" Gray Griss..."
Lord Collins murmured the name:
"I feel like I've heard that name somewhere before..."
After a moment of recollection, he suddenly raised his voice as if waking from a nightmare:
" Gray Griss?!"
[ The Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] nodded silently.
"This... this..."
Collins seemed somewhat at a loss.
"I knew that name sounded familiar. A few months ago, when he left Graycast Corridor, he went through departure procedures in Satellite City No. 42. He's a young merchant, but he has a thick beard, right?"
[ The Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] nodded, but Collins ' expression became even more shocked:
"Isn't he dead?"
Is Gray dead?
When was this news released?
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] recalled that the last time she saw Gray was before she left the Greenhouse in Valhalla, about ten days ago.
She could see the Gray and the rather large Antasia from a distance.
At that time, the couple had been completely "tamed" by the Second Holy See, perfectly integrated into the game's atmosphere, and became important NPC characters.
One of them was responsible for explaining to the players the problems and dangers they might encounter along the way to the Wilderness of Chaos Sealed Land, while the other provided free repair and maintenance for the players' prosthetic bodies.
It's clearly unrelated to death.
Thinking of this, [ the Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] firmly shook its head:
"Impossible. Gray is alive and well in the Second Holy See's capital. My companions and I can attest to that."
Collins Whisper in confusion:
"That's strange. The documents sent from the Great Labyrinth City mentioned Gray Gris quite a bit, praising his achievements in opening up trade routes with the Second Holy See."
[ The Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] seemed fine, so I asked:
What kind of document is that?
Obituary.
Collins answered seriously.
It turns out to be an obituary... Looks like there's a really big problem.
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] I heard from my older brother that merchants in the Graycast Corridor who fail to return on time will enter a "waiting to die" state.
However, if the period of time is exceeded, the person will be deemed dead.
It's not that the laws of the Graycast Corridor are truly so inhumane; it's just that if most people fail to return after a certain period, it's because they've encountered problems they can't solve and are in a state of uncertainty about their fate.
As everyone knows—his fate is unknown, then...
So when [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] heard that Gray had died "again" in the Graycast Corridor, she didn't react emotionally at all.
It's not like it's the first time.
However, this time is slightly different from the last. Last time, at least Gray returned to the Great Labyrinth City before his account was completely wiped out, but this time...
According to Collins, the Great Labyrinth City had already held a memorial service for the Gray, and an old repairman even broke down in tears at the funeral, saying that he hadn't taken good care of the younger generation and so on, which gave [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] goosebumps.
As the lord of a satellite city who had only met Gray a few times, Collins readily accepted the fact that Gray and his wife were still alive.
After confirming the information's authenticity one last time, he looked at the [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ]:
"According to regulations, I need to write a report on this matter now. However, according to regulations, to ensure your complete safety and harmlessness, this special small fortress must undergo a full search. Can you make that decision?"
Aside from plant accessories, there doesn't seem to be anything else inside the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess. After obtaining the consent of the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess itself—no, its very soul—[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] agreed to Collins's request.
The Short-Eared Elf mage promptly removed the soundproof barrier, while Collins waved to the city walls and said:
"Send a search team down to search the area thoroughly. Be extremely careful; once you find nothing, call it a day!"
"Yes!"
The sounds of guards eagerly awaiting the end of their shift could be heard from the city walls.
A squad of guards, dressed in individual mechanical armor that wasn't particularly thick or complex, quickly arrived inside the barbican and, led by [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ], began carefully inspecting the interior of the King of Fall Resistance, I Guess.
While the Soul Returner was either sleeping or busy, the Short-Eared Elf mage called out to Collins and asked him something.
By the time [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] and the search team climbed back up from the cabin, their conversation had ended.
The search team leader gave Collins a no-brainer sign.
Seeing that things were progressing smoothly, the old city lord asked the [ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ]:
"The Venerable Master has already explained why you have come here. May I ask if you have any specific plans for the rest of your trip?"
"The importance of the ' Machine Spirit ' to the Graycast Corridor is truly exceptional. Whether this technology can be accepted and promoted will determine the success or failure of the Graycast Corridor's war against the Demon Realm and the Eternal Domain, and moreover..."
At this point, Collins ' expression became somewhat strange:
"The election for the next Grand Foundry Master has entered its third round. In principle, the dead are automatically disqualified from participating in the election."
"But firstly, Gray isn't really dead, and secondly, as things stand, I think the ' Machine Spirit '... whether you call it a discovery or a creation, is very competitive in the election."
"The election for the Graycast Corridor is generally based on the candidates' contributions and inventions."
"Frankly speaking, I haven't seen anything more promising than this achievement yet..."
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] Seeing the serious expression on Collins' face, he could understand how much the other party valued the fact that Gray had come back to life.
What she didn't understand was why the old city lord was telling her these issues, which were clearly problems that only needed to be addressed inside the Graycast Corridor.
[ Vanilla Ice Cream Scoop ] quickly understood why Collins was so open with him, a young man he had only met once.
The old city lord continued:
"I've said all this just to make you understand the importance of the Machine Spirit to the Graycast Corridor."
"If you can understand the situation we face, have the willingness to help us, and don't even have a reason to return to the Second Holy See, then I hope that you Soul Returner can take this small mobile fortress with you to the Great Labyrinth City and personally demonstrate the existence of ' Machine Spirit ' to the Grand Foundry Master and those old guys."
"After all, no matter how detailed my description of ' Machine Spirit's' power and omnipotence is in the report, it can't compare to this little guy showing off a little bit in front of the old fogies of the Great Labyrinth City."
"So, think it over carefully, Soul Returner. If you agree to go to the Great Labyrinth City, I will immediately begin making the necessary arrangements."
"It's okay if you don't agree, it just means that kid Gray might have to be a merchant for the rest of his life..."