Departure

( 3rd POV )

"Come on, people! Move along!"

"Mash, have you packed all your things already?"

"I did, Sion-san. I brought a lot of my clothes just like Senpai told me to."

"Speaking of that kid, where is he? We were supposed to gather here ten minutes ago."

In a room that looked like an underground garage, several people chatted with each other while some others, wearing the same white masks but differing in build and form, moved around, carrying boxes and bags toward the vehicle parked nearby.

The vehicle stood as a twelve-wheeled behemoth, functioning as a mobile base of operations for the Chaldea members. Anyone who saw it could understand that this transportation possessed considerable defensive capabilities just from its appearance. The vehicle's outer armor was fortified with modern technology and conceptual magecraft, such that normal weaponry shouldn't damage it. Its appearance was intimidating, giving off an aura of an impregnable monster.

"I believe Ken went back to his room because he forgot to bring something. Ushiwaka is also accompanying him," one of the men in a familiar white lab coat answered the previous question asked by his colleague.

"Tch, he is wasting our time." Hearing the reason why the boy named Ken was late, the white-haired woman frowned while tapping her foot impatiently.

"Ma~ don't be angry, Director Olga. We just have to wait for a few minutes at best. Today is a wonderful day for our vacation trip. Don't let yourself be grumpy all day long, fufufu." The brown-haired woman holding her magical staff chuckled, defending her master from Olga's wrath.

"Sigh, this trip is not only for the sake of vacation, but it is also our attempt to contact and build a foundation in the outside world," the man standing a bit far from the group said while exhaling smoke from the cigarette in his hand.

"Waver-san is right, but we can also treat this trip as a vacation. We've been under a lot of stress lately, and even after we cleared the first Grand Order, we barely had any free days. So let's take this whole month-long trip to do some business while also enjoying our new world," the purple-haired girl, now dressed more casually than in her previous academic outfit, said.

Two days after their last meeting about deciding the future of their organization, Olga and the others finally reached a conclusion and decided to go out into the outside world after hearing a suggestion from Da Vinci. In fact, Da Vinci's suggestion was also in line with Ken's desire, as he had been thinking about leaving Antarctica and taking Mash and the others on a vacation.

They all agreed with the plan because they realized that sooner or later, Chaldea's resources would be depleted. They still had plenty for now, but if they wanted to mine the Anti-metal or invent something new, they would need to gather more resources and people from outside the Savage Land.

Using the Shadow Border as their main transportation and diving into the Imaginary Number Space to travel to another continent, Chaldea's first stop was the land where Ken and Mash participated in a war between three factions back in the fifth singularity. It was the land of freedom where most main events of this universe would happen: the United States of America.

They prepared for a day, gathering everything they needed, such as money and other equipment, before loading it all into the Shadow Border. Dr. Romani volunteered to stay behind and supervise Chaldea's security while the rest of the team ventured outside. With their bounded field still operational and Romani as a guarantee, the others felt at ease.

"Ah, sorry for the wait, everyone!" a young man's voice echoed from behind the group. They turned to see him and a woman emerging from the elevator with their belongings. 

"About goddamn time you arrived, Ryougi," Olga snarled, irritation evident in her tone as she saw the young man approaching.

"Ahaha, sorry about that, Mrs. Perfect. I had to go back and get my daggers and sword. Just in case something happens, at least I came prepared," he replied, adding a little jab toward the white-haired woman, who now gritted her teeth.

"Alright, people, now that we're all finally gathered, it's time to board the Shadow Border and prepare to head out," Da Vinci said enthusiastically, walking toward the massive vehicle.

Hassan, having finished loading all the necessary materials into the vehicle, dispersed her clones and stood silently beside her master.

Just as everyone was about to board the vehicle, Sion, holding a briefcase, stopped them. "Wait, before we go inside, I need to give you all this," she said, opening the briefcase.

Inside, there were new futuristic bracelets, similar in design to the one Waver had been using for communication.

Seeing their curiosity, Sion continued her explanation. "These are new bracelets I finished last night. They can ward off and cloak our minds from mental attacks. They function similarly to the communication bracelet I gave Waver-san a few days ago, but I've upgraded them. After reading about a certain mind-rapist bald man, I decided to create these. I know we each have some resistance to mind attacks and even some spells to prevent them, but I wanted to add extra protection just in case our capabilities are rendered useless. Oh, I also embedded some protection spells in them."

