VOL 2 Chapter 15: Welcome to District 9

The bag that Eleonora was carrying was one Erik had made for her some time ago. By the way, both her masters, Ebonique and Ignis, should already have a collection of all the bags they had made him create, even though they were rarely seen using them. And even though the latest ones they made were spatial artifacts like rings, in reality, there was no need for them thanks to storage rings. But since they liked them, Erik would occasionally make bags and other things for them.

The beautiful bag had a charming design that matched perfectly with her dress. After all, Erik had been 'heavily inspired' by a certain renowned brand from his previous life. Though realistically, he had simply copied the design shamelessly, as he had done with many other things he made for his masters. After searching everywhere, he realized that many of those designs didn't exist here, or, at the very least, had been lost to time.

"Umu, you look perfect like this, let's go."

Eleonora nodded, satisfied as she admired the appearance of her beloved disciple, then excitedly took his hand and led him out of the mansion. Outside, she seemed to remember something, so she took two pairs of glasses from her elegant and minimalist bag—one with a black frame and the other with a blue frame—and placed the black-framed ones on Erik's face with a smile.

"Don't take them off."

Eleonora happily commented, at the same time a magical circle appeared above Erik's head, causing his hair to turn completely black, completely hiding the typical starry pattern that accompanied him. She then added, looking quite satisfied.

"Now you're ready, fufu."

"Shall we go?"

While extending one of his hands toward his master, Erik asked with a smile, which made Eleonora smile charmingly in return. She took her disciple's hand, intertwining their fingers intimately, and then commented with excitement.

"Let's go!"

Hand in hand like a couple, master and disciple calmly walked out of the mansion. Erik couldn't help but notice that people on the street seemed to ignore them. While he had become relatively known ever since his photo had spread across the planet, that was nothing compared to his master. Although no one had the courage to approach her, whenever she stepped outside, she always attracted the attention of all the passersby.

But now it was almost as if they didn't exist. No one paid any particular attention to them, which surprised Erik quite a bit. Instinctively, he brought his hand to his glasses, which made Eleonora smile proudly. She quickly asked, happily.

"Fufufufu, what do you think of my little gadget? Pretty useful, right?"

"They're amazing... Are we invisible or something?" Erik asked while resisting the urge to take off the glasses to study them. Eleonora shook her head softly before replying.

"Not at all, they just slightly alter our appearance and presence, making us seem like ordinary people, which is why no one is paying special attention to us."

"How powerful are these glasses?" Erik asked curiously while looking around, to which Eleonora responded with a small smile.

"Well, actually, no one below a Master-level can see through them."

"Impressive…" Erik commented softly, making a mental note to ask his master for more information about them later. At that moment, Eleonora cheerfully added.

"Fufufu, let's go, or we'll be late."

With a light chuckle, Eleonora led Erik through a part of the city he had never explored before. Well, not that he explored much to begin with, but about 15 minutes later, the pair arrived at what seemed to be a train station, with its glass and metal architecture and all kinds of holographic screens displaying schedules and destinations.

As they passed through the automatic doors, they were greeted by a spacious and futuristic lobby, with floating holographic information panels and self-service terminals glowing with a soft blue light. Crowds of people hurriedly moved around, similar to the train stations Erik remembered, though perhaps more 'futuristic.'

With great familiarity, Eleonora led her beloved disciple by the hand to one of the self-service terminals, where she used a crystal card similar to Erik's, which she took from her bag. In a process, much like the one students followed to enroll in a class, she purchased two tickets.

After buying the tickets, Eleonora guided Erik to a small line where people placed cards of different colors into what seemed to be some kind of super-futuristic turnstiles. This was quite similar to what Erik remembered from train stations, although without any visible barriers.

"Erik, now you have to place your card next to mine when we pass." Eleonora explained with a smile once they were in the small line, attracting Erik's attention as he curiously looked around.

"All right, Mas…"

Erik nodded with a smile, but his words stopped abruptly when Eleonora squeezed his hand tighter. The beautiful woman with golden eyes then softly whispered with a small smile on her face, which, for some reason, looked quite terrifying.

"Eleonora."

"…"

"Eleonora." After Erik stared at her in silence, Eleonora repeated with a meaningful smile, leaving the young man with no choice but to surrender obediently and respond, defeated.

"Alright, Eleonora."

"Fufu."

With a big smile on her face, Eleonora intimately hugged Erik's arm, pressing it into her large chest, drawing a few glances from the people around them, who quickly went back to their own business, paying little attention to the 'exhibitionist' couple.

After placing their cards together on the scanner, Erik and Eleonora entered what appeared to be a Boarding Platform. However, unlike any train station or airport, Erik had ever been to. This area was made up of a series of cylindrical capsules lined up on elevated launch platforms, each resembling a futuristic train carriage, with tinted glass walls and ergonomic seats inside.

