>> As suggested by Yeonjung, investigating Crystal Lily would save time compared to trying to get in contact with Alden or Phoebe <<

>> You have decided to proceed with Ikithar’s request <<

---

“It should be on the first block after this left.”

Though many of the towers kept their lights on, Clade Karri seemed to be mostly quiet this late at night.

“...”

The banners and pamphlets blown around by the occasional wind told of the parade that happened earlier today.

“They were celebrating the midsummer, huh.”

“Seems like it was organized by the people from the minor races.”

Yeonjung responded to my remark, observing our surroundings. Did she look into it before, or had someone told her about it?

“Do the Magna have these kinds of festivals themselves? For some reason, I don’t think they do.”

Is it because they’re robots...?

But all the ones we’ve met proved that they had emotions to show; certainly, festivity should be something they could feel too.

“Either way,”

Reaching the junction, we made the turn and went down the road on the left. True to the map, there was an open store right after the modern-looking building, its flooded white lights spilling out into the dark.

“It’s convenient that some places do stay open all night.”

Opening hours weren’t usually a concern in games, apart from limited special items and services that is. The emphasis on complex NPC behaviour in Hyperspace Frontier had me afraid that this world may be an exception, but it seems like it wasn’t the case.

“Someone has to support all the people who don’t sleep, right?” Yeonjung reasoned.

“That makes sense.”

Perhaps that complex behaviour is why 24 (in this case, 35) hour services exist, like in the real world.

[Hilac Dispensary]

It looked very much like the pharmacies we’re used to in real-life, down to the clinical feel and rows of medical products on the shelf. We approached the well-lit store and went in through its automatic glass doors.

Yeonjung thought to look around the supplements they had on display, but I headed straight for the Human pharmacist stationed at the back.

“Hello.” He called out as soon as he saw me.

“Hi,” I responded, taking out a window displaying Sanasi’s ID. “I’d like a, um, prescription? For some Bobwaft.”

“Let me see.”

In a familiarly human manner, he adjusted his glasses and leaned towards to the hologram I held up in the air. Reading specific fields on the ID, he copied them down on his own window and sent the information somewhere else.

“Hm.”

I belatedly noticed the white nodes of light linking his panels to a terminal end behind him.

‘Any’ Hilac dispensary…

That’s what Sanasi said before.

If I had to guess, those nodes should take my request up to their information network to process.

What is healthcare like in this city? Is there a public system to refer to, or do the private companies run the entire thing?

“So you’re representing for a representative of the patient?”

“…Excuse me?”

I was distracted with trying to figure out the worldbuilding in Arbosienn, so the pharmacist’s words caught me off guard.

“You don’t look like a half-Halyca to me, unless I’m missing something.”

“Oh, yeah.” I grasped his question a moment later. “It’s a long story, but Sanasi sent me here.”

“Huh, okay.”

Unlike the expression on his face, the man in white did not make his doubts heard.

“I’ll go get it from the back.”

Leaving the window to run, he went through the door at the other corner of the dispensary, which I guess would lead to the storeroom.

“How’s it going, KC?”

Yeonjung’s voice piped up a few aisles away.

“Will it take long?”

“It’s going fine… I think.” I answered.

At least, I don’t feel like I’ll get in trouble.

Yeonjung hadn’t quite agreed with my decision to follow through with Sanasi’s task to get the Bobwaft at first, seeing as it wasn’t part of Ikithar’s request. Still, I thought it to be a good gesture towards both the father and son duo to follow up on this thing.

…Or maybe I just wanted the free Communete Prestige.

“Might as well get something while I’m here.”

WJSN’s youngest pulled something out of the aisle and went over to show it to me.

[Field Use Medkit (General)]

It was a brown knapsack, half the size of an ordinary bag.

“Good idea.”

I remembered what happened during the Fellean hunt and Trial. Other people could use the emergency help, even if we ourselves didn’t have to.

Searching through the store, I picked up one of the kits for myself, as well as a few self-use painkillers and recovery accelerants.

No straightforward healing items, huh.

Maybe investing in defensive measures was the right call after all.

About the same time as I finished my rounds, the Human pharmacist came back with a sack of cloth in one hand. The window he had left open before also dinged, indicating that it was done.

Peering into the hologram’s notice, he nodded to himself. Then, setting down the cloth bag onto the desk, he pulled out the item inside to show us.

Inside a thick glass bottle the size of a loaf of bread, a clear viscous liquid sat undisturbed.

“65 mg/ml Lucaritrol in clear syrup; that is to say, the Proshelix standard of what you call Bobwaft.”

Replacing it back into the sack,

“Should last the average Halyca for five Kamag months, following the twice-a-day dose recommendation.”

The pharmacist said, his eyes looking at the other stuff we picked up.

“Will that be all?”

“Yes, please.” I answered. However,

“What does Bobwaft do?” Yeonjung asked. “Why is it so important to the Halyca?”

…What happened to rushing for time?

“I thought you already knew.”

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes a few times, letting out a fatigued expression.

“Basically, it lessens the pain on their bodies from being stuck on planets like ours for an extended period of time.”

Rather than a problem for Halyca alone,

“While there is less gravity on rocky planets compared to the gas giant homelands of the atmorials, there is also less atmospheric pressure to cushion and hold themselves up. Unlike other atmorials, the Halyca can shrink themselves into what they call the ‘terrestrial form’, but even that adaptation won’t do much for them in the way of comfortable living.”

“So this medicine will help them get used to places other than their home planets, you mean.”

Yeonjung ascertained whether she understood his explanation or not.

“Sounds about right.” I confirmed.

So Ikithar’s grand, complex appearance back at the festival was his original form, huh?

It does look like something that lives in gas giants, now that I think of it.

“Anyways, the patient’s side will cover the cost of this prescription, but I assume you will pay for the other products yourself?”

“Oh, right. Yeah.”

Reminded of our other stuff, we hurriedly finished up the transaction process for the health products in order.

“Please come again.”

Bowing in response to the pharmacist’s softened words, we left the dispensary and headed back to Bouillon 35.

Unlike the medkit and other medicine in my inventory, I held the cloth bag containing the bottle of Bobwaft in my right hand instead. It had an appropriately heavy weight, even with my improved Astronaut physique.

Reminds me of those ginseng jars, to be honest.

“I wonder what will happen if I have a sip…”

No, I shouldn’t take away from the doses for Ikithar for no reason.

“Sanasi was half Human, wasn’t he? Do you think he’ll need it too?”

“Doesn’t seem like it.”

I gave my thought to Yeonjung’s question. At least, it doesn’t sound like he had any interest in the Bobwaft himself when we were talking.

Either way, as someone born between a Human and a Halyca…

I wonder how it happened.

The thought popped up in my head, but I made sure it stayed there.

---

“Here’s the Bobwaft for Ikithar.”

“…”

The Magna bartender nodded without a word as she took the bag, placing it under the counter between us.

I guess she’s the quiet type.

The only time I think I heard her voice was when she came with our orders before.

“That’s it, right? Nothing more to do?”

Yeonjung asked, her eyes on the system window in front of her.

“Yep, that’s all.”

I didn’t know where Ikithar and Sanasi lived, and I didn’t feel like finding out either. As per the latter’s instructions, I’ve passed over the requested item to their friend.

“Nice.” She replied. “Next stop: Crystal Lily?”

“But of course.”

*DING*

“Leave it to me.”

Yeonjung had already keyed in the location of the Crystal Lily Temple, passing the coordinates over to me in a chat message. It looks like she’ll be handling the navigation once again.

It’s much better to have someone around.

Selfish as it was, I can’t help but appreciate how much easier it was traveling together.

