Chapter 306: Changing the Construction Site (1)

Ssshhh…

Starry lights dazzled before my eyes.
A three-dimensional magic circle filled the space.
Gravity vanished momentarily.
As if becoming a feather.
Or as if the world had turned into bubbles.
The weight of all matter dissipated.
Darkness and starlight danced chaotically.
Finally, like placing everything back in its rightful place,
my feet safely touched down on the ground.
“…Phew.”
Lloyd unwittingly gasped for air.
It was dizzying. It was disorienting. My stomach churned and twisted. I thought to myself,
‘Whether it’s dimensional travel or teleportation, can’t the ride be made a bit smoother?’
Both spells always seemed to make the passenger (?) suffer from motion sickness.
Lloyd took deep breaths, missing the more familiar Gritexte.

Tik-tik-tik-tik…

The bustling streets of Seoul, Gwanghwamun at night, had disappeared.
Instead, an antique bedroom interior with half-open windows and curtains fluttering in the breeze appeared, along with the sunlight filtering in.
Below, a man was still tossing and turning in bed.
The sunlight on his face made him squint, yet he just kept sleeping.
Too lazy to even move or block the sun, just sleeping away.
It was Dragon King Berkis.
Seeing him, I realized,
‘We’ve safely returned.’
The realization that we were back in a guest room of the Frontera mansion was solidified by something else.
“Master Lloyd, did you cry?”
“…”
A voice that pierced right through, its usual cool tone hardly ever excited.
It was Javier, staring intently this way.
As if observing the corners of my eyes.
Lloyd felt a twinge.
“Cry? What are you talking about?”
“I don’t know the reason, but your eyes are quite moist.”
“Moist eyes? Impossible.”
“It’s true. Your eyelids also seem red and swollen.”
“…”
“And your nose is a bit red too.”
“…”
“Look, your nose was about to run.”
“It’s a cold.”
“A cold?”
“We’ve been to a strange place, haven’t we?”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“The air was so foul and unfamiliar there, maybe I caught a cold.”
“I really don’t think that’s it.”
“Why not?”
“Because you seem to be getting better now.”
“Maybe the cold is improving.”
“…”
“We’re back in a familiar place, aren’t we? The air is clear. The breeze is pleasant.”
“So you’re saying your cold is getting better because of that?”
“Exactly.”
Lloyd brazenly laid down a steel front and nodded.
“You saw that place called Seoul. I don’t know how such a place exists. The air is foul, these iron chariots keep honking and rushing about, people’s clothing is strange. They point these flat, palm-sized devices at others making click-click noises, right?”
“Hmm, you seemed quite comfortable for such a setting.”
“What? Me?”
“Yes.”
This time, Javier nodded.
“If I may say so, you looked like someone who had just returned to their homeland.”
“Ridiculous.”
“Is that so?”
“Of course.”
“Maybe.”
“That’s right.”
Lloyd felt inwardly prickled.
The nuance of Javier’s questions seemed slightly suspicious.
‘As if he’s trying to probe me.’
Could he have sensed something was amiss, or perhaps revealed myself as one of the Seoulites unwittingly?
Of course, Javier’s thoughts were unknowable.
Lloyd deflected the topic.
“Let’s put this aside for now. Isn’t it heavy?”
“Oh.”
Indeed, both Lloyd and Javier were still carrying the key material, Kiara, on their shoulders.
They grumbled and set it down.
The hundreds of locks filled in the Kiara clanked noisily.
“Oh, how cumbersome. Why hang so many locks like this?”
“Perhaps couples hang them as a promise of their love for the future. It seemed that way when I observed.”
“That’s exactly the problem. A future promise filled with love, my foot. Hanging these doesn’t guarantee everlasting affection. Absolutely not. So like this. Just like this!”

Crack! Pop!

Using the Asrahan technique to its fullest, I grabbed a lock.
Firmly snapped it like popping bubble wrap, a similar rush of exhilaration surged through me.
Just then…

Ding-dong.

An unexpected notification sound.
A message appeared before my eyes.

[You are removing impurities installed on the key material, Kiara.]
[Kiara is pleased by this action.]
[Once all impurities are removed, Kiara will regain its original form and function.]

