A party?
I actually already have the next chapter ready and I'm in the middle of writing the next one.
A shame that... I only post once a week.
See you all later!
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/Deep within the Free City…/
'Inside a large laboratory, people of many sizes, wearing black and gray suits were currently starting at a thick glass window.'
'Some were over 1,70 Cm others around 1,20 Cm. But here in the Free City, where races of many sizes lived in cohabitation, this was a common sight.'
'Be it the taller Elves or the Small Dwarves, it became clear once they were put together.'
'Behind this thick, protective glass window, another even larger room could be seen, housing within it a massive machine.'
'It looked like a massive furnace, with many tubes coming and in and out of the machine into who knows where.'
'At the very center of the machine, a large metal ball trembled slightly...'
/BEEEP!/
'Suddenly, a loud beeping noise echoed, and many switches were activated automatically.'
/Fuwoon…/
'The machine powered down, and everyone removed the protective gear on their head, breathing in the hot air... But even that was better than their stuffy helmet.'
"Experiment Burner-35 has ended." Said someone sitting on a chair next to the window as he stared at a series of glowing buttons
'No one said much more, checking many things and writing things on paper to make sure nothing had gone wrong during and after the machine deactivation and to document the results of their experiment.'
'A little while later, another one of the scientists, someone small but well built, removed his helmet, showing his middle-aged face.'
'He had a long and thick beard and mustache, and a pair of thick goggles on his eyes, it was a Dwarf.'
'With a serious expression, he said:'
"Good work everyone, enjoy your weekend…"
'As the man talked, another scientist approached him and said:'
"Boss, here are the files."
'The man nodded, ignoring the rest as he read the files…'
"Hm…"
As expected, it's still not enough…
What is the problem this time?
'The man flipped the papers, reading at a fast speed...'
The cooling is within the expected...
Gas emission is within the calculated amount...
There was a little trembling, so something's unstable... But it's not that unexpected nor alarming...
The machine works… And very well at that.
This is a Magmatic Forge through and through, no one can refute that fact…
'He closed the papers and frowned.'
But this isn't what I want.
I don't want to appear to show the world half-completed research…
Yet the deadlines are coming and those annoying people are pressuring me to reveal my research…
'The man scratched his head in frustration.'
"For my Grandfather's Pubes! This is making me go nuts!"
If they were so eager to see the results of my research they should've shown me more support, if they had done that, I would've finished this years ago!
"Urg!..."
How did the ancient architects make this? If only their research papers were still intact...
It's certainly not the fuel that it's at fault, we're using Pure 'Green Luminia' recovered from sealed-off vaults, it's the exact same thing they used.
Most of this prototype was built from the pieces we recovered from other Magmatic forges by following the blueprint pieces I managed to decode.
The rest was forged after hundreds of calculations...
But the calculations still don't match!... Sigh... That's to be expected.
We're building it based on our current knowledge, and even this machine took decades of research to be realized.
With each day, we step closer to the original...
'The man scratched his head in frustration once more.'
"It's not like everything is lost, with a bit more time… With a bit more investment, I would be able to recover this Magmatic forge to its fullest extent!"
After that… I can think about improving it…
'He shook his head.'
"I'm getting ahead of myself."
Even if I have many ideas to improve it, I'll first put myself on the same level as the ancient Architects before proceeding.
This way, I can guarantee that I fully understood their intentions and thinking process.
"2… No, 1 year is more than enough… I just need to make a few dozen more experiments and pinpoint each and every single variable, then fix it."
"We don't lack leads, I only need time and resources…"
'The Dwarf remained in the room, thinking and reading the papers while everyone left, leaving behind more research papers for him to read.'
'Time passed, and eventually...'
/Creak.../
'Someone entered the room.'
/Step step step…/
"Hm? Oh, it's you." The dwarf said as he turned around
'It was another man, just as small as him… And oddly similar to him in fact.'
'It was a young Dwarf with long brown hair, he was carrying a sealed box with a lot of effort, it seemed heavy.'
'It was strange to see such a young man working in a laboratory... But the Old Dwarf didn't seem to think of it as strange.'
'In fact, the older Dwarf looked a bit proud as he patted the young boy's shoulder and helped him carry the box to a table.'
