The busy skyline of Arbosienn quieted down as I traveled north, leaving the centre of the metropolis for my destination. The thin, carefully built spires were still plentiful in number, scattered across the blocks of land.

Whether alone or in clusters, those characteristic skyscrapers continued to impose their presence, no matter how high I jumped across the city’s heights.

*THUD*

Another landing, and then—

*BOOM*

I fired the jets from under my shoes, blasting off from the platform under me.

“Eighteen more jumps.”

Yeonjung had long since left for her own task, part of our coordinated effort to get in contact with a Magna assembler to complete my Path.

It really is difficult to navigate on my own. 

Unfortunately, traveling alone meant that no one was there to look at the map other than yourself.

“And I can’t look at the chat to pass the time, either.”

Plotting out the jump route using the platforms required an extensive level of focus, and looking anywhere other than ahead of yourself were definite grounds for a terrible collision with the city’s infrastructure.

*THUD*

*BLAM*

Even so, from this high up above the ground…

“I can see the mountains from here.”

The curiously ringed peaks of the range were visible even this late at night, illuminated by the stars that shone through Kamag’s sky unhindered.

“Arid Cisterns, was it?”

Their name on the map was one I’ve heard once before. Looking at how discretely raised the concentric layers were, it was sensible to believe that they were where the name of the mountains came from.

From here, I couldn’t see much of anything on them—though this may only be due to the lower visibility of the night.

I had the freedom go there and explore should I choose to do so, but…

“Maybe after I finish the job.”

The contact information for my assignment’s supervisor was in my system, but I decided to show up to the place first before getting in touch with them.

‘Bercai Sorap Community Storeyard, Clade Behelm’

Glancing at the map window, I accelerated the output of my jets to try and reach the place just that little bit sooner.

Long after Arbosienn’s spires became few and sparse, the swath of warehouses finally reached my eyes.

“Here we go.”

I completed the rest of my fifteen-something jumps, and landed on a platform close to the edge of a vast, fenced compound. Having gotten a good look of the area while in the air, I knew where the entrance was.

Not wasting any more time, I headed right of the street and reached the simple, unassuming gate into the place.

Right next to the entrance, the name of the area plastered itself on a board stuck onto the fences themselves.

‘Bercai Sorap Community Storeyard’

“Purpose of visit?”

A cognit stationed at the security post called out to me. I thought it to be the guard of the place, but the patches of dust and soot on its iron limbs suggested a humbler role.

“Reporting for a job?” I answered it. “For…”

Bringing out a window and reading out the name of my listed supervisor,

“…for Jurgen.”

“Jurgen.”

The autonomous construct looked at me with what I inferred to be a skeptical expression. A whirr sounded behind its face for a moment.

“Hold on.”

It went to the back of the post, leaving me by myself.

This may take a while.

That was what I thought, but the cognit reappeared just as I inched closer to the hut it was in.

“You’re Human, yes?” It asked.

“As far as I know.” I tentatively answered.

“That is a Human answer.”

It remarked without missing a beat. Going over the digital clipboard on its hand,

“Shou?”

“What?”

“Are you Shou?”

“Ah, no, I’m not.”

“Neysa?”

“Nope.”

“…Lispants?”

“Definitely not.”

The cognit went through a list of names, all of which I denied. I thought of just speaking my own name to cut the process short, but decided not to bother with it.

Finally,

“KC.”

“No—Yes! Yes, that’s me.”

“Understood. Perhaps I should read the list in reverse order next time.”

Please do, I thought to myself.

“Jurgen’s rented warehouse is the third one on the left of the fifth junction.”

The construct explained, motioning me to go through the gate.

“Most of his hires are already there, so you won’t miss it.”

“Alright, thank you.” I nodded.

Receiving a mere grunt from the living machine in return, I proceeded inside the storeyard and looked for the warehouse according to its instructions.

For a place as science fiction as Arbosienn was, the yards looked as dreary as they were in real life. If not for the occasional aerial transporter soaring overhead, I would have mistaken this part of the game for a workshop simulator.

Then again, this assignment is practically a general labour simulator.

Laughing at my own comment, I decided to use my jets to reach my destination more quickly; the huge expanse of land allowed generous distances to be held between each neighbouring storehouse, meaning that walking speed wouldn’t get me anywhere fast.

Eventually,

“Oh.”

Even with the lower altitude of my jumps, it wasn’t difficult for me to find Jurgen’s warehouse; the group of people hanging around outside the facility carrying out piles of goods from transporters was impossible to miss.

I hope I’m not too late.

With that thought in mind, I left the road and crossed the dirt plains directly towards the crowd.

---

I arrived on site to several half-curious, half-disinterested glances from the people. After a few seconds, everyone returned to their work like I wasn’t there.

“…Huh.”

Getting a closer look at everyone, I realized that most of them from non-Frontier races, apart from a few that (I think) were humans.

Looking at their suits and equipment, I could tell that a majority of them were explorers as well.

“So, what now…”

I found myself gawking at the hires doing their work, without doing anything myself. The Magna supervisor was also nowhere to be seen, leaving me with no idea what to do.

In this scenario…

“…Hi, hey.”

I held myself from contacting him and approached one of the workers instead.

“I’m here for the job from Jurgen?”

All that’s left is to hope he’s kind enough to answer.

“All of us are, you can tell.”

The bald, slender person responded with a relaxed smile. His demeanor was the type to laugh with a hand on his mouth if the load of slabs weren’t in the way.

“This must be your first assignment, am I right?” He asked.

“Ah, yes.” I meekly nodded.

“Jurgen’s out settling things with the loaders.”

A second voice called out from behind us. I turned around and saw its owner approach with another load of material, held between their pale, spiked limbs.

“Just help us bring the Covenrut blocks off the trucks and put them outside the warehouse for now.” They advised. “We’ll bring them in after he’s back.”

“Oh, okay.”

I stretched my arms a few times to get ready, and joined the group to do our work; it seems that the reporting will have to wait for later.

“Bringing them out now.”

Getting on the back of the cargo transporter, I hauled out the blocks of building material one by one, handing them over to the two people that talked to me. The hard, regularly cut rocks didn’t feel as heavy in my arms as I thought, despite being twice my size. They would even show the layered furls within their structure if the lights from the storeyard hit them just right.

“Wait.”

Furls? Like wood?

“This is what the spires are built from, isn’t it?”

…

The other two had already left with their loads to the warehouse; no one else was on the truck to answer my question.

“Uzzu?” I spoke into thin air.

“That is correct, Astronaut.”

