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Chapter 665: Kindred (2)

Lemu.

A being classified as Grade 4 under cosmic law, and known as the wisest among the thinking machines.

He had many epithets—Master of the Machine Tower, the Architect—but the most famous among them was, without question, “the Inquirer.”

This was because the very purpose of the Machine Tower Lemu had established was to study the Cosmic Records.

It was said that the Records contained the past, present, and future of the entire universe engraved upon them; thus, to study and observe them was no different from examining the fate of all things.

In other words, Lemu was also one who knew fragments of the future.

Perhaps because of that, even Quiad—who seemed to have no point of contact whatsoever with thinking machines—appeared to have heard Lemu’s name many times.

‘As expected of President Lemu. There hasn’t been a single chairman I’ve met so far who doesn’t know Lemu.’

Unfortunately, however, everyone who knew Lemu shared one thing in common: they either hated or despised him.

After all, everyone knew how he procured the vast resources consumed in observing the Records.

And it seemed Quiad was no exception.

—What has that mad machine done to my planet?

Quiad couldn’t take his eyes off the view outside the window.

Scratching his cheek, Yeongwoo spoke quietly.

“Uh… at least on the surface, it looks fine.”

—Impossible. Do you not know what Lemu is?

“……”

At Quiad’s question, Yeongwoo found himself at a loss for words.

In truth, there was a high probability that the reason Lemu had occupied Planet Maden was not because of Quiad—but because of Yeongwoo himself.

‘Just how far into the future did he peek to have followed me even here?’

This planet had lost its owner as long as 612 years ago.

It was impossible to know exactly when Lemu had taken over Maden, but one thing was certain—he must have foreseen a great deal even before Earth’s reset had begun.

—If that lowly machine so much as laid a finger on my people, I will tear down the Machine Tower myself.

Of course, Yeongwoo knew that was an empty threat.

Even Chairman Dogo, who referred to Lemu with contempt as a vulgar machine, did not know the location of the Machine Tower.

A being who, despite being Grade 4, dared to interfere in the trajectories of Grade 3 beings—and at times even drew his blade before them.

The reason Lemu could meddle in so many things across the universe was likely because he had witnessed fragments of the future.

‘Knowledge really is power—even in the universe.’

Then why, of all times and places, had Lemu chosen to exist here?

After a brief hesitation, Yeongwoo spoke to Quiad, who stood pressed up against the window.

“Um, Chairman.”

—What is it?

“I actually know that person. Not just casually—depending on how you look at it, you could say he even holds a certain stake in the Earth Ship.”

—What?

Quiad, who hadn’t been able to take his eyes off Maden outside the window, finally turned around.

Then, as if it wasn’t all that shocking, he quickly composed his tone.

—Well, this place itself is a wonder of the universe, is it not? It wouldn’t be strange for a machine that peeks into the Records to take interest in it.

As befitted a Grade 3 being who had seen all manner of things across the universe, Quiad accepted it remarkably quickly.

If it involved a planetary vessel, then nothing that happened could be considered strange.

However.

—But why my planet of all places?

Crack!

The entire front of the window frame where Quiad had placed his hand crumpled like paper.

He could accept that the Inquirer had come here because of its connection to a wonder of the universe—but he could not tolerate the fact that the head of an interstellar obscene content production company had taken control of his planet.

Seeing this, Yeongwoo hurriedly tried to soothe him.

“Uh… I don’t think it was meant to inconvenience you, Chairman. There must be some other reason.”

—It had better be a very important one.

Just as their conversation reached that point, the visitor options prepared by Planet Maden finally appeared.

[Visit Commercial District]

[Business Proposal]

[Enter Unique Code]

Compared to ordinary planets, the options were remarkably minimal.

When Yeongwoo glanced at Quiad’s expression, sure enough, he looked flustered.

—What is this…?

“What’s wrong?”

—Where are the other regions? Why is only the commercial district left?

“Well…”

How could someone visiting Maden for the first time possibly know that?

“What used to be in the other areas?”

—Maden is also my largest industrial facility. It occupies six times the area of the commercial district.

“Ah.”

The entire planet had essentially been one enormous factory.

So if all options related to the industrial district had disappeared from the visitor interface, didn’t that mean Lemu had converted all factory facilities into classified assets?

‘President Lemu… what on earth were you doing here?’

Just as Yeongwoo began to feel uneasy, Quiad reached out toward [Enter Unique Code].

Tap.

At once, the screen shifted, and a multitude of strange symbols—resembling pictographs—appeared.

“…What is this?”

—A method of announcing that the true owner of Maden has returned.

Then Quiad’s hand began moving across the symbols without hesitation.

In an instant, he entered a unique code composed of twelve parts.

