~8th Year in Inganock, Unknown Season. Fantasy City~
...This was before he ascended the Golden Spiral Staircase.
...This was in the enclosed Fantasy City.
When it came to discussing the black market Accelerator and the "Green Stone" built into it, which had caused a stir to occur in the city's shadows for some time, the stone that was found in the Engine extracted from the Black Cat's spinal cord and five more additional stones found in a suitcase seized by the Black Cat and Bird of Prey Runners, only one person came to mind who couldn't left out. This man was the top advisor for the rising Biring firm, whose logs were recovered alongside the five stones and was hinted to be involved in the City Management Department. He was the head of the company's illegal movement, whose main role was assassination, a legendary A-rank Hacker who was the disciple of the legendary Hacker Keith-K, and a Human said to have connections with one of the upper tier nobility who were unsatisfied with the the Archduke's ruling system.
Yes. A Human.
He was a "Human" without mutations. At least appearance-wise.
The Revival that struck Inganock mutated everyone living there, creating countless abnormalities. Aside from the upper tier nobility, no one was immune to it. This was common knowledge in the Fantasy City. However, it was certainly said the man looked Human.
His name has not been recorded in the City Management Department's logs.
However, a new novel from Seikyo had been passed down to Inganock after ten years. A few days after its release, there were rumors of a character that looked just like him in the city's shadows. But within the influx of people and information, rumors and hearsay became overfilled. Soon, no one was talking about it.
Who was this man? What was he trying to accomplish?
Nobody knew.
The same even goes for the incident involving the "Green Stones". Following a rough incident in which a wandering doctor was attacked by an assassin from Biring firm, the elderly Stansilaw, who calls himself a fixer in the Infinite Crowded Street, forced the City Management Department to revoke the Biring firm's company registration for disrupting his territory, forcing the company to disband. While the reason for scattering the "Green Stones" through the black market remains a mystery, the series of incidents were resolved for the time being and the rumors of them in the city's shadows eventually faded over time.
Not many people are aware of it now.
Not even those who knew of him and the "Green Stone" speak of them.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~10th Year in Inganock, Unknown Season. Fantasy City~
...This was before he ascended the Golden Spiral Staircase.
...This was in the enclosed Fantasy City.
"Doctor. An envelope has arrived for you. Please accept it."
"For me?"
The Wandering Doctor face was one of surprise. Perhaps it was due to the Steel Girl that had spoken to him, which was unusual as she was normally with Kia. Perhaps it was due to the mail he had received, which he had received in the middle of the night rather than a telegram which was quite strange. The Steel Girl, who recently earned the name Ruaha Klein at the City Management Department, couldn't really tell the difference.
Gii thanks the girl and accepts the letter, using a letter opener he rarely uses to open it up. Ruaha thought this wasn't quite dexterous, but didn't offer to open it up for them. There was only one person in the small apartment in the 28th district of the 7th tier who was her master and priority, and that was Kia who was currently in the bathroom preparing a bath.
"I'll handle the chores," Ruaha offered, but Kia refused. Thus, when a dark-feathered Pardes came ringing at the door in the middle of the night to deliver a package, she was tasked with greeting him at the front door and handing him the envelope.
"This is..."
There was a change of tone in Gii's voice.
Ruaha's hearing device picks up without missing a beat. There was a clear degree of surprise and impatience in his voice. Whatever was inside the letter, its contents were the cause of Gii's reaction. Ruaha's sensory organs focused on "that" in the corner of her eye. She zooms it in. Clarifies the outline and confirms it. It was a green material.
It wasn't a stone.
She realized it was some sort of crystal.
It was similar in composition to camphor cellulose, yet it was quite different strictly speaking.
"I understand that something is wrong here, Doctor. Is that a dangerous item?"
"No. By itself, it's not dangerous."
Gii shook his head while saying this, and the information she sensed from him had already become the same as it was normally. However, Ruaha could still sense the shift in him even without the information she gathered from her sensory organs. He was silent, staring at the envelope and crystal like he was pondering on it. It was obvious that there was some special meaning when he received it.
"What are the possibilities that the sender of the envelope is dangerous?"
No response.
It was merely silence.
However, he didn't deny any of it.
As she thought, it was pretty much the same as confirming it. She then left the wandering doctor who was silent with the crystal in his hand while pondering on whether or not to tell Kia this.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Is something wrong with Gii?"
"Yes. No. There's nothing abnormal in the numerical information I sensed. However, he seems to understand the thing that was sent to him. I had thought he was reading some sort of message."
"I see..."
So this was what it was like to prepare a bath. After filling the bath with water, they made a lather using synthetic soap, especially one that produced bubbles. The bubbles were soon to vanish overtime, so Ruaha urged Kia to make haste and take off her clothes. Right now, she was having her head left to being washed by her little young master. Naturally she initially refused but when she tilted her head and said, "Please let me do it. Okay?", she had no other choice.
"Be careful not to let bubbles or water get into your mouth, Kia."
"Yes. Yes. It's alright."
"Yes."
The tap water used in baths and showers were purified by a facility under the City Management Department's jurisdiction. However, some of the pollution still remains so it was not drinkable. To be frank, Ruaha disliked Kia being in such dangerous water but was unable to do a thing about it. The best that can be done is hoping the synthetic soap helps.
Kia was humming as she made horns (or perhaps ears?) out of Ruaha's hair, happily commenting "cute". She was unsure on whether or not to tell Kia in regards to the letter. But to the little master, the eccentric Wandering Doctor called Gii was the highest priority so Ruaha spoke up.
