Chapter 430

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 430: Fate (2)

『Father-in-law… Mother-in-law?』

Earth blinked in confusion.

Then, tilting its head, it asked again.

『Where would you get in-laws from? You only just got parents, kid.』

“You little—”

Yeongwoo raised a fist with a fierce expression but then lowered it, recalling that his opponent was a planet that had lived alone for its entire existence.

“Don’t you get it yet? I’m destined to marry the Princess of the Sun. That means my in-laws must be something from the Sun as well.”

The Princess of the Sun, Parina.

Yeongwoo could still vividly hear her terrifying roar in his head.

At that, Earth rubbed its temple with a finger and looked up at the sky.

『I get that… but when?』

“…What?”

『When and how are you going to marry the Princess of the Sun?』

“Well…”

A headache started to form.

So, following Earth’s lead, Yeongwoo pressed his own temples.

“I don’t know yet.”

『You crazy bastard, you don’t even know when or how you’ll meet the Princess of the Sun, let alone a wedding date? And you’re talking about explaining it properly?』

Earth’s words were nothing but reasonable.

But Yeongwoo had something to say, too.

“The important thing is that such a future is already destined, right? If you have the will, once the conditions are met, you’ll be able to break free from your orbit.”

『You mean that insane plan?』

“Exactly! The Sun revolves around us, supplying energy, and we use that power to escape our orbit and roam the universe. If you and the Sun agree, what’s the problem?”

As Yeongwoo gestured with his fingers to illustrate an orbit, Earth clutched its forehead.

『There is a problem, you ignorant fool.』

“What? Why?”

『The Sun is still a part of the galaxy. If, by some chance, the Sun moves to follow us… it will disrupt the integrity of the galaxy.』

“……”

It was the same logic that explained why Earth couldn’t leave the solar system.

And if the galaxy’s problem was solved, then the issue of disrupting the galactic cluster would arise.

And if that was resolved, then yet another issue at an even higher level…

“…Ah!”

In an instant, Yeongwoo processed endless layers of dilemmas and arrived at a monumental realization.

“Fuck, so this is why planet-ships are so rare.”

『You just figured that out? A planet daring to leave its orbit is basically an act of defiance against cosmic order…』

“No, that’s not it. Most planets and their representatives were just cowards!”

『…What?』

“They just don’t leave their orbits because they’re scared of disrupting the cosmic order, right?”

『Do you think cosmic order is a joke?』

As Earth gave him an exasperated look, Yeongwoo suddenly grabbed its metaphorical collar and shouted.

《You idiot, our main business is robbery and assault! Our very existence is a violation of cosmic order!》

Yeongwoo’s commanding voice spread, making the reeds in the area all bend in the opposite direction of the wind.

“Fine, let’s say becoming a planet-ship is a challenge to cosmic order, and for lower planets, it’s an overreach. But why?”

『…Why what?』

“Why is it so hard? Why is becoming a planet-ship so difficult?”

『That’s obviously because…』

Just as Earth was about to say, "Because it requires leaving orbit," Yeongwoo cut in.

“That’s because planet-ships are absurdly strong.”

『What…?』

Earth’s vision blurred momentarily.

But Yeongwoo, unfazed, continued speaking his mind.

“Otherwise, why would their construction be made so difficult? They’re too powerful, so it was designed to prevent just anyone from making them.”

『W-What are you talking about…?』

“Think about it. A cosmic villain? I just need to be good at crime. A cosmic hero? I just need to be a good person. But…”

Yeongwoo slammed the ground with his weapon.

Boom!

“A cosmic planet-ship? That’s not something I can achieve alone.”

That’s right.

For a cosmic planet-ship to exist, both a crazy representative and a crazy planet were needed.

Only then could they unite in agreement and take the unprecedented step of leaving their original orbit.

『B-But I…』

As Earth was about to protest that it wasn’t a crazy planet, Yeongwoo suddenly reached out and clamped a hand over its mouth.

Clench!

“Think carefully! You can become a planet-ship now!”

『……!』

“Before, neither you nor most planets in the universe had crazy enough representatives. But now you do!”

Yeongwoo’s eyes gleamed, eerily reflecting light like a fish’s scales.

Earth, sensing danger, instinctively recoiled.

“This is the opportunity of a lifetime! This isn’t a disaster befalling you—it’s your chance to become the disaster of the universe.”

As Yeongwoo finally removed his hand from Earth’s mouth, a heavy silence fell over the area.

Shaa…

Even the reeds, which had been swaying, stilled, and the clouds overhead seemed to freeze in place.

『I… a disaster of the universe?』

“That’s right, buddy. Since you’re a planet, wouldn’t it be better to become a powerful one? And you happen to have the ticket to do just that!”

A representative destined to marry the Princess of the Sun.

And that same representative brought along the absurd “Celestial Motion Theory.”

But what if—just what if—this lunatic representative’s words became reality?

