The Head of House Park liquidated most of the family’s assets.
He sold off real estate in the capital of the Marshal’s domain and recovered investments from various merchant groups. With that money, he purchased ships that had come onto the market and recruited private soldiers.
“There are fewer ships for sale than I thought. And no one wants to board them, either.”
“The current situation is quite chaotic, is it not?”
The Emperor had died, and a young Crown Prince had inherited the throne. Eunuchs, powerful officials, the Empress Dowager, and even the Emperor’s uncle were all at each other’s throats to seize power. Eventually, a civil war broke out, and the Marshals, refusing to return their commissions, turned into warlords.
“It can’t be helped. I’ll have to go to my post first and gather additional troops there.”
He had liquidated a significant portion of his wealth into cash. Nevertheless, because the family’s fortune was so vast, many cargo ships had to be mobilized. The distance to his new post was great, and they were making poor speed.
However, strange rumors reached them during the journey.
“I heard Marshal Imperium’s son died in the Lucifer Star System.”
“It wouldn’t be strange if they invaded at any moment.”
“I heard the governor of the star system liquidated his assets in a hurry and fled in the middle of the night.”
“Who will take the vacant seat?”
“I think it would be better for Marshal Humildas to just give up on the Lucifer Star System.”
“True. That might be for the best. Lucifer is far removed from the 16th District anyway.”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you think Marshal Imperium will leave the people of Lucifer alone just because they surrender without a fight?! He’ll probably treat them even more harshly.”
Immediately after hearing the rumors, the Head of House Park closed his eyes tightly.
“I was deceived by Marshal Humildas.”
Everything had been stacked against him. Information had been controlled.
“Stopping our interactions with other families was the root of the problem.”
His son, the only heir for three generations, had done nothing but cause trouble. He had been too busy cleaning up after him. The way other families looked at them had grown increasingly cold. It was only natural that their interactions dwindled.
When the Marshal made the proposal, the father thought the son had caused yet another accident. He even wondered if he was being given the position of governor in exchange for leaving the Marshal’s headquarters.
He was wrong.
The one who had made the mistake this time was himself. As the Head of House Park blamed himself, the butler offered comfort.
“Actually, this turned out for the best. Since you have liquidated the family assets, let us move elsewhere.”
“And where would we go?”
“What power would reject our House Park?”
The Head of the family shook his head. The butler tried to persuade him again.
“Is the survival of the family not the priority?”
“Then how would I be any different from the shameless Marshal Humildas?”
“It was Marshal Humildas who deceived us first.”
“Even if that is so, our family will never be trusted by anyone again.”
They were a family that focused on investments. Trust was the very foundation of that business. It was thanks to that trust that they were able to maintain the family even after suffering massive losses from a large-scale alien invasion.
“Then what do you intend to do, Master?”
“I will entrust you with ten warships and most of the cash. Go and find Yoo.”
“How can you entrust such a great task to a lowly servant like me?”
“Do I have anyone else I can trust besides you? Please, take good care of Yoo.”
The butler wanted to refuse. But seeing his master’s expression, as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment, he couldn’t. The final choice the Head of the family made was sacrifice.
“After I meet the Young Master, where should we go?”
“Go to Marshal Poena’s domain. It is a family of great prestige through the generations, and it is a prosperous land, so you will be able to avoid the war.”
“Please take care of yourself, Master!”
The butler held back his tears and bowed to his master. This might be the last time he would see him.
“Go quickly. You have a long way to travel.”
The Head of the family turned away to hide his tears.
“Thank you for your devotion all these years.”
***
So Jin’s flagship was quite large, as expected of an escort ship. The interior was so luxurious that it was almost intimidating. It felt more like a mansion than a ship.
“Welcome to our ship, Park Yoo.”
“Thank you for welcoming me so warmly.”
“But of course. If it weren’t for you, Park Yoo, I might not even be alive right now.”
He would have survived somehow. The problem was that he would have lost half his fortune. But he couldn’t say that outright.
“No. You would have overcome it somehow even without me.”
Sure, he would have overcome it. The problem was that he would have gone through absolute hell to do it.
“I will lead you inside.”
