WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ Got a Gallery in the Wild ◈
Chapter 173: Eye of the Typhoon (3)
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I offered Kkobong a bite of Ambergris, but sadly, it didn't work out.
Kkobong had eaten everything I'd given without a second thought until now, yet Ambergris was the one thing Kkobong refused. Maybe Kkobong sensed something.
Did animals have some kind of instinct like that?
‘Well, the smell is nice, but the texture itself isn't great.’
It was more than soft. It was sticky too.
I considered pushing a little harder, but even Fast Sloth stopped me as though telling me to quit, so I decided not to force it.
‘I'll put the Ambergris away for now.’
I kept the Ambergris in the subspace.
If I left it out in the open, all kinds of bugs, including ants, could swarm it.
I had pest repellent, but I couldn't rule out ants getting past it.
It didn't weigh much, so it was easy to store, but there was a downside.
Float-
At some point, the Subspace Backpack had begun rising into the air.
It startled me at first, but I could roughly guess the cause.
The fish that ate Ambergris had flown through the sky like they were glitching out too.
It wasn't strange for the Subspace Backpack holding Ambergris to float into the sky as well.
‘Still, thank God it's easy to store because it's a Subspace Backpack.’
I tied the gently floating backpack down securely with a rope.
Ambergris aside, losing the Subspace Backpack would be an enormous loss.
Wonmo occasionally got curious and smacked it around, but I'd accounted for that too and tied it down tight, so it wouldn't budge.
‘A flying Mage Tower, huh...’
I stopped playing with the Ambergris and checked the topic that had the Gallery in an uproar.
Only an hour or two ago, the Mage Tower, the symbol of the Iris Kingdom, had supposedly risen into the sky.
It was the first time in history that a structure had floated into the air, so the Gallery was full of posts about it.
[Post title] Title) Not bullshit. This really happened
[Post] (Photo of the Mage Tower floating in the sky)
[Post] (Video of the Mage Tower higher in the sky, with citizens murmuring beneath it)
[Post] (Video of knights arriving and clearing people away)
[Post] (Video of evacuated mages and scholars)
[Post] I live in the capital of the Iris Kingdom.
[Post] There was an earthquake at first, so I went to see what was happening, and the Mage Tower gradually started floating up.
[Post] I thought it was fascinating at first, but falling debris made it incredibly dangerous as it rose.
[Post] It's a good thing there weren't any buildings around the Mage Tower. If there had been, a lot of people probably would've died or been injured.
[Post] The knights came and got things under control, but people are still anxious after seeing that thing.
└ Whoa. What the hell is that? That's not the Forest of Four Seasons, right?
└ Yeah, it's the capital of the Iris Kingdom. And that's the Mage Tower.
└ Why is something that looks like it belongs in the Forest of Four Seasons happening there?
└ The world's really going to hell. El Dorado has protests breaking out, and now the Mage Tower is taking off in the Iris Kingdom lol
└ Maybe a transparent giant yanked it out like it was pulling a radish from a field?
└ A round of applause for your imagination.
└ Excuse me, but how old are you?
└ Why does my age matter?
└ That sounds like something my son would think of. He's five, by the way.
└ I'm five too. Thirty-five lol
└ Fuck lol The first digit is different lol
└ This is ridiculous lol
└ Waaah.
Even after seeing the featured post, I still couldn't... guess what was going on.
There weren't structures floating through the sky on Earth either.
It was such an astonishing situation that it was hard to believe without seeing it with my own eyes.
‘At least they can't make composites or edits here.’
On Earth, AI can create things so strange they verge on the miraculous. Not in this world.
What people see and hear for themselves is all there is. If editing were possible, the Gallery's credibility would have hit rock bottom.
Even so, I couldn't easily believe that Mage Tower was really there.
‘It doesn't have anything to do with me, either.’
It felt like news from another country.
Like hearing that there'd been an earthquake in Japan.
Most countries besides the Iris Kingdom probably felt the same way.
Still, I hoped it would be resolved without anyone getting hurt.
‘Could Ambergris make a building like that float?’
The thought suddenly crossed my mind. Ambergris had made the Subspace Backpack float too.
Comparing their sizes, it seemed impossible, but what mattered was that it had made something float at all.
‘Nah. If that were the case, Allfather would've sent me a message.’
If Ambergris had caused that, Allfather would have contacted me first.
Yet Allfather was completely silent right now. Allfather was probably busy researching Ambergris.
The Mage Tower could handle its own problems. I just needed to do my own work.
‘It's getting dark. Time to clean up.’
