Chapter 173: Kergos Autonomous District (5)
3uovbHThe expressions on the faces of his friends were also unusual. The only ones who showed no change in emotion were Canis and Arin.nra65aq
HIZnr9H“The reason we can’t open the Kergos Autonomous Zone. The only one who can open the door underground is someone who has inherited the power of an angel. That’s why we’ve been waiting for you.”AJ1IT9j
kzztThe door to heaven. It wasn’t a nonsensical claim. Shirone had experienced going to the space-time of the labyrinth through the Immortal Function.zJbmC
ynQxHowever, this time, the scale was different. The world created by a mage was different from heaven. Kadum was talking about the place where God resided.MXIqh5
QTl“Long ago, angels served as intermediaries connecting gods and humans. They transcended time and space to convey the will of the gods. We know that an Unlocker is someone who has inherited the power of an angel. Please, restore the glory of Kergo. The tribe is prepared to make any sacrifice for it.”r4U04
X6CnDoShirone couldn’t answer. They were asking him to meet God. What could he possibly do by going to a star in the sky?
“Kergos has faced countless crises. The disaster of a volcanic eruption and even a civil war. We’ve also suffered humiliation from outsiders. The tribe is on the brink of destruction. Our people are starving. But we believe that the descendant of an angel will revive Kergos”hYRH
NIEAmy pointed a finger and asked.XN5w2D
WWUH“Why don’t you just buy food? Depending on faith in a situation where you can be self-sufficient is like gambling with your life. We know that the profits from Loop smuggling are astronomical.”W9Z5jk
2n1NT“Kergos’s situation is worse than you know. The income from the relics we share with the Galiant government can’t feed twenty thousand people. Even if we sustain ourselves by selling Lupe, we will be overrun by outsiders as we were a hundred years ago. As the chieftain, I’ve saved a great fortune while praying for God’s blessing.”0Tf
gSB6Z“No matter what, using money and women to persuade a divine messenger—did you really think that would work?”x2ZGbx
XrF“I don’t know about that. I was merely searching for a method through the records. According to Kergos’s history, a divine messenger once demanded a hundred million gold as a condition for going to heaven.”n0rp
TlZ2Shirone was astonished to hear that someone had already been to heaven. Moreover, demanding a hundred million gold—it was something only someone who valued money more than life would do.WL6yv2S
tFYTTaeOr perhaps, it was someone so skilled that they were unafraid of going to heaven. But was that even possible?omd
6DZDdQ“What happened to that person? Did they return safely?”tZb
BcA“Of course. Two hundred years ago, the divine messenger left for heaven with their companions and came back, having received the will of the great Ra.”VHTGtC3
KT4BpK“How did they return? Did they come out through the entrance?”AwMk
nRj“That’s impossible. As you might guess, the door to heaven operates with the Immortal Function. The door makes the Immortal Function possible. But since there is no medium in heaven to activate the Immortal Function, another method must be used to return.”FyG
tAMqmk“What method?”E9ajIs
g9bPIZ“I don’t know. The records only state that they said it wasn’t a profitable venture when they returned.”qQBzMu
3TOfLJASilence fell.974VcVJ
s7oDlbzIf the powerful beings who traversed the unknown space where God existed said it wasn’t profitable, it meant returning by their own power was impossible.lurpaN
LQFTYrJShirone finally understood Canis’s words. Not being able to return was a more serious problem than death in some ways.hcl71rS
QGqNdbThis wasn’t about setting sail for a distant land. It was about passing through space-time to reach a star somewhere.Al2wjR8
cqrEB“I’m speaking honestly. I know it’s dangerous. But the fate of the tribe is at stake. If you help Kergos, we will do everything we can. If you want gold, we’ll give it to you. If you want women of Kergos….”TEZe3
eL1DU“No, I don’t want anything. I don’t think I can accept any reward.”sxF
