The day after the magical barrier surrounding New Eden was created, Catherine and I returned to the hill where the spatial transfer ruins stood.
It was to go to Earth.
Unlike when we had come to this planet, we were the only ones returning to Earth.
Instead, several people came to see us off.
The Sterlings, father and son, and several figures of authority we had become acquainted with over the past two days. Even the energy users guarding them.
Perhaps because dark energy was scarce and guns had even been made, this planet was ruled by Earth’s powers.
Now that the Stone faction, whose leader had been an energy user, had collapsed, surveillance and wariness toward energy users would only grow stronger from here on.
If ordinary people continued to cross over, that situation would surely continue.
It was unfortunate for the energy users, but I was not worried about them.
Unlike ordinary people, who had no refuge except this planet, energy users had another planet they could go to.
Trappist. A planet more dangerous than this one, but far better suited for energy users to act to their hearts’ content.
Perhaps the head of Sterling thought the same as I did, because he said something similar as his farewell.
“Don’t worry about sending the energy users to Trappist. Aside from the proper number needed for public security, we’ll send them all.”
Just as the Stone faction had sent the energy users of other factions to Trappist, it seemed they intended to send off the Stone faction as well.
The same would likely apply to newly awakened people.
Of course, I had no interest in such politics.
In any case, from now on, Paradise could no longer serve as a training ground for energy users.
There was already a better alternative called Trappist.
All the energy user candidates who would pour out through the “Wizard’s Flower” would be sent to Trappist.
The place that needed energy users was Trappist, and awakening after training there was more certain.
Energy users had no need to come to this planet.
I did not tell that fact to the city’s new leadership.
There was no reason to tell them.
This planet did not hold that much value to me.
[For something with no value, didn’t you work quite hard to help it?]
[Since I came all this way anyway, it would have been strange to return without doing anything.]
It had ended up becoming a place people merely passed through, but it would still be a refuge for many.
Giving a little help, like that magical curtain, was not particularly difficult.
[That’s true. Fighting hard against Demon Kings and saving people along the way. That is the sort of thing we do.]
After hearing my words, Soph said something that left me feeling a little uneasy.
I was about to argue back, but it was time to leave.
Catherine and I stepped onto the altar, which had been modified like the ruins on Earth.
Below the hill, the city of Paradise, New Eden, came into view.
The terraforming ruins in the center of the city, and the translucent magical barrier spread across the horizon, also entered my sight.
Far away, somewhere inside that horizon, the Colosseum ruins where the half-complete control entity slept would be there as well.
A lot had happened over three days and two nights.
We had had to face unexpected situations, and fight monsters as well.
All the plans we had been considering had to be changed.
Not only for me, but also for the people on this planet, for America, and for the other people on Earth.
I looked around one last time and said to Soph.
[Unless something special happens, I suppose I won’t be coming back to this planet again.]
[It seems that way. There doesn’t appear to be any more magic here that would be of help to us.]
This planet’s civilization and magic were more backward than expected.
To the point that there was not much difference between it and Venus.
[Perhaps because it was close to the solar system, its dark energy decreased far too quickly. Terraforming was only possible over a small area, not the entire planet. And when the Aczar bastards came crashing in under those circumstances, the people who remained must have been unable to endure and all died.]
Unlike Trappist, this planet lacked dark energy.
For that reason, there had been the fortunate circumstance that the Aczar monsters could not awaken when Earthlings came here, but in the end, humans had forcibly awakened those monsters.
[If you had not been here this time, this city would have perished just like before. In the end, you are this city’s savior.]
Letting Soph’s uncharacteristically embarrassing praise flow past me, I said to Catherine.
“Come to think of it, we didn’t get to see many of the relics that were our original objective.”
At my words, Catherine immediately apologized.
“I’m sorry. We didn’t have enough time to look for other relics. If we talk to them now, I think we can still obtain more, but……”
I waved my hand at her apology. That was not what I meant.
There was no need to search for more relics.
“It’s fine. We’ve obtained as much as we need.”
The bag on my back contained various relics found in the Colosseum ruins.
They were relics the head of Stone had set aside separately.
Even if we gathered relics again, I did not think they would be better than these.
Relics that seemed useful to me, to the exploration team members, and to others.
Among them was also something to give Catherine.
The technicians operated the machinery attached to the altar.
Energy flowed out of the black stone fixed to the machine, and that energy was immediately sucked into the altar.
Wooooong.
A huge hologram, a portal, opened in front of the altar where we stood.
“Let’s go.”
Catherine and I jumped into it.
Flaaaash!
The world turned white.
As expected, there were two paths connected to this planet.
Earth and Venus.
It seemed the people who had lived on this planet had not been able to escape.
I entrusted my body to the flow of energy.
Flaaaash!
Soon, the bright light disappeared.
The underground ruins appeared before my eyes.
The underground ruins of Djibouti.
We had returned properly.
The underground base we had returned to after three days had a different atmosphere than before.
Security had already been strengthened when we left, but now it was on another level.
The number of soldiers holding loaded guns had changed.