I planned to start moving again tomorrow, so I finished tidying up.
In the morning, I would train. In the afternoon, I planned to head out and explore again.
As for where, it would be near an area I'd already visited.
I'd originally traveled in a straight line, but now my goal was to look over every corner of that area.
There might be places I'd passed by without realizing, so it was basically like revealing more of the map.
Considering Father Raccoon kept bringing medicinal herbs, there had to be an area where plenty of them grew.
I could find that place myself, or perhaps search for more mysterious substances like Ambergris.
I could control cold energy now, and the weather had warmed up. I needed to move while I could.
Of course, I had no intention of going anywhere near the area where the gorillas lived.
At most, I'd just watch what the kangaroo herd was up to.
‘Should I go scout them out?’
Thinking about it, the kangaroo herd wasn't far from here.
Which meant it wouldn't be strange for them to invade my territory at any time.
Any animal that entered the fence without my permission was an enemy.
If they were people, I could settle things through conversation, but they were animals.
I made a plan to thoroughly prepare before going tomorrow.
‘I've done everything I needed to do, so now...’
Time to browse the Gallery. There's nothing better than Gallery browsing when you've got free time.
When I logged in, posts about the flying Mage Tower came pouring in.
Some people still posted about the El Dorado protests, but the Mage Tower was winning for now.
I preferred fascinating topics like the flying Mage Tower over tiresome political posts too.
[Post title] [Come to think of it, isn't the imperial succession ceremony soon?]
[Post title] [Who is Crown Prince Arnold, the Messiah Empire's next emperor?]
There were posts besides the flying Mage Tower. One was about the Messiah Empire's crown prince.
Actually, it was a topic that had been coming up steadily for several days.
It had been buried under El Dorado, but I remembered the Gallery buzzing over it.
I had been busy with Kkobong and other things at the time, so I hadn't paid much attention.
‘Would it be like a powerful country's president changing on Earth?’
The Messiah Empire was a powerful nation. It didn't bear the title of empire for nothing.
It didn't have much to do with me, but it came up often enough that I clicked on it out of boredom.
[Post title] Title) Who is Crown Prince Arnold, the Messiah Empire's next emperor?
[Post] (Roughly about how Emperor Robert had diligently managed domestic affairs)
[Post] ...So Crown Prince Arnold will focus on diplomacy going forward.
[Post] The elves have been acting suspiciously lately, and protests have even broken out in El Dorado to boot.
[Post] From Robert's perspective, I think he's handing things over at a pretty good time, but Arnold will need to conduct himself well if the Empire is going to find its direction.
└ What's Crown Prince Arnold like? Is he a wastrel?
└ Definitely not a wastrel. He's just about average, I guess?
└ [AbsoluteZLJ0nArnoldJjangJjang]: One thing's for sure. He's handsome and capable.
└ You're Arnold, aren't you?
└ Obviously it's him lol Nobody else would leave a comment like that.
└ But it's true... He really is handsome.
└ I'm a noble, and every time the crown prince appears, young noblewomen flock to him. It makes me feel like shit lol
└ Handsome aside, is he actually capable? Emperor Robert was at least good at domestic affairs, but we don't know about that guy.
└ That's why he needs to prove his abilities. Honestly, people only call Robert good at domestic affairs, but he was genuinely capable too.
└ Do you know Robert's greatest achievement? Supporting Swordmaster Ash lol
└ I completely agree lol He threw the title of count at Ash when she had nothing and gave her a political foothold lol
└ What's Ash doing these days? Didn't she suddenly go into seclusion and stop showing up?
└ I heard a rumor she found a man and got married.
└ That's bullshit. I saw her come out shopping with her mom yesterday.
└ How did you see that?
└ I'm probably not the only one. Ash's mom drags her out all the time.
└ Ah lol I've seen that too lol Will she show up at the succession ceremony?
└ Probably. The emperor's changing, after all.
└ Wild Grylls) Do people from other countries attend the succession ceremony too?
└ ??? What nonsense is this guy saying now?
└ Why would people from other countries come? Are they the Empire's lackeys?
└ Grylls. Unless they're a vassal state, people from other countries don't come.
└ Coming over basically means they're declaring themselves subjects lol
└ Foreign nobles almost never visit unless it's a personal visit.
Come to think of it, people sent congratulations when a president was elected, but they didn't go in person.
‘Did Ming and Joseon work like that...? I don't know.’
Either way, it had little to do with me.
Unless my name started coming up among nobles, people outside could handle outside matters themselves.
