(Byakuya’s POV)

Through the chat, we combined to gather later at night in the dining room. Ok, time to check some stuff. I still have to stop by the control room and activate a lot of things. Well, not everything, as I need something to use against the nobles if the show themselves too arrogant for my tastes.

(later, at the dining room)

I arriver at the dining room followed by Gehenna after taking a bath and changing clothes to something more casual. Now, dressed in a white shirt with a purple coat, with black pants and brown boots, I sit at the dining table with the others.

Judging by the still we hair of the girls and different clothes, they also had the same idea that I had. I sit at the had of the long table, with Iona to my right and Logan to my left. Besides Iona, sits Prunia, and to Logan’s left, Anastasia. The table is still empty, without any food. After all, eating was possible in the game, and the dining hall works like a restaurant, where the servants take your order to the kitchen.

(Alva): “Sorry for the delay, I was held up a bit.”

(Anastasia): “Don’t worry, you’re not that late at all.”

(Logan): “So, we will talk first before dinner?”

(Prunia): “I’m fine with either, you guys can decide.”

(Anastasia): “Sincerely, I’d rather talk right now about our situation.”

(Logan): “Me too.”

(Alva): “Good. Well then, first, Gehenna, my satchel.”

I say, and Gehenna gives me the satchel in her hands.

(Alva): “You can return to your duties for today, I will call you when needed.”

She nodded, making a military salute and walking away from the dining hall. Now that we are alone, I push the hand bell to call for service that is front of me and push it away to get some space on the table, an put my satchel on the marble table. From there, I pull five files, one for each one of us.

(Alva): “Since it’s already night, I’ll be brief. First, this world is not the same of the game. Please, open in the first page of the file.”

I said, giving out the files that I have in hand. Anastasia gives me a weird look.

(Anastasia): “You… are quite efficient, aren’t you?”

(Alva): “Thank you. I thought it would be better you girls had something to read after we are done eating, since the explanation can take a long time and end up forcing us to stay up too late.”

She nods, opening the file in the first page like the other girls.

(Alva): “First, our location. We are not in the Sea Mountains anymore, the whole Mechaville and he Fomorian Mountain Range has been moved to a new space. And this space is completely new, and not an area of the game. Please, to the third page.”

The sound of flipping paper fills the short pause.

(Alva): “I discovered that there is a kind of barrier keeping the day-night cycle for us, and outside of it, the time flows differently. You will find more detailed explanations in the astronomy section of the file. Therefore, with that conclusion, I can deduce a nature of the attacks that we have suffered. To the fifth page.”

They flip the pages. It feels like the classes that I gave in Harvard for a brief week.

(Alva): “The enemy that Bertram has related to us gave the impression of being a ‘evolutive army”, but I think that it’s not the case. He mentioned that the technology of the enemy advanced years for each attack, and I think that is indeed the case. While for us it was a sequence of daily attacks, for the enemy, years, decades or even centuries have passed.”

Prunia raised her hand.

(Alva): “Yes?”

(Prunia): “So it’s like we are inside a time bubble?”

(Alva): “Indeed, that seems to be the case. As for the reason of the attacks, I can’t determine that without meeting the attackers. This is a resume for our current location and external situation. For more details, you can consult the file, everything is well explained there. Now, let’s enter out current internal situation. Please, go to page twelve.”

The flip the pages.

(Alva): “For our monetary situation, the safes of the guild are filled with several billions of crystal coins.”

(Anastasia): “That much?! How did we gather so many money?!”

I smiled.

(Alva): “We are a support guild after all. The money was gathered through selling equipment that we produced, as well consumables. Not only that, you know that we did mercenary work, right?”

(Anastasia): “Yeah, I remember that the guild had posts for joint work in raids.”

(Alva): “That combined with everything that we were paid to build or fix, we amassed a fortune, if my estimative is correct, the safe of Eternal Gear has 62,3% of the total money of the game.”

She gulped.

(Anastasia): “What the fuck… that’s why we always have the best materials…”

(Alva): “Indeed. Anyway, as for precious metals, they can be transmuted from the iron mined from the infinite mines, so we can say that we have unlimited gold, silver and any other metal.”

(Logan): “Sorry, I’m not that into the production of the guild, since I was part of the military command. Can we produce legendary metals, such as flame gold and cold silver?”

