**#175. The Wasteland (2)**
—
**On the day of the expedition’s departure.**
**Sector 37 perimeter, southwest region.**
Jang, the rickshaw driver, sat in the driver’s seat of the bus and slipped on a pair of thin gloves.
He gripped the hefty steering wheel, shifted the gear, and gently pressed both the accelerator and the brake.
“Hm, not much different from other vehicles.”
When he turned the key, the bus awakened with a thunderous roar of the engine.
*Screeech—! Rumble rumble—!*
To familiarize himself with the functions, he fiddled with the buttons on the panel.
“These are the hazard lights, and this one is…”
*Click!*
*Whirr—! Whirr—!*
He looked up and saw the wipers moving across the windshield.
Beyond that was a dry-colored wasteland stretching endlessly.
—You loaded everything?
—This too! Hurry up!
Nearby, people bustled between parked vehicles, hurriedly transferring supplies like gunpowder and food.
A murmured thought slipped from Jang’s mouth.
“Never thought I’d end up going to the ruins.”
It had been two days since the boy made the offer.
Would he be willing to drive the vehicle heading toward the ruins?
*“It’s dangerous, so I can’t guarantee your survival. But if you return, I’ll make sure you receive a share of the expedition’s reward along with additional compensation.”*
The amount mentioned was enough to live out the rest of his life in luxury.
*“I’ll do it.”*
But the reason he accepted the offer without hesitation wasn’t the money.
It was because he wanted to keep an eye on the boy.
—If you’re going to rest in the rickshaw, isn’t the backseat more comfortable than the driver’s seat?
—Come in and rest. I’ll get you a room.
—Sit down. Let’s eat together.
The boy’s words still lingered vividly in his memory.
Several times, the boy had offered him good spots without a hint of discrimination.
And now, he was sitting in this driver’s seat because of another offer.
*Fwoosh—*
It was wide and comfortable.
“Oh! Pressing this locks the backrest! And this switch warms the seat!”
That was how Jang ended up returning his rickshaw and taking the wheel of a vehicle.
As he marveled at features he’d never seen in other cars, he spotted people approaching and quickly pressed a button.
*Psssshhh──*
The door opened, and Ray and Veronica appeared with backpacks on.
As Ray boarded the bus, he asked:
“How is it? Think you can handle it?”
“Yes, of course. I used to work as a substitute driver, so I’m confident in my driving. I’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”
“Hello, Mr. Jang. I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes. I look forward to working with you too, Miss Veronica.”
Jang and Veronica exchanged polite bows.
Then Veronica boarded the bus and her eyes widened at the interior.
“Wow…! It’s huge…! This is totally different from what I imagined…!”
Aside from the driver’s area in the front, all the seats inside the bus had been removed.
The empty space had been fitted with kitchen appliances, sofas, shelves, and tables.
Beaming with excitement, Veronica dashed up the stairs to the second floor.
—Oh my god! It’s cramped, but there are multiple rooms! There’s even a bedroom! Goodbye to the days of curling up in the back seat for a nap! Goodbye to the days of rolling off in my sleep!
Her excited shouting echoed down.
Ray placed his backpack on one of the front seats and asked Jang:
“You filled up on food and water, right?”
“Yes. I followed the list you gave me and packed the trunk tight.”
“Good.”
Ray then stepped off the bus with Veronica, who had just come down.
Veronica glanced at the bustling expedition members and suddenly spoke.
“Hey Ray, don’t you think we joined the expedition way too easily? I thought the identity check would be way stricter.”
“We’re not the only ones.”
“Really?”
“Many others had their skills verified, but their identities are unclear.”
Veronica hummed, then muttered:
“Does that mean… it was just that hard to recruit people?”
“There’s truth to that.”
The reply came from behind. Turning, they saw Deputy Commander Demper.
“Survival rates from the ruins are extremely low. People heading out to make big money by risking their lives are usually those who’ve hit rock bottom. And such people often don’t have the cleanest backgrounds.”
Demper and Ray locked eyes.
“…If we scrutinized everyone’s identity, it’d be impossible to put together an expedition. Kid, I thought you’d vanish before departure day. But seeing that you showed up—and even prepared a bus like this—you must be serious.”
Demper looked at the bus with admiration.
The two-story bus, massive and imposing, stood out among all the other vehicles present.
“I had no reason to run.”
“You’ve got guts, kid. But hey, why do you keep talking so casually to me?”
“You do it too.”
“……”
Demper, with nothing to say, turned to Veronica.
“I didn’t expect this bratty kid’s friend to be such a refined young lady. I hear you’re a mage specializing in defensive magic. I’m counting on you.”
“Ah, yes. I’ll do my best.”
Demper gave a small bow.
Caught off guard by the compliment, Veronica responded with as much grace as she could muster, offering a graceful bow in return.
Then Demper handed Ray a radio.
“Take this. Most orders will come through the radio. You said it’s your first time, right? Stick close to Mr. Gaiole. That’ll slightly improve your chances of returning safely.”
“We’re the only newcomers?”
Demper looked around at the others before answering.
“…Aside from a few, nearly everyone is new.”
Most of the expedition members were first-timers.
With such low survival rates, the very concept of a “veteran” hardly existed.
Those who did survive either quit out of fear or retired after earning enough from a few expeditions.
“Right now, Gaiole and I are the only ones with meaningful experience.”
Ray thought for a moment before asking:
“If you’ve both succeeded multiple times, you must have earned plenty of money. Why haven’t you retired?”
