I Got a Gallery in the Wild - Chapter 818

The World Tree, tinged with a dull gray hue from not receiving nutrients for a long time.

Conversely, beneath it was a bustling downtown area overflowing with all kinds of entertainment.

Although the situations were starkly different, the color schemes were subtly similar, making them match rather well.

Perhaps because it was evening, or because it was a region where sunlight didn’t reach in the first place, the downtown area was filled with neon signs.

Even the signs themselves had letters in Hangul, but the words were close to the language of the Holy Kingdom, showing that they had made them themselves.

"How is it? It’s much flashier than the dull fog, right?"

"Well... yes."

"According to outsiders, they say there are rarely places as prosperous as our village."

Miren puffed out his chest and spoke in a voice full of pride.

I couldn’t really refute his words, as a place as bustling as Large Field wasn’t common even on Earth.

One might ask if it wasn’t common in developed countries, but let’s consider that it was currently evening.

Even in most developed countries, it was basic common sense not to go out in the pitch-black evening.

Going out for no reason meant risking getting mugged by lowlife thugs at best, or even losing one’s life at worst.

Yet, Large Field currently had quite a large floating population, and it was as lively as daytime.

"Does sunlight reach Large Field?"

"Of course it does. Isn’t that common sense?"

"Do you guys play at night instead of during the day?"

"We’re busy working during the day, so how could we play? Is it different on the outside?"

"It’s not that, but..."

It was a truly bizarre situation.

I had thought of it as a Galapagos-like region, but in reality, it was a highly developed area.

Flashy neon signs and a floating population walking around despite it being evening.

’Everyone looks unique, though...’

There were many people with lizard heads like Miren, and many who only had horns and were close to human form.

It was so diverse that it made me wonder if those people really originated from a single root.

Well, since Miren said some had married outsiders, it probably wasn’t that unusual.

The reason their appearances were close to humans was probably because crossbreeding was only possible with humans.

"Miren-ssi. That tree over there is a World Tree, right?"

It was while we were looking around the downtown area.

Perhaps because she had thorns in her mouth, Elia brought up a potentially sensitive topic.

I could understand her feelings a hundred percent, but honestly, I was worried.

Seeing the dried-up World Tree that wasn’t being given nutrients, it seemed there might be a secret.

"That tree? Ah, outsiders call it that, don’t they? I heard there’s something similar on the outside."

"It’s not just similar; it’s a much cleaner and healthier tree than that World Tree."

"Is that so? At any rate, that is where the Elders reside. You cannot enter there carelessly."

The residence of the Elders, who were strongly suspected to be Manatology.

I wondered if the Elders had sucked the nutrients from the World Tree to make it like that, but I couldn’t be sure.

If I wanted to know for sure, there was no choice but to meet the Elders in person.

"Then does the fog also come from that World Tree?"

"Yes. According to what the Elders said, the tree creates the fog to protect our village."

Perhaps because Miren was just a villager, I couldn’t get any particularly detailed information.

Knowing what was located in various parts of the village was about the extent of it.

Even this was enough, and above all, I could grasp that the scale of the village was extremely large.

It was practically at a level where it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call it a city rather than a village.

What was especially surprising was that it had everything it needed.

"There’s a ranch?"

"You see that big building over there?"

Miren pointed somewhere. Turning my head, a high-rise building—that is, a large skyscraper—came into view.

Unlike the outside of the village, which was no different from ruins, this building was sparkling and consistently maintained.

"We raise all kinds of livestock there. Thanks to that, we can eat delicious meat every day."

"Is that place also, by any chance..."

"The Elders made it, of course."

In addition, there were entertainment facilities that raised the quality of life, academies in charge of various education, and so on.

It was safe to say it had everything, just like Singapore, and could be seen as a really good neighborhood to live in.

’But why do I feel such a sense of incongruity?’

I looked around at the people who were happily chatting or dead drunk from drinking.

Why did I feel an inexplicable sense of incongruity the more I looked at them?

Their faces were clearly filled with joy, and not a single worry could be found.

