I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 654

It’s not like I made Lackey cram his studies to an extreme degree.

As I said earlier, there was much to discuss with Lucas, and I also needed to gather information about the surrounding geography.

Because of that, we were planning to stay here for at least two days before heading out to fulfill Lucas’s request—namely, finding the transport ship.

"Master. I saw it on the Gallery, and what I’m doing is also cramming."

"That’s doing it in one day. You have two days."

"Is that so?"

[What do you mean, ’Is that so’? Reading through all of this in a single day is already impressive for anyone.]

Lucas, who was watching from the side, chimed in at my sophistry.

Since my conscience pricked me just as much after saying that, I didn’t pester him any further.

Since it would be difficult for Lackey to master piloting the transport ship in just one day anyway, we also needed to look for other means.

[Isn’t there a key or something to move that tin can over there?]

"Yes. See that coffin over there? There’s a small stone statue inside. That’s what moves it."

[Can I check it? I’m curious if it’s compatible with the transport ship.]

"If it’s just that..."

Lackey piloting it directly was a last resort; Cain was scheduled to handle the actual piloting.

Just as we had utilized Cain as an auxiliary power source in the bunker and the laboratory, we should be able to use him similarly for the transport ship.

[...Tsk. It won’t work. In fact, if this guy pilots it, it might cause an even bigger accident.]

"Why is that?"

[Because it’s designed so that only those with arms and legs can operate it smoothly.]

"He piloted a horse just fine, though?"

[It was probably easy because he was a cavalryman when he was alive. He must have fumbled at first.]

Unfortunately, the answer that came back was that only those with limbs could pilot it.

Furthermore, the structure of the transport ship was not a futuristic design, but an old-fashioned one utilizing rotary wings.

Simply put, it was a helicopter. And helicopters are famously difficult to pilot.

[It’s crafted so precisely that if you try to pilot the transport ship with the sensation of moving your limbs, it will crash immediately.]

"What about when he provided power to the laboratory or the bunker until now?"

[Those are buildings. Do you use your legs when using a computer keyboard?]

An answer that made sense instantly. As expected of the mythical blacksmith.

In any case, Lackey’s shoulders grew heavier. Well, if it crashed, we would just abandon the transport ship, so it was fine.

Although we wouldn’t get a reward from Lucas, it was much better than the entire group being put in danger.

"Then, do you happen to know about a Mechanical Kraken roaming around outside? It’s the one that invaded my house and got repelled."

[I don’t really know.]

"There are Mechanical Krakens all over the place here, so how can you not know?"

[No, I really don’t. The ones I distributed to other guys alone exceed ten. I seriously don’t know.]

"...."

A terrifying answer came back regarding the freely roaming Mechanical Krakens.

Didn’t this mean there might be more than just one or two of them roaming freely?

At least, the answer came back that it would take several months to repair itself.

"Then, what about Ghost Ships... will you understand if I call them that? Do you know about ships that look roughly like this?"

[Ah. These? They are the ones that assist the Mothership’s operations. Without them, the Mothership is practically an empty shell.]

"I heard that these are all outside the forest, though?"

[We must have lost a few during the war. We originally planned to retrieve them after the war ended, but... you know how it is.]

So they had no time to spare because civil war broke out after the war ended. I nodded as if I understood.

The only saving grace was that the Ghost Ships had never directly harmed people.

In Setan’s case, they had launched an attack themselves, and Mephisto had shot one down because it interfered with a match.

Finally, the Elf Queen. Actually, the Elf Queen was quite an amazing person; she had even entered into a direct contract with a Ghost Ship.

"Each Ghost Ship has its own ego, right?"

[How did you know? Did you see it on the Gallery?]

"Yes. They aren’t dangerous, are they?"

[They aren’t dangerous. However, if they receive a signal that the Mothership is under attack, the story will change a bit.]

Those words meant, in other words, that we had to prevent them from entering the Forest of the Four Seasons by any means.

As soon as I recalled that fact, I immediately posted on the Gallery.

Soon, the Elf Queen would enter the Forest of the Four Seasons while aboard a Ghost Ship.

I felt bad for her, but for everyone’s sake, it was better to stop her.

