Kidnapped Dragons

Chapter 350: Episode 100: At the End of the 1,000-year-long Voyage (4)

It was by sheer coincidence that he went to the back of the village. 

As he was peeking his head into all the places around the village, someone that was in the plaza came up to him.

“Even though this village may be peaceful, it is not a place for you to behave without discretion.

“How about you stop digging up every place?

“You are slowly starting to get on my nerves.”

<Target: [Status]>

The large metal humanoid said a mouthful to Yu Jitae as the ones gathered around it added a few words each.

“He’s been at it for a while now.

“Very uncomfortable indeed…”

<Target: [Mana Tracking (B+)]>

“He doesn’t seem evil or useless so how about we let him be. Even though our lord does hate him, there seems to be a reason why he has to be here and it does not seem like our lord is willing to chase him out immediately as of yet.

“However, you too must be aware that many are feeling uncomfortable because of your presence.”

<Target: [Existence Discernment (A+)]>

“If there is something you wish, say it to me.”

<Target: [Sovereignty (S)]>

Respectively, it was a monkey wearing glasses, a man in black and white clothes and a young woman wearing a crown that spoke to Yu Jitae. The first was an ‘ability’ that comprehended the trajectory of mana to predict its future path; the second was a ‘spell’ that helped with identifying the opponent and the third was a ‘blessing’ that granted an absolute position over one’s subordinates.

He asked them, ‘I am looking for the ‘personality’ that should be around this place. Have you seen it somewhere’

But the word ‘personality’ was made due to Yu Jitae’s interpretation so the blessings and authorities and whatnot did not understand his words.

‘No idea’ was their reply.

“Whatever it is, I wish you would stop roaming around making noise in my ears. And also, do not speak to the bird flying across the sky if possible.”

The metal amour, [Status], murmured.

Now that he thought about it, there indeed was a bird restlessly flying in the sky. It had a thick beak like a pelican with rounded eyes that seemed rather fussy. He went to it and started a conversation and immediately understood why [Status] had said that.

“Ohhng. What is it? What do you want to know?

“I don’t know what it is, but I’m already very curious!”

Its name was [Curiosity] – a fairly important device that allowed Myu to understand the world. This was neither an authority or a blessing, and could be seen as a mirror image of her ‘disposition’ embedded within the mana.

“Personality? What is that? My gosh! That word is so foreign to me! Tell me what it is!”

“You don’t know either?”

“You seem to know it. How about you introduce it to me?”

“…”

In the end this guy wasn’t that helpful either, but its final words scraped past his ears.

“Ahh! If no-one knows about it, then maybe it’s at a place where no-one is at!”

“What does that mean.”

“There is something I’ve always been curious about! I’ve never been to the dumping ground behind the village! I was scolded whenever I tried to go there. That place is like a taboo of our village. How about you go there?”

“Can I go there?”

With sparkling eyes, [Curiosity] used its wing to point somewhere. Turning his eyes he could see on the other side of the village an extremely tall cliff that appeared to have been made by cutting a mountain. Curiosity was pointing at a small structure that was placed on top of the hill – it was a pole with something resembling a bird placed on top that was looking down on the village.

The red eyes of the bird on the pole flickered.

“You just have to avoid that gaze.”

Without even having to check its name, he could guess its identity because he had seen similar devices when conceptualising other existences.

The name of that bird on a pole was probably [Rationality].

“That guy is damn strict. It always tells everyone to stop doing this and that.”

It was a guy that always gazed down on the entire world, trying to tune everything according to its will.

Yu Jitae looked at that place. From the top of the tall and carved cliff, Rationality gazed at him, looking straight into his eyes.

In the sky was the red eye still staring at him. 

There were now two gazes facing his way.

*

Merging into the shadow to avoid one gaze would only end up with the other red eye opening into a circle. And this is probably the message that would come up in his head.

<[Will of the Ancient One (SS)] finds the foreign being suspicious.>

Therefore, Yu Jitae had to physically hide his body. There was a method, although it wasn’t the most elegant one.

He simply had to wait a little.

Several hours had already passed and soon came the nighttime at the village. The source of light shining above from the sky disappeared as darkness came down like a fog. At the same time, large ‘paper boxes’ began to appear in the surroundings. They looked just like post boxes.

<Target: [Unconsciousness]>

From time to time, the ‘dispositions’ tended to ride these to visit restricted areas. Yu Jitae secretly opened the post box and entered it, before popping holes and heading to the dumping ground. 

It was small so he had to crawl on all fours.

