I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 685

To stop the dwarf from being dragged off to conscription, there is only one thing I can do right now.

To find Elia, the Elf Queen, who must be somewhere in the Forest of the Four Seasons right now, and bring her here.

And then, whether she uses the Gallery herself or I help her, to control Alvenheim, which is running wild.

Of course, due to physical or emotional reasons, properly governing them is extremely difficult. This is reality, so it can’t be helped.

Since she is in a situation where she can’t even properly sign a single document, it’s no different from an imprisoned politician shouting from behind bars.

But even so, her influence won’t be completely non-existent. The reason is simple.

Even if I don’t know, there is the underlying premise that she can escape out of the Forest of the Four Seasons.

’Ludwig is the perfect example of that. If the Elf Queen goes outside, she will be able to exert even greater influence than before.’

As everyone knows, Alvenheim is currently making a rather large blunder. First of all, preparing for war with Mountain is just the beginning.

Right now, isn’t Praise the Sun right on the verge of revealing his fixed handle and ascending as the Sultan of Setan?

Furthermore, though he humbly refuses, it wouldn’t be strange at all if he founded the Chief God Religion.

It’s only because the dwarf is only interested in alcohol and hates politics, but if they put their minds to it, Alvenheim is just making enemies.

’Besides, the dwarf’s personality is such that everything other than alcohol is a hassle.’

Well, there is a difference between the dwarf and Praise the Sun, so it might be difficult.

Unlike the dwarf, who is a commoner, Praise the Sun was a wealthy man of Setan, and the head of his family at that.

On the other hand, the dwarf is normally the ultimate slacker, spending his days browsing the Gallery in the corner of his room.

It’s only because he happened to form a connection with me, but his circumstances wouldn’t allow him to stick his nose into politics.

He might at least be able to avoid conscription, but that alone would be difficult.

’Actually, the best way would be to contact Let’s Grow Trees, but...’

For some unknown reason, I couldn’t get in touch with Let’s Grow Trees. The messages go through, but they aren’t being read.

Since the timing was so coincidental, I wondered, ’Could Let’s Grow Trees actually be the Elf Queen?’

But this is a coincidence upon coincidence, and multiple coincidences overlapping, so I can’t easily jump to conclusions.

Just looking at the fixed handles I communicate with right now, there’s the Heavenly Demon of the Central Plains, the Sword Master of the Messiah Empire, and the Hero of the Holy Kingdom.

Every single one of them is someone with resounding international fame, so if the Elf Queen is included too, it’s not a coincidence, it’s practically destiny.

Anyway, if the dwarf just writes a post on the Gallery saying he’s being dragged away because of the elves, it will cause a massive uproar.

Mountain is conscripting because they truly have no choice, so they might receive less criticism, but Alvenheim won’t get off so easily.

Issuing a statement of criticism from the Holy Kingdom would be the bare minimum, and Praise the Sun, who has seized Setan, might directly support them.

If that happens, even Alvenheim won’t be able to withstand the carpet bombing. I really don’t know why they are doing such a thing to Mountain.

’At the very least, even the Elf Queen would lay low in this situation.’

Elia is evaluated as a madwoman because of her obsession with planting trees, but in reality, she is quite competent.

First of all, the fact that she is incredibly quick-witted and good at reading the room proves her competence.

There are countless countries that ruin themselves by failing to read the room, but she pulled her foot out whenever she sensed danger.

She didn’t even give off that cheap, opportunistic vibe of tightrope-walking, because every time you looked closely, her moves were highly practical.

’On the other hand, a leader without ability... Ugh. Let’s not even talk about it.’

Often, I wonder how on earth such a crazy bastard could be the leader.

But that’s just how the world is. Even Hitler was initially elected through democratic processes.

To top it off, even the superpower United States has elected a crazy bastard more than once or twice. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction.

Besides, elves—specifically, the older generation of elves—have an underlying, unique chosen-people complex, so they are often treated as having ’trash personalities’.

’I hope they can buy some time until I find the Elf Queen...’

The easiest way is to ask Asella. She would willingly grant my request.

As I said earlier, the actions Alvenheim is currently committing are enough to anger even the Holy Kingdom.

But actually asking her is a bit tricky, because if things go wrong, it might be impossible to clean up the aftermath.

’Even though I am worshipped as the Chief God, I don’t think of myself as a real god.’

