Chapter 606

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 606: A New Path (2)

Traveling through space aboard a planetary ship for half a day.

Or riding a black hole and arriving right in front of one’s home in an instant.

At a glance, the latter seemed far more appealing—but the problem was that a black hole itself was the unknown.

—You’re crazy. Risking your life just to save half a day is far too big a gamble…

“Wait a second. I think you’re forgetting one thing.”

—…What are you talking about?

“The Salzeo ship we’re using right now.”

—What about it?

“There’s still a tracking signal being emitted from it.”

—What?!

At those words, not only Amana but most of those present were stunned.

Come to think of it, they had only escaped from the Salzeo fleet—they had never actually removed the tracking signal the enemy had detected.

“We don’t have a technician who can dismantle and examine the Salzeo ship right now, right? That means the signal is still being transmitted.”

Which meant that if they attempted to cross space like this, Salzeo’s pursuit force would inevitably follow—this was Yeongwoo’s argument.

And it made sense.

—Even so, jumping into a black hole…?

“No, you don’t need to be that afraid. This map guarantees the use of black holes.”

Swish.

As Yeongwoo moved his arm while holding the Great Exploration, countless myths projected into the air, drawing brilliant arcs of light.

—……

Standing at what was essentially the boundary between life and death, Amana clenched her beak tightly and fell into thought.

Then Yeongwoo placed a hand on her shoulder and spoke again.

“I’ll say it again—if we leisurely spend half a day traveling through space, the Salzeo fleet will catch up to us again.”

And at present, Earth Ship had no secondary cannons whatsoever, meaning it lacked the ability to sustain combat against a fleet.

“We sniped their vanguard commander. Next time, they’ll come properly prepared. We’ll die.”

—Then… if we use the black hole and reach Sutral, will we leave the planet immediately?

“Of course. Even I know it’d be rude to loiter in someone else’s home while carrying a Salzeo ship.”

Then Yeongwoo added,

“And even aside from that, we need to install secondary cannons as soon as possible, so there’s no reason to stay on Sutral.”

—…Fine. Let’s take the gamble. May the Blessing of the Scales be with us.

As Amana closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the void, Yeongwoo issued instructions to Earth.

“What about the planet where we’ll drop off our guests? Are we heading there now?”

『Yes. We’ll arrive soon.』

Hearing that, Yeongwoo nodded and shifted his gaze to Acting Captain Mantero.

“Good. In the meantime, Acting Captain, find the black hole closest to Sutral.”

—…Understood.

Receiving the mythical map from Yeongwoo, Mantero wore a grim expression.

Yeongwoo, the actual owner of the ship, spoke as if this were no big deal—but for navigators, entering a black hole was a once-in-a-lifetime challenge.

“By the way, where do we buy secondary cannons?”

When Yeongwoo asked, Mantero—who was focused on the map—turned his head.

—Given your capital and available slots, you have many options, but…

“There’s a catch, isn’t there?”

—You’re already using Toma Company’s main cannons. That may make it difficult to purchase cannons from companies that are in conflict with Toma.

“Ah. That kind of thing exists too?”

After all, Toma was on friendly terms with Chairman Dogo.

Birds of a feather flock together—Toma was surely a fairly aggressive company as well.

“Don’t tell me arms manufacturers have good and evil factions too?”

—Not exactly, but there are clear factions and historically complicated conflicts between them.

“In a universe ruled by strength, why live so complicatedly?”

—With sufficient capital, you could use companies opposed to Toma, but once companies reach a certain level, the difference in quality is negligible.

“So you’re saying it’s easier to just buy secondary cannons from Toma or one of its affiliated companies.”

—That’s correct. It would be best to look for the Toma branch closest to Sutral.

Using a black hole to instantly reach Sutral, then buying secondary cannons nearby.

At least on paper, it sounded like a perfect plan.

“Yes. Let’s do that. Once we install secondary cannons, it won’t matter whether the Salzeo fleet shows up or angry officials come knocking.”

Then, as if remembering something he had forgotten, Yeongwoo asked again.

“Oh, what about Selulite? We’ll need it to reinforce the ship. You said it’s not something just anyone handles.”

Mantero paused to think.

—If it’s a workshop where Toma headquarters’ engineers are stationed, they should be able to handle Selulite. The same applies to other major companies.

In other words, the branch they visited would need to have core technicians present in order to use Selulite.

“What, even ship reinforcement depends on luck?”

—Another option is to make a reservation at Toma headquarters and visit. However…

Mantero explained that during the reservation process, Earth Ship’s arrival time and route would be recorded, increasing the risk of an unexpected ambush.

