Chapter 1122 – Descartes Origin (Part 1)

000

Several years have passed since Oldburn Descartes became a member of the Returners.

He had many talents, but his greatest talent was running a business and using people to generate profits.

Thanks to this, my wealth keeps increasing even if I stay still.

He began to search for artifacts sunk in the sea less and less often.

As I entered my late 20s, it was a bit embarrassing to call myself a young person.

Oldburn, a sailor who steered his ship against the sea breeze and the sun, was said to have become younger as his rough face regained its vitality as the situation worsened, and he went out less often. Br〉

However, this does not mean that he lost his vitality in life or that his body became weak.

It was because he had something new to focus on, and because he was so absorbed in it, he ended up neglecting his existing work.

What. Even if he doesn’t go out himself, if things run smoothly, there won’t be any problems.

Whatever Oldburn’s thoughts, it was true that it felt like a turning point even for the returnees.

That’s why Maxwell, an executive of the Returners and a high-ranking priest of the Church of God’s Protection, visited the home of Oldburn, a colleague who had not been seen by the executives for several months.

A small, common house built in a corner of Eratus, and numerous relics that are enough to make the eyes of the people living underground widen in astonishment.

Just by taking some of it and waving it gently in front of nobles who like rare things, an ordinary person could earn enough money to live on for several years.

Of course, there was an additional purpose, which was that Maxwell used his status as a member of the church to build connections with nobles.

But recently, Maxwell realized that among the artifacts Oldburn was sending out for sale, there were no specific genres.

That wasn’t really a problem.

For example, he was interested in artifacts related to religion, while Darwin and Laplace were interested in artifacts related to biology or fossils of rare creatures.

However, unlike the scholar-types themselves, Oldburn was only interested in the sea, ships, and alcohol, so the fact that he is starting to take interest in specific relics may be a good thing or a bad thing for the returnee. .

As someone who claims to be the coordinator of regressors, it was necessary to confirm.

“Haha. I’m sorry. “If you’re in the basement, you can’t really hear the outside sounds.”

＂… Yes, I think so.＂

I knocked several times at the entrance to the mansion and raised my voice to call for someone, but three hours had passed since I waited in front of Old Burn without him coming out.

Oldburn, who had come up from the basement to get some fresh air, finally realized that Maxwell was visiting and let him in.

And the two of them sat on the sofa in a well-stocked living room facing a messy table with used tools and books left over from reading.

The chaos in the house was as if someone had come in and robbed the house, but then gave up and said, ‘Hey, there’s nothing to take.’

“If you’re going to neglect organizing your house, why not hire a worker? If you had the wealth, it would be possible to hire double-digit people.”

＂There is no need. It’s not a place where I can welcome anyone, but as long as I don’t have any inconveniences, it’s okay.”

Old Burn, who spoke like that, had dark charcoal marks on his face, probably because he had been working underground a little while ago.

Looking at Oldburn like that, Maxwell spoke.

“It seems like you really liked it. With ‘machines’.”

The type of artifact that Oldburn was interested in and began to study on his own was ‘machines’.

The original world built mechanical engineering technology so advanced that it was called a ‘machine civilization’ and used it to replace tasks that humans could not do.

According to surviving books, in the past, airships that were as fast as wyverns flew freely roamed the sky.

It is said that there was a train that moved halfway above the ground under its own power, and was able to transport people from one end of the country to another in one day.

As for airships in the Succession World, they are nothing more than huge contraptions that are used as warships and take a year to transport people.

It was difficult to dream of a train-type vehicle unless it was a huge country such as an empire or kingdom, and its contents were primitive.

The flow of logistics and people was incomparably faster than today, so the speed of development must have been dazzling.

It was an ideal world for the father of all things, and at the same time, it was a world so perfect that it could not be compared to the present.

In order to recreate the scenes of the original world, the development of mechanical engineering technology had to come first.

In that sense, such changes in Oldburn may be desirable for returnees as well.

“Ah. If these are used properly, the quality of human life will improve by several levels.”

However, Old Burn’s condition, with his voice full of vitality but his face looking ‘squat’ due to fatigue, was not very desirable.

It’s easy to become absorbed in something and neglect other things, but seeing him as if his arms were thinner than before, Maxwell couldn’t help but sigh.

“It would be nice if you could pay as much attention to yourself as you do to those artifacts. When was the last time you had a proper meal yesterday? “Three days ago?”

At the same time, what catches Maxwell’s attention is the dishes piled up on his work desk that have not even been washed properly and have been left unattended.

Rather than feeling unhygienic, the dust had accumulated to the point where I was concerned about how long it had been there.

“Ah… It’s okay. Even though it’s not at the level of a meal, I’m still putting something in my mouth.”

Oldburn spoke as if to dispel Maxwell’s worries, but Maxwell shook his head.

