Chapter 290

Two individuals stood in a park where they could see the west face of the Empire State Building, the sounds of chirping birds and flowing water beautifully harmonizing. It was Central Park in West Earth, an area where many areas of New York had been copied.

“The preparations are complete,” said Grandis, the grey-skinned giant, far larger than he had been at the Empire State Building.

He was holding the globe-shaped Pangaea in his right hand and the red Bloodstream Stone Piece in his left.

“Did you enjoy your tour around the Capital?” Seong-Hwi asked.

Grandis smiled and replied, “I did. It helped me look back on my dream, which had been fading away.”

“Your dream?”

“Yes... a lofty one.” Grandis seemed to be reminiscing, then continued, “My dream is to create a world where all races can live in peace without prejudice.”

Seong-Hwi remained silent at Grandis’s fairytale dream.

A world where all races can live in peace without prejudice? That could never happen, he thought.

There was endless animosity even among those of the same race, because of trivial things like skin color, ideologies, religion, and territory. Discrimination, hatred, and conflict had melted into our everyday lives and escalated to war once it went past the tipping point. Considering that, it was impossible for different races, who were from completely different dimensions, to live together without prejudice.

“You’re a pessimistic one, aren’t you?” Grandis said once he noticed Seong-Hwi’s expression.

“I am. As you’ve said, it’s a dream, and you should wake up from it.”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Grandis laughed loudly, startling the birds off the branches. “This is why I find the world so interesting. I created the Sēmen to make this dream come true, but the current Sēmen is different from what I had envisioned.”

He then shifted his grey gaze to Seong-Hwi and continued, “But you, who doesn’t believe in this dream, have created the ideal confederation of various races.”

“Underground was... Lee Kang-San’s idea,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

“But it couldn’t have come this far without you.”

Seong-Hwi did not deny that. If not for their future vision that was Together, Underground would have fallen like a sandcastle after the Nivalis invasion of the Capital.

“We just... have the same goal,” he said.

“That is why I find it amazing. Unifying the goals of those with different interests is harder than it sounds,” Grandis said.

“Ironically, it is thanks to the Sēmen. The inferior and intermediate races were able to join as one because of the Sēmen’s neglect.”

“Are you calling the Sēmen that I have built a mutual enemy? That’s quite harsh. Ahahaha!” Grandis laughed, then suddenly stopped with a pained expression. “I will reform the rotten Sēmen, no matter what. I promise you that.”

“I hope you will,” Seong-Hwi replied formally, not having his hopes up. His eyes then shone as he asked the most important question. “That aside... Have you decided on the third condition you had mentioned before?”

“Hm? Oh, that. I got word from Judicium yesterday.” Grandis leaned forward, his shadow covering Central Park. “I need you to go to Gurzes.”

“Gurzes? Isn’t that the merfolk capital?”

“Correct. Gurzes, the underwater city. I thought about asking you to investigate the whereabouts of the missing Skrep, but there have been reports that Gurzes is on the verge of a civil war breaking out.”

“Gurzes, huh?” Seong-Hwi mumbled.

He had spent around two months in the sixth zone during his ninth year in the Mirror World. The sixth zone was commonly known as the blue ring because it was a giant ocean.

From what I’ve heard, the ocean spans slightly past the boundary between the sixth and seventh zones.

The sixth and the outer rim of the seventh zone were blue in any map of the Mirror World, resembling a ring, hence the name blue ring. Gurzes, the underwater capital of the merfolk, was also located in the blue ring.

“The sixth zone is highly reclusive. Moreover, Pontus, the merfolk society, is not kind to outsiders,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

Even in his past life, he had struggled because of the Pontus merfolk’s cliquish attitude. Not only was facing the fastidious merfolk in the ocean highly difficult, but in the blue ring were also the Underfish, the Invasive Chaos of the merfolk.