Title) Do not let the Ghost Ship enter the Forest of the Four Seasons

Wild Grylls

Lucas said so. If a Ghost Ship enters the Forest of the Four Seasons, it will immediately return to the Mothership.

You’ll end up stranded in the Forest of the Four Seasons for nothing, so don’t come. I’m warning you.

ㄴHeavenly Demon) Does that mean boarding the Ghost Ship will lead us straight to you, young master?

ㄴSword Matstar) Doesn’t that mean it goes to the Mechanical Kraken, not Grylls-ssi?

ㄴWild Grylls) Probably? Besides, I’m already hostile with the Mothership, so we might have to fight.

ㄴDidn’t they say the Elf Queen was going into the Forest of the Four Seasons on a Ghost Ship?

ㄴYeah, but since Grylls posted, she probably won’t.

ㄴThe Elf Queen seems lowkey crazy, but she’s actually quite sensible. Even last time, she’s literally using the crafted Artificial Guardians for farming.

ㄴAs long as it’s not about planting trees, she’s a decent ruler lol

ㄴFuck, what do you mean decent? You’re a pointy-ear, aren’t you? Because of that bastard, we’re having border disputes every chance they get.

ㄴHonestly, we should seize that Ghost Ship, so why are we just sitting still?

ㄴFr, it’s Lucas-nim’s holy relic, so what is our upper management doing?

ㄴPassing Dwarf) What else? They’re probably busy looking for the legendary brewery right now lol

ㄴThat’s true lol

ㄴThose bastards talking about holy relics and whatnot aren’t real dwarves. For a real dwarf, the brewery is way more important.

ㄴAren’t they gathering people right now?

ㄴFor now, the royal palace is verifying the facts. If they find even a shred of related data, they’ll probably issue an official order right away.

As expected of dwarves. A race for whom the legendary brewery was more important than a holy relic (Ghost Ship).

I even wondered if they had created the Mechanical Kraken and the Ghost Ships just because they wanted to drink alcohol in the sky.You are reading on novelping(.)com, the official source.

[That’s because you don’t know the taste. Drinking alcohol in the sky is incredibly romantic, you know?]

"You didn’t actually do that, did you?"

[I did sneak off to drink under the guise of maintenance behind the Sovereign’s back.]

"That damn alcohol, seriously..."

I let out a hollow laugh. Seeing him search for alcohol even after death—no, even after becoming a machine—he was just a straight-up alcoholic.

Well, since he possessed such an unbending resolve, the Chief God must have gone to great lengths to recruit him.

"Um, just in case... is there a ship that doesn’t just hide a brewery, but actually brews alcohol in midair...?"

[There is, though?]

"Just how sincere are you about alcohol?"

[Don’t you know about the US military? Some guys installed ice cream makers on warships just because they wanted to eat ice cream, so there’s no reason we couldn’t do it.]

"...."

There was already a precedent! Hearing that, I had nothing to say.

Indeed, I heard the US military even built a separate ice cream barge or something.

At the same time, it was a part that showed just how powerful the Chief God’s forces had been.

"Did the Chief God—no, the Sovereign—really need to expand his forces to that extent?"

[Of course he did. Otherwise, all kinds of crazy bastards would run rampant.]

"You mean Manatology, right?"

I immediately mentioned Manatology. If we were talking about crazy bastards, it had to be them.

In addition, Lucas was highly likely to have directly suffered from the evils of Manatology.

I asked about this, but an answer completely different from my expectations came back.

[Evils? Honestly, there weren’t even any evils to speak of. They did a lot of shitty things, but they went bankrupt before I even became an adult.]

"They went bankrupt? What do you mean by that?"

[Huh? You didn’t know? Ah, you said you don’t have memories up to that point, right?]

"I know roughly about Manatology. There’s literally a colossal flesh giant living on the other side right now."

[That is indeed their characteristic, but they’re like cockroaches, surviving so tenaciously. By the way...]

Lucas said so, then made a gesture of stroking his beard out of habit.

Since his body was mechanical, a beard didn’t grow, but a long-ingrained habit is hard to lose.

[Sss... it seems the story will be a bit long. Can I bring some alcohol?]

"I’ll provide the snacks."

I brought some homemade jerky. It would be more than enough as a dry snack.

