Chapter 443

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 443: Beyond the Line of the Universe (4)

『What... Cut off your arm?』

As Jupiter wore an expression of utter disbelief, Earth quietly closed his eyes in a corner behind them.

『…….』

It was because he knew Jeong Yeongwoo was pulling another con.

That insane representative’s body had the peculiar trait of regenerating even after complete amputation.

Even if a severed limb were burned and destroyed, given enough time, it would simply regrow.

So to truly punish that guy, you’d have to decapitate him and smash the head to pieces—or extract his heart and toss it into a pulverizer.

But Jupiter, having never seen the kind of chaos that had occurred on Earth...

『O-okay, enough. That’s a bit much.』

...naively fell right into Yeongwoo’s scheme.

He was angry enough, sure, but not to the point of chopping off someone’s arm in retaliation like a child.

Besides, all the planets of the solar system were gathered here.

“…Are you really okay with this? This is your only chance to get revenge.”

Yeongwoo pressed Jupiter again.

Jupiter shook his head in exasperation.

『I said I’m good. What, you think I’m some kind of joke?』

“So, then it’s all settled?”

『…What is?』

“Forgiveness, of course. You said you'd forgive me if I cut off my arm. But if you don’t want to go through with it, doesn’t that mean you’re just going to forgive me anyway?”

『……?』

Jupiter blinked at the absurd logic, and Earth quietly interjected.

『As expected of Jupiter. I always assumed your mercy was as immense as your mass… but not to this extent.』

『What?』

Then, in an effort to prevent things from escalating further, the Sun stepped in.

『Jupiter’s magnanimity is well known throughout the solar system. Even so, I’m impressed. Perhaps your life as a “protagonist” has already begun.』

『T-that’s…!』

Jupiter hurried to explain himself, but quickly fell silent.

The one speaking was none other than Moro, the Sun herself.

Now that she had stepped in to bring closure to the matter, arguing further would only make Jupiter look foolish.

And more than anything, hadn’t the rest of the planets already sided with Earth’s ship?

They had all expressed their desire to stop living as mere extras—and truthfully, Jupiter was no different.

『…Damn it.』

As Jupiter let out a quiet sigh, Yeongwoo jumped to his feet and shouted.

“At last, the solar system has become a true ensemble cast!”

Then, turning to the Sun, he added:

“Shall we begin now?”

『Begin what, exactly?』

“The reorganization of the planetary system. For Earth to become the planetary ship, it must become the new center of the solar system, don’t you think?”

Just as the earlier simulation had shown.

For Earth to transform into a planetary ship and break away from its original orbit, two main conditions had to be met.

First: an energy supply from the Sun.

Second: mass reversal.

The second condition was the tricky part.

For Earth to pull away the entire solar system—including the Sun—along with it, it needed to possess greater mass than the Sun itself.

And yet the Sun still had to maintain its own mass in order to supply enough energy to Earth.

In other words, some previously nonexistent mass would need to appear out of nowhere.

『Hmm, the center of the planetary system, you say.』

The Sun stroked her chin at Yeongwoo’s words.

Yeongwoo’s brow twitched as a realization struck him.

“…Don’t tell me… You don’t know how to change the center of the planetary system?”

『…….』

The Sun gazed silently into space.

“Shit. You don’t know.”

Well, of course the Sun wouldn’t know—this was her first planetary ship, after all.

So then, who would know?

“Hm.”

Naturally, both Yeongwoo and the Sun turned their gaze toward Earth, the very planetary ship in question.

After all, wasn’t it Earth who had produced that absurd new model of the solar system through its own internal simulations?

“You know, right? It’d be ridiculous if you didn’t.”

As Earth had stated before, it had already been converted into a planetary ship—and even had massive cannons installed.

So if the method for shifting the system’s center wasn’t included in the planetary ship’s guide, Earth would be in the most trouble.

『W-well, I…』

At last, Earth began to speak hesitantly, and every gaze in the room fixed on him.

“Well? Spit it out.”

Yeongwoo pressed for an answer, while Earth—the ship destined to carry the solar system’s “protagonists”—looked visibly troubled.

『The equation we saw in the simulation... it’s a kind of contract.』

“A contract? What are you talking about?”

『If the key components needed to operate the planetary ship enter into a covenant, the planetary ship coefficient activates and amplifies its force.』

“A covenant? You mean like a sworn brotherhood or something?”

『It needs to have more legal force than that. And the most direct and immediate covenant we can form is…』

Earth took a deep breath.

“Ah.”

And in that moment, Yeongwoo knew exactly what was coming next.

