A few hours later, Noah found himself lying down on his bed, fingers interlocked behind his head, acting as a substitute for a pillow for him as he stared up blankly at the immaculate white ceilings of his room. It was as white as it could be, with not a lick of dust present. Such idle thoughts stirred in his mind as he brooded over the event that transpired not long ago.
The night with Dorothy did not have any noteworthy events to speak of after their jovial dance and chatter. Dorothy seemed to be in the mood for amusement as she just teased him a few more times before taking her leave to tend to her matters. Everything after that was just not worth mentioning.
— I am surprised. I thought one of your goals after getting out of that isolated planet was be to partake in debauchery.
Noah couldn’t help but chortle at the Queen’s blunt words, “Well, I still have that goal, didn’t forget about it or anything. But having a physical relationship with a woman who rules over who knows how many planets and star systems wasn’t exactly on my bucket list, to be honest.”
He couldn’t help but shake his head as he mentioned his circumstances. If he had any doubts before regarding Dorothy being interested in him, after their brief time together, he would need to be both deaf and blind at the same time to not sense the interest the Queen of Oz had in him. It was so overly blatant that it was almost embarrassing, almost being the keyword.
— All the more reason that I do not understand your actions. Be it from a genetic or political standpoint, Dorothy is superior in all aspects. Having a relationship with her would only strengthen your position in Oz and if you were to breed with her and create an heir or heiress then your position would be unshakable. Becoming Prince Consort seems far more advantageous than a random space mercenary to me.
The more Eve spoke the more excited she seemed, at least that was what Noah was picking up as her voice didn’t have much intonation. Anyway, from her words, it felt to him that she was already planning both of their weddings in her mind.
It’s good and all but, am I even able to procreate with my current biology?
Noah had decided to stop caring about giving a correct and clear definition to just what he was, from a biological standpoint at least. However, this did not magically change his biological signature. His body had already evolved beyond anything that would categorize him as a human and even in the extremely off chance that he was still sterile… Dorothy was still a different being from a normal human, could his new self even be genetically compatible with her? It was a question with no clear answer, and Noah didn’t feel like he wanted to find out about it either.
He couldn’t help but sigh at those thoughts, “One-night stands are so less headache-inducing.” He groaned and stood up from his bed. Then, reaching the handle of his bedroom door, he opened it with a calm smile,
“Hello Morgiana. A lady coming at this hour of the night in a man's room is quite the invitation you know?”
Morgiana – who had her hand still raised, clearly ready to knock on the door had Noah not opened it – snorted out loud. “Trust me. If I am interested in you, I will make that loud and clear from the get-go. I do not like to play games when it comes to relationships. I am here for a far more serious matter.”
“Be my guest. Your presence will illuminate my modest room.”
Morgiana gave him an unimpressed look as she entered the room, while he followed closely behind her.
Her eyes roamed the room a little. Though Noah only had this room for a short time, it was easy to get a glimpse of the owner’s personality.
Extremely tidy, no new additions, no new clothes, no particular changes. Very dry.
There was not much to glean, but she could see that Noah was not someone with much feeling of attachment. He also was clearly ready to leave this place at any given moment, which confirmed his intention of joining her crew, even if temporarily.
What truly caught her attention, though, was the still-lit computer. Her eyes opened wide for a moment as she couldn’t help but comment, “I did not know you had such interests. Your tastes are certainly… interesting, to say the least.”
“Huh…?” Noah who had been following behind Morgiana as he closed the door was confused for a short moment. He couldn’t get his head around what she was referring to but soon, he followed her gazes and his eyes widened as all hell before he groaned and facepalmed.
“This is not what you think.”
“It’s okay. It’s okay. I am not judging. While the Cephaloid is not really a people’s favorite, they do have a certain popularity to a certain group of people.” Morgiana was not stupid. She could see from Noah’s reaction alone that it was truly a misunderstanding on her part.
But at this point, it didn’t really matter if it was a misunderstanding or not. He had readily given her free ammunition to tease him to hell and beyond and, she was not going to miss it even if her life depended on it. If this was the only victory she could get out of him then she was going to take it without missing a single beat.
