Part 4

Alice Blodeuwodd Fenix.

Yggdrasil time [21:03]

Outer regions | Spedo Airship

 

“Hey, hey? Are you listening?” Vanessa inquired, violating her sister’s cheeks to get her attention.

Alicia, who was clearly distracted, hastily replied, "Yes, I am. Were you talking about how you managed to trick and surprise Shin?"

“Yes!” Vanessa confirmed, “Dang, if only I was streaming that time, he would have been humiliated so much. Haha.”

Vanessa carried on discussing various events that occurred in the game, and Alicia listened attentively. Using her augment, she filtered the important information and stored it on her memory bank.

“By any chance, do you know the reason why that huge flying eyeball is called a ‘moon’?” Asked Alicia.

"Well, honestly, I wasn't involved in the naming decision.”  Vanessa explained, her eyes seeming distant, “At that time, I was in the outer regions, surveying the northern areas. You could probably ask Shenie about it. He's obsessed with moons these days, I’m not sure why.”

The Fenix family were present on the upper deck, accompanied by the Crimson Code, seated across from them. They listened intently as Vanessa passionately described her exploration, occasionally sharing her complaints about the northern mountains, and occasionally engaged in conversation.

Alicia lay on the seat, her head resting on Vanessa’s thigh. As Vanessa fed her pieces of ketl fruit, Alicia’s recovery continued, and new flesh started to grow on her shoulder.

“So, Aurelia has the ability to inhabit a deceased body. Does that mean your current body is not actually your own?” Alicia asked.

“No, it’s not mine. It's from a Seeker named Remy. She got hit by a boulder thrown by a Hegeness.”

“That is quite a powerful race?”

Vanessa spoke vaguely, her expression troubled to explain as she placed a ketl fruit to Alicia’s lips, “Well, it is, but also not quite.” She added, "You see, dead bodies continue to rot, and they will not regenerate even if I insert my A-cells into them. It's basically a zombie-like race if you know what I mean."

‘No, I don’t.’ Alicia thought as she nodded. 

Liu asked, placing a ketl fruit from a basket on the table to her mouth, "What if you took over an Athari's dead body? I'm not an Athari, but I've heard they can command A-cells. Can't you just command their A-cells to regenerate?"

"It's impossible to command another Athari's A-cells. Each Athari possesses unique A-cells that can only be controlled by the original consciousness. Even if you were to inhabit an Athari's body, you wouldn't be able to manipulate its A-cells. In fact, if an Athari possesses a strong will to survive, their A-cells will reject any command that does not originate from their own consciousness." Alicia explained, "It’s inevitable that the body will decay, and there's nothing you can do about it. Unless... you do something illegal." 

Liu was taken aback by Alicia’s willingness to explain and was shocked to even muster an intermediate reply, ”O-Oh, I see,” she stammered.

There was a stark contrast between Alicia's behavior during their previous encounter and her current demeanor with her sister. They couldn't help but be shocked at the Divine's lofty attitude.

Vanessa’s curiosity was piqued as she asked Liu, “Are you a foreigner staying in the Aetherian Empire?”

“Well… No, not exactly. We were liberated by the Empire in the recent war.” Liu explained as she looked at Alicia, “Do you remember the Nimerian war, your Divineness?”

Alicia turned her head towards the members of the Crimson Code as she spoke, "The Nimerian war was a chaotic series of terrorism and rebellion within Crawfont’s territory. The Empire had to step in, resulting in Crawfont’s family facing the death penalty for their failure to manage the situation. Not only that, the Empire had to deal with the aftermath and remove the filth from the territory.”

"Yes," Liu said. "There were many insurgencies on our home planet and we thought we would be annihilated along with them. Fortunately, you were there to take charge of the situation and even gracious enough to provide a wise ruler."

Alicia paused, her expression turning thoughtful, “I do not need gratitude. Your luck has managed to keep you alive thus far, and I was present when it happened. In any case, you should consider getting yourself vaccinated with Augment cells to protect your body.”

Liu nodded in agreement. Alicia then turned towards her sister and changed the topic. "Putting aside the real world, Vanessa, you're Phoenix Aurelia, right? What's the difference?"

“Ehe,” Vanessa smirked, “After merging the Phoenix and Aurelia, I gained a very amazing skill. Wanna know? Wanna know?”

“Yes.”

“I got a pretty cool skill called ‘Renewal Flames of Possession’. Whenever I possess a dead body, it bursts into flames, and voila! The dead body revives under my control. Isn’t that pretty sick?” Exclaimed Vanessa as she made extravagant gestures.

“Revives under your control? Is it not Hijacking? Are you perhaps proliferating your cells to the dead body?” Alicia asked as a visible frown appeared on her face.

"Not like that. I wouldn't do anything illegal, you know?" Vanessa replied, pinching Alicia’s nose. "Rather, the moment I possess a dead body, the body will burst into flames, literally, and the body gets reconstructed to match me, like compatibility and racial synchronization, and all that complicated stuff."

“Hmm, but the A-cells that the body produces are under your control, right?”

