Ark the Legend 1-12

by Yoo Seong

  ‘To be honest I have been worried……’

  Currently most of the Space Foods in the galactic federation were created with the space bugs that Ark hunted on R-14. But fish were the only ingredients that the Charenjok could obtain so he was worried about the result. Yet the prototype was more than he expected! General Space Food created with space bugs only increased satiety by 20%. But the Charenjok’s food increased it by 40%! It was double the amount of satiety. Space Food that recovered that much would go for at least 30 copper. That wasn’t all. General Space Foods were bland pieces of protein chunks with no flavour. This one was created using fish and it had a fish paste taste.

  “I’m also surprised.”

  Jay muttered while munching away at the fish paste bar.

  “I’ve been eating the Space Food made with space bugs so I thought it was natural. But the taste actually changes depending on the ingredient. Come to think of it, I heard that the early pioneers used ingredients from the alien planet to create food. Once DNA manipulation made mass production of space bugs available, the price of food gradually went down.”

  This was the reason food made with space bugs became generalized through the universe. The mass production of the space bugs also made the price plunge to 10 copper. But there were some Space Foods densely packed that increased satiety by 100% and those went for 50 copper. That was when he was just talking about the NPCs. In this world NPCs and users were distinctly different. NPCs might eat for survival but players were used to eating delicious things. Some would even drive 20~30 minutes to dine at an expensive restaurant. He said 50 copper but Space Food with taste could be sold for 60 or 70 copper.

  ‘This is marketable!’

  In addition, it was a product that had no competitors! Even if other users knew this fact, they didn’t have the machine that cost thousands of gold to produce the required amounts. There was also the cost of labour and ingredients. Yet Ark had the 112 SCV so he didn’t need to worry about labour costs.

  ‘If I have a monopoly on something then I can adjust the price. Furthermore, the taste varies according to the ingredients so I can develop other goods!’

  That was Ark’s guess.

  -Space Food (Bellos’ Egg)

  Space Food created with a Bellos’ Egg.

  Some nutrients were lost while removing the toxins but it still recovers a significant amount of health.

 

  * Your resistance to various abnormal stats has increased by 15% for 1 hour.

  That was what emerged when he inserted the Bellos’ Egg.

  ‘It’s not a joke! This is worth at least 1 gold. No, I can sell this for 3~4 gold!’

  If he could produce food like this then revenue would increase tremendously. But it was impossible for the octopuses to obtain the Bellos’ Egg when even Ark had trouble. Besides, the fish were a lot easier to get than the Bellos’ Egg. No, it was better to have 24 hour production using fish as the ingredient.

  ‘Mass production is possible but it is amazing that I can create special food by changing the ingredients. One day I might be able to find some ingredients that can be commercialized. Right now it is still the starting phase so it is better to concentrate on mass producing the fish paste bars.’

  Ark started to earnestly consult with Bakum about the fish paste bar business.

  “The price for the moment will be 50 copper. It might be a little more expensive but the most important thing is to invite customers. We will fix the price after seeing the reactions of the customers and consulting again.”

  –But will it be okay selling it for 50 copper?

  “At first it will be tough. However it will sell once they taste the flavour. It is necessary to trademark it as different from other space foods. A little more diversification will be good but right now we need to focus on the fish paste bars.”

  –That feeling when I ate it……I agree with the product.

  The octopuses decided on the fish paste bar being the trademark.

  “Like I said in the beginning, I will receive 30% of the proceeds as rent for the machine. Is that okay?”

  -Of course. We couldn’t even begin this if it wasn’t for you.

  “Then that’s fine.”

  The business negotiation was finished! At the same time the octopuses poured a heap of caught fish into the machine. The fish paste bars started emerging onto a rail in the front. 1 fish paste bar cost 50 copper and 120 were made every hour. That was 2,880 in one day. A total of 14 gold and 40 silver! Ark would get 4 gold a day! Of course, this also wasn’t free. There was the 800 gold quest reward from Java and the parts replacement costs that was 300 gold. That was a total of 1,100 gold. Even gaining 4 gold a day would take nearly 3 months to earn back. However, if he secured the customers then he could raise the price. And there was also room to develop new goods. He would soon gain back double or triple his investment!

  ‘Food is the most basic of supplies so it is a reliable investment. There is no need to worry about it failing. There is nothing better to choose as Dark Eden’s first business. Plus……’

  Ark had obtained something he didn’t think possible in the process. Let’s go back in time to when Ark first proposed the space food manufacturing business.

  –Our purpose is to obtain the ransom for Tuntun’s group but we also want jobs. While hiding in this place, we never knew when we would be caught or eaten by monsters. Yet we secured our safety and even got jobs thanks to you. You gave us the means to save our family. Do you understand what this means to us?

  Bakum placed his octopus legs on Ark’s shoulder with a thrilled expression. Then he sighed and continued.

  –That’s why I regret our circumstances even more. You are our saviour. That we can’t even give you some token of gratitude…..

  Bakum murmured with a bitter look. Then a young octopus approached.

  –M-my treasure…..I’ll give it to you.

  And he held out an old fashioned toy with an embarrassed look. An adult octopus then shouted with surprise.

