Chapter 159
Chapter 159
Grace had been about to take a sip of the black tea when she heard those words . Her body froze, and her face stiffened .
Clank!
She placed the teacup back on the table . The action was so abrupt that it almost looked like she had thrown the teacup . She didn’t plan on hiding her emotions, and she looked toward the prime minister .
“Are you sure?”
“I hired a Connector who was available on Earth, and he confirmed it . We must do something about this problem . ”
“Is it possible that a labyrinth has appeared on Earth?”
“I do not know yet . ”
“How are you handling this problem?”
“We’ve quarantined the nearby region . If we aren’t careful, civilians might die through magic poisoning . However, this is only a temporary solution . ”
“You did a good job . How far has the magical energy spread?”
“It spread around ten meters with the cave as the center . Fortunately, the magical energy isn't spreading any further . Still, we can’t let our guard down . The location of this cave is very problematic . If the magical energy further leaks out of the cave to hit London . . . ”
The Prime Minister trailed off . However, it was clear as to what he was referring to .
Magical energy had the potential of poisoning everyone in London . It would be a calamity .
“Since I am the Prime Minister, I had to do something . I had to find a solution . We experimented with some animals, and it didn’t cause any magical poisoning . In the past, whenever lab animals were placed in magical energy, they had suffered from magical poisoning . Moreover, one of our employees was exposed to the magical energy in the beginning, and he also experienced no side effects . So we are theorizing that this is a neutral form of magical energy . ”
When Grace had gone missing, government employees had been dispatched near her Personal Labyrinth . There, they were exposed to magical energy, but no harm had come to them . It seemed something similar had happened near the cave .
“However, this doesn’t mean we want to go through with human experimentation . Even if we do, it would be best to conduct one after gaining some more information . That is why we need someone to explore the cave . . . ”
The Prime Minister discreetly gauged the reaction of Grace and the Queen . The Queen snorted as if she was in a foul mood, but the Prime Minister refused to back down .
“I would like to entrust the investigation to Ms . Taylor . ”
“Me?”
“To be precise, we want Ms . Taylor and your party . ”
Grace thought about her party members, who were resting in different countries .
“She almost died not too long ago . Are you sure you have to ask her to do this, Prime Minister? Moreover, it hasn’t been long since she has returned to Earth . ”
‘So that's why grandmother looked agitated . ’
The Queen really didn’t like putting her cute granddaughter in a potentially dangerous situation, and even more so when she had almost died not too long ago inside her labyrinth .
However, the Prime Minister didn’t back down even when the Queen continued to glare at him .
“Honestly, I thought about calling someone else, someone like Sir Russell . However, all such Connectors of our country are on the Moon . Moreover, it will be tough to contact them if they enter their respective labyrinths . That is why I am asking this of you, Ms . Taylor . You are one of the high rank Connectors still on Earth . "
“And there is also the fact that if we recall high rank Connectors back home, the number of moonstones they send back will decrease . ”
“I won’t deny that . ”
The Prime Minister agreed with the Queen’s sarcastic comment .
“Our supply of moonstones is inconsistent these days because of the abnormal events occurring on the Moon . The economy is struggling right now . If we bring in the high rank Connectors, the loss will be too great . This will especially be true if we call back the Connectors who raid the Great Labyrinth . ”
The Prime Minister then turned to look at Grace .
“I was informed that Ms . Grace’s party is strong . I heard all of you are close to acquiring rights to enter the Great Labyrinth . In fact, I am told Mr . Woo Sungyoon already satisfies all the requirements . ”
When he had gained his new Platinum rank Gem, Sungyoon checked off all the requirements needed to enter the Great Labyrinth . He possessed three Jewel rank Gems now .
However, his party members were yet to fulfill all the requirements, and in the case of Sungyoon, one of his Jewel rank Gems was useless in battle . It was a Gem that could enhance other Gems . That was why he was delaying his entrance into the Great Labyrinth .
“Ms . Taylor’s party qualifies as a high rank Connector party . In my judgment, you are capable of carrying out this investigation . ”
“If it's neutral magical energy, couldn’t you investigate it using machines? I heard those can work fine in this situation . ”
The Queen shot back . It seemed she hadn’t given up yet .
“Of course, we will investigate it with machines . However, we need Connectors to check it out with their eyes too . This is the first location we’ve found on Earth that is emanating magical energy . We have to approach it in a multifaceted way . ”
“… Understood . ”
“Grace!”
The Queen tried to dissuade her granddaughter, but Grace displayed a calm smile as she held her hand .
“Don’t worry too much about me, grandmother . I haven’t been with them long, but my party members are very dependable . Moreover, I’ll be happy if I can help my country by doing this . ”
Then she looked toward the Prime Minister .
“I’ll contact them . But if they say no, it is out of my hands . Also, they should be rewarded for this . ”
“Please do not worry about that . I’ll prepare plenty of rewards . ”
The Prime Minister had a smile of satisfaction on his lips .
Even if he had to hand out high amounts of rewards, it would be pennies compared to what the high rank Connectors could acquire in the Great Labyrinth . This was a deal that would be beneficial to his country .
The Queen found him detestable at that moment, but her granddaughter had agreed to it . Moreover, there was logic in his words . In the end, she let out a sigh, and she agreed with the plan .
***
“… That happened?”
Sungyoon had suddenly received a call from Grace . When he heard what Grace had to say, he was surprised .
– Yes . That is why we want to hire Mr . Sungyoon, Mr . Tim, and Ms . Emily .
