I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 753

After Grylls returned to the Forest of the Four Seasons, the political situation outside moved at a frantic pace.

The Heavenly God Martial Festival alone was a massive event capable of drastically altering the dynamics of the Central Plains, but even a descent had occurred.

Because of this, it was safe to say that the prestige of the Heavenly Demon Cult had soared to pierce the heavens.

In other words, the political justification that Wi Seol-ak had so desperately desired was now able to surpass that of the Imperial Court.

Even in this situation, the Imperial Court remained close to unresponsive, let alone engaging in diplomacy, so it was only natural that public sentiment turned hostile.

With the prices in the Central Plains already soaring due to the Imperial Court’s self-preservationism, their silence during the Heavenly God Martial Festival made it natural for the people to turn their backs on them.

’No response is worse than incompetence. Are they out of their minds?’

The Emperor of the Messiah Empire, Arnold, let out a hollow laugh as he read the report submitted to him.

Although he was well aware of the Central Plains Imperial Court’s characteristic self-preservationism, he hadn’t expected it to be this severe.

Of course, there were rumors circulating that the previous Emperor had been assassinated by the Heavenly Demon, but rumors were just rumors.

Rather, their very shrinking back like this was no different from confirming that the rumor was true.

’Furthermore, the Heavenly Demon even sparred with the Chief God. The Demonic Cult has gained an overwhelming advantage.’

From now on, numerous nations would side with the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Frankly, from the perspective of foreign nations, it was only natural, as the Central Plains Imperial Court was unilaterally refusing to communicate.

Rather than talking to a wall, wouldn’t it be better to speak with someone who actually talks back, even if they smelled like a fraud?

’No matter how many specialty goods we import from the Central Plains, this is close to tyranny.’

Moreover, if the Demonic Cult took control of the Central Plains, trade relations would become meaningless.

They were already half-recognized as a government, and the Demonic Cult’s steady efforts had finally borne fruit.

Whoever’s plan it was, the Demonic Cult had thoroughly dissected the Central Plains from the inside rather than occupying it by force.

One of those areas was commerce. They had completely seized control of commerce, backed by their immense financial power.

It had reached a point where there was nowhere that did not pass through the hands of the Demonic Cult.

Furthermore, rumors were rampant that even the Central Plains Imperial Court was secretly importing the Demonic Cult’s greatest specialty, the Hair Growth Herb.

’Not long ago, Setan’s regime changed, and soon the Central Plains’ regime will change too. No, is it a government rather than a regime?’

Arnold slowly closed his eyes, chewing over the events currently unfolding one by one.

Starting from Cain’s descent in the Holy Kingdom to this Heavenly God Martial Festival.

So many major events had occurred in between that it was difficult to even count them on his fingers.

If not for the officials left behind by the previous Emperor, Robert, he would have struggled even to organize them.

’At the center of all this is Grylls. This is a well-known fact.’

The question was what kind of impact his actions would have on the world.

Hadn’t Salman, the newly crowned Sultan of Setan, also been heavily influenced by Grylls?

Most viewed it as no different from Grylls personally appointing him as Sultan.

Furthermore, he was even living in the same house as Elia, the Queen of Alvenheim.

Arnold let out a complicated sigh and began reading another report.

Since the Heavenly God Martial Festival had concluded, it was time to assess the achievements gained from it.

’The Mercedes Ducal Lady achieved great results.’

Although many figures were sent from the Messiah Empire for the Heavenly God Martial Festival, two were representative.

Selena, the Ducal Lady of the Mercedes Duchy, and the Sword Master, Ash.

Given the current state of affairs, the Imperial Court and the Mercedes Duchy were collaborating.

And one of the achievements gained this time was the regular import of the Hair Growth Herb.

One might ask if merely importing the Hair Growth Herb was a major achievement, but in reality, it was a massive success.

’We will be able to win over the nobles who live and die by their vanity.’

Unlike the people of the Central Plains, the rate of hair loss among Westerners, especially men, was extremely high.

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that one in three suffered from hair loss, and this was no different for the nobility.

There was a reason rumors circulated that wigs were the best-selling items among the nobility.

Because of this, they had often imported the Hair Growth Herb secretly in the past, but now they were importing it regularly.