  -This guy! What kind of humiliating thing are you doing? I’m sorry. He is young and just wanted to thank you with something. Don’t pay attention to it. Rather…..we’ve gathered some things from the lake…..would you like to take something from it?

  The adult octopuses started lining up some japtem. Once again, while looking for Charem Ark had obtained various japtem from the lake. The octopuses lived here for several years and also found some japtem. It was these japtem that the octopuses were placing in front of him. Among them were some things he could pick. If he collected everything then he could get 10 gold for it. However Ark didn’t pay any attention to such items.

  “No it’s fine.”

  –You don’t like these either?

  “That’s not what I mean.”

  Ark shook his head and said.

  “Have you already forgotten? The reason everyone is working is to free your fellow kin who are Java’s slaves. You no longer need to hide so won’t you be able to come in and out of Charem? This will earn you some money. How can I possibly receive it?”

  -Uhh…..

  The octopuses stared with a solemn expression. Then Ark kneeled down next to the young octopus.

  “And I feel like this toy contains more sincerity. Of course this toy isn’t worth 1 copper! But it is probably the most precious treasure to this child. How can I not take this gift as proof of the Charenjok’s friendship? Thank you. I will keep this and think of you every time I see it.”

  Ark patted the young octopus’ head and received the toy. The other octopuses started exclaiming.

  -Ohh….indeed!

  -As expected from the human that Elder Bakum recognizes!

  –To be honest I thought he had some ulterior motive when giving us the slave collar but…..I’m so ashamed. I misunderstood his sincerity!

  –I’m sorry. I was too short-sighted.

  –I’ll believ
e and follow you!

  -Intimacy with the Charenjok has increased by 100!

  His intimacy increased! He made a lot of progress with the Charenjok after giving them the slave collars and negotiating a 30% rent. But the truth was different from what the octopuses thought.

  ‘There’s no doubt! This is similar to the toy that I was given on R-14!’

  Ark had gained Sonic Sword and Set Bullets Shooting from a hidden journal in that toy airplane. The toy that young octopus gave him was similar. So items worth 10 gold didn’t matter. No, even items worth 100 gold didn’t reflect in his eyes!

  ‘The Charenjok have other toys.’

  It couldn’t be a coincidence.

  “Where did you get this from?”

  Ark quickly asked while the octopuses were still exclaiming. The young octopus scratched his head and said.

  –I got it from my Father. It was a toy from the past and he divided it with his friend.

  “Do you have more of these toys?”

  –No. I heard that he separated with the friend he gave the toy to while leaving our home planet Charen.

  It was the same as the toy he obtained from R-14. Ark’s guess was correct.

  -You have obtained an Undisclosed Memory Chip.

  There are different memory chips with various types of information in Galaxian. Connect the memory chip to the Nymphe to access the information.

  Enter the security code or use Invaders to hack and release the lock.

  Attempt to hack? Y/N

  He solved the puzzle of the toy and found another memory chip. Ark found the memory chip 10 minutes after receiving the toy. And unlike before, he had the skill to hack it straight away…..

  ‘My Nymphe became strange when I hacked the memory chip the other time.’

  There was no guarantee the same thing wouldn’t happen again. So Ark hadn’t been able to verify the information on the memory chip he obtained. That was the reason that Ark grabbed Jay. He remembered that Tori said he could fix Ark’s Nymphe. Tori was the owner of a junkyard was Jay was the head of research in Charem so it was possible he would know what to do.

  In other words, Jay was his contingency.

  “Jay-nim”

  Ark headed towards Jay once the octopuses earnestly started manufacturing food. And showed him the memory chip.

  “I want to ask you something. I want to check the contents of this memory chip but my Nymphe experienced some problems when I connected a different memory chip to it. Can you check if there are any viruses in the data?”

  “Of course.”

  Jay received the memory chip and connected it to his Nymphe. And he manipulated the Nymphe for a while.

  “There are no viruses in the data. However it is the Rama’s OS.”

  “Rama’s OS?”

  “Yes, if the previous memory chip was similar then that is probably the problem. Nymphes provided by the federation are made so that they conflict with the Rama’s OS. It technically isn’t that serious. The federation deliberately added this feature. Because it belongs to hostile forces. In fact, all you need to do is add a simple language patch to the automatic translation function and it should function normally with the Rama’s OS.”

  Dudong!

  That was the reason his Nymphe broke!

  ‘In the end the owner of the data was a Rama? Then why does the Charenjok……?’

  One question was answered and another one arose. But there was no way to figure out how the octopuses got the toys. And it didn’t matter if the Rama or the Charenjok were the owners of the data. The important thing was to make the memory chip secure so he could download it!

  “Is there a way to install the patch on my Nymphe?”

  “It’s not a hard job. Are lot of merchants in Charem were Rama so the patch spread around. I can’t release the lock on the memory chip but I can add the patch.”

  “Please do it for me.”

  “As I said this is not a hard job.”

  Jay grinned and connected their Nymphes. And he manipulated the Nymphe for a while.

  “Eh? You have the patch already?”

  “I have the patch?”