Among them, I could also see the special forces members who had flown here on the plane with us.
I wanted to acknowledge them, but seeing their tense eyes, it did not seem easy to greet them.
Looking at the soldiers aiming their guns at us, I said to Catherine.
“It’s incredibly tight.”
“There was a battle before we left, and Magreta must have delivered the news first.”
If the situation in Paradise had been conveyed, it was only natural for security to become stricter.
For the U.S. government, it was no different from Paradise having rebelled.
The one and only refuge prepared for the end had rebelled, so it was natural for security to be this tight.
“I was worried things might get complicated, but fortunately they didn’t send anyone to Paradise.”
“Magreta handled it well.”
While Catherine and I were talking, a U.S. military officer approached.
After saluting us, he confirmed our identities again.
“Commander Catherine Trappist, Deputy Commander Hyeon, is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
Catherine and I nodded to the officer.
“We have been waiting for your return. We will escort you to the base immediately.”
It seemed he had been waiting here for us to arrive.
The gun muzzles were immediately lowered, and we boarded the monorail with the officer.
Without waiting for any other passengers, the monorail headed for the base.
The cave walls flashed past quickly.
The monorail soon arrived at the base.
“I have reported that the two of you have arrived. Assistant Secretary Samuel and Ambassador Plenipotentiary Magreta are waiting in the office.”
When we got off the monorail, the officer told us where to go.
Catherine and I went up to the surface and headed for Samuel’s office.
Was it because we were near the equator?
By the calendar, it was the middle of winter, but outside the base it was extremely hot.
The people standing guard, and those moving around, all looked exhausted by the heat.
Catherine and I passed the people worn down by tension and heat, and arrived at the office.
Click.
Perhaps the air conditioner was on, because the inside of the office was cool.
Just as the officer had said, Magreta and Samuel were waiting for us inside the office.
When we entered, the two of them sprang to their feet.
Magreta looked glad to see us, but Deputy Director Samuel looked more worried.
“What happened?”
The Deputy Director began with a blunt question.
Catherine and I explained the situation.
The things the Stone faction had done, which Magreta had likely already told them, and the events that had occurred after we arrived.
And even the cleanup Catherine and I had handled after Magreta left.
As Catherine and I continued our explanation, the Deputy Director’s expression changed several times.
After hearing the entire story, he finally let out a sigh with a weary face.
“It’s fortunate that Paradise has been settled properly. But I never imagined there would be such a problem with the terraforming ruins. To think there was a limit on the number of people terraforming could support. They clearly said that as time passed, the area would gradually expand……”
Since the overall person in charge and the working-level staff had deceived them, it was only natural Earth could not have known.
“We’ll have to investigate Aaron as well. He helped develop the device that controls the ruins, so there is no way he didn’t know about this situation.”
The world’s richest man, who had come to Pyongyang on a private plane, was surely involved in that matter as well.
It had also been strange that he came all the way to Pyongyang to personally check on me.
As I was thinking that, the Deputy Director poured out curses with a fierce expression I had never seen before.
“Those traitorous bastards should be fried by lightning! No, what kind of time do they think this is, lying about something like that? Damn it! What are we supposed to do, only finding out now?”
He hurled abuse at the dead men.
He did not care at all that I had caused their deaths.
Perhaps because he had confirmed things with Magreta in advance, he did not use a lie detector either.
More than that, he was worried about what came next.
“Haa…… I’m sorry. If there is at least some good news, it would be that Deputy Commander Hyeon repaired the terraforming ruins so that more people can cross over, and that the awakening drug sample is effective.”
It seemed the results of the awakening drug had come out in the meantime.
“Was it successful?”
“It was. We ran blood tests, and two out of a hundred people became energy user candidates.”
Two out of a hundred. The probability was higher than I had expected.
“That’s fortunate.”
“Which is why…… how much can you bring next time?”
The Deputy Director looked far more urgent than I had expected.
No matter how I looked at it, it did not seem that only what had happened in Paradise was the problem.
“I’m sorry. Originally, after confirming the sample, we should have recalculated the compensation and prepared for you to meet the President, but the situation has suddenly become urgent.”
“What happened?”
Magreta answered my question.
“Maxwell is in Antarctica because of that matter.”
Antarctica, all of a sudden?
Wasn’t there nothing but ice in Antarctica?
But that was not the case.
“There isn’t only ice in Antarctica. Beneath the ice is the Antarctic continent.”
At her words, the Deputy Director added an explanation.
“The Earth’s southern hemisphere is in summer right now. Naturally, Antarctica is in summer as well. The ice in Antarctica is melting, and part of the Antarctic continent has been exposed.”
At the Deputy Director’s words, I remembered why Venus had perished.
The cause of Venus’s destruction had also been carbon dioxide erupting from underground.
“Carbon dioxide is pouring out of that place now. In the end, the final seal has been undone.”
At Magreta’s words, I found myself looking out the window without realizing it.
Even though it was the middle of winter, hot air was covering the base.
The Beginning of the Upheaval (2)