"Good work Boy, I've been waiting for this." He said as he took a keycard from his chest pocket
The only good news of the day...
'The young man whipped the sweat from his forehead and said:'
"I still can't get used to the heat of this room… And these damn boxes..."
Even with the protective gear, I constantly feel as if I'm in front of a heated forge…
And these boxes, they're usually super heavy and made from these heavy metals, but when you open them, only a tiny thing lays inside...
"If we had time, I would've made a countermeasure, but we're running on a tight clock so we have to cut some expenses…" The older Dwarf said in disappointment
A bad working environment leads to bad productivity, I would've liked to completely seal off this room in front of the main one, but that would take a lot of time and money, 2 things we desperately lack.
"Hopefully, once we finish this project, we'll have time to do some reforms in this laboratory." He said with a wide smile
"And I already told you these boxes are heavy, they're secure containers resistant against all sorts of damage..."
/Click!/
'He took a small card from his chest pocket, it was a keycard with his name on it.'
'He passed his keycard through the lock and it opened with a smooth clicking sound.'
'Inside, the Dwarf saw what seemed to be a big clump of red rock with a letter on top of it…'
"Hm…"
'But he didn't seem pleased to see that…'
"Is something wrong, Dad?" The young Dwarf asked
'His father grabbed the ore with extreme caution, weighing it down with his own hands...'
"... This ore… It's 6.9 Kg less than what I requested." He said with a large frown
"What does that mean exactly?" His son asked
'The older Dwarf scoffed and closed the box angrily.'
"It means a potential time loss of at least a week, and that's a conservative estimate."
"This Ore was supposed to be used in the creation of a new Temperature regulation Valve, since the other one was showing signs of malfunction and decay, switching it would then show more accurate measurements..."
"Not only that, but it would decrease the risk factor by a considerable margin."
"However, since we have less Ore than necessary, a problem arises... And to that, there are 2 paths that could be followed."
"The first one is to maximize time and make a thinner Valve."
"But that increases the risk factor significantly, this Valve is extremely important and if it malfunctions it could compromise the machine as even a slight fluctuation of temperature could lead to the meltdown of several key components..."
"The worst it could happen is a Critical Meltdown..."
"The second one is to scrap the previous valve and melt it down, fusing the 2 materials together, but while this is done, we won't be able to run any major experiments, and there is also room for imprecision due to the fact we're fusing 2 completely different Ores together."
"One ore was recovered from a ruin, decaying for who knows how long, and the other Ore that was mined recently…"
'He was really upset, so much so his face was turning red, not from the heat, but from his anger.'
'He grasped the fancy letter between his finger, almost crushing it… But he held his anger as he looked at his son.'
"Make me a small favor son and… Go to the market and see if you can find another Ore, one that fits the fucking requirements, I'll pay for the expense…"
"We simply can't delay things anymore, and I'm not really keen on putting our lives in danger over their pettiness."
This is a warning from them, they want to see results and they're showing me that if I break the schedule this time, the budget will be cut...
"Father? This type of Ore can't be so easily found in the market, much less one of this size…"
'The older Dwarf simply looked at his son with a poker expression.'
"... You…"
'The young Dwarf understood what he meant…'
"If they found out we even considered dealing with them…" He said with a scared expression
"Shiu! I never said that!" The older Dwarf said as he blocked his son's mouth
"Tell this to your ma, she'll understand what to do… Now go! Leave me to read their excuse in peace." He said as he opened the letter
"... Yes, father."
/Creak…/
'As the door closed behind him, the older Dwarf let out a sigh.'
"This is the worst outcome... From everything they could've done, they did this..."
'He looked at the door and shook his head.'
"He's too young for this, he needs to understand that if you play fair, you'll never win anything in life… Because there are those that don't."
"Still… I would've preferred to not deal with them, especially under such crucial times…"
It's all because... Because of those fucking Bald Nuts! Warped Chins! Soggy Tits! Pube beards!
Their greed knows no bounds, their ignorance shall be their doom, they're putting business in front of a revolutionary rediscovery for our species!
/RIP!/
'The old Dwarf only read the first half of the letter before he ripped it apart and threw it on the ground, fuming in anger.'
"They're not even hiding it anymore, fine!"
'He looked at the silent machine behind the thick glass window and said:'
"They gave me 8 weeks... If I do it like this... It can be possible."
