Chương 34: Chapter 33 - Frontal Lobe

Alex watched as Aurora dug trenches while Yulka's barbarians placed the large cylinder pipes made of Yin metal for Villipente's waste management system. She was satisfied that Yulka and Aurora combined had been able to create the pipes themselves via brute force, as the metal couldn't be heated and forged. A green blob was wacked away by one of the barbarians from the pipe being laid down. It made Alex ponder. As Yin metal could not be heated, even to an extreme, which would cause it to explode, could it corrode?

The answer to that was no, it could not. Since Yin metal was 100% chemically and thermally stable, the theory would be that it was corrosion proof and wear proof. That, and moisture absorption, was the main culprit for a concrete pipe's expiration date. In other words: maintenance free for days (technically forever, but that's beside the point). Citizens could never complain to her about 'maintenance' or not 'investing' enough in the city.

She solved the issue of expensive and costly snow plowing via heated driveways. Now, the fact that Yin metal could not corrode or wear made her giggle. If an investor asked about maintenance costs, she could literally just ask 'what maintenance cost?' and laugh along with the bloke, not that she'd ever put the Path up for an IPO. Screw shareholders. They ruined everything. Alex wasn't one to share her pie. Besides, those idiots only ever looked at the scroll sheets without looking at the bigger picture.

She'd die before letting them enshittify her company.

"My Lady," Aurora said with a smile.

"We are exactly 75% done laying down the pipes. However, the OSHA scripture has mandated employees doing physical labour to have 15-minute breaks every 2 hours." Alex grumbled, as she was sure she had not written down 2 hours. That was probably Grey, and, damn, did it make sense. Employees breaking their backs over physical labour was a no go. For the sake of not having to pay worker's comp, of course.

"Sure. Time for a break," Alex said, voice trembling at the thought of lower productivity because bureaucracy. Aurora's mouth gaped.

"My Lady, fret not for the employees' safety. I have brought everyone Cafe Mocha's. Your beverage shall energize everyone along with your presence!"

"Right, right." Alex nodded. Coffee would definitely make up for the lost productivity. Aurora pulled out a metal mug with a lid on it from her bag. After unscrewing it, she handed it over to Alex. Taking a small whiff, she immediately recognized it was the Arabelum refresher, and the metal mug was made of Yin. It was the perfect thermos material. Alex took the mug from Aurora and sipped on the caffeinated refresher, just what she needed after hearing the dreaded four-letter acronym that shall not be named.

While taking generous sips, Alex walked towards the sanitation facility. The ground was clearly marked with chalk, which would lead the pipes down to the bottom of the sanitation facility. From what it looked like, and how deep the pipes already were at the 75% mark, the 1. 5% gradient every 6 inches she had ordered was being followed exactly. The slope wasn't too steep, which would allow liquid to run faster than solid waste. It was just perfect.

Since it was underground, that would also solve any issues with pests that could destroy it. The problem now was, Yulka only had 15 blue collar workers under her. For laying down pipes and a sanitation network in Villipente, it would take much more than just 15 workers. Best to let the Baroness handle hiring contractors and allow the 15 blue collar workers to 'supervise'. Alex nodded to herself, admiring her own answer. All was perfect, according to the plan.

Arriving at the sanitation facility, a few green slime blobs bounced around. They had a shiny red orb inside them. They bounced up and down. When they hit the ground, they'd slightly flatten as the red orb jiggled inside of them. That was the only way they moved too.

"Why don't people take slimes home to use for their waste?" Alex asked.

"The slimes do not discriminate on what they eat. They may even harm children of the family and the supporting pillars of homes," Aurora said.

"But, aren't they cute?" True enough, they were cute, which reminded Alex that she still needed merchandise. The Star Cubs brand was about stars, so a cute-looking star mascot would be perfect. Note to self, have Aurora or whoever design a cute looking star plushie. Suddenly, Alex's mana communication device rang. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw the caller's ID as Sanders. Pressing the accept button, Alex spoke into the device.

"Y-ello, Sandman, suuup?"

"My Lady, I've information pertaining to the entry of a Church of Frae convoy entering the toll roads by the I-15. It seems they are heading directly to our HQ," Sanders said from the other side of the line. Church of Frae? A church? That sounded too much like the dreaded United Knights back on earth with their preaching of 'global laws' and bureaucracy. Alex responded as calmly as she could, "What do they want?"

"Recent rumours of the flock of dark birds towards the region has led them to our front door. Shall we eliminate the opposing church?" Sanders asked.

