Chapter 216: Countless Leaks
In the first conference room of the pantheon, Eldar finished a brief presentation on the podium.
"...This evidence confirms that Owen, who was a priest of Black Scale, is still alive."
After a brief silence, Wisdom said, "Remarkable, Nebula. I knew about the strategy of letting each entity unfold their potential without direct intervention, but I didn't expect it to go this far."
Crampus commented, "Is it an off-the-record tactic? Or a mastermind's play? Indeed, when it comes to pulling strings from behind, no one does it better."
Jang-Wan asked, "How did you do it? Moving things your way without lifting a finger? Is it some sort of superpower?"
Then Sung-Woon replied somewhat hesitantly, "I wasn't aware either."
"...."
"It's been 200 years since the last confirmation. Wouldn't one typically assume he was dead by now?"
"...."
"Why is he still alive? Does anyone know?"
Lim Chun-Sik then tapped their temples and said, "What's that thing...there's that ancient relic item, you know..."
Eldar responded, "The Elixir of Immortality?"
"Yes, that."
The potion, sought by many including Earth's Qin Shi Huang, granted eternal life, and it was a real thing that existed in The Lost World. It didn't prevent aging or death entirely, but just the fact that it could significantly extend life made it immensely valuable. If discovered by civilizations capable of translating ancient languages, such a potion could drastically alter the course of the game.
Countless mortal rulers dove headlong into the battle to obtain the Elixir of Immortality. It was an item that players quite favored because if their competent king character didn't die, they could advance their civilization much faster.
'For example, if Kyle Lak Orazon had consumed the potion, the game might have already ended by now.'
Of course, Sung-Woon didn’t really consider it a shame. Looking back on the game, there were always moments where a fortunate turn could end things. If only a different choice had been made, they could have ended things, but at that time, they lacked the information. They had done their best, so they shouldn’t get lost in regret and nostalgia for the good old days, unless time could be rewound.
'Anyway...'
Sung-Woon said, "The Elixir of Immortality. Drinking it would double one's lifespan. But even if a Lizardman lived exceptionally long, it would only be about 80 years. And back when Owen was born, the average lifespan wasn't even 60 years."
AR1026 covered half her face with a fan and said, "He was Nebula's priest... Perhaps, among the Small Areas and Domains Nebula has, some might have an effect on the health, stamina, and lifespan of a priest…?"
Sung-Woon agreed. The Small Areas and Domains that a player possessed exerted a slight influence on their followers, while they had a considerably potent effect on their priests. For example, many species had an innate level of disgust towards bugs, but there wasn't a priest in the Pantheon who still retained such disgust.
Of course, for some abilities, their exact effects could be unclear. For example, if a player had the Small Area: Livestock, the act of eating and raising these livestock itself seemed to have a positive effect, but players' analyses showed only a subtle difference in variance compared to groups that didn't.
'Although it's subtle, it's somewhat convincing.'
Among players, there was a consensus that the increased lifespan of mortals based on the game's progress couldn't solely be attributed to the advancements in sanitation and medicine.
"So roughly, he would live an additional 10 to 20 years. Assuming Owen's lifespan is 80 years, adding 80 years from the potion, and another 20 years from being a priest and various Small Areas, that's about 180 years in total. But Owen is almost 300 years old. There’s a significant discrepancy.”
Then Wisdom said, "Hold on, Nebula. What about thinking in a different direction?"
"A different direction?"
Wisdom's head slowly turned. "Here, there are entirely different aspects than when playing the game The Lost World. With the detailed timeline, we can delve into the nitty-gritty the game didn't support. Because of that, we've discovered many things different from the game."
"So you're saying..."
"Yes," Wisdom replied. "What we thought were bugs or errors in the game might have been happening more frequently. There would be a reason, but parts that weren't systemically explained. If we attribute those inexplicable reasons to just because, then Owen is just living longer."
Sung-Woon shook his head.
"That's a lame explanation."
Lunda raised her hand and said, "Another explanation."
"Let's hear it."
"You could think this way. If one lived for about 180 years, perhaps they could just continue to live even longer after that. Apart from Elves, haven't we never seen a species living for about 180 years when they don’t usually have a long life? ...Why are you looking at me with such a pitying expression?"
"I'm wearing a mask, how can you see my expression?"
"When we've been together this long, expressions are visible even with a mask on."
Sung-Woon sighed. "Well, leaving that aside…Jang-Wan."
"What?"
"What about the leak issue?"
As Jang-Wan walked forward, Eldar walked back to their seat.
Jang-Wan said, "We did talk about Owen, but it's also related to our current discussion."
"Of course it would be."
"What you had in mind might be related in a slightly different way."
"...?"
Jang-Wan continued, "As we expected, upon Hwee-Kyung’s return, a significant portion of the leakage problem was resolved. However, it wasn't a complete resolution."
"There's the issue with Owen."
