Chapter 769
Episode 189: Fortune Rolls In (3)
The place Luce and I headed to was the secret construction site of the Sword Emperor’s territory.
Before entering, I made sure to review Luce’s past once more and ran a verification through Yuria. We couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that Luce was a spy for Ziphl.
Since we were about to bring him into a top-secret area, these precautions were necessary—and Luce accepted them without any resistance.
In the end, it turned out that Luce had no ties to Ziphl and had come to join the Alliance with a pure heart.
From the very start, he couldn’t hide his excitement at being inside such a secretive part of the Alliance.
“Wow…! As expected of the Balmel Alliance, to think they were hiding something like this!”
Even so, when Luce saw the light left behind by Ron, he calmed himself and approached it, bowing silently for a moment.
“What’s going on? You just left and now you’re back? What did you leave behind? And who’s this little kid?”
Kwal, who was busy overseeing the construction site, approached Jin and asked.
“He’s not a kid.”
“Looks like a kid to me.”
“My name is Luce Pibrizo, eldest son of the Pibrizo family, official and unofficial president of Jin Runkandel’s fan club…”
“And the prospective contractee of Barbobo, the God of Architecture, Dr. Kwal.”
Jin spoke up for him, and Kwal’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What!? Is that true?”
“Your name is Kwal, right? Anyway, nice to meet you. I’m also a member of the Alliance starting today, so let’s get along.”
Kwal looked Luce up and down, clearly having a hard time believing it.
For a while, Jin explained the trial Barbobo had set for Luce.
“He’s supposed to become the person in charge of a construction site even the God of Architecture would envy… Heh, if it’s a site designed by me, of course that’s the case. Hey, kid.”
“Luce, not kid.”
“Right, boy. Go inside and let Barbobo take a good look. I’m sure he’ll be satisfied.”
Descending underground, Luce couldn’t stop exclaiming in awe.
Opening a door barely big enough for one person revealed an endlessly vast underground space.
It was even brighter than the surface of Gliek, where marriageable age still lingered.
From ceiling to walls, magical lights shone brightly, and Alliance members bustled busily below.
Even to Luce, who knew nothing about construction, the scale of the site was clearly overwhelming.
Suppressing his pounding heart, Luce waited eagerly for Barbobo’s voice.
Jin and Kwal were just as eager to hear it.
If Barbobo showed no reaction after seeing this place, we’d have to reconsider.
[Hey!]
Fortunately, Barbobo’s voice came immediately.
Startled, Luce fell backward onto his butt, while Jin faced the spirit form of Barbobo hovering above his head.
“You scared me! Barbobo, let’s make the contract now!”
[I don’t like it!]
“Ah, what don’t you like this time?”
[I gave you that trial for a reason. I wanted to see you, a foolish and incapable kid, realize your talent through a preliminary contract with me, endure the blood, sweat, and bone-breaking effort to complete the trial I set, and grow step by step!]
“Huh? What did you say?”
[If you threw yourself into construction and eventually became the site manager even I, Barbobo, would admire, I planned to fully awaken your talent with my power… but you’re pulling tricks!?]
“Tricks or not, as long as the conditions are met, isn’t that fine? You seemed impressed, after all.”
“Allow me to introduce myself properly, Barbobo. I’m Jin Runkandel, head of the Runkandel family.”
[Hmph… Jin Runkandel. Your name’s been coming up a lot among the gods lately. Are you the one encouraging Luce to pull tricks?]
“Yes. I didn’t think of it as trickery, though.”
[Someone like you couldn’t have missed my intention.]
“Please forgive any offense. Is it that you don’t like this site?]
[Not exactly, but it feels like Luce’s chance to grow as a person is slipping away.]
“These days, the Inse are in chaos, Barbobo. If Luce had started working somewhere else, especially Ziphl, without meeting me, he’d likely have been enslaved through mind control or absorbed into a demon stone like you.”
Barbobo surprisingly seemed to agree with Jin.
[That’s not wrong. That idiot might have blabbed about his abilities and gotten caught by Ziphl. Then I’d be trapped in a demon stone.]
“So, even if it’s a bit regrettable, please lend us your strength. Though Luce won’t face the trial entirely alone, as a core manager here, he’ll learn a lot.”
Jin spoke in a very friendly tone, but Barbobo was actually overwhelmed by the strange authority Jin exuded.
It was partly because of rumors circulating among the mid- and lower-tier gods.
Jin noticed Barbobo’s hesitation.
“If I say anything disrespectful, please tell me.”
[It’s not that. I was just wondering if you’re really the kind of person I think you are.]
“What do you mean?”
[Someone who can protect gods afraid of being absorbed into demon stones.]
The recent chatter among mid- and lower-tier gods was about this.
