I placed my hand on the door handle, my expression calm and confident. Slowly, I pushed the door open.
As the door swung open, I saw Jekkob standing just inside, and behind him, seated at the table, were four n. They were dressed in black formal attire, resembling nobles, and all looked to be older individuals. Their eyes imdiately turned to as I entered.
Jekkob bowed his head respectfully. "Welco, Lady Sumi."
The four n quickly stood up and bowed as well. I walked inside and gestured for them to sit. "Please, take your seats." They complied, and I made my way to the head of the table, sitting down gracefully. The four n watched carefully, their expressions a mix of curiosity and respect.
One of them, a man with silky blond hair, spoke first. "Hello, Lady Sumi. It’s a pleasure to et you. I am Wazon, the Vice Leader of the Great Stellar Kingdom’s governnt team." He gestured to the other three n, all of whom had blonde hair in different styles. "These are my partners: Kayler, mag, and Oxeon."
The three n bowed their heads in unison. "A pleasure," they said.
I nodded and raised my voice slightly. "Thank you for coming here at my request. I warmly welco you to Paradise Garden."
Wazon smiled politely. "We are grateful that you called us and gave us the chance to et you in person." The others nodded in agreent.
Oxeon leaned forward slightly, his tone polite but curious. "So, Lady Sumi, how can we assist you?"
I looked at them and began explaining. "You must have already heard about the system I’m planning to implent."
Wazon nodded. "Yes, sothing called a ’passport,’ correct?"
"That’s right," I replied.
Kayler interjected, his tone thoughtful. "We’ve heard a little about it, but could you explain it again for us?"
"Of course," I said. "Think of it like a guild card that shows you’re a mber of a certain guild. But passports are specifically for entering Paradise Garden. They’ll have a deadline indicating how long the holder can stay."
They listened intently, their expressions focused. Wazon raised a question. "But what if soone tries to sneak in without a passport?"
I smiled and raised my hand, snapping my fingers. A red circle appeared in the middle of the table, glowing faintly. The n leaned forward, their eyes widening in surprise.
Inside the circle, a small human-shaped shadow appeared, its red eyes glowing. It looked oddly cute, despite its eerie appearance.
I continued, "Now, imagine this puppet inside the red circle is a citizen of Paradise Garden. They don’t need a passport to enter or leave the country."
The n murmured in amazent. Then, another shadow puppet appeared outside the circle. It waved its hand at us, its red eyes blinking.
"This puppet represents soone from another place who doesn’t have a passport," I explained. "Watch what happens when they try to enter the circle."
The puppet began walking toward the red circle. As soon as it touched the circle, its hand started glowing red, and a loud beeping sound echoed through the room.
**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP**
I explained, "The guards will be alerted that soone without a passport has entered. The intruder will also get a tracker inside their body, making it easy for the guards to capture them."
The puppet inside the circle rushed toward the intruder, pinning it down and trapping it. The intruder puppet struggled helplessly.
The n stared in shock, their mouths slightly agape. mag was the first to speak. "That’s really interesting... but how will the circle know if soone has a passport or not?"
I looked at him and replied, "This red circle is called the ’Garden Gate.’ Anyone who touches or cos into contact with it will automatically be appraised by the circle."
Their eyes widened further. Wazon asked, "The circle will appraise? Isn’t appraisal a skill only living beings possess?"
I nodded. "Yes, but I’ve integrated the function of appraisal into the circle itself."
Their jaws dropped. *(All thanks to ,)* Aries chid in my mind.
I smiled inwardly. *(Yes, yes, thanks to you!)*
Oxeon raised another question. "But what if soone creates a fake passport?"
I shook my head. "The passports will be made exclusively in Paradise Garden using a unique material no other country can replicate." *(Well, because I’m going to make it,)* I added in my mind. "If soone tries to use a fake passport, the Garden Gate won’t recognize it. It’ll be as if they’re entering without one."
They nodded, understanding dawning on their faces. Wazon then asked, "What if soone enters from the sky?"
I smiled confidently. "There will be guards—many, many guards."
"O-oh..." Wazon stamred, clearly impressed.
He cleared his throat and said, "Ahem... I see. This is a pretty good idea. Now that we understand how it works, how can we assist you? It seems you already have so advanced magic..."
I leaned forward slightly. "Well, you see, my country is still developing in terms of knowledge and population. I don’t have many people to work on this system, so I need your help with one thing."
Wazon nodded. "We’ll do anything within our power."
I smiled. "Can the four of you travel to four different countries and introduce the passport system to their governnts?"
Their eyes widened slightly. I continued, "The designers are currently working on a prototype passport. I’ll provide it to you once it’s ready. Until then, please wait."
They exchanged glances, clearly thinking it over. Wazon finally spoke, "Well... we’d like to help, but I don’t think our lord—the king—will allow us..."
I waved my hand dismissively. "Oh, don’t worry about him. I’ll convince him."
They looked hesitant, but Wazon nodded. "Well... if the king allows it, we might consider it."
I smiled warmly. "Don’t worry about that for now. Just wait for the passport prototype."
I raised my hand, and a blue swirling portal appeared beside . "You can return to the Stellar Kingdom for now."
They stood up, bowing their heads. As they walked toward the portal, I added, "Thank you again for coming and listening to my request."
They smiled and stepped through the portal. Once it closed, I let out a sigh. "I convinced them sohow..."
Suddenly, I felt a shockwave ripple through my body.
**[Notice: The sa divine power tried to forcefully teleport you but failed,]** Aries inford .
*(What? Again? Can you track them?)* I asked.
**[Negative. I can’t track sothing based on feelings alone. I need to either see it or know who’s using the power,]** Aries replied.
I clenched my fist. *(I see... alright, alright.)*
"Lady Sumi, are you okay?" Jekkob asked, his voice filled with concern.
I looked at him and smiled. "Oh, yes, I’m fine. And thank you for your help. I couldn’t have talked with them without you."
He smiled back. "I’m one of the generals of the army, so I know who to trust. I’m glad I could be of help."
I gave him a grateful smile, then stood up, stretching my body. "Well, looks like I can relax for a while."
**[Such a slacker,]** Aries teased.
*(Shut up,)* I shot back.
---
anwhile, sowhere on a beach, a figure stood by the ocean. He wore human-like clothing—a shirt and pants—but his ears and nose were distinctly non-human they looked like pig’s. His body was heavily scarred and dusty, and he stared out at the horizon. Beside him was a small boat. In a low, determined voice, he muttered,"Now, just across this ocean... then I can et them... et her... the Goddess."
---
**TO BE CONTINUED**
Reviews
All reviews (0)