Chapter 496

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 496: The Chaotic Universe (3)

Nevada.

A vast wasteland located in the western United States, it had a relatively low population density due to its environmental conditions.

Even though it was larger than the entire Korean Peninsula, its population was only about three million.

Still, the reason why the "Western Union" of North America settled in Nevada was probably...

“So Nevada… That’s where Las Vegas is, right?”

『Yeah. Seven out of ten of the West’s strongest are gathered in the city of gambling.』

“Those lunatics. Don’t tell me they’re actually killing time gambling over there?”

『It’s more like… Las Vegas is a symbolic city in the West.』

The petrification event caused by the Reset turned the entire world into ruins.

Even at night, unnecessary buildings outside of residential areas were no longer lit, making it impossible to witness the once-flamboyant cityscapes.

『It’s probably a kind of rebellion. They want to relive even a small part of their glamorous past.』

“The world’s gone to hell. Who has the luxury to cling to some glamorous past?”

『Still, the people gathered in Las Vegas are the strongest in their respective regions. So relatively speaking, they do have that luxury.』

What’s more, Earth added, there had never been an appearance of an “irregular mutant” on the American continent.

『The difficulty of a mutant is adjusted based on the strength of the strongest individual in that region. That’s why Kang Hongtae returned with such an absurd ability—technically, that’s your fault.』

“My fault?!”

『The first mutant is usually designed to be defeatable by the combined effort of about four top swordsmen.』

But Flame Dragon Kang Hongtae wasn’t someone you could defeat even with all of Korea’s swordsmen combined.

In other words, the overall combat power of Korea had increased due to Yeongwoo, and the mutants had scaled accordingly.

“So what you’re saying is, the North American folks have been going through Reset on easy mode all this time?”

『If we’re talking about the strongest individuals, then yes. But for the average person…』

Vast stretches of land compared to its population, and wastelands filled with uncontained monsters.

Because of that, the mid-tier population across the Americas had practically collapsed, Earth explained.

『There are now many uninhabited areas across this continent. In many cases, monsters took over, and guardians came too late to reclaim them.』

Guardians.

The basic unit of titles—equivalent to top swordsmen in Korea.

“Oh, really? There are that many empty regions?”

As Yeongwoo said this, a gleam flashed in his eyes.

Earth asked nervously:

『What are you thinking…?』

“What if we rent out those places?”

『…What?』

“There are tons of refugees out in space. Some of them are probably loaded. So let’s rent the land to them.”

We are in the age of space migration, after all.

So isn’t it fine to diversify Earth’s residents a little?

『Can… you even do that?』

“Why not? The orc brothers are living on our planet right now. We’d just be making it a paid service.”

Of course, he had no intention of charging those like the orc brothers, who had paid their dues with loyalty and sacrifice.

But the remaining land…

“No, seriously—think about it. Are we just some regular planet?”

『…We’re a planet-ship. A hard-to-track one.』

“Exactly. What better place than a planet with an unpredictable trajectory?”

It was practically the same as selling a long-term stay on a massive battleship.

“I’ll have to speak with Doatel. See if there are any refugees interested in renting space on Earth.”

Wealthy refugees.

It might sound like an oxymoron at first, but one couldn’t forget how ridiculously vast the universe was.

Sure, they had lost their home planets—but maybe some managed to bring along fortunes they had amassed over millions of years.

Some of those refugees might even be former aristocrats or great houses.

“I’m telling you, there’s definitely a market for this. It’s not every day you get the chance to live on a planet-ship.”

『I mean, that’s true, but…』

Unsure if this was really okay, Earth scratched its head.

『You really will sell anything, won’t you?』

“We’re still a developing nation by galactic standards. We need capital, first and foremost.”

Then, Yeongwoo added, raising his index finger:

“Oh, and I’ll accept legends as security deposits.”

『You lunatic.』

“They’re basically already doing that, aren’t they?”

As Yeongwoo muttered while glancing toward Aratubank, the ultra-high-speed transport corridor they were in began to slow down.

Piiiiiing!

At last, they had entered Nevada.

『Are we headed to Las Vegas?』

“If that’s where the most people are, of course.”

『Right now, it’s the most populated place in the West. Also the most secure.』

“We would’ve had to come here anyway—gotta sell off some Western land, after all.”

Barely an hour had passed since their visit to Doatel, and already, Yeongwoo was back to spewing devilish ideas.

Hearing this, Earth added with a heavy expression:

『Since all planetary land rights belong to you, selling it is technically within your authority…』

“Why? Feeling sad? Come on, this is a smart move. Are we just gonna leave all that land sitting there, unused?”

He then pointed down at the vast land below.

“Because of the Reset, the population must’ve dropped dramatically. It’s land humanity won’t even touch for the next few millennia.”

And in those millennia, this Earth—no, this Earth-ship—could advance tremendously.

With enough money and a strong leader, of course.

“If we use that land to raise development funds and rescue refugees, earning merit in the process, it’s a win-win.”

『Maybe I’ve watched over humanity for too long… Even so, this still feels like we’re taking people’s homeland.』

“Wow, look at you—surprisingly traditional. Why so conservative for a non-planet?”