Many gods feared being absorbed into demon stones.
Now that demon stones had grown stronger, mid- and lower-tier gods were almost certain to be absorbed the moment Ziphl caught them.
When Barbobo explained this, Jin nodded with a serious expression.
“Defeating Ziphl is naturally my mission, so I’ll inevitably help the gods along the way. But even among our Alliance gods, I’ve never heard this before.”
[Newcomers like Pikone Minche can’t enter certain areas yet. High-ranking gods like Olta rarely get involved with us, so that makes sense.]
“Anyway, I’m clearly willing to help. I don’t expect any reward—just preventing gods from being absorbed into demon stones is enough to stop Ziphl from growing stronger.”
[You seem to want a reward from me.]
“If you refuse to help this site, it would be disappointing, but I wouldn’t hold a grudge against you, Barbobo.”
“Barbobo, can’t you just help? Make a contract with me.”
After a moment’s thought, Barbobo nodded as if he’d made a decision.
[Fine, I’ll help. But protect the gods close to me as well. They’re especially vulnerable because Ziphl almost knows their locations. There are three: Kaytam, the God of Painters; Ox, the God of Frames; and Telpen, the God of Pencils. Among them, the God of Painters has a connection to you…]
Barbobo started to say more but shook his head.
[…It’s better you hear it directly from Kaytam. Anyway, find and protect those three. I won’t tell the other gods about this. It might only speed up Ziphl’s search for gods.]
Jin was curious about Kaytam but decided to meet him directly later and didn’t ask further.
“If you give me their locations, I’ll gather them immediately.”
[I’ll write them down later. Looking forward to working with you. Luce, you bright and naive kid, kneel reverently. We’ll proceed with the contract.]
“Oh!”
A glowing circle appeared on the floor where Luce sat.
[I, Barbobo, God of Architecture, hereby contract with Luce Pibrizo and bestow my blessing upon him. From now on, Luce Pibrizo will be able to borrow my power as a full contractee, not just a preliminary one…]
Light seeped into Luce’s body. He trembled briefly, then opened his eyes wide—and the construction site looked completely different to him now.
Like a fog lifting to reveal what was hidden, the problems scattered throughout the site suddenly became clear at a glance.
“This is insane. So this is the power of a god.”
[Ugh, finishing the contract is exhausting. I’ll rest a bit, so have Luce get to work. There’s no shortage of things to fix.]
“Jin! Or should I say, Lord? Master? Alliance Leader? I feel like calling you something different.”
“Usually, we call him ‘Master.’”
“Then I’ll call you Brother Jin! Looks like there’s a lot I can do here. For starters, that pillar joint will crack in about two months, and that ground over there can be dug out more.”
“What? You can tell just by looking?”
“The placement of the material storage isn’t ideal either. That side’s ground is weak; if it gets heavier, it’ll collapse.”
Everyone, including Kwal, was somewhat aware of these issues.
So Kwal was even more shocked.
“What about the hatch? You see that over there? They’re working on the hatch for the ship to exit. Does it look okay?”
“Hmm, I’d have to watch it a bit longer to be sure. What kind of structure is the hatch?”
“Well, if you look at this blueprint…”
For a while, Luce and Kwal discussed the blueprints.
Kwal nodded repeatedly, clearly impressed, while Luce’s voice was full of excitement over his newfound senses.
What was even more amazing was that Luce’s power was still at a beginner level.
Just as Jin had honed his spiritual energy, Luce could study architecture and further enhance his abilities.
“Hey, Jin. Looks like the construction is going to speed up a lot. We’ll need to bring in more workers and increase the supply of materials.”
“Starting today, I’ll be staying here, Jin hyung! I’ll give you the address, so please take care of my family. Since things are chaotic, don’t send them this way—just find them a safe place to stay nearby. I’m swamped with work, so introductions can wait.”
Jin nodded, still a bit dazed.
Luce had already rolled up his sleeves, ready to get to work.
“Got it. If you need anything, just request it through Lord Quaul to Tikan.”
“Yes, hyung, I’ll keep an eye on things!”
“Doctor, work with Luce, and get in touch as soon as you have an estimated completion date.”
“Understood. I’ll be waiting with high hopes.”
After leaving Geomhwangji and returning to Tikan, Jin was greeted with more good news.
“Jin.”
Valeria came straight to him, as if she’d been waiting.
“You look cheerful. Got some good news, Valeria?”
She pulled a sheet of paper from her pocket.
On it were dozens of names Jin had never seen before.
“What are all these names?”
Valeria smiled broadly.
“These are the names of magical engineers who’ve requested to transfer after hearing about me. Didn’t I tell you? Once my existence became known, people obsessed with Hister’s magic—like Kidad Hall—would come looking.”
Fortunes kept rolling in.