| 019 | Beastfolk

Abraham walked through the narrow metallic hallway with a grave expression on his face. Something was discovered during the rescue operation of the naval personnel, requiring his assistance as the Fleet Admiral.

His steps echoed on the metallic floor while the hum and the shuddering lights reverberated around him. The atmosphere was static, but he was already used to such ambiance.

It didn't take a minute for him to reach the upper deck of the UNS Light Bringer. The ray of light then immediately shrouded his entire being, bringing about the sun's warmth.

He instinctively closed his eyelids and covered his eyes with his arms. The sun was blinding for someone who was stuck in the Combat Information Center for hours. 

As he stepped into the upper deck of the destroyer, Abraham took notice of a gathering of naval personnel.

He raised an eyebrow and slowly walked towards them. When the naval personnel noticed their Fleet Admiral, they gave way and saluted him with the utmost respect.

"So, what's going on?" Abraham questioned the naval personnel who requested his assistance. One of them stepped forward and explained their reasons for calling him.

"We believe this requires your attention, Fleet Admiral." The naval personnel unveiled the ones they had rescued from the rough and cold seas.

What Abraham saw was astounding, to say the least. They were beasts with humanoid forms. The only thing different was that they had tails and their heads resembled their animal counterparts.

Other than that, they had a human body, though mostly covered with fur.

'This is…' Abraham found it hard to utter a single word about this newly discovered species of intelligent lifeforms. 

While elves, dwarves, and even orcs were expected, the anthropomorphic beasts were far from what they had formerly thought to be a race of this foreign world.

'As expected of the foreign world, it never fails to surprise and amuse me.' The edges of Abraham's lips rose as he carefully observed the recovered hostages.

Most of them were wet and covered in warm towels provided by the naval personnel. But they seemed frail and docile, which was perhaps the result of becoming slaves.

The group of rescued hostages could be separated into three. Most of them were humanoid badgers, with others being humanoid antelopes, and some resembling humanoid rats.

There were men and women in the group, though it was hard to differentiate them as all were scrawny in terms of appearance. 

But there were some great differences, which were the chest and typical body shape.

To be honest, the more he observed them, the more Abraham desired to know better about this race. 

'Systema, can I understand or speak their language?' He wanted to know if his fellow partner had the capability to translate otherworldly languages.

It didn't take a second for a mechanical bell to ring inside his head.

*Ding!*

| Does the Fleet Admiral wish to activate the diplomacy perks of the Naval Gacha System? |

"Diplomacy what?" Abraham found himself confused as he merely wished to know whether they or he could understand one another.

| Diplomacy perks are disabled perks used for diplomatic circumstances such as meeting others with foreign languages or understanding the sentiments of others. |

| Does the Fleet Admiral wish to enable it? |

Hearing the cold yet feminine monotone voice of Systema, Abraham nodded in understanding while tackling what Systema had said inside his mind.

Diplomacy was something he never thought of during his time in this world. It was simple yet also important for the growth of the United Navy. However, he was still ignorant of it.

Abraham wasn't inclined to be ignorant of the formidable aspect known as diplomacy. It was something that he, as the Fleet Admiral, needed to understand.

With this in mind, he didn't delay any further and wanted Systema to enable it.

'Please enable it, Systema.'

*Ding!*

| Enabling Diplomacy Perks… |

| Diplomacy Perks enabled! |

●| Brand of Loyalty(Unlocked) |

➤| The Brand of Loyalty is what ensures the protection of the naval force and the Fleet Admiral from subsequent betrayals of those who aren't under the authority of the system. |

➤| It corresponds to the color of emotional sentiments of nearby beings in the form of emitted colors. The first of such colors is white, pertaining to neutrality. The second is the radiant gold, which describes loyalty. The third is black which displays animosity. And lastly, the fourth is red which invokes hostility. |

➤| As a piece of additional information, the intensity of such colors determined the strength of the emotional sentiments of nearby beings. So, there's no need for the Fleet Admiral to worry about blind alliances in the future. |

●| Throne of Babel(Unlocked) |

➤| The Throne of Babel gives the ability to understand and speak otherworldly languages. It is vital for clear comprehension of intentions and helps in appreciating foreign species of their true selves. A rather simple perk of the Naval Gacha System. |

The information disclosed by Systema wasn't to be underestimated. Although the diplomacy perks only consisted of two, they were already overpowered enough for someone like him.