Cackling to herself like an obnoxious woman, she went over to the bed and took a seat while Noah stood opposite her on the office chair. Of course, he made sure to close the holographic screen of the computer on his way there.
“So, why the sudden visit?”
Morgiana shrugged, “Snow White agreed to get a sidekick. In fact, she was very happy when she heard about your talent to change the size and age of your body. It is making things easier for her.”
“Let me make it clear, I cannot change at will… At least, I think I cannot do that yet. I only become smaller when I am starved, it’s like an energy-saving mechanism of sorts.”
“Hum… Then it might be more complicated than we anticipated, but even so, it’s worth giving it a try.” Morgiana mused out loud, which prompted Noah to speak, “I hate being kept out of important information.”
“Hum… Well, you do need to know about the details. Tell me, what do you know about…” She stopped herself and shook her head, “Sorry, never mind. I forgot you never left your planet until now.”
“I may be mistaken but your tone sounds quite condescending. Don’t forget, I may be a country bumpkin, but I am still stronger than you.”
If words were swords, then Noah’s last few words were enough to pierce Morgiana’s heart in one precise stab. She was still feeling sour about her defeat, after all. She might have had some delusion about how the gulf separating them wasn’t that high in the past and that she only lost because he took her by surprise, but after his fight against Lion, she knew that she definitely wasn’t his match.
Sighing, she waved her hand in defeat, “Yeah yeah, you are strong. Stronger than me. Anyway, listen to what I am going to say. This will be your first mission and we don’t want you to go unprepared.”
She made a gesture with her hand and a hologram manifested above her wrist, showing the image of a golden planet hovering with a distinct hue. “I didn’t know planets could look like this.”
“This is Neverland, a special planet. Trust me, there are far more outlandish planets than this one.” She shrugged and continued, “Neverland is known as a planet of joy and festivity. Their slogan is We are the place where everything is possible and where children never have to grow up.
You could say that in this vast universe filled with grimness and war, Neverland is a giant in the entertainment industry, and they can hold their position for one specific element… The Rejuvenating Glow.”
She pointed at the planet, “The golden color is caused by the atmosphere of the planet. Anyone who enters the planet and breathes the air there will find themselves slowly aging down until they reach the age of an average toddler, at the golden time of their childhood. Once they leave, the effect dissipates and they regain their age.”
Noah tilted his head, “This is the main attraction?” While knowing that time was one of the most precious commodities one could have. He was still a little surprised.
“Heh. I guess you are still young. You don’t understand how much eternal youth means for some people. Not everyone is part of a long-living race, you know? Most people also do not want to digitize themselves, living as sentient AI or Androids or some other mechanical lifeform. So Neverland is a very prized planet with limited entry. I could probably explain to you all day why this planet is regarded as the Jewel of the Milky Way, but that is not important to us.”
This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.
She gestured again and thousands of pictures depicting a multitude of young children appeared on the hologram, “Lately, there has been a crisis of missing people. Missing children to be exact. More than ten thousand children vanished mysteriously with no clue regarding how and where they may be.”
The pictures vanished and showed two people, one man with a hat and an old woman who had a sort of kind aura and the appearance of your average affectionate grandma, “While it might be cruel to say, in the grand scheme of things, ten thousand missing children is no big deal. Entire planets go missing sometimes. But one of the missing children was the son of a big shot and that one put a bounty to find his son.”
“So, this is where you guys intervene?”
“Indeed. Two of our members, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty, investigated and after much money and time spent, they got a clue directing them to Neverland as well as the possible culprits of the mysterious disappearance.”
“Those two?”
“Yep. The man is Hunold Singuf. Known as the Piper of Hamelin. Bounty, 60 million Credits. Wanted alive, if dead only 10 million will be received. His main crimes are kidnapping on extremely large scales. He rose to fame after kidnapping all the children of an entire continent and leaving all the adults paralyzed. He is very well known in the underworld when it comes to organ trafficking or slavery. Many planets that still haven’t reached Type-I were destroyed because of him. He’s as heinous a man as they come.”
