Two-Person Galactic Journey: Earth Was Destroyed While Imprisoned in Space Prison

Chapter 221

Chapter 221

The repair work on the giant beast Bassalem had entered its final stages.

The outer skin, which should have been sewn together from countless animal pelts, was now fused so perfectly that it looked like a single organism from the start. The parts in contact with the ground had been reinforced to increase elasticity and hardness during deployment, which apparently also reduced the frequency of damage.

Just as they reached the stage of reconnecting the link to the underground, Kait called out to the work supervisor, Aremesrika.

The spherical lifeform, who had recently obtained Federation citizenship as a Seventh-Rank Citizen (Tetona Ilchi), extended one of its tentacle-like functional limbs toward Kait. Thinking it was a gesture of respect for the Earthlings' culture of handshakes, Kait also extended his hand and grasped the tip of the tentacle. A wave of joyful emotion was conveyed. It seemed he was right.

"This was my first time working under the gravity of a natural planet, and it was quite a stimulating experience."

"Sorry for the trouble. Thank you."

"No! I can proudly tell everyone in my clan that my first task was assisting the esteemed Kait, Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif)!"

"I see."

When Aremesrika cheerfully added that the competition for the position had been fierce, Kait returned a smile, hiding his inner confusion.

Now then, Kait hadn't contacted Aremesrika just to exchange greetings. He needed to pass on what Emotion had been concerned about. Since Kait fully agreed with her, he decided to give a warning just in case.

"Aremesrika. I believe the underground Smallfolk are a species incapable of considering other intelligent beings. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if they went full throttle the moment the connection is reestablished."

"Oh? I heard they were the same species as the Ramadite Smallfolk, but their social maturity seems quite lacking, doesn't it?"

"They've been in the Federation for a long time, right? Even if their biological traits are the same, I think it's better to treat them as a separate group."

"I see. I've received similar remarks from Rutimi De, Fourth-Rank Citizen (Darda Elra). I thought it might be overthinking or a form of cultural modesty, but I'll take it into account. Thank you, Kait, Third-Rank Citizen."

From Aremesrika's words—'take it into account'—Kait could feel genuine sincerity. He stepped away from Aremesrika with peace of mind.

When he returned to the Queen Bee, Emotion, who had been waiting outside, tilted her head.

"How did it go?"

"Apparently, Rutimi De gave the same warning. They said they'd take it into consideration."

"I see. That's a relief."

Looking back, all the workships had started retreating except for the minimum required vessels. It seemed Kait's words hadn't been in vain.

"Well, if Bassalem goes on a rampage and it turns into a 'Federation ship got damaged this time' situation, it'd just cause more trouble."

"Yeah, really."

Neither Kait nor Emotion were worried at all about the giant beast causing damage to the Federation.

Rather, they were more concerned about the Federation being forced into repeated interactions with the underground Smallfolk due to any damage.

"Well then, shall we start getting ready to leave? The smoked meat turned out pretty well too."

"Yes. I'm looking forward to meals on the ship for a while."

***

At the underground empire's worksite, Zelekia La and Kadiri Ki had been stationed daily for the past few days.

It had only been a few days since Zalt Va's tyranny was overturned and his bloodline's monopoly of key positions was dismantled. Now, not just the control room for Bassalem, but vital posts throughout the underground were filled with personnel selected by Emperor Zelekia La and Kadiri Ki. Among them were members of the 'Liberators of Darva Ni', including Halgan Na.

"It couldn't be helped, but losing Dandariol was painful. How long do you think rebuilding will take?"

"We'll need to start from selecting the materials, so it'll take some time. I didn't expect the gap to be that large."

"The Celestial Prison, huh. Maybe the time will come when we have to expand there, but we should proceed with extreme caution."

This worksite was the only place where one could observe the surface. It used to be the sacred and inviolable domain of the prophets, where Bassalem and Dandariol were maintained and operated. All around, Zalt Va's kin were tied up with ropes, and Smallfolk were seen extracting information from them—sometimes violently.

The fact that the prophecies had been arbitrary, not mystical, and were based on secretly held Sacred Tools enraged many underground Smallfolk. The fact that Zalt Va himself had been subdued before anyone else was also significant.

The confusion didn't grow too large and was quickly resolved.

"Still... a beast strong enough to defeat Bassalem, huh... I want one."

"Don't be ridiculous, Halgan Na. We lost the battle. It's not good to let greed get the better of you."

"I know, Kadiri Ki. I understand that we're happy now. I won't wish for more."

Neither Kadiri Ki nor Emperor Zelekia La believed that Kait, who had been on the surface, was the same kind of intelligent being as themselves. They truly believed that the surface Smallfolk had tamed two-armed beasts to help them live on the surface.

Had they voiced that belief, they would undoubtedly have faced a catastrophic fallout. In that sense, being driven to the surface before Terapolapaneshio could see through their inner thoughts was nothing short of a blessing.

"Oh! It's here, it connected!"

"Really!? Alright, activate it!"

"Here we go!"

A response came indicating that the command system between surface Bassalem and the underground had been connected. Kadiri Ki and Halgan Na eagerly began operating Bassalem.

Without a care for the surface, where the work had just been completed.

***

'It was just as Third-Rank Citizen Kait and Fourth-Rank Citizen Rutimi De said. The underground Smallfolk really are lacking in many ways when it comes to dealing with the Federation.'

A message of thanks came from Aremesrika's ship, which had smoothly exited through the mouth of the giant beast Bassalem. Below them, the mountain-sized creature had begun mercilessly devouring the trees.

The immigration ship was already en route to the Federation, and the work fleet that had come for repairs was also outside Bassalem's operational range. So was the Queen Bee carrying Kait.

After watching the rampaging giant beast from above and confirming there were no anomalies, the work fleet began to ascend in altitude. They had begun the withdrawal.

With that, the only Federation citizens remaining on Ramadite were Kait, Emotion, and Terapolapaneshio. A communication came in.

'Third-Rank Citizen Kait. What are your plans from here?'

"We've decided on our immediate goal. We could head for the next planet, but Adie Ze is accompanying the Smallfolk, right? I thought we'd wait for word from him."

'I see. Then, would you be able to wait for a while in orbit around Ramadite?'

"We can, but why?"

'Now that the existence of the underground Smallfolk has been confirmed, Ramadite has become a subject for observation by artificial celestial bodies. While the underground Smallfolk are not candidates for Federation invitation, I believe the surface Smallfolk living above ground should be proactively invited.'

"I see?"

The Federation's treatment of the Smallfolk on Ramadite had developed a strange twist.

It was true that the Federation had erred in accepting the surface Smallfolk in the past, but that didn't mean they could now revoke the citizenship of those Smallfolk, now referred to as Ramadite Smallfolk.

'Should we consider the Smallfolk recently exiled to the surface as underground Smallfolk or surface Smallfolk? We need to establish that standard.'

"Ah, that makes sense."

Where does underground Smallfolk end and surface Smallfolk begin? Having already classified Borno-kki and the others as surface Smallfolk, drawing that line had become essential.

As for how to define that boundary, nothing had been decided yet.

'We've asked Fourth-Rank Citizen Rutimi De to select a suitable representative from among the Ramadite Smallfolk and send them as staff. And we've requested Fifth-Rank Citizen Emotion (Alto Romia) to offer advice on how to set the criteria, based on her experience interacting with the underground Smallfolk.'

Whoops, it wasn't Kait they needed—it was Emotion.

Kait was genuinely happy that it was Emotion, not him, who was being relied upon, and he gladly accepted the request.

"If Emotion is fine for the job, then by all means."