The Nebula's Civilization

Chapter 258: Meeting Caution

The amateur astronomer, Kobold Ion, was well aware of the ID LiveKindly. A well-known figure in various forums for their fanatical dedication, they were known for committing to the role they invented for themself. According to their own narrative, they were a Vampire who had lived for over 150 years, which was absurd.

Up to 50 years ago, Vampires were not considered a mainstream species, even on the central continent where Black Scale was. And this Vampire claimed to have lived in the western continent, where the Union Kingdom once existed, implying they survived both the species purge of Vampires and the unification wars.

Recent research did suggest that Vampires could theoretically live very long, but 150 years was not an insignificant timespan. Simply put, a person's life was like rolling a dice daily. If a high number came up, they would survive, and roll a one, and they died. The chances of rolling a one were high. For a Vampire, there was the species purge, and at that age, they would have experienced wars, if not, any other accidents. Even though Vampires hardly aged, they could still fall ill. If not a fatal disease, accumulated minor illnesses could lead to weakness and fragility.

‘I would have to do the math to be sure, but even for a Vampire, surviving to that age seems less likely than getting struck by lightning.’

Ion doubted they were really a Vampire. After Vampires became one of the mainstream species, massacres against them stopped, but Vampires still faced social discrimination and prejudice for their need to consume the blood of other species. While open discrimination had reduced due to consistent social movements advocating for their rights, it was widely believed that Vampires still faced prejudice in the shadows.

Also, there was the concept of reproduction rights among Vampires. Since Vampires couldn’t have children, they created other Vampires through a process called embracing, which involved biting someone's neck and injecting a toxin into their bloodstream, but Vampire reproduction without official permission was strictly illegal. Reproduction rights were scarce, as Vampires needed to accumulate significant public merits to obtain them. Therefore, the probability of a real Vampire being among the youth frequenting Sky Net was extremely low.

‘Whether this person is a Vampire or not isn't even the important issue.’

Even if one were to accept all aspects related to being a Vampire, there was another problem. This so-called Vampire claimed not only to be a Master Swordsman, but also to be a secret teacher of Master Swordsmen.

While gun possession was illegal in many parts of the Empire, many regions allow sword carrying for self-defense and environmental preservation, as there were ancient monsters in various places. Sport swordsmanship using blunt swords was already an international sport.

International swordsmanship organizations and the Swordsmanship Federation, which encompassed real combat swordsmanship schools from all continents, granted the title of Master Swordsman to the highest-ranked instructors. There were less than twenty Master Swordsmen worldwide, renowned for their ability to slice bullets with their swords. It was unlikely that these Master Swordsmen would need a teacher.

‘A bit too much exaggeration there.’

Even if that wasn't the case, LiveKindly was known for posting fantastic stories about having met someone who died and went to the Pantheon, encountering apostles of the Pantheon, and even having conversations with the gods when they were bored. These tales often led to accusations of blasphemy from devout believers and criticism from secularists as being overly religious. However, since they didn't cause major disturbances or use harsh language, the administrators usually just temporarily banned them from the specific forum, after which LiveKindly would pop up again in some unrelated forum.

‘Now they just had to be in the Conspiracy Theory forum…’

Ion opened another window and checked the Fencing forum, where LiveKindly was usually active. There, Ion saw posts like so:

[Please take away the 150-year-old Vampire Master Swordsman from our forum]

[Nope, we don’t accept returns]

[They’re on a 15-day ban]

[Why?]

[They got reported for fraud after giving unsolicited advice to someone trained by an actual Master Swordsman]

Ion laughed and returned to the Conspiracy Theory forum. The post by LiveKindly, passionately defending themself, was still getting the most views and comments. In a way, the very existence of LiveKindly seemed like a conspiracy theory fitting for the forum.

‘What else to read…’

Although Ion was interested in the Parasite Spook, the Conspiracy Theory forum was filled with intriguing posts. He particularly enjoyed those written by secularists.

Secularism, especially active on the western continent where the former Union Kingdom was located, had developed significantly in recent decades. It was a comprehensive field encompassing religion, politics, philosophy, and ethics. While most supporters weren’t scholars, they supported it for various reasons, and on the western continent, secularists were as numerous as those who believed in the Pantheon.

Before Ion could think more about it, Ion had eagerly replied that he would do so. Soon after, Ion received another message from Lide.

[Thank you for your prompt response. It seems you haven't registered as a member of the academic society yet, but I can help you contribute to the next issue of Night Sky Academic Journal. Let's discuss the details over the phone. Here’s my contact information…]

Ion, who had been working a temporary job delivering food after graduation, quit his job immediately. The owner of the soup kitchen, though pretty sad, was genuinely happy for Ion after hearing he had achieved what they wanted to do.

"Your efforts have paid off. It seems Night Sky himself has paved the way for you."

Though Ion coughed awkwardly, he didn't outright deny it in front of the owner.

On the appointed day, Ion headed to a rundown building in Orazan, the city of self-reflection. Although the Imperial Aeronautics and Space Agency building Ion knew of was massive and located on the outskirts of Orazan, Ion learned that this building housed the publishing office for the Night Sky Academic Journal. Lide told Ion they had chosen this location for the convenience of transportation.

Lide said through the phone, "The scholars of the agency prefer to meet here privately rather than at the official building.”

Ion was happy as it seemed like an insider detail known only to the agency's scholars.

As the appointed time arrived, Ion checked his digital wristwatch and looked around the street. The meeting was scheduled late in the evening after the scholars finished their work, and the streets were mostly deserted.

‘Has no one arrived yet?’

Then a Human, wearing a hat low on their face and a coat, approached Ion. Since they came directly toward Ion, Ion was sure this person was here to meet him. Although Lide was a woman and not a man, anyone could be sent to guide Ion.

"Uh, are you...?"

The man stopped a short distance away where having a conversation would be difficult.

"Are you Ion Iolkaf?"

"Yes, that's me."

The man then pulled out a gun from his coat.

Ion froze at the sight of the gun. Ion reflexively raised his hands, and couldn't even think about fleeing the spot.

‘A robber? No, no, he knows my name…’

As Ion shut his eyes tight, a gunshot was heard.

Bang!

…Clang!

The gunshot was followed by a strange metallic sound.

Ion opened his eyes. A Human woman stood with her back to Ion, holding a sword.

Ion, realizing he was unharmed, was surprised and asked, "W...what about the bullet?"

Ramin Solost Muel replied, "Sliced."

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