After the Mother of the Sky returned, we began preparing to leave the.


    Adhai joined me for onest massive hunt to gather plenty of prey, ensuring the Gagons would have enough food for some time.


    Meanwhile, PS-111 left the Screamer support vessel with just one mini-Screamer behind, taking the other four aboard the Gigacracker to depart ahead of us. The remaining mini-Screamer was tasked with managing and maintaining the support vessel.


    The Mother of the Sky reluctantly agreed to transport PS-111 and the four mini-Screamers. Her heavy sighs made it clear she wasn’t thrilled about it, but in the end, she epted the role.


    The Gagons seemed quite disappointed to hear we were leaving.


    Those in charge of rearing the young were especially saddened by the news of Number 26’s departure. Likely, they knew how much harder their tasks would be without it.


    Ham Ort, too, appeared disheartened that her daughter would once again embark on a long journey. Adhai, perhaps feeling simrly, spent her time with her mother after the hunt until just before our departure.


    After tying up loose ends over the course of a day, we returned to the Gigacracker.


    As I entered themand room, a device I’d never seen before greeted me.It resembled a miniaturized obelisk, roughly one meter in height, with a bright silver surface engraved with geometric patterns.


    ‘An interstermunicator from the Cult?’


    Cultists, known for their obsession with geometric designs, often reflect their preferences in specialized equipment and ships. However, I’d never seen an interstermunicator quite like this one.


    ‘Was it modified?’


    Its appearance was peculiar, especially the base, which typically should have been unadorned but now sported multiple ports. These ports were connected to cables and wires running through themand room.


    ?This was a piece scavenged from the ck market, so it operates on alternative power sources besides psychic energy.?


    The Mother of the Sky, now in her humanoid form, seemed to anticipate my curiosity and exined.


    [ZZZZ Z ZZ ZZZ (It looks different from what I remember.)]


    ?Yes, it’s a modified model based on the Cult’s standard interstermunicator.?


    It seemed they’d torn apart themunicator itself to repurpose it.


    [ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (You weren’t just trying to contact someone?)]


    ?That was the n, but things gotplicated.?


    She frowned slightly as she answered.


    ?I tried contacting them continuously upon arrival, but there was no response. Since the signal was going through, the device itself wasn’t broken.?


    [ZZZ Z ZZZZ (They’re not answering, huh?)]


    ?So, we’re verifying through another method.?


    [ZZ ZZ (Another method?)]


    ?Yes. The device has a location-sharing feature between linked units.?


    “Location coordinates analyzed. Disying hologram.”


    As PS-111’s voice chimed in, a massive hologram appeared in the center of themand room.


    The Cult Empire’s territory materialized, filling the room. The expansive map zoomed in on a specific point, first showing a star system, then a star, a, and finally a city-level detail on the’s surface. ?


    “This is Berzan01, a in the Auro star System.”


    ?Berzan01? It’s there??


    “Do you know of it?”


    Auro99’s Berzan01. One of the Empire’s most prosperouss, it’s famous for two things.


    ‘Thergest branch of the Prophets’ Assembly is located there.’


    The Assembly’s original base isn’t Berzan01 but a desert known as <em>The Guide</em>.


    However, that is more of a cultural and historical center, while Berzan01 holds the Assembly’s practical power. Even the militant faction of the Assembly, the Eye of Revtion Priests, is stationed there.


    [ZZZ ZZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (Wasn’t Rank 22 supposed to be Coldblood? That’s unexpected.)]


    ?It is, but what’s going on here??


    In the Cult Empire, Coldblood individuals are often treated as cultists or criminals. Their reputation is even worse than that of the Volfs, who are at least given some recognition as ves.


    A Coldblood hiding in one of the Empire''s most religiously influential locations, Berzan01, was unexpected but not entirely impossible.


    ‘Hiding in in sight, perhaps.’


    After some thought, I realized it wasn’t entirely strange. Even a Coldblood could find ways to operate covertly.


    Berzan01, home to thergest branch of the Prophets’ Assembly, has another notable characteristic: it’s the most active hub for ve trading in the Empire. Disguising oneself as a ve would make entry rtively easy.


