GalaxyTL
Episode 22
It had been ten minutes since we discussed the temple.
We moved to a meeting room on the floor below the CEO's office.
Surprisingly, the meeting room was already prepared for the presentation.
Mr. Minsoo stood with a microphone in hand, ready with his PowerPoint on the screen.
“Let’s start the briefing on the temple construction plan.”
I looked between Mr. Minsoo and the screen, then couldn't help but laugh as I asked, “Brother Minsoo, did you prepare all this in just ten minutes?”
Mr. Minsoo lowered his head slightly, as if embarrassed, and replied, “Actually, these are concepts I've already prepared.”
“Since when?”
“Since the day the Pope saved me and Mr. Rimen rescued me. I've believed building a temple for Mr. Rimen on Earth is my mission.”
I can't understand the mindset of a fanatic.
Just because she treated him once, he thinks he should build a temple for her.
Who in the world thinks like that?
But unlike me, who couldn’t understand at all, Leo, sitting next to me, started nodding and clapping.
Clap clap clap.
“What a wonderful worker you are. I can't help but admire Brother Minsoo's devotion. Mr. Rimen will surely be pleased.”
It seems there’s some understanding among the fanatics.
Leo, who had been maintaining a stern expression, now looked moved.
And with Leo's sincere words, Mr. Minsoo bowed deeply in response.
“I’m just doing what I should!”
“I will always pray for you, brother.”
I sighed as I watched their ongoing interaction.
“Save the grooming for later. Let’s continue the presentation.”
Only then did the presentation resume.
Mr. Minsoo nodded once and displayed a screenshot of his MyTube on the screen.
“This is a method I tried a few times on my MyTube channel. It's a way to engage viewers more actively and is familiar to most users.”
I nodded as I looked at the picture on the screen.
“Community voting.”
“Correct. We mainly used this method to finalize new content, and it received a good response.”
I remembered seeing the MyTube community voting system often before I was abducted to Eden.
It was highly accessible with just a click.
Although the main content of MyTube has changed, the systems I remember are still the same.
Mr. Minsoo continued his presentation calmly.
“Handing over the choice of the temple site to the public means starting from a completely different point than traditional religions. It will be easier to build an image of a communicating, participating religion as the Pope desires.”
It sounded plausible.
The frame of "a religion made together" was an image I had envisioned from the start.
Moreover, I had already discussed this matter with Mr. Rimen.
However, there is a problem here.
I lightly clasped my hands on the table and asked Mr. Minsoo.
“I want the first temple of the sect to be built in a place with special significance.”
It’s the first temple of the Rimen sect on Earth.
I didn't want to build it in a place simply because it had a lot of foot traffic or was frequently visited, like other religious facilities.
But Mr. Minsoo smiled as if he had been waiting for my question and moved to the next slide in his PPT.
A familiar yet unfamiliar photo appeared on the screen.
Gyeongbokgung Palace, the representative ancient palace in Jongno.
This was a scene I already knew, but the large blue wall erected next to Gyeongbokgung was an unfamiliar element.
“The Pope must feel strange seeing that huge wall after returning in five years.”
With those words, he pressed the remote, and the screen showed a photo of a desolate area with the words “Ground Zero.”
A place where there were no longer any traces of people.
The huge blue wall surrounding the area made it even more desolate.
“This place is called Ground Zero. Five years ago, it was the first place where the Chaos Gate appeared after the Dimension Opening began. It's located in Gahoe-dong, Jongno-gu, near Bukchon Hanok Village.”
“I understand.”
“The photo displayed now is an old one, taken outside the wall. We can’t show you the inside as it’s impossible to take pictures there. Please note that.”
I remembered visiting the place with my family.
I nodded lightly, and Mr. Minsoo continued speaking.
“After many sacrifices, we managed to destroy the core of the gate, but the process took so long that we couldn’t avoid the magical contamination in the central area. Although the development of magic purification technology has allowed us to purify the contamination in the outer regions...”
“You couldn't solve the contamination in the central area. So you blocked it off with walls.”
“Exactly. The wall is made of five layers, including an inner wall containing mithril, a mineral that can absorb magic.”
Magic can push its possessor beyond their limits, but too much of anything is problematic.
Extreme magic causes contamination, and contamination disrupts the existing order.
The result of destruction is, of course, disaster. Land contaminated by magic can no longer nurture life.
Like that dead city in the picture.
“Ground Zero isn't only in Seoul. It also exists in Daejeon and Busan. But this place feels more special to the people of Korea because it's the first Ground Zero in the country.”
At first, I wondered why Mr. Minsoo was talking about Ground Zero out of the blue.
But looking at his passionately burning eyes, I could easily understand why.
After taking a sip of water, I spoke slowly.
“So, Brother Minsoo, you think our sect should build a temple there, right?”
“If we can build our temple in Ground Zero, the Rimen sect will gain a lot. For instance, salvation and hope. These kinds of icons.”
I had never imagined it before, but hearing his presentation made me smile.
Indeed, a 5.4 million MyTuber didn't get to that position by luck alone.
But there were some problems.
I furrowed my brows slightly and asked Mr. Minsoo.
“Is it possible to build a temple on contaminated land?”
“Of course, it needs to be purified.”
“But the government couldn't do it.”