A situation where countless people could live or, conversely, die because of a single word of mine.

At least for now, it’s tricky to open my mouth carelessly. court. Besides, aren’t there normal elves too?

Elves are currently mocked for having trash personalities, but what about the elf children who grow up knowing nothing of this? What sin did they commit?

With one word of mine, they could be branded as an abominable race, like the Jews of Earth, so I must absolutely be careful.

Therefore, the best I can do is to find the Elf Queen. The best move that won’t cause massive chaos in the world while preventing innocent people from suffering.

I, who resent gods because I hate resenting people, at least do not want to be resented myself. This is why I deny being the Chief God.

[So, where do you plan to go first? Since you said you’re stepping into dangerous areas, you’ll have to go with absolute resolve.]

"I’ll go alone to the places that are hopelessly dangerous."Read this novel at novelping . com for the best experience.

"It is too dangerous, Master."

For once, Lackey is worrying about me. Well, since I said I’m going to a dangerous place myself, it’s only natural to worry.

Up until now, I’ve only traveled to relatively safe places, and I’ve rarely set foot in truly dangerous areas.

"I won’t go to the areas covered in green. You die the moment you step in there."

"Then I shall trust only Master."

"...You bastard, were you pretending to worry about me just to push me to go alone?"

"This is why I hate quick-witted masters."

"You’d better be prepared to go to the ends of hell with me."

Lackey apologized belatedly, but it was already too late.

Originally, I was planning to bring only Bbareumbo and Cain if possible, but out of sheer spite, I can’t let him off.

Since a situation might arise where we can’t return for a long time, Dolsoe can be left in charge of managing the house.

Well, even if I took Dolsoe along, there would be no problem if I asked the Hobgoblins.

"Now. That means we have to devise a way to find the Ghost Ship that took the Elf Queen..."

The Forest of the Four Seasons is not simply the size of a small country.

Since it was created by dragging the entire Earth and connecting it to another planet.

One can catch a glimpse of the insane technology of Earth’s humans, but that also means the difficulty inevitably rises exponentially.

It’s like having to perform a needle-in-a-haystack search, not as a metaphor, but literally.

Well, there is a way to narrow this down as much as possible.

"It looks like I’ll have to find Lucas-ssi again."

[Do you think Lucas-nim will help you?]

"I’ll have to think about that."

Going back to Lucas, the creator of the Mechanical Kraken, to ask for help.

If I get his help, it could be narrowed down from a needle in a desert to a needle in a sandbox.

Of course, I’ll have to pay a price for it. And I’ve decided what to pay as that price.

[What is this? Infused liquor?]

"Yes. It’s infused liquor made with a Mature Mandrake, various Inner Cores, and the alcohol my friend gave me in Mountain."

It is none other than alcohol. A tribute for the god who drank like crazy even during war.

To honest, I wondered, ’Will this really work?’ but to a drunkard, alcohol was common sense itself.

[Oh my. You shouldn’t have. It’s been a while since I’ve had infused liquor. Hahaha.]

Whether he was genuinely in a good mood, Lucas smiled like a child receiving a gift as he accepted the infused liquor.

I was worried it might break while flying in the helicopter, so I didn’t even put it in the Subspace Backpack.

Thus, returning to Lucas’s flagship after almost two weeks. Lucas opened the lid of the infused liquor I gifted him and took a sip right then and there.

To repeat, he didn’t even pour it into a glass, but drank it straight from the jar. I was so dumbfounded watching that.

It wasn’t for nothing that the Chief God used to nag Lucas to stop drinking.

[Kwah! Tastes excellent! I’ve been turning everything that grows here into beer to drink, but infused liquor is delicious too!]

"...Come to think of it, how did you make beer? It’s all desolate desert around here."

Last time, I just let it slide, but hearing those words now raised a question.

No matter how much the era advances and technology rises, the Law of Conservation of Mass-Energy cannot be broken. Everyone I’ve met has mentioned this.

It’s the same for beer. Even if you have an outstanding brewery, without ingredients, it’s just an empty tin can.

[That? I just tore off some parts from this flagship and made it.]

"...Is it okay to do that?"

[It’s my flagship, do you have a complaint?]

Just how much does he love alcohol to tear apart his own flagship to do such a thing?

