Chapter 261: Stirring Fate
"My goodness, why am I here?"
Ramin looked at Ion with content as Ion gazed around the main building of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency with wide eyes. Since Ramin had already explained sufficiently, Ion Iolkaf's questions were merely exclamations.
Ramin's idea was simple. If the secularist group the Power of Reality was indeed interested in Ion's post, they would be worried of Ion’s research becoming widely known. Therefore, Ramin planned to visit research institutions like the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency and the Central Observatory College of Orazen to get Ion's research some exposure.
Even though secularism was spreading and Ion's ideas had no practical value, considering the cause of the Empire and the Intelligence Agency, they would take it seriously and provide some support. Moreover, Ramin had enough connections to put such a plan into action. Having survived for a long time had its advantages.
Ramin arranged a meeting for Ion with the real Lide Oboren. Lide was a Yeti, similar to her cousin species, the Sasquatch. Both were tall and covered in thick fur. Like other species, civilized Yetis paid attention to fashion, so Lide’s fur was well-groomed without any tangles or dirt, and she wore traditional accessories. Ion also had a Sasquatch school junior who visited a hair salon weekly.
Ion, who was a Kobold with no fur and was on the shorter side, always felt intimidated when meeting species so different from him. Lide, who seemed well aware of how her species was perceived in civilized society, greeted Ion with a soft and gentle voice.
Surprisingly, Lide Oboren recognized Ion. "I remember you asking enthusiastic questions when I lectured at the Observatory College of Orazen, and even this paper is good. It needs some academic refinement, but the perspective is fresh. I know a professor interested in this topic, an expert in ancient astronomy. I can give you their contact information and recommend some papers if you like."
Lide, a senior researcher, was positive about Ramin's plan.
"I'm not sure if they're really interested, but there will be an academic conference on related topics. Just your invitation to the conference will attract attention."
"Ah, a special invitation?"
"Yes."
Ion's mouth dropped open. "A special invitation!"
"Well, the invitation is just a formality... The presenters are already decided, so you won't have a chance to present. Is that alright?"
"Of course! It's an honor!"
The plan proceeded as expected.
Ramin was in charge of the security of the conference, which was promoted more extensively than its original scope. Those not interested wouldn't find anything unusual, but if the Power of Reality was paying attention, they would surely be wary of Ion.
But unfortunately for Ramin, nothing unusual happened. The conference proceeded as planned, and Ion, as instructed, did not make any conspicuous actions but quietly sat through it and returned. During the conference, the Intelligence Agency secretly monitored the attendees, but no suspicious or dangerous individuals appeared.
After the conference, Ion said to Ramin at the back of the conference hall, "Nothing happened."
"That's good."
"Weren't you hoping for something to happen? Since you set a trap."
"Well, just because I have my suspicions doesn't necessarily mean that they're guilty. Of course, I consider the Power of Reality a dangerous group and will continue to be vigilant, but we shouldn't prematurely conclude they're guilty without them having committed further bad acts."
Ion found this somewhat unexpected.
Then suddenly, Ion asked, "By the way, is it true?"
"Is what true?"
"That you are active in the World Encyclopedia forum under the ID LiveKindly. I missed it when you first mentioned it..."
"Ah, you finally recognize me!"
"What's that operation about?"
"It's just for fun."
"You can’t talk to me about it, can you?"
"No, really, it's just for fun... That's why the higher-ups told me to please stop..."
"Understood. I won't mention it anywhere."
Before parting, Ramin said, "By the way, good for you, Ion."
"Me?"
"Didn't you have a good conversation with the scholar Lide connected you with?"
"Oh, yes."
Ion was surprised himself, but he had finally attended the conference for real. The contact from the fake Lide somehow led to meeting the real Lide and an opportunity to shine a light on his modest research. The ancient astronomer agreed to review Ion’s paper and told Ion to visit anytime, with Lide also guaranteeing all that to happen. Of course, more time was needed for the research to be ready for presentation, but if Ion was lucky, he could get into a research position somewhere. Not in Orazen, but another observatory could have someone working on similar research.