This alone allowed them to maintain a tight grip on the current regime. It was highly satisfying.

’Ash returned to her mansion as soon as she got back. She looked quite fatigued...’

Recently, Ash had gradually begun to engage in public activities more frequently.

In particular, with this Heavenly God Martial Festival as the turning point, it was safe to say she had completely emerged from her seclusion.

Therefore, he had kept an even closer eye on her, focusing on the detail that she appeared fatigued.

’Is it because she visited a foreign country after a long time? No. Last time, she visited the Holy Kingdom.’

No exaggeration or understatement could be allowed in the reports.

The moment such things crept in, the credibility of the report would plummet.

Furthermore, the person who submitted this report was a highly trustworthy official.

Therefore, the detail about Ash looking fatigued could not possibly be false.

’What made her so tired? She wouldn’t have participated directly in the Heavenly God Martial Festival.’

There was something. Arnold quietly pondered.

Then, a rumor came to mind: that Ash had found a lover.

It was a story currently spreading through high society, and surprisingly, the source of the rumor was Ash’s mother.You are reading on nov‌elping.com, the official source.

’Could her lover be from the Central Plains? Did they meet at the Heavenly God Martial Festival?’

Although it sounded like wild speculation, it wasn’t entirely nonsensical.

However, the timing of when the rumors began to swell bothered him; at the very broadest estimate, it overlapped with the period of Ash’s seclusion.

A lover appearing during a time when she barely stepped foot outside her house? It made no sense.

Even more so if it was a Central Plains person who was physically so far away.

Tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk-

Arnold tapped his fingers irritably on the table.

There was definitely a connection, but it felt as if the bridge in the middle had snapped clean in half.

Even so, it was far too burdensome to ask Ash directly.

It would be an invasion of privacy, and her status was such that even the Emperor found it difficult to interfere with her.

In the end, he had no choice but to conclude that he should just observe for the time being.

The thought of someone stronger than Ash existing somewhere in this world was rather unsettling, but it wasn’t incomprehensible.

Ttok-ttok-ttok-

"Your Majesty. It is your servant, Gorgon. I have come to seek you as there is a matter requiring an urgent report."

It was while he was reviewing other reports. Count Gorgon knocked.

A vassal who was currently displaying his capabilities to the fullest by Arnold’s side.

"Enter."

Kki-ik-

Once Arnold’s permission was granted, Count Gorgon opened the door and walked in.

His face looked somewhat fatigued, perhaps due to struggling with the deluge of work recently.

"Yes. What brings you here?"

Normally, it was the rule to submit reports at designated times.

However, his arrival now meant the matter was just that urgent or critical.

"It is a matter more critical than expected."

Count Gorgon said so as he handed over a report.

It was less than a single page in length, but that only highlighted its gravity.

Arnold accepted the report with a mixture of curiosity and concern.

After reading the contents of the report thoroughly for five minutes, he spoke in a rather grave voice.

"...Is this true? Not just a temporary occurrence?"

"Yes. It is a fact that has already been verified through several verifications."

Count Gorgon let out a sigh, looking somewhat conflicted, and opened his mouth.

"The duration for which the Forest of the Four Seasons opens is gradually increasing."

"...."

"Initially, it was three hours, but now it has increased to four hours. This is a fact confirmed by the observing mages."

The opening time of the Forest of the Four Seasons had increased.

This single fact was more than enough to be considered a critical matter.

They were already troubled by the beasts occasionally escaping from the Forest of the Four Seasons, and now the opening duration was even expanding.

Of course, while it meant that exploration time would also increase, the reality was that they still lacked preparation.

"...Are there any cases of it opening in areas other than the ones we manage?"

"We are currently checking continuously, but fortunately, it has been determined that there are none."

"What about the shifting of spaces?"

"That has not changed."

Arnold scanned the report once more with a serious expression.

The question ’Why?’ arose, but one person immediately came to mind.

"...Count Gorgon."

"Speak, Your Majesty."

"Are you thinking the same thing as me?"

"If you are referring to the Chief God... yes. It is far too coincidental."

The survivor currently revered as the Chief God, Grylls.