  “Yes, it is different from my patch but you clearly have the Rama language on your Nymphe. Have you ever understood the words of a Rama without an interpreter?”

  “That’s right…..”

  “Then you 100% have a patch.”

  ‘A patch that is compatible with the Rama’s OS……when did it…..ah, perhaps?’

  He was reminded of something while contemplating. In the past his OS was deleted and installed again, making it return to normal. In order to receive the prisoner’s coating, his Nymphe needed a new OS.

  ‘If the data downloaded was made with the Rama’s OS…..and the old OS remained when overwriting it…..yes, I could understand a Rama’s words without an interpreter from that point onwards. But there is even more. My Nymphe needs to be compatible with a Rama’s in order to use Hyper Drone. It is apparent that the data gave me the language patch!’

  Dudong!

  The secret was finally revealed after a long time.

  “So there is no problem downloading it?”

  “Yes, I guarantee it.”

  Jay replied with a smile.

  ‘That’s it. I can receive the data with no problem and I can leave the food manufacturing to the Charenjok. Now it is time for Milan and the Murat ruins!’

  In fact, Ark had received 10 emails at once when Charem was registered as an autonomous trade region and connected to the federation’s network. The emails were sent by Milan. Ark replied that he would meet Milan in Nabe to save time. And all his work here was done.

  “But did Jay-nim want something?”

  Ark asked Jay before preparing to leave for Nabe. Jay scratched his head before saying.

  “In fact……I wanted to discuss something with Ark-nim.”

  “Huh? Discuss?”

  “You see, that is……”

  Jay mumbled something before suddenly lifting his head with a determined expression.

  “Ark-nim, can you hire me?”

  “Eh? J-Jay-nim?”

  “Yes! This is a request! Ah, don’t get me wrong. I’m not doing this because of what happened with Java yesterday. I’m impressed by Ark-nim.”

  “Impressed…..what…..?”

  “Honestly I felt despair when walking into that warehouse and discovering Java’s trick. But Ark-nim didn’t give up. In the end you made a Space Food Maker from a pile of trash and beat Java. Ah, it really was exciting!”

  Jay said gleefully.

  “But there’s even more. I survived in hell due to the Charenjok and I wanted to somehow return the favour. Yet there was nothing I could do against Java. Unlike me, Ark-nim prepared a realistic way to save the Charenjok. Frankly I just thought about selling the machine to free the Charenjok but then Ark-nim came to this village. Rather than giving fish to a hungry man, you taught him how to fish! You gave the Charenjok methods to live.”

  He was mistaken. Ark’s choices were due to money. Of course, he didn’t break the illusion of respect that person had.

  “That’s not the only reason why I want you to hire me.”

  There were even more reasons.

  “Other people might not know but I do. It isn’t an exaggeration to say that Ark-nim saved Charem alone. Didn’t you also mediate the dispute between the federation and Aschulat? I decided after I heard that story. This person, unlike Java this person is someone that I can follow and sincerely believe in. So please accept.”

  “No, saying something like that out of the blue……”

  Ark was a little baffled by the abrupt proposal. However it was quite fortunate when he thought about it. Jay was the former head of Charem’s research. He was an engineer with a significantly high level. And he already identified Jay’s ability in Java’s warehouse. Jay was the one who restored the machine while Ark gathered the parts. It was no different from gathering junk and making a machine ou
t of it. Significant levels of skills were probably required.

  ‘He might not be good in combat but his skills might be an advantage. The agent registration finished so now Dark Eden is a business. We have no capital in the beginning stages so I don’t need to hire mercenaries yet.’

  Galaxian was a SF fantasy genre. A person dealing with machines and programs was probably required.

  ‘And this will be Dark Eden’s food factory so he can be useful in many ways. If the Space Food Maker working 24 hr/day broke then Jay can repair it immediately. But the problem is……’

  Money. He wouldn’t work for free even if he respected Ark. Furthermore, he was a NPC so the pay check will be higher. But Jay settled it with his next words.

  “I don’t expect you to hire me just because I asked. I want to spend 3 months as your intern. The revenue from the food factory will increase by at least 50% in the meantime. My employment salary can be determined then.”

  He had no need to worry with those conditions.

  “Thank you!”

  Ark shook Jay’s hand. So Jay had the honour of being Dark Eden’s first staff.

  -Jay has joined Dark Eden as an intern.

  Name: Jay (NPC ☆ ☆) Profession: Engineer

  Level: 78 Related Skills: Mechanical Engineering, Research……

  Jay’s information was registered on the card.

  Ark appointed Jay the manager of the food factory and headed to the lake.

  “It’s been a while.”

  Ark muttered as he took out the air board. Charem’s Star Gate wasn’t active yet so shuttles moved from nearby cities. There was a shuttle to Nabe but it wasn’t free. The amount was a burden so……

  “From now on I have to save as much money as possible. I need to tighten my belt even more!”

  Ark got on the air board and cried out.

  “Let’s go! Super Board!”

  ———————————————————————————————-

  While Ark headed back to Nabe.

  In the highest level of the control tower while Charem’s recovery operation was in full swing. Voices flowing from the Nymphe were mixed with the voices of the workmen.