I wanted to post this chapter over 4 days ago right after the other one, but I had some problems with my family.

Hence, today's chapter will be pushed aside a little bit.

We continue from where we left off, this time with the end of this "small" arc.

After this, we'll have a chapter that'll like go straight into the next one, perhaps showing a few things the Mc is doing or did during the time skip, but we shouldn't spend a chapter going over his recent changes at all.

Sorry for how things have been recently, we'll be back to how we used to with double-edited chapters soon.

Aside from that, enjoy the chapter.

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.

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---

/Badum… Badum…/

"... It's beating. She's alive." Laplabe said with a surprised expression as he heard the loud and sonorous beats of the unknown girl's heart

"Not only that, she seems extremely healthy, it's beating so loud I could confuse it for a drum."

"But… She remains Soulless." He added in a low and disappointed tone

"Not even the amalgamation of the Vitality of everything alive and dead in this place was enough to create even a whisp of sentience in her."

"Even if you try to wake her up, which would be a surprise if it happened, she would be no different from an animal."

"A developed brain won't make her question herself and the world around her, and hence, she'll never develop an identity."

'Philip nodded, getting up from the ground.'

"So... I guess we should continue to move, I'm getting tired of this place."

'Nothing happened after I gave her the Orb, perhaps there's something missing.'

"After you." Laplabe said in a humorous tone

/Jump!/

'Lightly kicking the ground, Philip rode the wind as he moved from ceiling to ceiling, making his way to the isolated Church on the other side of the city.'

…

/A minute or so later.../

/Step step…/

"We're here, now what?"

'Once inside the Chapell, Philip gently placed the girl's body on the pedestal before the Statue of Lavinda as he thought of what to do.'

'He expected something to magically occur, but since nothing happened, he was left stumped.'

"I only have one thing left in mind and we'll see how it goes from there." Philip mumbled as he opened his inventory tool, removing all black stones from within, and scattering them across the floor

If nothing happens even after this, then that's it, I'll go back to what I was doing before and call this small adventure a day.

Which wouldn't be half bad, I'm a bit tired after all of this, it was supposed to be a 20-minute adventure, get inside, grab what I wanted, go back...

I never thought so many things would happen in between that...

'Philip and Laplabe waited as the black stone shards were carefully placed on the ground...'

'But nothing happened.'

"... Was something supposed to happen?" Laplabe asked with a frown

"Don't talk with that condescending tone, you're as confused by this as me."

"Hum... Last time the stone merely vanished from my hand and…"

'But by the time they paid attention to the ground again, all of the rocks had already vanished, leaving them stunned for a little while.'

"Wow… Something did happen."

"Honestly, I didn't expect something like that to happen, I've been having some doubts about this from the beginning... I owe you some apologies."

'But Philip did not care, he only frowned as he stared at the statue, touching it.'

"How odd…"

It's completely smooth as if it had never been broken to begin with.

Also... This texture is a bit odd, it's not some sort of supernatural material, it's just stone, but it feels a bit warm and it even gives me a textile feeling, as if I was directly touching her dress.

Still... Like before... I'm left perplexed at my inability to feel anything even when the stone where directly moved in front of my body.

Something I cannot understand yet...

That might be one of the reasons why people would revere such beings, it's not really such a farfetched concept, even for me.

I myself am a bit religious, there are Gods and all, and I'll always respect all of their rules, traditions, and followers.

When they show themselves like this, wouldn't I be the arrogant one to just assume Gods are just stronger beings that play by different rules?

That doesn't really make them any less relevant.

So I'll give her a prayer too if I have the time...

"Don't you think that's a bit inappropriate for you to touch the Goddess Statue like that..."

"Huh? What?"

"You're going to say this is sexual harassment or something?" Philip said ironically as he pulled his hand from the Statue's tummy

"Me? No no no... I'm not the one you should be concerned with..."

"But you know what? Forget it, I'm no priest."

"..."

'Shaking his head, Philip focused his attention on the Statue once more.'

[DING!]

"!"

Something did happen...

I swear I didn't touch the statue with any lascivious thoughts...

'Giving the Statue his own half-assessed prayer, Philip listened to the notifications.'

[The Oracle has accomplished a great deed, fully restoring the Original Presence of his Patron!]

/Shine…/

'Brownish light started to materialize atop the altar behind them, shocking even Laplabe.'

