He could also raise his contribution to the galactic federation by giving a speech. In fact, previously Ark had no interest in fame and contribution. Well, he had been a criminal so he didn’t need to worry about fame or contribution on the battlefield……
Anyway, gaining fame and contribution were an important part of Galaxian. High fame would increase the number of sponsor offers from bigger companies as well as more quests from regular NPCs. If the user managed a business then the fame would be applied to the business and various collateral effects could be applied. And federation contribution meant that he could get special questions from the government.
‘My first task is to buy an agent registration certificate so I can create a mercenary group!’
Gaining fame and contribution could help him achieve his goal. That was why Ark endured the murderous schedule silently. His fame had climbed to 2,700 after the last few days. And his galactic federation contribution was 3,300! It was a number that showed how difficult Marquis Martin’s schedule was. It wasn’t just the fame and contribution. If that was the only compensation then Ark couldn’t endure it. Ark also obtained a second income. It was that he could travel to each city for free.
The method of transportation in the future was the Star Gate. The Star Gate could move tens of thousands of lights years in an instant and not everyone could use it. The pioneer ID meant he could travel to the government’s authorized area in each city but it wasn’t available for a lot of 2nd cla.s.s citizens. Even 1st cla.s.s citizens needed to pay 30~100 gold to travel between other cities using the Star Gate. That’s the reason why after selecting a city on R-14, it wasn’t possible to move to other cities for a long time. If they couldn’t use the Star Gate then it required the user to walk hundreds or thousands of kilometres. But Ark was different.
Marquis Martin had handed him a piece of paper after reaching Nephalim. The name of every city on Istana was written on it.
Ark’s promotional activities wasn’t just taking part in Nephalim. Marquis Martin had planned everything once the deal was made. As soon as the transaction was completed, a schedule involving the broadcasting stations of Istana’s 20 cities were set.
……If he worked as a manager then he would’ve been highly successful. Anyway, Ark was able to use the Star Gate for free due to the public relations activities. Of course, Marquis Martin’s schedule meant there was no time to go sightseeing. Sometimes he would take the Star Gate three times a day! n.o.body would envy that type of travelling. Then Ark had a thought that flashed through his head.
His Nymphe had 3 incomplete quests. Once again, Ark had originally gathered 15 prisoners on Beltana. At that time, the Royal Guards that Ark gathered by handing out food didn’t have any teamwork. In order to gain a sense of kinship, Ark had pardoned 5 prisoners. Two people repaid him by giving him the Withdrawal skill and a pistol. And the remaining 3 gave him quests.
It was a repayment quest where he would be given compensation if he visited them.
The quest was like free food. The problem was that those prisoners were in different cities. Once again, on Istana even the closest cities were hundreds of kilometres away. It would take many days just walking on foot. Of course, he was a 1st cla.s.s citizen so he could move using the Star Gate. However, it cost 30~100 gold.
He would receive damage even if he completed the quest. The fee for the farthest city was 100 goal so even if he received 30 gold then he would have a loss of 70 gold. So he had placed the quests to the side in his Nymphe and postponed it.
‘But now I’m going around all the cities thanks to Marquis Martin. Julius, Sidellin and Tatuine are on the agenda. I can go to the quest destinations for free. This is my chance. If I miss this opportunity then I don’t know when I’ll finish this quest.’
This was the reason why Ark didn’t complain and went around on the publicity campaign. Therefore he rearranged the tight schedule to give him time to clean up the quests in Julius, Sidellin and Tatuine. The first person he visited was Hamad.
Hamad once operated a large store before he got caught on tax evasion and sent to Beltana. He was a merchant and suffered on the battlefield. He was even worried about starving but Hamad was able to return to his hometown with your help. Hamad promised to return the favour if you ever visited him in the city Julius.
Difficulty: –
Hamad was a similar age to Mellin and managed a considerably large store in Julius. However, he was caught in tax evasion and conscripted.
‘He is a merchant so the compensation should be decent.’
Ark was full of expectations as he visited Hamad.
“Oh, this is larger than I thought…..”
After visiting the GPS information Hamad gave him, the store occupied quite a large piece of land.
“If the store is this large then I can expect better rewards.”
