Chapter 95
Chilly winds blew. The clouds, lit by the blood-red sunset, resembled the pillar of cloud and fire in the Book of Exodus.
“We’re getting close.”
The city under the blood-red sunset was filled with tall buildings and some bridges here and there. What stood out the most was a white building with a turquoise dome on top.
“I believe that’s the Korean National Assembly Building,” mumbled Remy Martin, a middle-aged blond man with blue eyes, as he stared at the human city, Yeouido.
This was the fourth zone, a no-man’s land in the Mirror World. None of the human cities had been reclaimed in this zone. The pioneering clan alliance, including Clan Martin led by Remy, had begun the Yeouido reclamation operation with the information about Yeouido, Da Nang, and Sapporo they received from Abyete of Humilitas.
“The Named Chaos, Spider Prince, is inside that National Assembly Building.”
The Spider Prince was presumed to be the direct offspring of the Spider King, having taken over an insectoid as its host, and was at least a Uluhatu-rank Chaos.
The Spider Prince’s army occupying the entire Yeouido numbered a hundred thousand, far outnumbering the twenty thousand subjugation force. However, they were confident they could reclaim Yeouido within a month if their plan succeeded.
We’ll stealthily travel through subway line 9 and raid the Spider Prince. Without their head, the spider army will be disordered!
If they pulled it off, it would be the first reclaimed human city in the fourth zone, and they could use Yeouido as their base to expand their influence throughout the fourth zone. Humanity’s power had been rising over the past few years. It was time to let that power erupt instead of staying in the outer zones. They were the primers; once they cleared a path, the next generation would do the rest.
But there is one thing left to be desired.
Remy had not visited Jurie, whom he had gotten very close to recently, for over a month because he had been too busy preparing for the operation.
I should grab some tea at the store after reclaiming Yeouido, Remy said inwardly.
Just then, a man ran to him from the rear and shouted, “Clan Leader! I have urgent information!”
He was Jackson, a smartphone D Weapon user of Clan Martin. In other words, he handled the clan’s information gathering.
“Urgent information? Has Kang-San contacted us?” Remy asked.
Kang-San was in a complex position between Gula of Cadaver and Biphatogenes of Nivalis. He got on the wrong side of Gula after antagonizing Abyete of Humilitas, and now that negotiations were over, he had to be wary of Biphatogenes.
This was the fate of a World Ranker from an inferior race with weak foundations. Because of this, Kang-San maintained neutrality as he tested the waters to determine the best direction for humanity’s benefit.
“Is it Gula, or Biphatogenes?” Remy asked.
“I beg your pardon?” Jackson remarked in confusion.
“Hm? Was it not a message from Kang-San about who to side with?”
“No! It’s from the Capital!”
Remy’s brow furrowed as he wondered, Was there more trouble in the Capital?
However, Jackson’s next comment hardened his expression.
“We got contact from the ID: Vivienne, asking to meet you when you have time. This is Lady Jurie, isn’t it? Also, according to my friends in the Capital, the spec force occupied Vivienne Information Center for investigation!”
***
“Tsk, that’s a shame,” Muka clicked his tongue as he twiddled his beard that reached his belly button. “I was getting close to making some useful steel.”
“It can’t be helped. I can’t stay in the Capital forever, after all,” Seong-Hwi replied.
“Where are you going?”
“The third zone, probably.”
“Can I go with you?”
“Of course not.”
Muka scratched his head. “Hmm... Without your skill, I suppose I’ll have to come up with stuff on my own. But you’ll return to the Capital, won’t you?”
“Of course.”
“All right! I’ll have a steel that can last over ten minutes against your skill the next time we meet!” Muka said enthusiastically. Then, he walked to a corner of the smithy and grabbed a silver metal plate the size of a palm. “Ahem. I don’t know where you’re going, but wear this.”
“What is it?” Seong-Hwi asked as he grabbed the metal plate.
He took a closer look and saw that it wasn’t just a metal plate, but a heart guard in the shape of a turtle shell.
[Steel Tortoise Heart Guard (Item)
Rank: F(0)
Description: A heart guard created by Muka of the Red Hammer tribe for his bosom friend. It is made with janateel, possessing extreme magical resistance and durability. It is infused with Muka’s Artisan’s Soul. A special skill is available when equipped by Cheon Seong-Hwi.
Skill: Steel Plate.]
[Steel Plate (Item Skill)
Rank: Shared - F(0)
Description: A passive skill that automatically activates in great danger. It summons a mana shield of the metal element, three meters tall and two meters wide. The mana shield’s solidity varies based on the amount of mana absorbed by the Steel Tortoise Heart Guard.]
...
“Ahem, ahem. I don’t know how high its potential is, but I’m sure it’s high since it’s made of janateel. You don’t wear chest armor, so at least wear this,” Muka said as he continuously coughed.
Seong-Hwi’s gaze focused on a certain part of the description before he even checked the item’s effect or skill—the part about the item being created for a bosom friend.
