I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 533

Though a brief awkward moment arose, the two quietly continued their conference.

In truth, the suddenly broached topic of marriage was, in a way, an important part of the talks.

For the aristocratic class, marriage was a key branch of politics.

Unfortunately, the Holy Kingdom was currently in a state where virtually no high-ranking figures existed aside from the Hero.

It was only natural, considering that even a Pope had yet to be elected.

One might suggest the Hero could marry into Mephisto, but that was impossible.

As mentioned earlier, it was due to the conservative marital views unique to the Demon Race. Asmode was already married, and his queen was alive and well.

It was far more realistic for Asella to marry, have a child, and have that child marry Kaylin.

"Aren’t demons sensitive about age?"

"We are. Exactly 50 years old is pretty much the absolute upper limit."

"...For humans, 50 is the age where one starts worrying about back pain."

"Ah. I see."

It was a conversation that revealed the stark gap in perspectives between the two races.

A demon or elf who was friends with a human, then over time marrying that human’s child?

While it sounded like quite a provocative subject, it was surprisingly not rare. Plenty of people posted proof of such occurrences on the Gallery.

’Humans are, well... diverse in their tastes, after all!’

Beastfolk had mating seasons, periods where they couldn’t suppress their sexual impulses.

Yet even among beastfolk, half-breeds weren’t common. Most preferred marrying fellow beastfolk.

But humans were different. Their tastes were so incredibly varied that they accounted for the highest number of half-breeds in the world.

In fact, the very concept of ’half-breed’ was practically synonymous with children born between humans and other races.

’Most races avoid demons because of their exotic features. Except humans.’

It was a common sight not just on the Gallery, but across the entire world.

A long-lived species over 50 years old who couldn’t get married? As long as the face was pretty, there were overflowing numbers of humans who loved them.

Even for long-lived species, remaining unmarried past 50 usually implied some sort of ’flaw’.

However, that flaw stemmed from the culture of the species.

Take demons for instance: horns. Occasionally, there were cases where horns were missing or broken beyond regeneration.

Within demon society, this was treated as a disability, but not to humans. On the contrary, some humans even found it attractive.

’Humans are really... incredible in many ways.’

At any rate, moving past that, they decided to wrap up the conversation on marriage.

Going any deeper was a topic better saved for practical working-level talks.

Like when holding a summit with Asmode in Mephisto in the future.

"By any chance, what does Mephisto think about the affairs of the Central Plains?"

The Central Plains had currently entered a full-scale civil war.

Though details had to wait until Reyna’s report, things didn’t seem particularly good.

In particular, the lives of commoners were growing harsher by the day, showing signs of wartime famine on the horizon.

"By the affairs of the Central Plains, you mean the Heavenly Demon Cult."

"Yes. Though it has little direct connection to Mephisto, I assumed you would at least be investigating."

"It would be a lie to say we aren’t."

In the past, Mephisto and the Central Plains paid little attention to each other.

The Central Plains was already a powerhouse dominating the Eastern Realm, while Mephisto was busy locked in conflict with the Holy Kingdom.

But as time passed, they began to exert subtle influences on each other. The turning point was, naturally, sports.

As sports trickled outward over time, they eventually took root in the Central Plains as well. Such was the incredible power of culture.

"However, Mephisto will rarely step in directly. Instead of the Central Plains, we are directing our attention toward Alfheim."

"Alfheim..."

As Kaylin brought up Alfheim, Asella let out a low groan. Alfheim had originally been an ally of the Holy Kingdom.

Alfheim was also a nation under threat from Mephisto. Put simply, the Holy Kingdom had served as its shield and breakwater.

If the human kingdoms, including the Holy Kingdom, fell, Alfheim would be next. History recorded that the Holy Kingdom had provided immense assistance.

’The rivalry between Elves and Demons originated back then as well.’

But recent times were different. Currently, Elves were embroiled in conflict with Dwarves.

With the common enemy of the Demon Race gone, the deep chasm of hidden conflict was exposed out in the open.

In truth, Elves were natural opposites of Dwarves, not Demons. Starting with alcohol.

Elves had a culture of abstaining from alcohol, whereas Dwarves guzzled it like water.