She immediately handed each person their own bracelet and instructed them to wear it before heading out. The group began to put on the bracelets, marveling at her creation.

"You are so thoughtful, Sion."

"It's so cool..."

"So this is basically a CID 2.0?"

Hearing her companions' praises, Sion simply nodded. For a genius like her, creating something like this was a piece of cake, not challenging at all. However, a certain young man approached her and patted her head smoothly. "Thanks for your hard work, Sion," he said warmly.

Sion was stunned by his gesture. Looking up, she noticed he was taller than her. Making eye contact, she suddenly blushed and pushed his hand away from her head. "I-I just wanted to make sure everyone is okay. Now let's get going," she stuttered before heading toward the Shadow Border.

Ken watched her with an amused smile before being called by a certain eggplant. "Senpai, let's board the vehicle."

"Kyu, Fouuu!!!" The white beast chirped before jumping from Mash's hand to Ken's shoulder. "Alright, ladies first," he said, gesturing for Mash to go ahead.

As the group began to move towards the vehicle, Olga paused to address Romani. "Alright, Romani, I entrust Chaldea to your care. Make sure everything runs smoothly. Perhaps I'll consider easing your punishment upon our return," she said, offering an unusual display of encouragement as she patted his shoulder before striding towards the vehicle.

"Leave it to me, director," Romani replied enthusiastically. He saw this as an opportunity to excel in his work, even aiming for the title of employee of the month.

With a mischievous grin, Da Vinci added, "Fufufu, fret not, I'll bring you back a souvenir. Perhaps a new model of magical girl from our adventures in this new world," before following suit and heading towards the vehicle.

As the group entered the Shadow Border, they noticed that its interior was larger than its exterior dimensions suggested. This was due to the application of spatial distortion, allowing twice as much room inside as normally possible, making it a livable habitat with various rooms and a cockpit at the front of the vehicle.

"It's quite spacious in here," one of them remarked.

"Let's get seated first, people," another directed.

They all found their seats and fastened their seatbelts. Meanwhile, Da Vinci and Sion headed to the cockpit to check everything before starting up the Shadow Border.

"The control panel is working, the fuel is full, and everyone is on board. Activating the Paper Moon, scanning into the Imaginary Number Space, matching the coordinates. We're good to go, Leonardo," Sion reported, settling into the seat beside Da Vinci and engaging the controls. In the rear, the rest of the group observed a holographic projection of Earth's surface, displayed on a two-dimensional map.

"Alright, people, get ready for the journey ahead!" Da Vinci exclaimed; her excitement palpable as she gripped the wheel with eager anticipation.

"Senpai, I'm so excited. It's my first time going outside. I wonder what kind of places and people we will meet," Mash said eagerly.

"Good places filled with a bunch of weirdos... But I'm glad you seem excited, Mash," Ken replied with a hint of amusement in his voice. 

"Hey, Da Vinci, are you sure this thing is gonna work?"

"Yeah, as far as I know, the plan to use this thing and travel through the Imaginary Number Space was scrapped because it's too dangerous, right?"

As the other members of Chaldea chatted in their seats, a mixture of excitement and worry filled the air. Some leaned forward, eager for the journey ahead, while others cast uneasy glances at the vehicle. Da Vinci, catching wind of the doubts swirling among her companions, couldn't resist flashing a playful smile before responding. "I don't know, I never tested it after all, fufufu," She giggles when she saw an aghast look on their faces. 

"Oi... Oi... Majikayo...!?" Even the only adult male and the calmest person in the group staring at her with a look of disbelieve. 

"Don't worry, my friends! Even though I've never tested it, this Shadow Border has become my Noble Phantasm. So, I have a feeling that we will succeed. Just enjoy the ride, people. Initiating the Zero Sail procedure!" she declared before driving the vehicle toward the dark greenish portal that had appeared at the end of the launch pad. 

The Shadow Border hummed to life, gradually gaining momentum as it left behind a trail of darkness, slicing through the air and hurtling toward the enigmatic portal. With a final surge of energy, it vanished from Chaldea and Dr. Romani's sight, leaving behind a sense of anticipation and uncertainty.