Leaving Bouillon 35, we made our way to the platform a few blocks down the bar, and fired our flight tech once again.

I didn’t know of it was because of the route we used, but the jumps this time around weren’t as hectic as before.

Shielding myself from the cold night breeze blowing over the spires, I had a look over the city grounds passing below us.

“Not many people out.”

I guess even for the unsleeping Magna, these hours were best spent indoors.

“They need their rest too, KC. The only ones moving around are those on their shifts, and,”

Mid-leap, Yeonjung grinned and pointed to both of us.

“Explorers like us. I’ve heard from Innis that temps for odd jobs are quite popular among business owners, especially small ones.”

“Oh, right.”

It was like that for Jurgen’s loading job too.

*BOOM*

There were around a dozen more jumps left to go. Checking the energy levels in my jets, I reminded Yeonjung to keep an eye on hers too.

As we returned to the sky, I thought about what she said before.

Temporary positions…

Letting out a sigh, I unwittingly let out my words.

“If only getting paid was this easy in real life.”

“Hm?”

Yeonjung didn’t miss it, strangely enough.

“Are you still doing that internship, KC?”

She was referring to my current real-life job, a tenancy with a consulting company for over a year now. Many a fansign was spent telling the girls the funny things that happened at work, so it made sense that she would remember it.

“Yep. It doesn’t seem like they’ll be offering me a permanent place, though.”

Overqualified for a clerk spot, but nowhere near enough to take on an associate position; it was pretty much a dead end.

“So you’re going back to job searching again?”

“Sooner or later.”

“Oh.”

Our soaring through the air filled in the short moment of silence.

“…Good luck, KC, I’m cheering you on.”

“…Yeah. Thanks, Yeonjung.”

I thought to change the subject, not wanting to discuss such a gloomy topic further.

“How about you? Is everything going well on your side, idoling and all?”

“We’re getting by.”

Yeonjung said, her eyes wandering in thought.

“Group promotions aside, all of us are doing our best to push for personal schedules of our own.”

She explained that so many factors go into whether they’ll get calls for appearances on features: The conditions set by the requester, whether they fit the position or not, stuff like that.

“WJSN’s brand reputation is doing a lot of good for the members, but we’re still just one group among many others.”

“Huh.”

They’re fighting their own fight.

Most of what she said was something I already knew about the industry, but hearing it from herself felt different altogether.

“Oops.”

I adjusted myself in time to land on the next platform, readying another charge in the jet modules. Yeonjung also moved her sabres around as we touched down, and,

*BOOM*

Blasting off into the air, we continued our journey following her directions.

Going back into the conversation,

“I would personally like it if you’d do more lives or fan contents by yourselves, but I guess that won’t bring as much to your careers.”

Listening to my concern,

“We’ve thought about that too, KC.”

She smiled.

 “It’s a balancing act, really. We’re very thankful for all of Ujungs’ support thus far, but we want to prove ourselves capable of flourishing in the industry as well.”

For ourselves and for you too.

A reason that went both ways.

I didn’t say anything in return, letting the words properly sink in. In the end,

“I guess so.”

There were no grounds for me to disagree with her. Not that I could think of, that is.

“Hopefully your whole collab with this game goes well too.”

“I hope so, too.” Yeonjung nodded. “HF is a fun game, difficult as it is.”

“Difficult?”

“Getting these blades wasn’t exactly a walk in the park.”

She laughed, swinging the sabres floating around her with her fingers.

“And I wouldn’t call this Crystal Lily thing easy, either; would you?”

“Oh, yeah. Good point.”

Having circled back to the task at hand, I refamiliarized myself with Ikithar’s request:

[Find out anything you can about how Crystal Lily trains our disciples.]

Just what would the Temple tell a Human that they wouldn’t to the Halyca?

*BOOM*

The constant jumps made it difficult for me to focus on the matter properly.

And why isn’t this a Path of its own?

Did it have something to do with what Sanasi said back in the bar?

With these questions running at the back of my mind, we continued onwards to our destination.

---

Even to the new explorer, even the intricately designed structures of the Magna’s buildings differed according to their purpose.

The wide towers in Clade Melado, the low houses of Nefica Ibera, and,

“They really all look like flowers…!”

“Are all of these under one Temple?”

Divine spires of lilac stood gracefully over the temple grounds, towering above the larger, more conventional halls connected to them.

“And here I thought the city couldn’t look more like a garden if it tried.” I commented.

“They’re really going with the ‘one with nature’ theme.” Yeonjung added.

As was the case in Nefica Ibera, there were few platforms around the temple grounds of Crystal Lily, which was located on the further side of the city’s southeast.

According to Yeonjung, both Crystal Lily and Yfum Arbosienn weren’t the ‘main’ temples of the city, and thus didn’t occupy the regions of the city dedicated to the Magna’s training.

We had landed on a corner of the grounds and were now making our way inside through a side entrance.

“It’s so quiet.”

I don’t know if the status or architecture of the spires had anything to do with it, but something about these temple grounds made them especially tranquil, even compared to the already very peaceful rest of Arbosienn.

“Maybe that’s because there is no one around to make a sound, KC.”

Yeonjung argued. Looking into the map,

“They don’t really tell us where visitors should go on here.”

“How about there? That looks like a good place to start.”

I drew her attention and pointed to a large, cathedral-like building which attached itself to a spire.

“Call.” She nodded. “Good, old-fashioned trial and error; what could go wrong?”

“Don’t jinx it, Yeonjung!” I half-joked in response.

The building made its imposing size clear as we approached it. Unfazed, we went and pushed the main entrance doors open, entering the grand hall inside.

The larger the building, the more important it is, right?

The assembly space that occupied the majority of the interior was empty and dimly lit, curtains on the elevation and stained glass casting colourful shadows against the cold light.

Still air hung over the expanse, and our footsteps echoed off the walls enclosed all around us.

“Here I thought that there’d be more inside.” I remarked.

However, the one that responded was someone else other than Yeonjung.

“How can I help you, esteemed guests?”

A polite voice caught both of us by surprise.

“What!?”

“What was that!?”

Following the source of the voice brought our eyes to a small station on the left corner of the hall, a distance away from the front doors.

“I apologize for my prior silence, guests. The Gathering Hall conducts sound very well, too well on quiet nights like these.”

From behind a thinly-veiled partition, the silhouette of a biped robot moved, indicating that it had its attention to us.

Right, of course they’d have a cognit keeping watch over the place.

Turning to Yeonjung,

“There’s your person to speak to.” I said.

“It’s your task, KC. No point if I do it for you, right?” She shot back.

“I thought you wanted to know where visitors should go—”

Ah.

Her eyes told me everything: Stay focused and get to the point.

Recomposing myself, I went up to the station and spoke to the cognit inside.

“I need to speak with—”

No, that’s not right.

Even if the Magna don’t need to sleep, I doubt they’ll be in the Temple this late at night. Even if they were, will they accept an audience with outsiders like us?

“What did you need?” The biped responded.

“Ah, no,”

I opted for a more general approach instead.

“I’d like to know more about what this temple teaches, if that’s fine with you?”

Yeonjung whispered in my ear a second after:

“We already know that, KC.”

Before any of us could say anything more,

“Crystal Lily is a Disciplinary Temple, esteemed guest, which means that it teaches martial arts and techniques to its disciples. Unlike most other temples, however, it focuses on unarmed, internal energy centric combat styles that come from the individual’s latent powers...”

The cognit began its detailed explanation on the temple’s training focus, not giving us much leeway to interrupt.

Minutes later,

“...thus, both quantifiable and ambiguous forms of conscious-rooted power can be utilised to practical effect under our long-established methods of training.”

