drawing screams from her.
Forcing an Odd Hole meant agony. But Curtis endured it, and so did Sera, biting down for the sweet reward to come.
“Yann! Prep to move. Eleven found a path.”
“Huh? Yes, sir!”
To Yann, it was a mystery. How did Wayne communicate with the pup? How did he even know where Eleven was when he couldn't see him?
“Awoo! Awoo!”
Eleven howled triumphantly as the group approached.
“Good boy, Eleven!”
A collapsed section of canyon created a long, steep slope down.
“It's late. Tomorrow?”
“No. You two wait here.”
“Alone?”
“Someone's gotta guard the horses and carriage. Eleven stays too. Bark if he signals, head down.”
“Got it.”
Wayne mounted his Gigant and descended into the canyon.
***
Wayne followed the canyon downstream. Once, deep streams 10 meters wide flowed here. Now? Bone-dry, not a blade of grass.
The entrance should be around here...
The Carian King's memories were vivid. He'd visited four times—should be easy. But the changes threw him off; he wandered awhile before spotting it.
The entrance to the ancient Dwarf Kingdom!
A massive engraving of Great Dwarf King Karak's statue crowned the cliff—invisible from above, but down here, its majesty and grandeur hit hard. Between the legs loomed a 15-meter stone door, sealed shut.
Wayne tried forcing it with the Gigant. Even the hefty 3rd class's power failed.
Guess I need the switch.
Stepping out, he recalled the dwarves' method. Channeling Odd, he touched a protruding stone on the wall.
Odd drained instantly.
Thud! Clunk!
A crack split the stone door. The lock released.
Wayne reboarded, shoved it open, and entered. Light seeped in, revealing a grand passage sloping down.
Flanking it: statues of past dwarf kings. Ceiling: twinkling constellations etched by artisans with glowing stones to combat the underground gloom.
Hey! Long time no see, Brass.
Seeing the final statue, Wayne's eyes misted. A comrade from old battles, the dwarf king—glimpsing him like this felt like a blessing. How much time had passed? No records remained in the empire; he couldn't gauge the years.
One certainty: the ancients called Giants had vanished.
Giants—monstrous behemoths appearing one day. Smallest towered 50 meters; largest, 250. Humanoid, but gods of destruction. Endless hunger devoured lands, forests, animals—even dragons became prey.
Every living thing lived in terror of them. Dragons abandoned the skies for good; humans and other kin retreated deep into the earth. Carian’s people tunneled into the roots of the Sky Mountains, and the rest of the world soon followed suit. Even the Dwarves carved out a sanctuary right here, deep beneath the floor of this canyon.
Screeech! Boom!
The passage ended at another door. Beyond: a vast underground world.
Unbelievable! It's perfectly preserved!
Hundreds of colossal pillars upheld the ceiling; houses, buildings everywhere. He'd feared collapse over centuries, but it stood pristine—almost awe-inspiring.
Aqueducts crisscrossed the city, fountains dotted plazas, sewers flawless. Dwarf engineering endured eons.
The issue: surface desertification cut off canyon water, starving the underground of life. Dwarves had vanished even before that, it seemed...
Restore the flow, and this could host a territory.
That was Wayne's goal, gleaned from Carian's memories.
Mod Gigants with drills on arms, make shovels and picks for them.
Heavy machinery would speed digging the waterway immensely.
He couldn't fathom what Alicia told him about Lorenne: manual reclamation by hand. Gigant pilots were knighted elites; their machines, supreme weapons. Why waste them on peasant toil?
Wayne disagreed. One 3rd class Gigant outdid dozens of laborers—foolish not to use it.
There it is.
A massive building: the dwarf king's palace.
Carian visited when hundreds of thousands dwarves thrived here. Now, empty as a ghost town.
Approaching, Wayne halted the Gigant abruptly.
What? Odd?
Intense Odd pulsed from within the palace.