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Chapter 674: The Vast World (2)

All of the space station’s cannons.

Herisa’s station was, in effect, a replica of a planetary ship, so it was only natural that the performance of the cannons defending it would be outstanding.

Moreover, hadn’t Herisa just said it herself?

That it was a station that had never once been shot down.

“You’ll… give me all of the cannons? Are you serious?”

As Yeongwoo’s mouth fell open at the offer that exceeded expectations, Herisa nodded.

“Yes. I’m serious.”

“Then what about the station? If you remove all the cannons, fleet combat will be impossible.”

At that, Herisa shifted her gaze toward the industrial district where the probe had been set up just moments ago.

“I plan to dock at Maden for a while and rebuild the basic armaments. The news that Quiad has been reinstated will spread across all nearby galaxies, so no one will pick a fight with us here.”

“Is the Chairman’s reputation really that great?”

At that, Herisa tilted her head as if she found the question strange.

“He’s a Grade 3 existence, you know?”

“That’s true, but…”

“I suppose you lack a sense of it because you’re surrounded by too many big figures.”

At that, Yeongwoo shrugged.

“That too, but it’s also because he’s human. It just doesn’t feel as real, relatively speaking.”

“But didn’t you, as a human, become a planetary ship owner? Powerful humans can exist in any number.”

“Even so, I’m not a great being yet.”

“Instead, you’re an unpredictable one.”

After saying this much, Herisa pointed beyond the sky with her iridescent prosthetic arm.

“Bring the Earth ship as close as possible. We’ll need to carry out the cannon transfer. The necessary equipment is plentiful in Maden, so it won’t take long.”

“But… won’t you regret this? If you lose both your cash and your cannons… it’ll take quite a while to recover them.”

Of course, it wasn’t as if he didn’t covet the station’s cannons, but in the end, it meant stripping away the defensive systems of their own kind, which didn’t sit entirely well with him. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Seeing Quiad and Herisa working for the sake of fellow humans made him feel like he ought to do something as well.

However, Herisa shook her head without the slightest hesitation.

“Recovery is only a matter of time, and fundamentally, this decision is also an investment in humanity. After all, if you grow stronger, that in itself leads to the prosperity of humankind.”

“…I’m not exactly someone who lives with such grand ideals.”

At that, Herisa let out a low laugh.

“I think so too.”

“…?”

“But you’re certainly a problematic individual, and someday there will be a moment when you greatly help humanity. This world has something called karma, after all.”

In other words, showing goodwill to Planetary Ship Owner Jeonggu Yeongwoo now was also an investment toward a possible ‘return’ that might come someday.

“Well… I’m not sure I’ll get the chance to repay that goodwill before I die.”

“It doesn’t have to be us. Whenever you meet another human, try to show kindness if you can.”

“…Another human. Didn’t you ‘collect’ most of them, Chancellor?”

“The humans I’ve met would only be a very small portion. This universe is vast.”

Indeed, even considering the protagonist of the Boundary-Line urban legend, it wouldn’t be strange if there were other human powerhouses on Quiad’s level somewhere in this vast universe.

Even now, the humans on the opposite side of the universe wouldn’t even dream that a planetary ship owner of human origin existed.

“Ah, and.”

As if she had just remembered, Herisa added,

“Once the cannon transfer is complete, leave here as quickly as possible.”

“Pardon? Why is that? I didn’t plan to stay here forever anyway.”

As Yeongwoo scratched his cheek and spoke, Chancellor Herisa pointed at him with her iridescent prosthetic arm and looked him up and down.

“You’re unpredictability itself.”

“…?”

“If you stay here, things that ‘wouldn’t normally happen’ might occur. For example, a station that has had all its cannons removed might suddenly be attacked.”

“So, in other words… you’re telling me to get lost before something unlucky happens?”

“The essence is similar.”

As Herisa spread both hands as if it couldn’t be helped, Yeongwoo had nothing to say.

And, in truth, there was nothing wrong with what she said.

“Well… anyway, I’ve taken care of everything I needed to. Time to get moving again.”

As Yeongwoo said this and looked toward space, Quiad spoke.

—Planetary ship owner, where will you go now?

“Well… where should I go to get closer to an ‘achievement’? You would know best, wouldn’t you, Chairman?”

—If the answer is given, how could it be called an achievement?

“…Just say you don’t know.”

In truth, Quiad’s words weren’t wrong either.

If it were something that could be solved simply by following a predetermined method, would the universe really call it an achievement?

Moreover, Quiad was a Grade 3 existence, so the concerns of Yeongwoo, who had only just entered the ranks of Grade 5, would hardly resonate with him.

“I heard you need an achievement to become a Grade 4 existence… you don’t happen to know anything about that either, do you?”

At Yeongwoo’s question, Quiad crossed his arms and spoke.

—Have you seen the sea?

He was referring to the Sea of Status.

So Yeongwoo quickly nodded.

“Yes, I have. I saw it even before obtaining a title.”

—Then that is enough. If you do not die somewhere in the universe, you will eventually reach the place you desire.

“You’re not even giving me the slightest hint? Like whether defeating a Grade 3 existence could count as an achievement or something?”

He was referring to Mara, the King of Ten Thousand Demons.

However, once again, Quiad did not give a definitive answer.

—I repeat, it is unknowable. Each existence has its own path.

Then, after briefly falling silent, he added,

—Pursue what you consider the greatest among the things you can do. That trajectory will someday become your achievement.