“...Oh, yeah, I see.”

I barely caught the end of the biped’s long-winded overview. There was a lot more in-universe lore in its explanation, but the gist of it was everything we already knew.

On the other hand, Yeonjung looked like she had listened to it all the way through.

“Great, well,”

Trying to phrase my words properly,

“How popular is this place with Halyca, though? Just curious.”

“I hear they are quite interested in training here.” Yeonjung added.

“We have a number of concurrent disciples from the Distinguished People here, with a steady stream of interest from them outside formal study.”

The cognit carried a pleased tone of voice as it outlined the statistical rise of interest from the Halyca and other atmorials in coming to the Temple to train.

Hmm.

It may just be part of its programming or something, but the biped genuinely seemed to believe that everything was going well. If that was the case,

“I don’t think this one will be of much use to us, Yeonjung.”

She nodded silently, hearing my whisper.

Either way, a cognit’s viewpoint wasn’t really what Ikithar wanted in his request.

After it finished, I tried to press my question further.

“Do you have information about how the Temple specifically trains them in particular?”

The cognit’s eyes dimmed as it stared into mine, as if doubting the intentions behind my question,

“Asking for a friend.” I explained.

“So it is.”

However,

“Unfortunately, I do not.”

It shook its head.

“As you may already know, these grounds in Arbosienn are only a branch hall of Crystal Lily; perhaps you would find your answer in the scripts kept by the main pavilion in Talcavel?”

“Talcavel.” I repeated the name that appeared.

“A beautiful city in the south of the Fernoj Continent, overseeing the gentle waves of the Clement Sea. Talcavel is where the founders of Crystal Lily laid their mark two millennia ago.”

“...Ah, okay.”

I opened a window and located Talcavel on the network map. After a moment of loading, the waypoint that appeared took me halfway across the world.

Yeah, that won’t be an option.

It was definitely possible to fly there and back in our own ships, but the amount of time that would take just wasn’t feasible.

“Is there another way to get in touch with the main pavilion without having to go there?”

Unless I’m mistaken, it should be noon over there now, or at least daytime.

“We have a page on the Frontier network, where you can access the channels to contact the Talcavel halls.” The cognit suggested.

A website… That won’t do.

I don’t think we’ll get what we want through a public line, given the nature of this investigation and all.

“Hmm.”

While I was trying to think of ways to overcome the situation,

“Is anyone teaching right now?”

Yeonjung came forward with her own question. However,

“I cannot disclose information regarding the hall faculty, esteemed guests.”

The cognit declined, highlighting the privacy practices implemented in the temple.

“No, I mean,”

Yeonjung didn’t back down.

“Can we take a look at the classes? Or something like that.”

“Oh, so that’s what you meant.”

I understood what she was getting at.

“Yeah, anything we can observe from the side.”

Rather than try to get in touch with somewhere on the other side of the planet, it made more sense to see the process with our own eyes.

“A class observation…”

The biped cognit stayed still for a while. A faint, sort of signal-like sound hummed from within the station, and the biped focused its attention on it.

After what seemed like several minutes,

“It won’t be a formal teaching class, but there is a supervised free-training session in place for the midnight disciples right now. Is that fine with you?”

Yeonjung and I looked at each other in an instant and nodded.

“Yes, please!”

Our raised voices reverberated around the silent assembly hall, and we realized just how loud that was.

The cognit let out a few regular clicking sounds, then,

“I have alerted the mentor of your request, esteemed guests, and she will be able to receive the two of you during the break in thirty minutes from now.”

It pointed to its limb, motioning for us to hold out our own hands towards it.

“Just past the veil?” I asked, hesitant to touch the partition.

“Yes, if it is no trouble to you.”

“Okay.”

Following the cognit’s instructions, we our arms inside the station, holding them right in front of itself. A few holograms appeared, then,

*DING*

A notification appeared in our systems.

[Location: Hall Ce 3]

It seems like the location of the hall was transferred to our own navigation function.

“While the mentor can only talk to you during the break, you can observe the session from outside the hall until then, esteemed guests.”

The cognit gave a slight bow.

“We hope you enjoy your visit, and thank you for your interest in the Temple of the Crystal Lily.”

---

“Thank God it’s not that far away.”

The venue for the session was within the central area of the temple grounds, which is pretty much where we already were.

It didn’t take us more than ten minutes to reach the place, which was one of the more practically designed buildings in the area.

“Oh…”

Humble as it appeared, Hall Ce 3 was relatively spacious, almost half the size of the Gathering Hall. More than that, with its wooden-lined floors and open-air layout,

We’ve seen this before.

The place looked just like the Trial Hall in Deusrust, except much more carefully maintained.

“Oh.”

“Looks like they’re going at it.”

Even before we got inside, we could already see the ten or so people on one end of the hall, practicing their skills.

“So we just, stand outside like this?”

I said to Yeonjung. The temple grounds weren’t particularly too cold to bear, but it would still be tiring to stay here the whole time while waiting for the break time to come.

“The hall is pretty big.” She returned me a look. “They wouldn’t mind us going inside, would they?”

“Hmm.”

At that point,

“Oh, you must be the visitors.”

A voice called out to us from within.

“Please, do make yourselves comfortable out of the night. Will that be alright with all of you?”

Hearing the question from her,

“Yeah.”

“Sure thing.”

Most of the others agreed; I didn’t hear anyone voice their opposition, at least.

“Well then, please excuse our intrusion.”

Lightly bowing to the people in the session, I made my way through the doors on the side.

“Please don’t mind us.” Yeonjung followed.

Without making much noise, we chose a corner of the hall to sit in, not too far away from them. The disciples acknowledged our entrance quietly, returning their focus to training.

Apart from a few mats arranged on the floor, the hall was pretty much empty, just us and the people training. However, the closed storerooms on the other end of the space weren’t subtle in appearance either.

More than that,

“Mitrell, straighten your limbs!”

“Duel in half-time until your auras are stable, you two!”

“Look closely at how I form the draw structure, and follow the best you can.”

Rather than just monitor the session, the Magna mentor spared no effort in giving the surprisingly diverse body of participants her advice.

“I wonder how it’s like to attend a class, KC.” Yeonjung mused. “Maybe I could join them for a bit!”

“Can you? Do you even have the internal power or whatever it is they’re using here?” I doubted.

“Oh, right.” She giggled at her own miss. “I should ask Chengxiao unnie which Temple she’s in, maybe I can try it out when this game comes out.”

“Me too.”

I opened my chat window and sent her a personal message with the question, before putting it away.

Better do it now, since it’ll be hard to get in touch with her after we log out.

The two of us spent the rest of the session doing what we said we came for: Observing the class, seeing how the students trained and how the mentor corrected their techniques.

Soon enough,

“Alright, break time, everyone!”

She announced.

“We’ll be continuing in ten.”

The disciples crashed to the floor and loosened up with heavy breaths. Despite the rather gentle movements they were training, it must have taken quite the toll on them.

We looked at each other and took that as the cue to stand up and go over to the Magna mentor, who was also recovering from the exertion.

Seeing us approach,

“How was the session, visitors? I hope it was to your liking.”

She wiped down the internals of her sturdy metal arms using a towel and asked us with a polite tone.

Having been put on the spot,

“Uh, well,” I stumbled. “It was inspiring indeed, seeing how everyone worked.”

“They’re all doing their best, aren’t they?” She nodded. “Most of the midnight disciples have matters to attend to during the day; this is the only time they can focus on training.”

“They’re not tired at all?” Yeonjung asked.

“They are, but they don’t let it show.”