The mascot’s voice calmly sounded in my ear. For some reason, Uzzu didn’t show itself like it usually did when answering our questions.

“The Covenrut Pillars are mineral growths that thrive in subterranean environments, propagating as quickly as several metres a year. Depending on the type nurtured, they are used extensively in many manufacturing and crafting industries.”

“Several metres per year…”

I honestly had no clue if that was quick or not.

Anyways,

Placing my hand on the rest of the blocks, I brought them into my inventory space to save time.

“…”

At least I planned to, until the system decided not to accept the fourth pile.

‘Insufficient Inventory Space’

…I thought I could get away with that.

Our virtual storage space was only for personal use after all.

Leaving the transporter, I headed over to the front of the warehouse and took the three blocks of Covenrut Pillar back out.

Even with its limits, my inventory system was awfully convenient for this assignment.

“Tch.”

“One day.”

Much to the chagrin of the other explorers, it seems; I didn’t miss their whispers as I left to get more Covenrut blocks to carry.

Were virtual storage systems rare in the Frontier, or could they just not afford them? Then again, cargo transporters and warehouses would be obsolete if people had unlimited inventory space.

“Quite decked out, aren’t you?”

The pale, scaly person was already on the truck when I arrived.

“Did you check if the blocks crushed any of your stuff?”

“…Oh.”

I hurriedly brought a window out and browsed my inventory.

“Phew.”

They did make a bit of a mess, but none of my valuables broke. The Spined Rake was bent in a weird shape, but the spirit inside assured me that it was a naturally-occurring thing.

“You didn’t tell us you had virtual inventory? Our work could have been easy.”

The other person joked as he approached us. Only now could I see the feathery marks on his arms, repeated all over his skin below the neck. 

“There are six more in here, Sanasi.” The one on the truck said to the other. “That should be enough for us; one each for both of us and four for the new guy.”

“Don’t tease the newcomer, Yodeir.”

The slender one reprimanded them. Turning to me,

“But it’s nice to have someone like you around, I won’t lie.”

“Ah, umm… You’re welcome I guess?”

From their attitude, the two of them didn’t seem like they were taking the job seriously, either.

This is weird.

I decided to keep quiet and store the three blocks of Covenrut Pillar in my inventory, carrying the fourth one with my own hands. The three of us went back to the warehouse, saying nothing in particular.

---

The first part of the assignment wrapped up not long after I joined.

“There wasn’t a lot to carry around, was there?”

Most of us hung around in front of the warehouse after we were done, keeping watch over the hundred-something blocks of Covenrut Pillar near the front entrance. Unlike us, the truck drivers didn’t bother to wait for Jurgen and quickly drove off after the last of the cargo was out.

…

No one really made small talk with each other. Perhaps as expected, everyone seemed to be comfortable with keeping to themselves.

“Haah…”

I reflexively let out a sigh. To say this was a drab situation would be an understatement, science fiction setting or not.

“What brings you here, Human?”

The bald, feather-patterned person reached out to me while I was lost in thought.

“It’s rare to see someone like you in a place like this; you seem like the carefree kind.”

“He’s definitely after something.” The other one crossed their combed arms. “You know how they are.”

For a second, my eyes felt like they lost focus on them, despite standing perfectly still before me.

“You’re not wrong.” I shrugged. “Anyways, before that,”

I held my hand out to them.

“My name is KC… Human from the Solar System.”

“Introductions, of course.”

It was the feathered individual who returned my handshake, followed reluctantly by the pale-looking one.

“I’m Sanasi, Human-Halyca mix. You can say I’m from this system, though not from any particular planet.”

“Yodeir, Riinacsh; Kamag born and raised, just to get that out of the way.”

“…Oh.”

It took a few moments to realize that these two probably weren’t explorers. Having noticed the dumbfounded expression on my face,

“We’ve known each other for a while.” Sanasi laughed, covering his mouth with a hand. “It’s quite a coincidence that you’re talking to the only two people in this group who aren’t travelers.”

“I guess?” I weakly laughed along. “I’m super new to this whole thing, so…”

“Now that makes more sense.” Yodeir sniffed. “You clearly need the experience.”

“Yeah.” I nodded along without missing a beat. The Riinacsh didn’t seem to like me as much as their friend for some reason.

“So, back to my question.”

On the other hand, the Halyca half-born didn’t let himself detract from the topic.

“You don’t look like you need the money, KC. Are you trying to get something out of the Covenrut industry?”

“Well, um.”

I would rather not share my intentions with people I just met, if I can help it.

“…Not telling, I see.” Sanasi sighed. “Let’s hope it’s not anything shady, why don’t we?”

Sanasi’s smile belied a firm, authoritative warning I did not expect from him.

“It’s fine… I think.” I strung out my response.

At this point, I didn’t know either. There was nothing inherently wrong with trying to get in contact with a Magna assembler, but the whole skipping formalities thing does leave a bad taste in my mouth. The Prestige warnings didn’t help either.

The half-Halyca showed me a nod, ending our conversation right there.

These two definitely weren’t like the others—

I stopped myself mid-thought.

That wasn’t quite right.

One look around me was enough to disprove that notion. If I had the correct idea of how Hyperspace Frontier worked,

“This is as good as any other.”

Judging every single book meant nothing when each had a cover crazier than the last.

Fortunately, our group of workers did not have to wait for too long before a vehicle appeared on the road by the warehouse, rolling up to its side.

“I’ll call you when we’re done.”

The mechanical lifeform thanked the driver of the open-air rover before getting off, shoving several documents into a leather briefcase.

“Yeah, thanks.”

With a thankful nod, he sent the rover on its way. Then, turning to us,

“So everything came intact, right? Who’s in charge?”

The Magna hastily looked around, his cube-shaped head completing a full revolution above his body.

“Yes, they’re all in good condition.”

A voice calmly answered beside me; it was Sanasi who took the lead.

“Yodeir and I checked, Jurgen: 183 Twin-imposed Baseframe Covenrut blocks, right?”

“183?”

The Magna called Jurgen brought a piece of paper out from the briefcase and read through it.

“Ah, yes. Two didn’t make the cut, so that number is correct.” He sighed with relief. “Would like to have the order neat at 185, but what can you do.”

With that settled, he quickly headed over to the front of the warehouse and switched the bag over to his left hand.

Oh?

The moment Jurgen held his right arm up,

*CLACK*

*CLASP*

The joints that made up his palm dismantled themselves, revealing a thin, bar-shaped structure. Inserting that key-like construct into a depression in the warehouse entrance, a whirr propagated throughout the doors. Soon enough,

“You can see why I have to be here as quickly as I can.”