    ‘Though whates after that would be a different story.’


    I had visited Berzan01 a few times in the game. Even in its infant stages, the was notoriously challenging to handle.


    Once chaos breaks out, the Eye of Revtion priests—one of the Assembly''s militant factions—emerge alongside legions of troops and numerous Cult yers, all supported byary defense systems.


    ‘Technically, I could take it on now, but there areplications.’


    One major concern was ‘Tiger King’, the 7th-ranked Cult leader.


    In the game, Berzan01 was a strategic stronghold for the Cult. If I were in his position, I would undoubtedly have established a presence there.


    ‘Encountering him there would be a problem.’


    Unlike in the game, death in reality is final. Until I had sufficient information, a full-scale confrontation was out of the question.


    ?We can’t bring the Gigacracker there. That would spark a full-blown war.?


    The Mother of the Sky seemed to share my thoughts. Indeed, bringing a-destroying weapon to Berzan01 would guarantee chaos. Such a move would not only make it harder to find Rank 22 but might also push them to ally with Rank 7. If I were Rank 22, I wouldn’t want to engage with an Amorph dragging the Gigacracker along.


    “Do you n to hijack a new vessel?”


    PS-111’s question made me pause.


    I did have a ship—the Cult pirate vessel I used before acquiring the Gigacracker. It had been left behind on a dwarf the Gigacracker was mining.


    ‘But it might not be there anymore.’


    By now, its previous owner, Saint K., would likely be scouring the gxy for the lost superweapon. The star system where the Gigacracker had been would have been thoroughly searched, and they’d likely found the ship I left behind.


    ‘Obtaining a new ship won’t be easy either.’


    Given Berzan01’s tight security, I would need to be extremely selective about which vessel tomandeer.


    A ship frequently docking at the might pass, but anything unfamiliar would raise rms.


    Unlike at Kesha Arma, manipting harbor guards to slip through would also be much harder. Berzan01’s poption and number of overseers far surpass those of any fortress. Controlling them all would be impossible.


    ‘This is trickier than I thought.’


    Of all ces, Rank 22 had to be hiding on the infamous Berzan01, making infiltration a significant challenge. Even in the game, tackling the required meticulous preparation.


    ‘With my size as an adult and the Gigacracker at my disposal, should I just go head-on?’


    Unlike the game, where I had to take on the challenge alone and unequipped, I now had the resources to make a direct assault. Rank 7 might be present, but that wasn’t a certainty.


    As I debated, an alternative n came to mind.


    ‘Size, huh.’


    The Metallic Gremlins, known as the predators of space, are feared as ship hunters. Their reputation isn’t due to swarming in groups; if it were, the notoriety would belong to their "packs" rather than individual creatures.


    I knew how they bypassed even the most sophisticated radar systems to infiltrate ships.


    Back in my juvenile phase, I had learned their methods and used them for infiltrating space cities ands myself.


    [ZZ ZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZZ ZZ (How long would it take to reach Berzan01 from here?)]


    “With the Gigacracker’s engine capabilities, we’d arrive within two weeks.”


    [ZZZ ZZ Z (And if I went there myself?)]


    “Based on our umted data, the journey would take between three and five weeks.”


    [ZZ (Alright)]


    To execute the n, a few specific traits are required. With about a month until reaching Berzan 01, the timing isn''t bad.


    ?You’re going yourself? How are you nning to pull this off??


    [ZZZZ ZZZZ ZZZZ (I thought I’d try the old method for a change)]


    ?...I have a bad feeling about this.?


    [ZZZ ZZ ZZZZ ZZZ ZZZZ (Which one of the interstermunication functions was it? Was it number five?)]


    “Are you nning to take MPS-05 with you?”


    When I ced mybat arm on the floor, the mini-screamer named MPS-05 climbed into my palm.


    [Z ZZZ ZZ ZZZZZ (Yes, I’ll need its help.)]


    I didn’t imbue it withbat-rted traits but rather ones that would make it more efficient in supporting interstermunication functions.