Even through her fatigue, I heard the gentle tone carried in the mechanical lifeform’s voice; I didn’t know if she was in charge of their curriculum or whatever, but I could tell that she cared for them.

Rather than that,

“Anyways, I’m KC. Nice to meet you.”

I held out my arm for a handshake, which she returned without hesitation.

“I’m Cara, training mentor for the night set; it’s great to meet you too.”

“I’m Yeonjung, thanks for having us.”

“It’s a pleasure.”

The two of them did the same.

“Do you have a moment to talk?”

After the introductions, I asked her.

“We don’t want to interfere with your rest or anything…”

“It’s fine, go ahead and tell me what you want to know.”

Cara shook her prism-like head and indicated for us to continue.

“Okay.”

I prepared my words, trying to figure out how to steer the flow of the conversation.

“First, I’d like to know how the students make and measure their progress in the Temple. Is there a curriculum or test for anything?”

“No problem. I’ll go over how we train our disciples from their entry point onwards.”

The Magna explained to us the training process for her students, which can start from as young as ten years old according to the traditional disciple system.

“The Apprenticeship can last as long it takes for the disciple to achieve their own personal goals, though the next step of the traditional system, the Proving, remains a popular milestone for Crystal Lily’s students.”

Eligibility to participate in a Proving Trial requires both the consent of the disciple and approval from a Temple council, the latter of which depends on how well they have learned the ways of the temple.

The Proving itself was similar in format to the Foundation Trials we took, except much more challenging in difficulty. Completing it will allow the students to graduate from their disciple status and become a full-fledged practitioner.

“Despite only requiring one Proving feat to complete their student duties to the Temple, many of our disciples continue their stay with us and push their efforts towards additional trials.”

She lamented, citing the burden it has placed on herself and the other mentors.

“Perhaps they think themselves too young to embark on the Pilgrimage, when it has already begun the moment they return from the Proving.”

“I-I see. Thank you.”

Like the cognit before, Cara’s explanation was general and didn’t really give me the information I wanted. However,

The moment they return from the Proving.

Her last words struck me in particular. During her explanation, Cara had reminded me of the significance of the Proving in the Magna’s disciple system: It was the second of its three components, following the Apprenticeship and preceding the Pilgrimage.

Am I really ready?

Or maybe I really have to be, in order to prove my worth in wielding the Fahrenheit’s Ovation.

“The progression in training is yearly, you said.”

Yeonjung recounted the Magna’s words. Checking something on a window,

“The Kamag year has 530 days, right? That’s a long time. I get that the Magna live long, but what about the other people that don’t?”

Oh, right!

I forgot about the differing lifespans the races of the Frontier have. If the same timescale applied to everyone else, most of them will be gone before they can get anywhere.

In response,

“The fundamentals of our techniques won’t take more than a few years to learn, and advanced forms are just compound variations of their concepts.”

Cara answered, stating that it was their mastery that takes up the time, rather than their learning.

“Of course, Crystal Lily is always looking for innovations to tailor our doctrine to various needs; unique individuals knock on our doors every day.”

“I see.”

Well, the game had to make it accessible to the playerbase in one way or another, right? Even with the time dilation, it’ll take too long for someone to get to the Proving Trial if they follow the usual way.

Mulling over how the in-universe lore works,

“That sounds like a lot of work.” I commented.

“It is.” She nodded. “I understand that the main pavilion is handling the bulk of the efforts, but we don’t have it easy either!”

…Oh.

Cara belatedly realized her outburst and covered her face with her hands.

“That was unprofessional, I apologize.”

“No, it’s fine, really.”

Both of us shook our heads, amused at her expressive side.

Looks like the people here have their own stuff to go through, too. No doubt the other Temples have their own share of problems as well.

“Anyways,”

Yeonjung’s eyes met mine as she spoke up.

“We’re here on behalf of our Halyca friend, who is currently…”

Just say anything.

Seeing her words trail off, I signaled to her to make something up.

“…Out, resting for the night, of course. Something came up at work.”

A little messy, but it was a valid save.

“We want to find out how Crystal Lily instructs people like her, if that’s okay with you.”

I continued the conversation.

“A Halyca, I see.”

Neither Cara’s voice nor her face showed a significant change in expression.

“Where the atmorials are concerned, it is comparatively easier for us to pass on our techniques to the Halyca. Our polyhedral cores are quite similar in how they regulate their energy, so getting off the ground doesn’t usually take long for the earnest newcomer.”

Dependent on the disciple’s own talent and understanding, of course, she mentioned.

“Most of our teachings apply to their terrestrial form, their smaller wings as substitutes for our legs and arms. As for the atmorial form, the Temple is working closely with competent Halyca senior disciples and mentors to build a practicable training analogue more suitable for their larger, less dense bodies.”

“So most of the focus is on the smaller, terrestrial form?”

“Currently, yes. In the future, this might change.”

The Magna affirmed Yeonjung’s question.

“…”

Her eyes seemed like she had something more to say in response, but decided not to do so.

“So, um.”

I made my attempt instead.

“Do the students enjoy their time in Crystal Lily?”

The mentor turned her attention to me.

“I mean, are they fitting in and doing well?”

I tried to minimize the accusatory tone in my question and pushed onwards.

After a moment of silence,

“Good question. As far as my own experience goes…”

*CREAK*

At the same time, the main entrance to Hall Ce 3 opened, and,

“Sorry we’re late, instructor Cara!”

“Tensem got the jumps wrong again!”

“Our fault for not looking, too.”

Three separate clusters of wings floated over to us as quickly as they could, the third of them closing the hall’s doors behind her.

“…They might have become too comfortable for their own good.”

Staring at the newcomers, the Magna finished her sentence.

---

Directing her attention to the three,

“Don’t waste your precious self-training time, you three! I’ve had enough trouble keeping this hall open for three nights a week!”

“I apologize on my friends’ behalf, instructor Cara.”

The one with the smooth, grey wings lowered her body.

“We’ll do our best to make it up.”

The other kept her spotted wings folded, except for a single one that smacked the third latecomer between them, which I figured was the one called Tensem.

More than that,

“KC!”

Yeonjung turned to me.

“I know.”

I understood why she called out my name.

They had smaller statures and seemed well younger than Ikithar was, but,

“Like I said before, time is valuable.”

Cara went on.

“The Distinguished People are highly respected across this system by both Magna and non-Magna alike, and I would not see you three bring shame to their name.”

They’re really here…!

I didn’t think we would come across Halyca students so easily, seeing how rare they were in Arbosienn. If all goes well, they’ll definitely help us out a lot.

With a pause, the mentor trained her eyes on the one in the middle of the group,

“What about you, young man? Are you going to let Ekien and Pynac take the blame for your mistakes?”

The entity in the middle flared his strong wings, revealing the rather spiky core underneath.

“I’ll take responsibility for my mistakes, instructor Cara. I’ll remember the platform renovation works around the city next time, don’t you worry!”

“Oh, you mean the ones in the peripheral clades?”

With a sigh, the Magna softened her words.

“The construction projects are in full swing this month, aren’t they?”

From Tensem’s words, she understood that it was not entirely their fault that they arrived to the Temple late.

“At least you made it here safely, you three. Go warm up in front of the hall and I’ll go over your focal points later.”

“Got it.”

The three atmorials affirmed, then headed through the same side entrance we used before. I could see them standing out in the open from inside… stretching their wings?

Oh!

All their cores started to sparkle in different colours, responding to their efforts.

“As you can see, we are guiding our Halyca students the best we can.”

Cara returned her attention to us.

“Those three are good kids; it’s just that they have to understand the dedication it takes to learn to properly stabilize their energy pulses, before they can do anything else.”

