Chapter 871: The Eye That Sees Fate (7)
A massive hangar revealed itself beyond the elevator doors, and in its center stood the form of a colossal spaceship.
Dozens of engineers and staff moved about busily, detaching supports and connections.
“[The boundary of District 19 is located just in front of this hangar door. We will depart as soon as the engine preheating is complete.]”
A middle-aged woman wearing an iron mask that covered the lower half of her face spoke, looking them over leisurely.
“[I’ll explain later why we must travel in a vehicle like this. Let’s finish the necessary inspection first. I’m quite an impatient person.]”
“…”
Amy Weinstein, the 1st Administrative Vice-Mayor of the Vulcan City Government.
The woman of power who held authority second only to the Mayor in the megacity.
Had she, in place of the Mayor who rarely appeared at official functions, come to guide Lapis personally?
But Lapis did not react to the woman who had politely greeted them and volunteered as their guide.
Instead, it was Meyer who stepped forward, his expression slightly stiff.
“Councilwoman Weinstein.”
“[Ah, John Meyer.]”
The Vice-Mayor glanced at the old man standing beside Lennok and raised a hand lightly.
“[It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face. I heard you were very ill, but you seem to be doing better now.]”
“…Thanks to your concern, Councilwoman. What brings you here?”
Meyer said, gripping his cane as he was the first to step out of the elevator.
“I’m certain a different council member was assigned to guide us through District 19.”
“[I spoke with the City Council and asked to switch places.]”
The Vice-Mayor smiled, stroking the iron mask that replaced the lower half of her face.
It was a peculiar smile, with only her eyes curving gently above a mask that revealed no hint of lips.
“[And there’s no need to call me Councilwoman. If we must be precise, I belong to the city administration, not the council.]”
“…”
“[The only reason I even received a council seat is because of that troublesome procedure requiring the Vice-Mayor to be a ceremonial member of the Senate.]”
“It’s not just a council seat, you were originally supposed to act as the Senate President—”
“[And I’m saying I don’t want to.]”
The Vice-Mayor waved her hand dismissively.
“[A hollow, provisional chairmanship has no meaning as long as that man is still holding out in the Senate. Why would I crawl in there and play the clown?]”
“…”
“[The place to display my influence isn’t some cramped den of old relics. It’s on-site, like now, where technology imported into Vulcan is being properly operated.]”
The Vice-Mayor smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the spatial distortions shimmering faintly in the corridor where the elevator doors had opened.
“[John Meyer. Don’t you agree?]”
“You’re not wrong. Your contributions to the megacity’s development can never be overlooked.”
Meyer answered calmly.
“But guiding someone through District 19 is another matter entirely. If a problem were to arise, the leaders of both Vulcan and the Eyes of Blue would be simultaneously endangered.”
Meyer asked, watching the spaceship vibrating intensely in the distance.
“‘Councilwoman’ Weinstein might need to consider the repercussions more carefully.”
“[…There’s no need to worry, Councilman Meyer.]”
For a moment, the Vice-Mayor’s eyes flashed coldly as she looked at Meyer.
“[As long as Lapis Falcia has properly inherited the access biocode as previously agreed, there will be no problems.]”
“…”
In that instant, Lennok and Meyer simultaneously realized why the Vice-Mayor was here.
She knew that the access rights for District 19 had not been fully inherited by Lapis.
He didn’t know what means she had used, but she had seen through the fact that the agreement between Lapis and the City Council had gone awry.
And she had intervened in the original plan and come here to confirm it for herself.
“[As I’ve mentioned twice now, I plan to conduct a simple inspection to confirm that very point. That should be fine, correct?]”
Saying so, the Vice-Mayor slowly stepped aside from the elevator entrance and nodded toward the group.
“[The rest of you, please come this way as well. You’ve just returned from Clifton’s graveside, so there’s a chance your health may have been affected.]”
“…”
“Lord Evan.”
Lapis whispered quickly, carefully gripping Lennok’s sleeve.
“If I can figure out the testing method beforehand, I can deceive the inspector’s eyes.”
“…”
“I’ll try to buy some time by talking to the Vice-Mayor, so if it’s possible—”
Is she trying to solve this on her own without relying on me, even after coming all this way?
He could understand Lapis’s resolve, but considering the Vice-Mayor’s attitude so far—
“[Lapis Falcia.]”
In front of a scanning device placed to one side of the hangar, the Vice-Mayor was beckoning to Lapis.