“Don’t worry. The support request came from Pontus first. The fact that they sent such a request despite having always kept their distance from the Sēmen means that their circumstances have become serious enough for them to ask for help from outsiders.” Grandis smiled and continued, “Oh, and I will make a job position for you.”

“A job position? As I had mentioned before, I have no intention of—”

“I know. I am not telling you to become a member of the Sēmen,” Grandis interrupted.

“You would give me a job position without becoming a member of the Sēmen?” Seong-Hwi asked skeptically.

As far as he knew, there was no such position. Since the Sēmen was responsible for being a neutral arbitrator, all members were obligated to declare that they would sever all worldly connections they had before joining.

“The position was only just made. It only has meaning if it is given to a thirty party, and not a member of the Sēmen. The name of the position is inspector.”

“Inspector?”

“I told you that I would reform the rotten Sēmen, didn’t I? This is one of my measures,” Grandis said with a serious expression. “Inspectors are my direct subordinates—a position given only to those I deem worthy.”

“Then will you give inspectors the same authority as the consuls? For example, the right to judge, which allows one to hold an immediate trial and give a verdict?”

Grandis shook his head. “If I were to do that, the existing order would fall apart.”

“Then it’s just a position of name only, isn’t it?” Seong-Hwi remarked with a frown.

“Instead, I will give inspectors two very powerful authorities. The right to investigate, and the right to expel,” Grandis said as he extended two fingers.

“The right to investigate, and the right to expel?”

“The right to investigate is the authority to investigate the group of interest once you witness an incident that goes against the World Law.”

“The consuls can do the same thing,” Seong-Hwi remarked.

“Let me finish. The important one is the right to expel. In the instance that you uncover from your investigation that the group has severely violated the World Law... you can expel them from the Sēmen.”

Seong-Hwi’s eyes widened. Being expelled from the Sēmen meant they would become isolated from the international society. They couldn’t request help from the Sēmen even under invasion, and were exposed to the immense risk that they might have to go to war against the Sēmen.

Even Underground had negotiated with Keter of Sefirot to receive their word that they would support Underground. Members of Underground had also done their best to receive the Sēmen’s acknowledgement that they were a legitimate confederation. It was also the loophole that Consul Melsine of Echion had used against them.

“The Sēmen has officially acknowledged Underground just now. In other words, Underground was still an illegal confederation when Nivalis had invaded the Capital.”

But he would give me the right to expel from the Sēmen? This is insane! Seong-Hwi shouted inwardly.

It was more amazing than the consuls’ right to judge in a way.

Grandis noticed Seong-Hwi shaking his head and elaborated, “If an inspector activates their right to expel, the corresponding group will be expelled from the Sēmen immediately. However, it is only a temporary expulsion until I review it to determine whether it will become permanent.”

It was still a shocking authority nonetheless. After all, no one knew what could happen to the group while they were temporarily expelled from the Sēmen.

“However, with great power comes great responsibility. If an inspector is judged to have abused their authority, I will personally discipline the inspector and the group that directly benefited from the use of their right to expel. It is only natural that the responsibility would fall upon me, since they are my direct subordinates,” Grandis said, his eyes filled with immense pressure.

Seong-Hwi guessed Grandis’s intentions for creating a position like an inspector.

He’s... brandishing his blade, he thought.

It was to cut out the rotten bits completely, serving as a warning to those who were partially rotten. Grandis’s will to reform the Sēmen seemed genuine.

“What do you think? With this much power, no one in Gurzes would disrespect you,” Grandis said.

“Indeed,” Seong-Hwi replied.

“Then will you accept the position of inspector?”

The gears in Seong-Hwi’s head turned rapidly.

What do I have to gain? he asked himself.

He did not know how many more inspectors Grandis would make, but he was at least certain it was a small group of the elite. If he were one of them, the other factions would not think lightly of Underground. On top of that, whenever Underground was at war against an opposing faction, he could expel them from the Sēmen, albeit temporarily.

And what do I have to lose? he asked himself.

