Chapter 377

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Chapter 377: The Host (3)

“But… no matter how I look at it, that doesn’t seem like a floral wreath.”

As Yeongwoo furrowed his brows and carefully observed the mysterious express cargo, it began emitting smoke as it approached from the sky.

Sssszzzzt!

As if it were a fire.

“What? Why is that happening?”

“Isn’t it on fire?”

“This doesn’t look good…”

People gathered in front of the hotel began murmuring while watching the sky, and soon, the true nature of the express cargo was revealed through the smoke.

Fwoosh!

The cargo turned out to be a massive, oval-shaped object in a deep navy hue.

Its surface looked smooth, almost like a polished pebble.

The problem was…

Clank!

When it reached about 100 meters above Gangnam-gu, four claw-like appendages extended from its bottom.

Like those of a claw machine.

At that moment:

“R-Run!”

“It’s attacking!”

“It’s a monster, a monster…!”

People gathered in front of the hotel started fleeing in panic.

Instinctively, they felt a threat emanating from the express cargo.

In contrast, Yeongwoo—

Click.

—took a step toward the descending cargo and muttered.

“What in the world did Mara send?”

The Master of the Void, Mara, wanted Yeongwoo to replace Ben Walter as the new proxy.

To that end, Mara had implicitly promised to send a wedding gift.

In other words, since the rivalry over wedding gifts from other parties hadn’t even begun yet, there was no reason for Mara to attack the planet.

Thus, it was overwhelmingly likely that this express cargo wasn’t meant for an attack but had some symbolic meaning—like the stone monument sent by kwaya to celebrate the ceremony.

Boom!

Eventually, the mysterious express cargo landed in the heart of Gangnam-gu, and the four claws protruding from its bottom dug deep into the ground.

Crunch!

As the scene resembled a tree taking root, Yeongwoo felt a twinge of unease.

“York, have you seen cargo like this before? You recognized it as something from the Void earlier.”

York, trembling slightly with his long beard, answered.

—Most Void cargo has a special mark to prevent loss. I recognized it by that mark. It was labeled ‘Handle With Care: Void Cargo.’

“So you don’t know exactly what it is?”

—…No. You cannot predict what comes from the Void.

“…”

Yeongwoo agreed with that sentiment.

That’s why he was curious about how Mara would appear at the venue today—and in what manner.

“Then… what exactly is a Void wreath…”

As Yeongwoo muttered, taking another step toward the enigmatic monument, a ratman resembling York appeared from behind Mara’s gift.

‘What the… Are ratmen typically delivery agents in space?’

—Ah, you’re already here.

The ratman, who had brought the Void cargo, removed his strange helmet and bowed politely.

Unlike York, who wore mechanical armor, this one was clad in medieval-style silver armor.

However, the helmet appeared to be a high-tech device, seemingly used for identifying items or locating coordinates.

—I am Moru, from Sero Transport.

The silver-armored ratman extended a business card, just as York had.

Shff.

「Silver Summoner」 - Common Tool

【Nothing is impossible! Sero transport.】

| Hazard Specialist Agent Moru.

“Oh, you’re an agent. Nice to meet you.”

Yeongwoo spoke, noting that Agent Moru’s beard had turned ashen.

It was likely due to the effort of delivering the object all the way from the Void.

—Ah.

Moru seemed to notice Yeongwoo’s gaze and quickly brushed his beard with both hands.

Poof!

Ashy dust briefly scattered around his snout and beard before vanishing into the air.

—This celebratory stone… was personally ordered for delivery by Lord Mara, the ruler of the Void and King of Ten Thousand Demons.

Moru respectfully folded his hands and gestured toward the massive navy stone behind him.

Yeongwoo couldn’t help but ask.

“Thank you for your hard work. But do you happen to know what exactly this thing does?”

After all, the cargo sent by kwaya’s Hammer had been explained in detail by York, who had delivered it.

However—

—Er… I was only tasked with delivering it. I wasn’t given any specific details about the cargo. My apologies.

As the King of Ten Thousand Demons, Mara’s approach naturally differed from that of kwaya’s Hammer.

With Mraa being in a superior position to Yeongwoo, he had simply sent the item without explanation.

‘What the… It’s obviously not just a decorative item. Shouldn’t they at least provide a minimal explanation? This guy needs to be put in his place during the gift rivalry.’

Feeling slightly indignant, Yeongwoo continued to gaze at the still-mysterious Void wreath.

Meanwhile, Agent Moru, twitching his beard, spoke up.

—Well then, I’ll be taking my leave. My task was merely to deliver the celebratory stone.

“Wait, hold on. You can’t just leave it here. Move it over there before you go.”

Shff.

Yeongwoo gestured toward Gwangjin-gu.

Moru’s beard bristled.

—Oh, is this the wrong location?

“Yes. Lord Mara set the delivery address incorrectly. The wedding venue is in the neighboring district. York, bring the thing sent by kwaya’s Hammer and follow me.”

Yeongwoo pointed toward kwaya’s gift, a detection device, as he gave the instructions.

