Conditional Citizenship
"Stop!"
The moment they were close enough to converse with only slightly raised voices, the checkpoint personnel halted him with stern formality.
Han Yujin stopped without resistance, immediately noting that the language they used was the native tongue of the nomadic tribes.
Trained specifically for situations like this?
But as one of the inspectors approached and spoke, he realized that wasn’t the case at all.
"What’s your purpose here? Come to apply for citizenship?"
The words were indeed in the nomadic tribal language, yet the pronunciation was painfully awkward. Moreover, the man’s eyes weren’t meeting Han Yujin’s gaze—they were fixed on the empty air above his head.
As if something were floating there and he was reading it aloud.
Some kind of augmented reality technology? Are real-time translation subtitles hovering above my head?
Having a chip embedded in his brain that could even defend his mind, augmented reality was hardly surprising. Especially since he had come prepared, knowing this world carried a strong sci-fi flavor.
"I’ve come to become an imperial citizen."
When he answered in fluent nomadic tribal speech, the inspector continued scanning the air above Han Yujin’s head and gave a nod.
"Good. Our empire doesn’t reject citizenship applicants without reason. However, to become an imperial citizen, you must receive education, obey the law and order, and above all, fulfill your duties. Understood?"
"What exactly are these duties?"
"They differ from person to person. But most end up serving several years in the space forces. It won’t be easy or comfortable, and you could lose your life. If you don’t like that, turn back now."
Han Yujin pretended to ponder for a moment before replying.
"I won’t turn back."
"Hmm."
Seeming pleased with the answer, the inspector gave a slight smile, then suddenly glanced at Mu-yong nestled in Han Yujin’s arms.
"In cases where a pet is brought along… well…"
His voice trailed off as his eyes once again scanned the air. He was clearly reading something.
"An additional risk assessment and quarantine process for the animal will be required. Depending on the results, certain vaccinations or a neutering procedure may be necessary. And if those measures are still deemed insufficient, entry will be denied. Do you consent?"
Mu-yong lacked the transcendent comprehension that Han Yujin possessed, so she couldn’t understand the man’s words. But had she been able to, she likely would have reacted quite strongly to the mention of neutering—especially now that her intelligence had grown considerably.
"I consent."
"You’re easy to talk to. Follow me."
The inspector moved toward a piece of machinery at the checkpoint and instructed Han Yujin to stand in front of it.
The device featured a flat metal plate roughly the size of a person. At a glance, it was clearly meant for some form of detection.
I wonder if this can see through my Monghwan Yusim.
Though it was a divine ability rooted in illusion, its principles allowed it to directly affect reality. There was no reason it couldn’t fool a machine, but one could never be too certain.
With a mixture of anticipation and tension, Han Yujin stepped in front of the device. As expected, lights activated above it, accompanied by a soft resonant hum. A wave of spiritual energy swept through him like a scanning pulse.
There was no visible panel displaying results. However, seeing how the checkpoint staff kept glancing at the air, it seemed they received the data privately through the chips in their heads.
Level 2 Spiritualist
"Level 2 Spiritualist…?" one of the inspectors muttered, sounding slightly impressed.
"That’s basically warrior-class among the natives, isn’t it?"
"Yeah. Looks young, but pretty strong."
"Pretty strong? He’s probably twice as powerful as you and that’s all you’ve got?"
"Why are you picking a fight?"
"It’s funny, you idiot."
They continued chatting among themselves in the imperial language. Meanwhile, Han Yujin made several deductions.
I set it to mid-entry level, and that registers as Level 2 Spiritualist.
Since a lower number was unlikely to mean greater power, it probably meant early entry stage was Level 1, late entry was Level 3, and so on.
The existence of the spiritualist concept also meant the Luminous Empire wasn’t purely a sci-fi civilization.
It might not have the clear xianxia atmosphere of the cultivation world, but it still possesses distinct realms and corresponding training systems.
And perhaps even training systems with an obvious xianxia flavor existed here. Given the vastness of this Galactic Empire, it was entirely possible.
In any case.
The Monghwan Yusim had successfully deceived even the sophisticated scanning device, which possessed far greater detection capabilities than the inspectors. For the time being, there seemed to be no risk of his identity being exposed.
They probably won’t casually run into anyone at the Nascent Soul stage or above.
No matter how advanced the Galactic Empire was, it seemed unlikely that such beings were common enough to trip over.
And even if he did encounter someone of that level, he might not be discovered so easily.
The difference in difficulty between completely concealing all presence and simply hiding one’s true power was immense. Naturally, the former was far more challenging.
I might be able to fool them reliably up to the Nascent Soul stage.
If his estimation was correct, the chance of being caught dropped even further. Encounters with Nascent Soul experts would be rare, and even more so with those at the Soul Formation stage.
"Someone of your caliber should have no trouble adapting."
While he was thinking, the inspector who approached spoke in a noticeably friendlier tone than before.
"Follow me. I’ll guide you to the reception desk. The people there are much kinder than us."
"Thank you."
"You seem quite polite. I doubt you’ll cause any problems."
Following the man’s guidance, Han Yujin finally stepped inside the city walls.
The process for becoming a citizen of the Luminous Empire was by no means lax.
