Chapter 26 - Another Strange Wish

Due to weariness, Ivan took his time climbing the mountain steps. Along the way, he took the time to observe the fact that the path leading up the mountain was not yet in shambles like the one in the game. Bridges were still in place. Stairs and ladders could still be used to scale some of the cliff walls. He didn't need to use Electrogranum at all, which he was thankful for. He didn't know yet if he could even use those things, and he was scared to try without a glider.

'I guess this path might get torn up a bit in the near future, or maybe it was just torn up because of the game's adventuring mechanics? It makes a lot more sense for the shrine to be at least somewhat accessible to the populace, I guess.'

Either way, he casually ambled up the mountainside with his hands stuffed in his pockets. About halfway up the mountain, he finally remembered to open his constellation and check his quest log. Although he could only collect the rewards for two quests, it was more than enough to put a grin on his face. 

With a quick flick of his fingers, he jumped to the 'store' icon. Then, he looked at the number of primogems he owned: a perfect one hundred and sixty.

'I've only completed a few quests but already have enough to buy a wish. Very nice.'

Without needing to deliberate, he pressed the pinkish-purple icon to exchange for an intertwined wish. Then, he jumped over to his Wish screen. Ever so briefly, his gaze flickered over to the blue Acquaint Fate still sitting there unused. After pulling a two-star reward before, he hadn't had the heart to use it, but he couldn't really afford to put off increasing his strength, either, no matter how badly his luck affected the pull.

Pursing his lips, he used the Acquaint Fate first. The screen shifted and showed a blue star careening across a nighttime sky.

"At least it's blue," He mumbled, but only a few seconds later, he pinched the bridge of his nose and grumbled, "I shouldn't have said anything."

The image of a grimoire floated in the center of the screen. Underneath, the name 'Thrilling Tales of Dragon Slayers' identified the item in bold letters. It wasn't a bad item. It really wasn't. It wasn't bad, okay? It was just useless for the current Ivan.

Shaking his head, he quickly got over it since pulling trash - no, upgrade materials - was a common occurrence for him. 

Without missing a beat, he used his new Intertwined Fate as well.

Once again, the nighttime sky appeared on the screen. A blue star streaked across in his view. This time, however, Ivan's jaw dropped a little, and his eyes widened. He blankly stared at the blue item floating on the screen at the end.

"Seriously? You've gotta be kidding me," Ivan mumbled while reading the name of the item.

It was a Sentiention Membrane.

* * *

Even when Ivan reached the top of the mountain, the frown never left his face. His brows remained scrunched in confusion. This trance-like state even led to him accidentally killing a squirrel that attacked him and collecting the meat on instinct as though on autopilot. 

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he blinked a few times and returned to focusing on the world around him again. Cool blue moonlight mixed with the gentle purple glow of the massive Sakura Tree behind the shrine to illuminate the grounds. Crickets chirped all around him. He didn't see anyone around, either. 

"I've only been here a couple days, but this is really a beautiful place," Ivan mumbled in appreciation.

'Still, I got a wish reward from that world, too, huh? How does that work? Can that even be called a reward, though? I'm not sure how to use it or if it will function here at all in the first place.'

Shaking his head and sighing, he set aside his heavy thoughts for a moment and turned his attention to the waypoint standing nearby. Then, he looked around again. Not seeing a single soul, he walked over to it and placed his hand on it.

'Miko might guess it was me if I activate it, but I prefer that over walking up the steps every time I have to come here in the future.'

With that thought in mind, he closed his eyes and tried to repeat the process he went through earlier. It took a few seconds for him to successfully reproduce the state where he could pull out the twig-like strand of energy to activate the waypoint, but he at least succeeded far more quickly compared to his previous attempt.

Opening his eyes, he quietly watched the waypoint hover with its new glossy sheen of blue for a while. Once again, though, his thoughts turned to the wish reward. He contemplated whether or not using items from that world would cause any problems, especially one connected to an Aeon like the one he had received. Unfortunately, a voice from behind startled him out of his contemplations.

"You activated this one, too, did you?"

Ivan nearly jumped out of his own skin. He hopped away on instinct and whipped his head toward the voice. Upon seeing the familiar pink-haired fox maiden observing him with a ponderous expression, he sighed and released the tension in his body.

"You scared me. I thought everyone was asleep."

'Wait, did she see me activate the other waypoint? Was she watching me or something?'

"Almost everyone," Yae Miko replied in a slightly more serious tone of voice than normal "I am curious, though, how did you activate the pillars, and why?"

"How? I'm not fully sure. Why? For convenience."

"Hm… What do you mean by convenience?"

Ivan raised a brow and studied the woman's expression. He couldn't read much, but at the very least, she felt slightly more distant to him than before, which saddened him a little. His heart twisted a little at the thought that one of his favorite characters from this world might be suspicious of him. 

"It's a teleporter."

"Teleporter?"

"A method of instantaneous transportation. I can show you, if you want."

Remaining silent for a few moments, Yae Miko stared holes into his face. 

"...Or not?"

"No, show me."

Ivan nodded and opened his constellation icons. He immediately navigated to his map, which was still blank for the most part. The only changes from before were the two activated waypoints. He pressed on the teleporter further away from the icon indicating his current position. Then, he selected the teleport option. 

Ivan's screen closed. His vision blurred into flickers of light. Then, he blinked a few times. He felt a bit of a headache while his brain adjusted to the instantaneous shift in scenery. Then, he looked around. Not seeing Yae Miko there, he sighed and opened his map again. 

Back at the shrine, Yae Miko blinked a few times and raised a hand in front of her mouth in a pondering manner. All she saw was Ivan flickering into the sky like a cloud of dim starlight. A few seconds later, he reappeared in a similar manner, but in a slightly different position.

"I'm back."

"I can see that."

Scratching his head, Ivan sighed and said, "I teleported to the waypoint at the Kamisato Mansion just now. I might be able to bring you with me if you want to try it, but I'm not fully sure how yet."

"Ivan."

"Yes?"

"What do you think of Inazuma?"

Ivan raised a brow. He raised a hand to his chin, closed his eyes in remembrance, and said in an almost nostalgic tone, "I love Inazuma. It might be a dangerous place at times, but I love many of the people here, I love the food, and I love its history. I might not be from here, but it still feels a bit like a home away from home at times. If not for the civil war and unfortunate disasters, this place would be an ideal home, in my opinion. Hm… Maybe that's a bit sappy. Forget all that. I just like this place."

Yae Miko's eyes softened, and her lips curled upwards slightly as she said, "Is that so? Have you stayed in this land before, Ivan?"

"You could say that."

"I see."

'Why do I feel like she is getting some wrong thoughts about me?' Ivan wondered while frowning at Yae Miko's growing smirk.

"I would like to see if you can bring me with you through this 'teleporter'."

"If you want to, then sure."