Chapter 189 – Rael Low (Two)

The door opened to reveal a bright, expansive gray space.

Only one elongated table stood in the center, with no other objects in sight.

Come to think of it, all the spaces they had passed through so far had been furnished only with the bare essentials.

An extreme pursuit of efficiency.

Short stature, exceptional technological prowess.

This was the moment the boy solidified his speculation about the other party’s race into certainty.

“Travelers, welcome to Rael Row.”

Across the table, six figures sat like interviewers.

Bushy beards.

Hair white with age.

But their sharp eyes and bodies that appeared robust for their age prevented any sense of dealing with elderly folk.

No.

For all he knew, they might not even be old.

Their lifespans, like those of Elves, could differ from humans.

“Rael Row?”

At Ray’s question, the central figure answered.

“That is what we call this fortress we live in. In the old tongue, it means ‘roots descended to a low place.’ Please, sit. We have much to discuss.”

The party complied and sat in a row before the six.

“To introduce ourselves briefly, we are the Elders who govern the roughly thousand residents of this fortress. We are also the ones responsible for handling all external affairs.”

The central figure introduced names from left to right.

Meno, Pone, Parun.

Line, Dpo, Cheche.

All similarly sounding names were recited in an instant.

The party also introduced themselves in turn.

“Ray.”

“I’m Veronica.”

“I’m Grine.”

“Good, now let’s hear it. How did you all—”

Just then, a creaking metallic sound rang loudly from Ray’s bosom.

The Elders, listening to the sound, wore expressions tinged with interest.

“Would you mind taking it out?”

What emerged from Ray’s bosom was a Mechanical Bird, flapping its wings incessantly.

“It was originally broken, but it suddenly started working and won’t stop.”

“One wing is broken. It seems to be malfunctioning.”

“Seeing one after so long brings a fresh wave of nostalgia. May I see it?”

Ray handed the Mechanical Bird to the figure seated on the right, presumed to be either Dpo or Cheche.

All their names were two syllables, and their appearances were also similar, making it difficult to distinguish them.

The right-hand figure touched something on the side of the table, and a drawer extended smoothly from the wall.

The Mechanical Bird was placed inside.

The drawer that retracted into the wall emitted a mechanical sound from within before extending itself outward again.

“Kkoolook, kkooroorook.”

With its wing repaired and oiled, the Mechanical Bird, now looking as good as new, soared vigorously.

Circling above everyone’s heads, it landed on the outstretched finger of one Elder and began preening itself with its beak.

Ray thought to himself.

The reason the Mechanical Bird began flapping its wings upon the appearance of Rael Row.

Perhaps it knew that there were those here who could fix it.

“It follows you remarkably well.”

“That’s only natural. All Creatures are designed to show loyalty to Dwarves.”

Dwarves.

This was the moment one of the ancient races, hidden in obscurity until now, revealed itself before his eyes.

A dense curiosity and excitement pounded hard in the boy’s chest.

“An ancient race.”

“Oh…? You know a bit about history? That’s not a combination of words someone unfamiliar would use.”

“I know to some extent.”

Just then, the Mechanical Bird flew up and landed on Ray’s head.

It took a few steps in place before settling completely into a stable posture.

“……”

“……”

“Kkoolook, kkooroorook.”

His head… felt heavy.

He raised his hand to put it down, but it seemed to be bracing itself, showing no intention of moving, solid as iron.

“Kkooroorook.”

Instead, it let out a pleased cry, as if enjoying the touch.

Veronica cautiously reached out to help Ray.

But.

Thwack! Thwack!

“Ow, mother!”

She had no choice but to hurriedly withdraw her hand from the violent pecking.

Ray, having enhanced his strength with Magic, grabbed the bird’s body with both hands and flung it into the air with all his might.

The creature, leisurely circling the air, made a move to land on Ray’s head again.

Thump!

Ray snatched the descending creature and held it tightly, lowering it before his face.

“……”

“Kkoolook.”

Was it his imagination?

It seemed as if this mere machine was making an expression of worldly injustice.

Ray glared.

‘What, what are you going to do about it? What can you do even if you stare like that?’

Just as they were having this staring contest, the astonished voices of the Elders reached them.

“You, have you already registered as its owner?”

“No, I haven’t.”

“Then why is that bird following you?”

According to the Elders, Creatures, or mechanical animals, only show loyalty and attachment to Dwarves or registered owners.

“Fascinating. This is the first time I’ve seen such a case.”

“When I examined it earlier, the registration patterns had all been erased due to the passage of time. As of now, it clearly has no owner.”

“You, how on earth did you do it?”

How did he do it?

That was what the boy wanted to ask instead.

‘Come to think of it, Kelly was like that too.’

Even when Binjin was registered as the owner, it showed great attachment to him, an outsider.

While analyzing the phenomenon, Ray heard Veronica’s whisper in his ear.

“Ray, even Spirits and Creatures follow you well. You must have a charm that transcends the boundaries between species, living and non-living things. You’re popular.”

He didn’t really desire a popularity that required carrying a lump of iron on his head.

Ray asked the Elders.

“Is there no way to turn off a Creature’s operation?”

“There is no such thing.”

“Creatures are devices that operate using Atmospheric Mana as their power source.”

“They will never stop until they are destroyed or malfunction.”

“Or until the Atmospheric Mana is completely depleted.”

