Chapter 1449: New Phase (14)
The construction of the Magic Tower’s second branch and its expansion into the Central Front.
He had heard about it once after the Subjugation Operation, but it was a matter he had hardly thought about since.
As Lennok recalled the conversation he’d had with the Vulcan Mayor at the victory ceremony long ago, Jenny explained.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought, and I don’t think we’ll ever get a chance to try this if not now, so I wanted to get your approval.”
“If it’s what you want, Jenny, I don’t mind… but what exactly does expanding into the Central Front mean?”
Lennok asked.
“Does it mean the Magic Tower has to leave Vulcan and formally intervene in the central war?”
“No, that’s the specialty of War-Mage Towers like Thorben or Valefor. It’s not what we’re good at.”
Jenny shook her head.
“The Magic Tower’s expansion into the Central Front will primarily be in the form of extending the businesses we’ve established in Vulcan. It will be focused on supplying materials and distribution, rather than a military advance.”
“An expansion of our sales and distribution business…”
“I want to try it, if only to secure rare information that comes and goes on the front lines, and to grasp sensitive political situations and trends that can only be known on a battlefield.”
“So you’re saying we need to expand directly into the central region to secure trends and related information from the Central Front?”
“We may have won the Subjugation Operation, but we only managed to guess that a war was about to begin right before it happened. Even though we were the ones involved, we lagged behind the major central powers in terms of intelligence.”
Jenny’s gaze sharpened as she looked at Lennok.
“This is an issue we can’t leave to other factions or individuals. Ultimately, I believe it’s a problem we can’t solve unless we expand into the central region ourselves.”
“…”
He could understand.
Even if the Magic Tower in Vulcan was organically connected to various factions, it was bound to fall behind in intelligence compared to those operating directly in the central region.
There are atmospheres and trends that can only be felt on-site, things that aren’t concrete information, records, or data.
She was likely trying to establish a line in the central region in advance, just in case something similar to the Subjugation Operation happened again.
“I’ll take responsibility for handling the work at the second branch. We’ll maintain the current system where I only pass on the final approvals to you so you aren’t burdened, but the problem is…”
Jenny let out a faint sigh and glanced around before muttering.
“I have to do that important work with these idiots.”
“…Hm.”
Groooan…!!!
In the center of the spacious conference room on the upper floor of the Magic Tower.
His colleagues, gathered around a large table, glared at each other with endlessly serious expressions.
They clasped their hands, hiding their faces, their eyes darting around to gauge their opponents’ reactions.
It was a sensitive and sharp atmosphere, one of repeated probing and checking ahead of a great battle to come.
They looked not like comrades who fought back-to-back, but like political enemies with differing beliefs, their expressions fierce.
In the heated conference room, where it seemed a physical altercation or clash could break out at any moment.
“Number 1.”
It was Mila who fired the first shot.
“Obviously, Number 1. There are no other options.”
“…”
Mila met the gazes of those glaring at her with sharp eyes and spoke softly.
“One vote for Number 1. We don’t need any anonymous voting, so write my name down proudly.”
<Final Vote on the Guardian Spirit Beast’s Adult Form>
- Dragon: ////////
- Turtle: ////////
- Pig: ///////
Seeing the writing on the blackboard, Lennok let out a wry smile without realizing it.
“I was wondering what everyone was so focused on…”
It wasn’t for no reason that the tower’s colleagues had been quiet and hadn’t interrupted Lennok and Jenny’s conversation.
While the two discussed expanding to the Central Front, a fierce battle over the Guardian Spirit Beast’s adult form had been raging in a corner of the conference room.
Mila scoffed at the mercenaries who were glaring at her with hostile expressions and said.
“Why are you looking at me like that? If it’s the Guardian Spirit Beast that protects the Magic Tower, it should obviously be a dragon, right? Am I wrong?”
“…”
“A dragon. And a Cloud Dragon, at that…!! A dragon that flies above the clouds to protect the Magic Tower will be born here!!”
Mila spread her arms and shouted as if pleading with her other colleagues.
“I mean, just thinking about it is fucking cool, dammit!! What could be more important than this? Even the delegations from other cities will lose their minds when they see it.”
“Hmm…”
“I still don’t understand why this vote is even happening. How can anyone choose an option other than Number 1? Has everyone gone mad?”
