Etranger Chapter 106

“That sounds good, too…” San murmured. He took the glass of wine Biyeon offered and extended his hand towards the horizon to see the vibrant colors of the wine swish around in the glass after being hit by the rays of the setting sun.

The reddish hue of the fruit wine was beautiful to behold in the natural sunlight. He brought the glass up to his lips and slightly tilted the glass upward.

“To your health and complete recovery!”

Biyeon lifted her chin and looked up at the sky. The clear blue sky showed signs of evening cloud cover rolling in. The view was comfortable and calming. A small smile formed on her lips. She was happy and satisfied. Biyeon felt satisfied because she was with San. There was no internet, television, or radio. Also, there wasn't a trending song blaring everywhere, nor people aggressively peddling useless products. 

There was time to spare and time to reflect. There was more stuff to do than someone living in a modern apartment, but she still had time left over after finishing her daily tasks. It was a contradiction no matter how she thought about it…. Why did she never seem to have enough time when she lived in Korea?

Instead of the constant buzz of electronics and their wave frequencies, this place was filled with the chattering of birds, water, and people. There were also the deep conversations she would have with San and the accumulating number of notes and books that they were writing about regarding this place.

Thus, they felt isolated in this place, but it was also a clean, open canvas to express their creativity. It was also a place where they could rest and recover. This was why they decided to stay in Count Essen's territories after their recent travels.

She looked at the darkening blue sky behind the rolling clouds. She reaffirmed that she'd recover from her illness. She swung her head back on San's back. With a poof sound, she felt a cushion-like feeling supporting her head. Behind her, San's deep voice rang out,

“What's up?”

“Just…”

“Are you tired of living?”

“Not yet…”

“Acting so weak… shall we go back inside?”

“No… the air is so nice here. Let's stay a bit longer.”

A small smile returned to her face. Having come back to the estate last fall, they'd stayed for a little over a year and a half. All of the things that happened during that time passed through her mind like a slideshow.

They analyzed the termination deadline placed in her body by the Magical Dragon, Siluone. San focused all his energy on trying to find a cure for her illness. This most recent setback was more difficult to resolve than when they had to overcome the effects of Nectar at the Pian… They were still in the process of finding a cure for her illness.

They didn't sit on their hands during the past couple of years. They clashed with their dark fate through various methods and experiments. They accepted each failure and continued trudging forward.

In order to get rid of the 'termination deadline' placed in Biyeon's body by the seemingly omnipotent magic dragon, as well as the various other data gathering and tracking devices, San and Biyeon experimented using all sorts of methods. Their current bodies were formed through the trial and error of trying these various methods. Unfortunately, they hadn't succeeded in getting rid of the 'termination deadline' or any of the other devices. However, they believed they discovered a way to get rid of the shackles that were holding them down.

They hoped that the shackles placed on them by Siluone would be fully resolved, allowing them to escape her complete reign over them, whether it took a few months or decades…

After two years of experimentation, they were able to properly assess the critical issues. They were hopeful of becoming free from their shackles. They felt that their current conjectures were on the right track. The answer would be in a place where humans can find something, but a dragon cannot.

Based on their assessment, the answer would lie in the original state of humans, as created by the 'Creator'. If that wasn't the case? They needed to get in touch with the 'Creator'. They had to hope and pray… wasn't that the only way to connect with the 'Creator'? They recalled that the 'Creator' was also called the 'Original Being'. The term “Original Being' also meant the 'Old One' who made the principles, procedures, and algorithms of the universe. He/she was a being that possessed and knew everything.

San and Biyeon started from this foundational basis and thought about what he/she was most similar to. His/her existence may refer to something along the lines of 'Yin and Yang' in Eastern culture or 'Chaos and Order' in Western culture. However, rather than going deeper into these heady concepts, they decided that the 'Creator's existence' most closely resembled an 'egg'. Based on this conceptual model, they reexamined their previous conjectures and formulated new plans of attack. 

If the 'deadline' used genes to promote rapid aging and inhibited or regulated regeneration, of course, the opposite would mean explosive production and unrestricted replication. Furthermore, this formation of a 'universal' type of cell could possibly reproduce any organ.

It was similar to the concept of 'artificial insemination' and stem cells. For San and Biyeon, the critical issue was to 'inseminate' the egg correctly. It wasn't just a matter of physical sex, but a complete and thorough understanding of the principle and methodology.

In other words, a special harmony combining physical and mental properties would be the answer. To solve this problem, they recalled the conjecture that almost all religions that had dominated the earth used the concepts of 'eternal life' and 'afterlife' to bring people in, much like a merchant who brings in buyers with alluring products.