The doors to the warehouse opened up before us.

“In case we have new faces tonight, I am Jurgen of Wirasse—aspiring merchant and your boss for this loading job. That should be all that you need to know, seeing how busy most of you are.”

The Magna kept his introduction short, much to the delight of the other explorers. Pointing to the right corner of the mostly empty warehouse,

“Bring them in and set them over there. Orderly, if possible.”

Everyone quickly got to work, bringing the block of Covenrut inside in batches. As I did my own rounds, Jurgen once again disappeared from view, going off to who knows where.

Letting out a sigh,

“Are Magna just hard to pin down in general?”

No one went out of their way to answer my rhetorical question, so we continued to carry the slabs of stone-wood material to their designated spaces. Arid as Arbosienn was, this warehouse would shelter them from whatever undesirable elements I haven’t seen yet.

“This should be over before too long.”

I made up my mind to ask Jurgen all that I could think of the next time he shows up; for all I know, he might be busier than he says we were.

---

Under Sanasi’s occasional direction, we managed to arrange all the Covenrut blocks just neatly enough to appear ordered to the untrained eye.

“We’re terrible.”

I could see why Jurgen’s said ‘if possible’ in his instructions: No one really cared how well they did their job.

“You can’t expect people to be enthusiastic at this pay level, can you?”

Sanasi’s nonchalant remark caught me off-guard. His expression remained so stubbornly calm that it was impossible to read.

The one next to him let out a slow groan.

“I know I could use all the money I can get, but you? I still can’t understand why you’re here.”

“Well,”

I was about to say something when I realized Yodeir’s clouded eyes on their friend; the question was directed towards him rather than me.

“What’s wrong with keeping myself busy while getting used to Kamag’s time?” The feather-patterned one stated. “You know how Father and I bear with our diurnal shifts.” 

“Your skills are wasted in a place like this.”

“I have no intention of abandoning my upbringing. Think of it as my investment in Jurgen, with what he is trying to achieve.”

The half-Halyca and Riinacsh argued loudly enough for those around them to hear, but no one batted an eye.

For me, however, this was a treasure trove: Bits of lore were invaluable as a player trying to get closer to in-universe characters.

Before I could hear more of their conversation, however, short, unsteady steps toppled once more into the warehouse.

“Suit yourself.” Yodeir gave up. “Just don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

“I eat my meals light.” Sanasi smiled in return.

The others also stopped what they were doing and directed all their attention to Jurgen, who reappeared before us.

“Hm-hmm, good enough.”

The Magna merchant’s figure bobbed as he surveyed the inventory lined up to the corner.

“Thank the Starlight I won’t be filing any losses today.”

Satisfied, he pulled out a hologram and typed a string of numbers onto it.

Seconds later,

*BEEP*

An alert came from my suit system.

‘Credits transferred from Jurgen: Covenrut Haul #26’

Similar sounds also beeped from everyone’s bodies, notifying them of the transaction.

“It was that easy?”

“Leaves no room for negotiation: Payment means end of job, and any overtime is out of your own pocket.”

An arthropod explorer in a red suit answered my question. Without as much giving me a second look,

“See you around.”

They scurried out of the warehouse, along with practically everybody else. The group dispersed and made themselves scarce before I could even grasp the situation.

“Why are they in such a hurry to leave?”

“Because this is my warehouse, Human.”

Jurgen approached me with a speed more capable than his body would suggest.

“I’d suggest you get out before I lock you in here and hand you over to security.”

His impatient glance felt like it could burn through my face.

“Okay, okay…! Just give me a moment.”

Wondering why everyone is in a rush this late at night, I quickly left the building through the main entrance. Outside, I waited while the Magna locked the place down again.

I thought not to stay around to avoid attracting further suspicion, but seeing Sanasi and Yodeir able to stand around without being yelled at changed my mind.

I still don’t understand how things work around here.

More than that, I had to grab my chance before it could slip away.

“Jurgen.” I called out to him.

“What is it?”

The merchant turned around after reforming his arm.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

“Oh, the Human.”

Then, sizing me up,

“That reminds me, do you know anything that can help me run the business? Getting off the ground is tough, as you know, and I hear the ideas from your kind are worth hearing.”

If only as food for thought, that is.

The Magna did not set his expectations high.

“Uhh,”

I racked my brain trying to come up with something useful. The description for the assignment did mention something like this, but being put on the spot caught me unprepared.

Anything…!

“Ah!”

I remembered something and put it into words immediately.

“There was a trade conference some time ago, in Dergenaff, was it?”

“Dergenaff? Haven’t heard of it.”

I didn’t stop to think whether or not I got the name of the place right.

“I heard it from my friend. She’s a Human working with an outside company that participated in the conference, as far as I know.”

I was of course referring to Exy. Never would I have thought that her pursuing that gameplay angle would help me out in this way—or ever.

“As far as you know.”

However, Jurgen didn’t sound impressed by what I said.

“That’s not very helpful.”

“Well, it’s not something I’m familiar with, myself.”

I made an excuse, trying to stretch what I have.

Still,

“Foreigners…”

The Magna went silent, lost in thought.

I looked to the other two people with us. The Riinacsh said nothing while the half Halyca just shrugged. After a while, the merchant finally spoke again.

“…The procedures will be a hassle, but it’s not wise to ignore what’s out there.”

He looked like he made up his mind.

“I’ll have to look into it soon.”

At that very moment,

*DING*

A sound louder than my usual notifications rang in my ears. Unlike the others, however,

“No one else noticed it?”

Neither Jurgen nor the other two showed a reaction.

Only when I brought the alert out did I find out why.

‘Tier 1 Clearance achieved’

‘Status Obtained – [Resident]’

‘Congratulations on earning enough Prestige to make the Frontier your home!’

---

“What…?”

Two more alerts appeared while I stared in disbelief.

‘More facilities and permissions have become accessible to your use’

‘We look forward to your performance leading up to the next tier!’

Does that mean…

“If there’s nothing else, I should be on my way.”

Jurgen’s words snapped me out of my thoughts. The rover from before had already arrived, ready to pick him up.

“Wait!”

Dismissing those notifications that appeared, I went after him before he could get on.

“What is it?”

“Do you know anyone I can talk to about Magna assembly?”

Only after I said the question did I realize how direct it was. Even then,

Hm?

After a few seconds, I realized that the warning from back at the Compendium with Yeonjung didn’t show up; was this an effect of the new clearance tier?

“…I don’t waste my time with those things. Too much formalities and ceremony I have no patience to go through.”