“[Let’s start with our most important guest. Shall we?]”
“…Could you wait a moment?”
Lapis turned her gaze, her face expressionless.
Looking back at the Vice-Mayor without a hint of agitation, Lapis spoke.
“I’m wearing spellcraft and artifacts that conceal my presence. I need a moment to remove them.”
“[Hoh, my eyes see no such spellcraft or artifacts at all…]”
The Vice-Mayor’s eyes gleamed as she stared Lapis up and down.
“I came to this city accompanied by only a single attendant, following the Central Council’s recommendation.”
But Lapis, with a calm demeanor, instead stroked her own wrist.
“Must I explain to you every single item I brought with me to Vulcan?”
“[Of course. If possible, I’d like to look directly into not only your possessions but everything about you—]”
The Vice-Mayor, who had been muttering in a strange voice, chuckled and stepped back.
“[It’s true I was a bit hasty. Very well. I’ll give you time to prepare.]”
Lennok turned his gaze to Lapis and whispered.
“Lapis. The Vice-Mayor isn’t certain who has the biocode. If she were, she wouldn’t have taken this approach.”
“…Then?”
“But the fact that she singled you out proves she’s suspicious. It will be difficult for you to deceive her on your own.”
“…”
Seeing Lapis fall silent in distress, Lennok slowly grasped her wrist.
“So, we’ll do this.”
Paaat!
The moment Lennok drew up his mana and applied it to Lapis’s wrist, the shape of an intricate barcode appeared on her skin.
The District 19 access biocode, inherited from Clifton’s body.
Lapis looked up with a surprised expression, confirming that a light identical to his own now resided on her wrist.
“How…?”
“It’s a duplicate code whose appearance was replicated through mana projection. It has no actual effect.”
Lennok said, slowly lowering his hand.
“For now, take that and get tested. Then, after that…”
Lennok’s gaze deepened as he watched Amy Weinstein waiting in the distance with her arms crossed.
“I’ll take care of it.”
“[This way, please.]”
With a smiling face, the Vice-Mayor kindly guided Lapis to the scanning device.
Instead of immediately placing the biocode etched on Lapis’s wrist under the device, she stared at it intently.
“[Hmm, it seems similar to the one in my memory…]”
“…”
Partisha nervously fluttered its wings, while Meyer and Gaizl watched the scene in silence.
With an expressionless face, Lapis slowly brought the barcode on her wrist under the scanning device.
Beep!
As soon as the barcode scan was complete, a mechanical voice echoed.
=District 19 Access Biocode. Authentication Complete.=
=Hangar Gate 3 Access Granted.=
=One Probe is on standby in front of said gate.=
A green light turned on, and the device that had scanned Lapis’s wrist emitted a clear signal tone.
To any observer, it looked as if the biocode authentication had completed normally.
“[Are you sure?]”
The Vice-Mayor turned with a look of suspicion, and the engineer who had been watching the data screen answered in surprise.
“Th-there were no anomalies in the measurement data, but…”
“[Move.]”
Thwack!!
Shoving the engineer’s shoulder aside, Amy sat down in front of the screen, her eyes moving rapidly.
Watching this, Meyer quietly whispered to Lennok.
“That was your doing, wasn’t it?”
“…”
Lennok didn’t answer, but Meyer seemed to have found the answer in his silence.
A faint, unconcealable admiration tinged the old councilman’s voice.
“Incredible… Vice-Mayor Weinstein is one of the foremost bio-engineers in this city. Complex data like biocodes is practically her specialty. How did you so easily—”
“It wasn’t easy.”
Lennok shook his head.
“That’s why I mixed in some trickery.”
“…Trickery, you say?”
The method Lennok used to deceive the Vice-Mayor wasn’t that complicated.
While Lapis was placing the fake biocode under the scanner, he had borrowed Davi’s help to hack the entire scanning device.
He had predicted the data values that should have been produced by the biocode measurement and projected them directly onto the screen.
It would have been impossible without the knowledge of biocodes Lennok had acquired when obtaining access to District 25, combined with Davi’s hacking ability.
But the Vice-Mayor didn’t just let it go, even after seeing the data Lennok had fabricated.
“[Biocode array. Genetic reproducibility, hadronic bottleneck phenomenon. Even the 0.002-second measurement delay… all the data is perfectly normal.]”
She accurately picked out and read only the necessary information from among the countless undifferentiated numbers floating on the screen.
“[But it’s too flawless.]”
“…!!”
