32: Colony Midlayer

The Grogrobeta system is located in the middle layer of the First Primeval Colony.

The colony is spherical, and each layer is horizontally separated relative to the direction of gravity.

Due to these two factors, the layer with the largest area within the first primal colony is located here.

"The center is likely a restricted area, concentrated with administrative offices and lifelines, off-limits to anyone except authorized personnel."

You're right. Since we're traveling incognito, I think it's safe to assume there's no connection.

Moreover, due to being equidistant from above and below, and being the most defensible position, it seems the central area of this layer hosts the governing body of the First Prime Colony and the surrounding infrastructure for lifelines.

Externally... it looks like a massive pillar standing at the heart of the city.

If I were in my main body, I could slip into the pillar unnoticed through phase space—but there'd be no point in doing so.

I’d probably just end up getting involved in something troublesome if I picked up any unnecessary information.

Vilijanila’s already said it’s not our concern, so unless we’re invited, there’s no point in thinking about it.

Also, due to the restricted access zone around the center, the mid-level area appears donut-shaped when viewed from above.

And given its size, it’s served by a tram system—commonly known as a streetcar—that acts as the primary transportation for both residents and tourists.

"Is that giant window on the other side meant to view Planet Glogrobeta One?"

"That should be the case... but from our position, other buildings are blocking our view. Can Satu see it?"

"…….From this body's perspective, I can't see it. But from the main body's perspective, it is visible."

Indeed, the standout feature of this mid-level section has to be the giant window perpetually facing Planet Glogrobeta One.

This window, enhanced by mods for significantly greater strength and transparency, completely covers the mid-level planet Glogrobeta side.

The massive planet's silhouette is reflected in the window, and with the aid of telescopes, one can even peer into activities taking place on the planet's surface.

As descending to Planet Glogrobeta One requires extremely cumbersome procedures, as previously mentioned... in practice, planetary tourism will be conducted exclusively from here.

Well, in the current empire, there probably aren’t that many things you can’t do without landing on a planet… so this should be fine.

"Actually, now that I think about it, how does Satā’s main body look from its perspective? I understand it’s hard to see human-sized versions due to size constraints."

"Hmm... how should I put this... I can see things that happen to be in focus, but it's just a coincidence that I can see a human being at all. I can't really tell what that person is doing, though."

"I see."

"That's why I can recognize large-scale accidents or incidents, but I can't tell if someone is lying in wait somewhere, or if a person has entered a restricted area, for example."

As for my main viewpoint... militarily speaking, it's a bit of a gray area.

I can see through walls and floors, but I can only observe—no surveillance or reconnaissance is possible.

"Then, can we look at the hotel where we'll be staying today—the 'Edible Crescendum'?"

"If I know the general location and exterior appearance of the building, I can take a look."

Hmm, hmm. Then, is it alright if I take a look? By the way, the room we're planning to stay in is 301.

I can see inside the room, but I can't see the number.

Having agreed to Vilegianira's request, I obtained information about a hotel called the 'Edible Clesnamm' from Memokushi and took a look at it.

"Um, here it is, here it is. The chrysanthemum monument is distinctive... Another impressive hotel, huh, man."

"There's a certain standard of quality befitting someone of Lady Vee's stature, even when traveling incognito."

"Wait, is there a dress code or something? I'm not sure I'd pass the cut, especially for me—two people are one thing, but I'm on the borderline."

"Sata should be fine; he looks the part of a bodyguard at a glance."

Before them stood a clearly upscale hotel, adorned with a chrysanthemum flower monument.

In fact, just the location itself—being positioned so that each room has a direct view of the planet Glorgrobeta 1 through a massive window—already makes it a luxury hotel.

Honestly, I'd never stay here if it were up to me personally.

Well, I don't really need to stay at hotels anyway, except for reporting purposes... But now isn't the time to be thinking about that.

"Anyway, Satu. What about the disturbance?"

"He's not awake. It's completely peaceful. If anything, there's no sign of any issues in the middle layers."

"What about the other layers?"

"Hmm... I don't see any trouble worth noticing. Though, if you'd like, I could take a look at the Second Prime Colony and Planet Groglobeeta 1 too—might take a bit of time, though."

"No, that won't be necessary."

Actually, the real question is why I'm even asking this in the first place.

Come to think of it, it feels like we've been caught up in one trouble after another ever since meeting Vilijanira—first the Giga Lok space pirate gang, then the incident at Guide Colony...

"Tonight, I should be able to sleep peacefully, Vee-sama."

"Memo, that wording could be misunderstood..."

"...Yeah, I guess some people just naturally come across that way. Don't know why."

"That's not what I meant... Satu, we'll discuss this matter after we check into the hotel. First, let's get checked in."

Yeah, I guess Memo's words kind of answered it.

I'll be the one handling this.

Well, even if that's the case, it doesn't change what I have to do.

And so, without any incident, we arrived at the hotel, 'Edible Crescendum,' and checked in.

As for the dress code, it wasn't an issue at all.

It was a top-tier hotel's appropriate response—employees clearly shared the imperial-like value that, as long as cleanliness was maintained and there was no exposure of sensitive or hazardous areas, there was no need to fuss over trivial details.