"That child is absolutely not some humanoid Phage Beast.
He possesses immense power and even helped us fend off the Phagebeasts' attacks.
Had he not been there, we would have suffered at least dozens of casualties this time around."
Ignoring both Charles and Carrie, Mark continued addressing the City Lord:
"I propose that The Lighthouse take him in and allow him to join the Wilderness Hunters. Doing so would significantly boost both the efficiency and safety of our supply-gathering operations."
Charles was about to interject again, but the old City Lord cut him off directly:
"Enough. As long as he meets the criteria outlined in The Lighthouse's Search and Rescue Protocols, he may be taken in.
Mark, take him in for a medical examination tomorrow. Provided his physical condition..."
"My health is fine; let's proceed exactly as you envisioned."
At this point, he cleared his throat, then rose to his feet.
"I have grown old, yet the Lighthouse's journey remains long. It is time to entrust the helm to a younger generation of leaders."
The moment the old City Lord uttered these words, the heads of every department instantly widened their eyes in astonishment.
For they understood precisely what those words signified:
It meant the old City Lord was about to select the next City Lord—the one who would lead the Lighthouse into the future.
Among them, Charles—the leader of the Order of Light and Shadow—puffed out his chest with such arrogance that it seemed to scrape the sky; his face was practically beaming with self-satisfaction.
The current City Lord was his father, and he himself was the leader of the Order—the "Chosen One." Surely, the position of the next City Lord belonged to no one but him.
Once he ascended to the position of City Lord, he could deal with the likes of Mark however he pleased—punishing him at his every whim.
And indeed, the old City Lord swept his gaze across everyone present and then proceeded to announce his choice for the next City Lord: "I have decided: the mantle of City Lord shall be passed on to... Mark!"
"What?! He is nothing but a mindless brute who knows only how to fight and kill! By what right does he deserve to become humanity's final guardian?"
Charles completely lost his composure on the spot.
Although the others wore expressions of mild surprise, smiles soon began to spread across their faces.
Having Mark—a man of true capability and responsibility—serve as City Lord was, naturally, a hundred times better than having Charles—a mere charlatan who knew only how to manipulate others.
It was a relief to see that the old City Lord had not lost his wits.
Mark, however, wore a distinctly unhappy expression on his face.
"Mark has dedicated his very life to the service of the Lighthouse; is this not precisely the will of the Lord of Light and Shadow?"
The old City Lord shot a stern glare at Charles, then continued his announcement:
"Unless there are any objections, the investiture ceremony shall take place seven days from now.
Furthermore, the rest of you may leave; Mark, stay behind."
An hour later, Mark left the central command hall of the Lighthouse, his face etched with deep conflict.
He had no desire to become the City Lord; deep within his heart, he still harbored resentment—resentment toward the Lighthouse itself, and toward the old City Lord.
Years ago, his older sister—then a captain of the Wilderness Hunters—had fallen in love with her vice-captain. For this transgression, the City Lord had condemned her to death by fire, burning her alive at the stake.
That horrific scene remained seared into his memory—a memory he could not, and would not, ever forget.
"What on earth is going on? Where are my Contribution Points?"
Upon arriving at the Wilderness Hunters' mess hall, Mark swiped his meal card, intending to order a standard meal.
However, when it came time to pay, he discovered to his shock that his balance of Contribution Points had been completely wiped out—not a single point remained.
"Goku ate them all up."
Just then, Ran Bing—who had been waiting in the mess hall for quite some time—popped out from her hiding spot. She held out her own meal card and said:
"Just swipe mine. This meal is on me."
"He ate all of them?!"
A look of utter disbelief spread across Mark's face.
To have devoured his entire balance of Contribution Points... just how much food had Goku actually consumed?
Ran Bing proceeded to recount, in vivid detail, everything that had transpired after Mark had left.
Meanwhile, back at the headquarters of the Order of Light and Shadow, Charles received news that the Heguangzhe—the Light Bearer—had been critically injured and admitted to the infirmary. Upon hearing this, his fury reached a boiling point, his rage threatening to burst the very seams of his composure.
"Very well... very well. Then let's play a little game, shall we?"
He swiftly retrieved his communicator and issued a command to the priest in charge of the Hall of Dawn:
"I recall that during the recent scavenging mission, a Shangmin—an Upper-class citizen—was killed just prior to their scheduled Procreation Duty. Have Ran Bing, the Vice-Captain of the Wilderness Hunters, take their place."
The Three Laws of the Lighthouse forbade emotional attachments and the social bonds of the old world; consequently, procreation served no purpose other than the perpetuation of the Lighthouse's population.
Upon reaching a certain age, individuals were assigned a "procreation task," which they were required to carry out within the Hall of Dawn.