Bang!
The Vice-Mayor slammed her hand on the scanning device and whipped around to face Lapis.
Snatching Lapis’s wrist, the Vice-Mayor muttered, staring intently at the barcode etched there.
“[The access code engraved on Clifton’s body was ancient. Parts of it would have been lost along with that vermin’s decaying flesh.]”
“…”
“[Considering that, there should be some corrupted parts in the biocode, yet I don’t see a single flaw. How can this be?]”
At the Vice-Mayor’s sharp tone, the atmosphere in the hangar instantly turned ice-cold.
Even the other engineers and staff, who had been busily maintaining the spaceship, began to glance nervously at her intimidating presence.
She didn’t just stop at the passed inspection; she’s latching onto the details of the data.
It was only possible because the Vice-Mayor herself was so knowledgeable about biocodes, but this was beyond what he could have anticipated.
Just as he was thinking he should intervene, Lapis’s expression hardened.
“Councilwoman Weinstein. I don’t understand why you are asking me that.”
“[…]”
“If I were incapable of even that much, would I have any reason to come to Vulcan and visit District 19?”
“[Hoh.]”
The Vice-Mayor let out a peculiar laugh.
“[Are you saying this was made possible by the great abilities of a Lighthouse Keeper?]”
“I never intended to rely solely on the Central Council for the method. That hasn’t changed, even now that the responsible party has shifted from the Central Council to the City Government.”
Her transparent, sky-blue eyes shone as if trying to pierce through the Vice-Mayor’s iron mask.
“How much longer must I tolerate this disrespect?”
“[…Fine.]”
Perhaps Lapis’s confident words had somehow persuaded the Vice-Mayor; she finally stood up from the scanning device.
“[If there are no issues with the access rights, we can depart immediately. We’ll start as soon as everyone else’s inspection is finished. Ah, and as I’ve been saying—]”
The Vice-Mayor’s eyes, turning as if she had just remembered something, curved into long crescents.
“[Don’t call me Councilwoman. The old men in the City Council are enough to get on my nerves.]”
Lapis smiled brightly.
“Understood, Councilwoman Weinstein.”
After Lapis’s inspection, the rest of the group’s checks were over in an instant.
The Vice-Mayor, seemingly uninterested in the other council members, rushed through their scanning and mana measurements.
“[Councilman Meyer. Councilman Gaizl. Judging by the test results, you both appear to be unwell.]”
“…”
“[It seems it will be difficult to take you both to District 19.]”
The Vice-Mayor feigned a worried tone in front of the two men, even before the test results were out.
Completely ignoring Gaizl, whose eyes were twitching, the Vice-Mayor spoke to them.
“[It seems your visit to Councilman Clifton’s sickroom was the problem. Please return and rest. This is an order from me as provisional chairman.]”
“…We shall do as you say.”
Meyer gave a bitter smile at the Vice-Mayor’s words, as she casually brandished the authority of the provisional chairman she herself had rejected.
“In any case, guiding people through District 19 was never the role of old councilmen like us.”
“[Good that you understand quickly.]”
The Vice-Mayor nodded briskly and gestured. Soldiers who had been guarding the hangar began to approach.
Gaizl, who had been looking at Lapis with a complicated expression, suddenly spoke up.
“Councilman Meyer and I were only tasked with hearing Clifton’s final words and witnessing the transfer of authority.”
“What do you mean?”
Gaizl glanced at the Vice-Mayor and said.
“Vice-Mayor Weinstein is one of the talented few who seized Vulcan’s core power faster than anyone else in this city. She must know more than we do.”
“You’re speaking in needless circles. If you want to give a warning, be direct.”
Lennok frowned at Gaizl’s ambiguous words.
“You told Lapis you’d traveled with a Heavenly Sight. Despite having experience working with an Ascendant, you couldn’t secure a high position in the council?”
“Knowing too much isn’t always a good thing. You should know that as well.”
“…”
“Those who delve too deeply into this city’s darkness all end up like that.”
Lennok knew Gaizl’s gesture, pointing upwards, was referring to Clifton, whom they had just left behind.
“Without the proper qualifications, knowledge alone drives most people mad. It’s why omniscience cannot precede omnipotence.”
“…You.”
“But Councilman Meyer’s words aren’t wrong either.”
Gaizl turned his gaze toward Meyer.
“There is definite value in making an attempt, even knowing you will fail. I simply ran away.”