It was at a level where one couldn’t even dare to imagine that they were under the rule of the wicked Manatology.

Ppiiiik!

It was right around the time I was walking around while feeling this inexplicable incongruity.

Suddenly, the sound of a whistle echoed, and personnel presumed to be the security force came into view.

Unlike the rest of the population, they wore distinctly eye-catching uniforms, so I could identify them immediately.

And soon, they surrounded a person.

"We have received information that you obtained unauthorized goods. Come with us."

"Yes? What do you mean..."You are reading on novelрing.com, the official source.

"This is something we confirmed after already searching your house."

A moment later, the security force escorted the resident away.

Perhaps because this wasn’t the first or second time such a thing had happened, the other residents were indifferent.

In a way, this was also a familiar sight, but Miren’s words changed my perspective.

"It seems they secretly obtained a book."

"A book?"

"It’s one of our village’s taboos. Do not obtain books carelessly. Therefore, the Elders hold onto most of the books."

To think that books were one of the prohibited items.

As everyone knows, books are extremely important objects in human history.

They allowed one to glimpse the knowledge or thoughts of others, through which great progress could be achieved.

Therefore, I assumed the Elders monopolized them to hold irresistible power, but...

"The only ones allowed are books related to technology. Besides, even if we know the letters, we don’t know the spoken words, so it’s common for the Elders to translate them for us separately."

It was slightly different.

They first went through censorship, and then only the acceptable ones were selected and distributed.

"So there are allowed books. What happens if you read a forbidden book?"

"Exile is the baseline. Someone was exiled just for reading... what was it, Don Quixote?"

"Even though they knew the written words but not the spoken language?"

"Yes. They were still exiled."

I frowned.

Don Quixote is one of the most famous literary works in human history.

To think an exile order was carried out just for reading such a book.

They probably hadn’t even been able to understand it.

’Are they implementing an obscurantist policy?’

It was one of the policies that dictators had commonly used since ancient times.

A policy of keeping the populace ignorant and letting them live day-to-day.

Just looking at the place north of the Republic of Korea, aren’t they utilizing such a policy very easily?

Of course, over there, the regions other than the capital are so poor that they don’t even have the power to rebel.

’A hungry pig is too busy earning a living day-by-day, and a full pig is already satisfied, so they live contentedly.’

I felt like I was gradually realizing the true nature of the incongruity.

Of course, I couldn’t say this out loud, so I didn’t bother voicing it.

"Now! I will treat you to barbecue, one of Large Field’s specialties."

"Master. Isn’t this marinated galbi?"

"It seems... to be?"

Somehow, we ended up eating to our heart’s content at a marinated galbi restaurant.

Even the side dishes, though different in variety, were close to Korean style.

Even the charcoal fire and the grill on top of it had a very familiar appearance.

Still, taking a bite, it was quite delicious, so I stopped thinking deeply about it.

"Come to think of it, how do we pay for this?"

"The price?"

"Yes. You have to use money to buy things."

"Ah, money? No, everything is free. It’s the same wherever you go."

"Really?"

"Yes. I heard that on the outside, you have to pay something called money? And you even have to work to earn it."

"That’s right."

"In our village, we can use everything comfortably without having to do such things."

Miren puffed out his chest, displaying his pride.

Hearing it, it truly sounded like a paradise.

’It’s the ultimate form of communism, though?’

However, from my perspective, it was nothing but unsettling.

It was certainly comfortable like a paradise, but the creepiness was unavoidable.

Furthermore, if it was so good to live here, why did Miren and his companions go out on patrol?

When I asked about this, Miren nodded and replied.

"Well, isn’t that something we ought to do for the Elders?"

"Something you ought to do?"

"The Elders have helped us this much, so we must also work hard for them."

"...."

It was indeed a highly desirable form of faith.

The only problem was that this faith was directed toward Manatology.

I made a somewhat ambiguous expression and looked around at my other companions.

The others also had expressions that said, ’This is a bit...’ in many ways.

└ Heavenly Demon: It is a desirable mindset, but it is pitiable that the target of it is so gravely wrong.

