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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 431: Fate (3)
“What? Moro is the Sun’s true name?”
Does that mean all humans on Earth have been calling that massive star by a secondary name all this time?
‘No, wait.’
But that wasn’t the most important part.
‘Then just how much did Lemu foresee? Since when…?’
Lemu, the Architect.
Never before had his title felt so fitting.
If the coordinates in question truly pointed to the Sun, that meant Lemu had anticipated this situation long ago.
Even before Yeongwoo’s parents had gotten married.
“If Moro is the Sun’s true name, then these coordinates must really be pointing at the Sun, right?”
『…You could say that.』
Earth nodded weakly.
Seeing this, Yeongwoo’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he asked again.
“Where exactly is it pointing on the Sun? You would know, right?”
At this, Earth shrank back and shook its head.
『Ah… I don’t want to know. It’s not like we’re about to fire at it right now, are we…?』
As a mere planet of the solar system, peering into the Sun’s coordinates felt like an act of blasphemy.
Unlike Yeongwoo, who had long since crossed many lines, Earth was still just a ‘planet.’
‘Well, people don’t change overnight, so planets probably take even longer.’
Yeongwoo scratched his chin.
Then, as if something occurred to him, he asked,
“Then what should we do now? Should we start with the ship transformation?”
The figurehead was already prepared.
Swoosh.
Yeongwoo pointed vaguely toward the sky—more precisely, toward the Returnee’s Room—and Earth’s face instantly filled with fear.
Earlier, Earth had gotten swept up in Yeongwoo’s madness and momentarily agreed.
But now, the thought of truly transforming into a planetary ship filled it with terror.
『Once we decide, there’s no turning back. We need to be careful. It’s already late today, so let’s discuss it again tomorrow—』
But Yeongwoo immediately grabbed Earth by the collar.
Clench!
“What the hell? Tomorrow? Do you have any idea what kind of crazy shit could happen by then, and you want to delay this?”
Once again, Earth was hoisted helplessly into the air.
But unlike before, this time, Earth’s expression held defiance.
『You idiot, turning into a planetary ship is the ‘crazy shit’ I’m talking about.』
From Earth’s perspective, it wasn’t wrong.
Becoming a planetary ship without the Sun’s approval was an act that stood out even on a universal scale.
『And how do you even plan to put the Sun into our orbit? Earth and the Sun were never meant to be equals.』
It was a matter of mass.
The Sun’s mass was hundreds of thousands of times greater than Earth’s.
Even if they somehow switched orbits, the Sun’s immense gravitational pull would inevitably distort everything.
In the end, all planets in the solar system—including Earth—would still revolve around the Sun.
『The universe maintains balance because everything stays where it belongs.』
“Bullshit. Then why do planetary ships exist? Stop worrying and just start the transformation.”
Ignorance breeds confidence.
Yeongwoo believed that once they initiated the transformation, solutions would present themselves.
And they had to.
‘What’s the point of transforming into a ship if it can’t move? That would be absurd.’
Yeongwoo understood that turning a planet into a ship was a massive provocation on a cosmic scale.
But provocations existed for a reason, didn’t they?
Once the transformation began, new possibilities would emerge—because that’s how the universe had always worked for him.
“Even Lemu, the master of the Machine Tower, bet on our success. Are you seriously going to doubt the foresight of a Rank 4 being?”
Yeongwoo brandished the Sun’s coordinates as if to prove his point, and Earth’s expression darkened further as it lowered its head.
『H-However…』
“Just once. Just cross the line once.”
『What…?』
“Crossing the line. Just once. That’s all it takes.”
『……!』
“Only a planet that crosses the line can become a planetary ship and carve its own path. You need to overcome the fear inside you.”
Yeongwoo, utterly obsessed with planetary ships, was spouting whatever came to mind.
But at the same time, he was completely sincere.
“Hey, Earth! Are you going to stay a low-ranking planet forever, just blindly following fate? Walk this new path with me—beyond the stars!”
Whoosh!
Yeongwoo raised Bastard toward the sky, and Earth stared at him, almost mesmerized.
The sky, illuminated by indirect lighting instead of the Sun, looked peaceful and serene.
If Yeongwoo07’s words were to be believed, then staying on the predetermined path would mean enjoying that peaceful sky forever.
A life spent under an unwavering, tranquil sky, unable to let go of the Sun.
『…….』
Amidst all this, Yeongwoo’s fierce voice rained down once more.
“How do we start the planetary ship transformation? Should we summon the figurehead first?”
His voice stood in stark contrast to the serene sky.
Earth could already sense the hardships that lay ahead if it followed Yeongwoo’s path.
But in return—
『The Sun…』
“What?”
『Can I… really place the Sun in my sky?』
This question wasn’t truly directed at Yeongwoo, who didn’t even understand the mechanics of this room.
It was a question Earth was asking itself—because it still wasn’t certain.
But ironically, Yeongwoo answered in its place.
Without hesitation.
With absolute, baseless confidence.
“Of course. I guarantee it. You will have the Sun.”
『……!』
Earth’s eyes widened at the answer, and Yeongwoo stood firmly before it.
Yet in this space, where artificial lights had replaced the Sun, there were almost no shadows.