‘They said nobles avoided mentioning the Gallery because it was connected to their private lives, right?’
Even ordinary people tended to avoid mentioning it because of the nature of the community.
Nobody wanted to hear something awful like, “You... look at that stuff?”
People wanted to bury their embarrassing private lives in the Gallery.
“Kyuu. Kyuu.”
Wonmo tapped me with his forepaws while I was browsing the Gallery.
It looked like a cat kneading, which made me smile.
“Wonmo, what's wrong? Do you want to play again?”
“Kyuu!”
It seemed he'd developed a taste for floating through the air.
But the scent material had already been used up. If I wanted more, I'd have to message AllHailTheSun.
I felt a little awkward asking again, so I decided to use another method.
“Heave. This should work, right?”
“Kyuuuu!”
I used the floating Subspace Backpack instead.
I tied Wonmo to it like a helium balloon, and he floated around.
Wonmo must have enjoyed flying through the air as much as he wanted, because he went all around the cave.
Smack!
“Kyuuuuuu!”
“Guh?!”
There was a small accident in the middle, but Wonmo was cute, so I let it slide.
* * *
While Grylls was enjoying a peaceful daily life, the Messiah Empire was busy preparing for the upcoming imperial succession ceremony.
The succession of the throne would mark a change of era. The Empire's people each prepared to see the next emperor's face.
The commoners repaired roads and prepared flowers for the crowds that would gather.
The nobles procured all kinds of fashionable items for the party after the ceremony.
The nobles were the busiest, since a new power class could emerge.
It was only natural. They had to make an impression somehow if they wanted a comfortable future.
“Mom! Do you know where my uniform is?”
“Why are you asking your mom? You must've hung it somewhere.”
“You took it to wash it.”
Ash, the Swordmaster, was no exception.
She had once been a commoner, but the current emperor, Robert, recognized her talent and sponsored her.
Though she was living in seclusion now, simply showing her face at the succession ceremony would help greatly.
It would show that she was still on Robert's side, and that she would become a dependable ally to Arnold, the next emperor.
The political instincts she'd honed since her commoner days were for moments like this.
“Mom. I can't find it.”
“What do I get if I find it?”
“Your daughter's love?”
“Good grief. You really know what to say. Here.”
Ash's eyes widened. The uniform she'd searched for just moments ago was in her mother's hands.
Her expression soured for only a moment before she looked at the perfectly wrinkle-free uniform and became lost in thought.
‘It's been a while since I wore this too.’
The memories of receiving the uniform for the first time were still vivid.
She had been made a count and joined the Imperial Guard at the same time.
Back then, there had been countless factions trying to keep her in check, but Robert had resolved all of it.
Later, the reality that she had remained unmarried into her thirties hit her hard, and she disappeared from public view.
Ash slowly put on the uniform after looking it over. It had been a long time, but there wasn't a single tight spot.
Her body became stronger just by breathing, so she maintained peak physical condition without exercising.
‘Mm. Perfect.’
Ash looked at herself in the mirror.
The unemployed shut-in was nowhere to be seen. Only a dignified, impressive knight remained.
Her sturdy thighs stood out in the white pants, while the white top gave her a clean image too.
She almost wanted to take a picture just like this and upload it to the Gallery. Style and beauty coexisted perfectly.
‘Well, most people who wear this uniform are in good shape.’
There was originally an outer garment that symbolized the commander, but she had already retired.
Ash carefully checked herself for any imperfections.
After looking herself over for a while, only one thought came to mind.
‘Ah. I don't want to go.’
It was her homebody instinct talking. She didn't want to go, but she had to. What an ironic situation.
She had no idea how much trouble she would have to deal with there. There would surely be people talking about her return.
She decided she'd handle things quickly and come back home.
“If you went around wearing only that, men would line up for you... No, just bringing home one decent man would be enough...”
“...”
“Go find yourself a suitable husband while you're there. Otherwise, don't even think about coming back.”
“Ah, Mom.”
No matter what, Ash was still unemployed in her mother's eyes.
* * *
While Ash bickered with her mother...
“Selena, do you really have to go? Your health still...”
“I'm fine. This is a chance to show everyone that I'm well.”
“Your father can explain everything well enough. Your mother agreed too, didn't she?”
“No. Besides, I need to introduce Mary too. I'm definitely going.”
Starlight Princess, Selena, was also throwing herself into preparations for the succession ceremony.
Unlike the Forest of Four Seasons, which was virtually the eye of the typhoon, the state of the world was changing rapidly.
Footnotes:
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