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

(Alva): “Yes, we produce all the materials from zero. The only thing that we can’t produce are monster materials, but one of the plans of expansion that I was planning before coming here was to get over that issue.”

Loga nodded.

(Alva): “As for political, we have the noble families of Mechaville to worry about. As they are now real people, I held back in the activation of several functions of Mechaville until we meet them. That will be something that we have to do soon, meeting the nobles. They seem unsatisfied with the situation of restrained resources and are rising voices, so we should be careful with them, since I didn’t create them myself.”

The girls nod with determined faces.

(Alva): “That concludes the immediate affairs that we have to deal with. As for now, I will talk a bit for our future plans. Please, go to page twenty.”

They flip the pages.

(Alva): “For situation that we have on our military power, we only have two options, the Royal Guard and the golems and robots that the factories and I can produce. Although we have quite the monetary power and the military is decent, the only NPC that can face an early-late game player is Gehenna.

Therefore, I got some dragons eggs from a friend and was planning to build a cage for raising dragons.”

(Iona): “Ax expected of husband!”

(Prunia): “Raise dragons? Seriously? Can we even do that?”

(Alva): “Yes. We can produce the food and provide the space, as we have a lot free here inside the Fomorian Mountain Range. I also don’t plan on growing ancient species, my objective is creating dragon raiders and war dragons.”

War dragons are a special breed dragon, smaller and tougher, bred for war and be used by riders. Although their sizes are generally the same, around seven to six meters long, they can have the same powers as ancient dragons.

(Alva): “The terrarium where I will raise them will be near the Lock na Súil, or the lake. I also plan on building a colosseum for training the soldiers and eventually hosting battles.”

(Logan): “Good idea, comrade. Dragon riders are quite flexible to work with, and they can be a real wrecking ball if they’re properly trained. We also have the Royal Guard to train into raiders, as well the Four Golden and Gehenna.”

I nod.

(Alva): “This is it for situational business, you can consult the file if you want for further information. Any questions?”

(Anastasia): “The time bubble, is it possible to break it?”

(Alva): “I don’t know. Something may change when I open the Steam Gates, but I think it’s better for us to bolster out military in any case.”

They nod.

(Alva): “Now, onto the next subject. This world seems to function in similar fashion to the game, as all of you should be aware by testing your abilities.”

They nod once again.

(Alva): “Therefore, we can skip the introduction, so please head to page 31.”

They flip the pages.

(Alva): “The potions and items of the games still hold their effect, and the details can be found inside the file. The thing that I want to bring up at the moment is the effect of one item.”

I say, taking four vials from my satchel, the Spring Water.

(Alva): “In the last few hours, I believe that I have attained immortality.”

They look at me with weird looks, except Iona, who looks at me with some pride, as if to say “as expected of husband”.

(Alva): “Of course, I don’t say that without fundament. I still don’t know if it extends to age, but at least, even if I’m decapitated, I will not die.”

Logan frowns.

(Logan): “Comrade, these vials are the Spring Water of Life, right? They are supposed to give immortality to those who drink, right?”

(Anastasia): “If it was like that, it wouldn’t work on us. That’s why we didn’t turn immortal on the game, and was used as a healing item.”

I nod to Anastasia’s words.

(Alva): “Yes, indeed that would be the case. However, I have a theory. In the game, although we could die, we would return to life almost immediately, therefore making us in the game effectively immortal, turning the effects of the spring water redundant.

So I have a hypothesis. Our bodies were immortal in the past, so the water couldn’t give us that, but now, we are mortals, even though our races are semi-divine. The reason why it makes us immortal now is because we are subjects to final death.”

(Iona): “That means…”

(Alva): “If we die, it’s over. There’s no respawn.”

The room fell in a deep silence.

(Alva): “Look at this.”

I said, taking a knife from my satchel and made a deep cut on my hand. They gasped for a second, but even before they could react, the wound closed by itself.

(Alva): “I also made some tests earlier. It’s simply impossible to kill me with normal attacks, even attacks with Eternal Wound will close in a few seconds. Even if I’m decapitated, my body will regrow immediately. That’s why I said, I’m, for most effects, immortal.”

They looked at each other. Prunia rose her hand with certain unease in her eyes.

(Prunia): “I’m feeling a bit worried about it. after all, that seems a little…”

(Alva): “Unnatural?”

I ask, guessing her next words. I nod to it.

