Soren leaned back against the marble chair. Even he was surprised by the revelation Tazzith had imparted to him.
“Vanished… Erased… The entire population…
“Was it the Naless Mist?”
Tazzith grinned, “Sorry, you’ve reached the end of this dialogue!”
“Huh?”
“I am saying, you need to compensate for this knowledge before we continue further.”
Soren scoffed. “Bullshit, you’re just saying that because you ran out of information to tell . They call the first age the Age of Mysteries for a reason. And you admitted to it yourself that you knew little about Guntharion’s existence in the first place…”
“.....”
Soren sighed, “But a deal is a deal. You are right, I owe you one. What knowledge do you demand in return then? Do you want more information on Earth again?”
Seeing Tazzith contemplating, he smiled and weaved [Fictionalization] to manifest sothing. It was a rectangular shaped tal box with a strange mirror-like surface on one side. Soren threw the object in Tazzith’s direction.
“This thing here is called a smartphone. It's an object we use for communication on Earth.”
The phone floated in the air before the Demon of Knowledge. It was clear to Soren that He was curious about it.
“Communication? How exactly?”
Soren shrugged. “It's sowhat complicated. This machine runs on electricity and it has the power to store information. It acts similarly to a divination dium—a signal must be reached to a conduit, which we call a ‘Cell Tower.’ And this Cell Tower then relays the ssage to the smartphone you want to communicate with.”
Tazzith leaned back. “Fascinating… And I assu this signal is also physical?”
Soren nodded. “Yes, they use radio waves. Essentially, they are transmitting ssages between the ‘diums’ through pure energy…”
“How interesting! Hahaha, it seems that old friend of mine was right—humans are truly adaptable creatures… Being able to invent such fascinating tools without magecraft or alchemy… I want to visit Earth myself one day…”
Soren smiled. “Maybe one day, I’ll figure out how this space works and I’ll allow it. But the stipulations to our contract…”
“I know, I know!~” He interrupted. “You’re the stingiest person I’ve ever signed a contract with, you know that?!”
Soren chuckled. “If you were in my place, you’d have done the sa.”
Tazzith tinkered with the smartphone in front of him for a bit before sighing.
“This device doesn't seem that intuitive though… Are you sure you manifested it correctly?”
Oh? He can already tell that its functionality seems intentionally limited? As expected of a Sovereign ranked spirit!
Soren nodded, “You’re right, but it's not on purpose. [Fictionalization] can only manifest tools perfectly if I fully understand how they work. This smartphone was sothing I used on a daily basis, but the internal structure of its components isn’t sothing I can fully comprehend.”
Tazzith stayed silent as he continued observing the device in his fog-like hand. Then, a dubious smile appeared on his face—one that alerted Soren.
“This won’t be enough compensation for the information I shared…”
Soren frowned. “Ah then what about—”
“I have a proposal,” His words reverberated across the ancient marble canopy.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” Soren’s frown deepened.
“Ah, just hear out! I promise it won’t be too difficult.”
“Will it be deadly?”
“.....”
“Then I am not doing it!” Soren slamd his palm against the table.
“Are you sure?” He crossed His arms. “I thought you were planning to do anything to get stronger, were you not? Do you not enjoy thrills anymore?”
“.....”
He continued, “What I am proposing isn’t sothing all that annoying—in fact, it's quite beneficial for you!”
Hearing this, Soren sighed. “Fine, I’ll listen.”
“Hoooooray!~”His child-like voice celebrated and yet, His actual appearance didn’t change. Even now, Soren had no way to fully understand the expressions this enigmatic being was making beneath the smog wrapped around His figure.
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“The proposal is simple,” He said. “Now that you heard the information about Guntharion, I am assuming you plan to head North, right?”
Soren stayed silent.
“Then out of the two directions—Staterra or the Selkie Federation, go with the Bastion of Humanity, Staterra!”
His brows knit. “Why Staterra? It's far more dangerous. Plus, I’ll have to pass through the demilitarized zone… Do you know how difficult that is? The Selkie Federation is a far safer choice even if the path might be longer… Besides, visiting Luvinica will give the chance to get my official magus license and I might even find information in regards to my next Abstract Rune.”
Tazzith chuckled. “The Selkie Federation might seem like the best option, but you’ve failed to consider one thing—your worth.”
“Huh?”
“The Selkie Federation is called the ho of riches! It is also the cca of the Church of Brilliance. You on the other hand—you couldn’t even afford a low-tier wand without haggling for it! How would you even afford to step into their cities, let alone enroll into the fad academy of Luvinica?”
