28: Entry into the Grogrobeta System

"It's a pleasant surprise to be moving to the first primal colony."

"Perhaps it's one of those sayings—compassion benefits the giver as much as the receiver."

"Although we ended up undergoing a briefing instead... the memo will judge it within acceptable margins."

The next day.

We ended up departing the Guided Colony aboard a police transport vessel and traveled for one day to reach our destination—the first primal colony in the Glogrobeta system.

Due to yesterday's incident, it seemed there had been some negotiations between the police and the Imperial Military Intelligence Division regarding the use of the standby facility upon entering the Glogrobeta system, allowing us to substitute with a specialized police transport vessel.

Thanks to this, although we are still undergoing additional interrogations, we are now able to proceed smoothly and efficiently toward the first primal colony.

"Now, from here on, we'll be entering the influence zone of the Glogrobeta system's Sw..."

"Oops."

That’s why I was walking down the passage leading to the private port within the guide colony, preparing to board the police transport ship—when, the moment I entered the influence zone of the Glogrobeta system’s Sw, a cloying fragrance began emanating from my body.

“Minor event rupture.”

“Yeah. Just wait a moment. I’ll adjust it.”

This sweet scent is the result of interference between my body—distinct from the OS—and the Sw region of the Glogrobeta system, causing mod conflicts and leading to event ruptures, especially in poorly synchronized areas.

The outcome of this disruption is manifesting as an odor.

At this point, if I increase my body's output or do anything unusual, further event ruptures could occur, potentially triggering phenomena such as foul smells, explosions, or even complete disappearance.

"Adjustment, huh? Something absolutely impossible for an ordinary human."

"Yeah, but that's precisely why I can remain in the Empire."

With that, I make a minor adjustment to the mod that constructs my body.

The capabilities remain unchanged, but I reconfigure it to better suit the Sw environment of the Grogrobeta star system.

Of course, as expected, no ordinary human could ever tamper with the mod that constructs their own body.

Specialized equipment is required to do that.

So ordinary humans just use tools infused with mods.

And after several generations of modifying their bodies with mods, it becomes natural for them to be born with mods already embedded...

"Wait, speaking of which, were Vee's eyes born that way?"

"Yes, they were born that way. My mother said that since there was a bioluminescent glow in the area around her eyes from birth, she named her 'Vilijanila' as a result."

Yeah, a clear example was right next to me.

Vilijanila's eyes, a dull greenish-blue due to the influence of her mod... are wrapped in a bioluminescent glow of that same Vilijan color—but this isn't something added later. It's something she was born with.

Perhaps it's fitting to call her a noble, or perhaps a royal bastard... though the latter seems stronger.

It's rare even among nobles to have such obvious mod influence visible to all.

"By the way, did I tell Satā about the effects of my mod?"

"Not that I recall. But I can mostly guess, so it's fine not to hear about it now."

"Quite impressive."

As for the effects of the Vilijanila mod... well, judging from yesterday's insightful comment, I can mostly figure it out.

It starts with simple visual enhancement, followed by instinctive recognition of hazards, prediction of offensive trajectories—both ours and the enemy's—and the ability to anticipate the behavior of shield mods. At the very least, those abilities are definitely included.

There might also be additional features like telescopic vision, night vision, or expanded visible spectrum range—but since the user hasn't mentioned them, I don't need to worry about those.

Things like this are a matter of personal information, so it's not right to pry into them forcefully.

"We've been expecting you. Please come this way."

"Understood."

As we spoke, we arrived at the target ship and boarded under the guidance of the officer.

We were led into a room that resembled a container with windows.

Apparently, in case of emergencies, the entire room can be ejected into outer space to ensure safety.

Is such a room really necessary?

This is just speculation, but isn’t it possible that someone in the past tried smuggling plant seeds hidden inside their body?

Those seeds might have exploded into rapid growth in the Sw system of the Groglobeta star system… and eventually submerged the entire ship in a sea of green.

Hmm, this reeks of a B-grade or C-grade movie, but I can't fathom the minds of criminals... No, actually, in this pattern, it might just be a matter of preference—maybe they were just swallowing ordinary seeds whole, like some kind of odd food habit.

"Satā? You're making a strange face. What's wrong?"

No, perhaps we should include a note in the tourism guide for the Glogrobeta system advising visitors to be careful with their meals a few days before entering the system, and to avoid swallowing seeds whole.

"A person like that..."

"That seems reasonable. Upon checking, it appears that a few cases per year are reported where people have suffered accidents from swallowing seeds whole. If that happens, they need to quickly address it outside the Sw area, or in severe cases, undergo emergency surgery. It's a quietly persistent issue, it seems."

"It does seem to happen. Thinking about it, people might unknowingly swallow seeds without realizing they're seeds, so it's probably best to be cautious."

"Yeah, I knew they'd be here. I'll jot down a note about it as a precaution."

I found something that should be included in the article about the job on the surface, so I'll write it down.

These kinds of warnings vary greatly from star system to star system, planet to planet, and colony to colony.

Regardless of demand, it's essential to include them for safe travel.

Also, food in the Glogrobeta system is safe—locals don't have to worry about such issues.

All are either properly removed or treated to prevent sprouting.