"Do not worry, My Lady! Their corrupt shadow shall not touch the light of your land. I shall give them the honour of being one with the company!" Aurora shouted as she circulated mana to her body.

"Hold on, Aurora, chill," Alex said. Aurora immediately bowed.

"I apologize for the display."

"It is fine," Alex said, turning back to the device.

"Do you know who is coming to HQ and what they're looking for?"

"They are well known even outside of the theocracy's domain," Sanders said.

"There are two envoys that will be coming, Bishop Owen and Bishop Romano. Those two are part of the Church of Light against the Theocracy." Alex raised an eyebrow.

"Was there some kinda schism in the church or somethin' eh?"

"Yes. Currently, there is a cold civil war within the Church of Frae. The old members believe in altruism, while the current theocracy hoards wealth. One gives free healing and blessings, the other charges for it."

"Uh huh," Alex muttered.

"Why'd they split?"

"The Church of Frae had always been riddled with poverty within its borders. Children starve. Families break apart due to famine, all caused by over-giving to visitors in need of healers and sanctuary."

"Cool. Hit me."

"I apologize, my Lady. I am too far away. It would also be a folly for a follower to hit his own goddess. Please do not force my hand to hit you," Sanders said. Alex shook her head.

"I mean, go on. Continue. What happened?"

"I see... then I shall continue." Sanders took a deep breath.

"The Theocracy was born out of neccessity-""Hold on, get to the point in one sentence."

"I understand... In summary, the Theocracy rid their lands of poverty through donations, while the Church of Light demands the Church return to its 'former glory' of altruistic deeds with disregard of money." Oh shoot. The two who were coming weren't part of the better part of the church, the Theocracy, meaning if these two bishops were part of the 'goody two shoes faction', they were nothing but trouble. They would also be smarter than before, where they would actually need donations.

Honestly, she'd crush the church if it had no effect on her business, yet they too also deserved a Cup of Cub. Everyone in Alex's eyes were customers at the end of the day. The problem was, these bureaucratic, justice loving, altruism preaching, non-profit, uncorruptable, law abiding, stick-in-the-butt types were all the same. They'd hold her ankles and pull her down with their 'noble' goals of making the world a better place by constantly nagging and complaining at her to 'donate'.

Hell naw, she wasn't having any of that. God dammit. Grey was away, reclaiming his land and putting rubber extraction into production. There was no one to take the fall. This was mission-critical. Defcon 1. Primary directive: skip the meeting with United Knights Version 2. 0. Alex put a hand on Aurora's shoulder.

"Aurora, do you believe Yulka's employees are able to finish the work of the sanitation facility without you?"

"Yes, my Lady. Barbarians are natural construction workers, and your orders bind them to work according to your specification scriptures."

"Great." Alex's smile grew sharp, as did her eyes.

"You know I trust you, right?"

"Yes!!! I thank you for your trust! I shall not fail any of your commands, even if I have to stand against your enemies on the battlefield with my last dying breath!"

"Good. Goooood." Alex began to laugh.

"There's a few people I need you to talk to. The two Bishops that're coming in a couple of days. Can you 'handle' that for me?" Aurora suddenly bowed.

"I shall show them of your grace and might without fail, my Lady."

"Don't be too hard on them. It's just a 'negotiation'. Got that?" Alex asked.

"Understood. I shall 'negotiate' with these mortals in the goddess's stead."

"Cool. Off you go." Alex snapped her fingers, transporting Aurora to the spatial anchor at the interim city hall tent. Now, where was she? Right. She needed to extend the bottom of the sanitation facility. But out of the corner of her eye, she caught something large and black furred moving. When she turned her head, she saw Witch Raven with a giant 3 eyed black furred 'howler' on a leash. The howler stopped by the tree with the least amount of slimes. It did the 'pooing' pose and then took a dump just by the tree.

Witch Raven didn't even bother picking it up as a couple of slimes already went towards the waste.

"The hell are you doing?" Alex asked.

"What?" Witch Raven asked.

"I'm walking my dog."

"That's not a dog. That's a giant wolf."

"And you have an orange dragon spitting acid in barrels which you named Greenie. What's your point?"

"Get back to work," Alex grumbled.

"I'm on break, boss. Can't take away my lunch hour." Ridiculous. Alex shook her head, pretending she didn't see any of that. She couldn't have that witch ruining her perfect mood after dodging a meeting. Walking towards the sanitation facility, she looked down at the brown gold that had been collecting from the interstate rest stop. A smirk formed on her lips. Back to work. Ignore the stupid witch. Extend the bottom of the sanitation facility. Enjoying the story?

