NOVEL NEXT Chapter 256
Chapter 256. The Origin of Everything (1)
[Administrator Council.]
[Participants: 2]
[1st Administrator Veritas.]
[3rd Administrator Kim Bari.]
[1: Why did you request a meeting with me?]
[3: I wanted to ask about the Blue Rose entity. What happened back then?]
[1: Ah, that. At the time, the Foundation’s leadership was preparing for the 7th Supernatural War and dealt with the most threatening enemy with all our might.]
[3: That was because of the 7th Supernatural War? I’ve never heard that before…]
[1: I wasn’t 100% in favor of the idea. But as the Chair, it’s hard to directly oppose the majority opinion of the Council.]
[3: What is its true nature?]
[1: Have you heard the story of Moses parting the Red Sea? We believe it’s related to that legend. A created miracle, something that symbolizes the power of the sea. On the other hand…]
[3: Yes.]
[1: It might just be an ancient sea monster with no symbolic meaning. When we killed and dismantled the Blue Rose, we confirmed it was a creature that had lived for at least hundreds of thousands of years.]
[3: Using carbon dating?]
[1: Yes, and other methods too.]
[3: What does it have to do with the Seoul Branch?]
[1: We fought using an artificial sun weapon developed in Korea. That’s why your predecessor was so deeply involved.]
[3: Ah…]
[7.]
[Author: Team Leader of Dr. Kim’s Direct Support Team.]
[Hello everyone.]
[Thank you all for your hard work. As a newly formed team, things haven’t been easy.]
[Our team has been organizing data on the Administrator’s… um, how should I put it? Large-scale hound management operation conducted at the Seoul Branch a few days ago.]
[But. We couldn’t find any data on Blue Rose-0. We know it’s the seventh deity Dr. Kim controls, but…]
[There’s nothing about its containment procedures, how the Foundation recovered it, or how Dr. Kim came to handle it. Nothing at all.]
[Do you know what it is?]
[7. Reply.]
[Author: Research Department Head.]
[I have a rough idea. Blue Rose-0 is a type of ancient deity that emerged from the deep sea.]
[I don’t know how Dr. Kim handles it or how it benefits the Foundation and Dr. Kim.]
[One piece of advice… Knowledge is power. Especially in the Foundation.]
[If you encounter a blood-stained katana, a loaded rifle, or an unexploded landmine on your way, would you seize that power?]
[If so, why?]
[I’m not saying you shouldn’t know. I’m just saying that great power comes with great responsibility.]
[As a practical suggestion, if you’re in a position to meet Dr. Kim, the best way is to ask him directly.]
[It’s up to Dr. Kim.]
[If the Administrator wants the staff to know something, he’ll answer. If not, it’s better to just run away.]
[This is… I feel like too many people don’t understand what Dr. Kim is. He’s the one who single-handedly crushed half of the Foundation.]
[Do you really want to dig deeper?]
The Research Department Head was staring intently into a microscope. The few remaining traces of Blue Rose-1. Beside him sat Dr. Chae.
“What’s going on?”
“A Colorless Orchestra agent infiltrated the Garden facility. He was killed by Dr. Kim.”
“Hmm. But didn’t they prepare some magical method? I doubt they could be taken down with just punches…”
The Research Department Head shrugged as if he understood something. Dr. Chae frowned.
“What do you think, Dr. Chae?”
“What about you, Department Head?”
“You like symbols, don’t you, Dr. Chae?”
“Yes.”
“This is Cernunnos’ subspace, and the temple Dr. Kim raised. It’s only natural that hostile magic wouldn’t work here.”
Is that really the case? Dr. Chae pondered. It seemed too intuitive, but it also made sense.
“That might be true.”
“The Administrator is the ruler of the material world. That title isn’t easily earned. He can exert immense influence over his surroundings.”
It wasn’t wrong. The Research Department Head had caught the magical symbolism that Dr. Chae had missed, which hurt his pride.
Maybe the Department Head isn’t just for show.
