ALL NOVEL Chapter 89
The resource planet Zerad is slightly smaller than Earth—somewhere between Earth and Mars in size. However, unlike Earth, its surface lacks any natural environment. It’s a type of rocky planet, with vast amounts of mineral resources lying beneath its reddish-brown surface.
The atmosphere of Zerad is thin, allowing cosmic rays to bombard the surface. Living there as it is would be impossible. In fact, without any interventions, strong winds blow across the planet at speeds of dozens of meters per second, making it hard to operate even in spacesuits. Additionally, Zerad’s atmosphere contains no oxygen, so in any case, long-term human habitation is out of the question.
“Star Shields… So, something like that exists?”
“Yes. On planet Zerad, ten orbital elevators project Star Shields like umbrellas from the sky, maintaining an environment where humans can live. If there were water or natural elements, they could terraform on a large scale, but since Zerad is just a resource planet, it’s unnecessary.”
Terraforming… So in this world, they can artificially modify planets to make them habitable for humans.
The most remarkable technology is called the Star Shield—a special energy membrane deployed like an umbrella from orbital elevators. Thanks to this, even asteroids too small to retain their own atmosphere can be terraformed.
“Look at this monitor… You see how the sky sparkles faintly, like an aurora? That’s the Star Shield’s energy membrane.”
“It’s a fantastical sight.”
Even in broad daylight, the sky looks as dark as night, with a shimmering aurora-like veil spread across it. According to Nias, this is the Star Shield’s energy membrane, which allows humans to walk on Zerad’s surface without spacesuits.
Marveling at this incredible technology, I operated the camera showing the outside world and took a look around. The surrounding area was indeed barren, devoid of any natural environment. Nias’ research lab was located about 100 kilometers south of the nearest city, built into the cliffs of a Grand Canyon-like gorge.
“As a thank you for the meal, how about we visit the residential area below the closest orbital elevator? I could forge a second-class citizen passport for you in about an hour.”
“…No, I’ll pass for now.”
Her casual suggestion to forge a passport made me realize once again that Nias was just a little bit unhinged compared to the average person.
—
A ringing sound pierced the air.
“What’s that?”
As Nias was explaining this world to me, a low, mechanical ringing like that of an alarm clock echoed through the room. It wasn’t an alarming sound, but more of a notification. Nias, the lab’s owner, responded with a simple “They’re here,” and started typing on the keyboard.
“Is something happening?”
“My collaborator just arrived and rang the doorbell. I asked them to do some shopping for me earlier, so they’re probably back with the goods.”
Despite being notorious, as she claims herself, as the galaxy’s worst in some ways, Nias still had several people who were willing to collaborate with her.
“Perfect timing. I might as well introduce you to them.”
“Are you sure? Won’t it be a shock for them to meet me out of the blue?”
“No problem. But you might be more surprised by how they look.”
More surprised than I would be? Nias’ cryptic remark piqued my curiosity, but she left it at that, saying I’d just have to wait and see for myself.
I decided to walk with her to the lab’s entrance, eager to experience the outside world of Zerad firsthand.
—
“God morgen, hvem er denne personen forresten?”
(“Good morning. By the way, who is this person?”)
“Nia-chan, he doesn’t understand the language here. Turn on your translator and talk to him properly.”
With a rumbling sound, the massive gate opened, causing clouds of reddish-brown dust to swirl around. The dust settled after a moment, revealing the outside world of planet Zerad.
The landscape was as I had seen it through the camera—a wilderness of reddish-brown rock formations rising like those in the Grand Canyon. Nias’ lab had a well-disguised gate built into the complex terrain, with its metal doors hidden so deep behind the rocky walls that it would take several meters of excavation just to reach them.
The sky of Zerad, black yet with a slight blue tint, looked like a night sky. Star Shield’s energy membrane shimmered across the heavens like the Milky Way. A sun-like star still illuminated the surroundings.
Though the world of Asphial was similar to Japan in many ways, this place—where the whimsical spirit ᕼᐊᑯᐊ had sent me—felt vastly different from both Earth and Asphial.
As I took in the alien scenery, I noticed a figure standing in front of the massive gate: Nias’ collaborator.
A person?
“A snake?”
“Half right. She’s Rene… a female of the serpent people, the Gaia Lizard tribe.”
“Nice to meet you, stranger. I am Rene, Nias’ collaborator.”
“Nice to meet you, Rene. I’m Allen, a human who got to know Nias by chance.”
Rene, standing slightly hunched, had the upper body of a large snake, but she didn’t seem bothered by my initial exclamation. Instead, she extended her right hand toward me for a handshake.
As Nias had warned, I was indeed startled by Rene’s appearance. But her calm demeanor and rational speech, even through the translator, helped me regain my composure quickly. I took her outstretched hand and shook it.
Apparently, the surname Gaia Lizard also functions as a designation of their specific race.
“Many people tense up when they see someone of the Gaia Lizard race. You, however, seem like a decent human.”
“Is that so?”
Her face, a snake’s head as large as a human’s, certainly looked unusual. But aside from her appearance, she was a rational, calm woman.
It seems that Rene was testing me by offering her hand for a handshake. Since I responded without any hesitation or aversion, she appeared to be pleased.
Nias, observing the exchange with a smile, seemed to have orchestrated this introduction.
“See? Rene has a rather distinctive appearance, even among the demi-human races.”
“…You set me up, didn’t you?”
I began to suspect that Nias had briefed Rene about me beforehand and intentionally kept her appearance a secret. Perhaps they wanted to see how I would react upon meeting her for the first time.