Crossover: Monthly Character Templates in the Multiverse Chat Group — Chapter 86

Chapter 86: The Sky, The Teekaz, and The Deal

Scattered across foreign nations, they existed at the absolute bottom of society. Even among the Infected, who were already treated as the dregs of Terra, there were those who looked down on them. Yet, despite the crushing weight of discrimination and poverty, they always managed to survive.

When they had children, they whispered stories of a distant land into their ears, telling them that one day, they absolutely had to return home. Only those Sarkaz who had been bred in foreign territories for countless generations, their bloodlines diluted and their histories erased, would ever truly forget their homeland.

Tin Man had been in Columbia since the very foundation of the nation, walking its steel-and-glass streets for decades, yet the memory of his homeland had never faded from his mind.

“That’s good. Stay here for now,” Frez told him, his tone calm but carrying an obvious weight. “In the future, we will need your help, Tin Man.”

Under Tin Man’s careful arrangements, Frez spent the night at a high-end Columbian hotel. The real business, however, was scheduled for the following afternoon.

The headquarters of Rhine Lab was a towering monument to Columbian progress, all gleaming white surfaces and sterile, advanced architecture. Inside the Control’s office, the atmosphere was quiet, humming with the faint sound of high-end servers.

“Mr. Tin Man said you are a distinguished guest.”

Kirsten Wright, the golden-haired Control of Rhine Lab, offered a polite, professional smile as she extended a hand toward Frez. Her grip was firm, her eyes sharp and analytical behind her glasses. “Now that we’re face to face, it seems you are quite easy to get along with.”

Frez accepted the handshake, completely unfazed by her practiced corporate veneer. He preferred to skip the pleasantries. “Ms. Kirsten, what do you think of the sky?”

Kirsten paused. Her professional smile faltered for a fraction of a second, replaced by a genuine spark of intensity. “The sky?”

It was the one topic that could instantly pierce her armor. It wasn’t just an interest; it was her life’s work, her ultimate research project—to pierce the false firmament of Terra and reach the infinite expanse beyond.

“It is a place I will conquer,” she stated, her voice dropping an octave, heavy with absolute certainty.

“A good answer.” Frez tapped a sleek data drive and slid it across the polished desk. “I have some information here regarding the vast and mysterious universe beyond Terra.”

Kirsten picked up the drive, plugging it into her terminal. The moment the holographic files projected into the air, her eyes widened. She leaned in, completely transfixed by the astronomical data, orbital mechanics, and star charts scrolling past her reflection. Within seconds, she was entirely immersed, her breathing shallow as she devoured the knowledge, completely ignoring the guest sitting across from her.

A long time passed. The only sound in the office was the rapid tapping of Kirsten’s fingers against her desk as she ran mental calculations.

Finally, she snapped out of her trance, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Is this a summary of your own research? Mr. Frez, you are truly a genius.”

The files provided her with an overwhelming amount of raw, usable data. If she released this to the public, it would instantly overturn dozens of established hypotheses and shatter the foundational conjectures of modern Terran astronomers. Yet, the internal logic of the mathematics was flawless. Kirsten’s intuition as a scientist screamed that the data was absolutely real.

“No, it’s not me,” Frez replied, leaning back in his chair. “This is just a summary based on the research of predecessors. I have more here, Ms. Kirsten. Much more. And I hope to make a deal with you.”

At the mention of a deal, Kirsten subconsciously frowned, her corporate instincts kicking back in.

Frez didn’t miss a beat. “I come from Kazdel. I want Rhine Lab to go there and establish a branch to help the Sarkaz progress. In exchange, I will give you the complete construction blueprints for spacecraft, and the exact methodology on how to leave Terra.”

Kirsten’s breath hitched. “How to leave Terra?”

“Having one’s soul bound by wretched gravity…” Frez smiled faintly, quoting a line from a world far away. “I don’t think that’s what you want.”

He had hit the bullseye. Kirsten desperately wanted to fly into the sky and explore the cosmos. For years, she had suffered under the crushing weight of Terra’s technical limitations, walled off from her ultimate goal, but she had never given up. Not even for a single day.

“Indeed,” Kirsten said, her voice tight with restrained ambition. “I can agree to your terms. I will even go to Kazdel personally to oversee it. But… how do you know all this?”

Frez didn’t answer directly. Instead, he asked a seemingly unrelated question. “Which country do you think is the oldest on this land?”