Ark laughed and murmured. From the beginning he had no idea about what he could get. The amount wasn’t recorded in the quest information. So he had tried to control his expectations.
But his expectations collapsed the moment he entered the store. The store was significantly large. It was the same inside. Yet there were only 10 shelves inside. But the products on display were just cheap items. It smelt like a bare shop. It was the smell of a store dying……
Ark looked around the store with bemused eyes.
“Quickly…..heok! Y-you!”
The person running around stopped with a surprised expression. The old man with a moustache was Hamad. Hama stared with shocked eyes before exclaiming.
“Oh, it’s really you! Yes, I heard on the news broadcasts that you’ve returned. Awesome! You entered the war a prisoner and returned a hero! I knew you weren’t an ordinary person but I didn’t think you would succeed to this degree!”
“Thank you. Then……”
Ark looked around. He was grateful but Ark didn’t make time in his schedule to chat with Hamad. It was to receive the compensation for getting Hamad pardoned. But judging by the store, there was no way to extort money in this atmosphere. Even if there was a quest, he couldn’t just talk about the compensation.
“Why is the atmosphere of the store like this?”
Hamad’s face hardened at Ark’s question. He sighed before answering.
“This is due to my previous staff.”
“Huh? Your previous staff?”
“I had 30 employees before being sent to Beltana. The two store near here were also originally my property. When my tax evasion was caught, I was conscripted and slapped with a huge fine. In order to decrease the penalty, I moved those stores into the name of some reliable employees. And I thought the employee would return the shop when I was pardoned……”
The store employees he trusted bit him in the back.
“They betrayed me……”
Hamad couldn’t endure it and grinded his teeth together. Once again, the NPCs who followed Ark on Beltana were criminals. They were people who committed different types of crimes. He received the conscription for tax evasion so Hama wasn’t a good NPC. And before he was dragged to Beltana, he wasn’t shy about using his money to be the leader of a gang. Those delinquents were Hamad’s employees. In other words, Hamad was like a gangster boss leading some delinquents. Hamad was able to obtain the surrounding stores due to that. He never thought his employees would betray the organization. However, the reason they originally followed Hamad was his money. Hamad had handed over the store so that money shifted to the employee he left it in charge of. At the same time, Hamad’s followers shifted to the new person with money. Thus Hamad couldn’t take it back from his employee anymore. The subordinates of the organization had betrayed Hamad. This was something that often appeared on gangster movies.
“This is the only store left in my name.”
That wasn’t the only problem. Subordinates who betrayed their boss always had a clear conscience.
It was impossible for the subordinates to be happy about the boss appearing next to them.
“I’m the person who built up 3 large stores using my own hands. My business sense is incomparable compared to them. So once I returned and started the business, those guys used every method possible to interfere with my business. My cleverness couldn’t withstand daily hara.s.sment……I’ve also been pardoned but the fine is still remaining. In this situation it is impossible for me to run a business. Therefore I can only obtain cheap products like this.”
This was why there were blank shelves.
“But now I’m at the limit. At this rate, it will only be a month or two before my store is seized by the court. I’ll soon become a beggar.”
What the h.e.l.l…..he didn’t understand but……
It was clear that he wouldn’t be getting compensation for the moment. No, there was no guarantee that he could get a worthwhile reward at all.
‘But it is too early to give up…..’
Ark wasn’t the type to give up over something like this. He wouldn’t give up on even 1 copper coin. It was too early to abandon a potential merchant. He still owned the store. If there was no interference by the previous subordinates then couldn’t Hamad somehow recover? But Ark would soon have to leave to another city. No, it wasn’t that simple. This wasn’t something that could be fixed in a day or two. He had no choice but to wait a considerable period of time before receiving the compensation.
“I understand. But I have to leave Julius soon. I’ll also think of a way so please endure it.”
Ark arranged things for the moment and parted from Hamad. There was nothing he could do here.
However, he found the clue to solve the problem in an unexpected place. After leaving Julius, Ark visited many cities as the amba.s.sador of the galactic federation before arriving at Sidellin. Sidellin was the place where Asuran lived.
Asuran was the former leader of a bandit group dispatched to the disputed planet Beltana after being arrested and you’ve saved him and allowed him to be pardoned. Asuran is impressed by your favour and wants to pay you back. If you visit Asuran in the city Sidellin on Istana then you will get a special reward.