As Lennok hesitated at Gaizl’s answer, which felt strangely familiar, Meyer grumbled.
“Don’t wrap up an old man’s ambition in such grandiose terms. At this point, I just want to become the Mayor.”
“Councilman. But…”
“I’m no different. I started with a grand cause, but now I sometimes forget why I’m even here.”
“…”
“Still, it’s not too late.”
A faint smile formed on Meyer’s lips as he watched Lapis putting on a safety suit in the distance.
“As long as you don’t forget at the most crucial moment. Just that one time is enough, isn’t it?”
“Hoo… I’m still not so sure.”
Leaving the sighing Gaizl behind, Meyer turned his gaze to Lennok.
“As promised, no matter what problems arise, we will simply state that we were deceived and did not properly witness the succession process.”
Meyer’s gaze, fixed on Lennok, turned serene.
“Whatever happens from now on, we are strangers to each other. Understood?”
“You’re saying strange things.”
Lennok shook his head.
“We were strangers from the beginning. Don’t try to act familiar now.”
“…You. You’re a more interesting person than I thought. Here, I’ll give you my contact information. If you get the chance, later—”
Meyer, who was about to hand over his business card, was guided away by the approaching soldiers and disappeared behind the hangar. Lennok immediately picked up a safety suit and stood before the spaceship.
Vrooooooom!!
Along with the intense roar of the engines, the spaceship now blasted violent flames from its rear rockets.
It strained as if it would burst through the firmly shut hangar doors at any moment.
“[Lapis Falcia. This way.]”
The Vice-Mayor, now changed into a safety suit like Lapis’s, adjusted her iron mask and guided the group.
Kwaaaaaa!!
As they entered the spaceship, their entire bodies shook violently, becoming one with the vibrations.
The noise echoing in his ears was so intense it felt like it would pierce his eardrums and numb his other senses.
The interior of the spaceship, which had looked so huge from the outside, was surprisingly cramped.
Inside the small boarding compartment, which had neither a cockpit nor a control room, there were only ten seats facing each other.
The Vice-Mayor boarded first, taking the lead seat, and Lapis sat opposite her, holding Partisha.
As soon as Lennok sat next to her, the compartment door shut and the spaceship shook violently.
Chiiik!
Clank, clank!!
Cushions shot out from the seat, armrests, and backrest, enveloping his entire body, and a rigid frame was layered on top.
The seat transformed, protecting the occupant by encasing their entire body like a steel cocoon.
The Vice-Mayor, who had calmly submitted her body to the process, spoke.
“[It will be quite turbulent, but only for a moment. You’ll get used to it quickly.]”
“Even with this many safety measures installed?”
Lennok gave a bitter smile at her words.
The reason this massive spaceship had so few seats, the reason the seats were equipped with so many safety features…
Wasn’t it because the state of District 19, their destination, was just that absurdly dangerous?
“You’re acting as if we’re about to launch into outer space right now.”
“[This vehicle was originally built for that purpose.]”
The Vice-Mayor affirmed.
“[A long, long time ago, in an era when we believed we could travel through space, investment in this field was very active.]”
“…”
“[Do you understand why a probe, originally made to travel through space, is now being used to enter a restricted zone?]”
As she spoke, the Vice-Mayor’s gaze was not on Lapis, but on Lennok. As if she knew he had the answer.
Sensing Lapis turn to look at him, Lennok countered with a question.
“Are you trying to say the environment of District 19 is similar to outer space?”
“[No, no. You know that’s not it, don’t you?]”
But the Vice-Mayor shook her head, seemingly dissatisfied with Lennok’s answer.
“[It’s similar, but different. I’m sure you know there’s a more plausible expression?]”
“If you want an expression similar to space… don’t tell me.”
The reason Lennok was escorting Lapis to District 19. The reason Lapis sought to meet the Heavenly Sight in District 19.
The massive fissure that existed in the place where the Heavenly Sight’s consciousness had confronted Lennok.
The answer the Vice-Mayor of Vulcan wanted to hear, at the moment she was leading him to it, was already set.
Instantly finding the faint connection between these facts, Lennok’s expression hardened.
“Has the entirety of District 19 been transformed into a [Gate] to the Outer Sea?”
In that instant, the spaceship’s vibrations stopped as if by a lie.
A profound silence descended upon the boarding compartment, and in the moment Partisha quietly drew a breath…
KWAAAAAAWOOOOOONG!!!
With a tremendous roar, the body of the spaceship accelerated, as if shoved forward.