A bosom friend, huh? Seong-Hwi thought as he stared at Muka, who was contemplating whether to scratch the back of his head or fiddle with his beard.
Seong-Hwi had never once thought of Muka as a bosom friend. To him, Muka was an artisan who could handle janateel, or the bridge between him and the Steel King. However, Muka thought of him much more deeply.
Why did I... turn out like this? Seong-Hwi wondered, looking back at himself.
He had been close to his comrades in his past life. Although he suffered several betrayals, those experiences were not reason enough to distrust his comrades. However, his attitude completely changed after his return to the past. He had done the same to Chaya.
“What are you most curious about? I’ll at least answer one question truthfully.”
“Then... what am I to you? A brother or a mercenary?”
“A mercenary.”
He couldn’t open up to anyone. He always considered his connections as a means to an end.
But why? It feels like... I’m missing something important.
He felt a prickle in his heart. However, he wore the Steel Tortoise Heart Guard over his heart as if suppressing his heart’s screams, despite knowing that wearing this would not give him a heart of steel.
“Thank you... Muka. I’ll use it well. Looks like I’ve gained an extra life thanks to you.”
“Ahem! Since you saved my life, we’re even now. Gahaha!” Muka laughed heartily once Seong-Hwi equipped the Steel Tortoise Heart Guard immediately. “I might not have an artisan certificate issued by Faber, but my skills speak for themselves! Gahaha! Those Blue Anvil bastards are boasting about how they created a new steel, but they can’t square up to me!”
“A new steel?” Seong-Hwi asked.
Muka answered in disappointment, “They created something called warriorteel. It has impressive mana conductivity and is fairly durable. They still haven’t officially announced it, but I would’ve tried adding it to the metal I’m making if I knew its main material.”
Something came up in Seong-Hwi’s mind. Warriorteel? Warrior... Warrior... Metal Warrior?
He remembered selling the os of Metal Warriors to Blue Anvil.
He mumbled, “Oh, so that’s what it was. I was wondering what they were making with the os of Metal Warriors.”
“W-what? What did you just say? The os of Metal Warriors? Is that true?” Muka ran to him, his eyes shining.
Seong-Hwi recalled what he had told a Blue Anvil dwarf months ago.
“Don’t worry. I won’t tell anyone that Blue Anvil is collecting the os of Metal Warriors.”
“Shit... This was supposed to be a secret.”
***
“Hm, hm, hm, hm~!” Jurie hummed as she walked down the hotel hallway like a princess.
This was Beverly Hills in Middle Earth of the Capital. It wasn’t just any land, but the best land one could get since it was only twenty minutes away from Edu and half an hour from the Empire State Building, the Union headquarters.
This place wasn’t just any hotel, but a luxury hotel between Wilshire Boulevard and S Santa Monica Boulevard. It used to be known as the Hilton. Although it was a little small for a hotel, it was still premium with its luxurious aura.
“This is the hotel where the pop diva, Whitney Houston, died in a bathtub, right?” Lina said, completely shattering Jurie’s fantasy.
“Unnie!”
“What? I’m a huge fan of her single, I Will Always Love You. The soundtrack of The Bodyguard topped the Billboard for fourteen weeks in 1992, you know?” Lina remarked as she fixed her purple frame glasses.
Jurie pouted and replied, “You’re so old, unnie.”
“You say that, but I’m only four years older than you.” Lina looked around the large hotel and continued, “That aside... You sure are rich in Coins, huh? I can’t believe this hotel is yours.”
Lina stared at Jurie, who possessed Coins she couldn’t even dream of. She couldn’t believe the affable lady who could make anyone feel comfortable was a billionaire.
“On top of that, you’re a blonde beauty... Life is so unfair,” she mumbled.
“Hehe, I was lucky. I had honestly given up on this hotel, but it went on an urgent sale. The clan of the hotel owner was so sure a war would break out that they panic bought items. We’re in Beverly Hills, after all.”
Lina nodded. Beverly Hills held the most high-ranking items in the Capital. It used to be an upscale shopping street on Earth, and it was no different in the Mirror World.
“They bought so many items to the point of going into debt, but the Capital remained peaceful,” Jurie remarked.
“That clan must’ve gone bankrupt.”
“Exactly. That’s why I managed to buy this hotel. Only a few had as many Coins as I did in the Capital at the time.”
“But what’s with the name? Why not just leave it as the Hilton?” Lina asked as she pointed at the hotel name in the lobby being remodeled.
The hotel’s new name was Fence for the Lambs.
“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it nice?” Jurie asked.
“Is it? I mean... You’re the owner, so who’s to say otherwise, I guess.”
Lina stared at Jurie, taken aback by her odd tastes.
Jurie excitedly explained, “All the hotels I own will share the same name. Isn’t it amazing? This is the first hotel chain business in the Capital!”