[A Miracle has been created!]

'At that moment the floating black orb started to shake on its own as if trying to break free of his restrictions…'

"..."

'And without much thought, Philip let it go.'

/Fwoosh…/

/Shine!/

'The black Orb flew to the Altar, letting itself be washed in the brownish divine light.'

'Slowly, the dark lump turned translucent, becoming something anew as a small spark ignited inside it, burning away whatever previously corrupted it.'

'And as such, the Orb changed...'

[Amalgamation of Soul Power]

'Nevertheless, before both of them even had the time to process this change, a large tree root rose from within the girl's chest like a bullet, dragging the sphere inside her body without any resistance.'

/Splash…/

'The moment the Orb entered her body, the sound of splashing water echoed in the Chappel as the divine light receded back to where it came from.'

'The strange and peculiar tattoos on her body started blinking, full of energy, they dispersed great Vitality across her entire body.'

'Something was happening...'

[DING!]

"..."

'A notification seemed to have rung on his ears, but Philip was too stunned to complain…'

/Blink…/

"?!"

"Holy shit…"

"T... That's the second time you do that, and this time inside the Church…"

"But yeah… Holy shit…" Laplabe said as he saw something unbelievable

"Mnn…"

'Under the shocked eyes of a very weird Draco Human and an Elder Mimic, the nameless girl opened her eyes drowsily, rubbing them as she looked around with her big innocent eyes.'

'Her strange hair fluttered in the wind coming from outside of the Chapell, it was a beautiful scene, fit to be called a Miracle.'

[DING!]

[DING!]

[...]

"..."

'His ears continued to be blasted with sounds, but Philip paid it no heed this time, instead, he gazed at this girl that was also silently staring at him.'

'Her triangular pupils gazed straight into his circular ones, and her emotionless gaze was seemingly piercing into his Soul.'

'Laplabe was also motionless, not because he felt overwhelmed, but because the being in front of him was now an unknown threat.'

'He doubted this nearly born creature would be able to pose a threat to them, but he knew more than that, many were the creatures that could make warriors take a run for their money on the day they were born.'

'He was ready to move at any moment and at the first sight of hostility...'

'As such, this staring contest lasted for a few more minutes until...'

/Vanish…/

'The girl soon vanished just as abruptly as she had awakened, leaving the two of them with conflicted feelings.'

'After all of that, she just vanished?'

[DING!]

"Urg…"

I hate these annoying notifications, I always mute them but they always find a way to unmute themselves…

The System seems to have a priority level, when the degree of the notifications surpasses a certain threshold, it'll disregard my censorship and just blast this damn bell noise in my ears.

Makes me remember a certain annoying fairy...

'Closing his eyes to process things, Philip opened his notifications tab to understand just exactly what was going on.'

...

[The Oracle has accomplished a great deed, fully restoring the Original Presence of his Patron!]

[A Miracle has been created!]

[Under your hand, the lost promise was fulfilled and your role as the Oracle of Lavinda has come to an end so another may rise]

[Rejoyce, as thanks to you, a new Fable shall walk the earth]

[Due to the missing requirements, the Title, Oracle of Lavinda has changed to Homeless Saint]

[Lavinda blows you a kiss and thanks you for the great deed you've accomplished…]

[She pays no mind to your previous mischievous actions...]

[But asks that you welcome her as well]

...

"..."

She was looking?... Of course she was...

Well, I guess I would be a bit weirded out if I had a statue of myself and I saw a person grabbing my balls...

Thankfully I wasn't smited by lightning.

...

[The bells of Fate sing…]

[As above, so below, in the anniversary of one's fall, may their hope rise]

[Conceived at the dawn of an era, the Child of Stone awakens to leave behind its presence in the epitome of another]

[Deep below where no light can reach, may the heat of the Core warm her Soul in the Great father's stead]

[Lavinda, Goddess of Dwarves, Progression, Machines, Fire, Passion, and Creation conceives the birth of a new life]

[Awaken, Child of the Earth]

[DING!]

[You have awakened the true Oracle of Lavinda and purged the Sinner]

[An Achievement fit for the start of a Fable]

[For bringing forth what many could not, Lavinda, Chief of the Dwarven Gods is starting a Baptism ceremony to commemorate your achievements so far]

{All conditions have been achieved, it has been allowed}

...