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: Well, that’s just how people who treat Aris-nim as an evil deity are!

└ Allfather: It seems they have even been brainwashed.

It seemed the regular users also felt the incongruity.

But we couldn’t just say this outright.

First, I planned to meet the Elders the next day and examine how things had come to be.This chapter was taken from novel​ping.com without permission.

"By the way, is that person not eating?"

"This person gets full just by breathing."

"I’m a bit envious of that."

"Aren’t you suspicious?"

"If it’s a characteristic of an outsider, I can understand."

[Ahem.]

After finishing the meal deliciously, we headed back outside.

Even though it was gradually passing evening and turning into deep night, many people were still walking around.

Ttiriring— ttiring—

Even a situation that Maengkkongi would like came into view.

Someone was even busking while playing the guitar.

"This~ is not it~ My heart is~ not like this~"

"...."

But why on earth is the song a Korean song?

While I was momentarily flustered and lost for words, people gradually gathered around.

Too many gathered, so we were eventually pushed to the back.

"Where on earth did they get that song?"

"Occasionally, the Elders repair machines obtained from the fog. Perhaps that person heard it from there."

"Can you understand the meaning?"

"Even if we can’t understand it, it’s exciting, so isn’t that fine?"

"...."

Come to think of it, playing an instrument could also be seen as a ’technology.’

I stared at the resident who seemed to embody a grasshopper, then moved my steps.

Following that, it was right around the time we headed toward the lodging exclusive for outsiders under Miren’s guidance.

"Would you like to try this?"

Miren pulled out something resembling a pill from his pocket.

Although it looked like an ordinary candy on the outside, I felt an inexplicable creepiness, so I asked.

"What is this?"

"It’s made from the leaves of the tree."

The reply came that it was candy made from the leaves of the World Tree.

Since even cigars related to the World Tree were good for the body, I thought it would be fine and accepted it lightly.

"Is it delicious?"

"I don’t know about the taste, but eating it makes you feel good. It’s like all the worries of today completely vanish?"

"...."

Isn’t that a dangerous drug?

Feeling an ominous premonition, I just thanked him for now and put it in my pocket.

Soon, we entered the lodging Miren guided us to, and I could see it was quite spacious, more so than expected.

I wondered if there were other outsiders, but unfortunately, there were none.

Since Gu-chil, who visited relatively recently, was said to be guarding the side of the Elders, I couldn’t even meet him.

"Grylls-nim. Don’t eat that candy."

It was time we were unpacking.

Elia warned me not to eat the pill in a rarely serious voice.

Looking at her, she had an incredibly grave expression, which made questions spring up.

"Why? It’s made from the World Tree, so shouldn’t it be fine? Though the symptoms are a bit concerning..."

"That is indeed a drug."

"What?"

"Healthy leaves are fine, but things made from dried leaves mostly possess severe addictiveness."

Was there such a thing? It was the first time I had heard of it.

└ Allfather: Come to think of it, there was a time in the past when Alfheim manufactured it from dried leaves, causing a massive international controversy.

└ Princess Chaenggu: Wasn’t that officially imported by the Holy Kingdom?

└ Don’t Abandon the Hero: It might have been fine when fighting the Demon Race, but now it is strictly a forbidden item!

It seemed to be a fairly famous story.

As soon as I heard those words, I disposed of the pill. The same went for the others’ pills.

"By the way, Master. I have a question."

"What is it?"

"I’ve been thinking about this since earlier, but why are there only young people among the residents here?"

Before going to sleep, Lackey, who had been quiet since earlier, voiced a doubt.

Most of the passersby were young people.

Of course, it could be because the average lifespan was very short, but it was strange that there wasn’t a single elderly person.

"Isn’t it just because it’s evening? And they said the average lifespan is short."

"Even if the average lifespan is short, those who live long still live long. And I find the word ’Elder’ itself suspicious."

"Suspicious?"

"Why would they use ’Elder’ as a synonym for a god instead of just calling them a god? Don’t you think that’s strange?"

"...."

That was true. Why on earth did they use the word ’Elder’ out of so many words?