"Huft, they are finally gone... I can finally get some sleep and maybe watching another Magi Mari concert, hehehe." The former king of the magecraft murmurs loudly with a drooling face. He changed his attitude very fast as soon as his bost is leaving, it was a stark reminder of how one of the mightiest magus has fallen to one of the humanity sins. 

.....

In one of the secret dark chambers of a certain organization, inside the office room, was a dimly lit space with walls lined in steel panels and monitors displaying real-time data feeds from around the world. The room was sparsely furnished with a large, imposing desk made of polished black metal, cluttered with high-tech gadgets and holographic displays projecting mission-critical information.

Seated behind this formidable desk, a bald man adorned with an iconic eyepatch reclined in a sleek chair, his attention captured by the presence of a striking red-haired woman standing before him. She delivered her mission report with a confident demeanor, the air thick with anticipation as she recounted her latest endeavors.

"Just as you requested, I managed to investigate a new vigilante who has recently emerged in New York, especially around Hell's Kitchen. The first one goes by the codename Daredevil. His real name is Matt Murdock, and apparently, he's also a lawyer, a good one at that.

He is currently hunting down a group of an assassin called The Hand that has a connection with The Kingpin. I must say, despite being a blind guy, his overall prowess could put our top agents looks like a goddamn kid, especially his abnormal sensory power. When I approach him and inviting him to our group, he tells me to fuck off. So, yeah, you could scratch him off from your super boyband group." The red-haired lady finished one of her reports with a hint of sarcasm. 

Disregarding her words, the bald man with the eyepatch concentrated on the documents he held. After a moment, he looked up and prompted her to proceed with her briefing. "And the other two?" he inquired.

"You know, one of the men you tasked me to find is a real lunatic," Natasha remarked, her voice tinged with a mix of concern and disbelief. "He leaves every one of his victims dead, arranging their bodies in a macabre pattern resembling a skull. Each gang's hideout he infiltrates becomes a scene ripped straight from the depths of hell itself... It's a challenge to keep tabs on him, even for someone like me. I don't know what your thoughts are on this, Fury, but that man is beyond dangerous and hardly suited to join your elite team.

The last one you asked about is similar; I couldn't find out his whereabouts after he managed to escape from prison. The experiment he underwent in that prison involved the Electro-Biochemical System. I tried to find out more about the experiment, but the doctor who conducted it is missing alongside his family. You'll need to give me more time or maybe transfer Clint to help me if you want faster results, Fury." She said with a weary tone finishing her entire report about her investigation while standing up from her seat and preparing to leave. 

"I can't transfer him; he's on a very important mission right now. You can take your time to finish those tasks since they're not our top priority, Natasha," the man said, putting down the file he had been reading before staring at his subordinate.

"Alright then, whatever you said boss. "So, does this mean I can finally take that vacation?" She asked, her tone laced with skepticism, though she harbored little hope for a positive response. But she herself doesn't think that the man infront of her will permit it. 

To her surprise, Fury relented, granting her request with an uncharacteristic display of leniency. "Fine, but be prepared for your next assignment when you return. You've earned your leave." With that, he ushered her out of his office, a rare gesture of goodwill in their line of work.

"Well, I don't know why you're being so generous this time, but thank you, boss. See you later," Natasha said before she walks toward the door and leaving Fury behind in his own office. 

Seeing that he finally alone in his secret office, Fury sighed tiredly while massaging his shiny forehead. "Motherfucker, why is it so hard to keep the world save? It'll be much easier if you are here..." he muttered under his breath, thinking about a certain golden woman while staring at the classified file called The Avengers Initiative. 

.....

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A/N: The first volume is finished!!! The next volume will introduce a lot more familiar faces and explore how Chaldea will interact with them. Of course, with a little bit of conflict here and there...

I'm excited to finally finish it but also feeling down because I feel my story couldn't even compete with the likes of MTL in Webnovel... Some of them are good, but there are also bad ones. My confidence takes a hit when I see that MTL is more popular and has a lot of support.

I hope you guys can donate your power stones and leave more reviews for my story. It's fine even if you want to insult and spit on my story because I know I'm still a newbie and have a lot of flaws. It's even better if you could leave your suggestions or advice; I'll appreciate it.

Sorry for wasting your time reading my bullshit, and also thank you for the support!!!

.....