"..."

My parents aren't religious, but my grandma was, so when I was younger I was baptized in a Church.

I have faint recollections of that day...

Would there be some sort of interference due to this fact?

'Thinking about some useless things, Philip continued to go through the notifications as the Altar behind him started to shine...'

...

[All Achievements are being accounted for...]

[DING]

[You who have proven your uniqueness time and time again, its time to solidify your individuality]

[In this moment of change, march forth and build your Legacy, be it one of Glory or Ruin]

[Title, Noble has evolved to Royal under the approval of a Higher Power]

[DING]

[Skill Fusion has activated]

[Your Titles, Ancestor of the Sahrot and Royal are resonating and fusing to create the Title, Sahrot's Ruler]

[Advanced Skill fusion Lv16 -> Lv19]

[DING]

[The World welcomes the awakening of a new Royal Bloodline]

[With a body fit to rule over others, there is no hidden potential to unravel]

[Those chosen to guide others must bear the weight of their choices or be doomed to be forgotten and cursed throughout time]

[The mark of a ruler...]

[The Skill, Royal Seal Lv0 has manifested]

[DING]

[Skill fusion has detected 2 Abilities suitable for fusion]

[Holy Seal Lv0, Royal Seal Lv0]

[Skill Fusion has automatically activated]

[Critical Fusion!]

[Fusion complete]

[You have acquired the new Skill, Draconic Seal Lv0]

[Advanced Skill fusion Lv19 -> Lv20]

[DING]

[Skill fusion has detected 2 Abilities suitable for fusion]

[Draconic Seal Lv0, Ripper Mode LvMax]

[Skill Fusion has automatically activated]

[Skill Fusion has bypassed the restriction]

[Fusion complete]

[You have acquired the new Ability, Unleash Lv0]

[Advanced Skill fusion Lv20 -> Lv21]

[A Ruler's dignity...]

[Air of Nobility Lv2 has evolved into King's Rule Lv0]

*A King mustn't falter...*

[***** Might Lv0 has devoured King's Rule Lv0]

[Your presence grows…]

[***** Might Lv0 -> Lv3]

[Cull your enemies and bring forth prosperity...]

[Heat Edge Lv2 has transformed into Molten Fang Lv0]

[Your Authority increases]

[DING!]

[You are the first Hero to establish a Royal Bloodline, your Legend grows]

[A gargantuan Achievement!]

(As a reward, +3 Inches to…)

[Your affinity to the opposite sex of compatible Species increases considerably]

(Rizz Up)

[Your Authority increases]

...

"... Sigh."

'Philip didn't know if he should be happy or worry about his future.'

To be King... The dream of many... An inconvenience for me.

It's not that I'm afraid of the responsibilities that come with it, I just find it all... A bother.

Still, not like I have anyone to rule over but myself, thus this can be seen as nothing but a warning sign so that everyone knows I'm different...

Not like that wasn't apparent before, but now I'll likely shine as brightly as a beacon in the night sky.

These "dubious" rewards are becoming more frequent.

System, no matter how attractive you try to make me, I won't hook myself with a girl anytime soon, I have things to do and places to be, and I have no time to play house for now.

And... Sigh, if I am to raise a family, then let it be on my terms... At my own pace.

At a very very very far away future.

'Philip scratched his back...'

But… Is this how it all ends?

Well… Can't say I'm disappointed, I'm glad it ended like this in fact.

I already received a lot before, though those were rewards outside of this little Quest of mine and more like the loot I received while I explored.

I didn't think it would be this, but it's not bad by any means.

To receive an extra reward in exchange for a small favor.

I was meant to defeat Latur regardless of her wishes, she just made it easier, and the girl's body?... I would've likely left it behind or brought it with me if I hadn't been led to the Chapell.

In exchange for a little fetch Quest, I was... Baptized? By a Dwarven Goddess?...

'Shaking his head, Philip marveled at the strangeness of this situation.'

She didn't talk with me like before… Is it due to the restrictions?

Not that I mind, but the feeling of being unable to move while being hugged by…

Urg… I'm not into that… I'm not…

'He raised his head to stare at the Statue.'

"I may have even held too much against her, nothing much happened after all…"

Though… I can't shake some of my disappointment.

That girl… She gave me the same weird feeling I have whenever I touch one of the Fragments...

But she vanished... Not even a 'Hi' or something.