I can make it work!
"We're close, I've already deciphered its inner workings for the most part, and we've even tapped into the security codes of the Ancient Systems…"
Although most of the Code is fragmented, every day we're making progress in rebuilding it.
The Ancient Architects were really incredible, they built an empire meant to last...
With the recovered codes, I wonder how many secrets we can find buried beneath the mud?
"The core of our civilizations, if we can recover it…"
…
/Sometime later on the surface/
'In front of the gates leading to Philip's Manor, Sebastiano could be seen talking with another Butler…'
"Deliver it to this Manor's Lord." Said the unknown butler as he turned around and left without any extra words
"I shall do so..."
'Sebastiano didn't feel offended, he knew very well how Nobles usually acted with each other, and their Butlers normally reflected that attitude.'
'He looked at the letter, immediately identifying the wax symbol stamped on it.'
The Pyke Family?...
'Sebastiano thought for a moment and light shone on his mind.'
Ah... I heard their eldest was planning on visiting the city in order to learn how to manage the family business...
He must be planning to hold a Masquerade Ball! A long tradition for the newcomers...
'He carefully put the letter in his chest pocket and closed the gates, going back inside.'
…
/Knock knock!/
'Sebastiano made his way behind the Manor and beyond the back garden where the training room was located, knocking on the large carved stone door elegantly.'
'He knew that it wasn't wise to interfere with someone else's training, but since this matter required his lord's attention, and the fact Philip did not ask to be left alone made him think it was okay to do so.'
'Normally, when wanting to be left alone, the head butler would be the first to be informed...'
/Creak…/
'The door was opened from the other side, revealing a sweaty Philip without his shirt and with a pair of gym shorts, holding a large dull sword that was now resting on his right shoulder.'
"Do you need me for something Sebastiano?" Philip asked calmly
"Yes, M'lord."
'Within a few hours, Sebastiano had already understood a bit about his new masters.'
'Philip seemed calm and collected, he was understanding and very social despite not talking much.'
'While Viera was cheerful, but also very collected, the way she acted alone, or in the presence of others was completely different.'
'She only seemed relatively comfortable around Philip, and that proved to Sebastiano that their relation wasn't one of those forced Marriages.'
'So far, Viera spent most of her time in the main Office reading, and every once in a while she would request something from them, most of it were sweets though…'
'While the Lord immediately went into training, and he now understood how hardworking he was.'
"Apologies for interfering with your training Lord Vinten but there is a matter that requires your attention." Sebastiano said as he bowed
'As he said that, he had a maid behind him deliver a white towel to Philip, as if he predicted such a thing to happen.'
'As for the maid, she was holding onto a silver cart with several cleaning tools and even a bottle of cold water… Sebastiano was really prepared and efficient, showing his many years as a Head Butler.'
"It's okay, I was planning on ending it here for today."
'Philip looked at the maid and nodded, grabbing the towel and drinking most of the cold water in one go.'
"..."
'The poor maid felt embarrassed, Philip was extremely ripped after the many intense sessions of training and body modification he passed through…'
'He even had a few scars, most of it from the past 3 weeks, scars that didn't quite heal due to Fabrin's brutal training…'
"Tell me now, what's the matter?"
"Not long ago, a Butler from the house of Pyke visited us, entrusting this letter into my hands, he requested it to be delivered into your hands only."
"House of Pyke?..."
More Nobles... No matter where I go, they seem to follow...
Perhaps I should've considered booking an expensive house in the lower Sector of the City instead...
'Philip looked at the letter, noticing the emblem on the wax that sealed the letter.'
Ahhh! I recognize this Symbol.
It's the same one stamped on those soldiers I saw earlier today...
I thought it was over after they stopped tailing us, but it seems they simply wanted to see where we were staying in order to deliver this letter to us…
"I'll read it soon, but first, a warm bath."
"I'll have the water heated up for you." Sebastiano said without questioning his orders
"Also, make sure you order another one of those dummies." Philip said with a serious expression as he pointed at the room behind him
"Pardon?" Sebastiano said with a surprised expression
"It was a good training dummy, it did its job flawlessly, but I don't think it'll do for tomorrow, so I need another one." Philip said as he stepped aside to show the inside of the room
'The room looked just like normal, but there were some scratch marks in the center area… And most importantly, the metallic Dummy was now unrecognizable.'
