Chapter 6 - Planet Heart

I slowly opened my eyes. An iron ceiling, a soft bed, and a clean, orderly, empty room came into view. I gradually sat up and gathered my thoughts.

"Did I pass out because I ran out of mana?" I asked aloud.

Memories began to surface

The massive hand of the Outer creature, the one that destroyed Planet Matera, my birthplace. Even though I'd known for a long time that Matera's end was inevitable, watching it be destroyed by an external force left an unbearable ache in my chest.

I got up and walked to the window. Outside was a vast expanse of space glimmering stars, and what looked like small asteroids.

I turned my gaze toward the remains of Planet Matera, now reduced to floating debris. It could no longer even be called a planet.

I gathered my mana and teleported to the coordinates where Ballack and I had launched our magical attack hoping for a clearer view of what remained.

But there was nothing. The Blackbeard fleet had vanished.

I turned back toward the window and saw a woman in a kimono waving at me. Kagura. I teleported back onto the ship.

"Hey, I've been looking everywhere for you... Please don't just teleport around like that. It's really hard to track someone who suddenly disappears," she said, exasperated, as if she'd been running all over.

"Sorry. I just wanted to make sure that what I saw yesterday wasn't a dream."

"...Huh? Considering Matera was your home planet, I guess it must feel really heavy," Kagura said, her voice softening.

I offered a small smile, then asked why she'd been looking for me.

"Tianluo asked all of us to gather in the control room. I think it's about what happened yesterday and probably about you, too."

"Alright. Let's go."

I followed Kagura through the corridors to the control room.

"Oh, you're here too," said Tianluo, sitting in the far-right corner at a table set up like a conference room. Mei and Ballack were already seated to his left. The seats on the right were empty meant for Kagura and me.

"Sorry I'm late, Leader. It was hard to find him since he just teleported outside the ship," Kagura said, her tone annoyed, though not entirely serious.

"No problem. We just got here ourselves. Only Mei has been here from the start she's the one piloting the ship," Tianluo replied.

I took a seat next to Kagura.

"Once again, welcome aboard, Gai," Tianluo said. "Despite everything, no one was hurt. I'd say that counts as a success."

"Hmm… Can I ask something?" I raised my hand.

"Go ahead."

"I've heard of the Outer, and Ballack explained some things too. But that giant hand that destroyed Matera was that part of the Outer as well?"

The room fell into silence.

"Honestly, this is the first time I've ever seen an Outer creature like that," Tianluo said at last. "Once we reach Yinzhou, I plan to report it to General Lin Feng and the Adventurer Guild."

"General Lin Feng?"

"Yeah. He's the one who hired us to retrieve General Bailou's body and bring it back to Yinzhou. Since Jiang is a high-ranking elder of the Jiang family, we took the mission."

"I see… My sensei already told me about this. I'll let you handle it your way. For now, can I ride with you to Yinzhou?"

"Of course. Actually, I want you to come with us."

"Why?" I asked, puzzled.

"Well… it's hard to explain. Just come along. There'll be a meeting with the Jiang family's leaders and General Lin Feng. You'll need to be there. I'll explain more once we arrive."

My sensei's letter must have contained something important to require my presence. Maybe it's about inheritance?

Guess I'll have to wait. There's no point in rushing. It's not like this is an emergency.

"Alright," I said.

The main topic of the meeting was to report our encounter with Blackbeard, the Outer, and the destruction of Planet Matera to both the Adventurer Guild and Yinzhou.

Tianluo explained that Yinzhou leads the galactic alliance responsible for maintaining peace in the galaxy, and they regularly share information with the Adventurer Guild.

"!? What's that?" Mei suddenly gasped as the meeting was winding down.

All eyes followed her gaze.

A bright green-white light shimmered in the distance like a distant star. I found myself briefly captivated and in that instant, my guard dropped. I wasn't alone. Tianluo and the others were similarly mesmerized.

Then, in the blink of an eye, the light which had been far away appeared right before us.

We all instinctively took combat stances. But before any of us could react, the light shot into my chest passing through all my mana barriers like a ghost through a wall.

No pain. No impact. No visible wound.

Just... light. Then nothing.

After a tense moment, everyone began to relax.

"I never thought I'd see a Planet Heart choose a host here," Ballack said as he sat back down.

"Yeah, the odds are astronomical," Mei added. "You're really lucky."

"Planet Heart? What's that?" I asked, confused.

"Do you know what happens when a planet dies?" Tianluo asked.

I shook my head. I figured when a planet dies, that's it.

"When a planet reaches the end of its life, it gets reborn somewhere else in the universe," Tianluo explained.

Before that happens, it chooses an heir. The choice is random without logic or pattern.

The chosen heir receives a relic formed from the planet's core: the Planet Heart. It grants special abilities some say even comparable to top-tier ether skills.

"So you're saying… Planet Matera chose me as its heir?"

"You could say that."

I went quiet. Technically… Planet Matera was like a parent. I guess this made sense.

"I'm curious… That Planet Heart you just inherited do you know what it does?" Kagura asked.

But she quickly caught herself.

"Ah sorry! You don't have to answer."

"?" I raised an eyebrow, confused by her sudden shift.

"Asking about someone's relic is taboo," Tianluo explained. "It's not just rude, it can be seen as trying to probe their abilities. Among adventurers, that's basically a challenge."

"I see… It's not that I don't want to share it. I just haven't sensed anything from the relic yet."

"That's common," Ballack said. "Some relics only activate under certain conditions."

"Let's put that aside. Can we return to the earlier discussion?" Tianluo asked.

We all nodded and sat back down.

**

Later, I lay on the bed in my guest room, exhausted from everything.

I recalled my sensei's words.

"If you don't have a clear goal yet, go with them. Become a general in Yinzhou and take over my position."

"Huh? From nobody to general just like that? I won't even have time to laze around, Sensei…"

"Just do it! Consider it my final request. Oh, and become an adventurer too."

"What even is that?"

"You'll figure it out. It's common knowledge."

"Urgh…"

Tianluo said it's common for Yinzhou generals to also be adventurers. Their missions are usually coordinated accordingly.

There would soon be an exam to promote a replacement for General Jiang. But thanks to Sensei's letter and all appointing me as his successor, the exam might get skipped entirely.

"Urgh… Not only do I suddenly get a high-ranking position, I've probably made enemies of every general candidate out there… Sensei, your last request is way too harsh…" I muttered, a few tears slipping down my face.

Soon after, I fell asleep, thanks to the soft bed and pillow.

A green light could be seen shining from Gaia's chest and it slowly dimmed before disappearing.