Show your support by reading it on the official site. ☕︎ ☼ ☕︎ ☽ ☕︎ Tiffany Hu shot the remaining Harpruff that tried to raid the convoy. She, Yumi, Alexander, and Drake all sat back in the horse-drawn cart. They'd been tasked by the Viscount to defend the convoy as monster attacks had become more frequent in the past 2 months.

"Status," she muttered. [Name: Tiffany Hu] [Mana: 630/700] [Attribute Points: 0] [Tenacity: 30] [Perception: 55] [Dexterity: 70] [Aura: 15] [Mana Heart: 70] [Mana Brain: 20] [Total Prowess: 136. 75] [Talents: Eagle Eye, Range Master, Steady Hands] Tiffany figured out that it was better to have more mana than not. For a ranger, she relied on her active spells to strengthen her arrows. She focused more on Mana Heart, which increased her mana pool, and Mana Brain, which sped up spell activation.

Everyone at this point was around 125-140 prowess. Drake was only just a single point of prowess above her now. Though it was true that this 'punishment' gave them a lot of attribute points to increase their prowess, a chain quest was nonsensical. The purpose of the summoned heroes was to fight against the corruption in the north, yet what was the point of sending them near the inevitable main theatre of war between Dragus and Pandor?

Based on what Haestus said about 'rushing to increase prowess because of the Pandor summoned heroes', it seemed they would be used in that war... for what?

"Don't you guys think it's weird they'd send us near the border?" Tiffany asked.

"Seriously?" Drake asked.

"What?"

"Can you just keep your stupid questions to yourself?"

"I guess it's stupid to question why we're being sent out to a battlefield where we would literally die, huh, Drake? Fight for Dragus, since that's totally part of the 'hero's journey'?"

"It's part of honour, and that's what matters. They summoned us and guided us to be this strong."

"You're still saying that after they're putting us through this shit?"

"That was your fault. If you hadn't-""Guys, please stop fighting again," Yumi said.

"I think Tiffany has a point, though. Why didn't we just get sent back when we'd already finished our primary objective?" Alexander asked.

"What would going back do?" Drake asked.

"Use your brain, peanut head." Tiffany scoffed.

"If they're going to war, why wouldn't they wanna know what we found in the mines?"

"The Crown Prince must already have a plan for the mines. It's not like Dragus doesn't have their own legends."

"That's not the point. The point is to relay back information to the Princess so that she could make plans for the future."

"So that's what all of this is about?" Drake asked.

"About what?"

"You just want brownie points from the Princess so she'd put you in a better bed and give you better food." Drake wore an expression of disgust at her.

"Always trying to live in comfort, eh, Tiffany?"

"So you agree that we're not living comfortably as promised?" Alexander asked.

"What's gotten into you? She seduced you too?" Drake asked.

"Watch your mouth," Alexander growled.

"Or what?"

"You really think you can do this without any of us?" Tiffany asked.

"Think, Drake. Use that brain."

"I am using my brain. You guys aren't. How are you going to survive out there? We're all just high school kids. We got no other choice, and don't give me that bullshit about the 100 gold. That ship has sailed long ago," Drake said.

"Gee, whose fault is that, I wonder," Tiffany said. Yumi sighed loudly.

"Can a mine really cave in like that, though?" Alexander asked.

"What do you think, Yumi?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"I don't know. You studied geology."

"Well... a complete cave in of a mine would be very rare," Yumi said. Right. They couldn't even get past the first bracing since it was filled with rock. Everything about it was weird. The Viscount had his own troubles too, as he'd most likely have to start a new shaft or try to clear out the mines. From what they were fed at the noble's house, their financial situation wasn't looking so hot. Most likely, they were just scraping by.

From what she knew about the Princess, there was no way in hell that she'd tax the kingdom territories that much. But, the king and crown prince might just be stupid enough to. It still made no sense. What would they need the tax money for if they weren't spending it on bettering the territories? Tiffany almost rolled her eyes as she already knew the answer. War. Too bad for that. Their main export of metal just went bust.

"What are you thinking about, Tiffany?" Yumi asked. Tiffany looked at her.

"I wanna go home."

"Hmph." Drake snorted.

"When we get back home, we'll keep these powers. Then we'll have a better life. All of this is just a sacrifice for a better future."