“That’s not wrong, but your argument is far from the essence of the problem.”
Felix said.
“Mila, think about it. Is the Guardian Spirit Beast not a domain’s spirit born to guard and protect the Magic Tower?”
“What? What’s your point?”
“Naturally, choosing the optimal form for protecting the domain should be the priority. In that sense, could there be a more suitable answer than Number 2?”
“A Cloud Dragon can protect the Magic Tower too. Don’t tell me you think a fucking cool-ass dragon is weaker than a slow-ass turtle?”
“At least in the role of protecting the tower, it’s highly likely to be inferior to Number 2.”
“Absolutely not! Felix, you’re just siding with an animal that isn’t a Phantom Beast because you’re a beastkin!!”
“You’d best be careful. If you say that in front of other beastkin, you’ll get a fist for an answer. Besides, isn’t Number 2 no ordinary turtle?”
Felix said firmly.
“I’ll vote for Number 2. I don’t need anonymity either, so add my name.”
“Hey, I think you’re all misunderstanding something. Voting by name doesn’t give you extra votes, you know?”
Tatiana replied, exasperated, as she added another tally mark to the blackboard.
<Final Vote on the Guardian Spirit Beast’s Adult Form>
- Dragon: ////////
- Turtle: /////////
- Pig: ///////
8 : 8 : 7
The group’s gazes naturally turned to Jutiya, who was sitting next to Mila.
“Ah, is it my turn already?”
She said, sipping her smoothie.
“Number 3.”
“Why?!”
“Because it’s fun.”
“Hey!!”
“I thought I told you this is no time for jokes.”
Jutiya laughed as she saw her colleagues’ expressions turn grim.
“I’m not joking. In any case, Number 3 is the most similar to the Guardian Spirit Beast’s original form, right?”
“What about it?”
“It means it’s the safest choice. Since it’s just a matter of growing from its existing form, the burden of metamorphosis will be small.”
“…Hmm.”
It must have sounded somewhat persuasive, as the others fell silent.
8 : 8 : 8
“Besides, its slightly chubby form is my type. Isn’t it cute?”
“No, it’s not just slightly chubby…”
The other mercenaries looked horrified at Jutiya’s casual remark.
“I really can’t understand the aesthetic sense of the Central Nobles.”
“The fact that she only drinks fruit smoothies every day is already not normal. Doesn’t she get tired of it?”
“A normal person would have already fainted from a blood sugar spike by now.”
“I’ve thought about it a bit, and I think I still like the Cloud Dragon.”
Evelyn cast her vote for Number 1.
9 : 8 : 8
“None of them are really my type, but among the three, Number 1 looks the most agile. I like things that look slender or fast.”
“Just like someone from the Outer Lei Clan…”
“Leave her be. In Hyun-gung’s eyes, we all probably look like slow-ass turtles.”
“Aha, so there’s no need to add another turtle to the Magic Tower by choosing Number 2?”
“How about you knock it off with painting me as a demi-human full of speciesist prejudice?”
As the annoyed Evelyn bickered with the mercenaries, Aris placed a hand on her chin and fell into thought.
“Hmm… hearing what Heiberk-nim said, I’m also leaning towards Number 3. Wouldn’t it be best for the Guardian Spirit Beast to be in the form it’s most comfortable with?”
9 : 8 : 9
Racy, who had been listening, shook her head.
“That’s just Jutiya’s opinion. We don’t actually know what form the Guardian Spirit Beast would feel comfortable in, do we? It might prefer the slimmer Number 1 or Number 2.”
9 : 9 : 9
The black-haired vampire, who had cast her vote for Number 2 to restore the balance, placed her hands on her hips and spoke.
“In Kundara, the turtle Long-lived Beings were generally trustworthy. It’s a judgment based on experience.”
“Eek…”
“That’s a strangely elderly-sounding answer.”
Weian and the other superhumans wore dubious expressions.
“I’m sorry, but how is that any different from physiognomy? We can’t decide something important based on such pseudoscience.”
“What do you mean, pseudoscience? Physiognomy is a science. The correlation between features and personality has already been proven.”
“Oh, we have another one here. Get a grip!!”
“I just stated my opinion, why do I have to hear such negative comments? First, all of you who called me an old lady, step forward.”
“The vampire’s out for blood!!!”
The superhumans argued nonstop for a single moment, turning the spacious conference room upside down.