"We're looking into any details we may have neglected. We're conducting interrogations too. The guy claims he didn't know anything and was just doing as he was told, but maybe your involvement was just a coincidence or mistake."
"I hope so."
Ramin said, "I wish you luck."
Knowing Ion's job was in jeopardy, Lide's connection helped Ion secure a research assistant position at the annex of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency. When Ion informed his parents back home, they were so happy they cried, making Ion realize how much he had worried the people around himself.
Despite being extremely busy with the work, Ion had no time to focus on his research, but Ion found the job not bad at all. Above all, having become closer to Lide after the recent events, Ion found her to be a very pleasant person. She was kind, and her genuine dedication to her work in rocket physics was apparent.
Ion got the chance to meet other scholars and learn various things, even considering changing his own major. Even more, Ion thought that these thoughts could even be the biggest change in his life.
Though Ion and Lide had different hobbies, they shared a love for movies. They developed a routine of having dinner, watching a movie, and then discussing it over tea after work, which went on for quite some time. And one day, instead of a teahouse, they ended up in a bar.
Lide grumbled about her research not yielding results, demanding superiors, and uncooperative subordinates. Ion, being from a different lab, listened from a third-person perspective and empathized as a friend.
Lide turned to Ion and said, "You're good at comforting people."
"People who want to be comforted know how to comfort others."
"That's true, but whether they do it or not is another matter. I think people who can say what others want to hear are good people."
They walked out of the bar and strolled a bit. While the back alleys of Orazen city were rumored to be unsafe, that wasn’t the case just a little outside the city center. Besides, not many people would dare to pick a fight with a Yeti.
The two walked along the skywalk, separated from the road traffic below, and leaned against the railing. Despite being tipsy, Ion, light on his feet, agilely perched on the railing. They exchanged trivial jokes, then fell silent, their eyes meeting.
Lide leaned forward first. Ion knew about these things well. Many species looked down on Kobolds, but Ion was confident. From here, he was much more adept than even stiff Ogres with their large size. But Ion felt the need to pause and reassess the situation.
He raised his hand, "Hold on."
"...Okay. I get it. I understand."
As Lide easily gave up and took the beer can back to her mouth, Ion quickly grabbed her wrist.
"No, whatever you're thinking, that's not it."
"What do you think I'm thinking?"
"You think I don't like Lide Oboren as a person, right?"
Lide slightly shook her head, grumbling, "You might not dislike Lide Oboren, the person, but you dislike Lide Oboren, the Yeti. Yetis are several sizes larger than Kobolds and have thick fur. You must think we don't match."
"Well, isn't conspecific love a typical form of love?"
"Isn't interspecies love love?"
Honestly speaking, many parts of society were heavily biased towards conspecific love, which involved dating, marrying, and having children with someone of the same species.
However, there had been many changes over the past hundred years. Even in times when the tragic love story of Hwee-Kyung and Sairan was widely known, people often overcame species barriers in relationships. Now, it was commonly said that in current times, why would there be any obstacles in forming relationships? Although more caution was needed, the mere difference itself couldn't be considered a problem, and the youth of this era agreed. Ion was one of these modern young people.
Ion spread out four fingers.
"Ah, let's start from there. I've had four lovers so far, all from different species."
"Hmm. Continue."
Ion folded one finger at a time. "The first, yes, was a Kobold, my hometown friend. You understand, right? Usually, the first love is from the same species. The second was a Renard, the third a Platy, and the fourth a Goblin. They were all different, but..."
"They had something in common."
"They were all small-statured species. Like me. Um, I believe you understand why I'm hesitant."
"You don't dislike Yeti Lide Oboren, but you dislike tall Lide Oboren?"