The position of inspector was one that Grandis had made himself to cut out the rotten bits of the Sēmen, meaning he had high hopes for the inspectors. If an inspector were to abuse the right to expel for his own benefit, they would face Grandis’s full wrath.

The wrath of the First Lord... I don’t even want to imagine it.

However, he deemed that he had more to gain than to lose.

“I accept,” Seong-Hwi answered.

“Ahahaha! Welcome, my first inspector, Cheon Seong-Hwi, the human.” Grandis laughed heartily and stood upright again, bringing sunlight back to Central Park. “It appears we’ve gotten sidetracked for a bit. Let’s return to the main subject.”

He raised Pangaea and asked, “Let me confirm it one last time. You wish to combine the territories: Capital, Ferrum, Spirit Land, Ancient Forest, Fortitudo, and Arimaspi, and switch it with Permafrost. Is that correct?”

“Yes,” Seong-Hwi answered as he clenched his fists.

Finally! he thought as his heart pounded like drums.

“Hahaha! I can imagine Regnator will be quite vocal about this. Right, then. I will begin.”

A purple star rose to the sky and illuminated the entire Capital with a purple light. This was now the domain of Grandis, the Guardian Titan. Seong-Hwi grunted as an unfathomable caliber crushed him, just barely managing to raise his head to look at the blinding purple star.

That’s... the star of Grandis, the First Lord!

He couldn’t even begin to fathom what its magnitude was, but it was so blinding that it made Haema Sanguis’s star look like a candlelight.

Seong-Hwi’s eyes became hazy as he thought, If I shine that brightly... Will I be able to grasp my destiny?

Mother Maria’s warm voice, engraved into his soul, echoed inside his head.

“Seong-Hwi, my kind and brave child. Become someone who takes hold of his destiny.”

“HAAAAAHHH!” Grandis bellowed as he activated a skill.

[Activating Artifact Skill: Ultima.]

The tectonic plates on Pangaea began to move. A giant tectonic plate in the middle was divided into six pieces, and six other tectonic plates in the periphery began to move toward the center to combine into one. The giant tectonic plate was Permafrost, and the six other tectonic plates were the Capital, Ferrum, the Spirit Land, the Ancient Forest, Fortitudo, and Arimaspi.

The phenomenon that occurred on Pangaea began to occur in reality as well.

***

Blizzards were a common occurrence in Permafrost, an ice-cold region that spanned from the fourth to the fifth zones. The territory had belonged to Nivalis, but it was now an empty, useless plot of land.

Just then, an unparalleled gravitational force acted on Permafrost as thunderous noises, equivalent to glaciers splitting, echoed. The entire desolate Permafrost began to float upward and was split into six pieces, with the ice palace at its center.

The six icy glaciers, floating in the sky like islands, each flew in different directions. Two flew southward, one flew northward, two flew northeastward, and one flew eastward.

Cities that matched each of those pieces also began to fly toward where Permafroist had been. Fortitudo and Arimaspi flew northward, Ferrum flew southward, the Spirit Land and the Ancient Forest flew southwestward, and the Capital flew westward.

The orcs and centaurs were excited that they were moving territories from the southern corner of the Mirror World to somewhere closer to the center.

“Chwik! It’s finally begun!”

“Whinny! Our northern advance begins!”

Dwarves expressed great interest in their city, which was flying in the air.

“Uhahaha! The city’s really flying!”

“This is amazing! I’m feeling the urge to make a sky island!”

“Ohhh! That’s a great idea! It could be possible if we use floating light iron!”

Elementum sorrowfully looked around the iridescent Spirit Land, which was flying in the sky, and mumbled, “Everyone... we’re leaving.”

The elves were overjoyed that they were getting even further from Sefirot.

“We’ve done it.”

“What a relief. I’ve always been anxious because the Ancient Forest was way too close to Forestis.”

“We owe yet another debt to Sir Cheon Seong-Hwi.”

The humans’ expressions were filled with both worry and anticipation.

“Urgh... will we be okay?”

