The Outer God Needs Warmth-Chapter 249: Unfortunately, I got attached to it (14)

The third world is living a rather ordinary life, if you could call it that.

The only unusual thing is that for two days, Polaris failed to persuade Victoria.

Even though they somehow managed to return to the Royal Academy, it seems that emotions weren't completely resolved.

Or perhaps, it was all neatly sorted out, so they severed their relationship.

The classes themselves are somewhat bearable.

If it’s not an application problem but simple memorization, I could even score full marks.

So, I attend classes until the afternoon and head home. After finishing household chores, including preparing dinner, it's already midnight.

That’s how the day ends.

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Royal Academy is really peaceful.

It’s like powerful forces suddenly barging in, and everyone is being cautious.

They’re walking on thin ice, carefully moving around one another, and that’s why no major incident happens.

But it won’t last long.

People get used to stress quickly.

After a long period of tension, it becomes unbearable, you know? They call it adapting, or becoming numb to it.

This happens quite often.

It’s like the accidents that happen on construction sites.

Those with mediocre skill, rather than beginners, tend to get into big accidents, right? They've been in dangerous situations for too long, and their senses dull to it.

They mistakenly think that this state of being is the comfortable one.

The actual danger remains, though.

It’s like some war-torn countries in faded memories. The war isn’t over, it’s just paused, but no one feels the real danger.

From the outside, people who've lived in such a state for decades without realizing the risk, still don’t sense it.

They’re right in the middle of danger, but their senses are numb.

What can you do?

Living things aren’t built to endure stress for so long. The only way to reset is through one method.

The method of dying.

That’s why people die periodically in dangerous places.

And the worst scenario is when so many people die, but it becomes so commonplace that no one feels a sense of urgency.

When death no longer means anything, that’s when morality collapses naturally.

No, I’ve gone off on a tangent.

Anyway, the current situation won’t last long.

Once the tension ends, people will start harboring resentment towards the ones who caused it.

Humans are simple creatures.

In the meantime, if a patient emerges, I’ll just step in and turn them into a harvester.

And if things don’t get worse?

Well, that’s fine by me.

It’s not like I need to rush like in other worlds, and there’s no need to go around in a frenzy. Actually, being too active would be suspicious.

If I find a reason to create a harvester, eventually someone will realize what I’m doing is bad.

But, life at the Royal Academy is relatively quiet.

Meanwhile, the fourth world is so much fun.

Finally, the place to create the harvesters is ready!

I moved to a new location with a huge mechanical mass from the laboratory.

The new place is located at the boundary of the Jeber mansion. It’s a structure that crosses a wall, with a building inside. It wasn’t just a building standing there on its own.

They’re so obsessed with safety that they even added another fence inside the mansion.

And I was installed inside that building.

Of course, my limbs are still severed, but I’ve managed to break free from the chains.

Well, strictly speaking, the situation worsened.

I almost ended up in a box-like situation. It’s like being stretched out in every direction as if undergoing a public execution, but imagine being placed inside a box like that.

Then the blindfold was removed, but I was trapped in such a narrow and dark space that I couldn’t even see an inch ahead.

If you are reading this translation anywhere other than Novelight.net or SilkRoadTL, it has been stolen.

Anyway, since the air for nutrition and breathing circulates through the pipes embedded in my body, being in such a space doesn’t cause any problems for survival.

If I were a normal person, I would have gone mad immediately.

Mentally, yes, but physically, it wasn’t that bad.

I was even half-submerged in some jelly-like liquid, and what’s amazing is that there was no bedsores or anything like that.

Anyway, while I was waiting in that state, a light appeared near my mouth.

A tiny door barely opened, just enough to see my mouth.

“Are you making me young again?”

I heard an old man’s voice.

I thought that this was the only phrase I had said in this world, and then I recited the contract.

“I will give myself to you. But in return, when you finish everything later, I’ll take everything you have. What do you think?”

The old man outside agreed, and I stepped into his light.

“Oh, ohh. Ooooh!”

I heard exclamations from outside, but the sound quickly disappeared.