"Oh, no, it's not that I dislike it, I'm just…confused."
"About what?"
Ion cleared his throat and said, "Well, when kissing...the difference in the size of our mouths... I'm not sure how to..."
Lide leaned against the railing, swept the fur from her eyes to meet his eyes, and said, "I'll teach you."
That day, Ion discovered that Lide was more adept than he had expected.
***
"The revolutionary is coming to Orazen."
"Revolutionary?" Ion repeated what Lide had said. They were having lunch.
Lide said, "Sarcho."
"Oh."
Ion followed Lide's gaze to the television in one corner of the dining hall.
The aged Bugbear, with stiffening facial fur that only accentuated their fierce appearance, was known to everyone. As the chairman of the highest council of the western continent and a representative of secularists, Sarcho was a figure no one could be unaware of.
Ranked third in the world hierarchy after the Emperor and the High Priest, Sarcho was more frequently seen in the media and was the most heated political topic. Sarcho had solidified their position with strong criticism of the Empire's religious-centered social structure and theoretical works.
Their vigor, undiminished even with age, made them one of the rare figures the Empire’s royal family uncomfortably contended with. Some even said the royal family would rather deal with ten groups of minority species independence activists than confront Sarcho.
Ion said, "It's already time for the general election."
"This time, it seems the issue of autonomy for the Empire’s territories will be decided."
"I hope Sarcho wins..."
"It won't be easy."
Ion, after a few months of dating Lide, didn't feel that much had changed in his life. Only the time spent with Lide had increased, but he was still doing menial tasks, and his research was slow.
'But isn't this okay?'
Looking back, the times he was passionate about something were periods of environmental and psychological instability. Once stability returned, the underlying anxiety dissipated, and grand ambitions felt unnecessary.
While the future wasn't brightly certain, if he continued working like this, he could secure a proper research position. His desired research would be challenging, but that seemed like a big ask. After all, wasn't he just an average researcher?
'Right, this is enough.'
But just because Ion thought so, didn't mean everyone agreed.
Whether it was how the universe functioned or how the gods played with human fate, things were about to change.
Lide returned to the main building of the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Administration because she had remaining work to do. Ion, leaving after saying goodbye, suddenly realized he had Lide's small handbag in his bag and went back to the main building. He decided to return it to her rather than wait until the next morning to avoid worrying her about its loss, and he was excited about the surprise visit.
However, someone had arrived before him at the building. He heard Lide's scream. Rushing to the entrance of the main building, Ion looked up the hallway. Large figures, appearing to be an Ogre and Troll, were covering Lide's head with a black mask and dragging her away.
Ion, running and shouting, stopped as he recognized the person standing in the middle of the entrance. It was Ramin.
"Long time no see, Ion."
"Uh, Agent...? What's happening? I don't understand..."
"Listen closely, it's simple logic. You're smart, Ion, you'll get it. Listen carefully." Ramin explained, "I told you I'd use you as bait to catch the Power of Reality, but they didn't show up at the conference. Then was it all a mistake?"
"Isn't that what we concluded?"
"No. I didn't think it was the Power of Reality, but someone else approached you. They didn't try to kill you, rather they did the opposite. They gave you a job, gave you attention. They fulfilled what you lacked, making you quit things they didn’t want you to have. That was enough for them."
Ion stuttered, "This…this can't be..."
"Until now, the information wasn't enough. The approach to you was too cautious. We wouldn't have known if we only looked at that."
"You looked? Into me and Lide dating?"
"Instead, we found information elsewhere. Lide Oboren is part of the Power of Reality and has clear criminal charges in her record. You'll understand when I explain in detail. Anyway, Lide Oboren was not the person you were hoping for."
"I don't understand. I can't believe it until I see it with my own eyes."
Ramin furrowed her eyebrows, "Oh right, you need to come too."
Suddenly, hands appeared from behind and covered Ion's head with a black mask.
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