Reborn With A Technology System In A Fantasy World-Chapter 236: Galactic Concordat (1)

The white light dissolved and in the next instant, Adrian found himself in a vast, white expanse.

Endless white stretched in every direction, filled with slow-drifting, luminous clouds that seemed to glow from within. He felt as though he was floating, yet his feet rested on an unseen, solid surface.

He was still trying to make sense of how he had been transported when his eyes fixed on the far end of the clouds.

A slender figure came into view, walking on the clouds as if they were solid marble. Her sudden appearance almost made Adrian shocked, but he managed to clamp down on the reaction. He analyzed the visitor. Or rather, his host.

It was a female. She had fair skin that seemed to glow faintly and long brown hair that floated around her. She wore simple white robes, yet they seemed more regal than any armor he had ever seen. She stopped a respectful distance away.

"What is your name, young man?"

Adrian sized her up warily. This being had pulled him from his tower without effort. He had to be cautious. "Adrian," he replied curtly.

"A pleasure to meet you, Adrian. You must have guessed who I am, haven’t you?"

"The goddess?" Adrian wasn’t sure. It was the only name he could think of that might be responsible for this level of power.

"I guess you can call me that," she smiled. "It is one of my many titles. More accurately, I am the designated guardian of Sector 7G."

Sector 7G.

Adrian didn’t forget what the ship said. This was no coincidence. He didn’t care if this person was a god or something else entirely. What he did know, with absolute certainty, was that she had answers.

He calmed himself, forcing down the frantic desperation he’d felt moments before. Rushing would get him nowhere. He chose his words carefully. "How did you bring me here? Where is this place? And what do you want from me?"

"That’s a whole lot of questions bundled into one, Adrian. But I will answer them all. First of all, congratulations on your impressive win over the Garogs. I was hoping not to involve myself, but you handled it perfectly."

Her expression turned serious, "And then, what happened after your victory... I saw it all. That is why I brought you here. To help you. You see, this place is... well, you can call it my domain. Bringing you over was never a problem. What is difficult," she paused, "is keeping you."

Adrian’s eyebrows raised.

She saw his look and clarified immediately. "What I am saying, Adrian, is that you can leave whenever you want. This is not a prison. The moment you truly will yourself to exit my space, you will be right back on your comfy bed."

Her words made Adrian even more wary. That was her only singular advantage and she exposed it without a hassle.

As if reading his mind, she laughed a little. "Don’t be so paranoid. I am only trying to build trust. I need you to trust me, because I know you are a special person."

Adrian had heard what he needed. She was offering help. He decided to cut straight to the point.

"If you want to help, then explain. What amends are we required to make? What is Article 394? What happened out there?"

"Calm down, Adrian," she said soothingly. "I am going to answer all your questions. But this is a long story. Have a seat."

Adrian instinctively looked around. The endless white void offered nothing. But as he turned his head back, a chair materialized directly behind him.

He sat down without question, and as he settled, he couldn’t help but wonder how much this place reminded him of the Factory.

The goddess clapped her hands once and sat gracefully across from him on another chair that was absent seconds ago.

Adrian remained silent, waiting for her to begin. It took several seconds, but she eventually did.

"To understand what happened," she began, her voice taking on the quality of a lecturer, "you must first understand what the Galactic Concordat is. It is... exactly what it sounds like. A coalition of countless advanced civilizations that govern the known universe. They maintain peace, regulate interstellar travel, and enforce cosmic laws. They are, for all intents and purposes, the supreme authority."

She paused, letting that sink in. "Your planet, which they designate as Quarantine Sector 7G-04, is one of countless ’Seeded Worlds.’

Worlds like this are designated for strict non-interference. They are protected, allowed to evolve on their own, to see what new forms of life and civilization blossom. That is what I am. A guardian."

"But I was not always one. I was a human, on Thanad once. I achieved a higher level of existence, and with it came a duty. I chose to stay, to watch over our cradle. My task has been to protect our race... mostly from ourselves. To keep you from breaking the cruel laws that guide a Quarantine Sector."

"You see, the Concordat’s primary belief... the one that underpins their entire Quarantine protocol... is that the strong should prey on the weak. It is the natural order."

"So, when the Garogs approached Thanad, it was meant to be your end," she stated bluntly.

"But then, you did the impossible and won. From the established growth path of Thanad, it made no sense for you to win. Your victory was an anomaly they could not ignore. And so, they found you guilty."

"Guilty of what?" Adrian asked immediately.

"Interference," she said simply. "Article 394. It forbids an outside, far stronger entity from getting involved in a Quarantined world to accelerate its development track."

Adrian’s mind went instantly to the System. But he didn’t expose himself.

"That didn’t happen," he opposed instead. "No one interfered. We fought, and we won."

Thankfully, the guardian agreed with him and nodded slowly.

"I know it didn’t happen, Adrian. But the Galactic Concordat doesn’t need proof. If you are seen as guilty, that is final."

"And now... you are guilty."

After Adrian finished hearing her out, he kept a calm, impassive face to receiving the information. But within him, he was raging. It just didn’t make sense.

What were they supposed to do? Sit back and get destroyed, just to satisfy some cosmic "growth path"? None of the laws made sense in his eyes. He just saw it as a tyrannical excuse for the Galactic Concordat to do as they pleased, erasing any civilization that didn’t fit their neat little boxes.

Adrian stopped his internal rage, forcing it down. Getting angry at the messenger was pointless. He had to focus on the problem. He had to focus on the one being who could provide him with answers.

"The message. It gave a second option. Which amends are we required to make?"