Difficulty: –
This was the quest he received from Asuran. However, the result from Asuran was also disappointing.
“I’m sorry Hyung-nim.”
He smelt like alcohol and looked like a beggar.
“You wouldn’t believe it when looking at me know but I was the boss of a moderate sized bandit group. I thought once I returned to Sidellin then we could return to what it used to be. But the group has been placed on the blacklist after the previous incident and watched by androids. I wanted to repay Hyung-nim’s favour but……I heard that Hyung-nim became a hero so I didn’t dare contact you.”
……This guy had thought he could give stolen good as compensation. Asuran continued complaining.
“It really seems dead. I’m an ex-thief and my appearance makes it so I can’t find any other jobs.”
Asuran was an alien of the Belkin clan. The Belkin looked similar to humans but their facial features were extremely ugly and scary. It gave him considerable bonus stats as a thieve but it acted as a penalty when trying to find a different job.
“So I’m currently a beggar. I might even die of starvation. If I die when I have no money then I can’t resurrect. Ha, now my life on Beltana seems rather good. At least I could resurrect even if I had no money.”
Once again, resurrecting with the Fairy wasn’t free. Prisoners on Beltana paid through achievements but others had to pay money. Pioneers resurrecting with the Fairy were immortal but that only applied if they had money. If they didn’t have money then it was the end. The thought of it was dreadful.
‘d.a.m.n, this guy isn’t okay either?’
He chose Hamad and Asuran because he thought they had money and would give him the most rewards. Now that he actually visited them, they looked shabby and he had to help them instead of receiving compensation. Ark watched Asuran and sighed. Suddenly an ‘!’ popped into his head.
‘Speaking of Hamad……that guy can’t engage in business because of interference and his situation is deteriorating. And Asuran’s subordinates didn’t betray him but they can’t find any work. What if I combine these two?’
Asuran wasn’t an ordinary NPC. He was a thief that had climbed onto the blacklist of the galactic federation. In other words, he was a real rogue.
‘Bullies vs. thieves!’
There was no reason for Asuran to be intimidated by a group of hooligans. Furthermore, he was a beggar but didn’t he still have a lot of subordinates left?
“Asuran, how many people are in your group?”
“Well, they aren’t my subordinates now…..but if I call them together then I can gather 20~30 people.”
“Perfect.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Asuran, do you remembered Hamad ajusshi from Beltana?”
Ark grinned and explained Hamad’s situation. Asuran burst out with rage.
“Those d.a.m.n b.a.s.t.a.r.ds! We might be hooligans or thieves but shouldn’t we be loyal to our colleagues? Not only did they betray their boss, now they’re trying to obstruct his business?”
“Then would you like to help Hamad?”
“Me?”
“Yes, if your group helps Hamad then they won’t interfere anymore. Hamad is quite resourceful so he should be able to recover with those guys out of the way. It might be difficult now but won’t you be able to eat once Hamad recovers? How about it? Will you think about it?”
“Yes, I’ll go! I’ll call them together now!”
Asuran jumped up when Ark said something.
“The problem is…..Julius is 800 km away.”
Asuran and his henchmen couldn’t use the Star Gate as they were 2nd cla.s.s citizens. Even if they were 1st cla.s.s citizens, they could barely eat at the moment so there was no way they could pay the fees. But Asuran answered like it was no problem.
“It doesn’t matter if it is 800 km or 8,000 km. I will quick go and help Hamad!”
He summoned his followers and immediately left for Julius.
“Hopefully……”
Hamad needed to restore his store. Asuran and his henchmen needed work. Hopefully. Yes, hopefully he could resolve two issues at the same time.
“And I’ll be able to get the compensation from both of them.”
He liked the idea but there was no guarantee that it would work. However, the chances of getting a good reward if he waited a long time was 0%. On the other hand, this meant that he could see the results sooner. Of course, the compensation would still take a while even if his plan was successful. However, wasn’t waiting a while better than giving up?
“Please turn out well……”
Ark sincerely prayed as he watched the departing Asuran. Ark continued travelling through several cities promoting the galactic federation before finally arriving at Tatuine.