Thus, a drinking table was set up in the middle of the night. A space for just Lucas and me.

"Count me in too."

[This isn’t for mutts to eat, though?]

"Want me to bite you?"

[Only your teeth will hurt.]

Heukgu, who had been hiding in my shadow, quietly joined in.

Since Heukgu should be fine, I let it slide. I wished Cain were here too, but unfortunately, he was charging.

[Let’s see... how much do you know?]

"I know that nearly 90% of humanity, who were ignorant of mana, perished."

[And after that?]

"The Sovereign rallied the utterly broken humanity and crossed over to another dimension to escape Earth, which was struck by natural disasters."

[You know the gist of it. After 90% of humanity perished, there was an era when Manatology ruled the world. Did it last for about 50 years?]

"...50 years?"

I widened my eyes at the reign, which had lasted longer than I thought. Even rivers and mountains change in ten years, so how much more so for fifty years?

At the same time, a question arose. No matter how ruined the world was, could the world really be ruled by a cult that performed human sacrifices?

’...No. That’s not right. Even in Korea, where education is highly developed, cults run rampant.’

Stories of people who received elite education being cult members were common.

Brainwashing is that terrifying, and it would have been even easier for Manatology. Why?

"Because the world was ruined... it must have been easier for them to run wild."

[Yeah. The existing religions fought to the end, but... unlike other religions, Manatology directly granted ’power’.]

"Mmm..."

I couldn’t help but let out a low groan. Actually, it wasn’t a strange thing.

In Rome, Christianity had pushed out the Olympian faith and established itself as a popular religion.

Although there were various reasons, it preached ’equality’—something unimaginable in that era—so many people believed and accepted it.

Wouldn’t Manatology have been similar, even if its direction was different? Especially since mana had appeared, making individual ’might’ far more important.

[I don’t really know what happened after that either. Popes, Cardinals, and whatnot did appear, but they all collapsed at once and vanished. After that, it became a shitshow again.]

"And the Sovereign cleaned up that shitshow of a world and rebuilt it. Is that it?"

[That’s right.]

"Could it be that the Sovereign overthrew Manatology?"

[Such rumors did circulate, but almost nothing is known. The most common story is that they made a fuss amongst themselves until they self-destructed.]

"If it’s Manatology, that actually makes sense."

Since they were bastards who literally merged people into one, it wouldn’t be strange if they destroyed themselves.

However, I had a question. How did Manatology make people merge into one?

Right now, we could analyze it in detail through Necromancy, but back then, I didn’t know.

"Um... you know about the Sky Whale, right?"

[Of course I do. They were the ones that fellow Aragon cherished.]

"Then do you also know that there was a factory inside the Sky Whale?"

[I made it, though?]

"...."

[Why are you looking at me like that? It doesn’t affect their life at all. For humans, it’s like replacing their bones with titanium ones.]

"What about storing nuclear warheads in their bodies and launching them at other monsters?"

[That... I didn’t do? How did they do that?]

Let’s pass on this. If we talk more about it, my head will start spinning.

"Anyway, I saw a survivor there. From what I heard, they were trapped because the escape route was destroyed."

[Hmm... are you saying some of those guys became Manatologists?]New chapters come out on nоvelping.com first.

"Yes. Given the Sovereign’s personality, he would have strictly forbidden Manatology..."

[It’s not something that can be stopped just by forbidding it. The principle of Manatology is that if people feel the same intense emotion, they merge into one.]

"Then usually, that emotion is..."

[The survival instinct.]

The desire to live. It was an emotion anyone would feel when faced with a crisis.

Hadn’t I felt it plenty of times myself while surviving in the Forest of the Four Seasons?

It was a highly relatable story, but crossing the line was unforgivable.

[Do you have any other stories besides such bitter ones? Since we’re at it, tell me something interesting.]

"There are a few more... but why do people mainly use cold weapons instead of guns? No matter how efficient mana is, guns shouldn’t be discarded."

This was something I had been curious about all this time. Since its invention, the gun had never been dethroned as the king of all weapons.

However, after the appearance of mana, its status had degraded to a mere means of distraction. Conversely, cold weapons like swords, spears, and bows had risen to prominence.

In this current era, it showed a trend close to the early modern or medieval periods, so it was understandable.