She then pointed at the woman, “Don’t let her gentle look deceive you. Meet the Candy Witch. She is actually from Oz, and she has more than a dozen bounties on her head. The total of which brings her bounty to a whopping 200 million. Wanted dead or alive.”
“What has she done?”
Morgiana took a moment as her gaze had a very faraway look, in the end, she only scratched her head and muttered, “Nowadays, she is known as the Gourmet. I believe it should be easy to guess why.”
Noah immediately made the connection, his face souring as he muttered, “… Oh.”
“Yeah. Of course, her eating little children wouldn’t be enough to give her such a high bounty, and to be honest, she is not worth so much. It’s just that because of her hobby, she started targeting talented children, and most talented children have powerful families or organizations behind them. In terms of scale, she operates at a far lesser level than the Piper himself. However, she pissed off the wrong people, and now they want her dead.”
“Yet she lives.”
“Indeed. She is a witch, after all. She is no pushover by any means, and personal power aside; she’s considered a specialist in polymorphism. Either way, from the information we have, the Piper owns a slave ring hidden deep in Neverland and might sell some of his prizes to the Candy Witch soon. We need to infiltrate the planet and hopefully get the son of our client before he gets eaten. Of course, if we can save the other slaves, kill the witch on the way, or capture the Piper… It would be a nice bonus.”
The mood was quite somber this time as Noah simply looked at the two targets with a musing look. Noah did not think he was an ally of justice, and neither did he think he could solve all crimes in the world. Still, as someone who had his childhood robbed by the very people who should have protected him, Noah found that he could not put a finger to the emotions that were filling him at the moment.
What he did know, though, was that he would make sure to capture those two and show them what it felt like to meet a true gourmet.
“Before that, I have a question. Who is the owner of the planet?”
“Hum?” Morgiana was distracted for a second before she nodded, “Calling it ruling would be a little hard as this planet is controlled by a group known as the Familia. Each of them owns a part of the planet and is specialized in an aspect of entertainment. But if I had to name a leader, well…”
The bounties vanished and were replaced by the picture of a young man with long pointed ears who seemed to be barely fifteen years old. Clad in regal green clothes that covered him all over, he was sitting on a throne with a crown made of golden leaves adorning his head.
“It would be this man. The forever young, Peter Pan.”
Peter Pan, huh…
Noah had already been ready for the answer; however, the knowledge still made him feel strange inside. Still, he was getting used to all of this by now and he knew for sure that the similarities wouldn't end there.
“So, what is the exact plan and how do I participate in it?”
“Well. What do you think about getting Kidnapped and used as an insider?” Morgiana gave him a toothy grin.
“Sounds like a really stupid plan.”
“I know. But this is the only plan we have. Peter Pan is a big shot and he certainly wouldn’t appreciate us snooping around on his planet and looking for criminals. Even if he was clean, which he certainly is not, I am sure there are so many dark dealings happening in Neverland that we wouldn’t even see the end of it if we even tried to investigate. It will only end in us becoming hostile with the residents. Not to mention, if people were to learn that the so-called land of dreams and joy had a slave ring hidden inside, then it would negatively affect their reputation. I am sure you can understand now why we cannot act with the help of the government. We need to do it alone and for that… we need to act even if the plan may seem stupid at first glance.”
Noah couldn’t help but groan out loud after hearing Morgiana’s full explanation. He could see clearly that their hands were tied no matter which path they took and bickering about their plan was not going to help them as they were now, “Very well. Let’s talk about the ugly things first. How much am I getting paid for this?”
“Are you serious? We are talking about lives, Noah. Young lives. How could we talk about something as dirty as money in such a situation.”
“Huhuh… You ain’t getting nowhere. Saving kids is good, but I need to know I am getting my due.”
“Tch.” Morgiana clicked her tongue, frustrated.
“I heard that.”
