Chapter 26 - First Days Haul

"Does Allspace still have the teleporter device?" Zenith asked, a feeling of fascination welling up, something more akin to humans passed down: curiosity, a normal yet dangerous trait.

Fable laughed a little. "Like hell, who would want to be close to something that holds a being which may as well be a god. You know, the researchers of the federation and others thought it was a human at first, but it was proven not to be. As for the device, the federation confiscated it. All we know is that after that, in any territory and even unclaimed territories, there is a hidden law that prohibits ownership of any possible S rank teleporter. If you are known to have one, you will be chased down to the ends of the galaxy and possibly further to either destroy you or take it. That's how scared those so-called powerhouses are of those places."

Zenith was a little confused. "I don't get it though, those creatures and stuff can't come out of teleporter devices, right?" In response to him, Fable remained silent. Zenith suddenly realized something: there's nothing really stopping them from doing so.

No wonder such a thing was so taboo that information was only available to the top 1% and anyone would be hunted down if they owned it. This wasn't even greed; it was pure and simple survival. Materials, Eltanians, Retoran's—they may be different races, but instinctually, every living being wanted to survive. An A rank relic site was good to handle, but an S rank site was, as Fable said and what Zenith saw, home to a being that could create what looked like a black hole as if it were nothing—a creature or being that equaled a fundamental force.

The remainder of the journey back to the teleporter, both Fable and Zenith were quiet, clearly neither in a mood to talk anymore. When they reached the teleporter and exited it, Mirabell raised her head and waved excitedly before pressing some inputs on the nearby console and shutting the device down before running over and grabbing it. She looked eagerly at Fable, releasing a sound like a soft church bell.

Fable suddenly smiled and laughed. "Relax, sis! We got a great haul! Grandma's gonna be happy; I bet she won't hit me anymore for at least a month!" Jenabell's voice then sounded out as she scoffed and approached. "Ha, you talk a big game, brat. That thing better be 100% full." Fable's expression became bitter as he forced a laugh, bringing the backpack to show Jenabell and his sister.

Looking at the charge on it, Jenabell nodded in approval. "I'll give you 2 weeks free, but don't push it!" she spoke firmly, but she held a twinkle of joy in her eyes at their safe return as well as the haul. Soon the four of them returned to the freighter's main armor chamber. Mirabell was going over the backpack's input; she nodded approvingly before shuddering with an ominous tone.

Jenabell walked over and took a look. "Eh?... There were actually these things in there?" She appeared thoughtful. "The kid smacked the smaller one on his own, pretty good, right!?" Jenabell looked stunned, ignoring Fable as she knew he could handle himself, but she then looked at Zenith. "Great job! You're gonna get a bonus for it. You have more than paid off for the gear we gave you; in fact, Allspace owes you a lot. Truly our golden ticket!" She smiled warmly at Zenith, who appeared a little guilty, as Fable didn't mention that he had done so on his own. Jenabell had assumed Fable was there to look after Zenith so there would not be any danger.

"Let's see..." Jenabell then went over some information on her own console, with numbers and information that made both Fable and Zenith dimwitted while looking at it. "Darling, can you handle the transaction and orders for these pieces?" Jenabell asked her granddaughter, who nodded with excitement.

"This is more than enough to restock the outfits to the bare level. We'll have a little over a dozen free sets for any potential members; otherwise, we can keep a few extras and sell the rest of the materials. The federation started an expedition in the southeastern part of the galaxy again. They are hounding all the relic organizations for materials to purchase, adding an extra 15% to market price."

Fable looked curiously, folding his hands with a thoughtful look. "Isn't that a bit too dangerous? Last time that happened, they got their asses kicked and came running back with their tails between their legs," he laughed.

