[Translator - Night] 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 683: The Vast World (11)

Planetship.

In other words, a Wonder of the Universe.

For Neheren, who had only ever encountered Wonders through books, there was no way for him to imagine any of it.

Just how did the Earthship move?

Did it have something like a helm room too?

And if such a helm room existed, then just who exactly was the captain directly steering a Wonder…?

While Neheren stood there blankly dazed, the strange radiance enveloping the surroundings deepened even further, and then he, Yeongwoo, and the Salzeo vessel were sucked beyond the distant void.

Piaaaaat!

—Uwaaaaagh!

Neheren reflexively screamed.

Then, when he finally opened his eyes, a landscape completely different from what he had expected unfolded before him.

—Hhk!

As he let out a groan and collapsed onto the floor, what entered his view was the interior of a surprisingly ordinary-looking helm room.

Of course, the individuals filling that helm room were anything but ordinary, allowing Neheren to instinctively realize it.

The fact that he had truly entered the inside of a Wonder of the Universe, and that none of this was a dream.

—…Uh.

Unfortunately, the very first one he made eye contact with was the Sun, Moro, causing Neheren to unconsciously lower his head to the floor.

Even as a Salzeo, someone of his low prestige rank could not dare withstand the majesty of a star.

Moro, seated upon a throne woven from her own hair, quietly gazed down at him.

『Another guest has been added.』

Then, when she shifted her gaze toward her son-in-law, Yeongwoo nodded.

“He’s a high-paying guest. He already paid the fare, and I’m planning to collect ransom money separately too.”

At that, the acting captain, Mantero, looked at Neheren with pity in his eyes.

—So it finally came to this.

Not content with making an enemy of the Salzeo, they had now even kidnapped one of its direct bloodline members.

—…….

In any case, Mantero himself was the acting captain of the Earthship, meaning he bore responsibility for everything the Earthship did.

That was why he had no choice but to ask the owner of the Planetship.

—What do you plan to do from here on? Negotiating ransom against the Salzeo will not be easy.

“But that means negotiation is still possible, right? I’m honestly curious whether they really won’t pay.”

—Well… making contact through communications at least is not difficult. And by now, the Salzeo side has likely realized that something happened on Girgo as well.

Even while Mantero spoke, large and small lights were escaping from Planet Girgo outside the helm room windows.

The Level 4 prisoners who had seized Salzeo-owned ships and fighters were each heading toward their own destinations.

Watching the streaks of light spreading throughout space, Yeongwoo stroked his chin.

“Well, one headache’s been resolved at least.”

This time Jiseon stepped forward, alternately glancing between the new hostage and Yeongwoo.

―Instead, didn’t you drag in a new headache? Just looking at him, he seems like the youngest brat among the Salzeo… what were you thinking bringing him here?

As Jiseon, her long white hair flowing down, spoke sharply from within her ice dragon-shaped helmet, the terrified Neheren flinched.

Normally, the passengers aboard a major clan vessel consisted of a single species, or at most two.

But here there were at least six, no, seven… so many he could not even dare count them.

“Ah, I guess you can’t help but be shocked. Don’t worry. I’m the only one here who’s trying to hurt you.”

Yeongwoo comforted Neheren as he spoke, then pointed toward Jiseon first.

“This is my mother, Song Jiseon. You may have sensed it already, but she’s a dragonkin.”

Then the next person Yeongwoo pointed at was Jeonggu.

“This is Kim Jeonggu. He’s my father, and a human like me.”

After that, Yeongwoo introduced Mantero, the escaped convict and former royal navigator, as well as Koatu, who had escaped prison alongside him.

“And these people.”

Finally, when Yeongwoo introduced the two celestial bodies who were respectively his mother-in-law and wife, Neheren’s eyes widened.

—Your mother-in-law and wife are stars…? Is that even possible?

“Turns out it is if you try.”

Scratching his cheek, Yeongwoo looked toward the two Good Deeds practitioners standing in the corner of the helm room.

“And those two over there are passengers too, just like you. Unlike the Salzeo, they’re genuinely decent people, so if the Earthship gets shot down, stick with them.”

Srrk.

Yeongwoo gestured toward Tiape and Shalmoram with his chin, then finally spoke to Earth, who stood before the navigation device.