It’s something both the Magna and Halyca go through in their maturity, Crystal Lily or not.

“I see.”

This was only from what I saw, but it didn’t seem that the Temple was treating the Halyca so badly.

“Is that all that you need to talk about?” The Magna mentor asked.

“…Yeah, I think.”

“We’ve learned a lot.”

Both Yeonjung and I nodded, looking at each other. At least for now, it doesn’t seem that either of us have any more questions for her.

“If there’s any advice I can give to your friend, it’s that only her efforts will make her stay in Crystal Lily worthwhile.”

She concluded. Clapping her palms four times to indicate that the break was ending,

“As mentors, we’re always here to help, but it is the disciples who need to push themselves to improve.”

With those words, she left to round up the midnight students and continue with the session.

Even after our talk, Cara and the others didn’t mind us staying to watch. Hall Ce 3 was large enough for us to not get in the way (provided that we didn’t make too much noise), and the session wasn’t so intense to demand their entire, undivided attention.

The three Halyca finished warming up soon after, joining in the rest of the group immediately. As expected, the students used their respective internal energy to practice the arts of the Temple, honing their skill.

“That one’s a Magna, right?”

I pointed to a smaller-bodied mechanical lifeform, who seemed to be struggling with his power control.

“Looks like his friend’s got it covered.” Yeonjung nodded.

“Oh, the Mulkuku.”

If I wasn’t mistaken, that’s what the game called their people. From within the dark blue hood, their five eyes blinked occasionally as they helped support their classmate’s posture.

So they have internal energy too?

Thinking back to my Spined Rake, it did make sense considering the nature of their homeland.

Dependent on the disciple’s own talent and understanding, huh.

Cara’s words repeated in my head as I observed the two of them. Seeing someone of another race do better than a Magna in their own system did well to drive that point in.

Either way, it was interesting to see how differently each type of energy reacted to the techniques they performed. The Mulkuku’s spirit-like emanations, the Halyca and Magna’s iridescent lights, the many other colours and forms from the other disciples…

Yeonjung was right: I do wish I could join in.

I tried to follow along and concentrate on my own internal power, but nothing happened at all.

“You tried, KC.” Yeonjung said, having seen everything.

*DING*

“Oh?”

I looked into my system and switched to the notification that appeared.

On a chat window,

Chengxiao: My place isn’t anything big like a temple.

Chengxiao: It’s more of a martial arts school without any ties to the Magna’s rituals.

Chengxiao: [Location: Iris Palm Dojo]

“Xiao responded my message, Yeonjung.”

“Unnie did?”

I showed her the replies she sent, opening the location on the network map. The waypoint that appeared pointed to a smaller place, somewhere in the outer districts of Torfalmein.

“Seems to be an independent school. A Feran runs it, huh?”

She read out the short introduction annotated on the location.

“If they’re anything like Kalasia, we might be in for hell if we go there.”

“Maybe,”

Yeonjung laughed along to my joke. Still,

“But that’s probably why Chengxiao unnie’s there: That kind of place is where she thrives the most.”

“…I see.”

As much as I want her not to put so much pressure on herself, it’s not like I can tell her to stop.

That’s how she chose to play the game, after all.

“I should take a look there sometime.”

“Me too, KC.”

I don’t know if the devs would change the world before release, but visiting all the places the girls went to would be a good trip.

“Anyways,”

As we continued to watch the rest of the session,

“Cara didn’t really say a lot to help with our investigation, but she did seem to tell the truth about the Halyca’s treatment in Crystal Lily.”

I went over my findings with Yeonjung.

Retaining her eyes on the session,

“The student support is there, or at least she says it is.”

Yeonjung gave her thoughts. Recounting the earlier conversation,

“Going by what we heard, it seems like Crystal Lily would train their shorter lifespan students up to the end of the basics, reasoning that higher levels are achievable as long as you have those down.”

And that it would be easier for the Halyca to do so in that regard, owing to the similarities in their cores.

“Yeah.” I nodded. “The point about them focusing on the terrestrial form did get my interest, though.”

“Me too, I was just getting to that.”

Yeonjung had the same opinion.

“Even if they said it would change in the future, the fact is that they’re not doing anything much ‘now’ for the atmorial form. You remember what the pharmacist said back at the dispensary?”

“About the Bobwaft?”

“Yes.”

“Yeah.”

As Ikithar had demonstrated earlier before, the Halyca’s terrestrial form allowed them to live on planets like ours, but it wasn’t a perfect adaptation.

At least, not if they have to constantly rely on medicine to keep the pain away.

“So for now, we draw the line between their terrestrial and atmorial form, where Crystal Lily is concerned.”

“That’s a good start.”

I condensed what we found out so far into a few paragraphs, writing them in the same notes Ikithar provided.

“Either way, I need more information to finish up the report.” I told Yeonjung. “I don’t think this is enough.”

“I agree.” She nodded. “We don’t want to disappoint Ikithar, do we? He’s going to be your Proving referral, after all.”

“Of course.”

Half-hearted efforts will only waste our time.

“So we ask those three, after all?”

“Yup.”

Our eyes moved to the three Halyca disciples among the group. Training with the other disciples and between themselves, they kept their posture upright with the wings covering their geometrical bodies.

“Ooh.”

I only realized that none of them were wearing the Empyrean robes Sanasi and Ikithar used.

Were they were floating completely out of their own power?

That must be why Cara placed so much importance in their energy control and all.

“You think we can go up to them right now, or should we wait?”

“Hmm.”

Yeonjung furrowed her eyebrows.

“Cara did already scold them for wasting their time, but we don’t have that luxury for ourselves, either.”

Every second of playtime we waste meant a higher chance of not completing the Path by today, but that doesn’t really justify interrupting the training session for just a few questions. The emphasis on etiquette placed by the Magna hung heavy at the back of my mind, so it was difficult for me to take action.

“…I can’t decide.”

“Let’s not be rash.” She assured me. “It was already a good thing we didn’t have to look for Halyca disciples ourselves—”

*KNOCK KNOCK*

Out of the blue, two consecutive bangs on the hall’s main doors sounded across the entire space.

“Wha,”

The students’ exclamations showed that it wasn’t just us who the sound took by surprise.

Everyone’s eyes darted to the front entrance the moment it swung open.

“Cara, I’m glad you’re here.”

Two figures entered the room without waiting for the Magna mentor to respond.

The first of them was a tough, well-built Magna with multiple sharp blades upon his back. Just from his appearance, I could tell that he was a warrior, or at least a practitioner of a fighting style.

“Dremer? What’s wrong?”

The tone of Cara’s voice indicated that she was not expecting him either.

Before we could say anything, however, my eyes landed on the smaller, slenderer figure that followed behind the bladed Magna. With straight long hair that matched the black-grey suit over her figure,

“Yeonjung, KC?”

The member beside me raised her voice in response.

“Seola unnie!”

---

“Ah.” I belatedly realized the situation.

No wonder the teachings of this temple felt so familiar to me.

Seek guidance to control the power she holds.

Yeonjung and Exy told me about this before we logged in. Comparing that with what Seola said about her Winterhymn Drive, it made sense for her to be here, at a Temple that focused on internal abilities.

“Why are you two here?” She called out to us.

“We could ask you the same question.”

The two of us quickly got up and approached her, gesturing to the two Magna that she was someone we know.

“Where’s Bona and Soobin?” I asked her.

“They should be here soon, if they’re not lost; I told them to meet me here after they finish walking around town.”

Seola replied. Turning her eyes to me,

“What are you doing here, KC? I thought you were working on that shield-axe today?”

“I’m here for a request related to that, bit of a long story.” I answered. “I thought you’ve gone to the temple already?”

