Episode 141: Dream in the game becomes reality

34. What is this again (5)

In a forest at night so dark that you can't see an inch ahead due to the clouds covering the moon.

A man ran forward frantically through the bushes.

"Gasp! "What, what on earth!"

He kept running and running, denying reality.

A figure that appeared to be that of an animal quickly followed behind him, and its brightly shining eyes, even in the darkness, further aroused the fear of the man in front of him.

If it were an ordinary animal, it wouldn't have run away in such fear.

The problem was that the sound of the footsteps of the animal chasing the man and the scary sound of the branches breaking were not small at all.

There are things you can feel even without seeing it in person.

He felt that the beast chasing him was bigger than most cars.

-Ta-ta-ta-ta-tat!

The man struggled desperately to survive, not running in a straight line but moving irregularly, using obstacles here and there.

However, no matter how hard I tried, the distance only narrowed, and soon I heard the animal breathing right behind me and I jumped away without realizing it.

-Fit!

"Tsk!"

His choice was the best.

Because as soon as he bent down, something sharp grazed his cheek.

-Crumbling.

Of course, overcoming just one crisis does not mean that you survived.

As the moonlight hidden behind the clouds came to light, the surroundings became clearly visible, and something the size of a dump truck was staring down at the man, drooling.

"Uh, saber-toothed tiger?"

Disbelief appeared in the man's frightened eyes as he belatedly confirmed the identity of the beast.

The identity of the beast that attacked him was a gray tiger with long fangs.

In his common sense, such a beast could not exist, so he couldn't help but be even more confused.

"It can't happen."

A man who constantly denied reality by talking to himself.

However, the moment he saw the giant saber-toothed tiger opening its mouth wide, he was forced to come to his senses.

The instinct to live took precedence over reason.

He rolled on the floor again.

-Cow!

"Oops!"

But as if the same method does not work.

Rather than biting the man, the saber-toothed tiger swung its front paw wide as if sweeping the floor and kicked him away.

With a shock as if he had been in a car accident, the man flew away helplessly, and soon collided head-on with a huge tree that was probably 10 meters in diameter.

Pain that takes your breath away.

Nevertheless, he could see himself desperately trying to survive.

-Tuk.

Then an object caught his eye.

A small rectangular plate that fell from the man's pocket.

He quickly picked it up.

And the moment the saber-toothed tiger entered its mouth.

-click!

A blinding light exploded with a shutter sound.

-Kung!

The saber-toothed tiger was startled and rolled around on the floor, then turned around and started running away.

- Rustling.

When the presence disappeared completely along with the loud sound of grass, the man took a deep breath and spoke.

"Did you buy it?"

A moment of wit saved his life, but he swallowed a groan at the pain that came later.

He stumbled and walked quickly rather than sitting down.

This is because I thought that carnivorous animals would not give up their prey easily.

So I quickly left the place, picked up the grass roots around me, and rubbed my whole body without even checking what they were.

I used my brain to get rid of the smell.

Fortunately, did the strategy work?

After that, the saber-toothed tiger did not appear in front of him, and the man was able to get out of the forest safely.

'Sabre-toothed tiger, how on earth did this happen?'

He wondered if he had made a mistake, so he took out the rectangular board he used to chase away the saber-toothed tiger.

And when I activated it, the screen came on, and I could see a clear picture of a saber-toothed tiger.

[Out of service area]However, the text floating at the top of the screen was more strongly imprinted in his eyes than the photo of the saber-toothed tiger.

'You can't communicate even though you're out of the forest?'

It was a series of incomprehensible situations.

But is there no law in the world against death?

"uh?"

A faint twinkling light caught his eye from afar, and he quickly realized that it was the light of civilization and quickly walked away with an expression full of joy.

But it didn't take long for the man's expression to turn into one of embarrassment... … .

-Jiying.

[Welcome to Fiaren City.]A hologram like a sign is floating in the air.

High-rise buildings and old-fashioned castles create conflicting atmospheres.

This is because a strange place with a UFO appeared in the sky.

"What the hell is this… … ."

He was sure.

This is not his home Earth.

"Where am I?"

* * *

Three days have passed since the crown prince's eventful coronation ceremony.

I asked Gregory while fiddling with the smartphone I got from my uncle.

"It's taking longer than I thought. "I guess it won't be easy to search, right?"

"sorry. It was confirmed that the person who sold it went from the Fyaren Territory to the Mirena Territory, but it disappeared as if evaporating at some point."

"hmm… … ."

After checking, it was discovered that the person who sold the smartphone was an illegal immigrant whose identity was unclear.

So I became convinced that the person who sold me this product was from Earth, but surprisingly, I couldn't help but feel uneasy because this illegal person, who I thought would be found soon, was not found easily.

"I think someone else may have stepped in and helped him."