Milan is a treasure hunter in Tatuine. In exchange for your help on Beltana, he promised to find a treasure to repay you once he returns to Tatuine. If you visit Milan in Tatuine then it might be possible to receive a special reward.
Difficulty: –
It was the destination of his final quest. In fact, he didn’t expect that much from this quest. Hamad was a shop owner while Asuran was the leader of a bandit group. His expectations were high when he went to visit them. However, Milan was just a treasure hunter. The name sounded good but it was no different from being unemployed. Furthermore, Hamad and Asuran’s quest so he just needed to visit to be given the compensation. But Milan’s said he would find a treasure to give to him.
‘If this follows the same pattern……’
It was likely that Milan would be suffering as well. He found some time to visit him but naturally the answer was disappointing.
“I’m sorry Hyung-nim. I’ve finally returned to Tatuine but so many pioneers are exploring the ruins that I couldn’t find anything.”
‘d.a.m.n, in the end 3 different quests were worthless?’
Ark sighed with frustration. Milan studied his face and tried to explain.
“But this doesn’t mean I have no income.”
He searched through a pile of junk in the corner of a room and pulled out a slab.
“I visited some ruins based on information from a tavern. But other pioneers had been there and it was empty. However, I still searched around and found this item. Do you know what is recorded on here?”
“What?”
Ark answered in a voice that displayed no interest. Milan had received information from a tavern but pioneers had already taken away most of the items. Yet he wanted Ark to be interested in the contents of a slab found in that place?
‘This isn’t right. It is the same with Hamad and Asuran. Dammit, this is strange. It is strange that there are so many quests like this. I shouldn’t have believed the promises of starving prisoners on Beltana.’
He had 99% given up.
“It is information about the Murat.”
Ark raised his head as Milan’s talk continued.
“A lot of pioneers still don’t know this but the Murat were a legendary species who controlled the Bellin constellation. They disappeared suddenly but their advanced technology was spread among the Rama and galactic federation. In particular, the Murat……”
Milan thought Ark didn’t know anything about the Murat and started babbling about them. However, it was impossible for Ark to not know about the Murat. Ark was able to become Beltana’s hero thanks to the Murat pyramid found deep underground. He raised his level, found a rare sword and was able to raid the Rama’s main base using it.
‘And I got the special 5 star rated skill Rune Carving from it!’
The Murat’s pyramid on Beltana was truly like a treasure box to Ark. Now Milan had found something related to the Murat. He couldn’t just ignore it.
“Milan, show me that slab!”
Ark took the slab and examined it. The characters engraved on the slab was the same as the Murat letters he previously saw. The Nymphe’s translation function automatically started as his fingers skimmed the slab.
-The great lords…..Murat’s lineage……
Pilgrims, the Murat will receive a selection…..to reach there…..
The slab was broken. The Murat had also disappeared a long time ago so not many records remained. It would’ve been strange for a slab made by the Murat to be perfect. A considerable amount of the slab was damaged so it was difficult to grasp the entire contents of the slab. Furthermore, the contents seemed ambiguous like a riddle. When he thought about it, the style of writing in the pyramid was also like this.
‘And weren’t the Murat a species known for their wisdom?’
But he couldn’t a.s.sume that all sentences were written like that. Still, he felt like the some phrases were truly mysterious. What the contents pointed to in the game…..
‘It is highly possible the contents leads to a hidden Murat ruin!’
He could find new clues about the Murat. Ark’s eyes flashed at the thought.
‘If these Murat ruins are similar to the pyramid on Beltana then the treasure should be similar. And I might be able to find a new rune!’
According to the information obtained, the Ikram rune wasn’t the only one the Murat used. Ikram was only one of the runes used by the Murat. Rune Carving required mana so he needed to wear the battle suit. But it was a skill that could be utilized in quite a few ways. If he found it then it would help him grow. The problem was the lack of translated contents.
“Where the sun rises and sets……does this information point to the place?”
Ark muttered to himself as he tinkered with the slab. Then Mellin’s eyes widened and he asked.
“Eh? What are you saying?”
“What am I saying? It is the sentence written on the slab.”
“Huh? W-wait. Hyung-nim can read the contents?”