But it was incomprehensible why not only Aris, the Goddess of War, but even the Chief God mainly used cold weapons.

’Furthermore, even the robots mainly engaged in close combat.’

There must be a reason for this.

When I asked about this reason, Lucas took a sip of beer and answered.

Perhaps because he was slightly tipsy despite being a machine, his husky voice was impressive.

[Well, that’s simple. You know how to use Body-Protecting Gangqi, right?]

"Of course I do."

[If a skilled knight trains, an assault rifle won’t even scratch them. You’d need at least an anti-materiel rifle to have any effect.]

"Instead of using that, wouldn’t it be better to just use a rocket?"

[The unit cost doesn’t match up. The unit cost. And there’s armor that activates Body-Protecting Gangqi, so it’s just not efficient.]

"What about imbuing guns with mana?"

[Is your ancestor going to control the recoil for you? How can you ask the exact same question as the Sovereign? Is it because you’re the only one in all of humanity who ignores the Law of Conservation of Mass-Energy?]

"I only asked a question..."

I pouted and grumbled. Since I was annoyed, I should take a sip of beer.

At my reaction, Lucas chuckled and finished off the rest of his drink.

Soon, he cracked open a beer can he had stored inside his chest (he literally opened it up and pulled it out) and spoke.

[And imbuing a gun with mana is a difficult task in itself. Unless the structure is simple like an AK-47, most are too complex, causing the mana to disperse.]

"So the simpler it is, the easier it is to imbue with mana. That’s what you’re saying."

[That’s why the Sovereign threw rocket shells directly.]

"That’s just because that person was weird..."

It felt like listening to old stories from a grandfather. Perhaps because of that, I lost track of time as we chatted.

Since I could immediately recover my fatigue through Internal Energy Regulation even if I slept late anyway.

So I asked Lucas for more old stories. Perhaps I could obtain more information I didn’t know.

[Old stories... I was recruited after all, so I don’t know much about the Sovereign’s family affairs. Unless it’s related to the twins.]

"Could you tell me one?"

[Let’s see... That fellow Aris once bought venison from a butcher shop and went back. I believe she bragged that she had hunted it herself.]

"And then?"

[The next day, the Sovereign came with the twins. It was not long after that punk had stolen my sword, you see? So I said to Aris, ’Aris! Did you enjoy the meat you bought yesterday?’]

"Puhaha!"

[Then she shrieked, her pale face turning beet red, and she couldn’t even lift her head. The Sovereign also found it so absurd that he laughed heartily. He was someone who rarely laughed, but that was the first time I saw him laugh like that.]

Just listening to it, I could tell how close the Chief God and the twin siblings had been.

At the same time, it was deeply regrettable that the relationship between the twin siblings had become irreversible.

[Well, this is all in the past now. Though it seems they’ve gone their separate ways now.]

"Do you think they can reconcile?"

[It will be impossible unless the Sovereign returns.]

"...."

[I’m not holding you responsible. You don’t even have your memories, so there’s no need for you to take responsibility.]

"Still, my heart feels heavy."

[Looking at that side of you, you really are just like the Sovereign. Come to think of it, did you say you’re leaving first thing tomorrow?]

"Yes."

Sensing that he was trying to change the subject, I answered immediately.

At that, Lucas told me to wait a moment and headed somewhere.

About five minutes passed. Lucas brought back a round, compass-like object.

Nothing was visible on the screen, but its appearance itself was similar to a compass.

"This is...?"

[It’s a device I’m giving you so you won’t get lost tomorrow. Try turning it on.]

I activated the device according to his words.

Ppibik!

[154. 98. 15]

Unknown numbers were displayed. But the moment I saw them, I realized what they meant.

"Could this be...?"

[It’s a coordinate tracker. It’s the only device that can gauge directions in this damn forest.]

"...."

[I’ll give this to you if you bring the transport ship. It’s an expensive item, but I figured it would be useful to you.]

A reason to absolutely succeed had arisen.

Therefore.

"Park Kkobong. I shall grant you two more days."

"What is it now?"

"If you master it, I will let you eat candied sweet potatoes to your heart’s content for a week."

"I will absolutely learn it, Master."

I granted him more time.