The couple entered one of the capsules through sliding glass doors that emitted a soft musical tone as they opened, accompanied by other passengers. Once inside, a synthesized voice welcomed them and instructed them to fasten their seat belts. The atmosphere in the capsule was soothing, with soft lights that changed color to relax the travelers.

When the doors closed and everyone was securely in their seats, a soft hum began to resonate throughout the capsule, increasing in intensity until it filled the entire space. At the same time, the holographic screens inside displayed a countdown as the synthesized voice narrated.

[Teleporting in 5... 4... 3... 2... 1...]

As the countdown finished, a blinding flash of light engulfed the capsule, and after a brief sensation of weightlessness, the passengers arrived at their destination. They quickly began to unbuckle their seat belts and exit the capsule.

For his part, Erik observed the whole situation in amazement. Although this wasn't his first time teleporting, it was his first time using a facility like this. All of his previous teleportation experiences involved being taken somewhere by his masters or Seraphina. Since he rarely ventured out, he didn't even know something like this existed in the city, despite having lived there for more than a decade.

"I think I need to go out more often..." Erik commented thoughtfully as he exited the transportation station alongside Eleonora, which looked almost the same as the one they had entered just moments ago.

"Fufufu, you're starting to realize what you've missed by trying to play the hermit cooped up in the mansion. But don't worry, little by little, we'll get to know the entire planet and the rest of the galaxy." Eleonora commented cheerfully as she hugged Erik's right arm against her abundant chest, pulling the young man out of his thoughts.

"Thank you for the experience, master." Erik thanked her with a small smile, which only made them look even more like a couple in love to the passersby.

"Fufufu, it's still too early for that. We still have a lot of things to do." Eleonora replied with a sweet smile, which also cheered Erik, who responded with a bit of anticipation for what he was about to see and experience.

"Then let's go."

The couple left the station, with Eleonora still holding on to Erik's arm without the slightest intention of letting go. They quickly reached the street, which was a revelation for the hermit Erik, who never ventured out. Unlike the orderly scenery he was used to, where everything was perfectly organized and everyone wore similar white robes, things here were very different.

Even though they had just had breakfast, Erik now found the place shrouded in the darkness of night, illuminated by glowing runes and holographic signs of all kinds. It was as if someone had taken fragments from different eras and fused them into one scene, creating an impressive amalgam of the old, the futuristic, and the magical, leaving behind the tall buildings he was accustomed to.

The streets were full of people, none of who were wearing the university uniforms. Although many people were dressed similarly to Erik and Eleonora, there were also many different styles. Some wore ultra-modern business suits, while others sported outfits that seemed to belong to science fiction tales or fantasy worlds.

The architecture was a spectacle in itself. In addition to the typical glass and steel skyscrapers, the area was filled with older, more ornate buildings of all kinds, with unique designs ranging from castles to pyramids. Floating parks and gardens suspended in the air by magical wonders could also be seen.

As for the traffic, there were all kinds of land and aerial vehicles. Unlike the orderly, almost choreographed movement Erik was used to seeing when going to class, the traffic seemed more like a chaotic yet perfectly coordinated dance of machines of all types.

"This is incredible..." Erik commented dreamily as he looked around, playing the role of a country bumpkin, which caused Eleonora to laugh pleasantly before commenting in amusement.

"Fufufufu, welcome to District 9, also known as the Fun District."

"I can see why it's called that..." Erik muttered under his breath as he looked around, and Eleonora explained as she began walking down the sidewalk.

"Yes, this district is mostly made up of recreational and tourist attractions. There are several similar districts, and some even have special themes. We'll visit them at a later date."

"I had no idea this even existed. Today has been one new experience after another." Erik commented in a somewhat dreamy tone, which made Eleonora smile with amusement. After a small giggle, she added as she quickened her pace.

"Fufufufu, that's what you get for being a hermit. But come on, we'll be late."

"Where are we going, Mas..." Erik stopped abruptly again when Eleonora turned to look at him with a small smile, prompting him to correct himself. "Eleonora?"

 "To see a movie, of course." Eleonora replied casually with a mischievous smile on her face, leaving Erik speechless as he simply let himself be 'dragged' by his beautiful master.

"…"

Looking quite excited, Eleonora led Erik down a street filled with all kinds of holographic screens displaying endless images and video advertisements, until they reached an area full of movie theaters. Erik glanced at the movie listings and noticed something peculiar.

"What is Arcane Reality?" Erik asked, a bit confused, as they approached what seemed to be the cinema's ticket booth. Eleonora explained with a small smile.

"It's a way of enjoying movies where you experience the story as if you're inside it. Occasionally, you even become a character within the movie, and that's the type of projection we're going to see."

"That sounds amazing..." Erik commented quietly, filled with curiosity about this intriguing 'way of enjoying movies.'

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Hi, I don't really know if there are people reading this novel here, so if there really is someone reading it and likes it, I would appreciate a review or something, so I'll know if this novel really has readers here.