'It was completely filled with deep marks from slashes… It felt as if it could break at any moment… It was thoroughly beaten.'
'Sebastiano understood Philip's meaning...'
"I… I'll do so… In fact, it may be better if we order a better one next time." Sebastiano said as he recomposed himself
"Good, tell me the options later together with the price, it would also be good if you made a small list of some of the things I can acquire in this city, for reference of course."
With so much money to spend and in such a developed place, it may be good to see if I can use it on something useful.
"I'll do as you ask."
'Without saying much more, Philip walked out of the training room while the maid got inside to clean.'
'She even asked for his sword, but Philip smiled awkwardly… He didn't want to offend her, but he didn't think that she would be able to lift the sword in the first place…'
'Of course, she tried but to no avail… Making her embarrassed and too ashamed to even look at his face.'
'Philip smiled and stored the sword in his inventory, this time leaving without looking behind.'
"..."
This young man is full of surprises…
Not only is he rather approachable, but he is also very understanding.
'Sebastiano looked inside the training room with a deep gaze.'
The Dummy isn't that fragile, the force necessary to break it can only be put off by a Purple-Gold, strength-focused adventurer.
Or a destructive 5th Circle spell...
Even so, to cause this degree of damage without looking tired nor causing great damage to the surroundings shows his level and the control he has over his own strength…
He's definitely at minimum a Dark-Gold adventurer, and how old is he? 20?...
'Sebastiano shook his head.'
There's no point in thinking too much.
(Adventurer Ranks: Earth, Hill, Mountain; Then we have the Metal ranks, White-Gold, Purple-Gold, Dark-Gold; Then the last 3 and the big bosses: Air, Sky, and Star)
…
/Half an hour later…/
"That was a good bath." Philip said with a smile as he left the bathroom, hot steam rising from his body
Being rich does bring happiness...
'He walked to his Office and saw Viera reading a book as always.'
"You're back… Took you long enough." She said without taking her face off the book
"I just warmed up a bit, besides, look at you, I heard you enjoyed your time a lot… Ordering food and all…" He said with a smug smile
"Humph…" Viera said embarrassed as she looked to the side
'Philip smiled, taking out the letter from his pant pocket and sitting on one of the couches.'
"What's that?" She asked in interest as she approached him
"I don't know, how about we find that out?" He said as he tapped on the couch
"Sure." She said with a smile as she sat on his side
…
'For the next few minutes, Philip and Viera read through the page-long letter.'
'It was an introduction and welcome, an invite from the Pyke Family young Lord towards a party he'll be hosting tonight.'
"Uh well… Why us? They don't even know us." Viera asked confused
"Exactly because of that, a common rule is to treat all Nobles with respect until you find out their ranks…"
At least that was how it was supposed to go, but even so, there are still many conflicts that are caused due to misunderstandings...
Still, they're definitely targeting us… Even if it's normal to invite others to a party, it's impossible for him to invite all Nobles and Rich men in the Upper City.
So what he would do is invite those he knows or wishes to know + the extremely rich... And I don't think we would fall into any of those.
It's clear... Unless there is some secondary reason, we were invited due to what happened early.
"Are we going?" She asked
"Hm… I was planning on not going, but this Auction at the end does entice me a little." Philip said with a devious smile
The entire party will last, at most, 2 hours. At least for us.
Some of his closest friends, those that want some more 'fun', or those that want to do business will certainly stay longer.
The party will start at 10, but I'll leave as soon as the Auction ends as it would be interesting to see what they sell, and in case something interesting pops up, I could acquire it...
But the biggest reason behind it is to see what that boy is preparing for me.
The earlier I deal with it the better. Even if the boy only plans on humiliating me publicly to appease his ego... As long as I know what it is, then I can deal with it.
"Really?... I'm not that keen on going…" Viera said with an annoyed expression
"But if we don't go we'll offend them right?... SIGH, what a bother." She said as she rested her head on the couch
'Philip nodded.'
"I'm with you on that, but what can we do? Such is the world of Nobles and their excessive social norms…"
"But since they approached us first, why not go and be done with that? It'll be in the middle of the night, so we can check it out once and free ourselves from it."