“You’re not saying…”

As he inhaled sharply, Earth exhaled and spoke the word.

『Marriage.』

“What.”

『What?!』

Even the Sun gaped in shock, and the rest of the planets followed a beat later.

『Marriage? What the hell kind of nonsense is that?』

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

The Sun nearly rose from her throne as she questioned Earth.

Earth waved his hand in the air and projected the equation in question.

Whoosh!

(「|l||I-Earth」 + 「Jeong Yeongwoo07」 + 「l||-Moro」) × Planetary Fleet Coefficient = 68

『Huh.』

Prestige Level 68.

For the Sun, who had lived for eons at Prestige Level 66, it was a shocking and enviable equation.

According to the words of that insane human representative, reaching Prestige Level 68 wasn't just about advancing two levels — it meant earning the right to challenge Prestige Level 70.

This was a realm that no ordinary star could ever reach, no matter what it did.

『How is that supposed to be marriage?』

Still bewildered, the Sun asked again.

Earth pointed to the number "68" at the end of the equation.

『That result is a conditional Prestige Level that only manifests when the core three elements of the planetary fleet — in this case, our union — are valid. And that union is maintained through a legally binding pact.』

Simply put, Prestige Level 68 was a shared level, only valid so long as the alliance among Earth, Yeongwoo, and the Sun remained intact.

The Earth-ship leading the new planetary system would wield Level 68 power at all times, but if the alliance were ever broken, that Prestige Level would be lost as well.

『But because a planetary fleet requires fundamental restructuring of a planetary system, the universe itself does not permit dissolution of such a bond.』

『Well, that makes sense...』

This was the first part that the Sun found convincing.

Planetary fleets were only possible through extraordinary efforts — not just by planets, but even stars had to overstep their bounds.

So dismantling such a fleet after finding it unsatisfactory was clearly absurd.

And what Earth was now suggesting was that such dissolution was not just frowned upon — it was cosmically prohibited.

『Therefore, launching a planetary fleet requires not a regular contract, but a pact. And the only form of pact we can currently execute is marriage.』

『Madness.』

In other words, planetary fleets were so critical that their founders had to resort to strategic marriages just to launch them.

"Then who’s getting married, exactly? It’s not like we’re doing a three-way marriage, right?”

At this point, Yeongwoo asked the obvious question, and not only did Earth and the Sun react strangely, but even the other planets' expressions turned awkward.

The reason was simple.

『W-well, not me! I’m already married.』

The Sun was already married.

『What? You’re married? To who?"

Yeongwoo stared at the Sun in shock as she looked up to the sky.

『My husband’s name is Proxima. The youngest of the Centauri brothers.』

Proxima.

The smallest star in the triple star system Centauri.

Even Centauri’s eldest, Alpha, was only about 10% more massive than the Sun — meaning the Sun had married a star far smaller than herself.

"Wait, stars can get married too?"

Yeongwoo, clueless about the universe, blurted out something rather rude, prompting Earth to quickly step in.

『W-well, marriage! Anyway, it’s not me!』

"What?"

『Huh?』

Both Yeongwoo and the Sun were startled again by Earth’s declaration.

Which meant, the ones to enter into this strategic marriage pact were... Yeongwoo and the Sun.

『I’ll be the main body of the fleet once it launches, so I’m not a primary party to the pact. In other words...』

The pact wasn’t between the fleet itself, but between the remaining two.

『The marriage must be between Moro of the Sun and Jeong Yeongwoo07.』

"Oh my god."

『What kind of nonsense is that? You’re saying we’ll be attacked by Centauri as soon as the fleet launches?』

The Sun strongly objected, and Earth hesitantly revealed a detail she’d overlooked.

『F-family...』

『What?』

『It’s technically a pact between families, so as long as it’s a marriage between family members, it qualifies.』

"……!"

With that, a scene automatically replayed in Yeongwoo’s mind — the shriek of the Sun’s daughter, Princess Parina.

‘Damn it, so that’s why I end up marrying the princess.’

Since her mother was already married, Princess Parina would become the stand-in for the pact.

But strangely, the Sun still didn’t look very happy.

『Still, the partner must be a member of my family, right?』

『Correct.』

『That’s the problem, then.』

The Sun looked genuinely troubled.

Yeongwoo couldn’t take it anymore and asked:

"Don’t you have a daughter? Wouldn’t it be fine if I married her?"

The Sun’s expression turned fearful.

『Sorry, but that won’t work. My daughter, Parina, has been...』

"Yes, your daughter...?"

『In seclusion since 3,000 years ago.』

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]