2336 - The Lost One
Inside the Soul Society—General Lobby of Sector 656
This is where those with no destination go; those who don't want to find a spouse or join an auction, those who don't want to have their fortune read or buy something from the store, or simply those with free time who want to clear their minds and meet new people.
Usually, the lobby is somewhat quiet. Even with millions of people present most of the time, each person often opens their status and begins searching for their next destination, or simply finds a man or woman wandering aimlessly and goes to talk with them quietly… After all, anyone who has the money to enter the Soul Society wouldn't just be some loud teenager.
But today—
It was quieter than usual.
“…What's going on today?” A person suddenly appeared in the lobby, then immediately began looking around in confusion.
Everyone had their brows furrowed and their statuses open, and if they weren't alone, there were groups of several people gathered together, clearly watching something…
“Finally here? Come!” A man wearing a cat-shaped mask gestured to him. “Look, look.”
“Hmm?” The Newcomer approached Cat Mask and began watching his status window after being granted permission. “This…?”
Bam Bam.
It was a recording of a space war, showing in particular a young man surrounded by many horned beings wearing crimson armor.
Then, at the end, after a period of tormenting him, one of the metal braids pierced his heart and ended his life.
"Ouch!" the Newcomer grimaced. "That was horrible." Then he looked at Cat Mask. "Did you call me just for this, Uncle? I've seen you kill people in worse ways."
"Shh, you fool." Cat Mask pointed to what was happening in the background. "Look at them eating meat covertly, and look over there at that blood technique."
"Hmm..." The Newcomer scratched his head.
"Heh~" Cat Mask sighed in despair. "I didn't notice either, but the Publisher says they are Crimson Plague with Law Dominator power."
"What?!" The Newcomer shouted and began to examine the recording again. "Impossible!" Then he furrowed his brows tightly. "Since when is the plague organized and wearing armor?!"
"That's not all!" Cat Mask spoke quickly. "They say these forces belong to Lord Human, specifically that they are defending his own galaxy in Mid Sector 99!"
"Lord Human has a private galaxy in Mid Sector 99?!" the Newcomer exclaimed, then pointed at the window. "And he's training a Crimson Plague to defend it?!"
"Yes." Cat Mask nodded seriously. "All news media in the universe are spreading this recording now, and it's being heavily promoted along with the accompanying information. Only the Soul Society hasn't issued official announcements about it yet, but they're privately allowing it to be viewed on windows, as is happening between us now, and this is spreading the recording at an alarming rate!"
"It's only natural they wouldn't agree, since Lord Human is their closest trade ally at the moment..." The Newcomer glanced around and finally understood the reason for those gatherings and whispers.
"What do you think of this? You're the smartest member of the family." Cat Mask pointed at the window with furrowed brows. "Everyone around you—some are openly cursing Lord Human and his betrayal of the Cosmic Elder and everyone's trust, while others see him as a hero who managed to subjugate the Crimson Plague as promised. What should we do? Should we spread the news throughout the Empire to the common people at least, or keep it secret?"
"I see that this matter does not concern us." The young man began to look around him. "For Lord Human to possess a Crimson Plague with Law Dominator power is indeed suspicious, but let us hope that the Cosmic Elder knows and is watching. We will not say another word on the matter." Then he patted his uncle on the shoulder a few times. "Come on, come on, close that thing and let's get out of here. I have a feeling we are being watched."
*Swoosh*
The young man exited, and after a few seconds, the old man sighed and left as well.
"...". From a distance, someone finally averted his eyes from them, then fixed them on another group for a few minutes, then another, then another.
He was listening with extreme concentration.
Then, after spending hours in that position, *woosh*, he too disappeared.
Middle Sector 250—
Someone opened his eyes, then stood up and began walking through huge, illuminated corridors, filled with statues of legendary soldiers and heroes, until he finally reached a gate in front of which more than forty people stood in a straight line.
He stood with them and closed his eyes.
With each passing minute, one person came out from the inside and another entered, yet the line kept growing longer, as more and more men and women joined it.
After nearly an hour, his turn finally came.
He repeated.
The man pushed the door quietly and entered a calm, well-lit hall, where there was nothing but a desk and a few reception chairs.
Sitting behind that desk was Qarun, and no one else.
"Middle Sector 656?" Qarun said, resting his chin on the back of his hand, then nodded. "...Speak."
"Yes." The man bowed. "The percentage of Lord Human's praisers has reached 77%, while the rest showed clear concern and exchanged skeptical questions."
"A 23% percentage of skepticism? I expected less, especially in a sector this far from the circle of conflict..." Qarun nodded twice. "And what about the percentage of mentioning the Cosmic Elder?"
"100%." The bowed man replied clearly. "The praisers said he helped Robin with his experience, while the skeptics said unkind things: that he was deceived, or that he changed his direction toward making money by helping Lord Human control him after he turned to women, and worse talk than that... In fact, some began to doubt the old stories."
"Unkind talk indeed..." Qarun began tapping on the desk, then pointed toward the door. "Alright, you may leave. Rest a bit, then return to monitoring, and send in the next one."
The man bowed deeply again, then stepped back, repeated the gesture, and closed the door behind him.
As for Qarun, he smiled. "The Cosmic Elder would be very angry if he heard this, especially if someone funded those rumors to spread further." Then he continued tapping his finger, which shimmered with a restless golden hue. "I wonder when The Lost One will come out to defend his reputation, hehe~"