It certainly seems quite unlikely.

I don't know if it was a good intention or a bad intention.

Although I thought it would be better to just disappear like this, I also had the expectation that I would be able to meet someone from the same country after a long time.

I don't know how I feel either.

I got up from my seat with a sigh.

And just then, the door to the office opened and Arcia came in wearing a light blouse, pants, and a coat.

"I'm not going?"

"Yes, I'm going now."

Seeing her appearance, I shook off any distracting thoughts, took the coat politely handed out by the waiting maid, and approached Arsia.

"Sir Gregory, could you increase the number of search personnel?"

"This is the maximum number of people we can move around without being noticed by others."

"there's nothing we can do. Then, please continue working like this. "I have some work to do, so I'm going out with Arsia."

"Yes, Your Highness. "Take care of yourself."

After finishing my conversation with Gregory, I said I would go out and immediately used teleportation with Arcia.

Although my smartphone distracted me for a while, I had other major tasks for today.

It is a lonely island floating on a sea of ​​silence.

It was a visit to Ophelia.

"Welcome to Ophelia Island. "His Royal Highness the Duke of Lawrence, His Royal Highness the Duke of Klein."

"You are going through a lot of hardships."

When the two of us appeared at the teleport gate located on Ophelia Island, many people who had been waiting in advance approached us and said hello.

The reason we visited Ophelia Island today was to check the progress.

Ophelia Island was comparable in size to our kingdom's baronage, but had a population of only 3,000 and was far from the mainland, making it a very underdeveloped place.

However, more than a month after resolving the affairs of Roberto's kingdom and renting this place, Ophelia Island had changed so much that it was unrecognizable.

First, there was a large influx of people.

As a result of recruiting immigrants in my territory, 10,000 families applied and continued to immigrate, bringing the island's population to about 25,000 as of today.

Most immigrants are still living in hastily transported temporary buildings, but the housing problem is expected to be resolved soon as the planned city that will become the island's center is being built rapidly.

"Are there any complaints from residents?"

"There is very little because the lord gives so much. Immigrants fully understand the inconveniences of early life, and existing residents are very satisfied with the influx of cheap foods and industrial products."

That's a good thing.

First, I looked at the market, which determines the quality of life of residents.

Even though it was a temporary market, it was quite attractive, and seeing it crowded with customers finally made it feel like it was alive.

It used to be a landscape where time seemed to have stopped.

"Aren't there any shortages of supplies?"

"Yes, I have some free time. However, since we sell it so cheaply, we continue to make a loss due to transportation costs. Is this okay?"

"Don't think about profit for the time being. "Anyway, some losses will be sufficiently compensated elsewhere."

The goods in the market were very cheap.

This is because for the convenience of residents, transactions are made directly in Yeongju Castle at the same price as on the mainland.

The transportation fee was so high that a considerable amount of damage was being incurred, but considering the profits made from tourmaline on this island, it was a cheap expense.

Maybe that's why I saw quite a few people buying a bunch of stuff here and there.

Seeing people's satisfied faces made me feel good as a leader.

Next, we headed to the construction site in the new city.

"Construction has progressed a lot."

"The speed of construction is proportional to the money invested. "I think we'll probably be able to start moving in within a month."

The new town was divided into two districts.

One was a general residential district, and the other was a security district where the magic tower's production facility was located.

There are three sky fortresses currently floating in the sky.

This is not a small number, but we plan to increase the number of Sky Fortresses to a maximum of 10 once the city is in normal operation.

In addition, 500 resident vanguards and about 5,000 soldiers will be deployed, so a watertight security network will be created.

Magic Tower is my money line.

Therefore, this level of investment was natural.

"It's fun to see the buildings going up one by one."

Does it feel like playing a territory game?

Until now, existing large cities have been accepted as fiefdoms, so this is the first time that we are building them one by one like this.

So it was quite fun.

"By the way, let's build a resort centered around the sea."

"yes? Are you going to develop this place into a resort?"

The island's managers expressed doubts about my instructions.

Isn't it strange to build a resort where outsiders can freely enter while pouring money into security?

"It doesn't matter because it's only for me, my family, and acquaintances. "Don't waste your money and add a lot of amenities."

"Oh, I understand."

The managers were impressed by what I said, saying that the scale was different.

In any case, it wasn't a bad thing since it meant that additional construction distance on the island would mean more jobs.

Lastly, I headed to the Tourmaline Mine, a key area that cannot be missed on Ophelia Island.

"Unlike before, which relied on manpower, mining volume has increased significantly with the introduction of mining equipment in large quantities."

If the existing mine was like a coal mine from the Twin Eight Years era, it now resembles a state-of-the-art vehicle tunnel.

I couldn't help but laugh when I thought about how things that are moved around like rocks are substitutes for diamonds.