NOTICE: Many of the novels have been removed because they might cause violations, which we were not aware of earlier.
#087. The Lost Children (1)
Under the blazing sun.
A vehicle with a dazzling white body raced through the wilderness.
Boooo …
The silhouettes of the Sector 48 buildings faded into the distance behind the rising dust.
“What kind of person is that elf?”
Veronica, sitting in the backseat, spoke, fiddling with the small flower pot in her hand.
I had planted one of the four seeds, and based on what Hender had said, I thought it would sprout in about a month.
“Someone like you who travels around various sectors and studies black rain. That would be more likely.”
The answer came from Ray, sitting in the passenger seat.
Unlike usual, Philip was holding the steering wheel, and his body was rigid and he couldn’t take his eyes off the windshield, showing his nervousness.
It was something Philip volunteered to do.
“I think I should learn how to drive too. I don’t know when I’ll need to get behind the wheel again.”
The idea was that I didn’t want to be a burden to my group when an emergency arose.
The skills weren’t too bad.
That is, except for one accident where I mistook the accelerator for the brake and almost ended up half-dipping my car in the Elton River.
“I hope so. There must be someone else out there looking for a solution to Black Rain besides me.”
Veronica’s voice continues.
“I wonder what this plant will look like when it fully grows. It might have other abilities besides the ability to purify the surrounding land.”
The red-haired girl couldn’t hide her excitement as she looked at the flower pot.
Ray turned his head to look at Veronica’s emotions, then looked forward again and became lost in thought.
‘The traveler told Hender that a fully grown plant would one day save his life.’
When the time comes, you will naturally come to know the meaning of those words.
So does that mean that someday in the future something dangerous enough to threaten your life will happen?
Any incidents related to Black Rain?
“… … .”
I thought about it, but I couldn’t come to any conclusion.
There is a lack of clues.
Right now, it’s better to focus on something else.
Ray, who had been gazing at the scenery, quietly closed his eyes and began to practice circles.
“Hey! Hey! Wait a minute! The speed isn’t slowing down!”
“… … .”
No, I tried to go in.
So, that’s Axel.
*
At the end of the horizon, the buildings of Sector 47 came into view.
“It was long. It was long. Ray, I feel amazing all over again. Didn’t you drive this distance alone last time?”
“That’s why Ray is special.”
It took exactly 8 days.
It took a day less than the last crossing.
Ray recalled Michael’s words that the distance between sectors decreased as one went higher.
“Rumor has it that the distance shortens in a certain sequence. If that’s true, then the sector wasn’t formed naturally along the Elton River, but was created artificially.”
Words I heard in passing.
In fact, how the sector was formed was of no importance to Ray.
‘You will be able to save more and more time on commuting.’
The fact that you can get to the next sector a little faster and continue exploring.
Only that one fact mattered.
The group entered the sector, found lodging in the city center, and went out onto the streets.
Even though I had taken a shower, I didn’t forget to keep my clothes in everyday clothes that were worn-out.
To lure out a group of people who would roam the streets and use them as informants.
“Stop right there. I haven’t seen those faces before.”
“Can we talk for a minute?”
The same situation as in the previous sector was repeated several times.
The gang that dragged the group into the alley were beaten up rather happily.
“Tell your captain. If he wants this money, come to the inn in front of Flonen on 16th Street.”
He ran away, limping on his broken leg, with Ray’s provocation still fresh in his mind.
How many streets did I walk like that?
Philip suddenly asked.
“Didn’t they just say that the captain’s name was Melom?”
“That’s right. The names of the captains that have come out so far are all one of two: Melom and Denain.”
Normally, for a sector of this size, there should be at least five to as many as several dozen groups dividing the distance.
But the fact is that only two captains’ names have been revealed so far.
“Ahhhh. It looks like the two factions are dividing the sector into two very large groups.”
“I agree. I don’t know who they are, but they’re pretty capable.”
There are many occupied streets.
This did not simply mean that the captain had excellent fighting skills.
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‘That means he also has leadership skills.’
As the occupied territory increases, the number of areas and people that need to be managed also increases.
“Philip. If they’re eating this many streets, how many people do you think the gang will have?”
“Hmm… Let’s see. One, two, three… Even if we can’t do it, it’ll easily be over a hundred.”
The combined number of members of the two groups is over two hundred.
If they were to rush in with weapons like clubs or iron pipes, their numbers would be so threatening that even a decent gang would hesitate.
But Ray’s thoughts were a little different.
‘Two hundred. I can search the sector more thoroughly.’
Rather, it was good.
The more sources you have, the more information you can gather in a short period of time.
After walking around like that for more than ten minutes.
“Lay, wait a minute, over there.”
Veronica pointed to a building across the square.
“Garden of Knowledge”
It was a medium-sized bookstore that seemed several times the size of Bookstore Veronica.
“Is it okay if I stop by for a moment? I’d like to see if you have any information on Black Rain.”
“good.”
Anyway, the bookstore was a place I had planned to visit in the last sector.
I had already read the book I brought from the Veronica bookstore a long time ago, so I needed some new knowledge.
Dangling──
The interior of the bookstore was very spacious.