Jurgen spoke after a brief pause. A Magna deriding their own people’s customs aside, the merchant admitted that he couldn’t help me by himself. However,

“Go to the Covenrut nurseries and talk to Alden. He might know something if you’re lucky.”

That’s all I have for you, the merchant shook his head. A few seconds later, he was on the rover speeding away from us and the warehouse. 

Seeing the landcraft going off into the distance,

“The Covenrut nurseries.”

From the name itself, I could guess that it was where they grew younger minerals for the Pillars.

…Where is that?

I decided to open up the network map and search the term on it. A short moment later,

“…What the,”

The waypoint that showed up didn’t point to any location in Arbosienn. A great distance north of the city,

“In the middle of the mountains!?”

The nurseries were located within the Arid Cisterns, well beyond the city limits.

“Can I even fly there…?”

On top of the hassle of going back to Port Ibera to get my ship, I had no idea whether outsiders like me were even allowed to go near that place.

I reflexively let out a deep sigh; going along this route of play was becoming overwhelming for me.

Speaking of which,

I recalled the alerts that appeared before and switched to a status window, checking up on my current state in the game.

==

Name: KC                       Title: [No Title]

Prestige: Resident

Industrion – 13       Communete – 44

Academium – 30            Artistice – 13

Path: Body of Magna, Blood of Shaen (1/2)

==

Counting up the points I’ve accumulated in all four roles in Hyperspace Frontier,

“43, 87… 100.”

A hundred Prestige points; that was the amount needed to achieve the ‘Resident’ status, the first tier of Clearance.

It was nowhere near enough to be able to warp on my own, but at least it cleared up some restrictions on my part.

“Still, I don’t think it’ll help out a lot here.”

Prestige was a measure of my personal progress, rather than an indicator of how good my relationships are with the Frontier races. Clearance isn’t something I know for certain, on the other hand, but I wouldn’t want to rely on it either.

Just as I began to confront the reality of the situation,

“Why are you still standing there, Sanasi? Let’s go.”

Yodeir’s words towards their friend reached my ears. Looking around, however, I couldn’t see the Riinacsh anywhere around him.

“I’m just curious as to what this Human’s next plan is.”

His eyes remained in contact with mine.

“The Timbered Caverns are collectively owned by Arbosienn’s Gardening Temples, KC. It was irresponsible on Jurgen’s part to leave that information out, but I doubt it’d change your outcome in any way.”

“Temples…!”

They’re watching over the industries here too?

“Sounds about right.” Yodeir’s voice sounded in agreement.

Moments later, grey trails of mist began to circle around Sanasi. Gathering into a point in space next to him, the pale winds condensed and solidified into an opaque mass, before taking a familiar form.

“Not even we can enter that place so easily, let alone a lone explorer like you.”

The Riinacsh stated, now in their humanoid form. They paid no heed to the surprised expression on my face; it seems like this reaction was common among explorers who weren’t already familiar with their people.

Seeing both their attention on me, I put away the holographic windows and turned to face them.

“…Why does it seem that you’re trying to offer me a deal, Sanasi?”

From their conversation earlier, I had the impression that the Halyca halfborn was a busy person. At the very least, it sounded like he had better places to be than here.

If HF’s game mechanics had anything to do with it,

“Is there something you want me to do?”

The smile on his face grew ever so slightly.

“I see you’ve picked up on standard negotiation skills; that’s worth noting in and of itself.”

Mutual benefit.

Sanasi gestured to Yodeir, and the two of them began to leave. As the pale humanoid released their shape back into thin air, the feather-patterned humanoid activated something on his system, causing what looked like celestial robes to appear draped over his shoulders.

Glancing back in my direction,

“We’re heading over to meet my father, KC. Your task concerns him more than me.”

I couldn’t read the expression that crossed his face at that very moment.

*WHOOSH*

—Not like they would give me time to, anyway; making use of the fabric around his body, the half-Halyca floated slowly into the sky, speeding up once he was at a high enough altitude.

I could only assume Yodeir was somewhere around him in their intangible form.

“Got it.”

There was little else to do other than follow after them; not doing so would be more of my loss than it is theirs. Disregarding anything else,

This is a story hook.

All my best moments in this game came about because I got involved with other people’s affairs, NPC or not.

Even if this development ended up doing nothing for my Path, I was certain I could get something out of it.

---

“We’ll be going on the first platform down this road.”

Sanasi pointed down across the road after we left the storeyard. On our way out, Sanasi didn’t really pay any attention to the cognit at the security post, and it didn’t seem to mind either. For my part, I bowed slightly to it before catching up with him.

It wasn’t even a few minutes until we saw the platform he mentioned before. No one was queueing up to it, so we got on and jumped right away.

Feeling the cool air of Kamag on my face,

“Many people come to this planet for Magna assembly.”

I heard Sanasi start talking while adjusting the robes on his slender figure.

“But very few request for an assembler to make something personally for themselves… Not even explorers.”

Perhaps they knew how difficult it was to be able to make that request, he guessed.

“Not even Humans?” I asked. “Surely there are ones daring enough to do so?”

“I hear nothing of them apart from the vaguest rumours.” He replied. “But then again, that may precisely be the nature of their exploits; exchanges done under the strictest oaths of silence.”

“There were oaths involved?”

“Seeing how secretive Magna assemblers are, I would think so.”

Even someone like Sanasi didn’t know for certain how they worked; that’s the kind of people we’re dealing with.

Speaking of silence,

I noticed that Yodeir haven’t said anything at all in the trip.

“Is Yodeir still with us, or have they left? I can’t tell.”

“They’re conserving their energy, KC.”

Their friend answered on their behalf.

“Food is difficult to find when the only thing Riinacsh can eat are weather storms.”

“What?” I responded, surprised. “Like, actual hurricanes and stuff…? Heavy rain?”

He nodded, not saying anything further.

“Wow.”

From how Yodeir looked like, I had thought their people would feed on air or wind. You know, like elementals would.

But then again, it’s not like the Shaen ate water or lava either…

I had thought to ask why the Riinacsh took up the labour job if energy was such an issue, but I remembered what they said about the money.

“Every single lifeform in this universe has different needs, Human.”

The half-Halyca cast down his eyes.

“And even the most hospitable of people cannot help every single one of them.”

“…I see.”

The limits of what people could do for others showed itself even in this world. As a mix between a human and a Halyca, Sanasi would have felt the effects of that twice as much.

“That’s why we have each other to depend on. Right, KC?”

“…Me?”

His sudden change in tone otherwise, the fact that he was referring to me rather than Yodeir surprised me the most.