First of all, since we were in a relationship like a ‘colleague’, it was natural that I would be worried that I wouldn’t be able to see him lead such a disorganized life.

For the sake of the returnee’s cause, there was something he had to ‘prepare’.

So, Maxwell quietly relayed the story he brought to Oldburn.

Of course, Old Burn’s reaction upon his return was an expression that seemed absurd.

“Are you asking me to get married?”

“Yes, that’s right. … It’s not that surprising. There are many people who find a partner and start a family at a younger age than you.”

On the contrary, if he had been a sailor in his energetic days, it would not have been strange if he had laid hands on one or two women in his youth.

“… Do you think I would do something like that? When returning to land after a few weeks or months, the first thing to do is to lie down on a bed that does not shake and sleep, and then eat cold ale and meat, which were difficult to drink on the sea.”

“It seems like you’ve led a healthy life, so I’m very proud of you.”

Maxwell shook his head at Oldburn’s answer.

I know. Maxwell too.

I have known Oldburn for over 10 years.

The behavior he shows towards Madame, and the inner thoughts that come out without his knowledge during conversation, are the attitude that ‘I don’t know much about women’.

In other words, he was a ‘sukmaek’.

Unlike Maxwell, who naturally had many opportunities to interact with women, including nuns, while working in a religious order, Oldburn spent her childhood on a ship surrounded by only men.

It may have been natural to not have immunity.

“But even so, it is important to us that you have a family.”

＂Even for regressors…?＂

Oldburn reacts by asking what that means.

The first thought that came to his mind was that if he had a family, it would become a weakness, and he would be at a disadvantage in the future.

Do the regressors want that? That was what I was thinking, but the answer I received from Maxwell was in a different direction than I expected.

＂Reincarnation factor… I’m sure you told me this when you first joined the Returner. Even if they die and this body is destroyed. It is said that one can be reborn as a descendant of a close blood relative.”

＂Ah… Now that I think about it. There was a story like that.”

＂You also reincarnated as the successor to that previous life. Ha, in order to avoid the same problem as you are experiencing again, it would be better for you to have an immediate family.”

Since birth awareness flows in the blood of blood relatives, the closer it is passed on to blood relatives, the higher the chance of inheriting the memories and abilities that the person had in their previous life.

However, Descartes, Oldburn’s predecessor, did not leave behind any proper family, and he had no descendants or close relatives who could be called direct descendants.

So, I went back through the family tree of the dead Descartes and searched again, and what I finally found was Oldburn.

Old Burn, who was a distant relative to the point where he could almost be called a ‘man’, was perhaps due to a slight inheritance of his previous life, but he had no awareness of being a member of the returnees and had lost all the knowledge his ancestors had.

As a returner, it would be a situation that can only be described as a ‘huge loss.’

In order to prevent such a situation, I wanted him to have children when he was young because he was happy with anyone.

At least, in one generation, there will be a regressor who inherits what is now known as Descartes.

“Do you understand? That having a family is not just important to you?”

＂Haa… Well. For now.”

Despite Maxwell’s paradox, Oldburn must have reacted indifferently.

As expected, he may find marriage a nuisance and feel that family is something of a restraint.

However, Maxwell slowly persuaded Old Burn with the skillful counseling skills he had accumulated during his long career as a priest.

Oldburn, who had reacted with annoyance at first, seemed to slowly begin to listen to what he said.

When the sermon, which lasted about an hour, was over, Maxwell would sigh, ‘Huh.’

＂Do you understand?＂

＂Okay, okay. Because I understand. I never thought I would hear such a long sermon from you…”

In the end, even Oldburn will look tired.

But soon, he looked somewhat worried.

“… I know it’s necessary to have a family. But… I’m worried about whether I can do well. Giving affection to someone or truly loving someone. Because I’ve never experienced anything like that.”

When Oldburn answered like that, Max El smiled slightly.

“It’s okay, Descartes.”

Encouraging people and encouraging them was like a basic skill for a priest.

＂Because there is no need for that.＂

＂…＂

＂Having a family is something that you can do to make your life a little more normal, but at the same time, it is also something that you can do to secure your next life. There is no need to bring personal feelings into it. Please think of it as a mere formality and an investment for the future. When you run a business, you’re good at it, right?”

It doesn’t matter whether what’s there is ‘true’ or ‘false’.

Everything is just a means to the returner’s ultimate goal.

After saying that, Maxwell soon left Oldburn.

Oldburn had a subtle expression on his face as he looked at his colleague who left behind words that could not possibly be attributed to a priest.

As it was, several years passed, and I never saw Maxwell again.

And, three years later…

001

Haha! Look, Maxwell! This child is my child!”

Oldburn is smiling and talking with his face pulled towards the baby he is holding.

In three years, he took a wonderful and considerate beauty as his wife and had a golden child…

As a result, he was a public wife and at the same time became a wealthy person.