Chapter 729: Retreat and Preparations (1/2)

'Oy! What do we do? The kid doesn't appear to be lying.'

'Tch. Anyone who could reach this place can lie through their noses. Don't be fooled.'

'But what if he isn't? We can't handle the consequences.'

'Yes, and it's exactly why you're still at the bottom after all this years. You've never been able handle any consequences. You can run away if you want, honestly I don't care. If a kid who's not even a Knight Monarch is enough to frighten you, then you have no place amongst us.'

'That's rich coming from you, asshole. Want me to remind you who the hell groveled on the ground in front of the last Insider we encountered?'

'That's called being resourceful, that one is an Empyrean, what do want me to do?'

'No, I don't think that's being resourceful. I think its called being shameless. Bullying the weak while fearing the strong. That's exactly why you're with me, genius.'

'Alright you two, enough. The kid's getting suspicious of us.'

The group of Outsiders communicated through voice transmission and due to that, it took them sometime before they replied. Raven was obviously aware that they are doing this but he remained calm and composed.

”Young man...” One of the Outsiders finally replied, ”Your words certainly are convincing, don't get me wrong. I was an Insider once, I was never an important figure but I've been alive for a long time so I'm aware of things.”

”Trust me, I want to believe you but you're gonna have to show us something more...convincing.” The man continued.

”That's right.” Another one stepped-in and interjected. ”Pardon us, Young man. But since you're aware that we are Outsiders, you should also be aware of what our situation is.”

Raven nodded. Indeed, he knows exactly the situation of the Outsiders, that's the only reason why he's still talking to them in a civilized manner.

The Outsiders had it rough, exiled from their homes, forbidden from ever returning and perpetually on alert for the dangers lurking around the Outer Worlds...

One would think that these people will stick together and act as an absolute unit but no...far from actually.

See, there are two ways a person becomes an Outsider; either they willingly did it or they were forced to become one. They may have their own personal reasons but in general these are the two categories they fall under.

No, the conflict amongst their ranks didn't arise from the way they became Outsiders, it's simply due to personal interest. All though they share a common title - being Outsiders, the words doesn't represent or makes equals.

This group maybe a bunch of Scavengers. They search for young stars, preferably newborn or one that has a huge potential. They harvest the cores and sell it to the 'Merchants' in exchange for smuggled supplies.

Smuggling isn't really a big issue. It is - on paper, but that never stopped the activity at all. The goods the Outsiders has are useful, Raven encountered them before in his previous life, they do put a steep price tag but it's worth it. Even if it's overpriced, the Insiders just treated that as some sort of charity for the Outsiders.

Being a Scavenger isn't an easy job. The Outer Worlds are virtually boundless. Finding resources that can be exchanged for supplies will take months, years even. Not the mention the Space Beast and other foreign life forms that will not hesitate to attack them as well as the natural calamities they have to face on top of a ruthless competition, these people really have it rough.

Raven sighed. He understood their persistence. He didn't really want to fight them at all since he's in a strange land without any back-ups and there's lots of them. He didn't want to have another headache to deal with.

He closed his eyes and pulled something out of his consciousness. It was the Stone Steele that the Trial Administrator gave him.

The moment it appeared, the stone steele released a brilliant glow which illuminated the faces of the Outsiders. This caused them to involuntarily stepped back. The brilliance of the Stone Steele was a harsh glare to them, it felt like concentrated heat flares scalding their skin.

”I'm sorry, Gentlemen. This might be painful for you but since you want proof, here it is. Kindly read what's written in here and you'll know that I'm not lying.” Raven said.

”Ack!! Heavenly Laws!!” One of the Outsiders can't take it and retreated to a safe distance.