"Worst that can happen is those Nobles looking at us wrong, but if that happens, who cares? Knowing who they are won't change our lives in the least." Philip said with a shrug
'Viera smiled.'
"What if they are really big shots? Will you be able to ignore their scorn?"
Even I would find that hard...
"That doesn't change much, even if a Duke scorns us for being untactful, what of it?"
'He looked at her and said with a sly smile:'
"If you can't take it then you can stay."
'She rolled her eyes and said:'
"I'll go."
"Okay then." Philip replied with a small smile
/Ding!/
'Once he said that, Philip rang a bell on the table and a few moments after…'
/Knock knock knock…/
"Come in."
"Yes, M'lord." The maid said as she entered the room
"Tonight we'll be going to a party, but we didn't bring that much luggage with us, would it be too much to request you to fetch a dress for this lady over here?" He said as he pointed at Viera
"Eh? But I…"
"Those dresses are good but not enough." Philip said as he got up from his seat
I'll also need a suit... I'll deal with that later.
'The maid smiled.'
"I know just the place… Please follow me." She said with a sweet smile
"Hm…"
'Viera looked at Philip with an annoyed look, but she gave in and followed the maid, leaving Philip alone.'
'Her reason for doing so is not entirely due to her distaste of shopping, but more because of the price of things...'
'She window shopped on her way here, and from what she saw, those prices were complete scams!'
'But it would be wrong to assume she didn't quite like some of the dresses she saw... Although they weren't exactly in line with the fashion... Viera had her own tastes.'
'Once they left, Philip's expression changed as he looked at the letter.'
"Alright. I thought my stay in this city would be monotonous but it seems trouble came to me sooner than I expected…"
"And all of it just because I looked at a girl."
/Chuckle…/
"Men will be men I guess..."
"It's not like this wasn't a thing back on Earth, there were all sorts of crazy people in there as well."
Pyke Family huh… I don't remember this name…
Not like I studied Nobility, to begin with...
I'm not a fool to believe that ignoring politics is a wise choice, but studying it can take decades even for the extremely dedicated.
Besides, I'm constantly on the move, information on Nobility of the North is mostly useless in the South...
It's extremely dependent on the location... Worse, there are many races, each with its own patterns, habits, and ranks...
And since I was already thin on time, between my priorities, this didn't enter the list...
"So it's time to check the Database!"
'Philip opened his inventory and took out a large black rectangle…'
"Initiate system. Password: Orange34."
[Voice recognition pass. Keyword pass. Initiating all systems…]
[All_Purpose Multi-Tool FJSS V3.2.c has initiated]
'Philip smiled.'
"Check Database, Keyword: Pyke family, I want to know anything about this household."
[Checking Database… 1%... 4%... 8%...]
"This may take a while…"
'Philip rested his foot on the expansive couch and waited…'
…
/8 minutes later…/
[Database Scan completed, 3245 logs related to the Pyke Family have been found]
"Give me a short introduction to the Pyke Family."
[Processing… Done]
[Pyke Family, Originated by Pyke Hoper 187 years ago during the Blue Tower Revolution where Hoper gathered the scattered students of the Blue Tower following the desertion of its Archmage in the face of the Orc Invasion]
[With the gathered students, Hoper mounted a defense against the Orc Invasion, not only successfully defending the blue tower with minimal loses, but also purging the invaders after this event]
[Hoper then cleaned the Blue Tower from the corruption within in a cold-blooded massacre, being given a Noble Title of Baron for his great deeds]
[He even mounted a search party for the deserters, killing many in the process]
[Following that, Hoper quickly rose through the ranks with his genius mind and Political talent, and at the end of his life solidified the Pyke Family as a massive producer of Magic tools and its image as a Magitech Family, while also granting his son the Hereditary Noble Title of Viscount, even though he himself had risen to the position of Earl]
[Over the successive generations, the Family…]
'The machine said several more lines, going into deeper details about the inner workings of this Family...'