(Alva): “Certainly, that may seem so, I agree completely. After all, we may be safe in this world with immortality, but what when we go back? Stay immortal even after returning implies a lot of things, even being unable to have a normal life. I won’t say anything if you don’t want to fight at all, and not drink the Spring Water. However, I can say that I don’t regret it.”

Everyone except for Iona looked at me with surprised eyes.

(Anastasia): “Are you really fine with that? Don’t you have a family to return to?”

I close my eyes and say:

(Alva): “I’m a orphan. I also don’t have any truly close friend. Even if I’m young, I have many academic achievements. To say the truth, I was bored with my life. I will search for a way back to our world with all that I can. But I don’t plan on returning.”

(Logan): “Comrade…”

She said, looking at me with certain sadness in her eyes. I smiled. Logan is one of my closest friends, and even if we never met in real life, she knows who I am in real life, since I’m quite famous.

(Alva): “Don’t worry Logan, I’m not doing this because I’m tired of out world or anything like that, you know me very well. I’m staying because of new things to see and to discover. That’s simply my nature, and why I liked the game so much.”

(Prunia): “What do you mean?”

She asked, a bit confused.

(Alva): “Have you ever heard of Byakuya Youma?”

(Prunia): “That Japanese genius? Why mention him… wait, your face…”

She says surprised. Anastasia also notices and Iona widens her eyes in surprise. I nod.

(Alva): “It’s me. I’ll spare the details of my long life if study and effort, and jump to what really matters. I know a lot of things and love discovering new things the most. The word of Mechanica Fantasy appealed me so much because of all the things that I could do. Construct a real, working battle robot, learning physical and magical law to make portals, all of that is paradise to me.

That is the reason why I have all my classes are crafting ones. I love creating and making anything that I can, and there is no limits here, in this world.”

I said.

(Anastasia): “This is the reason why you created the Eternal Gear?”

I shook my head, smiling.

(Alva): “I didn’t just created, I made the Eternal Gear.”

(Prunia): “I don’t get it.”

(Alva): “That’s how I grinded my classes. I made every singe stone, wall and adornment of the whole Eternal Gear. I built Mechaville from the ground, I set the first stone of the Clockwork Palace to it’s las tile in the roof, I transmuted the metals and jewels in the Steam Gates, as well built it from ground. I know every atom of this place like the back and front of my hand.”

(Prunia): “Wow…”

She said, widening her eyes. I smile.

(Alva): “I also designed the Royal Garden and handmade the Metal Garden, I made the clothes of the staff of the palace and them as well. The equipment that you were using when you first arrived here was also one of the series that I made myself, one of several series. I just can’t help it, I love creating, something impossible to do in our world. That is the reason for why I am staying, I just want to keep doing stuff.”

I said with a smile.

(Alva): “That is why I don’t mind being immortal and staying here. It’s the best that I could wish for. If you girls wish to return, I will do my best to send you back, and if you don’t want to fight, I won’t force you. However, I will stay here, even if none of you want to, and will send you back to our world.”

They looked at each other. The one to move first was Iona. She took one of the flasks and drank the content. She looked at us and smiled happily.

(Iona): “Although I do have family back in our world, it is only my mother. She would be happy if I pursued happiness, and it’s here that I will find it. I will also stay if husband also will.”

She said, smiling to me. I smile back to her. Logan is the next one to take the flask and drink it.

(Logan): “I have my reasons, but sincerely, I don’t want to go back at all. I want to stay.”

Prunia, seeing this, was unhesitant in taking one of the flasks and gulping down the content. I look at her, surprised. She smiles sweetly.

(Prunia): “Guildmaster is a really funny guy. After what you said, I made up my mind. So I’ll stay and have as much fun as I can!”

Anastasia looked at the last flask, doubt in her eyes. No one said anything, and after a short silence, she took the last flask, with a different gleam in her eyes. Taking off the lid and drunk the Spring Water.

(Anastasia): “I also have my reasons. I will stay as well, but if possible, I’d like to at least be able to send a message back at home…”

She said, looking up to me. I nodded strongly.

(Alva): “I’ll find a way, no matter what.”

Her eyes widen, and she lowers her gaze, her bangles hiding her face from me. Take my satchel and smile awkwardly.

(Alva): “Well, it took a different direction of what I was expecting, but how about we eat now?”