"How do you know we'll keep it?" Alexander asked.

"No. He's right," Tiffany said.

"What do you mean?" Yumi asked.

"Have you ever tried circulating your mana and strengthening your muscles directly?" Yumi shook her head.

"Try it."

"But how?"

"Don't think of the Spirit Sign too much. Just feel the energy within your core." Tiffany held out a fist.

"Then, once you're ready, you push the mana through your core to your muscles, to where you want it." Slowly, mana started to seep from her spine through her arm and then finally to her fist. The circulation on her fist radiated subtle heat, but enough for the others to feel it. The way it felt in her body, as if it had become one with her, was proof that this power would probably stay with them once they got to Earth.

"Woah..." Yumi muttered. She held up her own fist, closed her eyes, and tried to do what Tiffany did. However, for a couple of minutes, nothing happened until the cart hit a piece of rock that rattled everyone.

"Let me try." Alexander held up his own hand and tried to circulate mana, but to no avail.

"What gives?"

"It needs practice," Drake said. For a bonehead, at least this LARPer knew how to use his body. If Tiffany hadn't found out this mechanic, the gap between them would've kept increasing.

"The stronghold nears. Summoned heroes, please sheath your weapons," the coachman said.

"Why do we have to sheath-""Tiffany, just do it, please?" Drake said. At least he said please, but how was she supposed to sheath a bow? Tiffany shook her head. She placed the bow on her back, and technically, that wasn't sheathing. Beyond the cart, over the coachman's form, was the grand Stronghold Hatir. Its walls seemed to have grown directly from the mountain beside it, encasing the city inside. She couldn't even tell how tall they were, as all Tiffany could do was crane her neck up the closer they got.

On the walls were ballistas at vantage points and giant blue-green gems hovering on platforms. On the wall of the mountain was a castle that reached up to its peak. A pure teal rhombus-shaped gem hovered at the top of the highest point of the castle as it slowly spun on its platform.

"Woah..." Drake said.

"That's so much cooler than Minas Tirith..." Alexander and Yumi both looked up to try to see what was above the walls.

"What is that?" Tiffany asked, pointing to the giant teal gem.

"You noticed?" the coachman asked.

"That's Grumir's gem. Made of Fraedium gems compressed seven times. No one really knows its purpose."

"Then it's just decoration?"

"Rumours has it the gem can block any attack from the strongest legend in history."

"And what was that?"

"A legend with a prowess of 1300," the coachman said.

"An unnamed legend." Unnamed? Just like the ones they met in the Labyrinth? Tiffany leaned forward.

"Can you tell me more? Why are there legends that aren't recorded like rankers?"

"Who told you rankers are recorded?" the coachman said.

"Then how are rankers named rankers?"

"They register themselves to the Church of Frae. But the world is wide. Not everyone follows the Church of Frae. The western continent of Layos does not care for such trivialities."

"Coachman, do you know of any legend, unnamed or named, that wields lightning like it's their body?"

"There is one..." the coach man rubbed his chin.

"But that man is in the western continent, not in Mir. Why do you ask?"

"Perhaps he went over to this continent then?"

"That's possible. But I doubt the kingdom of Hebi would allow Sangtchjin to leave..."

"What kind of armour does he wear?" Tiffany asked.

"Hebi warriors usually wear thick armour, so it depends." Tiffany leaned back in her seat. That answers the question about the lightning god they encountered on Sleider's coast. Since rankers and legends didn't technically have to register with the Church of Frae, there would be some outliers or recluses. This didn't solve her issue, though. She still had to report it as objectively as possible to Princess Alizia. Would telling her about the coachman's hearsay count as subjective or objective?

It didn't matter too much. She could tell Princess Alizia what she heard from the coachman word for word. That should count as objective facts of observation. Pulling out her pocket notepad and ballpoint pen, she put down exactly what the coachman said: 'lightning god, on the clock, Sleider's Coast, coachman said, Sangtchjin, travelled from Hebi.' Suddenly, a loud, low boom shook the entire vicinity, shaking the cart, the rocks around, and swaying the trees. Tiffany accidentally dropped her ballpoint pen.

But just before it could fall in between the wooden slats of the cart, she kicked it up and caught it mid air only to see the scene before her eyes.

"Ahhh!" Yumi shouted as Alexander covered her form.