After all, if it were a wreath, it should be placed near the wedding venue—especially since kwaya’s wreath was designed to bloom beautifully at the ceremony site.

‘Would it bloom if the chairman were to come? Well, there are quite a few prestigious guests, after all…’

As Yeongwoo scratched his chin, gazing at the two wreaths, two Ratmen stood in front of their respective cargoes and scattered small, marble-like objects near the wreaths.

“Ah.”

It was a familiar object.

‘Aren’t those the ones the military chief used?’

Exactly.

Those were the very same transmitters that Dogo's military chief used to retrieve Lemu’s spaceship and the chairman’s sword.

It seemed this equipment was universally used across the galaxy.

Swoosh!

Soon, the two large wreaths transformed into holograms and were absorbed into the scattered marbles.

‘Wow, so that’s how they work.’

The Ratmen then picked up the marbles they had scattered and looked at Yeongwoo.

Yeongwoo gestured toward Gwangjin-gu after summoning the quad-legged vehicle.

“Let’s go, to my parents’ wedding venue.”

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* * *

The journey to Gwangjin-gu with two intergalactic couriers.

Fortunately, both were compact enough to barely fit in the back of the quad-legged vehicle.

“But how will you both return?”

Noticing they didn’t seem to have brought any additional transport, Yeongwoo asked, and York pointed to the sky in response.

—We’ve docked our freighter outside the city’s shield.

“A shield?”

—Yes. This is a Level 3 city, isn’t it?

“Oh… right?”

Yeongwoo had almost forgotten that Metal Seoul had been upgraded to Level 3 thanks to contributions to the Glory Score by Lord Bang.

—Freighters without clearance cannot enter a Level 3 city.

“But dropping cargo is allowed?”

Yeongwoo asked with a slightly disappointed tone, and York nodded.

—Regrettably, yes.

In other words, preventing unauthorized cargo drops would require raising the city’s level further.

‘Hmm… if I build the new monument and exterminator now, will that raise the level?’

While Yeongwoo pondered this, the ruins of Gwangjin-gu came into view.

—Is that the wedding venue?

Moru asked, pointing to the desolate ruins.

York tilted his head as if he couldn’t comprehend it either.

—Whose wedding is this, exactly?

“It’s my parents’ wedding.”

—……?

—What?

“Please place the wreaths over there.”

Yeongwoo indicated the western boundary of Gwangjin-gu as the desired spot for the wreaths.

Since the exact size of the wedding venue was still unclear, it was crucial to secure as much space as possible.

Whoosh!

The two wreaths were placed in the designated location, and the Ratmen began preparing to leave.

Clink!

They threw what appeared to be a mechanical platform onto the ground and stepped onto it.

“What’s that?”

—It’s a return device. It instantly transports us back to the freighter.

As York explained, he stepped onto the platform, which began glowing blue and enveloped his body in a holographic shroud.

Whirrr!

“If I attacked you now, would you not be able to return to your ship?”

Yeongwoo’s offhanded question startled York.

—That… that would be disastrous!

Even as his body was enveloped in holograms, York flinched in panic.

Then, suddenly—

Swoosh!

A beam of light shot into the sky as York disappeared into the atmosphere above Gwangjin-gu.

Moru, also from Sero Logistics, followed suit, becoming a hologram and ascending rapidly.

In an instant, the two couriers vanished from Earth.

‘Intergalactic couriers… there’s something romantic about it.’

Yeongwoo stared blankly at the two disappearing into the stars before turning his gaze back to the wreaths they had left.

Click.

The stone wreath sent by Kwaya’s Hammer remained tightly budded, while the massive navy-blue rock sent by Mara showed no signs of activity.

‘No way this is just a keepsake… What function could it possibly have?’

Yeongwoo couldn’t believe that the King of Demons, Mara, would send a wreath merely to celebrate a wedding.

Even he wouldn’t do such a thing.

So what secret function was hidden in this wreath?

“Hmm.”

As Yeongwoo approached to inspect the surface for any changes—

KABOOM!

A thunderous roar erupted from the sky above Gwangjin-gu, where the couriers had disappeared.

“What? Another wreath coming?”

Yeongwoo thought about the many powerful guests he had invited—figures like Dogo, Mara, Lemu, and even the Planet Assessment Team 9—all of whom might send their own elaborate wreaths.

“If more keep arriving, it’ll interfere with the rehearsal…”

As he worriedly glanced upward, an incredible symbol appeared in his vision.

Glint!

“Ah…!”

It was what Yeongwoo had been eagerly waiting for.

A steel monolith, engraved with Dogo’s Wedge Insignia, was descending.

“Chairman? Chairman…!”

Startled, Yeongwoo instinctively ran toward the direction of the descending monolith.

At that moment, Mara’s wreath began to stir.

Clunk!

A sudden unlocking sound came from the navy-blue rock as cracks formed on its upper surface.

And then—

Whirrr!

It started drawing energy with an unmistakably hostile intent.

“Wait, Ma… Mara! Hold on a second!”

Realizing the purpose behind Mara’s early arrival, Yeongwoo shouted in panic.

Zap!

A violet laser beam erupted from the top of the navy-blue rock.

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