“Yeah? But if you’re thinking about that sketchy illegal method, it’s not. It’s just that… The game renews the avatar, like after possessing the dead body, it gets reconstructed to like, atomic-level or whatever, and it becomes my own.”

“Hmm,” Alicia went into deep thought. 

Vanessa kept pinching her sister’s cheeks, “Is it illegal in the real world?”

"Taking over a living body through possession and using proliferating cell drugs to invade it with your own A-cells, then the answer is yes. It is illegal." Alicia declared, "The only difference is that you're not using illegal drugs. You're recreating a new body, similar to the previously deceased one, and possessing it with your own consciousness. While legally questionable, this is just a game, and only the laws that breach the agreed protocol apply.”

“Um,” Christine raised her hand, trying to interject the conversation. 

“What is it?” Vanessa asked.

“I was curious about the conversation. I heard this rumor from others, but can you actually buy a new body and possess it?”

Vanessa glanced at Alicia, unsure of how to respond to Christine's question. Alicia then replied, "Yes, it's possible. Why do you ask?"

“No, nothing.” 

“Hey, your Grace, what about you? What’s the race your avatar currently has?” Vanessa asked, playfully waggling a berry in front of Alicia’s eyes. 

“I’m a Phoenix Remnant. But I’m uncertain of my comprehension towards this race, it's rather vague on the details provided by the game.” Alicia responded.

“What are your abilities? Can you name the ones you don’t understand? Oh, you can also say its description instead.” Vanessa urged excitedly.

Alicia, confused by Vanessa’s sudden excitement, replied, “I have a skill called interreality form, but I’m not sure what that means.”

“Ohhh, that’s the same ability name Brother Erwin has. I don't think I can explain how it works. It would be best for you to meet him later when we land."

Alicia nodded in agreement, then lifted her to claim the berry hovering above her.

“What’s next?”

“I have Arise from Ashes ability,”

“Oh, same as mine! We can revive whenever we die.” Vanessa said before pausing briefly. “Dang, I turned myself into a joke earlier. I wonder why I cried when it’s just a simulation game. Damn it.”

“Don’t be. You are not the only person who was so concerned to the point of breaking down into tears.” Alicia said, glancing at the Crimson Code.

Then, suddenly, Vanessa swiveled her head up to the sky and said, "It seems like we have arrived."

Alicia raised herself from her seat, noticing that the ship had come to a standstill, its sails limp without wind. As she reached the nearest railing, she beheld a vast expanse of tents and numerous campfires scattered across the land.

As she continued to observe, she noticed other seekers engaged in aerial combat, while groups on the ground formed, leading to violent clashes. In the distance, two golems piloted by five seekers on each head were locked in combat with each other.

She heard a soothing voice amidst the chaos. turning her head towards it, she saw a concert taking place. The audience was conjuring fireballs, twirling them like glow sticks. In the background, two colossal castle-like buildings were engaged in a fierce exchange of fireballs, lightning, and elemental magic. The scene was breathtaking, with the clash of intense energy and musical performance creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

‘What... is happening?’ Alicia couldn't help but wonder. She had never witnessed this level of chaos; it was more tumultuous than any cities or riots she had encountered.

Then, a crew member approached the upper deck and announced, "Your Highness, the ship has docked, and your escorts are ready to accompany you to the reception area."

‘I’m certain this is not Orothon. If anything, there's no doubt that this is one of the Seekers' bases, on a large scale.’

Alicia turned to see Vanessa walking behind her and asked, "Where are we? I thought we were heading to Orothon."

“Oh, my bad. I forgot to tell you, we retreated to one of the intersection bases called Promus!”

Alicia nodded to her words, and replied, “I see.”

As Alicia glanced back at the attendant, she noticed his appearance and recalled Vanessa's words about him being called Erwin. "You there, take the lead." she ordered.

The attendant responded with a nod before turning his back and starting to walk at a slow pace. Alicia followed him, with Vanessa and the Crimson code in tow. They made their way to the main deck, where a small drawbridge connected the ship to a wooden building.

The ship lacked lights or torches, but the moon above cast a dim light upon it. As Alicia approached the main deck, she noticed several people with glowing faces, and some even had fire orbs floating around them.

The building stood in stark contrast, brightly lit with torches placed at the top and around the ground. On the other side of the drawbridge, several people, donned in simple servant’s attire, were bowing in eager anticipation.

‘Primitive simulation world,’ Alicia put into words her impression.

Erwin crossed the bridge, and he joined the ranks of the servants, positioning himself among them. When Alicia stepped into the building, they greeted her in unison, “Welcome to Intersection Major Base Promus, your Divineness.”

Alicia nodded at their greetings, and someone stepped forward from the group. It was a figure resembling a huge tiger in a humanoid form, with pronounced cheekbones as though it was its tusk, protruding from its ears.

"May I ask for permission to heal your injuries, Your Majesty? It will only take a moment and your hands will be healed instantly. The handmaidens are also ready to provide you with their service." The tiger-man seeker requested in a low resonating voice, lowering his head.

“Very well."