sx9dz3While they had agreed to listen at the banquet, the situation had changed.9Lv
tVcNj1Frankly, no amount of money would change his mind. But… the intense curiosity that rivaled the fear of death stirred within him.IFQjCv9
M5LoeVShirone, having thought of the best answer, spoke without needing to ask his friends’ opinions.6TCF
abZoca“I’ll think about it.”nxW1
X0jGX83***m64
s0cLeft alone at the altar, Kadum stared at the stars.kJ1LsTp
zpcH1RPThe servile look he had shown to Shirone’s party was gone. Standing with his chin raised, befitting the ruler of Toa Mountain, he sensed someone approaching and turned his gaze.Dg8zd
Ph1L28An old man coughed as he walked up from the entrance of the altar. It was Elder Hashid.vvy
EJNj“Are you really going to send them?”U8S
Qm9zFKKadum’s expression twisted as Hashid addressed him with respect.BcGe2
TRRo“Father, it’s not appropriate to speak to your son that way.”374
XF7Hj7z“Son? You know my son is no longer in this world, Father.”SaljGFk
Fx3pxEIt was a strange situation where they both called each other “Father.” Of course, it was even more bizarre for the elderly Hashid to call the robust Kadum “Father.”WWYc1p
quWTnCKadum revealed his true nature. The gleam in his eyes hinted at the wisdom of someone who had lived for over two hundred years.Sql4Xtn
3d5H“Hmph, do you still misunderstand? Kadum’s death was an accident. I didn’t kill him.”IQnUS
mPTDg“Of course, you would say that. But if my son hadn’t died, the man named Kang wouldn’t have borrowed Kadum’s name to become the chieftain again.”lj6R67a
PFy0Kadum turned to face Hashid.JhSB
KH6Zaps“What are you trying to say?”OzmDG
gWMdTRe“Father, they won’t succeed. Even if that boy is a divine messenger, he won’t bring back what our tribe desires.”ZCc
3NETJ“It doesn’t matter. The wealth will remain here anyway. If they bring back what we want, it’s worth any amount. If they fail, we’ll just dispose of them. Everything is for Kergo.”m7abDS3
pVH“Is that so? Two hundred years ago, you gained three hundred years of life through a divine messenger. That has nothing to do with Kergos, does it?”zvr
kwXHYOHashid glared at Kadum with contempt.1ot1xV
ebeAWhile the son was old and frail, struggling to even walk, the father enjoyed youth with a muscular and sleek body.U3kLiS
z6RDCSince gaining three hundred years of life, the chieftain had gone wild. He searched for Unlockers across the land and spent a vast fortune. When the tribe’s wealth dwindled, he even sold Lupe to outsiders.Nfp
7IfcwtLIn a way, it was understandable.D0tB
a6yjImmortality. Eternal youth. What wouldn’t someone give for that?WGyhl7
7Rf“Isn’t it enough already? Since that day, many Unlockers have left but not one has returned. Obsessing over immortality makes you lose your humanity. Lady Miro realized this early and issued a warning.”fdGxBG
zXgHlR“Silence! No one can lead the tribe as strongly as I can. Have you forgotten how miserable Kergos was when you were the chieftain? You’re just a failed leader. Kergos needs me. I am Kergos itself!”jLMfhh
L6fReHashid could say nothing as he watched Kadum howl at the sky.dw6HjO
wxa2Father was strong. He was a two-hundred-year-old serpent with formidable strength. As he boasted, he might indeed revive the tribe.NpoWu4
U9plMoMBut perhaps… he would be the last, and Kergos would vanish from the world.AwMq
5z7***JIO7oVB
qU5ngShirone’s party headed to their lodging.BWPagGt
QAaMEc5The cave stretching northwest from the square was complex, but to Shirone, who frequented Estas like his own home, it was just a bothersome maze with many forks.72VJ
mcovThe lodging was a large room with a bed they hadn’t expected. There was even a cabinet next to the bed.b6kF
f1jbYIt was a room for outsiders. How many people had stayed here until now? Had they left for heaven? Or had they disappeared from the world?GPKF
FUi1The chieftain’s words were so shocking that everyone was silent even after they reached their lodging.hinP940
0Fk1TAfter unpacking and organizing in the cabinet, they turned to Canis. Divine messenger, heaven, the situation in Kergos. Now it was his turn to explain what he knew.z3JV
hxP“I kept my promise. Now, explain.”QetW
745“It’s just as you heard.”oVg