The more he made contact with other World Trees, and furthermore, the more he regained his memories, the more anomalies occurred in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Although it was merely a ’hypothesis’, its credibility was extremely high.

"As soon as he first made contact with a World Tree, the Forest of the Four Seasons partially opened."

"Afterward, he found two more World Trees. Did the same thing happen when he found the second World Tree?"

"The second World Tree’s effect was too minute to judge with certainty."

"Tch. We will have to verify it properly starting from this point."This chapter was copied from novelрing.com without permission.

Arnold clicked his tongue.

The leaders of each nation had likely noticed the changes occurring in the Forest of the Four Seasons.

Once word began to spread quietly on the Gallery, it would only be a matter of time before Grylls realized it too.

However, from Grylls’s perspective, it was also awkward not to search for the World Trees, because Aragon was currently plotting an evil scheme.

’Aragon, the God of Magic, has at least one dragon under his command or is keeping it as a slave. It is highly dangerous.’

Aragon’s ultimate goal was the resurrection of the Chief God.

Yet, the target of that goal, Grylls, was wandering around having lost all his memories.

’Could Aragon really be unaware of Grylls’s existence? He is one of the creators of the Gallery, after all.’

This meant that even Aragon could not act properly.

He was likely beyond a state of being unable to act, perhaps not even possessing consciousness, much like Aris.

Since the outline was only barely beginning to emerge now, there was almost nothing they could do.

’We cannot keep up with the giant’s footsteps. This must be acknowledged.’

They should obtain as much as possible from Grylls, but they must not do anything to hold him back.

The moment they held him back, they would be destined to be crushed under the giant’s foot.

’To do that, we must obtain everything we can from the Forest of the Four Seasons.’

He had a premonition that a major incident would break out in the near future.

Whether that was inside or outside the Forest of the Four Seasons did not matter.

Weren’t incidents and accidents already popping up left and right anyway?

It was in times like these that a leader’s capability was tested.

"First, it would be best to support the expedition team that consistently tackles the Forest of the Four Seasons. Was his name Brown?"

"Yes. He is also someone who can steadily secure a supply of World Tree branches."

"Tell him to ask for whatever he needs. Give him a handsome hazard pay as well."

"Understood."

"And the student currently studying at the Academy... was his name Roy? How is he doing now?"

"I heard he is growing under the guidance of his advising professor."

"Good."

Currently, the Messiah Empire was progressing step by step.

It was just that the Forest of the Four Seasons was the problem.

’Looking at this, I can’t help but think Father abdicated at a truly wonderful time.’

He could have struggled for just three more years; why did he hand over the imperial throne at a time like this?

Of course, it was undeniable that he had suffered that much, but the timing was far too exquisite.

’Is this what they call "taking profit" on the Gallery?’

Arnold chuckled and dismissed Count Gorgon.

Since he had a lot to think about right now, he needed to organize his thoughts.

But that was only temporary.

"Y-Your Majesty! Urgent news!"

"What is it?"

Not Count Gorgon, but another official rushed into the office in a panic.

It was a highly serious breach of etiquette, but because the official’s expression was unusual, Arnold decided to focus on his words rather than protocol.

"T-They have found traces of ruins in Mountain!"

The words the official uttered next...

"The problem is that the ruins are located underground, and this area is Alvenheim territory!"

"Sigh..."

...were more than enough to give Arnold a headache.

Meanwhile, at that time. The Forest of the Four Seasons.

Grylls had spent some time living leisurely at home, and once he felt he had rested enough, he began his activities.

First, what he needed was equipment. Although he had the bow received from the Heavenly Demon Cult, there was a high probability that this too would break before long.

He needed to craft the bow that the Chief God was said to have used, or at least a bow comparable to it.

Therefore, Grylls’s group visited Lucas’s flagship and met with its master, and...

"You guys said you were going on a pilgrimage, so why are you here drinking alcohol?"

"Keurakeu! Kaugaru!"

"This water is water that inspires courage."

...they were able to meet the goblin pilgrims who had previously set off on their pilgrimage.

And they were completely drunk, at that.

"See? I told you, alcohol is loved by everyone, regardless of race."

"Please don’t turn an entire race into drunkards already."

He was truly a consistent person.