“You were meant to.” Morgiana chuckled under her breath as she replied with a jesting tone. She had to admit that joking around with Noah was quite a fun activity for her, and it helped her ignore the horrific content that was inlaid in the topic they were discussing. At the end of the day, no matter how much she wished for it to be different and more ideal for themselves— they were certainly not heroes, not by a long shot. In the same breath, they were not saviors and they would never be. They could never change the world. Well, to be exact, they completely gave up on that front after encountering the overwhelming reality of the world they lived in.
“Twenty percent as a base. To be transparent, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are taking thirty percent each. The remaining twenty percent will be given to the mercenary group as a whole rather than any particular individual.”
“This seems… generous, to say the least.”
“It is. In a bigger group, having 20% to 50% shared among the individual participants is more common. While the remaining half or more goes to the group and the leader.”
“I guess your leader— Alibaba is quite generous.”
“Oh no. I would never accept this if it was just generosity. It’s fairness. Big mercenary groups don’t just share housing. Security, special discounts, money for early or late retirement, money for the bereaved in case of death, and greasing the paw of greedy officials. None of that is free you know? Sadly, we don’t have all those advantages so our members get a bigger share to compensate for that. That’s all.”
“I like clear boundaries.”
“Good to know. Now about the subject of your reward, the 20% I am talking about only applies to the reward for getting the kid. If you manage to capture or kill our secondary targets then whatever bounties you get, you will only need to share 10% of it with Snow White and Sleeping Beauty and another 10% with the group, the rest of it is yours to do as you wish. You can give more to the girls if they make more contributions but that is entirely up to you.”
Like this, Morgiana and Noah continued ironing the details of the operation. Obviously, there were still many things Morgiana was not clear about and he would need to talk with Snow White on-site to have clear details about the whole mission and how to proceed with their objectives.
The discussion lasted nearly an hour and at the end, Morgiana even felt that her throat had gotten a bit dry and rough from all the talking. She really needed a drink. “Well, this is it from me. In one week, a cruise ship will land on Oz headlining towards Neverland without any stops in between. The trip should last one or two days at most. You just need to board, enjoy the trip, and then descend on Neverland.”
“No personal ships?”
Morgiana could only give a strained smile in response, “My last ship kind of blew up alongside the planet. Too poor to buy a new one now, and not shameless enough to get one from Dorothy. Ugh…”
“Oh… Not gonna lie, you guys don’t seem particularly reliable, you know.”
“I warned you. I even named other mercenary groups that would be far better with your skillset. You are the one who insisted.” Morgiana retorted before standing up, “Anyway you still have one week to decide. I will be candid. The incoming mission will be dangerous. If we fuck up, we might even become enemies with Neverland and all the people behind it. The reward is sweet but it’s honestly not worth risking your life.”
“Then why did you guys accept it? Even if you are low on money, why take those risks?” Noah still did not have a clear grasp of Morgiana’s personality.
For all intent and purposes, she seemed to be and acted like your average greedy mercenary with one foot constantly on the grave. However, most of her actions didn’t match with the image she was trying to maintain.
Morgiana stopped at the door, her back facing him, “This isn’t a secret or anything. But I was once a slave. This isn’t some kind of sob story or anything unique in this universe. I was sold by my family because I was a nuisance and found myself in a very bad situation. The ones who saved me back then when I lost all hope were none other than Alibaba and…” She stopped in her tracks, seemingly reminiscing something she would rather forget, “Well, it doesn’t matter now.”
She sighed and opened the door, “All I wanna say is… being a slave sucks. So if I can save even one person from such a fate the same way I was saved then… I believe it's pretty good.”
Morgiana was under no delusion about reality, not anymore. The Piper was only one out of thousands if not millions of slave traders out there in the vast galaxy. Even now, at the moment, millions upon millions of people are losing their homes and their freedom to these dirty bastards who would do anything for money.
However, she was no god. She could not save everyone. She was not the strongest, she had to pick her battles.
It was only after growing up and maturing that she realized this bitter reality and it haunted her to this day.
“You know. Being mature and realistic really sucks.”
With those last words, the girl with an unsung story left the room.