‘What?’
It was an unexpected notification.
Lloyd instantly understood its meaning.
“Hey.”
He looked up at Javier.
“Let’s strip it.”
“Pardon?”
“Strip it off. Now that I think about it, these locks aren’t part of the key material, are they?”
“So you mean to remove them.”
“Exactly. It’s already weird having all these locks dangling from a material meant for building the Sacred Jewel, isn’t it?”
“That makes sense.”
“Right?”
“Yes. It’s sad and pitiful to see Master Lloyd, typically petty and narrow-minded, even jealous of lovers from other dimensions.”
“…Wow, you hit where it hurts even in this situation?”
“I have not physically assaulted you, Master Lloyd.”
“Verbal blows are still violence, you know?”
“If it bothers you that much, why not end your single life?”
“It’s not that I can’t, I just choose not to.”
“Sure, as you say.”
“…”
“Aren’t we going to remove these locks?”
“…”
When tears threatened to fall, I lifted my head to stop them and grinned widely again.
‘Ah, truly a fine day. A damn fine day.’
Suppressing tears that threatened to spill, I crouched down before Kiara.
Side by side with Javier.
Like popping bubble wrap,
we stripped the locks from Kiara.
Luckily, both of us were strong enough, so it didn’t take long.
As we cleanly removed the last lock,
Kiara began to transform.

Whir-whir-whir-whir!

What had been just an ordinary iron railing.
Suddenly became fluid.
Like liquid metal.
It melted away and then,
transformed into a slightly larger than a basketball, sleek, silver cube.
Kiara had returned to its original form.

Ding-dong!

A message heralded with a clear, melodious sound appeared.

[You have acquired the core material, Kiara, essential for constructing the Sacred Jewel, Aotearoa.]
[You have successfully unearthed all five core materials of the Sacred Jewel Aotearoa, destroyed along with the mythic era.]
[This is a historically significant archaeological achievement.]
[Your name will be eternally recorded in the annals of history as the discoverer of the Sacred Jewel’s core materials.]
[As a reward for this rare achievement, a substantial amount of RP is awarded.]
[You have gained 2,800 RP.]

[Current RP: 11,755]

‘That’s it!’
I clenched my fist.
But the message announcing the reward did not end there.

[You have unearthed all the scattered core materials of the Sacred Jewel, Aotearoa, in this world.]
[This is not just an archaeological achievement but a distinguished contribution to the restoration of a mythic artifact.]
[A special preference for this honorable achievement is granted.]
[You have been granted the authority to decide the construction site for the Sacred Jewel Aotearoa.]
[You can construct the Sacred Jewel Aotearoa at a location of your choosing.]

‘…What?’
It was hard to believe.
I read and reread the message to make sure.
At last, I realized.
‘Jackpot.’
I could build the Sacred Jewel at any place I wanted.
That meant I didn’t necessarily have to build it in the faraway mermaid kingdom…
‘I can just build it in our domain!’

Naturally, the conclusion came.
In fact, it was the obvious conclusion.
‘Really, it’s only natural! The best stuff should definitely be in our house! In our neighborhood!’
Lloyd internally screamed.
The best things should be grabbed first.
The best facilities should come to our neighborhood first.
Anyway, all the good stuff should be enjoyed by me first.
Even if that meant blatantly displaying a ‘Please in my front yard’ syndrome.
I thought to myself that I deserved it.
‘After all, how many good facilities have I built in other neighborhoods!’
Even though it was mainly for money.
And certainly, I pocketed a handsome reward.
But recalling the construction projects I had carried out, my stomach naturally ached.
‘Starting with that suspension bridge I built to impress the queen, oh? Built a railway to hell, made a sauna in the mermaid kingdom, Colosseums for the Centaurs, ice houses for the Orc neighborhoods, Canat in the desert. If all that was in Frontera domain, wow, the land value would have skyrocketed!’

Dreams of soaring land values.
The hope of leading an era with a high-tech domain.
Those painful (?) days of conceding to other regions flashed through my mind.
Without a moment’s hesitation, I made a decision.

‘I’ve been through hell collecting these materials. Plus, the ordeal of building that Sacred Jewel is yet to come. Thinking about it, I really did everything myself, everything. I am qualified. Therefore, the Sacred Jewel must absolutely be built in our domain. To do that, hmm, I might need to see the mermaid queen’s face once.’

Originally, I had agreed to build the Sacred Jewel in the mermaid kingdom.
That condition had even prompted the mermaid queen to cooperate with this side.
But now that I could change the construction site.
Plans had to be altered.
I needed to convince the mermaid queen.

‘After all, the first material I found, Tauranga, was thrown into the mermaid kingdom. I might as well stop by to pick it up.’

