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| Chapter 39 | Book 6 • Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 |
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Island of Woe - Ancient City
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What? Was there something else? |
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You’re forgetting Vil’s skincare products. Could you please make certain he gets them? |
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Merci, Roi de sa Chambre! |
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Could you at least TRY to read the room? Ugh, you are so exhausting… |
SFX |
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Whoa! What was that thing he took off in?! It was super rad! |
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That was a Styx-made technomantic vehicle. We call them Chariots. Most of the island residents don’t live in the ancient city here on the seabed level. They reside in the residential block of Oceanus, which is the outer wall covering the island. We’ve got maglev trains and elevators… But flying machines are still the most efficient way to get around. |
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Right, the outer wall… It just looks like sky up there, but I guess we ARE underwater. It’s wild seeing the sky at the bottom of the ocean… |
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Humans receive remarkable physical and mental benefits from natural light. So we use all kinds of advanced technologies to emulate life on land as much as possible. In addition to the inner wall’s artificial sky, we also have different weather and seasons. There are forests and rivers too. |
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Well Ah’ll be… |
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What marvelous technology. I can hardly believe we’re on the ocean floor myself. |
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Heh heh! I know, right? It’s much more pleasant down here than it is on land! |
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And speaking of marvelous, I cannot help but marvel at the beautiful architecture around us. Those columns are very distinctive. They remind me of ones in the ruins in the Kingdom of Heroes. |
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From what I understand, the Island of Woe used to be part of the Kingdom of Heroes way back when. The buildings here in this ancient city are vestiges of that time. |
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My word! So these buildings are historic relics? They’ve been preserved remarkably well! |
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What’s that giant pillar in the middle? |
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That connects to the Oceanus Gate, the entrance you came in through. It’s Styx’s headquarters. The column goes down through the island and then waaay deeper. |
| Define “waaay deeper”? | And that's where Grim and the others are? |
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There are a bunch of Phantoms buried beneath that pillar. They’re currently asleep and frozen… But still, don’t go wandering over there just because you’re curious. You wouldn’t want to end up like me. |
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Monsieur Marionette? What’s the matter? |
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Nothing! Point is, there are many dangerous areas on this island, so don’t go wandering about like tourists. Now, let’s get going. Follow me. |
Hecate Sector - Training Facility
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Thank you for signing the NDAs. And I appreciate you telling me about how you got here and what your motives were. Admittedly, your story is so peculiar that I question whether this data would be useful for disaster prevention. |
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Oh, really? I thought our motives were perfectly reasonable. |
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One of you came to deliver skincare products to a subject. One was just mad about losing a fight. And one of you wanted to speak with a subject. Humans behave in such incomprehensible—I mean, unpredictable ways. But what really surprises me is how you got here. Rook Hunt's signature spell, Arrow Afar. As soon as you gave me this information... I immediately understood why you asked to see Vil and the others. You were going to use your signature spell on them so you could find their location, weren't you? |
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Heh heh heh... You have me dead to rights. |
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I knew it! Idia was right—you can't take your eyes off Night Raven College students for a second! |
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Had Styx been doing something terrible to them... I was fully prepared to take drastic measures. But now you've given me a proper explanation, Ortho. I knew the medical mages on Sage's Island had treated them after their overblots... But I feel much better knowing Styx is giving them special exams and blot treatments. |
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Actually, I'm curious about something. Why did Styx abduct them like that? If you weren't going to do anything bad, you could've just explained things before taking them. |
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I'm sorry about that. Most of the time, our subjects aren't exactly the type you can reason with. So we prioritize securing the target first to minimize damage all around. Then we conduct our investigation. That part's non-negotiable. Overblotted mages are essentially monsters incapable of reason, just a mass of hunger and delusion. They're dangerous creatures that will do anything to get what they want. |
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Plus, consider how many people have overblotted in such a short timeframe. It's practically unheard of. Styx had to cover their bases. Fortunately, we've now been able to verify that they've all returned to normal. But we had to be prepared for the worst. There hasn't been a single death among the overblotters OR the people around them. You guys are really lucky! |
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I suppose you're right; we have all been truly fortunate. Sometimes I have nightmares about the day Vil overblotted and wake up in a cold sweat. I thought I was watching him more closely than any of his five million Magicam followers, and from a closer vantage point than any mirror. But what did I truly see, when I stood at his side? |
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| Chapter 39 | Book 6 • Chapter 40 | Chapter 41 |
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