The dumping ground didn’t have actual garbage and was giving off a gentle ambience. From there, Yu Jitae found the mirror image of ‘Myu’ buried inside the trash. To be exact, it was Myu’s ‘personality’ that he found.

He slowly walked towards it to ensure it wouldn’t be startled by his approach. Myu opened its purple eyes to look at Yu Jitae.

In front of him was the mirror image of her ‘personality’, that shared the most number of thoughts and intentions with Myu.

His job now was to take it with him.

He carefully came closer but did not rashly reach out or anything. Keeping a safe distance, he simply met its gaze for a few seconds and before long, Myu raised its body from the ground.

“You. What brings you here…?”

“I am here to do the experiment that I told you about.”

“Ahh…”

“Get up. Let’s go together. So that you don’t accidentally get hurt.”

Myu blinked its purple eyes. The personality was being linked to the awareness.

“Come on…”

Myu scratched its messy hair.

“I haven’t even fully healed yet. And yet you started the experiment already just like this?”

“It was urgent and there was no way around it.”

“How about you put yourself into my shoes. I am exhausted from the long experiment and I really really wanted to go on a vacation. That was the only thing I was looking forward to.”

“I will double your vacation once this is over.”

Even though that was what he said, he wasn’t sure if it would work. He was concerned that it might instead get infuriated and gather the eyes of the surroundings.

But unlike what he was worried about, Myu widened its eyes into circles and carefully returned a question.

“Really? Oh right, you did say it was urgent…”

It was empathising with him. The usual ferocious expression and the disgusted gaze was no longer there – this too was quite unexpected.

Personality represented the existence’s intellectual, mental, volitional and physical situation. Thanks to that, inside the mental world interpreted through Conceptualisation, it was the most free and the most honest.

And yet such Myu was buried inside the dumping ground,

And was a lot more amiable than he expected.

“Alright. I shall trust you.”

Myu obediently raised its body from the pile of trash. Unlike the real Myu that was always clean, this Myu was very dirty. 

That wasn’t the end. He was late in realising it because it was buried inside the trash, but Myu’s mirror image had its right arm amputated. 

“I can walk just fine so ignore it.”

That was what Myu said in response after feeling his gaze.

Without even realising it, he wiped the dirty filth from its face and paused after realising what he had done. It was a habit formed from constantly wiping the blood off of Yeorum’s face. 

“What should I now help you with?”

“Is there by any chance a place like a library in this village?”

“A library?”

“The place all the mirror images go to when Myu looks for something that has passed – the area that stores memories.”

The personality understood Yu Jitae’s figure of speech, his explanation and the proper nouns used.

“If you are talking about that, I do know where it is located. But what about that place?”

No matter which dragon, the [Will of the Ancient One] was never breakable. Yu Jitae discovered that this uncannily tough authority that protected the [Origin Fragment] continued its existence by living off of something, but nothing could be found out about the host from outside.

Never. 

Therefore, breaking the Will of the Ancient One was several times more difficult than killing a dragon.

“Since dragons remember even their childhood, there should be a memory of the ‘authority given to them during youth’ when they were born as an egg. We have to have a look at that memory now.”

Not knowing that, [Conceptualisation] suggested he check every individual thing to find the host, but he chose a better method based on his experience.

“Ahh, right. I think something like that did exist.”

Arriving at the library and going through the memories of the past will reveal the host of the [Will of the Ancient One]. And killing the host will kill the eye floating in the sky.

“But you see, there is a problem,” said Myu.

“What is it.”

“I cannot go into the village. I’ve been exiled.”

“Is it related to your arm?”

“Yes. When the village was being filled with new residents, I was bashed up and chased out, and lost all of my limbs. One of my arms and my legs came back, but this one didn’t.”

Myu swung her arm that was blunt mid-way down.

“Why were you exiled,” he asked.

“Because I wasn’t necessary.”

“A personality? Unnecessary?”

“Nn.”

Necessary.

Yu Jitae knew what this adjective implied when used in a conceptual world. Even more so than personality, rationality and consciousness… there was something at the very centre of everything that formed an existence, that was of the most priority.

It was none other than ‘Dream’.

Every existence moved forth towards the ideal whether it be reproduction, success as an individual, happiness or anything it may be. In addition, going higher in terms of status as an animal made this pursuit for the ideal more complicated and detailed. 

Like how Yu Jitae came to this foreign land to achieve his dream, Myu would have had something similar for herself. And it meant that her personality was not needed in achieving that ‘dream’.

“Still, did they hit you just because of that? Your owner will also be in danger if you die.”

“Am I not alive like this?”