Of course, he only says that, but in reality, he captures nearby animals or monsters to use as ingredients.

As long as there is enough sunlight, he can supply energy—that is, mana—via solar power, so it wasn’t that difficult.

[But what brings you here? Did your house blow up or something?]

"No, it’s not that. I have a favor to ask."

Returning to the main point, I summarized and explained everything that had happened to Lucas.

That my friend is in danger because of what happened outside. That because he was a friend who showed me unconditional kindness at first, I absolutely want to help him.This story is hosted at novelping dot com.

And that I came all the way here to find a clue about the Ghost Ship that kidnapped the Elf Queen.

[....]

Lucas stared intently at me after hearing that. Perhaps because his body is made of machinery, his expression is hard to read.

He seemed to be thinking, but since he stayed completely still, he felt not like a person but like a real machine, or more precisely, a doll.

Soon, as if he had organized his thoughts, Lucas let out a chuckle and drank the infused liquor (still no glass).

Then, wiping the infused liquor trickling down his mouth, he spoke in a raspy voice.

[You really go out of your way to suffer. What? Voluntarily putting yourself in danger for a friend who showed you kindness without expecting anything in return? There’s truly no sucker like you.]

"Think whatever you want. I’m just going to save my friend."

[Saving a friend... The Chief God also completely demolished a place once to save Aris after she caused trouble.]

"Just what kind of person was Aris back then? I get curious every time I hear about her."

From what I hear, she was beyond a mere troublemaker; she was practically a wild hoodlum.

To think he corrected her and transformed her personality to the point where she is revered as a goddess, I couldn’t even begin to grasp how much the Chief God must have suffered.

[I’ll put it nicely and say she was just highly active. Anyway, you said you wanted to find the Ghost Ship, right?]

Lucas brushed it off as if it didn’t matter and fell into thought for a moment.

After all, finding a Ghost Ship connected to the Mechanical Kraken would be quite tricky even for him.

But as I said earlier, it was enough to narrow down the range to the level of a sandbox instead of a desert.

[First of all, since you said you half-destroyed the Mothership, we need to find where that guy would be. You said all the subordinate vessels were outside, right?]

"Yes. Only one ship must have entered the Forest of the Four Seasons by now."

[Then the repairs will be extremely slow too... Hold on a second.]

Saying so, Lucas disappeared somewhere.

Seeing him take the elevator down to the basement, he seemed to be heading to the place where the Mechanical Krakens were deployed.

After about ten minutes, Lucas handed me a round, mechanical lump.

Kkumteul-kkumteul—

But that machine was wriggling as if it were alive. It was red overall, with a yellow, eye-like thing attached in the center.

Just as I was feeling a bit put off by its rather creepy appearance, Lucas spoke.

[If the vessel is still returning to the Mothership, you can lure it with this. Since it entered the Forest of the Four Seasons, the vessel must be wandering around too.]

"What if it has already returned to the Mothership?"

[You don’t need to worry about that either. Just put it on the ground and see which way this core heads.]

Saying so, Lucas placed the core on the ground.

Then, it wriggled very slightly and began crawling somewhere, heave-ho.

Seeing this, Lucas explained to me.

[See? The core is programmed to return to the Mothership. I’ve modified it separately now, so you’ll be able to find the Mothership you want.]

"...Thank you."

[Thank you for what? This alone was more than enough.]

Lucas grinned and took another sip of the infused liquor. Seeing this brought a hollow laugh, but I let it go.

[Then go save your friend. Oh, by the way, did you say that Dwarf also likes alcohol?]

"Yes. He loves alcohol, so he says he just plays around lazily all day."

[What a highly desirable fellow. Take this.]

Lucas handed me a book in addition to the core.

When I asked what it was, the reply was spectacular.

[With that, you can easily treat kidney stones or gout. To be precise, it’s brewing a liquor perfectly suited for those two.]

"...."

[What, kid? Do you know how fatal those two are to a drinker? How sad it is when you can’t drink because of them?]

Seriously, I’m going crazy. It was then.

The core rolled its eyes, wriggled, and began to shout a bizarre sound.

[Freeeee!!! Dom!!!!]

"Why is this one like this again? The core is talking?"

[It’s the personality of the Mothership. It’ll be a bit noisy.]

[Freeeee!!! Dom!!!!]

It seems like it will be a difficult path in many ways.