ApR4TAmy sat next to Shirone, facing Canis.6yH6
9oUeo“Heaven? Does such a place really exist? When did you find out?”Lh0i0
lfcaX“Honestly, I’m not sure either. Besides, it seems faster to ask Shirone about that. Hashid asked you. What did you see in the space-time of the labyrinth?”2xsYW
xaObAmy turned to Shirone and asked.WlNeNch
wNs“Right, Shirone, tell us. What did you see?”u6G
NLMFsg“It’s not what, but where.”W8lbbaE
wRVCanis’s guess was accurate. Shirone nodded and continued.94Q7ca
OG1“Yes. It was a place.”7jlIj47
a04VThere was a sea and a forest. At the center of a city surrounded by circular walls, there was a spire.57WDzB
32rShirone had been drawn into the light at the top of the spire and, before he knew it, he was back at the altar.G7RTo
vRp4“That’s everything I saw. If that place is heaven, then Kadum’s story isn’t absurd. So, before deciding, I want to hear Canis’s side. What do you know?”7w9eZG
e2aAuHarvest, who was standing guard at the door, turned to Canis. Usually foul-mouthed, he was now silent.89Xq
j2F7vGG“My master, Arcane… I think he had been to a place called heaven.”lwVVmrU
9l5gShirone got up from the bed.EZY
o2vFRArcane had been to heaven. Considering he had secluded himself in a dungeon for fifty years after being betrayed by Alpheas, it must have been long ago.tkh
L4Bjy0L“Arcane also came to the Kergos ruins?”jnY
3Gv“No, it must have been somewhere else. According to Kadum, relics around the world are somehow connected to heaven. Though they are controlled by their respective nations now, they weren’t even known to exist eighty years ago. In that sense, the Kergos ruins are unique.”2GvCb9
TUFEighty years ago, Arcane would have been only sixty. Although not a young age by human standards, considering how powerful the 149-year-old Arcane was, he would have been in his prime.c8Bi
jjzuUw“What’s in heaven? What kind of place is it?”oW4
KPO3DTh“I don’t know.”Yj8
8lIWp4Shirone narrowed his eyes.jHIGetB
gEeSaying he didn’t know didn’t make sense. If Arcane experienced heaven, Canis should know about it. Harvest inherited Arcane’s knowledge, after all.k5N6G0a
HHykIDHarvest added.Rzg
njfGht“Canis is telling the truth. Arcane erased his memories of heaven. The only fact we know is that he had been there.”zJe0W
jMk“He erased his own memories?”A52KvHa
n6OceI“Yes. Completely erased. So we don’t know what he did there. It seems he didn’t want the world to know about heaven.”djwy
p6dKnowing Arcane’s character, Shirone couldn’t believe it. What secret was so significant that an archmage, acknowledged worldwide, had to erase his memory to hide it?eMutNjY
u9YLwi“Canis, what is heaven? Is it really a place where God lives?”op610PS
3lL2yX“Nothing is certain. That’s why we have to go. I need to see it with my own eyes. So, take me there.”9QNz
UoTVCx“No, I’ve changed my mind. You were right. It’s too dangerous. It’s not a place to go out of curiosity.”YW1nt
2uf“No, your thoughts don’t matter. The deal I proposed was to take me and Arin there. No matter what, we will enter heaven.”iLhK04
h7u“Honestly, I don’t want to send you either. Once you enter, you can’t return through the original door. Besides, if I don’t go, they won’t allow you to use the door to heaven. The chieftain seemed desperate.”a5Sd
Qntm9NShirone was right. Judging by the difficulty of the Room of Achievement and Sacrifice, what the Kergosians wanted wasn’t something trivial.JK0MoR
umyTxOnly those who could prove their strength in the space-time of the labyrinth or open all eight doors simultaneously could enter the self-governing district, let alone the door to heaven.0fNt
ZArGdUG“Canis, it’s time to bring it out. If Shirone doesn’t go, we can’t get to heaven either.”5UP
guV3“But it’s surprising. I didn’t expect him to be this scared.”7eDuCT
6al7“You could see it as insight. His intuition seems to move based on the information he’s heard. Anyway, let’s get started.”fo0
vcycWHAccepting Harvest’s opinion, Canis looked at everyone. He subtly extended his hand and began to speak.crMBlT6
c89v“What if I told you… there’s a way to come back from there?”Fg7gMsF
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