“But what if you personally wish for death?”

“You see, I want to live.”

“…”

He reflected on the past stories – what was the thing Myu had wanted the most?

Wasn’t it to have her own personal space to live a settled life? That was similar to craving for a daily life.

However, it didn’t really make sense to see that as Myu’s dream. His thought was that a rounded personality and disposition like the one in front was instead more suitable for daily lives.

But whatever the case, that was none of his business.

“…Alright. So where is the library of memories located.”

In response, Myu pointed at the ground with her finger.

“Here.”

“Huh?”

“It’s here. It is beneath the ground.”

Myu then began digging the ground under the pile of trash with her only remaining hand. 

Was it really under this place? With that doubt in mind, he picked up something resembling a shovel and helped dig the ground.

Less than a metre in, he felt something stopping the tip of his shovel.

It was quite surprising. Underneath was a door made with steel.

“Do you want to see?”

Myu opened the door.

The entirety of the interpreted world had an ambient light source and the underground library was also the same.

Yu Jitae widened his eyes after seeing the stunningly enormous library. The end of the bookshelves was reaching all the way to the horizon.

Dragons did not forget. All their unforgetting memories were stacked like this to become wide enough to form the foundation of a world.

But even then, it was very massive.

He had used Conceptualisation on the Origin Fragment a few times in the past but it was his first time seeing such a large library. Myu’s library was outrageously huge even when compared to other adult dragons. 

“Off you go. By yourself.”

“No. You have to come with me.”

“Did I not tell you. It would be a big mess if they find out I have left the dumping ground. Can you not imagine what will happen when you see the current state of my arm?”

Myu waved her arm again but Yu Jitae shook his head in response.

“This place is bound to become a mess soon anyway. If it gets worse, they might start bombarding this place. Even if you stay at the dumping ground away from other’s sight, you won’t be able to stay safe.”

Myu shook her head.

“It doesn’t matter what happens to me. It will be dangerous for you.”

“It’s not.”

“It is. You are saying that because you do not understand this place. This place has the foundation of an adult dragon’s strength gathered inside. There are even powers reaching the level of an authority.”

“I know.”

Myu continued its words with a worried expression.

“No you do not. It is already a mistake for you to crawl here with a feeble body like that, telling me to leave this place. Did you not see the dragonite with a very big head when you were at the village? That child is [Dragon Breath]. It shoots a tremendously vicious ray of poison. Do you think you can stay safe after being hit by that?”

“Like I said, I’m fine.”

“No you are not. You will be greatly hurt. You don’t belong to our world so you might not be able to recover your broken body.”

“How absurd. Are you worried about me?”

“No? Uhh…”

Myu’s mirror image immediately said no and pondered before adding more words.

“If you get hurt, I can’t go on a vacation…”

It was then. He could sense a presence drawing near from outside the dumping ground.

Someone was coming. It was probably a mirror image on patrol after finding a foreigner like him suspicious.

The ground was already dug out, and it was too late to cover it again. They would be immediately discovered if that guy was to come here.

He no longer felt the need to talk this out, and grabbed Myu’s remaining hand before pulling it into the library.

“W, wait…!”

Myu’s personality still did not know Yu Jitae’s capability. It could only feel as much as other mirror images because Yu Jitae had hidden himself to an exceptional level.

There was no way that an existence that could go into another’s consciousness would be feeble and easily crushable, was there?

When the personality was about to yell out after being pulled by his arm, Yu Jitae covered its mouth with his left hand. He then flowed his will that could rival that of a transcendent authority into Myu’s mind.

<The Authority, [Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)] wishes you to be silent.>

In surprise, Myu widened its eyes into circles. It was feeling suppressed by the unprecedented level of presence that was located right beneath the EX rank – the level of a transcendent authority. 

Unable to read the mood, Myu’s personality was again about to open its mouth but was silenced by the irritation of the ‘immense presence’.

<[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: ٩(๑`^´๑)۶>

<[Keeper of the Clock (SSS+)]: Shh.>

Myu carefully gave a nod.

Yu Jitae opened the post box which he had previously neatly folded to place behind his outer garment. It was [Unconsciousness]. He reopened Unconsciousness and covered the entrance of the library.

He carefully waited as the human wearing a mask unhurriedly walked past the box and disappeared into the distance.

They were good for now.

“Does someone come to the dumping ground as often as this?”

“Not really…”

Unconsciousness disappears during the day and reappears at the same place at night. They would be discovered if someone was to come to the dumping ground during the day or if they were to remove the box at night, but it will buy them some time until then.

“Let’s go down.”