“You’ll see when we get there.”

We were halfway done with the fifty-something jump journey when my body began to tire.

“Can we rest for a bit…?” I requested. “Need to drink my water.”

“If it’s just water, there’s a long arc over the generators a few leaps ahead. You can do that once we’re on it.”

“For real?”

“I’d rather not waste unnecessary time.”

“Give me a break…!”

As expected, I didn’t get the break I asked for. Even after we reached the arc, I had to keep my attention ahead of me in order not to fly headfirst into the boilers’ exhausts. Because of all the heat currents, I barely got a few gulps in before we reached the next platform to jump on.

“You can definitely benefit from better motion technology, Human. It’s no wonder you run out of stamina so quickly.”

Sanasi observed the way I flew and gave his opinion.

“I do recommend the type I use. It’s simple and forgiving to use, even for beginners.”

“Really…?”

Unlike his other remarks, this particular suggestion from the half-Halyca didn’t feel as condescending. Maybe it was because the product in question was something he used as well.

“What kind is it?” I asked him out of curiosity.

“Shura’s Veil, I believe. Empyrean technology, the preferred line of the atmorials; I can definitely see why.”

“Huh.”

Sounds high-end, even from the name alone; I bet they’re expensive as heck to buy.

“I’ll look into it.”

I responded, putting no real intention behind my words.

The rest of the journey was done mostly in silence. We did alert each other to avoid or move away from obstacles when they appeared, but that was about it.

Eventually, we arrived to the place we needed to be. At least, Sanasi got off the jump platforms and switched to walking on foot after we got here.

“Huh.”

I thought it would be a house, or at least a building.

Instead, it was probably the widest road I have ever seen in Arbosienn. More importantly, right in the middle of it,

“They should be done soon.”

Reforming into a tangible shape, Yodeir spoke for the first time since we left.

In front of us laid the last legs of a grand parade’s festivities, its participants already beginning to set down the banners from their poles.

“Wait…”

Remembering something, I took out the network map in a window and determined where we were.

‘Second Stem, Tenuous Fragment, Clade Karri’

I knew it!

This was the place Seola and Yeonjung mentioned before, the one with the celebrations.

“That should be Father.”

Sanasi said, looking at a direction down the road.

Following his eyes, my attention landed on a stationary vehicle, stopped between two tall posts erected on either side of the road. On top of the transporter was one of the most captivating sculptures I have ever seen.

“What in the world…”

It was like an incredibly complex, religious effigy, made out of probably hundreds of giant angelic wings. All of them moved gently, shifting the numerous colourful banners and decorations between them; it was as if the entire amalgam itself was alive.

The wings reminded me of the feather pattern on Sanasi’s body; was this what they were celebrating in this parade, some sort of sacred idol?

Many people were around the vehicle, slowly pulling down the banners from the effigy. I noticed that none of them had stepped on the moving structure itself.

Neither of us moved for a while, and eventually one of the festival’s participants noticed us.

“Oh? Ikithar, Sanasi’s here!” He yelled in the direction we were looking at.

“…By the skies, he is!”

A soft voice billowed towards us, like that belonging to a kind old man.

“I’ll be right there, Sanasi. You all can deal with these banners, can’t you?”

“It’s fine; what’s an hour or two untangling everything, right?”

Everyone laughed at the joke one of the workers cracked, including Ikithar. From our side, I couldn’t tell which one of them was him—

*WHOOF*

What happened next simultaneously cleared my doubts and made me question everything I saw:

The entire mass of what I thought to be an object of worship curled in on itself, coalescing into a dense, shapeless form as the colourful decorations fell around everyone else.

“You should see the look on your—wait.”

Sanasi stopped talking and brought a window out, snapping a photo of my face. I didn’t spare any attention on him as I kept my eyes on the scene happening before us.

After a few seconds, a figure finally appeared from that golden-white mass; a smaller version of the giant structure before, with dozens of wings covering what looked like a crystalline, octahedral shape.

The object, no, being, floated over to us the same way Sanasi did during our travel, and I belatedly recognized similar robes wound around several of the wings facing away from us.

“Why the hurry, Father? We can wait until you’re done.”

Sanasi spoke first, reaching out towards the figure.

“Why delay any moment to meet your family?”

The same soft voice came from it, quieter this time.

“Oh, I apologize for my heightened emotions, Sanasi. Perhaps the joyful atmosphere of this parade has made me sentimental, myself.”

Seeing the scene unfold before me, I had to consciously tell myself the truth of the situation:

That being is Ikithar. That’s what Halycas look like.

“Have the children returned?”

Yodeir asked him.

“Yes, they have.” The ‘full’ Halyca answered. “Don’t worry, child, Caretaker T.Y. is looking over everyone.”

I almost missed that bit of lore from trying to recover from my shock.

“That’s good.” The Riinacsh sighed in relief. “Thank you.”

“There are other matters to attend to, but they’ll be after everything winds down on their end.”

Ikithar stated, motioning towards the rest of the participants cleaning up.

“Should we get something, somewhere? Who is this person you have with you, a new friend?”

“Not quite.” His son shook his head. “I’ll tell you about it in Bouillon 35.”

“Bouillon 35 again?”

The winged figure appeared dejected, despite lacking any sort of face.

“It’s the only place open that has something for Yodeir, Father.”

“…I understand.”

Instead of continuing his façade, the Halyca immediately assumed a serious tone.

“My colleagues are still working to monitor the weather around the city, Yodeir. You’ll be the first to know if we find something.”

“Got it.” They responded.

As the four of us left, the father and son duo continued to talk about the parade and what each of them did today. Behind them, Yodeir and I walked in silence, not really saying anything to each other.

For some reason, the Riinacsh did not return to their intangible form, staying in a humanoid shape instead. This time, I had enough sense not to ask them why.

---

Bouillon 35 was close enough for us to walk to it without using the platforms. Ikithar was the exception, having to fully depend on his motion technology to move around at all.

Then what about that huge form from before? Was that also supported by those Empyrean robes?

Mulling over those thoughts, I was the last one to enter that bar-like establishment, after the other three.

The group chose a low, square table accompanied with comfortable, padded chairs—thankfully none of which were paired seats.

“Still Velibuds, straight.”

Sanasi held up two fingers to the Magna behind the counter.

“And a Maelstrom, five over.”

Yodeir nodded to him, indicating approval with the order.

“Weather storms.” I muttered to myself.

“What are you having, Human?”

Across the table, Ikithar noticed my reservation and asked. From the nature of the establishment and the names of what they ordered,

“I still have things to do today, sorry.”