“Let’s move now. If we stay here any longer, we might end up fighting another battle.”

『Move? Where are we going?』

At that, Yeongwoo glanced subtly toward the two Good Deeds practitioners who were paid passengers.

Honestly, in terms of order, dropping them off first would have been proper.

But Tiape and Shalmoram were not only passengers—they were also a kind of emergency combat force.

Both of them had fought evenly against Level 3 prisoners, so if by chance they ended up engaging the Salzeo in close combat, they would be of great help then too.

Thus Yeongwoo withdrew his gaze from the two Good Deeds practitioners and turned toward Neheren.

“You tell us. Where should we go now?”

—…What?

“At the very least, you’d know, wouldn’t you? Which planets Salzeo members in your position are stationed on.”

Salzeo members in a position like Neheren’s.

In other words, low-ranking Salzeo who had failed the qualification examination.

The plan was to loot the relatively less protected Salzeo first.

—…Are you serious? You’re asking me to sell out my own siblings?

“Even without your information, finding Salzeo-owned planets isn’t difficult. Right, Acting Captain?”

When Yeongwoo asked that, Mantero in the captain’s seat nodded apologetically toward Neheren.

At that, Neheren ground his teeth and glared at Yeongwoo.

—Then stop asking me and just go find our planets yourself. Why do you keep tormenting me?

“Because robbing the supply vaults of low-ranking brats is way easier. Though I’ll make you one promise.”

As he said that, Yeongwoo pointed with his index finger toward outer space beyond the window.

“If you designate the next destination, I’ll let you go.”

—You’ll let me go?

“You look unconvinced, but I’m serious. Of course, while heading to the next planet, we’ll still attempt ransom negotiations.”

—Then… what about my sibling on the next planet?

At Neheren’s question, Yeongwoo grinned.

“That brat becomes my next guest.”

—…Good heavens.

“If we keep switching hostages like that, eventually the moment will come when the Salzeo agrees to ransom negotiations.”

—…….

It was truly a devilish idea.

Wasn’t he effectively saying he intended to kidnap half the Salzeo direct bloodline one after another?

—Aren’t you underestimating our clan too much? The moment the clan realizes you’re sequentially kidnapping low-ranking direct descendants, the security level of every planet we own will rise by at least two levels.

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing then? Either way, the treatment of the lower ranks would improve. You should think about why this happened to you in the first place.”

—…….

Neheren was once again left speechless.

Yeongwoo added afterward as though soothing him.

“Shouldn’t your clan develop some awareness at least once? The Salzeo need to cherish their clan members a little more carefully.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

—That’s a ridiculous sophistry I’ve never heard before.

“Sure, it’s probably unprecedented for the Salzeo. So give us the coordinates. I’ll help the Salzeo become a more proper clan.”

At that, Neheren took a deep breath as though about to say something, but then closed his mouth again.

Then, staring out into space, he spoke in a completely different tone from before.

—Fine. I’ll tell you which direction to sail.

“As expected of a prestigious clan’s child. Wise.”

—But I have one condition too.

“…A condition? What is it?”

—I’ll only tell you the exact coordinates of the next planet after I confirm my ransom from our clan.

“What?”

—If our clan truly abandons me, then I’ll tell you the precise location of the next planet. Even the coordinates of the office.

It was quite a shocking proposal in its own way.

“Then what if your clan doesn’t abandon you?”

When Yeongwoo asked back, the face of Neheren, who had been emanating quite a dignified aura moments ago, once again began to show youthful traces.

Even his dark blue pupils were trembling.

—Then… you give up.

“Give up what?”

—Take my ransom from our clan, and erase that serial kidnapping plan from your head.

“So you want to gamble with me.”

—But you have nothing to lose. Either way, you’ll make money, won’t you?

In that short time, Neheren had clearly grasped Yeongwoo’s disposition and chosen to make a desperate stand.

“You’ve gotten quite a bit of guts in such a short span. Really, everyone grows only after going through a crisis.”

When Yeongwoo burst out laughing, everyone in the helm room instinctively realized it.

That the little Salzeo brat’s proposal would be accepted.

And soon enough, Yeongwoo actually nodded.

“Fine. I was curious whether the Salzeo would truly abandon family anyway.”

Then he looked at Mantero and gave an order.

“Acting Captain, prepare communications with the Salzeo. And you.”