Looking at the meeting room that had devolved into chaos, Jenny stood before the podium and sighed.
“These idiots, really…”
“Just watching them is more entertaining than I thought.”
Lennok, who had been watching the fierce debate from the front row of the podium, chuckled.
“The rivalry is so intense, it’s actually worth watching. Is this what it feels like to watch a debate?”
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t a debate, it’s a low-quality comedy show.”
Grumbling, Jenny descended from the podium and clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.
“Hey, the explanation is over, so stop fighting and come here. Who told you to decide by taking a vote?”
“Huh? But you said you wanted to hear our opinions on the Guardian Spirit Beast’s adult form?”
“I said I’d listen to your opinions, not that I’d decide based on your votes, you know?”
Jenny crossed her arms and shook her head.
“But since you all have been chattering away so earnestly about which form would be best, it must have been helpful for Van. That should be enough, right?”
“Well, that’s…”
“She’s not wrong, but…”
“I, too, have no desire to render the results of everyone’s earnest voting useless.”
With a wry smile at the crestfallen mercenaries, Lennok approached the blackboard.
“Since it’s come to this, how about we show the voting results to the one in question and ask them directly?”
“The one in question?”
“Its consciousness reconnected after it woke up last time, and it seems to be awake still.”
Lennok gathered his mana and clapped his hands lightly.
“Let’s summon it now and settle this.”
Poof!!
At that moment, a puff of white mist erupted on the table, and a chubby baby dragon appeared.
[Guu?]
It sat like a squirrel with its cheeks full of food, its eyes wide as it stared this way.
It seemed flustered to have appeared in the conference room, as if its time hiding in seclusion had been for naught, and it stiffened awkwardly.
Lennok slipped his hands under the Guardian Spirit Beast’s front paws and lifted it up.
[Awooo~]
“We’ve all been discussing your adult form, but opinions are tied, so it’s not easy to reach a conclusion.”
Lennok carried the squirming Guardian Spirit Beast to the front of the blackboard and said.
“I don’t mind what form you take, so it would be best if you made the decision yourself. Isn’t that what choice means?”
[Buu?]
Only then did the Spirit Beast stare blankly up at the writing on the blackboard.
It was an intelligent being, enough to understand Davi’s words. There was no way it wouldn’t know what was written on the board.
After tilting its head and staring at the blackboard for a long while, the Spirit Beast waved its arms at Lennok.
[Maa~]
“Maa?”
[Ma.]
It waved its arms at Lennok, smiling brightly as if trying to say something.
When Lennok seemed puzzled by its response, Davi answered from within his embrace instead.
[I think it wants a marker?]
“…It wants a marker?”
As Lennok looked dubious at the unexpected answer, Mila, who had heard him, quickly handed over a marker.
Taking the marker in its chubby front paw, the Guardian Spirit Beast struggled to open the cap.
Only when Jenny opened the marker cap with an exasperated look did the Spirit Beast giggle.
[Awu]
“It sure is cute… but no matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem very smart, does it?”
“Be quiet.”
“There are some truths in this world that are better left unsaid.”
With the marker in one hand, the Guardian Spirit Beast stood before the blackboard while held in Lennok’s hands and moved its arm.
Below the already voted-on items 1, 2, and 3, the Guardian Spirit Beast brought the marker to the board.
And then, in a crooked script, it wrote the numbers 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 in sequence.
“…?”
A strange silence fell over the room for a moment.
“What’s this?”
“Is it showing off that it can write numbers?”
While the other mercenaries tilted their heads in confusion, the Guardian Spirit Beast put down the marker and placed its front paws on its hips.
It puffed out its chest proudly in front of Lennok, puffing air from its nostrils as if showing off.
[Baa!!]
“…”
At the same time, the numbers the Guardian Spirit Beast had written made Lennok recall something, and he fell silent.
Back when he first met the Guardian Spirit Beast with Aris’s guidance, Davi had scolded it, saying…
[Hey, you didn’t actually…]
Davi whispered from Lennok’s embrace, sounding dumbfounded.
[…make ten different growth forms, did you?]
[Baaaaa~]
Held in Lennok’s hands, the Guardian Spirit Beast let out a pleased cry as if it had accomplished something great.
“It seems the Guardian Spirit Beast’s adult form is not a matter for us to decide.”