The last method was practically impossible to achieve.

Ray looked down at the Mechanical Bird with a cold gaze.

‘Should I break one of its wings again?’

Creak! Creak!

The Mechanical Bird suddenly struggled violently.

‘Maybe I can use it for reconnaissance.’

“Kkoolook.”

The struggling stopped instantly.

‘Maybe it’s better to just smash it completely.’

Creak! Creak! Creak! Creak! Creak!

It intensified like crazy.

Having finished his deliberation, Ray spoke with his eyes to the Mechanical Bird.

‘Let’s get along, understood?’

“Kkoolook.”

Whether it truly understood was unknown, but he released it by tossing it into the air.

After circling once under the ceiling, the creature, unlike before, landed not on his head but on his shoulder.

“……”

“Kkoolook?”

It was still heavy.

Ray asked the Elders.

“I’ve heard a legend about the intelligence of these birds. Does the intelligence of the original animal apply to the Creature as well?”

“Well. We don’t know that much either.”

“Was the race that created Creatures not Dwarves?”

“To be precise, they are items created by our ancestors with advanced technology.”

“Can’t you make them now?”

“It’s impossible because the technology has been lost. We can only perform repairs.”

Line, or perhaps Dpo, added.

Rael Row has existed since ancient times, and while they use the internal facilities and devices, they don’t know the exact principles of many of them.

“The drawer-type repair device you saw earlier is an example.”

“Aren’t there any inherited records or such?”

“Of course, there are. But the quantity—”

“Were the records perhaps damaged?”

The one who interjected into the conversation was Grine.

Her wide-brimmed hat was off, held in her hand, and the Elders gasped upon seeing her pointed ears.

“She’s an Elf?”

“It really is an Elf.”

“An Elf we’ve only heard of in tales.”

“What brings a resident of the forest to this outside world?”

Grine answered the Elders, who showed varied reactions.

“The forest is falling ill. I came out to find a place to live.”

The Elder who appeared the oldest, Parun, took up the conversation.

“Fifty years ago, I also met a traveling Elf. It seems that problem still hasn’t been resolved?”

“Fifty years ago… was the traveler’s name perhaps Priscilla?”

“Correct, that was the name.”

Priscilla.

An Elf who had left the Last Forest before Grine’s husband, Caron, and whose contact was lost.

A shadow passed over Grine’s face.

“…The problem you mentioned hasn’t been resolved. The power of the World Tree continues to weaken.”

“Then the erosion must have progressed as well.”

“That’s right. The trees and flowers turn black, crumbling at a touch. Fruits and vegetables rot and decay, and the space where we can set foot is gradually shrinking.”

“Fundamentally, it’s a problem that can only be solved if the black rain stops. It’s a difficult time for any race.”

The two continued their conversation naturally, as if they were old acquaintances.

“The historical records we possess haven’t been particularly damaged or anything. It’s just that the amount passed down is pitifully small.”

Grine seemed deeply regretful.

“May I ask why that is?”

“It seems our ancestors considered the act of recording history to lack practical efficacy.”

“Lack practical efficacy in historical records?”

“They believed the flowing past was unimportant, focusing only on the present and future. We, in the present, agree with that. So, unlike history, a great deal of technology has been passed down.”

Listening to their conversation, Veronica whispered to Ray.

“Ray, about Grine, does she have prior experience meeting Dwarves?”

“No. She said she lived her whole life in the Last Forest and only recently came outside. She said she’s never met a Dwarf, and the information she knows is just one line from a record.”

“What record is that?”

“That Elves and Dwarves have extremely different values. So they fight whenever they meet.”

“Really? For something like that, their conversation is flowing very smoothly—”

BANG—!

“What did you just say?!”

A streak of angry shouting jolted them awake at that moment.

Turning their gaze, they saw Parun, who had slammed the table and stood up, and Grine, standing opposite him with her arms crossed.

“I said you’re barbarians. How on earth can you discard historical texts just because they take up space?”

“Everyone agreed. We merely disposed of our own property. Does a third party have the right to object to that? We remember the contents anyway, so oral transmission is sufficient.”

“No. Oral transmission is oral transmission. Historical materials have value as historical materials.”

Parun snorted.

“Aren’t you losing your home because you cling to such useless things?”

“Now… what did you say?”

“Aren’t you sinking into a mud pit because you can’t let go of heavy junk?”

“Don’t cross the line. Are you so great that your technology was lost? You said you don’t even know how to make Creatures? Isn’t it because of your careless attitude of discarding historical texts that you couldn’t preserve your technology either?”

“History and technology are separate matters! I will not tolerate any further insolence.”

Ray muttered softly.

“The record… seems to be true.”

“Th-this is the first time I’ve seen Grine so angry. I-I think we should stop them.”

Veronica was restless, worried the situation might escalate into a big fight.

But the reversal in atmosphere happened the next moment.

“You disrespectful youngster!”

“Youngster? How old are you? No, how old are you?”

Parun momentarily looked taken aback, but the words were already out.

“What? Can’t you speak? I’m 224 years old. Without a shred of falsehood.”

Parun’s pupils shook violently.

His lips, sweating cold sweat, hesitated for a long moment before opening with difficulty.

“…1,184 years old.”

A full 40-year difference.

Grine immediately shouted in a voice filled with triumph.

“You disrespectful youngster!”