As Yeongwoo turned toward Neheren, before he could even continue, Neheren’s hand swept through the air.

He was writing coordinates.

—Head toward these coordinates. The negotiation results will probably come before we arrive there. Our clan never drags things out.

“That’s refreshingly straightforward.”

While Yeongwoo replied, Earth had already input the coordinates Neheren wrote into the navigation device, and Mantero too had already finished his task and was looking toward the ship owner.

—The fastest way to establish communications is through the Salzeo public channel. Even if we contact them that way, will negotiations still be possible?

He was asking Neheren, the actual Salzeo member, and soon Neheren extended the small tattoo engraved beneath his left wrist.

—I have a personal identification code. No matter the channel, once a connection is established, we should be able to use a dedicated communication line.

At that, Mantero immediately pressed the communication button, turning one side window of the helm room pure white.

Paaaaaat!

Soon afterward, enormous system text filled the entire window.

「You are currently using the Salzeo general communications network.」

「Please use the common language whenever possible and state the purpose of your communication.」

Finally, when the Salzeo side requested the purpose of communication, Neheren held his wrist’s personal code toward the screen and spoke.

—Neheren, 40269. Emergency situation. Requesting dedicated communications access.

The instant Neheren urgently identified himself, the communication screen turned blue.

It had directly connected to the Salzeo clan’s internal communications.

Then an extremely alien voice flowed out from beyond the screen.

―40269.

It was Neheren’s personal code.

At that, the young Salzeo with ash-gray hair stepped forward toward the screen and spoke.

—I-I request emergency rescue. Right now the Planetship Owner has captur—

―What happened to the Girgo outpost?

—…That.

They were obviously asking despite already knowing the situation perfectly well.

Even amidst an emergency communication, they were interrogating Neheren’s mistake.

In the end, when Neheren could not bring himself to say anything about Girgo, the unidentified voice answered dryly.

―Use the supply vault and return.

—That’s impossible in the current situation! The Planetship Owner has already secured my person!

Before he could even continue with the words, And now he intends to demand ransom too, the other side interrupted him.

―All expenses have already been accounted for within the supply vault. Use it.

At that, Neheren, having realized many things, spoke toward the screen in an even quieter voice.

—Young Patriarch. I wish to hear an answer directly from the Young Patriarch himself.

But a remote Salzeo was not permitted a conversation with the Young Patriarch.

―This communication link will now terminate shortly.

As though there were a predetermined response manual, the other side attempted to cut the connection.

Eventually, Yeongwoo shoved Neheren aside and stepped forward.

“Hey, I’m holding one of your family members hostage, got it? But I’ll let him go if you pay. Still got nothing to say?”

A brief silence followed.

Then the communication with the Salzeo really cut off with a click.

The window that had been dyed blue once more displayed outer space beyond it as proof.

“…These bastards are genuinely insane.”

Yeongwoo shook his head in disbelief, while Neheren stared out into space with half-dead eyes.

—Honestly, it’s an efficient strategy. They’re teaching people that even if you kidnap a Salzeo, you’ll never get ransom money.

“Then I guess we’ll just have to teach the Salzeo something too. That stubbornness should only be used against the right opponents.”

The Serial Salzeo Kidnappings.

Once emergency supply vaults started being looted one after another and the damages swelled far beyond mere “ransom money,” even the mighty Salzeo would have no choice but to realize something had gone terribly wrong.

“So, are you ready to keep your promise now? Those exact coordinates, I mean.”

As Yeongwoo pointed outside into space while asking, Neheren, who had been looking that way already, lowered his gaze toward his prosthetic leg.

—Is it alright if the security level is a little higher?

“What? How much higher?”

—The Young Patriarch’s younger sibling is staying in a nearby galaxy.

“The Young Patriarch’s sibling? Then that means their status is pretty high, doesn’t it?”

—That one only has one arm. So he failed the examination. But the Young Patriarch probably took considerable care of him.

“His supply vault? Or his security? Or maybe both?”

—Both.

At that, as though there was no need to wait any longer, Yeongwoo pointed out the window.

“Then even better. It means our crime pattern won’t immediately become obvious. Let’s head to the Young Patriarch’s little sibling. Let’s see whether they still refuse to pay ransom then.”

[Translator - Night]

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