"I'm wondering who sent that letter?"
"I do not know."
"It's odd. Usuually, it would be an Engine Phone or by telegram."
"Yes. As far as I know, he hasn't received a letter in the past week or so. What is your understanding of this, Kia?"
"The first time in a while...yes. I'm sure it's something."
She could sense Kia nodding in response. They were in the bathtub together with Kia washing Ruaha's hair from behind so she couldn't see it.
But she could sense it.
The movement of the air in her breathing. She could sense it. Kia was repeatedly nodding.
"Scanning."
"?"
"Please wait a moment."
Ruaha had decided her little master was interested in this. Due to using a wireless connection rather than a terminal, it wasn't instantaneous so it took a little time but it wasn't something that can be done. Activating the mini wireless connection Engine embedded in her head, she connects to Information Space.
...Connection successful.
...Begining scanning.
"...Ruaha's hair is very beautiful.
It suits you having it braided, but why not have it down once in a while?"
She was glad Kia was behind her. While the connection function was in use, her eyes temporarily cuts off her senses in order to devote all of her resources to scanning the Information Space. With the filtering function in her eyes currently ceased, a mechanical pattern emerge within them to signify they were artificial.
She didn't want her eyes to be seen like this.
Ruaha didn't understand the reason for it at the time. She tried to not focus on that.
While ignoring the self-conscious part of her behavioral circuit, she continued on with the scan. It had taken her a minute in real time to find "it" floating deeply. It was so long that in Information Space, she would have time to go around Inganock thoroughly.
What she uncovered a fragent of an information construct.
It was a small remnant of the Critter Bandersnatch that had been crushed in Information Space the other day. Bandersnatch, whom had invaded her behavioral circuit and memories from Information Space, was shattered to pieces the "Steel Him". As of now, the Critter has vanished from existence. The floating remnants were just pieces of information that were like stones or sands on a beach in reality.
"...Scanning complete."
"?"
"No. It's nothing."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
In the end...
She did not tell Kia of anything following the completion of her scanning.
Amidst the pieces of secret information on the city of Inganock she had picked up from the Critter's remains, she had indeed uncovered information related to the crystal. She knew what it was, but opted not to tell Kia of what she knew. Not of the illegally distributed Accelerator. Not of the Biring firm, the company whose emblem was the same as the one on the envelope. Not of the vehicle attack. And not of the vampire Runner Killer whom the Biring firm sent at Gii two years ago.
The story of the Runner Killer who slays strong Runners was famous.
They were assassins specializing in hunting down Runners, and they were skilled solely on combat techniques that scatter fresh blood like a storm. It was sometimes said that intelligent fantasy races would become Runner Killers through contracts...but what of a Vampire?
A Vampire.
It was a name left behind in the legends from Seikyo and the Northern Central Empire, a fairy tale none speaks of anymore. It pertains to the mighty Nosferatu, who was infected with a potent virus caused by the Revival ten years ago, gaining abnormal powers while retaining human form. They act under the darkness of night, attacking abnormal people who were Human ten years ago, and maintained their body tissue by drinking their blood. They are not recorded in the City Management Department's records.
However, they did exist.
Traces of this can be found in the large number of people that went missing and in unnatural deaths amongst the number of victims in the Critter disaster. Despite there being none with any righteous indignation to uncover this mystery, the fact of the matter is they exist in the city's darkness and have continued to attack people. They were a dangerous "Human". Very much so.
"Doctor."
Leaving the bathroom and getting dressed, Ruaha opened the door to Gii's bedroom. She had knocked on it three times but got no response. Without waiting for a response, she opens the door. Gii was sitting on the bed, still gazing at the crystal. He was muttering something, but Ruaha pretended not to notice.
"Doctor. I scanned for information regarding about that crystal."
Gii said nothing.
He simply looked at her in silence.
"I wanted to confirm about the one who attacked you. How were you able to repel and kill them?"
"...I didn't kill them."
"In that case, I have determined that this is dangerous. The envelope's sender is someone from the old Biring firm that is after you."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~Start of 535 in the Royal Calendar. Seikyo~
...This was after he ascended the Golden Spiral Staircase.
...This was in the University City in Seikyo.
"Alright, gentleman. Let's begin."
A clear voice reverberates throughout the surroundings.
This was a room of tranquil knowledge. Here, even an infant's whispers could reach another's ear. It was a dark, locked room made with only the small part of a great society that permits multiple conversations simultaneously as demonstrated by a saint from the Far East. Perhaps it could even be called an altar?
All knowledge that one speaks is transmitted to the great abyssal leader of the Society, Althotas Thoth Hermes.
"My research and the experimental planning of His Excellency the Professor are progressing rather smoothly. There have been some obstacles but thanks to the Green Fragment Agent M retrieved, you'll be able to witness the wonderful results. Yes, please be patient."
"I expect you will be able to complete the plan in a manner that does not bring shame to the name of the Three Wise Men, Baron Munchausen. You will do so with your humble life at stake."
"Yes. As Lord Weishaupt commands."
"How pitiful. I will crush you and M if there aren't enough Green Fragments for my plan."
"Please. Do not be so concerned, Your Excellency the fearsome Machine Lord."
"By the way. Mister M hasn't returned, has he? I hope he's not up to some evil scheme somewhere else."
"Please. Hold on for a moment, Your Excellency the beautiful Steel Princess. Please be generous and give us a little more time, everyone. The plan is about to start just right around the corner."
(To be continued)
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