SOS CH 69 (Patreon)

—Noah I believe we should not be in any hurry to visit that woman. Though we have some insurance about our survival in that dimension, going to her in our current situation would be foolish.

Noah mused a little, “I have one question. Did you know Omid?”

“Omid of the Scorched Earth. I did know him even if not personally. Truly a pitiful man. Once a knight and now nothing but ashes. I can also imagine what you will ask and my answer is simple.” Dorothy grinned, “Even in the unlikely chances that Omid would have been able to survive on the way to the Shadow Fortress, he would have been completely and utterly crushed once the competition started.”

Dorothy continued with a gentle voice, “You need to understand, Noah. Omid was certainly powerful in his own right. There was no doubt about it. But his position as a pirate, small army, and backer made him truly a force. His high bounty also does not correspond to his power and was increased because the Djinn’s King wished for his death.”

Dorothy needed to make this truth clear to Noah, “Omid was weak, and as he is now, even his leader Cassim can only be said to be a mid-level threat. Dangerous enough that fighting him is simply not worth it. But not so dangerous that any of the superpowers need to bring out their full power.”

Cassim and Alibaba were interesting people. She knew very well that they had a very powerful destiny and high potential. While not equal to the Golden Constellation, they were definitely close enough that she could not look down on them.

But potential and power were two different things. “I hope I am not vexing you. But I do not wish to see you fall soon.”

She did not wish to insult him. In terms of potential, she felt like Noah was akin to a bottomless black hole ready to swallow everything. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he had the potential and the luck to reach an incredible height in power and this, in a relatively short time frame.

Now that he had entered the wider universe, he was akin to a bird that was now able to soar in the sky. But this was exactly why she had to remind him of his current place in the universe.

“You have so much to learn. About Dark Matter, the application of power and about frames. A wide world was opened for you. Be careful to not burn your wings.”

Noah gave a bitter smile.  He could feel the genuine concern and worries in Dorothy’s voice and in a way this made it sting all the more. It has been quite a long time since someone called him weak and helpless so openly. But he had already come to terms with this reality after nearly dying while fighting Omid.

He needed to become stronger. Far stronger than he was now.

“Speaking of, before I forget. Now that you put down Omid, the news about his possible death should start spreading out. If you claim the bounty it will be confirmed and you might get targeted by the 40 thieves. So I can give you different options.” Feeling the awkward atmosphere that was settling in, Dorothy decided to subtly change the topic.

“You can choose to claim your bounty yourself on one of the planets owned by the Mercenary Guild. Normally such a procedure is not necessary as bounty hunters and mercenaries just need to call their direct contact and present proof before receiving their money. But as you are not an official Mercenary and more importantly, do not have an Identification card things will be more complicated.”

She spoke nonchalantly, “This option is the riskiest one but in a way it might be the most rewarding as you will start with a high record in the mercenary guild. Which will help you have more clearance when visiting different planets.”

Interstellar travels meant that keeping borders was increasingly harder. Because of this, some planets were extremely strict on the kind of individual they accepted. For Mercenaries who had to travel a lot for their missions. Having a high clearance rank was necessary. Because of this low-level mercenaries would generally join high-ranked teams eve if only temporarily.

“What is the other option?”

“Another option would be for us to claim the kill and receive the payments to immediately transfer it to you. I personally believe that it’s the best option. As the Queen, creating an identity for you could not be any easier. Same for a universal bank account and a local one. The credits will be sent to you in full immediately. This would mean no honor but it would be safe for you.”

Dorothy was serious, “I believe joining Oz would without a doubt be in your best interest. It would give you a new place to call home and you would not have to wander as a mercenary to obtain an identity. Furthermore, while Oz is certainly not specialized in the art of war and we are certainly not comparable to the Shadow Fortress, we have many academies that could give you a basic understanding of the world and your power. Who knows? Perhaps we would even discover that you have talents in Witchcraft.”

The more she spoke the more excited she became. It was like she was already able to map his future. She knew that those with high destiny needed to face hardship and spread their wings mostly alone to reach higher potential but being a little coddled at the start would not hurt, right?

Why go through the hard route when you could take the easiest? She thought under her breath before catching herself.

“I…”

“Wait. I am sorry to interrupt you. I got quite excited. In the end, I am only presenting you with a choice. You should always do as you wish. But! I believe that such decisions should be taken carefully after examining all factors. Why not visit Oz first? Take a few days, rest, enjoy yourself, and finally make a choice. Oz also has a branch of the mercenary guild so it will be easy.”

“I…Very well. Thanks for giving me those options. I would be happy to visit Oz.”

The smile Dorothy sent him was shining so much it was almost blinding. The smile vanished pretty fast when a robotic voice reached them.

[Destination Reached, entering the remains of the Sol System.]