“Ah, that…”

Remembering something, the older member let out a helpless laugh.

“It turns out that we went to the wrong one. Apparently, the Temple of Ascended Wings’ ‘aerial combat’ styles were more about mid-air fighting tactics than spaceships.”

“Oh.”

I didn’t know what to say to that.

“…That’s unfortunate, I guess.”

“Can’t you fly, Seola unnie?” Yeonjung asked.

“Is that even a question, Yeonjung?” I piped. However,

“I don’t think I can, unless Seo-ri is preventing me from doing so.” She answered.

I don’t think that was the point…

Or maybe it was: If the drive allowed Seola to fly, Ascended Wings might have been the right place for her instead.

Meanwhile,

“This must be a grave matter for you to leave the night post for it, Dremer.”

Cara waved to her students, indicating for them to practice by themselves.

“Does it have something to do with the Human you brought in?”

“I took her here because I knew you were in the halls, Cara.”

Acknowledging the disciples, Dremer said with a low tone.

“I know it’s on short notice, but it’s important that Crystal Lily look at her case as soon as possible:”

After a pause,

“This Human is linked to an ancient drive.”

Oh, so they call it an ancient drive in the game, too.

Sejin should be more careful with his words to possibly avoid spoilers, I think.

“…There really are more of them around than we think.”

After a moment of thought, Cara said those rather ominous words and nodded.

“Got it. I’ll see what I can do.”

The Magna mentor turned around and drew our attention.

“Visitors, I apologize for the sudden intrusion, but your friend will have to come with me to the council chambers. It is important that we make arrange for her matters at the soonest moment.”

“Oh, okay.” Yeonjung replied.

“You seem busy yourself, Seola.” I told her.

“Right?” She sighed. “I understand that they would make a big deal out of it, but it’s all going a bit too fast for me to keep up.”

“I can see that.”

Having people in charge in-game to show you the way was helpful, if a little tedious; but seeing in happen in a VRMMO like this shows how forceful those situations feel like sometimes.

“Class? I’ll have to let you train by yourself for the rest of the hour. An urgent matter came up and I will have to leave.”

The supervisor informed her departure from the class, allowing the rest of the class to remain in the hall for self-training.

It was tempting to follow them and find out what’s going to happen to Seola, especially with her Path and all, but,

“We’ll see you later, unnie. Come on, KC.”

Yeonjung reminded me of our purpose.

“Ah, got it.” I returned to my senses. “Good luck with your thing, Seola. Tell me about if after you’re done.”

“You too, KC.”

Soon after, Seola left the hall along with Dremer and Cara.

“That came out of nowhere.” I commented.

“I hope Seola unnie doesn’t get into too much trouble.” Yeonjung added. “The vassals did warn us about having too much power.”

“Yeah.”

It felt a bit unfair to penalize players for being too strong, but it made sense from the in-universe perspective to have regulations in place to protect the people.

Anyways,

Seeing them off, we turned our attention to the three Halyca.

“Hmm?”

“What are they doing?”

For some reason, the three of them were not with the rest of the group, and we barely caught them also leaving the hall, through the side entrance rather than the main doors.

“Let’s go, Yeonjung.” I said to her.

“Yeah.”

---

Following after them led us back outside the hall, the place we stood around before and also where they did their warm-ups.

I closed the side doors behind me, and was about to talk to Yeonjung when—

“You seem to want to have something to do with us, Humans.”

A clear voice reached out to us.

“I hope your intentions are peaceful, or we will have to report you to the Temple.”

“We have the right to refuse any conversation that infringes upon our rights.”

Two others followed, and at once I knew who they belonged to.

In the middle of what looked like an open outside space, the three Halyca disciples huddled together, flaring their wings outwards as if to intimidate us. The ones they called Tensem and Ekien were in front, with the smaller Pynac behind them.

“Um.”

Yeonjung stood there speechless, trying to figure out what to do.

Maybe they would be less suspicious had she been by herself, but oh well.

“Calm down, guys.”

I held my arms up, showing them that I meant no harm.

“We just want to ask you three some questions, if that’s okay.”

“What if it isn’t?”

“Yeah, what then?”

None of the three budged after hearing my words.

“Well… that’ll be a bit of an issue for me, too.”

“That’s going to be your problem, not ours.”

…

The situation came to a standstill as both sides faced each other, them wary that I will suddenly do something.

“We’re only going to ask about the temple, you three. I promise that you won’t have to tell us anything about yourselves at all.”

Yeonjung stepped in to reduce the tension.

“The Halyca Ikithar sent us here.”

However,

“I don’t know who that is.” Tensem snapped back.

“Lying won’t get you anywhere.” Pynac added.

“Wait.”

The two of them turned around in response to Ekien, their third friend. She motioned with her long wings to take over, then asked us a question.

“Which Ikithar, may I ask?”

Yeonjung looked in my direction, herself not having met the Halyca before.

“The one that helped with today’s celebrations! In Clade Karri, I mean.”

I explained. Remembering something, I brought out a window,

“I have Sanasi’s ID with me if you want proof. You know, his half Human son?”

“And how did you get that, pray tell?”

Ekien pressed further, still suspicious from her tone of voice.

“He wanted me to pick something up from the dispensary!” I answered her, reaching for my inventory. “Here, this thing—damn it, I forgot I left it at the bar…!”

Without the Bobwaft to show them, there was nothing I could use to prove that I was telling the truth.

“Calm down, KC.”

Yeonjung’s voice shut me up. Turning to Ekien,

“We picked up a jar of Bobwaft for Ikithar at Sanasi’s request. Lucaritrol, was it? We left it with their Magna friend in Bouillon 35 under his instructions.”

Her explanation made the Halyca go quiet, while her two friends looked between themselves.

“The only questions we’re going to ask are the ones Ikithar told us to.” She continued. “That’s all.”

After a moment of silence,

“Got it.”

Ekien finally answered.

“We’ll go along with what you have to say for now.”

“Asha Ekien!”

“Why?”

Tensem and Pynac tried to protest, but she held them back.

“Bobwaft is important for the elderly, and I’ve heard things about hemi Ikithar and his work.” She reasoned.

Looks like the whole Bobwaft thing came in handy after all.

“Still, if either of you feel uncomfortable at any point, let me know and I’ll end the conversation right there.”

“…”

Hearing them talk between each other that loudly,

You: Did they really have to be that defensive?

I sent a message to Yeonjung in chat.

Yeonjung: It’s not like I don’t understand why, though.

Yeonjung: Our parents teach us not to talk to strangers, don’t they?

I shrugged at her in response. The thought of the safety of young children didn’t pass through my head at that moment.

“So, what do you want to know about the Temple?” Ekien returned to our conversation at last. “If hemi Ikithar sent you, the Halyca must be involved.”

“Our affinities are off-limits, by the way; the temple says that people can use that information to target our weaknesses.” Pynac added.

“We’re not done with our Apprenticeships either, unfortunately.” Tensem huffed.

“I see.” I looked at everyone. “Well, first things first, let’s get everyone on the same page.”

Referring to Ikithar’s notes, Yeonjung and I relayed to them about him receiving reports of the Halyca being neglected in Crystal Lily, and what he hopes to find out from my investigation.

The students not having faces meant that I couldn’t read any of their expressions, but the way they reacted to what we said was more than enough to compensate.

“Really?” Tensem turned at his friends. “I haven’t heard of this before, have you?”

“Cara and the others have been guiding us well, as far as I know.” Ekien responded. “I’ve not heard anything from the morning and afternoon disciples, either.”

“Yeah.” Pynac agreed. “The senior disciples and Proving returnees didn’t treat us any different from the others too.”