“I heard it’s bustling with powerful Chaos monsters the closer you are to the center.”

“Just laugh your worries away, damn cowards! Ahahahaha! The greatest reclamation is about to begin!”

“Don’t worry. We’ll be even safer once Together is formed.”

Although no one knew what synergy would arise from the fusion of the six cities, everyone knew for certain that it would create an unprecedented future.

***

Thunderous voices and cheers echoed throughout the floating Capital amidst the intense rumbling. It was so loud that it echoed all the way to Central Park, where an individual was panting heavily at its center.

“Huff! Huuu! I’d rather not do something like this ever again,” Grandis said after activating Ultima, and fiddled with the Bloodstream Stone Piece. He turned to Seong-Hwi and said, “In half a month, borrowing your words, Together will be complete.”

Seong-Hwi simply stared at him blankly in silence, lost for words by the unfathomable caliber Grandis had shown him.

“I have kept my promise, so I hope you will do the same, especially through your results as an inspector,” Grandis said.

Seong-Hwi continued to remain silent.

“Details regarding Gurzes will be sent to you after that half-month... Cheon Seong-Hwi?” Grandis called.

Only then did the light in Seong-Hwi’s eyes slowly return.

Grandis asked, “Are you listening to me?”

“S-someone as blinding as yourself... must have grasped all destinies, right? I’m sure you have!” Seong-Hwi shouted, unable to suppress the question from coming out of his mouth.

Grandis stared at Seong-Hwi, blinking in confusion. Seong-Hwi’s facial muscles were twitching from his overflowing desire and goal orientation. His eyes were shining, his heels were raised as if he were about to leap at any moment, and his fingers were shaking as if wanting to grasp something.

Grandis smirked and remarked, “You’re the one who should be waking up from a dream.”

***

A giant so big that mountains only reached his knees, walked as his steps created earthquakes. He was Grandis, who had canceled the Miniaturization he had activated severalfold.

“What an interesting human,” he said, his thunderous voice echoing throughout the area.

Although the clouds were hiding it, he was smiling.

“Cheon Seong-Hwi, huh?”

He kept smiling as he recalled the human. He was an outrageous fellow. In truth, he had overheard the conversation inside Bafor’s steel dome when Seong-Hwi was in the middle of betraying Pseraslav.

“Let there be no resentment between us. After all, I had you promise me when I agreed to cooperate.”

Grandis would not have been surprised if Seong-Hwi had killed Pseraslav, but Bafor had persuaded him to let Pseraslav live. He had been genuinely surprised. It was harder to spit out candy that was already in one’s mouth than to refuse candy that was in a glass jar. After that, Seong-Hwi had used his guts harder than steel and his tongue smoother than that of a snake to profit from the negotiation that took place at the arbitration.

“He’s also cunning. Using someone like him, who has complaints about the Sēmen, should make it easy to cut out the rotten bits.”

Seong-Hwi’s qualities were why Grandis had given him a mission to the point that he had created the position of inspector. Since Seong-Hwi was capable in many ways and held enmity toward the Sēmen, Grandis judged that he would be the perfect sword to use to reform the Sēmen.

He was also sure that Seong-Hwi had figured out these intentions, and his acceptance despite that was proof that he had a perfect understanding of the merits of being an inspector.

“It may be a waste to use him simply as a sword,” Grandis muttered as he recalled what Seong-Hwi had said to him with his shining black eyes.

“S-someone as blinding as yourself... must have grasped his destiny, right? I’m sure you have!”

It had been a while since he had heard the shouts of someone truly alive—filled with longing and desire.

“AHAHAHAHA! He’s truly something else! I like him!”

This was the first time Grandis had met a human he liked as much as Lee Kang-San.

“Maybe it would be fine to tell him,” he wondered, but decided otherwise. “No, it’s not too late to decide after I see how he deals with things in Gurzes. They haven’t taken action yet, after all.”

Grandis’s strides became wider.