“That might be true.”
The Research Department Head returned to the microscope, adjusting the blood sample. Dr. Chae looked at the screen with him.
“Do you see anything?”
“It’s just blood. The white blood cell ratio doesn’t look human, but I’m curious what the genetic test will show.”
“I’m not familiar with this.”
The Research Department Head continued, regardless of whether Dr. Chae understood.
“The Blue Rose entities are all chimeras. Each one has cells and tissues with different genetic traits.”
“I’ve heard that.”
“This is… blood or plasmids extracted from the Blue Rose entity and injected into humans. On the other hand, the will of the Blue Rose entity might have transferred to Dr. Kim upon the death of the entities.”
It would’ve been nice to question Blue Rose-1 or at least examine the body.
But Dr. Kim’s orders were clear. The body of Blue Rose-1 was immediately given to the Owner of the Garden. Nothing could be done.
“Why did Dr. Kim kill the prisoner right away? There was so much we could’ve learned.”
“I understand. If the enemy is hiding something, it’s better to dispose of it… But I wonder if the risk was worth it.”
Lee Se-ah slumped into her chair.
Project Blue Rose.
The seventh deity.
Over the past few months, it’s been mentioned countless times, and its power has been borrowed countless times. But surprisingly, I’ve only faced the Blue Rose entity once.
At least, that’s how I remember it.
When I faced Administrator Acacia, I summoned it from the East Sea to subdue the aircraft carrier. Thanks to that, I froze the carrier in one strike.
But…
If you ask what Blue Rose-0 is, I don’t have a perfect answer. I can list its characteristics and know a lot about it, but…
Blue Rose-0.
One of the ancient deities in the sea. Originally lived in the Aden Gulf, and the Foundation managed to kill it by assembling fleets from 40 nations.
The Foundation extracted Blue Rose-0’s power and artificially created deities by mixing several supernatural phenomena and injecting them into a few humans.
I was one of them.
The remaining test subjects died. A few might have been recovered by hostile groups, but they’re gone now.
The plan was this. I intended to board Acacia’s aircraft carrier again and search for Blue Rose-0. I don’t know if communication is possible.
But we’ll see.
Acacia’s aircraft carrier cut through the sea.
I stood on the deck, binoculars in hand, scanning the horizon. The sea was so clear and the sky so blue that the horizon was barely visible.
Nanami frowned.
“All I see is water.”
“It’s the sea.”
It’s the sea, after all. Everything important is beneath the surface. We have no choice but to float above it.
“We’re here to find the Blue Rose entity, right?”
“Yes.”
“Do we have a way to find it?”
I nodded.
The entity hasn’t shown itself since subduing Acacia’s carrier, but it’s not impossible to find.
Given its size and power, it can’t completely hide.
“What will you do after this is over?”
“I’m not sure yet.”
“But… is this really the way to find that sea monster? Boarding the ship it subdued in 5 seconds doesn’t seem like a great idea…”
“Hmm… Back then, the entity didn’t destroy Acacia’s carrier. The crew just panicked and abandoned the fight.”
Nanami scratched her head.
I was looking at real-time water temperature data from the meteorological agency.
Last time the Blue Rose entity appeared, the weather changed drastically, as if a typhoon had appeared out of nowhere.
It was a terrifying sight.
Later, I heard the meteorological agency was in chaos. They thought a strategic nuclear bomb had gone off in the East Sea or that a typhoon had been created.
Nanami scratched her head.
“Has the weather changed?”
“No.”
It’s not just about the weather changing. The Foundation can control that. But changing the sea’s temperature is a different matter.
It takes much more energy to change water temperature, and it’s mostly impossible.
I scratched my head. We’re nearing the target area, so it’s time to start luring the Blue Rose entity…
Fortunately, we have bait it might want. We brought the corpse of the Catfish Deity recovered from Japan.
I looked toward the bridge.
“Now… let’s head in. It’s time to proceed to the next phase of the operation.”