Chapter 286
Chapter 286
The group arrived at a western-looking city . The city"s appearance was similar to the ancient city that Sungyoon had accessed with his portal . The buildings inside both places looked similar and worn out . However, there were clear differences between the cities too .
“… Fortress?”
One of the Connectors in the group mumbled when he looked at his surroundings . He had stepped into this city through a portal .
The city was built atop a hill with a steep incline, and one could tell that the city was surrounded by st.u.r.dy walls even from a distance . These walls were four-layered .
In terms of size, this city was smaller than the ancient city .
“Fortress city . ”
Plu-El mumbled .
“Tiotudo is still alive?”
Her words contained hope . She had a.s.sumed her best friend was dead, but it now seemed that he could be alive . However, her comrade dashed these hopes .
“No . We still haven"t found him . We have to a.s.sume that he"s dead . ”
“What? Then who opened the portal connecting to Fortress city? I thought only the Royal Gem and the Warrior Gem could do that . ”
“I did it . ”
Plu-El turned toward the voice as a shadow appeared on her face .
“Aruwen . ”
“I’m glad you"re safe, Plu-El . ”
Aruwen greeted Plu-El with a smile, but Plu-El wasn’t thrilled to see that smile .
‘This b.a.s.t.a.r.d opened the portal to Fortress city?’
It meant Aruwen had awakened the Warrior Gem .
‘I did give it to him, but . . . ’
Before making his last stand, Tiotudo had given his Warrior Gem to Plu-El . Later, to urge Aruwen to run away, Plu-El had transferred the Gem to Aruwen . However, she had never expected him to awaken the Warrior Gem .
‘He awakened it so fast . ’
Tiotudo had hypothesized that certain prerequisites had to be met if one wanted to awaken one of the special Gems . It seemed Aruwen fulfilled these prerequisites, but this was too fast . Above all else, Plu-El felt uneasy by the fact that it had been Aruwen who had awakened the Warrior Gem .
Right now, Plu-El had no idea if the awakening of the Gem was a boon or a bane . If she considered Aruwen’s original personality, the probability of it being a bane was high .
However, Aruwen’s actions completely differed from how she had expected them to be .
“Who are those people beside you? Did you make friends?”
‘Huh?’
Plu-El tilted her head in puzzlement . Aruwen wasn’t acting like the Aruwen she knew . His eyes should be full of killing intent, like the monsters in the labyrinths, because she had brought outsiders here .
‘It’s fine . It doesn’t change what I have to do . ’
She had to convince the conservative members of her people, and this included Aruwen .
“I have something I want to say . Can you call a meeting?”
“Right now?”
“Yes . ”
“Understood . ”
Plu-El closed her mouth once again . She had expected Aruwen to rail against her, so she had prepared a speech about the sacrifices she had made for the betterment of her people . Her plan was to push hard on her agenda using her past accomplishments . However, that plan went up in smoke in a ridiculous manner .
“I just have to gather all our comrades?”
“Uh… Yeah . ”
Aruwen immediately moved, and Plu-El looked at his back as if she had seen a ghost . With a questioning look in her eyes, she looked at her comrade, who stood next to her .
“Mmm . Honestly, this development has shocked everyone . Aruwen has changed a lot . At first, we thought he was possessed . But, I think he"s acting like someone who has let go of his burdens . He’s now relaxed . It seems as if Tiotudo’s death and your sacrifice have changed something within him . ”
When Plu-El thought about it, she recalled that in the ambush, she had smiled at him thinking it was the end . The expression on Aruwen’s face at that moment reappeared in her mind .
‘It was as if the sky were falling for him . ’
“What do you think about it?”
“What are you referring to? Aruwen’s change?”
“Yes . ”
Her comrade tilted his head a little bit .
“It isn’t bad . If I think about all the actions he has taken in recent days, he’s changed for the good . At the very least, it"s hard to find his arrogant att.i.tude anymore . I don’t know why you brought these men, but . . . ”
The man glanced at the Connectors of Armstrong city, who were looking at Fortress city with wonder in their eyes .
“Aruwen might be your biggest ally . ”
“No way!”
Plu-El laughed and dismissed his words as if she couldn’t take them at face value .
***
“Alright . ”
Plu-El thought she had misheard . Despite getting the answer she wanted, she had to ask the question .
“What did you just say?”
“I said alright . ”
Thankfully, nothing was wrong with her ears . However, this brought up another worry .
“Are you sure you understood my words?”
“In the past, we and the people of Earth had a misunderstanding . You now think it’ll be a good idea to ally with them . And as a gesture of trust, you want us to partic.i.p.ate in their plan of evacuating their people to Earth . Am I right?”
“Let me get this straight . You understand what I’m proposing, and you agree with it?”
“I do . ”
It seemed Aruwen was starting to get annoyed with her as his eyebrows twitched . However, this reaction was far tamer considering his past petulant self . The difference was as large as that between night and day .
Plu-El couldn’t hold back herself .
“Are you sick?”
“… I can get mad at this situation, right?”
Aruwen asked the people around him . It was obvious to everyone that Plu-El was being rude to him . The emotions they felt were similar to Plu-El, so they just bitterly laughed and ignored Aruwen’s question .
Aruwen sighed, then turned to Plu-El, who continued to stare at him with suspicion in her eyes . He spoke .
