Seed of Titan-Chapter 74: Updates on the Mysterious Site and the Rewards

Chapter 74: Updates on the Mysterious Site and the Rewards

Around thirty minutes later, Drai and his party were seated at one of the meeting rooms in Valiant Ventures’ headquarters.

Shortly after, Halo, Enda, and another senior entered the room. They took a seat at the front, facing the members of Mango Seekers. The unfamiliar senior took a seat at the center, with Halo and Enda at his sides.

"Hello, Mango Seekers. In case you forgot about me from Amelia’s introduction during the first meeting, my name is Jordy, the vice head of Logistics," Jordy reintroduced himself with a smile. He looked rather normal with brown short hair and eyes, wearing a simple blue shirt and grey pants with brown leather shoes.

"I’m sorry I wasn’t there with the others when you were lost in Mount Zelen because I was tied up with some matters at that time. But I’ve heard all about your story, and I must say that I’m impressed with how you’ve handled your surprise adventure."

Jordy paused for a moment, letting his words settle before moving on. Flo was slightly blushing due to the compliment whereas Jian was looking a bit smug. On the other hand, Auri let out a wry smile.

"Our meeting today is to update you regarding the ongoing investigation of the site, along with a discussion for the rewards for your discovery," Jordy continued.

Upon hearing the second agenda, Drai and his friends looked at one another expectantly.

"To start, I’m sure you know that we’re currently conducting a joint investigation on the site, involving VV, the academy, and the government. The area that you ventured into has now been officially designated as a protected archeological and ecological site.

"At the moment, several teams are assigned there, consisting of VV’s alumni and a few of our members, some academy professors, and quite a lot government personnel. There is a number imbalanced between the three parties since the area is too large for the academy and us to cover with our fairly limited number, so the government had to send a lot more personnel to raise the efficiency of the investigation.

"And from the investigation so far, there have been a few noticeable findings. First, the language used in the site doesn’t match any records that we have, which means that the people who lived there either used an obscure language or constructed language.

"If it is an obscure language that is used naturally, that means we just stumbled upon a remnant of an unknown group of people which may or may not be indigenous to our land.

"But this begets the question: how could such a group remain undocumented if their architecture and tools suggest they existed relatively recently? They must have connections to the surface and other groups of people, so does this mean they deliberately hid their language? If so, why?

"And this brings us to the second notion: that this group is intentionally using an obscure or constructed language rather than naturally. This may sound similar to the previous notion, but its implication differs greatly. Do you know why?"

Jordy’s sudden question startled the members who were expecting to just listen to the report—aside from Christo who immediately answered.

"Because if these people had purposefully used another language, it means that they could be part of any group of people we have in record, both indigenous and foreign, instead of an undocumented group. And if this is really the case, there’s a possibility that they have assimilated into our society, or was even part of our society to begin with."

Jordy’s eyes gleamed upon hearing Christo’s answer.

"Christo, right? Keen and brilliant just like the rumors say. Anyway, you’re correct. If the first hypothesis leaves us wondering why this group was hiding their language or undocumented, the second one instead leads to more unsettling questions: why did they do this, why do it here, and who are they?

"The cube inscription that you mentioned has been recovered and restored, but it also fails to give any concrete answer regarding these people’s identity. And with the lack of records found in the site, our most promising lead may lie in the old notes that Drai found in the abandoned cabin. They are currently being deciphered."

Drai was a bit surprised by this revelation. He didn’t realize his accidental finding turned out to be so crucial for the investigation. He secretly thanked his storage bracelet because he would’ve surely thrown the notebook away had he not have such a convenient space to keep it.

"And for the second finding, it is likely that the whole area was artificially made. The cave walls were too consistent too be natural, and there were several power sources hidden away which enabled the constant light and security system—which you destroyed, of course."

Most of the party couldn’t help but chuckle as they were reminded of their encounter with the stone golems.

"Upon inspection, the golems looked to be artificial, powered by a small source inside their bodies. Interestingly, the power source seemed to be more magical rather than mechanical, so there might be a magic artificer involved in their creation. The government might even interrogate all the magic artificers in Rivideria as a last resort.

"And lastly, the flora and fauna found there seemed to have been thoroughly researched. Aside from the labs, they also found traces of biomatter in the locked warehouses. It’s suspected that these warehouses were once full of plants and animals, either live or in pieces.

"And that’s all for the updates on the site. Any questions before we move on?"

As expected, only Christo raised his hand. The others were a bit too overwhelmed by all the information they had just received. In fact, Jian had already forgotten a third of what he just heard.

"Yes, Christo?" Jordy said.

"Are there any other complex in the jungle like the one we found?"

"So far, they have only discovered a few small buildings similar to the cabin that Drai found, so no."

"And are there any similar sites in the nearby area?" Christo asked once more.

"No. Like I said, there’s not many obvious clues there, so a lead to another site seems highly unlikely, at least until we can fully decipher their language."

Christo nodded and fell silent, contemplating about the whole matter.

"Anyone else?" Jordy asked, to which the other members shook their heads.

"Then we’ll proceed with your rewards. By Bismar’s orders, you are free to request anything as long as it is within our means. Equipment, credits, information, just name it. Of course we’ll be adjusting them according to the value that we’ve determined, so don’t expect for us to buy you a lot in the capital," Jordy said.

The group was a bit surprised by this. They had been thinking that the rewards would already be set by the higher-ups.

Seeing the party’s reaction, Jordy chuckled and said, "Relax, don’t hold back and just state what you want. If we think it’s too much, you can change it to something else."

"Senior, I want a nice sword!" Jian suddenly shouted.

"Oh? Are you sure? You can think about it more, there’s no rush," Jordy suggested.

"Thanks, but I’m set," Jian said as he pulled out his sword, raising it in front of him. "This is just a random sword I bought after I awakened. Although it was way better than the one I used to train with, I realized during my fight with the golems that it lacks cutting power. That’s why I’m in need of a new one that can elevate my fighting prowess."

Jordy waved his hand and Jian’s sword was pulled off from him, floating toward Jordy. It was at this moment that the members realized that Jordy was likely a telekinetic mage.

"Hmm... This sword is not too bad, but it’s quite imbalanced. Not too mention the materials aren’t too good so it has numerous micro damage already," Jordy commented upon examining the sword.

"Very well. Go meet Sandy at the logistics section on the third floor. She’ll bring you to the storage. See if you find a sword you like, and if there’s nothing you want there, we can arrange for a purchase from the marketplace."

Jordy returned Jian’s sword and gestured him to go right away. He then informed Sandy via his comm before returning to the other members.

After the excited Jian hurriedly left the meeting room, Jordy said, "One done, five to go. Anyone else?"

Flo raised her hand and said, "I want some medicinal plants, and a priority to purchase them from our ventures."

"Ho... Flo, right?" Jordy intriguely remarked. "Your first request is fine, we can give them to you if you provide a list. But for the second one, don’t you know that not all ventures deal with plant gathering? What if you don’t get your chance to purchase them for months?"

"I’m fine if it turns out that way. There’s nothing else I want to request anyway," Flo replied without hesitation.

"Hm, so be it. Send the list to Enda and we’ll get back to you in a few days or a week, depending on the items’ availability."

Flo nodded and began to list the materials in her comm.

Suddenly, Natalia stood up and looked at the seniors with a serious face.

"I want private lessons!"