“Sure, sure, but what does Fence for the Lambs mean?”
“Hmm... who knows?”
“What?” Lina stared at Jurie, confused by her irresponsible remark.
Jurie noticed her expression and clarified, “Well, Seong-Hwi—”
“My lady,” Gerard suddenly interjected from behind.
“Gramps? What’s wrong?”
As Jurie turned to Gerard, a thunderous noise akin to a fighter jet flying toward the hotel sounded, getting louder. The hotel windows shattered. Jurie summoned her smartphone D Weapon, and Lina pulled out a dagger from her pocket.
A ball of blue mana fell from the sky and destroyed the hotel’s front door, forming a massive dust cloud. However, the cloud instantly scattered as if someone fanned it away, and revealed a middle-aged man with blond hair and blue eyes. It was Remy Martin.
“Huh? Dad?” Jurie, who had been on full alert, mumbled dumbfoundedly.
“Jurie! Are you hurt? Who attacked you?! Was it Mikhail Gelovani’s Chessboard? Or Lazarus’s Vatican? How dare they pull such filthy schemes while I’m away!”
Remy’s eyes exuded blue mana filled with rage.
Jurie, flustered by a side of her father she had never seen, asked, “What do you mean?”
“Weren’t you pressured by the spec force? You contacted me for help!”
“What? All I did... was ask if you could come see me in the Capital if you had time.”
Remy froze. He quelled his mana and mumbled, “What?”
“Tsk, tsk. How did a man like that manage to stay away for so long?” Gerard clicked his tongue.
***
Remy was guided to the drawing room and heard the details from a Martin clansman who had followed after Remy, panting heavily. Long story short, it had been a misunderstanding.
The spec force occupied the Vivienne Information Center because Cheon Seong-Hwi, a considerably famous human as of late, had gone on a rampage in front of the building. Receiving contact from his daughter and hearing that news caused Remy to assume she had fallen into the Union’s dirty ploys.
Remy was the second-in-command of the pioneering faction. Hence, he had many enemies in the Union, which was also why he assumed someone had found out about his relationship with his daughter and mobilized the spec force accordingly.
Remy, believing his daughter was in danger because of him, nagged the warp gate users of each zone to reach the Capital as soon as possible, without thinking about anything else.
Dammit, Jackson. I can’t believe he fed me misinformation like it was true.
He was exasperated, but relieved that it was a misunderstanding.
“Hm, hm~!” Jurie hummed as she poured tea into Remy’s empty cup, blushing.
She was happy after realizing Remy had misunderstood her message. Her indifferent father had come running to check her safety. Remy also smiled a little at seeing Jurie so happy.
Gerard stared at the father and daughter in silence. He was happy to see Jurie happy, but had mixed feelings because it felt like Remy had taken his place in Jurie’s heart.
“Umm... I’m gonna head upstairs. I can use any room, right?” Lina, unable to handle the suffocating atmosphere, asked Jurie.
“Oh! Yes, unnie. The hotel hasn’t officially opened yet, so there aren’t any customers.”
“I see... Okay.” Lina left the room as if running away.
Hearing the footsteps getting further, Remy asked, “So, you wanted to see me, right?”
“Oh... not me, but...” Jurie trailed off.
“Not you?”
“No, I wanted to see you too, but... Ahem! I contacted you on my friend’s behalf.”
Remy turned to Gerard as if asking him since when Jurie had friends. Gerard simply closed his eyes.
“I see. Who is this friend of yours?” Remy asked.
“Don’t be shocked when you hear this, Dad. He’s... a specialist D Weapon user!”
“A specialist?” Remy’s eyes suddenly lit up.
Jurie continued, “Yeah, and the extremely rare prophecy specialization!”
Remy’s interest died down. He said as if advising his immature daughter, “Jurie... How many people do you think I’ve met in my seven—no, eight years in the Mirror World who claimed to have prophecy D Weapons?”
Such swindlers who fed on the hopes and anticipations of others were everywhere.
“The only prophecy D Weapon user I’ve acknowledged is the Black Saintess, Negrita.”
Seeing that Remy did not believe her and even treated her like a child, Jurie shouted, “Seong-Hwi’s ability is real! It’s thanks to him that I was able to save—”
However, Jurie couldn’t finish her sentence. She could only bite her lip.
Just then, footsteps approached the drawing room. Moments later, Seong-Hwi arrived with the timid Mitasra.
“Get out of my sight,” Seong-Hwi said as he kicked Mitasra’s back.
“Kerek!” Mitasra tumbled across the floor and quickly crawled under a table in the corner of the drawing room.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Maestro, Remy Martin,” Seong-Hwi greeted the blond man with blue eyes sitting in a chair in the drawing room. “My name is Cheon Seong-Hwi. You may have heard of me. I am...” He was about to call himself a Semi Ranker, but glanced at Jurie and noticed she was biting her lip. He continued, “Jurie’s friend.”