In recalling the conjecture, they didn't focus on the concepts espoused by the religions, such as 'love', 'mercy', or 'belief'.  They were already in a constant state of 'love,' which they fiercely practiced every second and every minute of their existence in this place. And, in the midst of that fierce 'love' and their struggles, they broke through the 6th Stage of Acceleration, that is, the fourth-level Awakened Warrior or an Awakened with four Awakened skills in this world's standard.

However, they were unaware of the tremendous influence and impact their simple solution would bring onto the world, and further, the universe. Also, they didn't know the fact that their current struggles were the basic principles that created powerful races, such as the 'gods' and 'demons'… races that currently used humans as hosts…

Biyeon blinked her eyes. The weather was starting to get cold, so even though she didn't yawn or feel sad, moisture appeared in her eyes. She raised her glass into the air. The half-filled fruit wine swished around the large glass and gave off its fragrant aroma. Biyeon stretched her hand out.

“For my love!” 

“Finally! I hooked one!” San shouted. 

As he yanked the fishing line upwards, they saw four weird fish biting each other's tails. Only one of them was hooked.

“Kolok-” Biyeon coughed. 

At the same time, at their dwelling place, four people were knocking on their door.

Episode 3. Book 1: Happiness – Chapter 5

Four young people entered the house under the guidance of San and Biyeon's maid, Yumia.

Her guidance was very natural. It was as if she had known that they would come.

Upon arrival, they were taken to the first reception room, a well-decorated room with expensive glass and wood furniture. When they arrived at the reception room, they also signed a guestbook. After that, refreshments were served, and 'Ness', the chief of staff, explained the origin and history of this place.

Also, they received an 'education' about the rules of conduct and etiquette observed here. Finally, after listening to the explanations about safety and security, the intake process was over.

“Then, please take a rest. The masters will come in in about an hour.”

“Does your master know that we're here?”

“Yes, they know, Mr. Gibin. There was a command to serve you well before they return.”

“…!?”

“If you need me, please ring the bell. Otherwise, I'll be back in ten minutes.”

Yumia, the head maid, left the room. 

“What have we just done?” Dongha asked while looking at Gibin with a dumbfounded expression.

“Well… it happened so quickly…” Dongyoung turned his head from side to side.

“I did something…” Gibin said while smacking his lips. 

Outside of Gibin, the other three were standing around. They lingered around the room, unable to decide what to expect. They looked like people who just came up from a small village, not understanding the customs and ways of a civilized area. They had never been treated this way, so they were at a complete loss on how to react.

However, rather than displeasure, they had smiles on their faces. They were curious about experiencing something new and decided to give the benefit of the doubt to their largely unknown, mysterious hosts. This sense of tension was actually quite fun.

Useful information comes from advanced diplomacy.

'An interview event that precedes diplomatic discussions. Is this place a 'country'?'

Instead of sitting comfortably in their seats, everyone wandered around the room and the corridors.

Dongha carefully touched the windows in the reception room. The glass was surprisingly transparent.

Giyoung looked at the strange patterns on the wall, the various knots and yarn-woven knitting, and the many paintings that were abstract and hard to decipher. They were simple and pretty, but there seemed to be something more than just the patterns and colors.

Gibin read a book while seated on a leather sofa. All kinds of symbols and patterns caught his attention. As if solving a riddle, his expression was very serious.

Dongyoung looked at the lights, mirrors, strange sculptures, and decorations installed on the wall. He stopped tapping his fingers once he looked closer at every item in the room. Strangely designed door handles, mirrors that reflected the whole body, interior lighting that was cold yet bright, and wall-mounted paintings that were strangely appealing to the mind…

'What the hell is this? Why does it make me feel this way?'

'Am I becoming overpowered through culture? Me?'

The interior was quiet enough to feel stuffy. The mental fortitude of these intellectuals was greatly diminished. According to the adage, “I see as much as I know,” the degree of atrophy they felt in this space was immense.

Furthermore, they recognized that what they were seeing now could severely 'distort' their judgments in the future. It seemed that that was what the designer of this house intended.

'Can this expensive glass be made so transparent and flat? When I came in, I couldn't see the inside from the outside, but I could see the outside from the inside? What kind of magic is this?'

'These are strange painting patterns… but there seems to be some sense of unity. Did they draw this area map? Drawing it this way makes everything a lot clearer…'

'What are these books about? Seeing that they're numbered, it seems like a series of dissertations on calculation methods or mathematical theories. What does this strange matrix of figures and symbols mean?'

'What is this cylindrical sculpture… Why did they put glass on both sides…?'

Each person saw different things, but the opinions of the four people were converging.

'I won't act surprised no matter what happens.'

'I won't ask first. Even if the heavens were to collapse!'

***

“What is this?” Dongyoung asked. 

He was holding some papers that were handed to him as he stared at Yumia.

“This is a questionnaire about the interview method. You can choose one from each category.”

Chapter end