“Don’t look at me like that . Even if I"m dumb, I’m not obstinate . I can see where my actions have brought me . ”
Aruwen had realized he had a part in getting his friend killed . Then, he had almost lost Plu-El too when she had decided to sacrifice herself . When she had stayed behind and asked him to escape, it had shattered his remaining pride .
Plu-El finally accepted that Aruwen had changed, but this didn’t mean she was entirely happy .
“It"s too late . ”
Plu-El was firm with her words . At the very least, she had wanted Aruwen to come back to his senses before Tiotudo had died .
Aruwen’s transformation had come too late, and it wouldn’t bring Tiotudo back from the dead .
Aruwen was also aware of this .
“I know . I don’t plan to give any excuses . You can criticize and condemn me, and I plan on taking responsibility for my actions . But, I hope you can put it off until we achieve a degree of safety for our people . If I’m being objective, our people need me . I"m now a big part of our fighting power . ”
Aruwen was telling the truth . He had always been on the strong side amongst their people .
But the part that caught Plu-El"s attention was a different one .
‘He included himself amongst our people’s fighting power . ’
Aruwen had always thought of himself as special, yet he had naturally referred to himself as being part of the normal troops . The Aruwen of the past would have never done this, and it made her a bit suspicious .
However, if Aruwen had changed, it would rea.s.sure her heart . He would be a reliable ally .
‘I decided to trust the people whom I have tried to kill before . There is no reason I shouldn’t take the leap with a comrade . ’
Plu-El smiled at Aruwen .
“If you know that already, I will no longer speak about it from now on . I look forward to working with you, Aruwen . ”
“Yes, I look forward to working with you too . From now on . . . ”
Aruwen pointed his finger to the side toward the rest of the Moon people, who were coming toward them .
“Let’s do our best to convince them . ”
“Alright . ”
The biggest stumbling block in Plu-El"s plan had come over to her side . It was like having a thousand troops supporting her . She felt strength enter her shoulders .
Plu-El had come here with the thought that it would be difficult to convince her comrades, but it now seemed it would be much easier . It felt almost like a premonition .
***
The two groups that had been trying to kill each other up until now stared at each other . Even though they had gathered to discuss an alliance, it was inevitable that there would be tension in the air .
Since everyone had been told about the misunderstanding beforehand, they didn’t openly show hostility . However, some of the Moon people looked at the Connectors of Armstrong city with murderous intent in their eyes .
They were in the minority . Most of the Moon people had understood and accepted what had happened . They quietly a.s.sessed their counterparts .
The Mayor looked at Plu-El, who stood in front of the Moon people, with a bright expression .
“You kept your promise . ”
“Oh my! Did you doubt my word?”
“No way! It"s just the anxiety and worry that comes with old age . Please be understanding . ”
The Mayor had relaxed enough to crack a joke .
“I want to confirm the terms of our alliance . Will that be ok?”
A man walked up next to Plu-El and spoke .
Plu-El furrowed her brows as she looked at Aruwen .
“You don’t trust my word?”
“No . I trust you . However, this is a separate issue . We"re talking about the future of our people . It doesn’t matter if I trust you . ”
‘Is this really the Aruwen I know?’
For a moment, Plu-El had been offended . But then, she had realized that he was right . She was still having a hard time getting used to this version of Aruwen .
When Plu-El quieted down, Aruwen spoke to the Mayor .
“We’ll help you escape the Moon, and we will escape with you to Earth . Afterward, you’ll help our people settle on Earth . Is there anything you take issue with?”
“No . ”
The Mayor answered him . It seemed as if Aruwen was trying to see through the Mayor and determine whether he was telling the truth or not .
“Understood . ”
Aruwen spoke .
“We don’t have positive proof of each other’s intentions, but it"s true that both our groups have limited options . We have to trust that the promise will be kept by both sides . I"m willing to trust you . ”
“Please don’t worry about it . ”
Sungyoon joined in on the conversation .
Aruwen looked at Sungyoon .
“You are… . ”
Aruwen recognized the man who had stolen his Royal Gem . It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that due to the incident, Aruwen had gone berserk .
Plu-El was tense because of the situation, but Aruwen didn’t throw any tantrums .
“Knight . Mr . Woo Sungyoon . ”
“Yes . That"s my nickname on Earth . Personally, I don’t think I deserve it, but it has come in handy from time to time . ”
Sungyoon’s gaze briefly landed on Aruwen’s bow .
He was sure of it . This man was the archer who had ambushed his party in the past and almost led them to their deaths .
Aruwen also realized that Sungyoon was looking at his bow . He could tell Sungyoon was trying to come to terms with the information . Still, Aruwen remained silent and made no excuses . Without any bitterness, he looked at Sungyoon with calm eyes .
Plu-El’s worried gaze deepened as the tension between the two groups increased .
Sungyoon looked at Aruwen once again .
“I"m willing to use my fame and fortune to support this plan . It"s the same for all the Connectors gathered here . At the very least, I want you to know that you won’t have trouble living on Earth . ”
Someone let out a sigh of relief .
Was it the relief that came with a resolution of a conflict? Or was it a temporary truce? The only certainty was that there would be no explosive feud between the two men .
“I’ll be in your care, Mr . Woo Sungyoon . ”
“I promise I’ll do my best . ”
They had taken the first step toward achieving peace between the two groups