I feel like I was 'this' close to finding out a portion of the truth surrounding these strange objects, but it just scattered away...

Those Comic Villains don't seem so dumb now, do they?

'Turning around, Philip said:'

"We're done here."

Many mysteries were still left unanswered, but that was inevitable.

Once I'm back, some of the books I collected may hold the key to them, MT will once again carry me through the boring task of sorting through an incredible amount of information.

Such as the Box, what was it, where is it, and most importantly… What did they find inside?

Latur... Who was he?

He was a Sinner, this meant he was once a believer? Hm... Not quite.

He was an imposter too, but what identity did he forge?

How did he create the girl's body, and why did Lavinda accept her as the Oracle?

Not just any, but the 'True' Oracle?

It's as if she was meant to be like that... And on that note, doesn't that mean Latur created the savior?

Wouldn't this raise his position to that of the Virgin Mary?...

And in the end, that doesn't explain how the King is now buried in the tomb and how his crown is now in my possession.

"Perhaps the answers to those questions now remain lost in time… Or scattered around the place."

"Only the descendants of these people might know what truly happened, don't you agree?" He asked Laplabe as he put his hands in his pockets

If only I understood how to speak 'Pot', then mayhaps I might've been able to ask the Ancient Tools in my Mental space.

"That may be it, civilizations rise and fall, achieving feats akin to that of the Gods, only to be forgotten completely without a single shred of their history left in anyone's mouth."

"Though…"

"Let's take a breather after this, I've had enough adventures for a day… A month… A few years even..."

/Chuckles…/

"I agree… Though I'll have to refuse that last statement…" Philip replied with a small laugh

"It's impossible to not go on an adventure for a few years, I can, at most, promise you a few weeks."

"Sigh, I thought as much… But that is already good enough."

'Philip nodded, smiling.'

'It was now time to go back home and prepare, there was a lot left to explore in this city but he already had a plan ready for that.'

'He was very interested to see how a certain Dwarf would react to all of this…'

/Laugh…/

"?"

'But before he could leave the chapel, he swore he heard the cute laugh of a girl…'

'Yet, when he looked back he saw nothing.'

"..."

Albeit it sounded cute, a laugh in an abandoned chapel isn't exactly the most ethereal experience someone would like to witness…

[DING]

[Until the promise is fulfilled, Archpriest, Oracle, and Child of Lavinda, Carnatita, the Child of the Earth shall assist you as the ***** of the Broken Creation]

Wait… What?

So her name was Carnatita?... Makes me remember a flower back on Earth.

In fact, wasn't Lavinda also named after a flower?

{Processing…}

{Ithas functionality has been partially restored}

{The…}

[Gamerverse interferes, ***** functions have been disrupted]

{Processing…}

{Judicator's Attention has changed to Judicator's Gaze}

"..."

I'll… Think about this after I'm back.

"Did something happen? You stopped all of a sudden."

"Not quite… I think this place has rubbed off me a little, I'm starting to hear things…" Philip said awkwardly as he rubbed his eyebrows

"?!?!"

'But he immediately stopped.'

/Smile/

'In front of him was a girl with long colorful hair…'

'She smiled at him, jumping forward as she gave him a nice hug.'

'And just like that, she vanished again amidst a flurry of light sparks.'

"Philip?"

"H-Huh?... What just happened?"

"I would like to ask you that."

"Wait… You didn't see her?"

"Who?"

'Realizing he had been the only one to have seen the girl, Philip's expression soured.'

"... This place is driving me nuts."

'Finally, this time, without interferences, they left the Chapel.'

…

/At the same time beyond the skies…/

'In the middle of an icy valley, tall frozen mountains surroundings it, a triangular structure floated above the ice of a frigid lake, spinning very slowly like a small celestial body.'

'This inverted pyramid was extremely worn giving it the impression of being as old as the mountains surrounding it.'

'The pyramid was hollow, allowing people to see through it.'

'It hummed in a very low frequency, just enough to give someone a strange feeling.'

'Approaching the triangular structure showed a very strange phenomenon…'

'There was a large black screen in front of each side, like a shield.'

'It was extremely difficult to see due to how transparent it was, but it was there.'

'Getting near these black screens would actually show that… It wasn't a screen, but a series of words, numbers, and more scribbles moving at extremely high speeds, so packed together that it was impossible to see them with the naked eye.'