I briefly shared the plan with Javier.
The news that I intended to build the Sacred Jewel in our domain made Javier visibly happy.
Typical of him, always prioritizing the safety of our domain.
Yet, he also showed a hint of concern.
“Will it be alright? The mermaid queen will surely oppose this.”
“Yeah. I’m confident I can convince her.”
“Convince her? How so?”
“There’s a condition that will make the mermaid queen shout hurray as soon as she hears it.”
“What condition?”
“You’ll see when we get there. Let’s go.”
Berkis was still sprawling and sleeping in bed.
I placed Kiara next to the bed.
We exited the guest quarters.
Mounted Ggoming and took off.
We left the domain heading north.
Midway, we met up with Hamang and switched to his back.
After half a day’s flight, we arrived above the Arctic Ocean.
But it was not as cold as before.
Due to the Hellgate that had opened there.
Hot, dry winds from hell were blowing through the gate.
‘It’s warmer than before.’
The noticeably reduced icebergs were clearly visible.
However, Lloyd paid no attention.
“Let’s go!”
With a leap, we plunged into the Arctic Ocean.
At the same time, the accolade <Champion! Champion! Champion!> with the <Underwater Breathing> option activated.
We dove into the deep sea.
We arrived at the mermaid kingdom.
Luckily, the muscular mermaids recognized us quickly.
Thanks to them, I was able to meet the even more muscular mermaid queen immediately.
“It’s been a while, Your Majesty. Lloyd Frontera.”
“Yes, it has been a while. Your forearms seem a bit thicker than before.”
“Haha, Your Majesty’s trapezius muscles also appear more robust.”
“Is that so? It might just be flattering, but it’s a nice compliment.”
“You’re welcome. May I discuss why I’ve come?”
“Of course.”
The mermaid queen was as forthright as ever.
Her forthrightness was so extreme that I briefly feared she might squeeze my skull between her biceps and burst it.
Suppressing a momentary unease, Lloyd quickly stated his business.
“Respected Your Majesty, I have finally found all the core materials needed to construct the Sacred Jewel.”
“Is that so?”
The queen stood up from her coral throne.
“Yes, and I was thinking of changing the construction site.”
“Don’t tell me, you want to build the Jewel on your land up there?”
“Regrettably, that’s correct.”
Lloyd openly admitted it.
It was disappointing news for the other party.
So, this was a time to be as honest as possible.
Not to beat around the bush but to reveal the truth was the best way to avoid damaging the relationship.
“Actually, because I have found all the core materials, I have gained the authority to decide where to build the Jewel. Therefore, I’ve come to want to build it somewhere I can manage.”
“Are you trying to monopolize the Jewel?”
“If I said I had no such desire, that would be a lie.”
“So?”
The mermaid queen’s gaze sharpened.
Lloyd did not shrink back but continued.
“Instead of changing the Jewel’s construction site, I thought I could be of great assistance to Your Majesty.”
“Assistance? In what way?”
“Recently, the weather in the Arctic Ocean isn’t what it used to be, right?”
“Hmm.”
Arctic Ocean weather.
At the mention of it, a faint worry crossed the queen’s face.
Lloyd internally celebrated.
His prediction was correct.
He quickly said,
“It must be no ordinary issue. This dry, hot air blowing from the Hellgate that opened in the Arctic Ocean sky.”
“That’s right… Indeed, it’s become a headache. It was worrying before, but now the situation is becoming uncontrollably severe. We don’t have the means to stop it since we don’t even know why this Hellgate opened.”
“Have you not yet identified the cause?”
“Not yet. We don’t even know how to find it. It’s a big problem. The icebergs keep melting. The temperature and salinity of the Arctic Ocean are changing. Many aquatic creatures are facing the threat of losing their habitats. We still haven’t thought of a way to respond.”
The mermaid queen’s expression darkened.
It was the truth.
The Hellgate had opened suddenly one day.
The hot air from hell flowing from there.
Because of that, the Arctic Ocean was warming by the minute.
Icebergs were melting, and rapid changes in water temperature and salinity put many Arctic marine life in danger.
Hearing the queen’s lament, Lloyd tsk-tsked.
“Indeed, that must be very troubling.”
As if it were very saddening just to hear.
As if it pained his heart.
As if he had nothing to do with prying open the Hellgate.
Lloyd laid a triple-embossed titanium façade across his face.
Then, offering a cure for the ailment he had caused.
He proposed a condition that would make the queen cheer.
“What if, Your Majesty? If I could make the air in the Arctic cold again… Then, would you cooperate with the change in the Jewel’s construction site?”