'From what was explained, I can detect whether or not they are loyal to me or hostile. This Brand of Loyalty is extremely useful.' Abraham understood his fragility in politics.

The new perk was useful for someone who was inexperienced in the ways of politics like him. After all, he had no idea how to read faces or understand the hearts of others.

He could only remain cautious and guard his heart.

Abraham knew that this kind of behavior wasn't a solution to the problem, but a fuel instead. It worsened his social abilities to the point he was socially crippled beyond relief. Distrust, fear, and paranoia practically made him alone.

It turned him into a loser, and to become better than his former self, he understood the significance of opening up.

At any rate, he was thankful for the perk given by Systema. With this, he wouldn't have to guard his heart to those who he had no idea were loyal to him. 

He merely needed to observe them to understand their sentiments towards him.

Though… There was also the perk, Throne of Babel. Another useful perk that gives him the ability to understand others and also speak in their language. 

This would make it easier for Abraham to talk with other races in this foreign world without worrying about learning a new language.

"Thank you for the new perks and your explanation, Systema." Abraham felt grateful to his partner for elevating his troubles. 

*Ding!*

| You're welcome, Fleet Admiral. I am pleased to aid you. |

Abraham simply smirked at her monotone response and returned to the problem in front of him. The middle-aged man stepped closer to the anthropomorphic beasts and immediately saw colors of light above them.

The light was coal-black in color as it radiated darkness from itself. He furrowed upon meeting such a sight, but it was understandable for the hostages to feel this way.

Those in the United Navy didn't look much different from the humans of this foreign world. The humans that tortured for fulfillment and made them slaves. 

Thus, they feel animosity towards the naval personnel. 

So, in order to turn the tide of sentiments back to positivity, Abraham needed to separate the United Navy from the humans of this world. 

"Hello, I am Fleet Admiral Abraham Shepherd of the United Navy. We are a naval force that upholds maritime security in this region." His words resounded in an unknown language. 

The naval personnel surrounding the group of rescued anthropomorphic beasts felt surprised by their Fleet Admiral's capability to know an alien language. 

On the other hand, the beasts who were cautious and hostile felt surprised to hear someone speaking in their language. 

They slowly turned their gaze and saw a middle-aged man with a pleasant smile on his face. As partly beasts with great instincts, they felt the sincereness of his words.

It appears he wasn't pretending to be kind in order to trick them.

"We saw a ship passing through the region and wanted to inspect it due to security protocols. It's a bit astounding that we would discover barbarians engaging in slave trade."

Abraham was genuinely disgusted by the bastards who dared to enslave people. 

"When we saw your people being thrown overboard into the ship. We understood that we needed to act fast and save the hostages kept in shackled chains. So… I'd like to ask for your help."

Through his words, the sentiments of the rescued hostages became lighter. The coal-black light turned into gray as they glanced at him with a tiny bit of hope.

"W-What would you like to know, Esteemed One." One of the rescued hostages, who was a humanoid badger resembling an old man, asked Abraham.

Abraham smiled at the old man and inquired more about them.

"My questions are simple. I'd like to know what you call yourselves. After all, we aren't too familiar with the geopolitical status of this sea." The middle-aged man desired to know of their race.

The old man badger felt surprised and slowly answered the Fleet Admiral's question.

"We are the Beastfolk, separated into various tribes and divided by the sea. Our appearance might seem hideous to you humans, but-" Before the old man could continue, Abraham interrupted him.

"None of us here see you as grotesque. While a bit unique, the reason why we observe you with scrutiny is because of curiosity. After all, this is the first time we saw someone of your race."

Abraham needed to be clear to the rescued hostages that they were wholly different from the bastards on the ship. Talking beasts might be surprising, but as people of the modern world, there were others stranger than this. 

"I see… It is an honor, Esteemed One." The old man badger lightly bowed. Abraham wanted him to stop but only shook his head. The old man then continued his explanation.

"The Beastfolk are far from a united species as we only wished for the prosperity of our tribe. As such, it was easy for humans to divide and conquer us."

"While it was unfortunate, it was to be expected." The old man badger sighed in disappointment.

'Beastfolk, huh…' Abraham quietly thought to himself. With the emergence of a new intelligent race that looked far different from a human, he couldn't help but be excited by its prospect.