That’s because the small door closed. It was a small door, but it seems like it was soundproofed.

However, I received a harvester named Brang.

I confirmed where this place was by looking through his eyes and memories.

If I confirm this place from the beginning, it looks like this.

The entrance is like the entrance to a cheap casino or a brothel. Instead of a menu listing the prices of drinks or people, there’s a wooden board with vague descriptions of what happens and some lies written on it.

And I was described as a legendary shaman from a faraway land. Apparently, there's some setup, and I’m only supposed to stay here for a few weeks to fill up some good deeds.

Surprisingly suspicious, but once I produce a harvester, that suspicion turns into a sense of mystery.

And as a note, if I recite the contract, I’m only supposed to agree, and that’s written there.

There’s a warning saying that asking anything else might lead to death from contamination.

After confirming this, the chimera outside took Brang inside as the first volunteer.

From the entrance to the first room, the atmosphere felt like a brothel, but beyond that, when I entered the next space, it turned into a temple-themed place.

The chimera didn’t go in and said it was stopping here, sending only Brang inside.

From Brang’s perspective, the place suddenly turned into something that felt dangerous.

The spacious room was empty, and the only thing on the opposite side of the entrance was a large door.

Brang hesitated and opened that door.

It revealed a room with mirrors on both sides. The front was a black wall, and the only light came from above.

After entering and closing the door, the small door near my mouth opened again from the black wall.

It was like a confessional booth in some faded memory of a religion.

He met me there, and he became a harvester and grew younger.

Looking at the mirrors on both sides, he was thrilled and ran out.

And outside, he loudly explained his experience to those waiting.

That day, only nine people entered and became harvesters.

Any more than that, the shaman said, and closed the door.

Exactly.

Limiting the number is much more effective than making them unlimited.

It’s the same reason limited edition products sell like hotcakes. Even if there’s no immediate need, if the event could end at any time and has a limit, people will at least want to try it, right?

Jeber.

Surprisingly, he understands people well.

It’s suspicious, but it feels like something wrong is going on when you enter with a casino-like atmosphere, and suddenly it changes into a religious structure, giving a big shock to the mind.

Then, inside, you meet someone who feels mysterious and you make a contract.

And you can immediately check the change in your appearance through the nearby mirror.

They don’t exactly urge you to leave quickly, but after a few seconds, the only light in the room goes out.

Then, the person inside naturally leaves.

It’s cleverly designed.

After /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ leaving the religious space, you return to a brothel-like area, where the next potential harvester is waiting.

And the person who entered exits in the same direction they came in.

It’s a perfect advertisement effect.

Also, the older people have to keep proving that they’ve become young. And that in itself becomes part of the advertisement.

And?

The front of the store was packed with an overwhelming crowd every day.

It wasn’t just old people coming to become young, but there were many people who came to see if the rumors were true.

And on the second day, Jeber came out and openly lied.

He said this shaman was his guest and that he was just cooperating.

So, he explained that the volunteers were randomly selected, only nine per day.

They would write their name, gender, address, and age on a box that was half transparent and half covered, and that’s how the selection would be done.

He easily gathered personal information.

And he declared that the voting wouldn’t be done by him but by someone else.

He really seemed to just be acting like a show host.

The box with the papers inside was designed so the audience could see the transparent part, while the dark part faced the person picking.

He took everything he could, while also dispersing the resentment of those not chosen.

And the place turned into a frenzy.

Each day, there was time to put the papers in until lunchtime, and in the evening, a person was randomly selected and made to draw.

The crowd grew day by day, and among those entering as potential harvesters, there were some trying to figure out who I really was.

But who could guess? On the other side, there was not a shaman but just a well-packaged talking vending machine.

Moreover, when someone asked a question, the chimera watching over them killed them.

Then, dragging the body outside, they said,

“This one died from contamination, so there will be no rejuvenation today.”

Soon, a group of moron-like followers who never asked useless questions was formed.

I’m happy because the harvesters are spreading, and Jeber is happy because his research subjects are increasing. People are happy because they’re getting younger.

Everyone’s having a good time.