Bad Born Blood Chapter 208

208
Japha sent me the list ten days after I asked for it.

Beep.

I checked the list with the hologram on the terminal. Jafar had investigated all the people working in the body-related department in Border City and sent them to me.

It was a list organized by field, including prosthetics, engineers, and cybernetic specialists. Among them, those with experience in full-body prosthetics or those with the technology and facilities to do so were also listed separately.

‘Jafar is ruling Border City.’

I glanced at the list. I had a rough idea of ​​where to start. There was a map with addresses attached, so I figured I could finish the search in a few days if I moved around diligently.

I looked through the list and saw a message appear on the holographic screen. It was a call from Lapis.

-Luka, the item you ordered is complete. I need to explain how to use it, so stop by.

I thought for a moment about what that thing was.

‘It’s a warm-up tool for the Hwagwangyedo.’

Lapis did not forget my request. It was a matter that even I, the one who asked, had thrown to the back of my memory.

Kick, click.

I packed my gear and left the room. I headed straight to Lapis’ maintenance room.

“Oh, you just got here?”

Lapis greeted me and said, She was resting with her goggles hanging from her horns.

“The faster the work is done, the better. What about the items?”

I urged him without sitting down.

“It’s a palm-sized metal box over there. There are separate instructions for using it, so I’ll explain them to you.”

Following Lapis’ gaze, I saw a metal box. As she had said, it was the size of the palm of my hand, big enough to fit in a coat pocket or hang on my waist.

‘It looks bland.’

It was a metal box without any external decoration. There were two slits in the box that could fit a blade.

“Well, I can tell just by looking at it. I don’t need to explain it to you. Just try it out in practice and you’ll see… .”

I tried to put my hand on the metal box.

Bang!

Lapis hit the back of my hand with a heavy maintenance tool. A stinging sensation surged up to the top of my head.

“Stop talking nonsense and listen to the explanation. Items made in individual workshops are different from standardized mass-produced items. Since they are customized, it is impossible to intuitively know how to use them. Do you think they are just items that shoot bullets when you roughly pull the trigger?”

“……okay.”

I was a bit hasty.

A craftsman has a point where he does not compromise. You should not ignore that. Everyone has a sore spot.

“It looks simple, but it was made with a lot of effort. I thought that if I was going to make it, I had to make it well.”

“hmm.”

It didn’t look like a tool that had been put together with great care. Lapis frowned at my half-hearted reaction.

“First, I bought some ignium to serve as a whetstone. I managed to get it for about 100 grams at an auction house. I don’t have the ability to do the process myself, so I took it as a sacrifice to my pride and went to another Tarpa workshop that had a processing facility… .”

Lapis explained in detail how hard she had made it. I was bored, but I thought it would be polite to listen, so I nodded my head often.

“In fact, I was reluctant to make it because it was something that went against the philosophy of the Galaxy Pottery. It was an act of ignoring the artistic circular design method. I can imagine how much thought went into the design.”

“But in the end, they are the ones who failed?”

When I shrugged my shoulders mockingly, Lapis’s eyes widened and she got angry. Hmm, I couldn’t help teasing Lapis.

“No, I mean, ha, really. That sense of challenge is what’s important. Show respect, respect! It has artistic value.”

“Okay. How do I use it? I put the blade in this gap and pull it out, right?”

Every time I acted rashly, Lapis’s frown deepened. This might be a little funny. No, not a little, it’s quite funny.

“I told you not to touch it yet. For now, I’ve named it ‘Pie.’ The spelling is ‘FAI,’ which is an abbreviation for ‘Fire and Ice’ in Federal Standard Language.”

“Flame and ice? Do you have a cooling device installed in addition to preheating?”

“That’s why I feel uneasy for no reason. The Galaxy Swordsmith tried to create an independent weapon through a circular design without such an external device. Just like the legendary sword. It’s something that works when taken out even if it’s buried underground for hundreds of years. If the Hwagwang series were discovered in an era when science and technology were in use, it would be called a divine sword or a demon sword.”

Even so, it failed. I swallowed the words that were almost on the tip of my tongue. It seemed that Lapis had a very high opinion of the craftsmen of the Galactic Pottery. If I teased her any further, she would be truly angry.

“There are two gaps, one for cooling and one for preheating? The gap with the blue border is for cooling, right?”

“Yes, and the cooling system is a cartridge system, so the coolant must be discharged after the heat absorption is finished. And the coolant after the heat absorption is finished is extremely hot, so you must never touch it. It will damage the prosthetic hand.”

I stared at the pie. It wasn’t for nothing that the outside looked so plain. It was probably made of a special steel with low thermal conductivity.

“It looks like it was difficult to process because it was made of special steel.”

My body is an object with a certain aesthetic sense, and the person who made it is Lapis. For an object made by Lapis, Pie’s appearance is rather crude.

“That’s right. I asked for processing by paying double the amount even though I was told it wasn’t possible. After all, it was Japa’s money. I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to do this kind of work anywhere else. It was a good experience.”

I looked at the gap between the blades of the pie and wondered. The cooling hole was a little wider than the preheating hole, but the blade should still fit exactly.

“Wouldn’t even special steel melt if it touched a blade in a plasma state?”