『And you—aren’t you just too progressive for a human?』

“That’s why we each hold one-third of the planet-ship’s shares. A golden balance.”

As Yeongwoo said this, they passed Nevada’s third station.

They had finally arrived at the infamous Las Vegas terminal.

“Hey, Earth.”

『Now what?』

“Let’s broadcast to the entire planet.”

『…What?』

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

“Tell everyone the planetary owner is doing a regional inspection in Las Vegas today. Anyone who wants to meet me should gather up.”

『Wait… You’re not thinking of beating them all to death, are you?』

"Just curious about what kind of guys are out west. And also..."

Swish.

Yeongwoo raised a finger with a wicked grin.

"It's a planet-wide broadcast, right? If there's someone out there with an absurdly fast ride, this will draw them out."

『Ah.』

The Earth gaped at Yeongwoo’s cunning plan.

Not only was he using this as an opportunity to assert dominance over the western region, but also to check for any unexpected variables.

After all, if tenants were going to be brought into the vacant lands of the Americas in the future, not a single person could be allowed to oppose Yeongwoo.

"What are you waiting for? Start the broadcast."

As Yeongwoo stepped onto the upper deck of the Las Vegas terminal, Earth reluctantly began the transmission.

《Greetings, dear residents. This is Earth.》

《From this moment, our planet’s sole shareholder will be conducting a public meeting in Las Vegas, located in the western United States.》

Then Earth glanced at Yeongwoo.

《Uh... Residents are encouraged to bring up any grievances. Representatives from each region are asked to attend, if possible.》

Grievances from the residents.

In this reset world, that essentially meant a stab with a blade.

If anyone had complaints against the man monopolizing planetary shares, this was their chance to step forward and challenge him.

『Is that good enough?』

Earth asked as the broadcast ended, and Yeongwoo scanned the far-reaching ground below with his clairvoyance.

“Looks like it’s already working.”

Black dots were starting to gather beneath the terminal.

Most likely the “petitioners.”

“I guess they figured I'd appear through the transit gate.”

『From their perspective, it's a mysterious alien structure that suddenly appeared overnight. It makes sense they'd come here first.』

“Anyway, looks like we can get this over with quickly.”

As Yeongwoo finished speaking, he placed his hand on the central device atop the terminal, and a blinding light wrapped around them.

Shiiiaaaa!

In the blink of an eye, Yeongwoo and Earth were transported to the lower level—down to the ground, where a sea of people had already gathered.

Pshuaa!

As the outer wall of the terminal's lower level opened, the crowd at the entrance gasped and stumbled back.

“W-what?”

“They’re already here?”

“What the… it's actually a person.”

Apparently, those in the front were more like civilians than warriors.

They lacked the imposing aura of the strong, and seeing Yeongwoo and Earth emerge from beyond the wall scared them stiff.

In response, Yeongwoo boldly stepped forward and shouted with gusto.

“Nice to meet you all! I am the representative of this planet, the Strongest Sword of Korea, Jeong Yeongwoo07!”

And right then, Earth manifested a glowing blue halo behind him.

Paaah!

“What the… What are you doing all of a sudden?”

『If I don’t want to get stabbed right away… I need to make it obvious I’m the planet.』

“What?”

Yeongwoo looked dumbfounded, but Earth’s judgment was spot-on.

Because no sooner had Yeongwoo finished his greeting than a sharp voice, like a blade, shot out from beyond the crowd.

“Who gave you the right to call yourself the representative of this planet?”

“Oh?”

A rare moment—an actual threat from a human.

“Already our first grievance?”

Yeongwoo subtly rested his hand on the hilt at his waist, and the crowd, sensing what was about to happen, instinctively stepped back.

As a result, a wide clearing formed between the petitioner and the planet’s representative, giving Yeongwoo a clear view.

『Fury of Utah.』

A middle-aged white man with an impressive title stood glaring at him, wielding a sword in each hand.

“Utah’s right next door, if I remember right.”

Apparently, Las Vegas being the central hub of the western alliance wasn’t just talk.

After all, the strongest of Utah had just shown up.

And this was Nevada.

“Where’s the head of Nevada? If we’re doing this, I’d rather handle all the complaints at once.”

As Yeongwoo casually glanced around, the representative from Utah scoffed.

“You're awfully arrogant. How can you claim to represent this planet when you've never even met us?”

“That’s why I came here now. The representative was chosen by strength. If you’ve got a problem, talk to me with force.”

Compared to the provocations Yeongwoo used to make, this was rather mild—but for Utah, it was more than enough.

Shhhhkk!

He immediately crossed his dual swords with a rough clang, his eyes glowing a bright yellow.

He was beginning to exude an aura of battle.

『Uh-oh.』

Seeing this, Earth quickly stepped between them.

『I think there’s been a misunderstanding. The planetary representative has already been decided. Fighting won’t change that.』

Utah looked at Earth with his glowing eyes and said,

“If the representative position becomes vacant, then a new one must be chosen. Wouldn't you agree?”

Even in this situation, he still showed respect to the planet itself.

『…That’s true, but in my opinion, no matter how you look at it...』

Earth was about to say he didn’t think the seat would become vacant anytime soon—but Utah cut the conversation short.

“Then for now, please step back. In battles like this, just being nearby can get you hurt.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]