“Huh.” Yeonjung mulled over what they said.

“The three of you are still in the basics, right? If I’m not mistaken.” I asked them. “I don’t mean anything by that, by the way.”

“Yes, we are.”

“No offense taken, don’t worry.”

“Instructor Cara said it takes a while to lay down the foundation, so we’re taking our time.”

“Hmm.”

I gave my thoughts after a moment.

“You think it’s an issue concerning the advanced levels after all, Yeonjung?”

“Maybe.”

Thinking about something, Yeonjung asked the Halyca students another question.

“How about your atmorial forms? I hear Crystal Lily is being careful with adapting their techniques to them?”

“I didn’t know that either.” Ekien’s core blinked to express her surprise.

“Atmorial form is too slow to use the Temple’s techniques, anyway.” Tensem tilted his body. “I don’t really fault them for not focusing on it.”

“Energy control applies to both forms, so I am content.” Pynac nodded.

“I see…”

I didn’t expect them to have such a casual attitude about this. Then,

“So you wouldn’t really count that as educational neglect?”

“Nope.”

“Not to me, no.”

“It doesn’t get in our way, as far as we know.”

All three of them had the same opinion: They have not experienced any form of neglect by Crystal Lily, despite the reports.

---

“Hrmm…”

Of our two leads, one was irrelevant to this conversation and the other seemed to be a non-issue.

Is it something else after all?

With all my input windows being holographic, I strangely found myself missing something to bite on in thought; my fingers didn’t seem like a good alternative.

Should I step back and reconsider our approach? It doesn’t seem like we’ll get anywhere with this.

“What now?” Yeonjung asked me.

“I’m trying to think of something.” I replied.

“Hmm…”

“Hm.”

Funnily enough, the three of them also joined in putting their heads together, trying to help in our investigation.

“Either way, none of us knew that Halyca were being mistreated by Crystal Lily, so we appreciate you telling us that information.”

Ekien asserted herself and thanked us.

“Our mentors must be part of the exception, but we’ll be careful regardless.”

“No problem.” I shook my head. “Though I would advise you not to spread this around yet. There must be a reason Ikithar kept it a secret.”

“Hemi Ikithar’s in atmorial welfare for vulnerable groups, so there’s some pressure preventing him from acting freely.”

Oh, right, she turned to us.

“The reason I know him while Tensem and Pynac doesn’t is because my parents are representatives as well. Our family deals more with post-disaster reparations, so I don’t think we’ll help you much.”

“Oh no, you’re already helping us out a lot.” I shook my head.

That must be why she became the spokesperson for the three of them, too.

“Hmm.”

From their thoughts, there was no reason to believe that these Halyca students were neglected in any way. Everything seems to match up to what Cara said about them…

“…Hmm?”

What Cara said?

I ran through the conversation we had earlier with the mentor. Recalling what she said about her role in the Temple,

“Ekien, was it?” I called out to her.

“What is it? KC, right?”

“Yeah.”

She seemed to catch on to my question and turned her full attention on me.

“…Do you think the main pavilion has something to do with this?”

The one here in Arbosienn was a branch temple, while the central base of operations was half the planet away in Talcavel. Cara’s comments seemed to imply that something was going on between them.

“The main pavilion?”

She repeated my words.

“Wait, you mean,”

“Huh?”

However, the one that seemed to recall something was instead,

“What is it, hava Tensem?”

Pynac thought to ask, but then,

“…Oh!”

“…If it’s that, it might be worth looking into.”

Both her and Ekien also realized what he was talking about.

“What? What is it?”

Yeonjung leaned in close to them, full of curiosity.

“Some of our older friends have heard this being talked about in the halls.”

Tensem stated.

“It’s a bit of a secret among us students, Magna or not.”

“Really?” I tilted my head.

Ekien sighed.

“It’s such a distant argument that it didn’t occur to me that they were related. Only when you mentioned the main pavilion were we able to connect the dots.”

After a pause,

“To put it simply, there is an ongoing disagreement between the two founding families of Crystal Lily regarding how the Temple should teach its non-Magna students.”

It was one of the dozens of often petty conflicts between them regarding the temple’s matters, she explained.

“The Ophaelites believe in making everything fair for everyone,” Pynac spoke up, “meaning that the main pavilion should make its utmost effort to adapt the Temple’s teachings to every race actively training in it.”

On the other hand, Ekien continued.

“Those of the Yllenra claim that there is no wrong way to master the Crystal Lily’s techniques, allowing each race to develop their own principles and offering the main pavilion’s support only when requested.”

“We debate about this argument sometimes, trying to settle who’s right and wrong.”

Tensem laughed, mentioning that he himself doesn’t side with either group.

As long as the main pavilion will help us out, that’s all that matters.

“The conflict hasn’t had an effect on our classes the entire time we’ve been here, so I didn’t think it was anything more than a spat on the council table.”

“Still, it sounds like a good lead.” Ekien pondered. “Just because we’re fine doesn’t mean the others are too.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“The two families have roughly equal standing in Talcavel, but that may not be the case everywhere else.”

She answered.

“The higher-ups don’t have the time and energy to spare to check on every branch temple in Kamag and Sadus, so the heads of each one may have their own ideas on how things should run.”

“You mean there’s a chance they can break off the main pavilion, asha Ekien?” Pynac questioned.

“Nothing that drastic, Pynac.” She reassured. “But it’s safe to assume that there are differences in how classes are taught between branch temples.”

“You think that’s enough, KC?”

Yeonjung peered over my shoulder, looking at the notes I’ve written down.

“We have perspectives from a mentor and a Halyca student. That cognit too, if we count it in.” I mulled over what we have. “This is already pretty good for this late at night, and I don’t think we have time to investigate another branch temple on Kamag anyway.”

“Three different views, huh.” She went into thought. “That’s enough for a short report, but are you sure you want to leave it at that?”

“Yeah.”

I nodded, though my eyes remained on the holographic window.

“As interesting as it is, I don’t want to do spend my last day in this game doing journalism work. We want to complete the Path, right?”

If this isn’t enough for Ikithar, we could always try our luck with Alden or Phoebe instead.

After a moment, she sighed:

“If you say so.”

“I’m not writing an essay for a game NPC, Yeonjung.” I shrugged.

“Was that enough?”

Ekien asked us. The wariness from her and the others have mostly disappeared, though her tone remained polite and careful.

“Yeah.”

I nodded to the three of them.

“Thanks for your time, you three.”

“Hopefully Ikithar can find your views useful.” Yeonjung followed.

“…Um, if it’s possible, can you remove our names from the report?”

Pynac spoke up, timidly approaching us.

“Regardless of what asha Ekien said, I don’t want to get in trouble with my parents or the other adults.”

“Oh, sure. I’ll tell him that you want your identity hidden.” I agreed. “I’ll try to remove any mention of your family too, Ekien.”

“That would be appreciated.” Tensem nodded. “Asha Ekien wants to stay off Halyca politics until we’re all grown up.”

“Stay off is a bit strong, Tensem.” She chuckled. “But yes, we should focus on ourselves until we’re ready to get involved.”

“You’ve got your own issues to face, don’t you?” I commented.

“All of us do.” Pynac stated.

---

We spent some more time together, after Yeonjung asked them to show us how they ‘stabilize their energy pulse’, quoting the Cara’s words.

“…”

For some reason, Pynac elected to decline, and the cues from the other two told us not to pry any further.

After a bit of concentration,

“Ohh!”

“It looks much more beautiful up close.”

Ekien and Tensem began to levitate higher than they usually did, and their geometrical cores took on a million colours as they shone. Looking closer, I could even see that energy begin to seep into their larger wings, though the two of them did their best not to let that happen.