"What the hell is that!" Drake shouted. Beyond the meadows in the distance, just after the forest, thousands of hobgoblins ran towards the walls. The blue-green fraedium gems fired multiple fireballs at once at the oncoming hobgoblins while ballistas fired at will. Then, a giant hydra with two heads poked out of the forest, also moving towards the stronghold. Casting her eagle's eye, Tiffany saw something she wasn't expecting. The hobgoblins didn't look like they were attacking the walls.

Instead, it was as if they were all running away from something that lowered their fear of the walls. A giant fireball hit the hydra in the head, eviscerating it. Before long, the blood on its neck sizzled until two new heads formed. However, the hydra also looked like it was running away from something.

"Tiffany, what do you see?!" Alexander shouted.

"I don't know! It's just monsters running away from something!" A being, a barbarian, walked out of the forest into the meadows. A woman of pure brawn, fur covered her entire body except her head. What she wore on her head was a pure black helmet, with horns of pure white, and a T-shape opening that allowed her to see through and breathe. On her back was a giant golden hammer, the size of her body. Although she was at a clear distance, Tiffany could feel the weight press down on her from the being's aura.

When the being turned her head towards their cart, warmth seeped into her trousers. The others weren't so lucky either. Yumi was shaking the most, desperately forcing herself to breathe. The barbarian woman took one step and appeared in the middle of the field where the hydra and thousands of goblins were. She roared once, causing an earthquake and eviscerating everything in the meadow. All the hobgoblins splattered away from her.

The only thing that resisted the roar's pressure was the hydra, as all 3 of its heads popped at the same time. Somehow, its body maintained its form. 6 heads grew out of the hydra's stumps. It was then a giant fireball hit the area between the Hydra and the barbarian. As the smoke and debris cleared, the barbarian woman and the now 12 headed hydra remained. The barbarian laughed, and each time she did, the hydra seemed to be crushed by an invisible force.

She wound up her fist, jumped up, and punched down at the hydra. This time, the weight was too much for the monster, as all of its guts within its body spilled out and splattered everywhere. Another giant fireball shot out from one of the blue-green gems directly towards the barbarian woman. This time, the barbarian woman took out the golden hammer on her back and smashed it at the ground towards the trajectory of the fireball.

An invisible force crushed the fireball inwards as cracks sped through the ground towards the stronghold's walls. When it touched the stronghold's walls, it exploded a large part of it, exposing the stronghold to the elements.

"That's what you get for disturbing Her Grace's pest control!" the barbarian woman shouted.

"Consider yourselves lucky the Goddess of Might's All-Seeing Plan requires 15 minute breaks every 2 hours!" Before a thought could fully form, the barbarian disappeared from the meadow. The only proof of where she went was the trail of burnt grass she left behind.

"A legend passing by, huh..." the coachman said. What? 15 minute breaks? What the fuck does that mean!? Tiffany tilted her head. Enough of this bullshit LARPing. She needed to go back to Princess Alizia to report and ask questions about what the hell was going on with this world. They weren't briefed on these monsters called 'legends' at all. Nothing made sense.

"Everyone ok?" Drake asked. Tiffany stood up and got off the cart. She walked back along the path they came from, towards the Viscount's territory.

"Tiffany! Where are you going!" Yumi shouted.

"Back to the capital," Tiffany shouted back.

"Screw this mission. We need to get back and tell the Princess what's happening."

"And who told you that you could do that?" Drake got up from the cart and chased her, grabbing her arm. Tiffany immediately shook his hand off.

"Don't touch me!"

"You're just going to leave us like this?"

"I'm not leaving. None of this makes sense, Drake. You're either with me or you're not. Better than dying a meaningless death in this stronghold." Drake looked back at the others. Yumi and Alexander were already walking towards both of them.

"I'm going with Tiffany. Sorry, Drake," Yumi said.

"Same," Alexander said. Drake looked back at the broken wall.

"Fucking hell. That's exactly why the stronghold's people need us right now."

"I don't know about you guys, but whatever the hell that thing was, it was definitely not normal," Tiffany said.

"That's just a legend's prowess. It's normal," Drake said.

"The coachman just said the teal gem over there was supposed to protect the stronghold. It didn't." Alexander snorted.

"I don't care. I wanna go back to the capital." Yumi took a step to stand beside Tiffany. Drake sucked on his teeth.

"Fine." Good. The idiot still had a functioning frontal lobe. Tiffany took a few deep breaths to stop her shoulders and legs from trembling. The stare of the barbarian woman was still burnt in her mind. Just thinking about it... that was no human.