"Just say the word. How do we start the ship transformation?"
As Yeongwoo asked again, Earth raised its index finger and pointed to the sky.
『…Summon the figurehead here. Then we can begin the ship transformation process.』
Of course, this was Earth's first time performing a ship transformation, so it only knew how to start it.
"And after that? You don’t know, do you?"
At Yeongwoo’s question, Earth silently nodded.
"A completely unknown territory… This is kind of thrilling."
『What do you think I feel?』
The era of planetary ships, opened by the fusion of a crazy native and a crazy planet.
As Earth wiggled its fingers, still maintaining some sense of sanity for now, Yeongwoo looked up into the air and asked,
"General! Is the figurehead ready? Do you have a function to send it down here?"
Would his voice even be transmitted inside this space?
The answer came in the form of a deafening roar.
Kwaaaah!
Suddenly, the clear sky split open, and from within, a massive statue was launched down.
“Ugh…!”
『D-Dodge!』
The statue was far larger than expected, causing not only Yeongwoo but even Earth to flinch and leap out of the way.
Hwaaaah!
And then—
Kuuuuuuung!
The figurehead landed right in the middle of the field.
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Earth was so startled that an unprecedentedly strong gust of wind swept across the plains, howling fiercely.
"What the hell? I almost died before even seeing the planetary ship."
Barely dodging in time, Yeongwoo looked up at the massive figurehead that had devoured the center of the field.
“……”
Ironically, the statue's exterior was an exact replica of Yeongwoo’s current form—
Dressed in full Vesedel armor, with its bastard sword thrust skyward in a dramatic pose—an exact likeness of Jeong Yeongwoo-07.
『That… is your figurehead?』
Even Earth, who had been unable to see inside the Returnee’s Chamber, made a disgusted face at the sight of it.
Yeongwoo let out an awkward laugh and followed the direction in which the statue’s sword was pointing.
"My figurehead? You’re mistaken. That is our figurehead."
『…Fuck.』
"Anyway, what happens now? The figurehead has arrived."
At this, Earth gave him an uneasy look and gazed into the air.
『Now… we can switch to planetary mode.』
"What mode exactly?"
『…Rebel Mode, I suppose.』
Earth hesitated.
Then, after glancing at Yeongwoo once, its eyes began to glow blue.
Paaaaah!
“What the—”
At that moment, the small body of Earth, which Yeongwoo had been casually holding, released an enormous surge of energy.
Kwaaaaaa…!
As Earth gazed up at the sky, creating a towering pillar of blue light, a system message appeared in Yeongwoo’s vision.
「|l||I- Earth is initiating ship transformation.」
"Ah."
At last, it had made its decision.
The sky darkened ominously, and a colossal holographic Earth materialized in the air.
『It seems… we must designate the planetary capital first.』
Earth, realizing it had committed to something enormous without a plan, looked up at the holographic planet with a pale expression.
"Planetary capital? Isn’t there only one possible choice?"
As Yeongwoo pointed out, establishing a planetary capital required unanimous approval from all planetary shareholders and the planet’s consent.
But since Yeongwoo was the sole shareholder of this planet, the capital was obvious.
"Metropolitan Seoul in Dogo Special City. That will be our capital."
As Yeongwoo pointed at the hologram and declared it, Earth slowly closed its eyes.
『And the figurehead’s installation site?』
Without hesitation, as if he had planned it all along, Yeongwoo answered.
“Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.”
『Are you sure? There’s a bomb buried underground there.』
"If rebels ever try to demolish the figurehead, we can blow them up all at once."
『…….』
There was no reasoning with this lunatic.
Earth stopped asking questions and designated the planetary capital as per the will of the planet’s sole shareholder.
「Metropolitan Seoul has been designated as the planetary capital of |l||I- Earth!」
A bright light illuminated a specific point on the holographic Earth—likely the location of Metropolitan Seoul.
『Now it’s time for the figurehead. Who knows what will happen next?』
As if leaving behind a final testament, Earth muttered under its breath.
Yeongwoo impatiently waved his bastard sword.
"Hurry up. Let’s get this over with before the Sun notices."
『It already knows.』
With those words, Earth approved the installation of the figurehead in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul.
In an instant, the massive figurehead standing in the middle of the field vanished.
Swaaaah!
"Huh? What just happened?"
『What do you think? It’s been moved to Gwangjin-gu. Curious? I can show you the area.』
Just as Earth was about to snap its fingers to bring up a display of Gwangjin-gu, a sudden change occurred in the holographic Earth.
Piiiiiing!
“Huh?”
Yeongwoo's eyes widened in shock.
A blue wave spread out from what appeared to be Gwangjin-gu on the holographic Earth, quickly enveloping the entire planet.
「Planetary diagnosis has begun.」
"Planetary diagnosis?"
Then, the holographic Earth shrank down, and surrounding it, the Sun and the planets of the solar system appeared one by one.
Pap! Pap!
"What… What is it trying to do?"
As Yeongwoo asked, his eyes wide, Earth’s expression was just as dumbfounded.
『I-It’s running a simulation.』
“What?”
『A simulation of what happens if Earth starts roaming the cosmos… with the Sun chained to it.』
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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