Furthermore, most Elves were tall and slender, whereas Dwarves were the complete opposite—short, muscular, and stocky.

Considering each viewed the other as ugly, who could possibly get along? It was a truly peculiar relationship.

"I heard Alfheim’s indiscriminate destruction of nature and border encroachments are the issue."

"Precisely. We even stepped in to mediate because of that."

"I heard news that they are still fighting?"

"Regrettably, the Holy Kingdom currently lacks the strength to stop conflicts between nations."

Even though the Hero, Asella, had personally mediated, relations between the two countries were turning increasingly hostile.You are reading on novеlping.com, the official source.

In particular, as Kaylin mentioned, the indiscriminate destruction of nature by the Elves irked the Dwarves deeply.

One might think Elves protected nature while Dwarves destroyed it, and long ago, that was indeed the case.

Yes, long ago.

’To think it’s completely reversed now is truly...’

As times changed, so did their lifestyles. The Dwarves had become sensitive toward nature.

And naturally so, since digging a mine recklessly could collapse the tunnels in an instant.

On top of that, they had a record of waking up a sleeping dragon by indiscriminately tearing up mountains.

As a result, a unique culture developed around gathering minerals while minimizing disturbance to nature.

The Elves, on the other hand, were the opposite. Perhaps because they were the last among all races to establish a civilization, they were only now entering the development stage.

Entering a development stage naturally brought environmental destruction. The enterprising mindset of the recently crowned Elf Queen played a big role as well.

"If war really breaks out between Alfheim and Mountain... it won’t even compare to the Central Plains."

"Will the Ghost Ships step in?"

"I can’t say for sure. We don’t even know if Ghost Ships are friendly to humanity."

Mephisto was one of only two nations to have destroyed a Ghost Ship. The other was Setan.

In her heart, Asella wanted to ask what they gained from that Ghost Ship.

But since it was classified information, they wouldn’t answer easily.

Furthermore, she had heard something from Selena’s party previously.

’I believe they uttered something similar to "perfect human" toward Ash-nim...’

She couldn’t be sure, but there were many uneasy details.

They were certainly artifacts of the gods, yet their ultimate purpose remained unclear.

In particular, the laboratory Grylls discovered, and above all, the unrecorded god bugged her.

’What on earth did the gods build the Ghost Ships for?’

Moreover, the forgotten god Alund was slaughtered by Aris while attempting to resurrect the Chief God.

The fact that the Chief God had died was shocking enough, but that he could be resurrected?

Given examples like Cain, it wasn’t impossible, but a sudden thought crossed her mind.

’Perhaps the Chief God has already been resurrected.’

It was purely speculative territory. Nor was it immediately important.

Besides, records regarding the Chief God were severely lacking, so finding those took priority.

Therefore:

"Princess Kaylin. May I ask you one thing?"

"Yes. Go ahead."

"This might sound a bit strange, but... is there any record related to the Chief God in Mephisto?"

Asella asked cautiously. At that question, Kaylin wore a puzzled expression.

Setting aside the absurdity of the question, her expression asked why she would even bring that up.

But soon, as if realizing something, she opened her mouth.

"The Chief God... Are you asking because of the god found by the Divine Herald?"

"Yes. Even if it’s not the Chief God specifically, I wondered if any records exist."

"I’m not sure."

Kaylin recalled it. The bio-machine found inside the half-destroyed Ghost Ship.

The incident where that machine addressed her as a ’primitive race’ the moment it saw her.

At the time she hadn’t understood what ’primitive race’ meant, but it was worth chewing over.

"Once I return to Mephisto later, I will look into it."

"Thank you. Records related to the Chief God are simply far too scarce..."

"It’s fine. By the way, there’s a rumor that the Chief God was a goddess... What do you think?"

"Um..."

Asella was momentarily at a loss for words. It was a hypothesis being fiercely debated not just in the Gallery, but in academic circles as well.

With almost no records of the Chief God existing, it arose as Grylls kept uncovering fragments.

What was even more surprising was that illustrations were popping up like mushrooms after rain—portraying a benevolent and beautiful appearance, no less.