As for the partner with whom one was to fulfill this task, the choice was left entirely to the priests of the Hall of Dawn, who assigned partners at random.
Refusal to execute a procreation task—regardless of who the individual might be—resulted in immediate execution on the spot.
He had long since discerned that a bond transcending the boundaries of mere professional collegiality had blossomed between Mark and Ran Bing.
By shrewdly exploiting Ran Bing's impending procreation task, he saw an opportunity to provoke Mark into making a critical error—an error that would cost him the chance to succeed as the City Lord.
And what, exactly, was our Goku up to during all this?
He was currently consulting with Erica to learn about the history of this world.
As for the objective behind this historical inquiry? It was, naturally, to determine whether he could unearth any worthy opponents with whom to spar, or discover methods to further enhance his own power.
If this world held nothing of value or utility to him, then there would be no need for him to linger here any longer than necessary.
However, one must not always judge a book by its cover; much like in the Marvel Universe, the vast majority of the populace remained completely oblivious to the existence of beings such as Odin, the Ancient One, or the various Dimensional Demons.
Thus, even after absorbing the recorded history of this world, it would be prudent to conduct a personal exploration to verify matters firsthand.
"And so it is: in order to preserve the last embers of humanity, the Lighthouse sails ever onward—and we, the Wilderness Hunters, strive tirelessly to gather the vital resources upon which the Lighthouse depends."
Inside Goku's temporary room, Erica had been talking for what felt like an eternity, having gone through just about everything she had learned during her classes.
Helping Goku—who knew absolutely nothing—understand the Lighthouse and its rules was a task Re-Bing had specifically assigned to her.
Her primary concern was that Goku, being so clueless, might inadvertently cause some trouble.
After all, just earlier today, Goku had severely injured the group led by the Light Bearer.
"Clear Water, Flow!"
Seeing that Erica had talked until her mouth was practically smoking, Goku extended a finger toward the empty cup sitting on the table and silently chanted an incantation in his mind.
A stream of clear water materialized out of thin air and flowed into the cup.
According to the principles of Gamp's Law of Transfiguration, food cannot be created from nothing; however, water does not fall under the category of "food."
"Flavor Transmutation!"
The Transfiguration Charm took effect, and the clear water transformed into Sprite.
"Instant Freeze!"
A wave of cold air enveloped the cup, and just like that, a glass of refreshingly crisp, ice-cold Sprite was ready.
"So, the most powerful things around here are those—'Phage Beasts'?"
Having listened to Erica's entire account, Goku finally understood: the true powerhouses of this world were not human experts, but rather those "Phage Beasts" he had encountered earlier that day.
Humanity had been nearly wiped out by the Phage Beasts; there were practically no true "experts" left among them.
As for the "Lord of Light and Shadow"—according to Erica—he didn't exist at all; no one had ever actually seen him.
It was much like the "God" in the catchphrase Jessica used to constantly repeat back when he was visiting Thor and Jane: "Oh, my God."
Furthermore, the Phage Beasts he had encountered earlier that day weren't actually all that powerful; they were merely the lowest-tier variety.
Even the gigantic ones among them were nothing to write home about.
According to the classifications established by the Lighthouse... Regarding the classification of the Phage Beasts: earlier that day, the group had encountered the "Pan-level" Phage Beasts.
Above them exist the "Parasite-level" beasts—capable of parasitizing humans; the "Metamorph-level" beasts—possessing unique special abilities; and the "Dominator-level" beasts—capable of commanding entire groups in combat.
And finally, there is the utterly terrifying "Monarch-level."
It is said that Monarch-level Phage Beasts stand hundreds of meters tall; even the Lighthouse's most powerful weapon—its central electromagnetic cannon—is incapable of inflicting any harm upon a Monarch-level beast.
Years ago, the Coastal Alliance—then representing the pinnacle of human military might—was forced to flee this planet in haste aboard their starships after coming under attack by a Monarch-level Phage Beast.
The wreckage of the starship where the group had searched for supplies earlier that day was, in fact, the very vessel that had been shot down by a Monarch-level Phage Beast during the Coastal Alliance's desperate escape.
Therefore, if he wished to further enhance his own power, his best course of action would be to leave the Lighthouse and descend to the surface to engage these Phage Beasts in combat.
The Phage Beasts are inexhaustible; perhaps battling them could serve as the perfect catalyst to help him achieve the permanent activation of his "World of Clarity"—thereby attaining a realm of power comparable to that of Popo.
Moreover, since his adversaries would be nothing but monstrous beasts, there would be no need to hold back or show mercy; he could simply unleash his full power and fight to his heart's content.
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