The answer came quickly.
“Because once you’re addicted to adventure, you can never return to normal life.”
*
*
*
Before departure, Gaiole stood before all the expedition members and gave a speech.
“Everyone has that kind of dream, don’t they? To live the rest of their lives in comfort. To live proudly in front of others. To enjoy all that life has to offer, without restraint. And in the end, what you need is money. The only trustworthy friend and all-powerful tool in this world.”
With each sentence, Gaiole’s voice grew louder and more impassioned.
“And the relics and jewels that will become that money are scattered throughout the ruins we’re heading toward. They’re just waiting to be harvested by our hands. Of course, the path there is treacherous, but worry not. Because I am here!”
A final exclamation mark punctuated the sentence.
Unable to contain their swelling excitement, the expedition members erupted into cheers.
The unease and worry that had been simmering within them were replaced with a dazzling surge of hope, anticipation, and desire.
Ray looked at Gaiole and thought:
*He seems to be quite skilled at stirring people’s emotions.*
“Then, let’s depart!”
The convoy—over a dozen vehicles carrying a total of 33 expedition members—aligned into formation and sped off into the wasteland.
The bus took its place at the rear of the line.
“……”
The boy’s dry gaze landed on the side mirror that rattled constantly.
The road, rapidly shrinking and vanishing behind them, told him that the vehicles were heading ever deeper into uncharted territory, beyond the reach of mankind.
From beside him, Veronica spoke.
“I’m a little nervous. It’s the first time I’ve completely left the road and entered the wasteland like this. What about you, Ray?”
“I’m not especially nervous… but I *am* curious. I wonder what’s at the end of the wasteland.”
“Hmm… Maybe the end of a rainbow?”
“The end of a rainbow?”
“Yeah. There’s that old story, right? That the two ends of a rainbow are anchored somewhere in the earth.”
“…That might be true.”
As he replied, Ray looked out the window.
The repetitive landscape speeding by somehow began to weigh on him, and the fatigue from the past few days—spent pushing his body with little sleep—swept over him.
…And in the moment he unintentionally closed his eyes—
—*Hey, kid. We’re stopping. We’ll have lunch and take a short break before moving again.*
Demper’s voice came through the radio.
“Copy.”
Ray responded and checked the time. It was already past noon.
“Veronica, how long was I asleep?”
“Two hours, thirty-two minutes, and thirty-one seconds!”
“Liar. You changed the clock while I was asleep, didn’t you?”
“……”
Veronica narrowed her eyes and reached to pinch his arm, but Ray quickly got up from his seat.
When he stepped off the bus, he saw the vehicles stopped in formation and members of the expedition stretching and moving around nearby.
*Tak tak tak—*
Ray headed toward Gaiole and Demper, who were speaking in front of something in the distance.
“Ah, Ray. That was quite a long drive—how are you holding up?”
“Kid, judging by your unchanging expression, I take it you don’t get motion sickness.”
Ray nodded, answering both at once, and stopped to look at the object they were facing.
A long rod planted in the ground.
On top of it, a square panel was attached.
*A signpost?*
Made of white metal, its form certainly resembled a signpost.
But what drew Ray’s questioning gaze was the fact that there was no text or image on the panel.
Just then, Gaiol placed his palm against it.
*Wuuung—*
A holographic map appeared in the previously empty space.
“Mr. Gaiole, at this distance, how much farther do we have to travel?”
“If we went in a straight line, it’d take a day. But factoring in various variables, we’ll likely need three days of travel to reach the ruins.”
On the detailed map displaying terrain, two locations were marked.
Their current location—
And far off in the distance, a place filled with geometric buildings.
Gaiole took out his notebook, compared the hologram with the map he had previously copied, and then raised his gun and aimed at the signpost.
*Bang—! Bang—! Bang—!*
A volley of gunshots punched holes in the signpost, and it toppled over.
Startled, one of the expedition members hurried over and asked,
“Mr. Gaiole, if I’m not mistaken, isn’t that one of the old era’s signposts? I heard they indicate the location of ruins—are you sure it’s okay to destroy it like that…?”
“No need to worry. We already made a copy of the map. And if we destroy it now, there’s no chance that some other expedition will follow the signpost and end up at the same ruins as us, right?”
“Ah, I see…!”
At Gaiole’s nonchalant response, the member’s expression relaxed.
“I place the safety and profit of this expedition above all else. Every action I take has its reason—pass that message on to the others as well.”
…That he places the safety and profit of the expedition above all else.
Ray stared at Gaiole’s figure and thought,
*We’ll see about that.*
Afterward, a short break and lunch began.
There was no shared food distribution or group meal; everyone handled it individually with the provisions they had brought.
*Clack!*
Ray unfolded a portable table in the bus’s shade.
Eating preserved food with the others, he quietly observed the other members.
“……”
More precisely, his eyes were fixed solely on the emerald-haired noblewoman, Grine, and her two disciples.
He had only briefly caught a glimpse of her back at the inn.
Yet the feeling he experienced then had embedded itself into his body like a thorn—it still hadn’t gone away.
…He couldn’t quite put a name to it. It was like something on the edge of awareness, just out of reach.
Then, his gaze met the noblewoman’s.
And when she rose from her seat and began walking toward him—
*Ah.*
At last, the boy understood what that feeling had been.
It was the exact same sensation he felt when he encountered the yellow gemstone in Sector 46.