Zenith tilted his head. "Hmm?" he mumbled. Jenabell smiled towards him. "Every now and again, the factions will coordinate with each other to expand in their respective regions. These places are filled with regions known as fracture spaces, often hiding powerful resonant creatures or things from beyond. Depending on the value of these spaces, they are either stabilized using special methods and sealed up to get rid of the danger, or they are monopolized by whoever found it first and is powerful enough to control it."

Fable then added, "The larger relic organizations often claw at the feet of the federation for a chance to work with the relic syndicate and try their luck. The relic sites found in these places are not ordinary at all. You might just find the corpse of a powerful resonant creature or some object that has incredible research value. The 2 millennium crystals not from Allspace were actually found in fracture spaces."

Zenith was stunned, a look of greed and excitement on his face. "Why don't the factions put all their attention on those places then? With their combined strength, they can just focus on those?"

Jenabell laughed at Zenith's innocence, or maybe it was his naivety. "Kid, nothing in life comes cheap. Those spaces are as dangerous as the goods they give. You might encounter a resonant creature that can turn a fleet into a graveyard or, worse, destroy a planet. There are a few cases of those at or near the leader level dying or disappearing. The Eltanians, Materian's, Retoran's—all have lost powerful people there. Which is why this is a 100-year event, amassing resources and strength before pushing forward."

Fable picked at his inner ear and yawned as he added his own opinion. "I'm happy just doing relic sites from the comfort of my own home, nice and simple and going with the flow." Jenabell sneered, pointing her cane suddenly at Fable, which made him jump in fright. "Going with the flow? You little brat, because of you, this teleporter device is going to be considered High Storm or even Empty Sea!"

Fable felt wronged. "B-but grandma, it just means we can sell it for more!" Jenabell scoffed as she grumbled while turning around. "And pay more for each activation due to the danger level increase!"

Soon, Zenith and Fable went off to do their own things, with Fable cursing under his breath. Zenith headed to the training hall after devouring several specialized protein meals. Despite finishing today's mission, he was rearing to train.

Wearing his training gear, he began to do a pre-workout routine Fable had taught him from Allspace's methods. He could feel a big difference compared to when he entered the relic site this morning. Fable was in his room, using a small knife to carve a small piece of lumber. On the left side of his room were shelves lined with amazingly detailed wooden carvings, a hobby of his that he had picked up and a form of mental training.

His device sounded out. "Fable, come talk to me." Fable stopped for a moment, hearing Jenabell's words. Whenever his grandma called him by his name, it was always something important. He soon quietly put his stuff down and made his way to see her.

Inside Jenabell's room, which was cozy and comforting, Mirabell was sitting beside her, a serious look on both their faces. Fable walked over. "Yo yo!" he spoke casually. Jenabell got to the point. "When you and the kid were at the relic site, Mythica Aralune challenged us to fight. If you win, our debt with Scorpius is paid off. Beat her and make it fast. The kid will handle the relic site alone, and you deal with the redhead."

Fable looked casually, giving a surprised look but giving a thumbs up. "Whoa! Talk about a free meal ticket, easy! Tomorrow morning, right?" He seemed excited, but more so, extremely confident.

Currently, in a special area within the relic outpost, Mythica had just finished bathing, a bath towel wrapping around her body, yet it didn't do much to hide her incredible figure. She currently had a tender, gentle smile on her face as she looked at her device. She was speaking with Aleren, who sent a reply to her latest message.

"Be careful, ok?" Mythica's face turned a soft red as she sent her own response. "Tsch... Who do you think I am? It's only the descendant of a fallen organization." Unable to hide the tone of her pride, she suddenly blinked in surprise as she received a notification from Jennabell. "Tomorrow at 8:00 AM, Arena 003, crowd allowed or not?"

Mythica sneered a little, remembering Jenabell's words. She wanted to get even with her and shame her a bit. "Done, obviously crowd." Soon the arena was reserved, and when the information was made available on the screens outside the arena, showing the duels that were often used to spar or settle scores, the entirety of the relic outpost was set ablaze with a frenzy.