    ‘I’ll need the help of PS-111 to make this n work.’


    To be precise, the help of the PS-111s.


    I smiled at MPS-05, sitting quietly in my palm, gazing up at me.


    ---


    The “Surveince Bureau” of the Aur System, where Berzan 02 is located.


    The Bureau’s role is to record the energy flow of faster-than-light (FTL) power emitted by ships entering the system. It also serves as a contingency for ships that create unrecorded energy flows or attempt FTL escapes after causing trouble.


    Today, as usual, the bureau’s staff was busy monitoring the countless ships passing through the Aur System.


    The sudden appearance of unrecorded energy flows wasn’t a rare event for them. Dispatching a fleet to the area where the energy was detected was also a routine matter.


    “Approaching the point of FTL travel urrence.”


    “By now, it should be detectable. Knowledge Manager?”


    “Hm. The strong maic field is making proper observation difficult.”


    “A maic field? Did thise from another system?”


    “Uncertain. I’ll continue analyzing the data.”


    A specialized fleet from the bureau approached the area filled with the mysterious maic field.


    Inside the ship’s operations room, cultist crew members were projecting external camera footage and radar data as holograms into the air.


    Meanwhile, Charras, the Knowledge Manager dispatched by the bureau, was swiftly organizing the information in her mind. Cross-referencing the wavelength data emitted by nearby stars revealed no significant matches.


    The only somewhat simr pattern wasn’t from ster activity—it had been observed during an incident on a.


    ‘The Saigil 08 tragedy?’


    She recalled the event, still spoken of ominously, even now.


    At the time, the Imperial carrier ‘Damos 08’ and its carrier fleet, dispatched to purify contamination, had been annihted by an unidentified entity. The Imperial Council named the creature “The Three-Headed Demon.”


    And the energy observed by the bureau closely resembled the mysterious energy storm unleashed by that creature.


    ‘...Though there are notable differences. What do I do about this?’


    The current energy readings weren’t an exact match. Back then, what was observed was closer to a massive energy storm—a concentrated outburst of energy. The pattern of the storm’s flow was somewhat simr to the current readings, but only in part.


    Here and now, there was no massive energy storm or sign of the creature recorded at the time.


    ‘ording to the Imperial Council’s report, that thing can’t fly.’


    The Aur System is immensely far from Saigil 08’s sacred star system. Even if it could fly, reaching here would be physically impossible—unless it had ess to FTL travel.


    “For now, I’ve found a few results matching the patterns, though not conclusively. Let’s request a review from the bureau.”


    “Hm, there’s no harm in being cautious. Agreed.”


    “Entering the maic field region now.”


    As the fleet entered the area of the sudden maic field, the lights within the ships flickered briefly. While rare, such urrences weren’t entirely unprecedented, so none of the crew showed signs of unease. This was true not only for the ship Charras was aboard but for the others as well.


    The crews quickly restored their systems and reached the location where therge energy surge—indicating faster-than-light (FTL) travel—had urred.


    Despite utilizing cameras less affected by the maic field and deploying warriors capable of using psychic-powered search techniques, nothing of significance was found.


    "Nothing at all? That’s strange."


    “What are your orders?”


    “Have all phenomena been reported to the bureau?”


    “Yes, they’re currently reviewing it.”


    “Just in case, some of our ships should remain here. I’ll personally contact the other vessels to coordinate.”


    As the captain prepared to reach out to the other ships, a new image appeared in the operations room. It had been uploaded by the crew member responsible for managing the ship’s shields.


    “Shields restored to 99.9%. Fully operational again. Something collided with the ship.”


    “What’s the size of the object that struck us?”


    “Less than 5 meters.”


    “Probably a stray rock fragment drifting nearby.”


    Whether it was a coincidence or not, the widespread maic field began to dissipate gradually after the collision report.


    Once the anomalies subsided, the bureau issued orders for the fleet to return. The event was deemed a natural phenomenon, though as a precaution, a few ships were instructed to remain in the area while the rest withdrew.


    And so, the incident of the sudden maic field ended anticlimactically.