/HUM!/

'The pyramid suddenly hummed extremely loudly, and one of its faces flashed, and the black screen disappeared.'

'But soon enough, a new set of numbers and words appeared on it… Much bigger than before.'

{Warning}

{The lost Protocol is reactivating}

{Stability is reducing…Order is failing}

{Potential risk for Event "Sunder" has been raised to "Probable"}

{Solution… Direct intervention… Negated}

{Solution… Elimination of the source… Approved}

{Termination Nexus has been awakened}

{Processing… Error}

{Source is beyond Termination Nexus reach}

{Warning, Anomaly detected…}

{Processing…}

{Internal entity has manifested… Need to proceed… None}

{Termination Nexus has been deactivated}

{Processing results...}

{Status has been changed to: Observation}

{Raising… Risk Magnitude… 4}

{Total processing time… 11 seconds… Archiving}

{Contact Central... Unnecessary}

{Resuming normal operations}

…

/Later.../

/Back at the Dwarven Palace…/

/Carve... Crack.../

"Are you sure this is going to work?"

"There is a chance for it to fail, but that chance is negligible."

"In the first place, this isn't that complicated, it's just a coordinate marker."

/Crack!/

"It's necessary so we can return here fast in the future." Philip said with a serious expression as he drew a series of strange and distorted symbols on the ground using a small blue dagger

'Wiping his forehead he said, "This should be enough for now." as he stored his carving knife away.'

/FWOOSH!/

'As he got up from the ground, Philip inspected his work before putting his hands in his pockets.'

'Immediately after, a strong invisible airwave blew all of the dust from the ground, displaying the runes underneath.'

"Let's see if it works."

"That isn't reassuring..."

"Even if it fails, I can just do it again, now, let me focus."

'Raising his hand, multiple whisps of blue energy gathered into the runes, making them glow slightly.'

/Crack…/

'And the ground started to tremble as a thin film of a watery-like substance formed in the air, allowing Philip to have his hand pass through it.'

"The portal is completed… One side of it at least."

"So how do we go back if we only have one side?"

"We? We can leave any time."

"So why the portal?..."

"It's not for us you see." Philip replied with a wide smile as he raised his right hand

"There is still some loot left, but I'll leave those for later."

"They're better left where they are as it's easier to classify and identify them rather than having everything mix into one big pile and bulking my inventory with shit."

"So without much ado…"

/Snap!/

'Philip snapped his fingers, and several sparks of light gathered in the air forming a strange and abstract symbol before it all gathered around him and…'

'He vanished.'

…

/Around an hour later, back in the Manor…/

"... And… I… Can't help it anymore!"

/Hug!/

"I love you!"

/Sniff…/

'In the middle of a large room, a crowd of Maids was currently sitting around together with Viera in the middle as they watched episode 27 of a very dramatic… Soap Opera.'

'The Episode was being broadcasted by a rather large squarish machine… The one and only Multi-Tool.'

"I can't believe it finally happened." Viera said emotionally as she saw the two characters in the show hug each other and kiss as beautiful music started to sound and the camera went off into the distant dawning sun

'Next to her, the many maids nodded energetically.'

"But this isn't the end, right? What about the mysterious past of Miss…"

"Right right! Lady Viera, start the next episode!"

'The maids were very excited as they sat around, a few crying, a few drying their tears…'

"No worries! There is still a lot to go through…" She said as she took a small controller, pointing it at MT

'She went from episode 27 to 28, she seemed rather proficient at this…'

"It's better if we stop here for today." Someone said as they entered the dark room

"B-Buttler?!" Viera exclaimed in surprise as she turned around

H-How did he find this place?!

'Adjusting his glasses in an awkward manner, Sebastiano said:'

"My sincere apologies for disturbing your private time, but I cannot allow this to go any further."

"B-But…"

"It has been over 3 hours since you started this, and it's not just today as yesterday you spent 4 hours like this before being stopped by the Lord."

"My Lady, under the orders of Master Philip, I'll have to retrieve the item at hand if you were to continue."

"N-NO!!"

"Most important, albeit I'm not against a time off every now and then, I do need to emphasize the need for self-control… With everyone here." He said deeply as he looked at the Maids

"The Manor has gotten quite empty, did you all think I wouldn't notice?"