It was so benevolent that even Asella felt the urge to be held in that broad, warm embrace.

"...Since it remains unconfirmed, it is difficult for me to answer. As a cleric, nothing is as dangerous as harboring false faith."

"Words every cleric should take to heart. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize."

"No, it’s fine. In fact, rumors like that circulating help spread faith even wider."

Afterwards, the two conversed further before quietly standing up from their seats.

Merely chatting had consumed the hours, turning day into evening.

Normally, a state visit spanned two days one night or three days two nights, filled with various ceremonies.This chapter is updated first at nov⁠elping.com.

Since they were scheduled to tour the iconic sites of the Holy Kingdom starting tomorrow, they retired early to rest.

"You may rest here. My apologies for hosting such an honored guest in a humble place."

"Not at all."

As time passed, Kaylin began resting in a bedroom that showcased the traditional craftsmanship of the Holy Kingdom.

She looked around the room before slowly lying down on the bed.

Though only a single day had passed, it felt more draining than fighting in combat.

’Still, it wasn’t without gains.’

She gained much. In particular, she acquired plenty of information regarding Asella, the Hero, on a personal level.

Pondering what she could gain through this for a moment:

’Should I browse the Gallery?’

Kaylin logged into the Gallery, which she hadn’t accessed for several hours. There was a saying:

Whenever you’re too busy to log onto the forum, that’s when all the fun stuff goes down.

And that held true for Kaylin as well.

Title) BREAKING NEWS. Chaeyu Official

(Picture of a newspaper article about signing a player for a massive sum)

(Picture of a player giving a super legit, classy interview)

LETSGOOOOOOO

"Uwah...!"

Kaylin hurriedly covered her mouth. She had almost yelled out loud.

Ttok-ttok-ttok—

[Princess? Did something happen?]

"N-No. I merely misstepped."

As Kaylin spoke frantically, the guards finally calmed down.

"Phew..."

Kaylin let out a sigh of relief. She had almost shown an unsightly display.

Currently, she couldn’t even use magic in this room. The moment she cast anything, an alarm would trigger.

Using magic while visiting as an honored guest went beyond rudeness—it was practically a declaration of war.

It was only permissible when there was truly no alternative, such as an assassin barging in.

Since even silence magic to muffle sound was out of the question, she had no choice but to hold back.

’Is this real? This player is really joining our team?’

Regardless, good news deserved excitement. Kaylin covered her mouth, overcome with emotion.

It had been a nerve-wracking transfer battle, making this news like rain after a long drought.

Even the player’s interview was packed with class, saying he joined after seeing the team’s bright future.

’Ha... The world is helping Chaeyu.’

It must all be thanks to the Divine Herald. She thought half-seriously, half-joking.

Indeed, hadn’t the team been on a winning streak ever since Grylls started rooting for them?

A club that had been flailing in the swamp of a dark era was finally seeing the light.

’Is this... Is this what faith feels like?’

Religious faith, which hadn’t hit home no matter how passionately Asella tried to convince her.

Funny as it was, considering the core concept of faith, it actually made sense.

After her brief moment of emotion, Kaylin smiled as she browsed the Gallery.

On a joyful day like this, posting a refreshing update felt right. Though it wasn’t about football.

Title) BREAKING NEWS! The Hero said so!

Princess Chaenggu

She declared that demon alcohol tastes way better than dwarf alcohol lately brrr

ㄴ Passing Dwarf) Where the fuck did u hear this shitty news? Did she actually say that?

ㄴ Like hell she did lolll

ㄴ Hero hasn’t even gone to Mephisto yet lmao

ㄴ Didn’t Kaylin give her liquor as a gift?

ㄴㄴㄴ Honored guests are the ones receiving gifts.

ㄴ It’s just total nonsense rofl

Was it really total nonsense? Kaylin smirked.

Mephisto’s current direction was to become a ’Cultural Powerhouse’. And alcohol had a massive influence on human culture.

’I can’t wait for her to visit Mephisto soon.’

Contrary to Kaylin’s thoughts:

"...I don’t even like alcohol, though."

Asella couldn’t wash away her displeased expression upon reading the post.