I followed behind him. I could hardly believe this was the inside of a ship. Flowers were blooming everywhere. Various floral scents wafted through the hallways.
“Hahaha. Our clan loves flowers so much that we decorated it like this. Though everyone insults us for not being manly.”
“Not at all. It’s wonderful to see. It makes me feel as if I’m staying on a planet, and it puts my mind at ease.”
As I walked while admiring the scenery, we eventually arrived at the drawing room. A sweet scent wafted into my nose.
“I have prepared tea; I hope it suits your taste.”
Tea made with honey. Of course I’d like it. Honey is definitely the best food in the world. My sense of taste had developed so other foods were good, but they weren’t quite like honey.
“Young Master! Judging by the scent, it seems to be royal jelly.”
Picol whispered to me.
‘Crazy!’
Royal jelly can’t be obtained even with money. Only the Imperial family or the ultra-wealthy could barely afford it. Even they had to take a number and wait because there was no stock.
“To serve such a precious thing… I’m not sure if I’m worthy of drinking this.”
“You are the benefactor who saved our clan. If it weren’t for you, Park Yoo, we would have all been scattered. Please, drink before it gets cold.”
I carefully picked up the cup. This single cup contained enough anti-aging substances for 100 million people to take for a year. It was an incredibly extravagant drink.
Slurp!
I didn’t decline any further. Since it had already been made into tea, the medicinal effects would fade quickly if I didn’t drink it.
Flash!
Light exploded before my eyes. The taste wasn’t just on my tongue; I felt it throughout my entire body. My body trembled. It felt as if my physical form was melting into liquid. A clear bell sound rang in my ears.
“Ah…”
My mind became vivid. Fragments of memories flowed rapidly across an endless meadow.
It felt as if my memory had been enhanced. In particular, even the trivial things I had seen while playing all came back to me. If I had eaten this during my school days, I probably would have entered S University at the top of my class.
“How is it? I hope it was effective.”
The taste isn’t everything when it comes to royal jelly. It has a chance of increasing one’s genetic potential.
The first Celestial Dragon is an example of that. He—no, that beast—ate royal jelly and became human. It’s not some myth like the Dangun legend; it’s the truth. The beast that became human became the first Emperor of the Empire.
Royal jelly was a momentous substance, even symbolically.
It seemed I had gained an effect in the area of memory enhancement. Could it be that my genes had changed as well?
Slightly.
I looked around, searching for a mirror. Conveniently, there was a full-length mirror on one side of the drawing room.
“Your appearance has not changed.”
So Jin said with a smile. I suppose this happened often.
Well, everyone would react this way. Most people would dream of becoming a second Celestial Dragon, thinking, ‘Could it be me too?’ It was like the lottery of the universe.
“In order for genes to change, continuous consumption is required. That was the case for the First Emperor as well.”
The First Emperor was a very peculiar case. He was a combat weapon created by a kingdom in crisis by pouring in all their strength. They had allocated a massive budget to feed him royal jelly continuously. The funny thing is that the country was ruined by that very combat weapon they had bankrupted themselves to create. Not only that, he even went on to unify the galaxy.
“Hahaha. Is… is that so?”
I laughed awkwardly. Then So Jin spoke seriously.
“How do you plan to handle the prisoners? Pirates are normally executed, but…”
About twenty ships had surrendered. The rest had either sunk or were half-destroyed beyond recovery.
“If you intend to kill them, our family will transport the ships to wherever you wish.”
So Jin said those cruel words with a smile, as if it were nothing.
Execution of aliens was fundamentally burning them alive while they were still breathing. And at ultra-high temperatures at that.
Was his personality different from the game? Or was he just indifferent to the death of others because he was an aristocrat?
“I’m thinking of letting them live. Could you perhaps provide a guarantee for them?”
To decide the treatment of aliens, at least two noble families must provide a guarantee. Of course, if you just burn them through summary execution, no guarantee is needed.
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
“Did you know I would spare the surrendering soldiers?”
“Ever since the alien invasion, soldiers who graduated from military academies have become rare, haven’t they?”
“That alone isn’t enough to be convincing.”
“Seeing how you trained a skilled helmsman, I realized House Park is interested in increasing their private forces.”