I gently turned down their invitation. There was nothing to tell me how they handled the custom of drinking on this world, so I took the polite approach just in case. On the other hand,

“I could use something to pick myself up, though. Umm,”

Recalling the previous beverages I had in this game,

“…Do they have Gobnace berries here?”

The Halyca let out a chuckle from within his winged body.

“Sadus is right next to us, child. It will be a clear day in Secem dei-Stru before the Magna run out of Gobnace to serve.”

Seeing his father motion towards him, Sanasi asked to clarify my request.

“Eluted or emulsified? Or a fruit concoction instead?”

“Uhh, emulsified then. That’s milk, isn’t it?”

“Something like that.” He nonchalantly answered, before turning back to the bartender.

“Aena’s Cherub, straight.”

The half-born dropped down on his chair after making the last order for the group.

“I’m surprised that you chose to stay sober, KC.”

Beside me, Yodeir made their observation known.

“Considering that all you’ll need to do is get a packet of Bobwaft, I expected Humans like you to be more carefree about this.”

Unless I’m mistaken? The Riinacsh returned their gaze to their friend.

“Bobwaft? Why would he need that?” Ikithar also spun his body towards his son.

“It’s a good precaution on his part, Yodeir. A drunken customer is a red flag, especially when we’re dealing with these substances.”

Straightening his posture, the half-Halyca began.

“Father, this person here requires access to the Timbered Caverns, with the intention of meeting Alden in the Covenrut nurseries and leveraging his standing with the Magna for his own aims.”

What.

The last part of his sentence was definitely made up.

 Without a moment of delay,

“And you want me to grant him that privilege in exchange for that Bobwaft?”

His father responded.

“That is correct.”

Hearing Sanasi’s affirmation, Ikithar leaned back on his seat for a moment or two. With a sigh,

“You’re honest to a fault for someone of your cunning, son. You could have done the deal in secret without ever clueing me in at all.”

“I’m just showing him the true nature of our deal, Father.”

True nature…?

The NPCs’ words played back in my head.

Substances, privilege, secret…

I said the conclusion I arrived to:

“…Is this a bribe?”

Yodeir looked at me with a raised eyebrow while Sanasi relaxed his shoulders, satisfied.

I just sat there with my jaw open in disbelief. Did I go all this way just for the half-Halyca to play me like a fool?

“…Sanasi has thrown you for quite the loop, hasn’t he?”

After a moment of silence, it was Ikithar that spoke.

“But the truth remains, Human. It’s your call.”

However, rather than cover for his son or amend the situation, the many-winged figure left the decision up to me.

From this gesture, he was indicating his willingness to fulfill his part of the deal if I did mine and brought him that Bobwaft. However, this would inevitably cause his opinion of me to drop, seeing that I would resort to improper tactics to achieve what I wanted.

Thinking about it for a while, I couldn’t come up with a convincing argument to go on with the deal; not without implicating myself, at least.

“There’s no way I can get through this unscathed, definitely.”

I admitted my defeat with a shrug; in a society as strict as the Magna’s, I wouldn’t get very far pulling my own strings.

Going this far to teach me a lesson felt a little excessive, but maybe that’s just how it is sometimes.

“I just want a way to get in contact with a Magna assembler, Ikithar.” I confessed. “Alden was the only lead I had; at least, that’s what Jurgen told me.”

“Jurgen?”

The atmosphere chilled just the slightest bit as the Halyca leaned forward on his seat. Sanasi held his smile, but I could see Yodeir’s face freeze mid-expression.

“Jurgen of Wirasse, the merchant?”

He repeated the name in full this time.

It was at that moment that I remembered what Yodeir said to Sanasi back during the hauling assignment. Pitting this information against Ikithar’s change in tone,

Sanasi shouldn’t have been there.

Perhaps out of petty revenge, I decided to use that information to pin him down.

“Yes, that Jurgen. Sanasi heard my conversation with him after the three of us finished today’s transporting job, proposing the deal right after.”

The table went silent after I finished speaking. Hearing my alibi, the winged figure turned back to his son.

“You told me you were going to wait until Yodeir was done.”

His tone was stern and reprimanding, with no trace of the jolliness from earlier.

“I warned you not to get involved with him, didn’t I? That salesman is one mistake away from stepping on the entire Covenrut industry’s toes! Starlight help us if the Gardening Temples turn their attention on you because of him, Magna or not!”

Yodeir and I shrank back from his, the Riinacsh almost losing hold on their tangible form. On the other hand,

“It’s his work I’m interested in, Father. I could not care less for the individual himself if I tried.”

Sanasi retained his calm expression, as if he had anticipated this exchange to happen.

“Even so, there are things even you cannot predict, Sanasi. All sorts of people trying to bring you down; to bring us down…!”

“That is exactly why I’m acting out of convention, Father. While unknown places invite unknown dangers, they also bring with them opportunities we cannot even think of.”

Then, turning to me,

“I’ve gotten an anonymous Human explorer to work with us, haven’t I?”

“…!”

That line struck a chord with Ikithar, causing him to pause for several moments.

“Straight Velibuds and Cherub, with a five over Maelstrom.”

Apparently, that was an appropriate enough moment for the Magna bartender to chime in with our order.

“I’ll get that.”

Yodeir used that opportunity to leave the table.

“I still do not agree with the way you work, Sanasi… but that will be for later.”

“Someday you’ll understand, Father.”

The Halyca duo also made use of the situation to cool their heads and move away from their argument.

Yodeir let out a relieved sigh as they came back holding each of our drinks in one hand, setting them down one by one.

“That’s convenient.”

It seems like the amorphous nature of the Riinacsh allowed them to take any form they wished, including how many arms they had.

I thanked them and downed a gulp of the foamy maroon drink called the Aena’s Cherub.

“Mmm.”

The familiar taste ran down my throat, rounded out by the milky base to quench my thirst. Soon enough, the rejuvenating feeling spread throughout my whole body.

“Just what I needed…!”

Yodeir exhaled after downing half of their Maelstrom in one go. The remaining orange-coloured drink swirled chaotically in the glass, and I smelled a touch of mangoes from it.

While Sanasi enjoyed the beer in a human-like way, I could not help but wait for Ikithar to touch his drink.

“All of us have had a long day.”

Soon enough, the Halyca reached out for his mug of Velibud. Winding several wings around the handle like tendrils, he brought the mug up and tipped it towards the crystal octahedron that made up the core of his body.

*glug* *glug*

Ohh…!

The section on the shape closest to the mug fragmented geometrically, revealing a gap in the surface. It was through this aperture that Ikithar carefully savoured his beer.