"This has already caused some problems in the schedule…"

"Now… If you were to finish your work I wouldn't complain, but the only thing we all accomplish by pushing off work is more work later."

It's been a while since I had to scold anyone, I thought they were used to this place already…

Though I can't really blame them, they were introduced to something they'd never seen before, even I stopped to watch an episode here and there.

But only then.

And it doesn't help the lady isn't strict, but welcoming of such behavior…

She seems to enjoy their company very much… Sigh.

If the house shores could be completed on their own, then I wouldn't mind, however, if they could, then what would be the point of hiring the Maids?

The Lord predicted this, I guess he was aware of what would've happened if he left for long.

This isn't necessarily bad, but the Lord's orders were clear, this is for their own good.

If he comes back to this, she'll only experience something worse, so I hope you may forgive me for this infringement this time…

"Siiiiigh… We'll continue this at a later time, everyone…" Viera said in a depressed tone as she packed MT and dragged it outside the improvised movie theater

'This idea had obviously not been hers.'

'At first, she watched her movies alone in the office during her breaks, but after asking some questions about the machine, it gave her the idea of making a dark room for this exact purpose.'

'And over time, one Maid found out about it, then two… Eventually, this happened.'

'MT was made to help, and it did that flawlessly… Perhaps a tad too much.'

'It had tried to convince Viera to go back to study multiple times, but under his directives, he had to keep paying those dramatic Operas…'

'In a sense, that could be called a form of torture… If MT could feel anything like that…'

'Even then, it did joke from time to time, as its Virtual intelligence was strong enough for that.'

'Such as…'

[I am free…] MT said in a robotic tone as it rejoiced over the fact it didn't have to play those again

"..."

'Viera rolled her eyes, this reaction made her remember someone…'

"Where's that tough guy by the way?"

"Tsk, he's always like that, staying in his room or workshop all day and only appearing to eat food…"

He's like a damn Goblin.

/Creak…/

'As she complained about Philip, Viera entered Philip's Office, or better put her study room.'

'She had spent more time in here than Philip himself, though that was inevitable.'

'He had 0 interest in using this place after his workshop had been made.'

'And since its atmosphere was rather nice, it was perfect for her to study with the help of a certain wonder machine.'

"... Jerk, he only eats food and trains, rarely ever does anything else…"

It's been months and he still does the same thing, even when I visit him, he's still doing the same thing...

Hammering something... Tinkering with something...

And when I ask what he's doing, he plays around saying it's complicated, annoying me until I either give up, or he tries to give me a lackluster explanation.

Well... I'm being a little mean, he isn't like that most of the time...

"Huff!"

"Phew... This is indeed a bit heavy... I now understand why he asked me to exercise a bit more..."

"But nah, I'll just make up with spells." She said lazily as she crouched on the ground

'However, as she carefully put MT on the ground next to the door, she failed to realize a being sitting on the chairs of the Office…'

"Still... Does he thinks he's King?" She said with some irony as she started polishing MT

"He walks around all proud, showing himself off…"

Yeah, he loves to walk out of the bathroom in a towel just to make the Maids embarrassed… He's just too full of himself.

If not... Then he's just too stupid!

That's harassment! One day I'll tell him!... One day… Hm…

"He thinks no one notices it… He thinks he's being 'Low-Key' or something..."

"But he's the very contrary of that."

He tries to act like a secondhand villain, speaking in a slow and heavy tone, thinking of himself as the cool guy when in truth he's just being silly…

He likes to work in the forge without his shirt and likes to brag while he shoves his hand in the molten metal…

'She then realized what she implied, making her shake her head in self-mockery.'

"HA! Not in a good way… Humph…"

"Does he think I wouldn't notice his plans? I'll tell him…"

'With a smug smile, she turned around as she wiped her forehead of a small bead of sweat.'

"..."

"..."

'And her pupils contracted heavily…'

"Ph-Philip…"

"..."

'He only looked at her with a dead stare.'

"D-Did you hear…"

'Philip only gave her a plain stare.'

"Uh... I was talking about another Philip..." She said awkwardly as she looked away

"Sigh…"

Did I spend too much time in the workshop?

"How about we go grab some food tomorrow?…" He asked with a light smile

"... Sure…"

"Forget everything you heard." She said with a slightly flushed face as she closed her eyes in frustration

"Difficult." He said as he got up from his seat, walking past her

"But I think you're right, I spend too much time minding my own business, thinking of myself, forgetting that I have someone else to consider too."

