Chapter 27 : Incompetence
After several weeks of traversing the skies, the alien woman sought directions from numerous settlements, encountering perplexed stares and bewildered expressions at her quest for the Hydazene Kingdom. Finally, in a humble village nestled between rolling hills, an elderly villager provided cryptic directions. With newfound determination, she followed the cues, soaring through the clouds and piercing the air like an ethereal comet.
As the landscape transformed beneath her, the vibrant greens of the forest gave way to the icy expanse of a frozen mountain. Battling against a relentless snowstorm, she muttered under her breath, "When I go back, I'm going to murder whoever filed the data for this base." The bitter cold whipped around her as she ascended through the biting winds, moving ever closer to her elusive destination.
Minutes of almost vertical flight brought her to a staggering sight—an imposing stone wall, seemingly crafted from a single colossal rock. Its surface bore no crevices or openings, a formidable barrier against the curious and the unwelcome. The only distinctive feature was a grand emblem crowning a massive wooden door. The emblem portrayed a towering tree, rooted deeply in a planet's core, its branches extending high into the sky.
As the woman gazed onto the emblem that was all too familiar to her, two figures appeared on top of the colossal wall. Their voices, infused with the aura, echoed through the frozen air, "This is the wall of the Hydazene Kingdom. Leave, or you will be killed!" The woman looked up with a blank expression, seemingly unfazed by the threat. Instead, she calmly injected a small amount of aura into the intricate roots that extended from her head.
The roots, pulsating with the energy she channeled, transformed the aura into a unique signal that rippled out from the woman. As the signal reached the two guards stationed at the pinnacle of the wall, their expressions morphed from stern determination to outright fright. In unison, they snapped into a salute, their voices quivering with a mix of awe and respect, "Welcome! Ambassador of the Great Lord!"
The colossal door, adorned with the emblem of the towering tree, creaked open, revealing a glimpse of the Hydazene Kingdom beyond. The woman descended gracefully from the skies, landing within the kingdom's protective walls. The guards, now deferential in their demeanor, escorted her through the grand entrance.
As the woman entered the Hydazene Kingdom, a stark contrast unfolded. Unlike the emblem of the giant tree on the wall, the kingdom lacked the vibrant touch of nature. Streets, shrouded in perpetual shadow by the thick clouds above, conveyed a somber atmosphere. The air hung heavy with an aura of desolation, and the citizens, their expressions burdened with a palpable sadness, moved through the melancholic streets.
As the woman ventured deeper into the kingdom, she infused aura into the roots again. Another signal went out through her. She closed her eyes and waited for a reply. Then, from a large castle-like building at the center of the kingdom, a similar signal came back to her. Seemingly reading something from the signal, the woman's face appeared confused, "A silver rank? As the supervisor?". Puzzled, she walked towards the castle.
Eventually, she arrived at a grand hall where a figure awaited. The man on the throne was wearing golden clothes and eating a large meal, completely juxtaposed to the sad and depressed kingdom beneath. There were several maids and butlers standing next to him. The man looked at the woman, his eyes lingering on her body before he continued with his meal. However, the woman seemed unfazed. She stared at the man, seemingly waiting for an explanation.
After several seconds of silence, the man, breaking the silence, said, "So, are you the new maid? What are you waiting for standing there?"
The woman, with a hint of amusement, replied, "No, I'm not your new maid. I would like an explanation on why the data for your base is incorrect."
The man paused mid-bite, a mix of surprise and annoyance crossing his face. "Data? What are you talking about?"
The woman, maintaining her calm demeanor, explained, "I have been positioned to this planet. It seems there's been a mix-up with the information. Your base location is shown over 2000 kilometers to the west". The woman then paused for a moment before continuing "However, my doubts are solved now, a silver rank as a supervisor, you're extremely underqualified."
The man, with annoyance on his face, leaned back in his throne. "Silver Rank? You talk like my old man. Well, Silver rank or not, I'm in charge here. Who are you to question it?"
The woman, seemingly bored with the exchange, injected aura into the roots on her head, a subtle signal emanated from her. This signal, like a silent command, traveled through the air, reaching the man who was dining and the several maids in the background. In an instant, they froze, their movements arrested by an unseen force.
With an air of quiet determination, the woman continued her approach toward the man on the throne. The maids, still and unmoving, stared blankly into the distance as if caught in a suspended moment. The dining hall, once filled with the clinking of cutlery and the murmur of voices, now echoed with an eerie silence.
As the woman neared the man, she calmly extended her hand and placed it on his head. At the touch, small roots, almost imperceptible, began to emerge from beneath the man's skull. It was as if they had been concealed, waiting for a command to reveal their presence. The roots intertwined with the woman's hand, forming a connection that transcended the physical realm.
With her eyes closed, the woman entered a state of profound concentration. The roots that emerged from the man's head conveyed a stream of memories and emotions. The ethereal connection allowed her to delve into the recesses of his mind, unraveling the intricacies of his thoughts and experiences.
In this silent communion, the woman navigated through the labyrinth of the man's memories.
The memories revealed a complex web of emotions and events, unfolding like a narrative etched in the recesses of the man's consciousness. The woman traversed through the timeline, encountering the father of the man, the original supervisor for this distant planet. The revelation struck a chord of disdain within her, for she discovered that the gold-level supervisor had fallen in love with a native of this world.
The woman found the act to be revolting, considering the inherent power imbalance in a relationship between a gold-level supervisor and a civilian who had never ventured beyond their solar system.
As she delved further into the memory, the woman witnessed the fall of the gold-level supervisor through the memories of the mixed-child, who now ruled the kingdom.
The gold-level supervisor began to suffer a gradual decline in health. The woman watched the slow deterioration, the mysterious ailment that gripped the supervisor, and the futile attempts of doctors to find a cure. The once powerful figure weakened over the course of two decades, succumbing to the enigmatic illness.
While the doctors remained baffled, the woman, through the lens of the man's memories, discerned subtle clues and patterns.
The slow decline of the gold-level supervisor was all too familiar to the woman. It was the result of not receiving cosmic energy from the lord for a lengthy period. However, the woman still wasn't able to find the reason as to why the gold-level supervisor did not attempt to contact the lord, or why the kingdom's location was misreported to the base.
Disconnecting from the memories, the woman looked at the man, who was still frozen in place, coldly. A burst of aura escaped from her hands, exploding the man from the inside. She then injected a large amount of aura into the roots on her head. A massive signal escaped from the roots, encapsulating the entire kingdom. All the citizens of the kingdom froze in place before saluting in the direction of the castle. A loud roar could be heard from the nearby kingdoms, "Welcome! The Ambassador of the Lord!"