“It’s rude to stare, KC.” Yodeir brought me back to reality.

Realizing the situation, I shook my head and took another sip from my own glass.

Meanwhile,

“I thought you would use me to prove a point to the Human, Sanasi.”

Ikithar set his mug down on the table, a quarter of the beer gone.

“Now I feel like it’s the other way around.”

“I wonder.” The slender humanoid responded, having another go at his own.

“Huh?”

Before I could understand what he meant,

*RING*

A sound came from my system. This time, everyone else in the bar could hear it.

Ikithar and Sanasi nodded to me, one after the other; don’t mind us and take the call.

“Thanks, everyone. If you’ll excuse me.”

I got up from my seat and looked for a reasonable place to talk, which ended up being outside Bouillon 35.

Closing the door behind me, I walked to the side and brought out the window, accepting the call request.

“Hello?”

“KC? Are you done?”

The voice on the other side of the call was one I sorely needed to hear right now, singing or not.

“Yeonjung!”

---

“Sorry that this isn’t a video call, KC; I’m on the platforms right now.”

“No, it’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Only after heaving a surprisingly shaky sigh did I realize how relieved I was, talking to someone I knew.

“You okay? Where are you now?”

“I’m fine, I’m taking your call outside a bar right now.”

“A bar?”

Yeonjung’s voice sounded doubtful, but she didn’t pursue the topic further. Returning to her first question,

“So you’re finished with your job, I assume? Unless the bar has something to do with it.”

“Yeah, no, it doesn’t.”

Calming myself down,

“I already did everything and got my payment as well. How did yours go?”

A sound of feet kicking off the ground reverbed on her side of the call before she continued.

“Innis left my payment at her store, so I’m going there now to get it.”

Yeonjung went on.

“She was a lot of help when I did the assignment, though. I learned a lot about Kamag’s flora from her.”

What about you? She asked in return.

“We just carried some building materials into a warehouse. The inventory system made short work of that, if you know what I mean?”

The two of us talked for a minute or two, telling each other what happened on our ends. On my part, that spilled over to what I’m dealing with right now.

“Sounds complicated, KC.” She empathized. “Guess that’s a dead end on your side?”

“Seems like it.” I grumbled.

At least, the whole bribery aspect just made me not want to have anything to do with it.

“How about you, Yeonjung?”

“Hehe,”

I could practically hear her grin in response.

“I do have something, KC, and it looks promising.”

“Really?”

“Well, I’ll tell you about it after we meet. Where are you?”

“Bouillon 35. It should be in Clade Karri.”

“Ooh, where the festival was?” Yeonjung exclaimed.

“Yup, it’s over now though.” I replied, indicating not to keep her expectations up.

“Got it. I’ll be there soon.”

“Thanks, Yeonjung. See you soon.”

“Sure thing.”

I hung up the call and put my window away. Taking in the calmness of Arbosienn’s night,

At least I won’t have to be by myself for much longer.

 I was just about to go back into the bar when someone went out the door.

“Sanasi.”

“KC.”

Both of us said each other’s names. A short silence followed before the half-Halyca acted to break it.

“You can get the Bobwaft at any Hilac dispensary, most of them should be open all night.”

He brought out a window and typed something in it. A few seconds later,

*BEEP*

My own system sent out an alert.

‘Incoming Transmission’

‘Proof of Identification: Sanasi of the Distinguished Halyca’

“I don’t know whether they can sell Bobwaft to Humans without a prescription; you can use this ID in case they shut you out.”

This didn’t quite add up, when I thought about it.

“Were you actually serious about before?”

“Getting permission to enter the Caverns isn’t as serious as we made it out to be, to tell you the truth; even explorer hubs can get you in if you come up with a good enough reason to do so.”

Still, a good word from an official would let you do more, he explained.

“Oh.”

So I was just getting worried over nothing.

“Why me, though? Even going through the trouble to give me your ID just to get Ikithar some medicine…”

“The payment from the Bobwaft will be out of your pocket, by the way.”

“What.”

“—Just kidding, they wouldn’t let us do that anyway.”

Sanasi chuckled, then continued his explanation.

“I want to prove to him—to myself, too—that we can depend on the goodwill of explorers like you. On occasion, at least.”

“Um, well,” I tried to respond. “Thanks for trusting me, I guess.”

The feather-patterned individual showed me his usual smile, once again.

“Father and Yodeir knows I’m leaving for home, and I don’t think they’ll stay longer either. You can leave the Bobwaft with the bartender, KC; she’s a friend of ours.”

“Huh, alright then.” I nodded.

“See you around.”

Sanasi returned the same gesture and turned around to leave; his figure walking away appeared plain and ordinary, like a stranger I met on some random night out in the city.

…I had no idea where I was going with that thought.

“Anyways.”

I went back into Bouillon 35 and returned to my seat. Yodeir silently fiddled with their now empty glass, while Ikithar continued to slowly enjoy his beer; the two of them dwelled on the silence of the hour in their own way.

“Haah.”

Following suit, I worked through my own Cherub, finishing half of the drink in one go; I didn’t feel like I had anything better to do while waiting for Yeonjung.

Should I go on chat in the meantime?

There wasn’t anything of particular note in the group chat messages. To summarize, Eunseo and the rest have met up with Dawon’s group on Nadeum without much issue. Meanwhile, Bona and Soobin had decided to wander around in the city while Seola was busy with her Temple thing. Exy and Xuanyi didn’t say anything much, probably busy with whatever they were up to.

“The rooms look decent.”

Luda also posted pictures of the place Jina and co would be staying at. It was an apartment on the lower floors of a residential building, with not much of a view to offer.

You: They did say it was cheap, right?

Bona: That’s still much better than what you can get in Seoul, to be honest.

Luda: Anything beats camping out, Jina said.

I guess.

Did Deusrust not have its own places to stay, or did the three just not bother to use them? Us players have our own ships to sleep in, but it was worth thinking about if we were going to stay in one place for an extended period of time.

Not sure if the VRMMO regulations would allow that, though.

Escapist tendencies aside, the impact of playing VR games on our health hasn’t been well documented yet; I’d rather not push my body to its limits and find out the hard way.

*gulp*

The Gobnace in the Cherub kept my weary mind awake. Hopefully this fatigue came from the in-game character, rather than my actual real-life self.

“KC.”

“…Yes?”

It was the Halyca who called my name out, the first time he has ever done so since we met.

“I know Sanasi can be overbearing and stubborn,”

From how his body oriented itself, I could guess that Ikithar was staring down his mug of Velibud.