“That’s right. It’s okay if it hits the insertion port when warming up, but it has to be inserted precisely into the cooling hole. Is that a problem? Judging from Luca’s proficiency in the body, his movement accuracy is at the level of an android.”

I don’t know whether to like Lapis’ trust or not.

“No, well, it’s not a problem. As long as I don’t make mistakes, I’ll be fine. I won’t make mistakes, hm.”

… … I felt like if I made a mistake while cooling the pie, my fingers would fly off or my wrists would get cut off.

‘It’s not like it’s a knife you would carry around without any preparation to begin with.’

The cooling function is an unexpected bonus. No need to grumble.

“Take the extra refrigerant cartridges next to it, too. Tell me in advance when you run out of cartridges. They take time to make.”

I glanced at Lapis as I was gathering up the pies and cartridges.

Suddenly, Gilda came to mind. Gilda and Lapis, although they were of different races, had similar interests and personalities. They were both gentle, affectionate, and strong.

“Lapis, this may be a very random question, but can I ask you something?”

“Yes? Even if you don’t know what it is, just tell me.”

“Have you ever had a situation where you started to hate a friend you were close to?”

Lapis opened her eyes wide, her eyes empty of whites, and then smiled.

“Of course. I’ve probably lived longer than Luca. Are you having trouble with interpersonal relationships? Should I get some advice from this older sister?”

It felt strange when Lapis, who was much smaller than me, called me “sister.”

“… … I wanted to find someone similar to you and try to guess your mental changes.”

Lapis sat down, rested her chin on her hand, closed her eyes, and fell into thought.

“Like most Tarpa people, I have a hard-core personality and can’t easily hate others. To be blunt, Tarpa people are often exploited because of their gentle nature. That’s why young Tarpas who first start interacting with other races are so hurt that they often don’t come out into the world.”

“It sounds like you’re saying otherwise.”

Lapis smiled.

“I have a lot of experience. Lord Jafar, and Luca… … Anyway, I like you all, but I don’t think you’re the type of person who wouldn’t betray me. If you find something that you think is more valuable than me, you’ll try to deceive me and use me.”

Lapis looked different. She wasn’t just a pure and kind technician. Lapis continued.

“We Tarpas get betrayed a lot. The reason we get betrayed is not because we are clueless or stupid. We know that the other person will betray, but we deny it until the end and try to trust them, and then we get betrayed. And at that moment, absolute trust turns into terrible hatred. That’s when the price of trust comes back as betrayal.”

The Tarpa race’s pupils are black, without whites. Lapis’s pupils, which usually looked pure and clear, looked infinitely cloudy. Her darkness was visibly revealed for the first time.

“Luka, you asked me earlier, when do you hate your friends? I just answered that question. We stubbornly hate those who betray us, just as stubbornly as we trust them. Other species are obsessed to a degree that is unimaginable. The thought, ‘Can you trust someone this much?’ changes to ‘Can you hate them this much?’”

I just felt it too.

‘You must not make Lapis Lazuli your enemy.’

A young-looking alien race with blue skin. A pair of cow-like horns sprout from their heads. They seem like a tough race on the outside. However, the Tarpa race is one of the mainstream races that live together with fierce races such as Tajirun, Crawler, Human, and Equusian… with their deduced physiques. This means that their hatred is also deep.

I used my imagination. I imagined the moment when Lapis’ favor would turn around in an instant. The magnitude and depth of that emotion would be enormous. She would create all kinds of weapons and equipment to kill me.

“… … It’s quite creepy.”

I said. Lapis snickered as if to say, “When did she have cloudy eyes?”

“You don’t have to think about it that deeply. It’s not something that happens often. I have a lot of patience, just like other Tarpas. I can’t hate others for trivial things. For my feelings to turn into hatred, I would have to do something really terrible. Something that would make me worthy of death in the eyes of anyone.”

I thought about it for a while and then got up from my seat. Lapis waved at me as I walked toward the door.

“Thank you for the story, Lapis.”

I left the maintenance room and walked down the hallway. I turned a corner, leaned back against the wall, closed my eyes, and opened them.

My blood slowly cooled. Based on the testimonies and stories I had heard, the conflict between Gilda and Giselle began to form in my mind.

‘Giselle betrayed Gilda in some way. Gilda must have put up with it countless times at first.’

Giselle’s betrayal of Gilda is only a conjecture… … No, it’s probably true. There’s no point in defending Giselle while denying reality.

‘I know. Giselle is unstable and has a bad temper. But she is not the type of person to betray her friends for mere gain.’

The testimony of those around Giselle was largely negative. No one spoke positively. Even Gabriel, Giselle’s head of security, spoke neutrally.

‘… … Only for me, Giselle moved, enduring the distortions and stigma of the relationship.’

One conclusion emerged within me.

I swallowed a sigh that threatened to leak out through my front teeth. I don’t want to act weak. I have to move forward. I already have a clue. The sooner I solve the problem in front of me and move, the closer I will get to Giselle.

‘Forget about complicated calculations.’

I’ve refocused. I just need to find Giselle’s traces. As long as I find her, the rest is none of my business.

Tracking Kinuan, working with Jafar, the Empire and Ilay.

Everything is just a tool to find Giselle. If you just find Giselle, you can throw it all away.

Although I always realize it too late, Ragnata’s words are usually right. That’s why I get even angrier. This time was no exception.

… … I guess I am a pure-hearted man.