“What about it? It is natural to be able to read the parts not damaged with my Nymphe.”
“It isn’t natural for the Nymphe to translate the Murat letters!”
Milan shouted with an absurd expression.
“The Murat is an ancient species that disappeared before humans appeared in the galaxy. Therefore humans only discovered things about the Murat through other alien species. Sometimes Murat relics are discovered on planets in the Bellin constellation but it is difficult to research because the scholars can’t read Murat letters. So it is impossible for the language to be included in the Nymphe’s automatic translation function.”
“Your Nymphe doesn’t translate these letters?”
“Of course!”
“Then how did you know this slab is related to the Murat?”
“I recognized the letter shapes. But knowing the shapes and translating it is different.”
Ark was confused by Milan’s answer. The characters were automatically translated for Ark while wandering through the Murat pyramid. But the language translation function isn’t included on other Nymphes?
‘Come to think of it…..’
It was the same with the Rama language. The Nymphe automatically translated the languages of the alien species a.s.sociated with the federation. That’s because the language of the alien species were included on the Nymphe. The language of hostile alien species like the Rama weren’t registered on the Nymphe’s OS so it couldn’t be automatically translated. That’s why a separate translator was needed to talk to the Rama. However, Ark’s Nymphe was able to simultaneously translate the Rama’s language. And that applied to the Murat’s language because the galactic federation hadn’t fully grasped the writing system.
‘My Nymphe isn’t normal.’
It was clear where it came from. The data downloaded from the airplane toy! His Nymphe became weird because of that data. His Nymphe returned to normal once he received the Prisoner coating.
That was the reason why Ark’s Nymphe was different from other users. Some other data was registered on the Nymphe in the process.
‘My Nymphe didn’t work properly because of the data. There is no reason to complain about the increased functions of my Nymphe but……’
He made an uncomfortable face. This wasn’t normal so it might cause some problems. However, it wasn’t possible to repair it since it was behaving normally. He would also have to explain that he received he data from hacking to the galactic federation. And the results meant his Nymphe would become the same as other users. The extra function would disappear.
‘It’s clear this isn’t normal but I can’t inform the galactic federation. Fortunately no problems have formed yet while using it.’
While Ark was busy thinking…..
Milan began to talk with an excited expression.
“If Hyung-nim can decipher the Murat letters then there might be a way to clear them up.”
“How?”
“Huhuhu. Hyung-nim, do you remember my job? Treasure hunter. In the past, treasure hunters carried shovels and dug at the land but this is the 24th century. This is an era where no calories are wasted. Treasure hunters have some high-tech equipment. This equipment is one of them.”
Milan laughed as he tapped a machine in the corner.
“This is a 3D restoration machine.”
“3D restoration?”
“For example, let’s say I found a statue with a detached arm. Couldn’t I guess the form based on the other parts of the statue? The 3D restoration machine repairs damaged parts by looking at the basic structure. It is impossible if it is completely broken but the 3D restoration machine has no problem restoring compromised parts. This slab isn’t that damaged so it can restore 70~80% of it.”
Ark had only decrypted 30% of the contents. If the 3D machine could restore 70~80% of the slab then he could obtain crucial information form the Murat’s letters.
‘There is a way to find it!’
Ark’s chest jumped.
“How long would it take to restore the slab?”
“This model is slightly old but the slab shouldn’t take that long to be restored.”
“Okay, call me as soon as it is done. Do you know my recognition code?”
“Yes, I’ll start right away.”
That conversation had finished two days ago. Ark continued to be dragged around by Marquis Martin for the publicity campaign and checked his Nymphe’s mailbox. And he discovered a mail from Milan yesterday afternoon.
From: Milan
Hyung-nim, the restoration of the slab has finished!
Ark’s body was shaking for that reason. He wanted to test the skills obtained from the Survivor coating but he really wanted to check the information on the slab Milan discovered. But he had only travelled around 12 cities so far. 8 cities still remained.
‘It took 5 days to wander around 12 cities so do I have to continue for 3 more days?’
Ark sighed as he left the interview room. The Marquis Martin who had disappeared somewhere came in and spoke to him.
“There has been some fluctuations in the schedule.”
“Huh?”
“The publicity campaign will stop now.”
……His long promotional journey was over.