[Currently, the Family is led by Pyke Thomson, High-Grade Magitech Engineer, and overseer of the Blue Tower]
[Thomson has recently taken over command of the Family after his father happily abdicated 12 years ago following Thomson's accomplishment in becoming a High-Grade Magitech Engineer at the young age of 25, his eldest son was 5 years old at the time]
[He has 5 children, 1 son and 4 daughters, the eldest being the first son and the most likely to inherit his position]
[Pyke Rafiel, 18 years old and he's known to be an eccentric and arrogant man due to his accomplishments not only in Magictech engineering but also in swordsmanship and Magic]
[Not long ago, Rafiel has taken a liking to the eldest daughter of the Azul Family and the two families should be in the middle of marriage talks, but so far the results have been undisclosed(Information taken from student notes and has been classified as unreliable)]
"Hm… Interesting."
Everything has now become a bit clearer…
"Are there any descriptions of their appearance?"
[Pyke Rafiel has blond hair and brown eyes, and likes to wear white shirts]
[The eldest daughter of the Azul Family has white hair and blue eyes following the genetics of the Azul Main family]
[Although it's said her hair is more platinum than white and her blue eyes are the same color as the sky]
"So here is my answer…" Philip said with a chuckle
It seems the young man I saw was none other than Rafiel, and the lady I saw was the young girl he fancied…
'Philip smiled sarcastically.'
How romantic, stepping out for your girl when another man looks at her...
Due to his personality, he didn't take kindly to someone else exchanging glances with her, so he had someone tail me, probably to learn more about my identity.
However... It's so petty...
"But I thought as much…" Phili said with a lack of interest
"What does the Azul family do for a living?"
[The Azul family is a Noble Family with the Title of Marquess in charge of the Academy of Mystics, they're fairly reclusive and focus mainly on research and the development of Magic tools based on their Spiritual Arts]
[They're also known for their Unique Spirit Arts, a fact that is deeply tied to their genetics, the Family succession rights, and their business]
"I see…"
Still, even if Rafiel became annoyed due to that single exchange, there is no need to go as far as to pursue me.
It's impossible for him to come at me solely for that reason...
So what else is at play here? Or is this mainly a coincidence due to the circumstance?
"It doesn't hurt going there anyway." Philip said as he got up from his couch
Shall I prepare something for me to wear?...
…
'Philip opened his inventory and quickly realized that he didn't have that many clothes to use.'
"Not like I can go to the party on my Hunter's garments... Even if they look alike they smell of blood... And it's impossible to remove." He said as he shook his head
Fine... I guess I'll have to go with plan B... Call Sebastiano.
/DING!/
...
/A few minutes later.../
"I'll come back with a few options as soon as possible." Sebastiano said with a bow as he left Philip's Office
/Clack!/
"Another problem done... So next..."
It's time to check up on what I got from the Principal of the Academy.
I didn't take a look at it due to fleeing and all of that, but now I'm free to do as I please.
'Philip took out a golden ball from his inner chest pocket.'
'It glowed faintly, but somehow, when it was inside his chest pocket, it did not exude its light...'
"Let me see... I need to look for a small box first... But how do I open this?"
'Philip scratched his chin before trying the same method he uses to open the other box, to probe it with his mental power...'
"It works, good. For a moment I thought there would be some security measure..."
'As his mental power entered the golden ball, he started to understand how things were organized inside.'
'At first, he saw rows upon rows of shelves, all of them were closed and were all numbered.'
'But before those, he saw a small pedestal with a silver box and a scroll.'
'The box was self-explanatory, it was the thing he was looking for, so he took it out of the inventory.'
'While the scroll was simple to figure out, once he opened it, he saw a massive list of numbers tied to words, each number was associated with an item.'
'This was the way to identify what was inside each shelf.'
'He would read it some other time as the scroll seemingly went on and on... It was clearly massive in size.'
...
"Phew..."
'Philip retracted his mental power and was now facing a box and a question:'
"No way that old man prepared all of this on the go... It was staged."
This explains a bit more... About how easy all of it felt.
The principal was simply looking for an opportunity, and I was that chance.
He already had this prepared, he simply moved the items inside according to his preparations, in no way do I think he moved thousands of shelves and stored each item perfectly and orderly with just a clap.
But that doesn't matter anymore.
"Time to open this thing..."
...
.
.
.
BAHAHAHA! Get cliffed!
Oh my... Look at you, all excited to see what is inside...
It is unfortunate that I... Reached the word count...
Another week you shall wait!
MUWAHAHAHA!
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Notes