The g-force Gaius felt as the Unity began to accelerate subsided after a while. The transport had clearly reached what some would call ‘cruising speed’, and a minute or so later, an announcement that the students and soldiers could let go of their armrests was broadcasted. There was nothing dramatic about it, but Gaius was astounded by the sheer stability his footing had.
“This thing flies better than an aeroplane,” Gaius muttered. “And it’s sturdier to boot.”
He thought back to the introduction that the Oracle had given.
“Does Ark City really have things like this?” Isabelle, who was sitting on his left, looked around interestedly. “I’ve heard the rumours, since my family…well, nothing to do with that, but Ark City was supposed to be this super place like Sephira.”
Gaius tried to compare what he knew of Ark City to the capital cities he visited, but he vividly remembered that Ark City had something like a slum quarters — something the likes of Seireiden and Elysium clearly lacked. Maybe it was the effect of being the target of a genocide, but what he saw of Ark City didn’t really scream ‘capital’ to him.
“I never roamed around the place much,” Gaius replied. “But given our status back then, we could have been on the very outskirts of the place. Ark City…to live up to its name, it probably has to operate like Elysium, right? We have Lower, Upper and Twilight…maybe the same system is in Ark City too.”
“That’s entirely possible, if their ties are actually quite close,” Isabelle murmured. “I do recall that the North did try to send aid during the Second Extermination; the Central Circle had moved to prevent that. That’s probably one of the reasons behind the North-Central war some time back.”
“Karma, then.” Gaius tried to get up, but Nakama was using his right arm as a pillow. The boy didn’t dare to move it, and before his helpless eyes, the little girl squirmed and bent his elbow to create a broader pillow.
“That sure looks comfortable,” Isabelle observed.
“No, it doesn’t.” Gaius rolled his eyes and motioned to his bag. “Get some clothes and fold them into a little cushion for her, will you? I have someone to talk to.”
His eyes drifted over to the Pinnacle, who was eyeing him back with a small box in his hands. It was the payment he requested, after taking into account that the overworked ruler of the Mortal Light Dynasty was probably on the verge of quitting his job. And so, after a serious bout of deliberation that lasted a minute, Gaius decided on yet another Engine — the more he had, the better equipped he was to hold his own against Paragons.
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He’d requested one that was full of passive Abilities this time. He didn’t want to see a day where he had a whole bunch of active Abilities that he never used in battle — the Saviour, one of the Engines he’d gotten from the East, was already falling in the category. None of its active Abilities had seen use, though Gaius had relied on its passive self-healing.
In contrast, the Apex, which was full of passive Abilities, had made him so much stronger in combat. The enhancements were visually unremarkable, but Gaius had a feeling that he could probably dodge a sniper bullet back on Earth as he was now.
“Alright, done.” Isabelle placed the makeshift cushion on his lap, and the boy glanced at the Knight with a sad smile.
Isabelle rolled her eyes and got up. Supporting Nakama’s little head gently, she nudged Gaius’ numb arm out to replace it with the cushion of shirts and towels. The little girl made a pleased sound, and then rolled her head on it to secure it to the back of the chair— all while asleep.
“That’s actually quite impressive,” Gaius whispered. “Thanks for freeing my arm.”
“Even your arm can be numb, eh? Isabelle whispered back. “Aren’t you already a Lord when it comes to physical strength?”
“I’ve stopped caring about that,” Gaius replied. “And besides, I think even Paragons will have a numb arm if it’s treated as a pillow. It’s nothing to do with physical resilience. You’ll need to strengthen the softer parts of your body for this — the nerves, the tendons and the little gluey bits.”
Gaius had a feeling that these thoughts had coursed through his mind before, which was why those words came out with far more confidence that he expected. Isabelle nodded seriously, and then said, “Any recommendations?”
“If I had any, I won’t be in this state, would I?” The boy grinned. “Alright, I’m going to get something from the Pinnacle.”
“Another one, no?” Isabelle replied. “Go ahead. Nakama’s safe with me.”
A knowing glint filled her eye, but Gaius couldn’t help but feel a bit depressed. If Isabelle could take in Engines the way he could, the boy would definitely wrangle another one for her. As it was, Gaius was just using excuses of wanting to upgrade his Engine to get more, but sooner or later, people had to grow suspicious.
Or greedy. After all, anyone keeping track of his, uh, acquisitions might note that Gaius had at least five Engines on his body. However, this ‘anyone’ would have to be a master spy capable of teleporting between the three continents Gaius had been in so far, while paying attention to him from the very start.
No such being could possibly exist.
Like the others already walking around, Gaius’s footsteps were steady as he approached the Pinnacle. The two men-in-black around him took a step, as they always did when a student tried to approach, only to fall back when Kolya gestured.
“Hello, Gaius.” The Pinnacle smiled. “What do you think of the Unity?”
“It’s a lovely place,” Gaius replied. “Sure, it might be slower than any Engine’s Flight ability, but this is so much more comfortable. There’s a canteen, there’s seats, probably a bathroom…this is a work of art.”
“Yeah. I tried to do it the way Roddenbury did, but getting those nacelles were impossible.” The Pinnacle sighed. “The design of the Unity is pretty much a generic spaceship.”
Gaius wasn’t sure who Roddenbury was, but the fella was probably some famous creator back on Earth. After tucking the name into the back of his mind, he said, “Well, about that Engine…”