“Right. A company as big as Toma is bound to have spies. Someone could leak information.”

Yeongwoo himself had bribed tax officials, after all.

‘Still, unless we dock like this, there’s no real way to capture a planetary ship.’

Conversely, leaving no trace meant there was no way to be caught.

“Let’s put a headquarters visit on the back burner. We’ll trust our luck first.”

—Understood. I’ll search for the Toma branch closest to Sutral, as instructed.

“Finally, we’ll get some secondary cannons on this tin can of a ship.”

Standing on the brink of a great undertaking, Yeongwoo wore a deeply satisfied expression.

Once the secondary cannons were installed, wouldn’t it finally become a ‘Wonder of the Universe’?

From then on, encountering a fleet wouldn’t mean thinking only of escape—fighting back would become an option.

‘Once fleets are fair game… who in the universe could possibly stop me?’

As Yeongwoo indulged in his imagination, Earth approached his side.

『We’ve arrived.』

“Where?”

『The planet where you’ll drop off your guests.』

“Oh.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Coming back to his senses, Yeongwoo turned his head.

Near the portal ahead stood the Advanced Orcs, the Black Goblin group, and Kejen, each gathering their belongings.

Aside from the others, he had grown rather close to the great thief Kejen—and yet, they were already parting ways.

“That was fast.”

As Yeongwoo stepped forward to see Kejen off, Kejen glanced around and spoke.

—There’s still space left for me to rent here, right?

He was referring to Yeongwoo’s promise to let him settle aboard Earth Ship.

Yeongwoo nodded.

“Yes. It’s going to become the greatest hideout in the universe someday. You’re buying low.”

—If you make it through the black hole safely… I’ll come back someday to build a hideout here.

“You really don’t do anything that might cost you, do you?”

—I worked too hard surviving to want to die in a black hole out of the blue.

“Honestly, roaming space seems more dangerous than entering a black hole… but I suppose you’ll take care of yourself.”

As Yeongwoo tilted his head as if to say they could go, the Advanced Orcs and Goblins lined up tightly in front of the portal leading to the drop pods.

—Th-Thank you for everything, Shipmaster…

—May we never meet again…

Having grown respectful toward Yeongwoo, they bowed deeply in their own way before leaping into the portal.

And finally—

—Well then, let’s meet again alive next time.

With a cheerful expression, Kejen looked around once more, then stepped into the portal without a moment’s hesitation.

Shwaaa—!

Now, all the guests except Amana had disembarked.

“So… all that’s left is entering the black hole that leads to Sutral.”

As Yeongwoo murmured while looking at the now-empty bridge, Mantero—who had been studying the mythical map—raised his head.

—The fastest route to Sutral requires two stellar-system jumps from here.

“That’s not as far as I expected.”

—That too could be called luck.

With that, he returned to the captain’s seat and took the helm.

Since lingering here would only invite Salzeo’s pursuit, they immediately initiated the stellar jump.

KWA—AAA—!

Once again, the multicolored lights of the transit tunnel filled the view beyond the bridge windows.

Around then, the Sun Moro—seated upon his throne—spoke in a worried tone.

『Using a black hole as a passage… is that truly possible?』

“Mother-in-law, what are you saying now? You should’ve raised that concern earlier.”

『You did not ask, so I had no reason to answer.』

“But you’re bringing it up now. You’re worried too, aren’t you?”

『Entering a black hole is indeed cause for serious concern.』

Even Moro—an existence among the highest of stars—was negative about entering a black hole.

After all, according to common knowledge, once something is pulled into a black hole, it can never come back out.

Not only is there no escape, but no one even knows what happens inside.

Of course, Moro’s perspective as a primordial celestial body was somewhat different.

『You seem to be thinking too simply, in your ignorance. If you truly intend to use a black hole as a passage, there are two beings you must face.』

“Two…?”

『According to that map, the black hole you will encounter has both an entrance and an exit, does it not?』

“Oh.”

Only then did Yeongwoo finally realize it.

“You’re right. We’ll be passing through two black holes. But why does that matter? Whether it’s one or two, the result is the same—death or survival.”

Moro let out a deep sigh.

『How do you intend to persuade not one, but two black holes?』

“Persuade…?”

Seeing Yeongwoo’s blank expression, Moro raised a finger and swept it across the gathered celestial bodies.

『Have you forgotten? Black holes, too, are celestial bodies.』

“What? Then… are you saying black holes are alive?”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]