“But he’s still my son; I hope you can humour his aspirations, even if I won’t.”

“Um, okay.”

I didn’t see myself as someone close to Sanasi, especially since I only met him today; I doubt he did, either. Still, I kept silent as the winged figure continued.

“I’ve already given you the pass to the Timbered Caverns, in case you plan to follow through with the deal.”

However,

“I can get a Proving council to consider having you participate in one of their expeditions, even without Alden in the picture.”

---

What?

“…I don’t understand.” I replied.

Alden? The Proving council? Why did he mention this?

“You intend to have an assembler make a vassal for you, right? One way or another, you’ll need the Proving of the Warrior for that.”

“No, I just want to have them upgrade the weapon I have—”

“I don’t see a difference in those requests.”

Only when Ikithar said those words did I connect the dots in my head.

“…Ah.”

Armament Cognits specially made for an individual warrior.

That was what the cognits said back then; it didn’t matter if the cognit was made from scratch or from an existing weapon,

“…it would still be considered a vassal.”

I muttered my thoughts out loud.

The winged figure finished the last of his beer and rose up from the seat.

“Any path you choose will lead to the Proving, through me or otherwise. The only difference is what you have to do to receive the commendation for the council.”

Ikithar’s crystalline core flashed with light, as if it was performing some sort of calculation. A few seconds later,

‘Incoming Transmission’

‘Notes from Ikithar of the Distinguished Halyca’

The system notified me of the successful reception.

“You’ll find the details in there.”

The Halyca gestured to the bartender and headed for the door.

“Don’t worry about paying for your drink, KC. Think of it as a little push from my side.”

With those words, he left the bar. He didn’t say where he was going, but I assume it would be home too.

“…”

Only Yodeir and I remained at the table. I thought to say something to break the awkward silence, but couldn’t come up with a topic to talk about.

In the end,

“Give my regards to Alden if you do decide to meet him.”

They also walked out of the door, dissipating into thin air outside the bar.

“…”

I let out a quiet sigh.

Was that a good NPC interaction or not? How much better would it have gone if I learned how things worked in this world? I finished the Cherub while ruminating over those answerless questions.

After some time, someone else came through the door.

“Hey.” I stood up, seeing the familiar face appear.

“Were you with someone else, KC?”

Looking at the empty glassware left on the table, Yeonjung asked me.

“Yeah, you just missed them.” I replied.

“That’s a shame.”

Not paying it any mind, she took the seat right in front of me, and both of us pushed the empty mugs over to the side.

“Are you okay?”

Her eyes met mine, showing an expression of concern.

“You look like you’re going through something.”

“Oh, no, it’s nothing.” I assured her.

Recalling what I said before on the call,

“That reminds me, turns out I did learn something out of the assignment after all.”

I told Yeonjung what Ikithar said about the Proving of the Warrior.

“Proving, huh.”

She crossed her arms and leaned back in her seat, the same one the Halyca used before.

“I had a hunch it would be something like that.”

“We could buy all the cognits we wanted back in N.I. Comercia,” I recalled. “Are vassals really that special?”

“Seems so. Innis was careful about the topic too, when I asked her about it.”

Yeonjung explained how difficult it was for her supervisor to learn anything about the assemblers, despite having a family member studying under one.

“The crafters are tight-lipped on the whole thing, even towards people they know.”

“It must be serious, then, if a Magna can’t even tell their own about it.” I mused.

For outsiders like us, it seems like the Proving was indeed the only way forward.

“Anyways, if I’m correct,”

Yeonjung returned to the topic at hand.

“You can either get Ikithar or Alden to recommend you to the council, provided that you do something for them.”

“Yep.” I nodded.

“And you know what that thing is for Ikithar, but not Alden.”

“That’s correct.”

“Then why not just go with his suggestion? That’s less time wasted for us, no?”

“I want to sit on it for a while longer.”

Something about what the Halyca offered felt off to me. Was it because he was not himself a Magna?

“Also, I haven’t heard about your lead too, Yeonjung.”

Oh, right. That was what her expression told me.

“It’s a similar case to Alden, from what I can see.” She began. “Innis has a contact in one of the Gardening Temples who she thinks can help you out.”

This was after the Magna asked her what kind of person I was; Yeonjung described me as an explorer and a hunter, which was as close to the truth as I could get myself.

“Phoebe of Hisr, that’s his name. The Temple is called Yfum Arbosienn.”

“I see.”

Laying out the options,

“So we have in total three routes to choose from: Alden, Ikithar, or Phoebe.”

“And each one will likely come with its own set of requirements.” Yeonjung reminded me.

“Yeah.”

After thinking about it for a while, I decided to open my window and look at the notes Ikithar left for me to read.

“Let me have a look too.” Yeonjung moved over to my side.

What appeared in the text window were no more than a few sentences.

[The Temple of the Crystal Lily is a Disciplinary Temple that focuses on unarmed, aura-type combat techniques. As atmorials proficient with our wings and core energy, this Temple is of interest to the Halyca, traveler and resident alike.]

[However, there have been reports of educational neglect towards our people within the Crystal Lily’s teaching halls. While I cannot expect an originally Magna institution to fully compensate for our physical differences, a clear explanation of what the Temple can and cannot do for the Halyca would be appreciated.]

[Find out anything you can about how Crystal Lily trains our disciples, KC. As a Human, I believe that they will tell you more than they would tell us.]

---

“…”

Neither Yeonjung nor I said anything for a few seconds after reading the task. Then, putting the window away,

“That is some pretty heavy stuff.”

I expressed my honest opinion.

“No wonder it seemed so easy at first.” Yeonjung agreed. “Then again, we don’t know what Alden or Phoebe would have you do, either.”

“You’re right.” I nodded.

“Well, it’s your Path, KC.” She looked at me again, straight in the eye. “Make your decision soon.”

“Of course.”

All three roads laid out before me, one of which looked just a little clearer than the other two: Ikithar had already told us what his requirements were, but I can’t help thinking about the others too.

Alden, with his connection to Jurgen, Sanasi and Yodeir, and…

“…”

I can’t shake off the feeling that the lead Yeonjung got for me was worth looking at as well. It may just be my own impression as an Ujung, but she was the type to get herself in interesting situations, real life or not.

Well, they all lead to the Proving in the end.

The only thing I’m choosing is how I’ll get there.

What should I go for?

---

A) Ikithar’s route: Investigate the Temple of the Crystal Lily
B) Alden’s route: Visit the Covenrut nurseries
C) Phoebe’s route: Get involved with Yfum Arbosienn