『If… if we leave our orbit, the entire universe might take notice. Everyone will be watching us.』

As Earth trembled at the thought of the vast and boundless cosmos, Yeongwoo placed a reassuring hand on its shoulder.

“Quit whining about orbits. That’s just your instinctive fear talking.”

Of course, it might not be.

Yeongwoo had never lived as a planet, so he couldn’t fully comprehend Earth’s perspective.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

But one thing was clear.

"If you make the same choices as other planets, you'll end up with the same results. You'll live as a lower-tier planet forever."

Crack.

Yeongwoo grips Earth's shoulders tightly.

Then, he speaks in a low voice.

"Get up. When the opportunity comes, make a choice. Will you live as a nobody forever, or will you experience the attention of the entire universe, even just once?"

『……!』

It was, without a doubt, the whisper of the devil.

But there was one more problem.

『E-Energy…? We haven't even received the Sun's approval yet.』

As Earth pointed out, they hadn’t gotten the Sun’s approval—let alone Yeongwoo marrying the Sun’s princess, his so-called fated partner.

That meant that even if Earth agreed, a planetary ship wouldn’t just magically appear.

But Yeongwoo already had an answer to that, too.

"Just build the planetary ship first."

『What?』

"Then the Sun will have no choice but to come and see what's going on."

『You… You’re seriously insane.』

Earth couldn't help but gape at Yeongwoo's method of "summoning the Sun."

"Don't add any nonsense like 'how dare you'—just answer me. Doesn’t this make sense?"

Yeongwoo continues with a serious expression.

"If you were the Sun, wouldn't you come to check what's happening to Earth?"

『They say ignorance makes you bold.』

"Well, now’s exactly the time when that kind of boldness is needed."

In the worst-case scenario, he might have to go head-to-head with the ruler of the Sun—his potential future in-laws.

But as long as the future foretold by the Record hadn’t arrived, he had a high probability of surviving, one way or another.

"The only reason I can pull off this crazy stunt is because of the time frame the Record predicted. Once I marry the Sun's princess, even I won't know my own fate."

『So, you do realize this is insane.』

"Of course. Doing crazy things without knowing is recklessness, but doing them knowingly—that's courage."

『…Who even says that?』

"I do."

At that moment, Yeongwoo was already looking up at the Sun—the Sun that didn’t exist in the sky that Earth possessed.

"I’ll place a Sun in your sky, too. We’re already on the same ship now."

When Yeongwoo spoke while gazing at the sky, Earth shook its head in exasperation.

『…And what if we build the planetary ship and the Sun still doesn’t care?』

"That won’t happen. I’m the Sun’s fated son-in-law, according to the Record."

『But just because it’s written in the Record doesn’t mean it’s guaranteed to happen, right? The contents of the Record could have changed in the meantime.』

Of course, Earth wasn’t entirely sure of this.

After all, it didn’t have a clear understanding of the mighty Record.

But Yeongwoo was different.

"I don’t trust the Record 100%. But I do trust the consistency of fate."

『What do you mean?』

"If I weren’t destined to marry the Sun’s princess, then why am I even here? I should have already died, with my heart pierced by the chairman’s sword."

『That’s……!』

Earth gritted its teeth but found itself unable to refute his words.

Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Or maybe it was part of the process of the Record’s prophecy coming true.

"We can’t be sure if the Sun will really turn its attention to us. That wasn’t explicitly written in my future."

But.

Shff.

Yeongwoo tucked his weapon, Bastard, into his belt.

Then, he lifted his gaze to the sky once again.

"I’ll at least be able to have a conversation with the Sun. And if we build the planetary ship and the Sun still doesn’t care, I’ll fire a shot at it."

As Yeongwoo spoke with a determined tone, Earth muttered quietly.

『Crazy bastard. Do you think words alone can make things happen? You need coordinates to fire a shot in the first place.』

Yeongwoo blinked in surprise.

"What? I just checked the orbit earlier. The Sun’s practically right in front of us. Why would I need coordinates to fire?"

『Of course, you need coordinates. Are you planning to aim and shoot manually with your own hands? You need coordinates to target properly!』

Earth sighed, clearly exasperated.

『Seriously, am I supposed to entrust my ship transformation to this lunatic?』

Just as Earth’s momentary surge of "courage" was about to fade, something flashed through Yeongwoo’s mind.

"Wait a minute!"

『……?』

"Moro, 001, 483, 0548, 20. Do you know where this is? You can read coordinates, right? Since you’re a planet and all."

〔l||-Moro-001-483-0548-20〕

This was the cryptic coordinate that the Architect Lemú had sent alongside the wreath.

At first, he had thought it pointed to the location of the Machine Tower.

And sure enough.

『What……?』

Earth’s face suddenly turned pale.

『S-Say that again. What did you just say……?』

Yeongwoo tilted his head in confusion and repeated the coordinates in his mind.

"Moro, 001, 483……."

Before he could finish, Earth interrupted with wide eyes.

『Moro… That’s the Sun’s real name.』

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]