Kirsten adjusted her glasses, retrieving her academic knowledge. “According to the history books, the oldest country is Sargon. It served as the object of mimicry for almost all subsequent nations in Terra.”

“No,” Frez corrected smoothly. “It’s Teekaz.”

“Teekaz…” Kirsten tested the word on her tongue. The pronunciation was strikingly similar to Sarkaz. Was there an etymological connection?

“In ancient times, long before your ancestors even set foot on this planet, after past civilizations were turned to ash, a new civilization was born,” Frez began, his tone shifting into something ancient and heavy. “At that time, they lived like savages. They hunted each other. They practiced cannibalism. That was until a single being appeared who was no longer willing to eat his own kind. His kin thought he was ill, a defect, and exiled him. In Sarkaz history, he is known as The Far-Exiled One.”

Kirsten listened in absolute silence, the data on her screen entirely forgotten.

“Later, The Far-Exiled One entered a silver mountain range. When he finally returned, he persuaded his kin to change their ways. He gifted them language and writing. He gave them a name—Teekaz, meaning ‘those with a home.’It wasn’t until much later that your ancestors descended from the sky. The Teekaz were defeated, their lands were stolen, and they lost their home. They became the Sarkaz, meaning’homeless ones.'”

“Descended from the sky?” Kirsten’s brilliant mind instantly latched onto the most critical piece of information. She gripped the edge of her desk. “Are you saying that, with the sole exception of the Sarkaz, everyone else on Terra today is an outsider?”

She couldn’t suppress the tremor of excitement in her voice. “Our ancestors came from other planets? How did they get here? By spacecraft? Some other instrument?”

“Something much more advanced than that,” Frez said calmly. “But we will explore that later. For now, Ms. Kirsten, what is your choice?”

“I will move the headquarters to Kazdel.”

Kirsten didn’t hesitate for a single second. “I believe you. Just the research data you’ve shown me is enough to tempt me. But Mr. Frez, for you to know so much buried information… could you be the Demon King of the Sarkaz?”

She had only heard whispers of the new Demon King through intelligence channels. Logically, he should be in Siracusa right now. Reports indicated he had just occupied the Siracusan capital two days ago. How could he have crossed the vast expanse of Terra to sit in her office in Columbia?

also, she studied the man sitting across from her. He lacked the signature horns or the tail of a Sarkaz, and even his name sounded like it belonged to someone from Yan.

“You guessed right,” Frez admitted, a dry amusement in his eyes. “I am the Demon King of the Sarkaz. The history of the Sarkaz is ancient, bloody, and heavy. They may seem barbaric to the rest of the world, but in reality, they never had a choice.”

Kirsten slowly nodded. She had taken relevant history courses during her university days. Even back then, reading between the heavily censored lines of Terran history, she had felt that the Sarkaz were simply a tragically unlucky people. Besides, she had a Banshee working directly under her command in the engineering department, and interacting with her wasn’t difficult at all.

Through her employee, Kirsten had gleaned a few historical truths—namely, that the Sarkaz were frequently beaten down by a united Terra without having actually provoked anyone. Given that context, it was no wonder they were in their current violent state.

“I understand your angle,” Kirsten said, her corporate persona returning, though softened by mutual respect. “You want to use the industrial and scientific power of Rhine Lab to help Kazdel progress. In exchange, as long as you provide the relevant aerospace knowledge, Rhine Lab will serve your interests.”

“A pleasure doing business with you, Miss Kirsten.”

“A pleasure doing business with you.”

They stood and shook hands once more, sealing a pact that would shift the balance of the world.

Just as they parted, the heavy office door slid open. A tall woman with distinct Sarkaz features stood in the doorway, clutching a stack of engineering reports. She froze, her eyes locking onto Frez. The files slipped from her grasp, scattering across the floor.

“Y-Your Highness!” the Banshee stammered, her voice cracking in shock.

Frez glanced over, recognizing her race instantly. “You’re Nasti, right? Do you want to come home with me? We’re about to start massive construction back home, and we desperately need your help.”

Nasti didn’t even blink. She stood at attention, her loyalty overriding her employment contract in a millisecond. “I’m willing! Control, I resign!”

Kirsten stared at her lead engineer, her lips pressing into a thin line. “…There’s no need to be in such a hurry, Nasti. Just go work at the Rhine Lab Kazdel branch.”