'He then smiled deviously.'

"Though it was not my intention, I can't do much about my appearance, to that, I can only blame my parents, can you forgive them for me?" He asked as he looked at her

"..."

'Her eyelids twitched.'

"I am indeed a very proud person." He said with a smug smile as he dropped his head slightly

'Meanwhile, Viera wished she had a place to bury her head into.'

/Step step.../

"Where are you going?" She asked as she saw him leave the room

"I'm going to take a shower, it was a busy day."

"I see..."

"..."

'Philip stared at her before letting out a sigh.'

"Since you seem so bored, after I'm done, let's go explore the city a little, I'll tell you what I did on the way, I'm sure you'll find it interesting."

"Didn't you want to go check the museum in the North Section of the District?"

"You remember that?... But yes, it seemed interesting..."

"Then we shall check it out, just give me a moment and we'll be off..."

'Before he left, he stopped by the door.'

"Also... We'll have to talk about MT." He said in a serious tone

"Uh..."

'But before she had the chance to reply, he left, leaving her all alone...'

…

/A few hours later.../

'Underground, within Tredis Labarotory...'

'Philip, Viera, and Tredis could be seen sitting around a small table in the middle of a small Office-like room.'

"... I don't think I ever introduced you to each other." Philip said slowly as he looked at Tredis and Viera

"This gentleman over here is Tredis Jas Alquor, he is the one I talked about to you before and the supervisor of this Lab."

"And this lady over here is Viera Ert Almon, she's my protege if we can call it that."

'Tredis' expression brightened as he smiled.'

"Oh! It's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard quite a bit about you!"

"Ah? Really, I'm flattened... I-I mean, flattered!... Urg, how embarrassing..." Viera said nervously as she covered her face

"HAHA! You're truly full of energy."

"I-It's a pleasure... Also..."

'They shook hands while Philip asked:'

"How's the progress of what I asked of you?"

"Well... It couldn't be going smoother, for starters..."

'But he then stopped, looking at Viera who was a bit out of sync.'

'He didn't know what to say so he looked at Philip who said:'

"How about we go from the beginning? Don't spare the details."

This isn't something I planned to hide anyway, and if it's going to make her a bit happy, then why not?

Regardless, I promised to be a bit more transparent with her, so filling her in on what I do when I'm not in the Manor will surely do well for her complaints.

Albeit they weren't much, to begin with.

"From the beginning? Well! Then we have quite the story to share..."

'Tredis started recounting "the grand tale" about how they met and what Philip did to him, of course, he tried to hide some details due to habit, but under Philip's consent, he kept his story faithful to the true events.'

'This made Viera's expression change as she realized just what he had been doing in these past few months behind the scenes.'

'But most importantly, she started to question his motives... Just why would he do all of this?'

'At the very least, she finally had her answer as to the person he wanted to meet in this city.'

'She didn't forget the words they exchanged as they took their first steps into this city...'

'It was rather satisfying...'

...

'Over time, Tredis arrived at the present, explaining what had happened a few hours ago...'

"For this part... It would be simpler to show it wouldn't it?" He asked Philip with a  smile

"Sure, I wanted to see how you were doing anyway." Philip replied as he got up from his seat

"Then follow me."

...

'The three left the room, arriving at a secluded, heavily secured room locked by several metal doors.'

/Chatter.../

'The room was full of people, some wearing special clothes, some holding onto boxes, but they were all extremely focused on their respective tasks.'

'On the far end of the room was a large oval portal leading somewhere unknown, many tubes could be seen passing through it, sustaining who knew on the other side.'

"As you asked of me a few hours ago, I assembled the other research Heads and started the implementation of your request."

"We started to select trustworthy and efficient personnel including translators and archeologists for the operation, some of which will likely take a few days or hours to arrive."

"It was a bit sudden you see, so it may take a few days to have it all going perfectly."

"Still, under your permission, I increased everyone's pay by 10 times, so they shouldn't be complaining anytime soon, in fact, they seem to be enjoying what they're doing."

"As you can see, we already started the classification and transportation of materials both ways, including a rudimentary stabilization of the portal to avoid sudden problems and interruptions in the process."

"I finally managed to put that son of mine to work, he's a bit overwhelmed but I can guarantee his capabilities hahaha!"