After proudly showing off its accomplishment, the Spirit Beast was now sound asleep on the table.
Jenny, having heard Lennok’s explanation, touched her forehead with a troubled expression and said.
“If it’s at the level of creating ten adult forms just because it wants to, doesn’t that mean it can freely transform into any form it desires in the first place?”
“The Guardian Spirit Beast was born from the Ouroboros magic system. So even I’m not sure exactly what abilities the Spirit Beast has acquired.”
Lennok fell into thought with a serious expression.
“Was it just trying to show off that it can change into various forms? No, there must be a more important reason than that…”
“…There are a few more things I need to explain regarding our expansion to the Central Front.”
Jenny, who had been staring at Lennok with a bewildered expression, smoothly changed the subject.
“Councilman Meyer, who leads the Countermeasures Committee, has approved the related policies. Aris and I are planning to go to the second branch for a bit to handle the work there. We’ll probably take a few people from the tower with us…”
“You’ll need more people for your protection and to ensure smooth exchanges with other Magic Towers.”
Lennok nodded.
“Take Krod and Tatiana. If you need anyone else, I’ll prioritize your judgment.”
Building a new branch of the Magic Tower on the site where the 3rd Legion Command was located had been discussed with the Vulcan Mayor since the victory ceremony.
On a small scale, it was a matter of expanding the tower’s range of activities and securing business rights. On a large scale, it was about extending the Adamant Thunder’s domain to the Central Front.
In that process, exchanging with other Magic Towers was indispensable for stably managing the new branch.
Krod could be entrusted with Jenny’s protection, and Aris and Tatiana would be helpful for interacting with other Magic Towers.
“Thank you. I’ll do that.”
Jenny nodded with a slightly relieved expression.
“It looks like we’ll be leaving with the council members dispatched from the Central Council within a week. They have an Agent assigned as their escort, but since we’re acquainted, there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“I’m sure you know this without me saying it, but if anything happens, don’t hesitate.”
Lennok said.
“The whistle I gave you before. You still have it, right?”
“Of course. I didn’t even use it during the war.”
Jenny touched the back of her neck with an awkward expression and said.
“I’d like to save it if possible… but I won’t act foolishly because of that thought, so don’t worry.”
“That whistle, wasn’t it an item from the random box we made with the Provisional Ascension Gate?”
Lennok smiled.
“When you get back, let’s all get together and open another random box. Who knows what useful item might pop out this time.”
“If I remember correctly, last time we came close to some strange accident…”
After sending off Jenny, who nodded dubiously, Lennok remained in the conference room, lost in thought.
“Even after making a decision, there’s so much to do…”
Now that he had decided to ascend to Level 9, he had no intention of hesitating to examine or investigate the precedents of other Ascendants.
Reaching the ninth hierarchy was a completion of metamorphosis and transcendence on a different dimension from the growth Lennok had experienced so far.
If necessary, he was even seriously considering meeting with other Ascendants to hear about their experiences and memories.
As much as he was trying to find answers by considering all possibilities and failures, he didn’t want to be careless in the process of reaching Level 9.
The transcendence he needed to obtain as Victor. An in-depth exploration of the Ascendants who had existed throughout history.
For now, it would be best to prioritize moving on these two goals.
Just as Lennok finished his thoughts and reached out to move the Guardian Spirit Beast sleeping on the table.
Flash-!!!!
Lennok’s consciousness, connected to the Spirit Beast, was suddenly sucked into the other side of reality as if sinking.
Startled by the indescribably powerful pull, Lennok immediately recalled a past memory.
‘…This is?’
Long ago, when the Guardian Spirit Beast’s subconscious was connected to the consciousness world of the Ascendant Pyeonram.
The sensation of accidentally encountering Pyeonram on the other side of consciousness back then was strikingly similar to this moment.
He thought he had resolved the problem by getting rid of the curse that had been an issue in Yorta, but was its consciousness still connected to that side?
As he entered the vast world of consciousness, Lennok’s face hardened the moment he saw the scene unfolding before him.
KUUUUUUOOOOOOH!!!!
On the other side of the endlessly distant world of consciousness.
A pyramid-shaped altar erected in the center of a desolate great forest.
On top of it, a blood-soaked snake lay collapsed, impaled by a giant sword.
Pyeonram, Padme Kiesa, was dead, covered in blood.