Chris had nothing to do with my family. But even so, the result wouldn’t change. No matter which power one joined, private soldiers were necessary.
“We are in turbulent times, are we not? And Marshal Imperium’s son died in our jurisdiction.”
“Oh dear.”
I didn’t take it seriously up to this point. Even in a world where lifespans exceed 500 years, dying in an accident couldn’t be helped.
“He was murdered. The culprit has already fled.”
“Is that true?”
“Not only that, the governor of the Lucifer Star System, where the incident occurred, liquidated his assets and fled in the middle of the night.”
“Then… isn’t that a huge problem? Marshal Imperium has recently been rapidly expanding his military force. He might use this as a pretext to invade. Even if it’s just to fill his lacking finances.”
Correct. He wasn’t stupid after all.
“So Jin, don’t try to develop this place either. Leave for somewhere far away. Marshal Humildas’s domain will soon become a wasteland.”
“Surely he wouldn’t go that far?”
“The 16th District is a difficult place to defend. Even if he takes it, it will just increase the number of places he has to protect.”
“Ah!!!”
Judging by how his expression changed moment by moment, it seemed So Jin had realized it too.
“He will plunder it to the point where recovery is impossible, using revenge as an excuse. Guaranteed.”
“I understand the situation, but I don’t quite understand why he would go that far. You seem to know a lot about Marshal Imperium’s temperament.”
Surprisingly, he was a figure shrouded in mystery. His actions were so peculiar that there were only rumors.
“Yes, I know him well. He is a man who prioritizes practical interests over reputation.”
How could I not know? He’s one of the strongest warlords. Without player intervention, there’s about a 30% chance he would unify the galaxy.
Slowly.
So Jin rose from his seat and bowed politely to me.
“Thank you for sharing your insight with my humble family. Thanks to you, we have been able to avoid disaster.”
“It’s nothing that grand. Do you have any future plans?”
“I’m thinking of following you, Park Yoo.”
“What?!”
I didn’t know why things were turning out like this.
“I’m sorry, but my family doesn’t have a manor.”
Taking So Jin in as a guest meant taking responsibility for his clan. That was why I couldn’t handle it. A named character was offering to come to me of his own accord, and my heart ached because I couldn’t have him.
“It doesn’t matter. I am following you, Lord Yoo, not House Park.”
“Following me will only lead to more hardship. I plan to leave Marshal Humildas’s domain once I finish my report.”
“Then I should definitely follow you. I will do my best to help.”
In that case, there was no reason to refuse. No, this was a jackpot. So Jin was great, but his wealth was also significant. I hurried to bow my head before he could change his mind.
“I look forward to working with you.”
“I look forward to it as well, Young Master.”
***
I felt like dancing for joy. A navigator. I had gained an S-rank Navigator as a retainer.
“I know the way to the House Doros manor. We can take the shortest route.”
How reassuring. This is the best. Long live So Jin!
“We’ve shortened the expected time to one-third.”
The vice-captain reported after finishing the calculations. Does he only shorten the time? There’s also no chance of getting into trouble by crash-landing in some strange place. Well, there were very few who would dare attack a fleet of our size anyway.
“We will soon arrive at the Shoggoth Manor.”
The old ship rattled. For reference, the current flagship was that light maneuver ship from the beginning.
It couldn’t be helped. The light maneuver ship was what could best utilize Chris’s abilities. Since there wouldn’t even be time to transfer ships in a real emergency, it was right to make this the flagship.
‘I already miss the medium maneuver ship.’
Then, what about the aliens’ light maneuver ships? Their operating systems didn’t quite match. It would take time to modify them.
“Exiting the wormhole!”
An S-rank Navigator was indeed different. It wasn’t long before the space station of our destination came into view.
“Waiting for docking approval.”
However, the wait became unusually long. Well, it was a fleet of over 100 ships, after all.
But then.
“Captain. It’s a direct communication from House Doros.”
“Connect it.”
Beep!
[What brings you here, Young Master Park? I don’t know what you’ve loaded onto those cargo ships, but you won’t be able to undo the annulment.]
What the hell are they talking about all of a sudden? This bug-eyed freak.