Soren was speechless. He had completely forgotten about the importance of money… It should have been obvious—why would they allow just anyone to study there? Since it's renowned all across the continent, the majority of the students will be those from a wealthy background… The tuition rates would have to be insanely high.
His lips twitched, “Surely this world has scholarships… Right?”
“Scholarships?!” He burst out laughing. “You think those greedy pigs would share anything for free? But you might find a chance to enroll if you simply discard your pride and freedom.”
The wording made him uncomfortable. “What… do you an?”
“Slave contracts, of course.” He spoke casually. “So factions will find rare talents that they will send to Luvinica, but in exchange, they must sign so form of contract with that organization in order to always serve them.”
Soren rubbed his temples. “As expected… Alright, I guess Staterra is better then…”
“You made the right choice! Besides, you are in a hurry, aren’t you? Taking a longer route to Mount Tolarion might be detrintal. And besides, Luvinica isn’t going anywhere. Once you have stabilized your Soul Chain, you can enroll there afterwards with the help of your mistress.”
Soren nodded. “Indeed. But I still don’t understand why you want to go through Staterra… It's practically impossible with how high tensions are between the nations. Crossing the demilitarized zone without getting detected will be a hassle, even with my affinity for illusions.”
The child-like voice laughed. “Ah, that’s also easy to solve! Who needs to pass through a demilitarized zone if you can simply skip it in its entirety!”
“What?...”
He smirked. “The Avalon Ruins. Many don’t know this, but there are large swathes of that dungeon that run underneath the border between Aellora and Staterra… If you go through the dungeon, you can easily cross the border without anyone noticing.”
Soren’s eyes widened. “That seems like a good idea… But still, the Avalon Ruins are dangerous…”
“I’ll assist you personally along the way when necessary.”
Those words only made him more suspicious. “Sothing is off. You never provide help unless it benefits you.”
“Is that really how you see ? Can’t I help Little Spirit without ulterior motives?~”
“Yes, that’s exactly how I see you. And stop calling that!”
Tazzith sighed. “Well, you’re right. The reason behind my proposal… There is sothing I’ve left long ago within the Avalon Ruins that will be beneficial to … Ah, but don’t worry, there is sothing there that will help you as well!”
Soren crossed his arms. “And that thing is?...”
"A secret!~” Tazzith grinned.
I really want to punch him…
He sighed. “Fine, I’ll agree to the proposal for now. I might change my mind though once I have a talk with the mistress, so don’t keep your hopes up. You are dismissed.”
Tazzith’s fog-like form began to unravel and break apart as countless golden butterflies scattered from His body. His hollow eyes glanced one last ti at Soren’s visage. He smiled warmly.
“It’s been fascinating conversation, Mr. Traveler. Invite over again anyti!”
At the guild lounge, Cassia and Candice sat in silence. It had been half an hour since the Valkyrie’s visit, and yet, the mood had yet to recover.
Seeing this, Cassia sighed and leaned back against the sofa. “How exhausting…”
Candice glanced over at her and frowned. “Her parting words… What did she an by them?”
Cassia stayed silent. To others, it might have been cryptic, but she had fully grasped Ilythia’s aning…
The Nagashi Tribe Lands… Sothing at their holand was waiting for her there.
But it also made her think. Why would Ilythia help her? Was it a trap? Or could she have so hidden agenda that she could only achieve through Cassia’s assistance?
She didn’t know.
But she had to go there regardless.
Even if what awaited her was a trap, she needed to know what happened to her tribe—to her family. It has been truly a long ti since that disaster struck, and yet, the mistress had forbidden her from ever leaving Celestine. It wasn’t like she didn’t understand her teacher’s intentions.
The world outside this city was dangerous—extrely so. And that was especially the case for a heretic like her.
However, Ilythia’s words ignited sothing within her stronger than any dragonfla.
She had to go there.
Her frown deepened as she glanced over at her companion. “Candice, it seems that after the mistress returns, I’ll be leaving the guild.”
The words shocked her. She glanced over at the little girl—eyes widened. “W-what are you talking about?!”
“I have sothing to do,” Cassia replied.
“Then let soone from the guild co with you!”
She shook her head, “No, I cannot let anyone co with . This is personal. It will be extrely dangerous too.”
Candice slamd her hand against the sofa, “I won’t allow it! Heck, the mistress won’t allow it!”
“Alright, alright, both of you calm down…” Joyce approached with two cups of tea. “Let’s leave that discussion aside for now. Cassia, please wait until the mistress arrives before making a decision, alright?”
Seeing this, all Cassia could do was stay silent and nod.
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