LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 97
“The translation data has been loaded into your Access Gear, Allen-kun, so you should be able to communicate without any problems now.”
“…Amazing. I didn’t know nanomachines could be used like this.”
Before heading to the Bozon residential area, the closest town to the research lab, we decided to test the Access Gear’s new translation capabilities after a data update.
Nias removed her pin-mic-style translator and started talking to me directly, but to me, it sounded like she was speaking fluent Japanese.
Apparently, between the time I heard Nias’ voice and it reached my brain, the nanomachines inside my body, through the Access Gear, altered the signals so that it sounded like Japanese to me. There wasn’t any time lag either, so it felt natural.
However, since the language Nias was speaking wasn’t Japanese, her mouth didn’t match the words I was hearing. It was like watching a foreign movie with dubbed audio.
“But when you speak, you’ll have to control it manually, so it might feel a little strange at first. Try giving the Access Gear a command?”
“Uh… yeah, wow. It’s harder than I thought.”
While I could understand her perfectly, the challenge came when it was my turn to speak. I had to speak in a different language, which meant controlling my speech using the Access Gear. This led to an awkward, unnatural way of speaking. According to Rene, who was going with us, Bozon was an autonomous residential area created by immigrants.
Obviously, there wouldn’t be such convenient tech like Access Gears in a place like that. Everyone in the Bozon area spoke the common language of this planet, Zerad. If someone like me started speaking in an unfamiliar foreign language, it would naturally raise suspicions.
“Yeah, it’s hard at first. They say it takes about a week to speak fluently.”
“Well, we don’t have that luxury of time, but since we’re heading to Bozon, I’ll be the one doing most of the talking, so it should be fine.”
Bozon is a residential area built by people who were forcibly relocated to the resource planet Zerad. Naturally, there are no laws there, and both Nias and Rene described it as a rough place full of thugs.
But it wasn’t completely lawless. Bozon had its own governance and rules.
“You mentioned you were a merchant in the other world, right? Going to Bozon first might be the right choice. As long as you’ve got money, there’s no need for complicated procedures, and if you bring liquor, you can sell it all eventually.”
“Liquor, huh… Got it. I’ll bring what I have in stock.”
In Japan, you’d need a license to sell alcohol, but here in Bozon, apparently, there was no need to go through any formal procedures to sell it.
I remembered that I still had some bottles left from the stock I was supposed to deliver to the Great Eagle dormitory, but never did. With that in mind, I went back to get them.
“In Bozon, you might find alcohol that tastes more like industrial-grade ethanol, but still, liquor is liquor—it’ll sell.”
“By the way, Allen-kun, don’t you dare drink it yourself, okay? Only non-humans like us can handle that stuff.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” I replied, as I opened a Moon Gate to return to Asphial.
—
“There’s going to be some dust when we ride the skute, so you should cover your mouth with a cloth.”
“Got it.”
I retrieved the stock of alcohol from the royal capital and returned to the research lab, where Nias and Rene were already prepared and waiting. Rene was on a vehicle called a skute, which looked similar to a motorcycle.
I took my seat on the back of the skute, securing myself by gripping Rene’s waist to keep my balance.
“Don’t let your legs dangle. Rest them on the heat shields or the engine will burn you.”
As I was adjusting my position, Nias, who had been watching from the side, grabbed my legs and guided them to the proper spot.
“I see, in this world, instead of tires, vehicles hover using rocket engines.”
“Not rocket engines—jet engines. But don’t worry too much about balance. The skute has a posture control system.”
After a few more checks, Rene started the skute’s engine.
A sharp, whirring sound grew louder, and dust swirled around us. I squinted instinctively, but the front of the skute emitted a blueish barrier, which surrounded both me and Rene like a protective cocoon.
“That’s a protective shield. It’ll deflect dust and small rocks, so no worries.”
The shield enveloped the skute in such a way that the jet engine part remained exposed, blocking out the dust that had been swirling around moments before.
“This thing is convenient.”
“Without it, even a small rock flying at us would hit with the force of a bullet. It’s not just convenient, it’s essential.”
With that, Rene firmly gripped the throttle and began twisting it slowly.
The skute’s output increased, and it gradually lifted off the ground. After hovering a few meters in the air, it stabilized.
“Bozon is about 40 kilometers northeast of here. At this speed, we should arrive in about 10 minutes.”
“Wait, that fast?”
Covering 40 kilometers in just 10 minutes… That meant we were traveling way faster than a normal car. It was probably going over 200 kilometers per hour, at least. Just as I began to worry, Rene spoke up as if to reassure me.
“I’ll drive safely this time, so relax. We’re setting off now.”
“Wait, hang o—”
Before I could finish, Rene lightly twisted the throttle, and the skute, which had been hovering, tilted forward and accelerated in an instant. My surroundings blurred as if the world had been fast-forwarded, and my field of vision momentarily warped.