"That's great to hear, I know it may have been a bit hard due to how abrupt I was."

"Still, how long do you think it'll take for you to finish your research?"

"..."

'This question had once plagued his mind and given him insomnia... For many days he would roll over in bed as he thought of an excuse to give his investors...'

'But now, he was more than happy to reply:'

"It's already done."

"What? It's only been a few hours..."

"But that was all I needed." Tredis replied, proud

"Though... That's a bit of an exaggeration."

"You gave us the schematics and even a perfectly functional exemplary of the Forge, I'm afraid that if I couldn't give you results after several hours then I would have to force myself to retire." He said with a small smile

"Still, thanks to this, we now have a mountain of work to sort through and experiments to run."

"Even if I had the entire personnel in the Lab working in this new discovery, I'm afraid  it would take years to go through everything you gave us, perhaps even decades..."

"But if we focus everything on the research at hand, I can already say it's done, I have everything I need to publish it, and even to make a Volume 2 and even 3 of it!"

"Just give me some time to sort everything into a readable and understandable state and we can call it a day..."

"You don't seem too happy."

"Does it look like that?... Well... I can't really lie."

"After so long with so much blood and sweat poured into the research, to have received it all on a Silver platter kind of makes me a bit hollow..."

"I'm still accomplished to have ended it somewhat, but the excitement is not what I thought it would be."

"Though perhaps, this could've been due to what happened before."

'Philip nodded, looking at Viera who was curiously looking around.'

"Would you like to see what we are talking about?" He asked as he tapped her shoulders

"Of course!"

'Tredis nodded with a smile, saying:'

"Then just give me a moment, I'll fetch a suit for you two."

"Suit?" She asked with a frown

"The environment on the other side of the portal isn't exactly safe, so there is a need to wear a Suit if you wish to remain there for extended periods of time."

"It's not dangerous for those that can withstand it tough, still, if you don't wear a suit, it can rub off you, and once you're out of the portal, you can end up contaminating others."

"You don't have to worry about that." Philip said as he touched their shoulders

/Shine.../

'A small glowing barrier formed around them.'

"It should be enough for now."

"Hum... This is convenient, I hate putting on that suit anyway, it's too tight on m'legs." Tredis said as he moved to the portal

...

"Make way, I'll be entering the Portal." Tredis said in an authoritative tone

"Understood Sir!" A man replied as he stood next to the portal

'The man wore something akin to heavy armor while on his hands was something akin to a suitcase, he was a guard.'

"You may get a little bit of motion sickness." Philip said as he warned Viera

"..."

I was never a fan of portals...

...

/Sometime later, outside of the Laboratory.../

"So... What do you think?" Philip asked as he looked at Viera

"Hum? What do you mean?"

"I mean my work, are you happy to know what I've been doing?"

Now that I have an entire team exploring the city and identifying the loot, soon enough I'll just be able to collect it all.

The value of each gold coin is more than just its weight... It has a history.

And by leaving them to professionals, I can be assured I won't end up screwing things up in the future.

I have about a month left, until then...

"Ohh... That..."

"You meant the fact you destroyed a few criminal organizations to save a Dwarven Family with the goal of illegally taking over their research institute so as to monopolize their personnel before going on an underground adventure to find an ancient lost city, fight an Elder Lich, take over the entire place, and finally create a long distance portal to allow them to research the place without the government's attention?"

"... I mean... Doesn't it sound pretty cool?" Philip asked out loud as he scratched his chin proudly

"That's not the point..." She replied as she exhaled

"Would you like to have joined?"

"... A little bit, but I'm thankful I didn't, it does sound a bit too much for me."

"I'll just stick to my studies..."

'She looked at him for a moment before shaking her head.'

'Every time she thought she understood him, she realized she knew little.'

"We still have some time, how about we explore this place a bit more?"

'She smiled.'

"Sure."

'And like that, Philip and Viera started exploring the city.'

...

.

.

.

Notes

The chapter ended pretty simply, I wanted to add two more scenes but I thought this would end up stretching this chapter even further.

I don't know if the tone of this chapter went well as about 2K words were made on the fly and edited only once, so I'm unsure if I did a good job at it.

Anyway, that's about it, see ya.

There were a few images I did, I'll post them here when I have the time.

(Images)

Peace.