Episode 325: The Empire State Building
A grand, hotel-like entrance. Yuma and his companions stepped into the Empire State Building alongside the three Americans.
Yuma knew the name of the famous building, at least.
But seeing it in person was far beyond his imagination. The entrance had a chic color scheme, like an art museum.
From there, a beautiful lobby welcomed visitors.
As Yuma stood there dumbfounded, Jack, who was walking ahead, turned around.
“Pretty amazing, huh! All the residents have evacuated. So we can use this building as much as we want. It’s not a place commoners like us would normally come to, though.”
Yuma could only reply with a “Huh…” to Jack’s cheerful laughter.
They walked through the luxurious lobby and stopped in front of the elevators. Rod, the white Seeker, pressed a button.
The six of them got into the elevator and headed to the upper floors. The floor the white man pressed was the 68th floor.
Seeing that, Akito frowned.
“Is it alright to go to such a high floor? The Gold Dragon is flying around, so we might get attacked.”
“It’s okay, don’t worry. The Gold Dragon doesn’t come near this area.”
Rod said with a laugh. Akito, puzzled, asked, “What do you mean?” Nikolai, another white man, explained.
“This building and the nearby buildings have anti-monster weapons deployed. The monsters know that, so they don’t come close.”
Yuma and the others understood. It was the same as what was deployed in England.
Yuma recalled someone mentioning that America had them too.
Akito asked, “So, monsters don’t come near this area?” Jack answered this time.
“No, there are only anti-air weapons. They can’t defend against monsters coming from the ground. That’s why we use rooms on the higher floors as much as possible.”
Akito crossed his arms and muttered “I see,” and Yuma and Rui nodded in understanding.
While they were having that conversation, the elevator arrived at the 68th floor. When they got out, a glittering golden corridor stretched out before them.
Isn’t this a bit too extravagant? Yuma thought, but his spirits were lifted by being in a place he rarely got to visit.
The three American Seekers stood in front of a door and entered without knocking.
Yuma and the others followed. It wasn’t a normal room, but a conference room used for business. There were about ten people inside, of various genders, ages, and races.
“What’s up, Jack? Who are these people?”
A burly man in his thirties walked over. He shook Jack’s hand firmly and patted him on the back.
Jack turned to look at Yuma and the others.
“I found them in the city. They seem to be Seekers from Japan.”
“Japan!? Did they come all the way across the sea? I can hardly believe it…”
Ignoring the bewildered white man, Jack turned his gaze to Yuma and his group.
“Let me introduce you. This is Orlando, the leader of the Seeker Clan ‘Direwolf’. He’s a good guy, so feel free to ask him anything you don’t understand.”
Jack slapped Orlando on the shoulder. Orlando looked annoyed, but he gave Yuma and the others a bright smile.
“Well, no matter where you came from, this is a very dangerous place. I think it would be wise not to stay long.”
“Where is there a place that isn’t dangerous?”
Akito joked, and Rui cautioned him, “Akito!” Akito didn’t seem to care, put his hands behind his head, and whistled.
“That’s true. It would be difficult to return to Japan now. If you’re willing, would you like to join us?”
“We appreciate that. What kind of activities do you do, Orlando-san? And are there any other members of the Seeker Clan?”
Rui asked, and Orlando replied with a smile.
“There are about twenty members in the Seeker Clan, including me. We are a mid-level Seeker Clan in America. We don’t handle such important missions. Our job is to monitor the movements of monsters in this area. We report that regularly.”
“Report? Is there a way to report?”
Rui asked with interest.
“Haha, that’s right. It’s been a while since we could communicate, so you’re probably wondering how we do it. It’s faster to see it in person. Come this way.”
Orlando led Yuma and the others out of the room and to another room on the same floor.
He opened the door, and the moment he stepped inside, Yuma exclaimed, “Ah!”
There were several ‘cages’ there. Yuma immediately understood how Orlando and the others were communicating.
“Pigeons! You’re using carrier pigeons to communicate? That’s a surprisingly analog method.”
Akito looked around, impressed. Yuma and Rui couldn’t hide their surprise either. The room was a bit smelly, but they were told that they kept nearly a hundred pigeons here.
It was no wonder it smelled so bad.
“The American Military also has communication devices using Magitech Devices, but there aren’t many of them. For us on the lower rungs, this is the only means of communication.”
“But aren’t the pigeons attacked by monsters when they’re released? Or killed along the way…”
To Rui’s question, Orlando laughed heartily.
“The only monsters that attack pigeons are Gold Dragons, but those monsters don’t care about pigeons. There’s a much higher chance of them being attacked by hawks or crows.”
Rui seemed convinced.
However, Yuma was still not entirely satisfied. He didn’t think the current situation would change even if they grasped the movements of the monsters.
What exactly was America planning to do in the future?
“Orlando-san, is the American government still functioning? Or are the Seekers leading the way in fighting the monsters?”
To Yuma’s question, Orlando smiled.
“If you’re from overseas, that’s probably the first thing you’re wondering about. The American government is functioning properly, and the Seekers are still around. Right now, the Seekers and the military are working together in a solid partnership. Well, the ultimate goal is to defeat that guy.”
“That guy?”
When Yuma asked, Orlando slightly raised the corner of his mouth.
“A monster called the God of Destruction… the Yellow King, Gardomund. Our job is to watch out for him, to see if he comes near here.”