First, at the reception desk, he had to verify his identity as a native from the nomadic tribes through various methods.
Naturally, he had prepared thoroughly for this.
The profile he had constructed based on the middle-aged man’s memories had no exploitable gaps. Or more precisely, any gaps that existed were the kind that would be nearly impossible to investigate due to the inherent limitations of nomadic tribal life.
Even if they went to check in person, they’d have a hard time finding anything suspicious.
Nomadic tribes, by nature, lacked tight communication networks, and entire tribes vanished or formed anew every year.
The tribe he had chosen to impersonate was one that had dissolved and disappeared, remembered only faintly in the middle-aged man’s memories. He had set the story so that it happened seven or eight years ago, after which he had wandered among various nomadic groups like any other vagrant. Tracking that would be extremely difficult.
Even if someone went to the trouble of locating survivors from that dissolved tribe, it wouldn’t pose a problem. Seven or eight years was more than enough time for an unremarkable youth to grow into someone unrecognizable.
Of course, it isn’t perfect.
But as long as he wasn’t suspected right now, everything would be fine.
As time passed, the unique characteristics of nomadic tribes would make tracking even harder. Besides, there was no reason for anyone to dig so deeply into the background of a mere Level 2 Spiritualist.
Thus, his disguise as a nomadic tribesman was accepted without issue. Simply demonstrating proficiency in their language and culture had been enough.
Next came the examination of his abilities and physical condition—including Mu-yong.
The process involved all kinds of equipment, but since he had already passed a similar inspection at the city gate, this too went smoothly. Fortunately, Mu-yong was not forced to undergo any neutering procedure.
The following step was the one that proved slightly problematic—not because it was difficult, but because it wasted time.
It was a kind of social adaptation test. He had to complete a course covering the empire’s language, various laws, daily customs, and basic common knowledge.
Pretending to be average felt stifling, yet revealing his genius would definitely draw attention. Adjusting his pace to strike the right balance while constantly reading the room was no easy task.
Fortunately, it wasn’t entirely boring.
The technological level of the Luminous Empire was truly impressive, and traveling between the provided lodging and educational facilities offered constant novelty and entertainment.
During that time, he even formed a light acquaintance with a social adaptation supervisor from the city administration. Though it was unlikely they would meet again once he left this place.
And so, finally.
After approximately a month had passed.
He received his conditional citizenship along with a small settlement grant, allowing him to leave the boundary platform near the city gate.
While waiting for the regular shuttle that would take him from the outer edge of the boundary platform facilities deeper into the city, he fiddled with the elegant silver bracelet on his wrist.
It was called a Nexus Band—a device similar to a smartphone from modern Earth.
Since it was provided as a form of support, it only contained the most basic functions. Even so, it was beyond comparison with mere smartphones.
The fact that one could use an augmented reality interface simply by wearing it was already incredible. The built-in AI was also remarkably intelligent, understanding commands with perfect clarity even when given sloppily.
- Yes, User Yujin.
A pleasant female voice immediately sounded near his ear when he called the Nexus Band’s built-in AI by its designated name.
Yujin was the name he had chosen to use in this world. Simply dropping his surname made it fit naturally into the local culture, saving him unnecessary trouble.
"How many credits do I have left?"
- 5,002,125 credits.
"How many months could I live on that?"
- It will vary greatly depending on the type of residence you desire. Would you like me to reference cases of other citizenship applicants and make a suggestion?
"Go ahead."
Soon, a pleasant voice flowed into his ear while turquoise text floated in the air before him, presenting the information in a clear, organized manner.
"So even doing nothing at all, two months would be pushing it?"
- Completing various educational programs available to citizenship applicants would provide additional settlement grants. Low-interest loan products for settlers are also available.
"I need to remove the ‘conditional’ label from my citizenship status. Do I really have the luxury of leisurely taking education programs?"
- Completing settlement education programs extends the remaining grace period.
Most ordinary citizenship applicants would probably have followed this suggestion immediately.
The more education they received, the easier adaptation would be, and if they could earn money while receiving helpful training, it would be even more beneficial.
But for Han Yujin, who was far from ordinary, the proposal held little appeal.
I need to accumulate Empire Contribution Points, raise my citizen level, and gather credits at the same time.
Only then could he gain access to the empire’s important knowledge and treasures.
For that, I need to remove the conditional status quickly and establish a clear alibi for increasing my strength.
Fortunately, while receiving the education, he had been able to formulate several promising plans. This was thanks to gaining at least a basic understanding of the local culture.
Would joining the Space Force exploration corps be the best option…?
By fulfilling his mandatory service in the space forces to obtain full citizenship, he could participate in expeditions rather than simple combat duty. The nature of exploration would allow him to encounter various unknown locations and incidents.
Since the concept of fortuitous encounters existed in this world as well, disguising his rapid power growth as the result of opportunities found during exploration seemed easy to justify.
At the same time, he could receive compensation proportional to the dangers of exploration, and he could gradually release the knowledge and items he already possessed by claiming to have discovered them during expeditions, thereby accumulating contribution points with ease.
Squeak-!
While stroking Mu-yong, who was squirming in his arms as if bored, he watched the white shuttle appear along the route.
He would find lodging first and then consider his options a little more carefully.