‘But Lemu must have taken control of this place at least a hundred years ago. Would he really have left a unique code that dates back 612 years?’

However, contrary to Yeongwoo’s concern, the communication screen responded as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

Piaaaat!

As soon as the code was entered, the screen began to glow brightly.

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「Quiad Mezo. Identity confirmed.」

A brief confirmation message appeared, and shortly after, a curved beam of light shot out from Planet Maden.

“What’s that?”

As Yeongwoo muttered while looking at the massive beam cutting through space, Mantero glanced between the captain’s monitor and the window as he replied.

—It appears to be a guidance line.

“A guidance line?”

—It seems there is a landing site they want us to use. Shall we follow it?

Yeongwoo glanced briefly at Quiad, then nodded even before receiving an answer.

“If a guidance line appeared after entering the unique code, then they must have prepared something for the planet’s owner. Let’s follow it.”

Wasn’t that guidance line itself also prepared by Lemu?

Then there must be a scenario he had in mind.

Yeongwoo decided to bet on Lemu’s wisdom.

Rumble…!

As the Earth Ship began moving along the guidance line, Quiad spoke.

—How close are you to Lemu?

“Why, are you planning to kill him?”

—If that bastard has crossed the line, I will twist his neck on the spot.

“Well… he probably anticipated that you’d be angry. Anyway, we’re not close enough for me to want to use a favor claim to protect him.”

Of course, Yeongwoo owed Lemu his life.

But did that necessarily mean he had to repay the favor?

From the beginning, wasn’t it likely that Lemu had some ulterior motive in keeping him alive?

‘And someone like President Lemu should be more than capable of handling himself.’

It might even be overstepping for a mere creature like him to worry about the safety of a Grade 4 being.

After all, he couldn’t see even a step ahead—but Lemu was someone who could glimpse the future.

—We will soon enter the opposite side of the planet. If there was something they wanted to show us via the guidance line, it should start becoming visible now.

Soon, Mantero said this while gripping the controls and looking out the window, and everyone in the helm turned their gaze outside at once.

Then, from the opposite side of Planet Maden, which was slowly coming into view, a white beam of light could be seen shooting out in a straight line.

Endlessly—beyond the bounds of space itself.

“…Huh?”

—……?

Yeongwoo, Quiad, and even the Grade 4 villains filling the helm all stared with their mouths agape.

They had visited many planets before, but none had ever shown such a sight.

“What is that? Does something like that normally exist?”

When Yeongwoo turned to Mantero and asked, Mantero—also wide-mouthed—tilted his head.

—I… I don’t know. It doesn’t seem to be a communication facility, nor is it a bombardment weapon.

Yet the monitors were reporting an enormous energy reading.

As the Earth Ship followed the guidance line deeper toward Maden’s far side, the source of the “beam” finally came into view.

A colossal tower—large enough to be seen even from space—stood erected on one side of the planet.

The beam was being emitted from the very tip of that tower, and it had not ceased operation for even a single moment.

“Chairman, that thing… it’s not something you installed before you left, right?”

Quiad answered in an extremely serious tone.

—You are human—you should know this. We do not build such things.

“…Then President Lemu must have built it.”

It was practically as if the entire planet had been remodeled.

To support a structure of that size, the planet’s interior must have been completely torn apart.

—The landing site. Has it been identified?

Slightly agitated, Quiad asked Mantero directly, bypassing the planetary vessel’s owner.

Instead of answering him, Mantero looked at Yeongwoo.

—Surprisingly, the end of the guidance line points to the commercial district. In other words, it led us to circle the planet once.

“What? Then that means they showed us that tower on purpose?”

—At least, that’s what I believe.

A mysterious tower, likely built using the vast resources of Planet Maden.

Yeongwoo couldn’t even begin to guess what Lemu had been doing here.

‘That crazy bastard… what the hell has he done? Don’t tell me he’s building a second Machine Tower? And here, of all places—while knowing the original owner would return?’

The moment Yeongwoo felt certain that something major was about to unfold on Maden today, the helm window flickered white.

Piiit!

Then, the symbol of the one responsible for all of this—the Architect, Lemu—appeared on the screen.

Along with the distinctly artificial voice of a machine.

「I have been waiting for a long time. Quiad Mezo, and Jeong Yeongwoo.」

“Le—!”

It was unmistakably Lemu.

Even without seeing him, his tone was instantly recognizable.

—It seems 600 years is indeed a long time. To think a machine would sit upon Maden’s throne.

Quiad spoke in a sharp voice.

But as if he had expected this long ago, Lemu immediately replied.

「Before my head is torn from my body, I would like to make a proposal. So please, come to the designated location. You will not regret it.」

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