Sungyoon thought for a brief moment .
‘I don’t really want to go, but . . . ’
He glanced behind him . Shinhae was holding a gamepad for a console he had bought her . She looked at him .
The man had been in the midst of playing with his daughter when the call came . He wanted to go back to playing with her .
When he was on Earth, he didn’t like taking on jobs . He would have turned down most jobs, but this was different . This was too important .
‘If that occurs in Korea . . . ’
Shinhae was a regular human, and if a labyrinth appeared in Korea, she might die of magic poisoning . He didn't even want to think about it . It was too horrifying a thought . Shinhae was his everything, and if she was gone, he had no reason to live .
‘I should investigate it, just in case . ’
“I’m fine with it . I’ll talk to the President, and Tim and Emily about it . ”
– Thank you .
“It is nothing . In the first place, I don’t think this is a problem that’ll only affect Britain . ”
They exchanged a few more words before he ended the call .
‘Yes . I thought it was too quiet recently . I should have known another anomaly would show up . ’
But this time the anomaly hadn’t occurred on the Moon . It happened on Earth, where humans lived . His expression had turned dead serious without him noticing it .
“Dad! Hurry up! Come here!”
Even after ending the call, Sungyoon was still standing in his place . So Shinhae waved her hand .
“Ok . I’m coming . ”
He decided to think about this at a later time . So he approached Shinhae, picked up his gamepad, and sat cross-legged on the floor .
“Ho-eet!”
Shinhae sat on Sungyoon’s legs, enveloped by her father . They played the game connected to the TV, and the little girl soon became immersed .
Sungyoon looked at his lovely daughter, who was moving as she concentrated on playing the video game .
‘Yes . If I want to keep her safe, I have to solve this problem . ’
If he had to, he would convince his party members . Sungyoon inwardly made the decision .
After a couple of days, the plane containing Jimin and Sungyoon left for London .
***
The location was surrounded by darkness . The surrounding area was quarantined, and no humans could be spotted here . It was creepy in the fact that no bugs were present either .
This place was the cave located on the outskirts of England . It was where the magical energy was emanating .
The magical energy was starting to pool within, but the cave looked like any other cave on earth . Even the magical energy was sluggish as if it were asleep . Unlike the magical energy within the labyrinth, the magical energy here was heavy and stagnant .
However, that lasted only for a short amount of time .
The magical energy started to churn .
The movement became a breeze and then a strong wind . In the end, a maelstrom appeared .
At that moment . . .
Ssssssk!
A small light appeared within the cave .
The light was very small, the size of a person’s fingernail . However, it was slowly but surely growing in size .
Similar lights started to appear in other locations . They resembled the lights that appeared during the Mana Stream, and the lights that spat out monsters .
***
Sungyoon and Jimin arrived at the London Heathrow Airport . As with all international airports, it was quite crowded .
‘This is the second time I’ve been to London . ’
He had come here for the first time on his honeymoon . But that was a very unpleasant memory for him now .
Sungyoon quickly erased it from his mind .
Just the thought of it sucked .
“Let’s go to the appointed place . ”
Jimin had accompanied him because she would have to negotiate with the British government .
Shinhae was left in the care of Jiyoon for the time being . Sungyoon wanted to bring Shinhae along, but the anomaly could be unpredictable . Magical energy might wash over the city, so he inevitably decided against the idea .
He remembered the tears in his daughter's eyes when he had left . Parting from her was always painful for him .
Thankfully, Jimin had been to London several times, so Sungyoon followed her like a baby bird following its mother .
“Mr . Tim and Ms . Emily will be here in two days?”
“Yes . ”
The Ross siblings were not with them . They had personal business in Canada, so they had returned to their home country .
When he had asked them over the phone, they had accepted Grace’s proposition without reservation . However, they couldn’t immediately come to London .
“He’s over there . ”
Jimin pointed at a man wearing a sharp suit . He was carrying a sign with Korean words on it .
Since Grace was a famous figure here, it would create many complications if she showed up at the airport . So she had sent someone to greet them .
The guide led them to a car, and they exited the airport .
The sight of the foreign land of London passed outside the window, and Sungyoon admired the sight .
How long had it been since he was able to view London like this?
The car slowed down when they almost reached their destination .
‘I expected this, but . . . ’
Sungyoon was impressed as he looked out the window . He could no longer see downtown London .
Instead, a massive building welcomed his sight .
It was Buckingham Palace, where the Queen of England resided .
He knew Grace’s station in life, so he was prepared to be invited to the palace . However, it still felt surreal when it became a reality .
Buckingham Palace was a historically significant site, and it looked fancy and elegant .
The guide led them down a corridor . Sungyoon kept swiveling his head to take in the sight .
This was a once in a lifetime opportunity . Even the usually calm Jimin couldn’t keep her head still .
Finally, they arrived in a rather large and fancy sitting room .
Having finished his job, the guide left .
Soon, a servant brought drinks and desserts . Sungyoon and Jimin sat in their chairs as they enjoyed the amenities . They waited for the person who had invited them .
“I never expected to enter this place in my lifetime . ”
“I feel the same way . ”
Jimin agreed with Sungyoon’s sentiment .
Who could have imagined he would be able to enter a palace on the other side of the world?
After he had awakened as a Connector, he had experienced many amazing things, but this was amazing in many ways .
The two of them conversed as they waited for their host to show up .
How long had it been?
The door to the sitting room opened .
“Mr . Sungyoon . ”
The one who entered was Grace .