There was an open space in the middle, allowing the first and second floors to share the space, and the wooden bookshelves that filled the walls gave off an old-fashioned atmosphere.
“I’ll be looking around the research materials area over there.”
“I’m over there. There’s something I want to know about finance.”
Veronica and Philip disappeared towards the bookshelf where each had the book they wanted.
Ray, left alone, slowly walked around the bookstore without any particular destination in mind.
“So this new work by Deul-feuille is….”
“I would like to inquire about the expected date of the next shipment.”
“Have you read about Jipen’s synesthesia? I… .”
The conversation around them was generally quiet and polite to one another.
A feeling of dignity as much as the clothes they wear.
Well, it was only natural.
In the first place, books were not generally something that could be enjoyed by the lower classes.
‘Books are something you can only enjoy if you have a certain amount of free time in life.’
By Ray’s standards, books were the exclusive preserve of the upper class.
The upper class. Those who have a lot of money and have no reason to fight each other.
Or maybe we were being more polite to each other because we had more to lose.
widely.
The place where Ray’s footsteps suddenly stopped was a bookshelf filled with novels and fairy tales.
‘Grandma Viola used to tell her younger siblings a lot of stories.’
Various mysterious stories including rainbows.
I picked a book at random and flipped through the pages.
It was a fairy tale about a boy who was guarding a birdcage, but was unable to control his impulse and ended up releasing the birds, which resulted in his punishment.
─I had no choice but to let it go. Red, orange, yellow, and… .
─I really wanted to see those birds with beautiful feathers flying in the sky.
─If you want to punish me, please do so. I have no regrets.
“… … .”
It was a boy’s line.
I thought that maybe things had changed since my emotional range had expanded a bit recently, but as expected, I didn’t feel much emotion from the fictional story.
widely.
I put the book back in its place and started moving again.
Then, he noticed a noblewoman standing in front of a bookshelf and stopped walking again.
What caught Ray’s attention was all the negative emotions, such as anger and obsession, that were swirling around in her bowl.
My whole body felt tense.
“… … .”
It was generally impossible.
It is strange that so many negative emotions can exist in such a large volume in a vessel at the same time.
So, in the past when something like this was possible─.
‘Walter.’
In his case, he also showed a very abnormal form of emotional distribution, and he also showed violence and instability in his actual actions.
It was assumed with a high probability that it was due to mana poisoning.
and.
Supporting that guess, the lady also had two rings surrounding her heart.
‘…wizard.’
The sixth wizard encountered after leaving Sector 50.
In some ways, it was close to income.
Because as soon as I arrived in the sector, I met someone who could give me information about magic.
But soon doubts arose.
‘Your actions are calm. Why?’
Emotions lead to actions.
When they are angry, they break things or yell, and when they are sad, they cry or collapse in their seats.
But now the lady was turning the pages of a book with a calm gesture.
“… … .”
I concentrated my mind and recognized the lady’s face.
He appeared to be in his mid to late 30s, and there were no signs of negative emotion, such as trembling or frowning, on his face.
What on earth is it?
Although there are some people whose emotions and actions are contradictory, emotions of that magnitude were not something that could be controlled.
‘… but if you are controlling your emotions.’
It was said that he was displaying a truly incredible level of mental strength.
At that moment, Ray’s eyes caught sight of the necklace the lady was wearing.
A silver string with an orphaned feel.
A red jewel shining among them.
‘Mercred.’
It was said that the members of Murkred’s organization carried around a red gem that served as a charging stone.
Could the lady be a member of Murcred’s organization?
Ray put his hand in his pocket and touched Walter’s ring.
‘…I’m not an executive.’
Things that have already been confirmed upon arrival at the sector.
The arrow indicated by Walter’s ring was still pointing further up, to the upper sector.
‘There is still a possibility that he is a regular member of the organization.’
The wizard and the red gem.
It was not an intersection that easily overlapped.
However, I couldn’t feel any particular movement of mana from the jewels on the necklace, so I thought I had to look at it a little more closely to find out.
“I picked out all the books!”
At that moment, Philip appeared behind the lady.
A book held in an armful up to face height.
A staggering gait, as if the weight was not light.
Bam!
A book fell next to the lady.
Philip arrived next to Ray without even knowing it, and asked while placing books on the shelves around him.
“What about you? Have you found anything worth reading?”
“Not yet. I’ll look around a bit more.”
“Really? The bookstore is big….”
Philip, who was flexing his muscles by rotating his arms, suddenly stopped moving.
The words stopped and the mouth opened.
I froze in place like I had been shocked by electricity.
Ray followed Philip’s gaze and confirmed that it was directed at the lady.
‘Is there anything surprising… Ah.’
Ray soon realized why.
Beneath her wide-brimmed hat, the noblewoman’s hair flowed in abundance and was brown.
A dark brown color, exactly like Philip’s hair color.
Philip’s gaze hurriedly went down to check the lady’s neck, but the skin was hidden by the necktie.
The lady bent down and picked up the fallen book.
She approached Philip slowly and spoke with a sunny smile.
“You dropped your book, little gentleman.”