“Asha Ekien and hava Tensem are amazing, to reach this level already.” Pynac commented.

“I can see that.” Yeonjung said, while I nodded along.

True to their appearance, Tensem aggressively reined in the power of his core, while Ekien firmly held it close to hers.

“Are pictures fine?” I brought out a camera window and asked them.

“As long as you don’t post them anywhere on the network.” Ekien responded.

Which means WJSN chat should be fine, I quietly celebrated.

“Me too.”

Yeonjung joined me in snapping a few photos of the two, making sure to get both wide angles and close-ups of the Halyca disciples in action.

After that, Pynac reluctantly agreed to join them for a group shot, after being persuaded by the other two.

“We’re going to change the world someday!”

Tensem shouted as he made a brave pose.

“At least, that’s what the young heroes in the screenings always say.”

“If it’s the three of us together, maybe we just might.” Ekien affirmed.

“Let’s stay together for as long as we can.” Pynac nodded.

What youth drama is this? I thought as I searched for the best angle to capture.

…

“Should I send it over to you?”

Yeonjung asked after we’re done.

“Please do.”

Ekien nodded, extending out a window from a sleeve of her Empyrean robe.

“And… there, transmission request sent.”

“Received with gratitude.”

The two of them giggled at that needlessly formal exchange.

“Thanks for your time again, you three.” I gave them a slight bow. “Hope we didn’t take up too much of your training time.”

“Don’t worry too much about it, we’ll catch up in no time.”

Tensem responded, a level of confidence in his voice that seemed like he was grinning.

“Take care… KC, Yeonjung.” Pynac added.

“Good luck with your investigation.” Ekien said.

“Appreciate it.”

“See you again someday.”

Yeonjung and I said our greetings and parted ways with them.

The investigation done as it is, there was no reason for us to stay in Hall Ce 3 any longer.

“Now, where to go…”

I pondered over the map of temple grounds.

“Don’t you have to send the report to Ikithar?” Yeonjung asked.

“I can do it over the network, Yeonjung. Seems like Ikithar sent me something like a digital mail address along with the notes.”

“Ohh.”

“Well, I still have to make the report properly, which will take time.”

Yeonjung also opened her own copy of the map as we walked around the temple grounds, which held their tranquility in the silence of night. It wasn’t that cold out here, but it would be nice to find someplace to rest and focus on finishing the writeup.

For now, it seems like our destination is the main entrance.

“Wait, didn’t Seola unnie say—”

Before Yeonjung could finish her words,

“…Isn’t that Yeonjung and KC?”

A bubbly voice mentioned our names from afar.

“Over here, you two!”

From the same direction, another one excitedly called out to us.

“Yep, there they are.”

I understood what she was trying to say and waved back at the two figures waiting around the main entrance.

“Bona unnie, Soobin unnie!”

Both of us hurried over to meet up with the other two members.

---

“I didn’t know you two were here!”

Bona said to me while grasping Yeonjung’s hands.

“Did something happen?” Soobin followed up with a question.

“It’s a bit of a long story.”

I scratched the back of my head.

“But we just got done gathering info for an assignment, and was thinking of leaving.”

“Oh, about this temple?” Bona replied. “What was the name again?”

“Crystal Lily, unnie.” Yeonjung answered. “Unfortunately, we can’t join their classes unless we have superpowers.”

“Don’t your floating sabers count?”

“I wish it did, unnie.”

While the Leo line continued their own conversation,

“How was the city tour, Soobin?” I asked her.

“The shops were difficult to find, but wow you should see the stuff they were selling!”

She went over the many different styles of clothing they had on sale, to say nothing of the accessories and accompaniments for everything anyone could need.

“As a matter of fact,”

I held my wrist up, showing her the Summitwood Ne’rai charm hanging from the Amethyst Bridge band.

“Yeonjung and I bought matching accessories too.”

“Really? I didn’t know you were interested in this kind of thing too, KC!”

She grasped the charm in her hand and examined it more closely. After a moment,

“It fits you well.” She nodded.

“Were you shopping the whole time?” I continued.

“Most of the time, but we did stop by somewhere else.”

Soobin’s expression focused, recalling what happened.

“It was some kind of open gallery, I think. Getting in is free, and you can see all the works made by the up-and-coming artists living in and around the city.”

You can see everything in a matter of minutes, she described how streamlined the venue was.

“I see, maybe after I’m done with the assignment.”

“What assignment?” Her eyes met mine.

“I’m writing a report on the temple, Soobin.”

Seeing her pupils glaze over at the mention of ‘writing a report’,

“…Yeah, I thought you’d react that way.”

“Everyone has their own way to play the game,” She sighed, “I won’t ask any further.”

After we caught up with each other,

“A place to rest and finish your report…”

Bona thought about what I wanted to do.

“If it was outside the city, you could just call your ship in and get inside.”

Being in civilized worlds came with its own inconveniences, as we came to understand for ourselves.

“Shouldn’t there be a place to sit and work in the park?” Soobin suggested. “There’s a park here, right?”

“Oh, yes there is.” Yeonjung went over the map and answered. “Quartz Contemplation… what a name.”

“It’s not too cold, so it shouldn’t be a problem.” The main vocalist continued. “I’ve gone to enough cafes already this week.”

Real life TMI, I’ll take that.

With that settled,

“Let’s go!”

Bona led the way, making Yeonjung go with her.

Looks like both of them are just having a good time in Arbosienn, unlike Path holders like us.

As long as they’re having fun, I guess.

Along the way, I reviewed the findings we’ve gotten about Crystal Lily and the Halyca. Comparing between the perspectives and making my own deductions from them should be simple, being an outsider to the whole affair.

It shouldn’t take long for me to complete the report. Then…

“Did you meet Seola unnie in the temple, KC?”

“Is she in trouble or anything?”

Both of them asked me about her; the group did form because they wanted to help her finish the Path, after all.

“We did get in contact, and she’s fine.”

Yeonjung stated.

“A mentor from the temple took her away soon after, so we don’t really know how long it’ll take.”

“I see.” Bona sighed. “Well, her system should still be on in case we want to give her a call.”

“Yep.” I nodded.

From the looks of it, we’ll have ample time to spend, even after I finish my writeup and send it over to Ikithar. After that, all we have to do is wait.

“What to do now…”

I could wait for Seola with everyone else: I am curious about how far she’s gotten with her Path, and it should be interesting to hear what Crystal Lily has to do with it.

On the other hand, Soobin’s mention of the exhibition piqued my interest. From her words, going there and seeing what’s it about shouldn’t take too long.

Also,

By force of habit, I opened up the group chat and went over what everyone’s doing:

Not much, from what I can see.

Still, it might be cool to see what the others are up to. I probably shouldn’t be interrupting what Exy and Xuanyi are doing, which would leave me with Luda and the other three.

“There it is!”

Bona’s voice returned me back to reality, drawing my eyes to the destination in front of us.

The park, which was strikingly similar to the yard outside Hall Ce 3, was much larger and draped itself in Crystal Lily’s characteristic lilac colours. The concentric arrangements of trees and flowers made it stand out as a place to meditate, rather than rest.

“So pretty~!”

Beside we, Soobin expressed her wonder.

Well, I’ll have time to think about this after I finish my report.

I wouldn’t count on these three keeping quiet while I’m writing, but the peaceful scenery should be more than enough to balance it out.

“Let’s stop and smell the flowers, why don’t we?”

---

After finishing the report,

A) Stay in the park and wait for Seola

B) Visit the art gallery Soobin mentioned

C) Meet up with Luda’s group