NOVEL NEXT Not long after the girl exited the room.
A little further away from that place,
an unusual and slightly bizarre sight unfolded—quite different from what one might typically see at Base 17.
“New Officer.”
A woman’s voice echoed through the hallway.
Quiet yet brimming with power.
It bore a tone fitting for the haughty and proud, yet there was an odd authority in her voice that seemed to command respect just by being heard.
“You’re late. Do you have anything to say?”
As the woman moved slightly, the several layers of golden bracelets on her wrist jingled jingle jingle.
She wore a thin fabric covered in golden scales, an odd necklace resembling an eye hung around her waist.
Though her attire might befit a quaint culture, the woman showed no signs of embarrassment, standing confidently.
Around her stood a substantial number of researchers and agents, all kneeling before her as if filming an ancient religious drama.
“Apologies. I couldn’t come to see you dressed appropriately.”
A familiar voice came from the man positioned right in front of the woman.
Oliver Smith, a middle-aged man donned in a white lab coat.
Originally the Responsible Researcher overseeing Base 17, for some reason he was now groveling before the woman, speaking in an outdated manner as if addressing someone of high status.
“….”
An ice-cold silence enveloped the hallway.
After all, his words would only come off as excuses.
His shabby outerwear and slightly loose tie, combined with the lab coat showing days of tedious work without a wash, didn’t inspire any thoughts of cleanliness.
Perhaps angered by his half-baked defense, the woman merely glared at him in silence—
“…I see. Well, that can’t be helped. I shall forgive you.”
After a light yet ethereal tone, she effortlessly dismissed what seemed like an unforgivable excuse.
“Ahem! Anyway, I called you here because something absolutely intolerable has occurred. You must clarify this matter in detail.”
“Apologies. Regardless of the reasons, I will ensure it never happens again.”
“Hmph. You speak well. Wasn’t it your duty to prevent such occurrences in the first place?”
A small cough interrupted the moment.
“Now, explain to me in a way I can understand. Why has there been a dreadful offering made to me, the divine embodiment of strength and beauty, Neferloot…?”
The woman raised one hand.
The air began to shift.
After a strong wind swept through, she revealed a small bag floating above her hand—
“Such a horrible poison offered as a sacrifice!”
The little bag was adorned with a popular snack brand and bore images of something that looked like a mix of mint and chocolate.
—
Abnormal Phenomena Report
Phenomenon No. 3740
Alias: “Innocent God, Neferloot”
Danger Level Classification: Level V (Extreme Danger)
Phenomenon No. 3740 is a humanoid entity discovered in North African ruins, claiming to be the god Neferloot worshipped in a civilization that perished around the year ████ BC.
This abnormal phenomenon exhibits transcendent abilities that defy physical laws, such as weather manipulation and spatial distortion, and has proven to be highly resistant to various forms of mental contamination and reality alteration.
Phenomenon No. 3740 is characterized by extreme arrogance and pride, viewing humanity as beneath it and trivializing their lives.
Due to this nature, the phenomenon currently poses a serious threat to human society; however, it has been established that this can be mitigated by the phenomenon’s characteristics.
Should someone praise the appearance or abilities of Phenomenon No. 3740, it will instantly become extremely amicable towards that individual.
Notably, when referred to as its ‘devotee,’ Phenomenon No. 3740 displays a significant degree of intimacy and trust towards its follower, showing no doubt towards anything that follower says.
—
Isolation Room Lockdown Procedures
Phenomenon No. 3740 is currently contained in an isolation room at Base 17, remodeled similarly to the ancient ruins of a bygone civilization.
All personnel must believe that Base 17 functions as a grand temple for housing this phenomenon and must profess to be its devotees.
Once a week, seven individuals must enter the isolation room to conduct a ritual.
This ritual consists of repeatedly praising its appearance or powers, or simply flattery for an hour.
Additionally, Phenomenon No. 3740 must be offered at least seven different types of snacks as sacrifices once a week.
Finally, the base’s overall manager must refer to themselves as the New Officer and report the offerings made to Phenomenon No. 3740 on the first day of each month.
This report is made by presenting a bag filled with various cheap jewels, perfumes, papers, or replicas of famous artworks to the phenomenon.
The offerings are moved to a storage area referred to as the temple’s treasury, and since Phenomenon No. 3740 does not check these offerings again, it has been confirmed that offerings once made can be reused anytime.
—
Lockdown Procedure Change Records
██ ██ Senior Researcher: About the types of sacrifices offered to Phenomenon No. 3740, there’s just too many. Particularly, I have no clue how to prepare those fruits I’ve never even heard of.
███ ███ Senior Researcher: Well, they’re all just sugary items anyway, right? We could give snacks instead, can’t we?
██ ██ Senior Researcher: …Would that work? No matter how easily fooled Phenomenon No. 3740 is, that seems—
Confirmed: Sacrifices offered to Phenomenon No. 3740 can be replaced with various commercial products.
Considering the management office’s budget, sacrifices to this phenomenon have since been changed to the cheapest possible.
—
██ ██ Senior Researcher: About the offerings made to Phenomenon No. 3740, isn’t the waste too excessive?
███ ███ Senior Researcher: Right? Because it’s gold and jewels. Just one bag could let you live like royalty for a lifetime.
██ ██ Senior Researcher: To be honest, our base’s finances seem to be tightening up. Is there any solution?
███ ███ Senior Researcher: Hmm… What if we just give fake jewels or gold-plated stuff? It should go undetected, right?
██ ██ Senior Researcher: What nonsense are you spouting… Even so, do you really think Phenomenon No. 3740 wouldn’t distinguish between fake jewels and gold plating? That’s quite the ridiculous—
Confirmed: It has been verified that Phenomenon No. 3740 cannot distinguish the authenticity of luxurious items such as masterpieces or jewels.
Considering the management office’s finances, all offerings made to this phenomenon will be changed to replicas from now on.
—
██ ██ Senior Researcher: The storage filled with useless trash is overflowing.
███ ███ Senior Researcher: Call it the offering treasury instead!
██ ██ Senior Researcher: Sure, it can be called that. Anyway, we’re running out of space. At this rate, there won’t be an empty storage room in the base.
███ ███ Senior Researcher: Hmm… Wouldn’t it be okay to clear out one or two storages? After all, none have ever revisited the offerings once made.
██ ██ Senior Researcher: Why not just keep one bag for offerings and dispose of the rest? We can rotate the one we keep!
███ ███ Senior Researcher: Oh, that actually sounds good! Why not give it a shot?
██ ██ Senior Researcher: Are you serious? Do you think it won’t notice if the same item is offered every month? It might even get whimsically curious about the storage. Taking that risk is a straight-up foolish idea—
Confirmed: It has been verified that Phenomenon No. 3740 does not notice if the offerings made to it are identical repeatedly.
To conserve the management office’s budget and the space of Base 17, it has been decided to reuse pre-existing offerings from now on.
—
After the last change in the isolation room lockdown procedures,
any further changes to the containment procedures of Phenomenon No. 3740 will now require approval from the Ethics Committee.