“Just as Mr. Rimen showed a miracle through the Pope's hands by purifying the curse of the Lich in Guro-gu, I believe Mr. Rimen will show another miracle.”
At those words, Leo, who had been silent until then, nodded and responded.
“You’re right, brother.”
“Hey.”
“Yes, Your Holiness.”
“Then why don’t you become the Pope instead?”
“...I’m sorry.”
Magic contamination is fundamentally different from the Lich's miasma. Purifying it through holy power has clear limits.
But it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Because I now had the Symbol of Rimen.
If I proclaimed a sanctuary in the contaminated area with the Symbol of Rimen, the purification effect would be considerable.
However, I couldn’t proclaim the entire area as a sanctuary yet.
Since it’s not entirely impossible, let’s move on.
I raised another question that had been nagging at me since earlier.
“Assuming we build a temple in Ground Zero, you said earlier that we’d decide the site through voting. If people don't vote for Ground Zero, wouldn't it be a useless plan?”
Balancing public participation and symbolism.
Is it possible to catch both rabbits?
But Mr. Minsoo changed the screen again, as if he had been waiting for my question.
“We will provide two options in the community vote.”
There were two options on the screen, as Mr. Minsoo said.
“Prototype: Vote for Your Temple!”
Wouldn't it be better to build it in a place with a lot of foot traffic and good accessibility? – Gangnam Station or Hongdae Entrance
Absolutely not here – Ground Zero
After staring at the options for a while, I spoke to Mr. Minsoo in disbelief.
“You call this a vote?”
Mr. Minsoo nodded confidently.
“It is a vote. Just with a touch of unfairness...”
“Will people really vote for option 2?”
Mr. Minsoo replied firmly.
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Do you remember the green onion chocolate cereal incident in the early 2000s?”
After pondering his answer for a moment, I nodded.
“It’ll work.”
Building a temple near Gangnam Station or Hongdae Entrance versus building it near Ground Zero.
The basic common sense is to build religious facilities in accessible locations. Therefore, it would generally be considered common sense to build the temple in the areas mentioned first, rather than in Ground Zero, where no one can access it.
So, if someone truly cared about the Rimen sect and wanted its development, they would vote for option 1, Gangnam Station.
However, expecting an online community vote to flow ‘sensibly’ is almost impossible.
Immediately after the meeting with Mr. Minsoo, a simple promotional video featuring me and the vote went live on his channel.
The video was nothing special.
I just appeared in my priestly robe, saying, "Vote for your temple!"
The vote was conducted from 6 PM yesterday to 4 PM today. The results are as follows.
“Vote for Your Temple!”
Wouldn't it be better to build it in a place with a lot of foot traffic and good accessibility? – Gangnam Station or Hongdae Entrance / 3.6%
Absolutely not here – Ground Zero / 96.4%
Though it left a bitter taste, it went as planned.
People tend to want to do what they're told not to, but looking at the comments on the vote and the video, it was clear what image our sect had.
“How long will this concept last?”
“LOL, he still doesn't get it after returning from another world. Gangnam Station? No way. Straight to Ground Zero.”
“Guys, I'll make a prediction. They'll overturn the vote within a week.”
“They couldn’t solve the magical contamination at Ground Zero in the US. How can we? If they really build a temple there, I'll donate all my assets. By the way, I own Dogecoin.”
“Next delisted coin.”
“Brother Minsoo... have you really become a cultist? I'm disappointed. I'm unsubscribing.”
“Why can’t I believe this guy is an irregular? Honestly, upper-ranked hunters can catch Liches too, right?”
“Yeah, there's even talk that the supernatural management department manipulated it on purpose.”
It seems the public’s opinion won’t change easily, despite my activities in Guro-gu and Yeouido.
However, it did attract a lot of attention.
Many journalists are enthusiastically spreading stories with titles like The New Steps of the Irregular, Irregular Kim Siwoo, Declaration of Purifying Seoul’s Ground Zero?
And most importantly,
[The main quest “Expansion of the Faith – Temple” conditions have been updated.] [Condition: Use the holy relic Symbol of Rimen to establish a sanctuary in Seoul’s Ground Zero.] [Warning! If a sanctuary is established in a location other than the designated area, you will acquire the penalty trait Distrust. The holy score you gain will be halved with the Distrust trait.]
The main quest condition was also specified.
Although the penalty for failure is concerning, it doesn't matter much.
I've already made up my mind.
I liked Mr. Minsoo's presentation from yesterday.
An icon of salvation and hope.
It might be an excessive exaggeration, but it was a title that sounded nice.
So I proceeded immediately.
Since Ground Zero is officially managed by the government, the first thing I did was meet Team Leader Kim.
Team Leader Kim, who had already been monitoring me, responded promptly to my contact, and as always, we met at the café in front of my house.
“I'll get straight to the point. Access to Ground Zero is currently impossible.”
I was firmly rejected from the start.
It was such a firm rejection that I could only laugh helplessly and ask for a reason.
“Can I at least know why?”
“It’s not because there’s a problem with your plan, Mr. Siwoo. I want to make that clear. Please don’t misunderstand.”
“Then why...?”
With a big sigh, Team Leader Kim lowered his head and replied.
“Currently, there is a serious problem within Seoul’s Ground Zero that we are investigating.”
... Causality, it’s you again?