"Even taking Owen into consideration doesn’t explain the full story. In fact, in comparison to Hwee-Kyung, Owen's portion of the leakage isn't that significant because Hwee-Kyung had to constantly demonstrate miracles. On the other hand, Owen isn’t that proactive in using his abilities. Probably because he has to burn herbs to recover his stamina when using the chosen one's power."
"So, it's all up in the air."
Jang-Wan shook her head at Sung-Woon’s words.
"Not exactly. It's related to what Wisdom said. While not to the extent of Hwee-Kyung or Owen, characters like Hwee-Kyung or Owen..."
Jang-Wan unfolded the world map floating in mid-air. All four continents filled the screen. When Jang-Wan flicked her fingers, red dots appeared here and there.
"They're scattered everywhere. These dots represent high-ranking priest individuals that were once under the influence of players but were forgotten. Some of them are creations, meaning guardians."
Crampus then said, "Ah, so that's why you asked about it last time?"
"Right."
Jang-Wan had checked with each of the players in the Pantheon for individuals that had once been under their influence but they had lost track of. And among them, some could be found in the Afterlife, the Prairie of Beginnings, and the pantheon, but others couldn't be located.
"Some of them might have changed or abandoned their faith, but some of them..."
"Still follow the gods?"
"Right."
Sung-Woon said, "I don't really understand. I did make the mistake twice with Hwee-Kyung and Owen, but as an individual that players pay direct attention to, can you really forget about them? Especially for creations, I don’t think it makes sense.”
Wisdom said, "I agree. It's impossible to control every individual, but losing a high priest and especially a creation made by the player seems almost impossible."
Jang-Wan shrugged. Then she turned to the other players. Sung-Woon and Wisdom also looked around at them, and none of them would meet their eyes.
Jang-Wan said, "You get it now? Not everyone is like you two."
Sung-Woon said, "Lunda, explain it in a way that makes sense."
"Why are you asking me?"
"You're the most careless among us, aren't you?"
Lunda hesitated, "So, about my Mapdet, Fiu..."
"Mapdet? It's a divine beast, isn't it?"
In The Lost World, a Mapdet was a cute divine beast that looked like a Mongoose. They were a righteous creature that judged evil, which was a common characteristic among many divine beasts, making them not particularly special.
However, a divine beast was still a divine beast. If one succeeded in making it follow a god, not only did it not require the maintenance cost of Faith points, but it also served as a kind of Faith point farm that could earn Faith resources.
"You made the divine beast follow you and then lost it?"
"Well, I didn't tell you because I knew you'd reprimand me like this."
Lunda could sense the heavy mood underneath Sung-Woon's mask.
Sung-Woon then said, "Alright. Go on."
After the players confessed and Sung-Woon reprimanded them, Sung-Woon said, "...Indeed."
Lunda looked displeased. "Indeed what? Regretting forming an alliance with us?"
"...No, I didn't say that."
"Then what?"
"I think I now understand why we encountered the leakage issue we often experienced in The Lost World."
Of course, this was something they couldn't know when they were playing The Lost World because people didn’t look so closely at their gameplay. But now, as they directly investigated the leakage issue, they could see it.
'People make lots of mistakes.'
Sung-Woon said to Jang-Wan, "This isn't the end of the presentation, is it?"
"Of course not." Jang-Wan continued to say, "I've mainly entrusted it to Hwee-Kyung and Sairan, and they are using resources available on the ground to track them."
***
And Ramin Solost Muel was one of those trackers.
"We know you met Owen, so don't lie."
Sarcho stroked their chin with the hand not holding the gun. "You people are from the Empire, aren't you?"
"That's right."
Sarcho said, "Then I cannot speak of Owen's whereabouts. Owen is my friend, and I can’t put him in danger.”
In Sarcho's opinion, there was only one reason the Empire was after Owen. Because Owen did not follow the will of the god directly.
In fact, it was due to Owen’s advice that the negotiations between the Independent Republic of Collegoton and the Rubeil revolutionary faction failed. So Sarcho thought they must resent Owen.
However, Ramin made an unexpected move. She sheathed the sword she had in her hand.
Sarcho then asked, "...What are you doing?"
Ramin replied, "If you claim to be a friend of Owen, then I cannot threaten you with a sword."
"Why?"
"Because Owen is my teacher.
"What?"
Ramin continued, "Owen taught me the ways of the sword. Not just the sword, but he also taught me how to live. I'm still an imperfect person though.”
Gorgota Falu, who was next to her, then said, "...Why are you suddenly reflecting on yourself in front of someone pointing a gun at you?"
"Ah, I have a sentimental side. You know that, right?"
"I've never thought of you that way..."
"Really?"
"Have you ever cried while watching a play or reading a book?"
"...Huh?"
Sarcho lowered the gun because they felt that there was no longer any significant meaning to pointing the gun at the uninvited guests.
Sarcho said, "Alright, I'll trust you. Why are you chasing Owen?"
Ramin replied, "We asked first, didn't we? Do you know where Owen went?"
"I do.”
"Where did he go?"
Sarcho hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell the truth as it didn’t seem to matter.
"He went to the port. He intended to head to the western continent."
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