Then he spoke quietly to Chancellor Herisa.

—It is time to return.

He meant returning to the throne of Maden.

At that, Herisa nodded and spoke to Yeongwoo.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Planetary Ship Owner. It’s time for you to return to your Earth as well. I’ll send the gateway coordinates for the cannon transfer and the equipment list immediately.”

“Understood. Is there anything else you’d like to ask of me?”

“There are many things I’d like to ask, but for now, I have nothing to offer in return.”

“….”

At those words, Yeongwoo stared intently at Herisa’s iridescent prosthetic arm, causing her to take a step back.

“Absolutely not. If you’re going to rob someone, do it elsewhere.”

A faint killing intent rose on Herisa’s previously amicable face, so Yeongwoo quickly spread both arms to indicate it was a joke.

“Well then, let’s meet again next time. By then, I might have become quite a great being myself.”

As Yeongwoo said this and took out a return stone from his chest, Chancellor Herisa gave a slight wave.

“Safe travels, Planetary Ship Owner.”

And finally—

—Live long.

With Quiad’s dry farewell, Yeongwoo’s vision was filled with the strange light of the return stone.

* * *

Fiaaaat!

As the strange light that had covered his vision faded, Yeongwoo was immediately met with a familiar scene.

The interior of the bridge, filled with all sorts of Grade 4 villains.

Then, from the other side, Jeonggu hurried over.

“I was worried about when you’d return. The people gathered here are quite dissatisfied.”

“Dissatisfied?”

As Yeongwoo frowned and asked, the nearby Grade 4 villains stepped forward with grim expressions.

—Hey, Planetary Ship Owner. How long are you going to keep us stuck here?

—Either let us go, or take us somewhere to fight!

—Send me to the Belmo Galaxy. My base is there.

—Let’s go to the Siugo Galaxy first. I want to get out of here as soon as possible.

As soon as the ship owner, who effectively held full authority over the planetary ship, appeared, the bridge became chaotic in an instant.

In response, Yeongwoo waved both arms and shouted loudly.

“Hey, all of you, shut up for a second! Why do people with such reputations have no sense of dignity?”

At that, the Grade 4 villains who had been clamoring to state their destinations gradually fell silent one by one.

“Alright, I’ll settle this right now. If anyone here urgently needs to go somewhere, you’re free to leave immediately. It’s not like any of you can be held back just because someone tries to stop you, right?”

At this, some of the villains raised their hands and asked,

—Then are you going to provide us with ships to ride?

“…Where would I get something like that? You’ll have to swim there yourselves.”

At Yeongwoo’s answer, the room once again grew noisy.

—You expect us to swim across hundreds of galaxies from here?

—Even running for a lifetime, we wouldn’t reach it.

—You arrogant bastard, are you mocking us because you trust in your right of gratitude?

The enraged Grade 4 prisoners bared their teeth.

Yet none of them actually laid a hand on the planetary ship owner.

That was because the Right, a privilege guaranteed by the universe, was protecting him.

“If you’re not going to swim away right now, then you’ll have to wait a bit longer. We’re planning to move after transferring the cannons. Of course, it won’t take long.”

The moment Yeongwoo said this, Earth blinked its eyes and turned its head.

『This must be it. The cannon list and channel code from Chancellor Herisa have arrived.』

“Oh, really? How many are there? The cannons, I mean.”

At that, Earth rolled its eyes once and flicked its fingers.

『In total, eighty-five units.』

“What?”

The total number of main and secondary guns mounted on the Earth ship was forty-two.

And yet, a space station far smaller than the Earth ship had a staggering eighty-five cannons mounted on it.

『Of course, their firepower doesn’t quite match Toma products. But the sheer number is enormous. Quite a few of them have main-gun-class firepower. Looks like they were made directly by humans.』

Humans.

More precisely, “spacefaring humans” who had crafted the cannons with their own hands.

‘So that’s why they could mount so many cannons—because they were self-produced.’

As Yeongwoo nodded in understanding, Acting Captain Mantero cautiously spoke.

—Since we’ll have to remain docked here for a while anyway, may I offer a suggestion?

“Yes, Acting Captain. Go ahead.”

—In any case, we won’t be able to personally drop off everyone gathered here. So…

Swish.

Mantero turned his head toward the view outside the bridge window.

—Why not first investigate each guest’s destination, and then find a region that serves as a point of intersection?

In other words, find a place that lies at the intersection of countless destinations and release the villains there all at once.

From there, they could each make their way to their respective territories.

“Well… that doesn’t sound like a bad idea. It’s not like we have any better alternatives right now.”

As Yeongwoo nodded while looking around at the prisoners, Jiseon raised her hand this time.

“What is it, Mother?”

—Then won’t that ‘intersection’ region be reduced to ruins?

“Pardon?”

—I mean, do you think the people gathered here will go home in a civilized manner? Won’t they just hijack whatever ships are nearby?

“Ah.”

That was absolutely correct.

After all, the prisoners here weren’t just ordinary criminals—they were escapees from Pahalupe.

Under cosmic law, their ranks were at least Grade 5 to Grade 4, so they certainly wouldn’t lack the ability to commit piracy.

At that, Yeongwoo furrowed his brow and fell into deep thought for a moment.

Then he raised his gaze and asked Mantero,

“So… where is that unlucky region? Let’s find it quickly.”

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