Sitting down, “To answer your question, I have to explain some things. One: I am not the one who came up with this idea and I am only here for the ride along. Two: The reason why I left Berlin is still San here so I will not return to back here. Three: My friends have decided to go on an expedition around the world to collect ancient tech which we only know because we have 2 out of the 16 schematics needed to fully understand the technology. And, finally, four: Li cannot fly, Yuki does not have an ID, I cannot conduct bureaucratic business with the German government and San needs to get her revenge from the Carnations, so we are going the slow route to China”.

Drinks water from his cup, “I am here to get two false IDs from Leo, one for me and one for Li. I will not stay here; I will not be in touch for, at least, 2 months; and the Yeva family will move on as nothing had happened”, tells Will. “If you do not mind me asking, how are you going to collect the rest of the 16 schematics, Epsi?”, asks Sera. “Well, we are thinking about just asking for a copy from the bearers”, answers San. “Wy naiwni ludzie… So, what you are saying is, to retrieve a piece of technology long lost and scattered all across the world, you would just “ask nicely”? When does that logic make sense?”, takes a deep breath to calm down, “For starters, didn’t you think that there might be a reason for the ancients to scatter the technology? Even so, the original holders must be long gone by now, no? So, the current holders must be pretty persistent, or powerful, and knows what they are doing, which means you cannot just ask nicely”, looks at Will, disappointedly, “You really do not have a hand in this, Epsi”, tells Sera.

Asking Alex to retrieve a map from the storage closet, “If you are going to go all across the world, you at least need to have a route map for half of your journey ready. If I heard correctly, you only have it until China, yes?”, Alex returns, “Here, trace out the route”, says Sera. Unbuckles his suitcase and pulling out the map, Li leaves his case open for others to peek into his suitcase. As Li starts tracing out the plan to China, “Don’t you think we should take the scenic route to Irkutsk?”, says Will. Troubled, “Eh? Why? Didn’t you say you will not have a hand in this?”, says San. Tilting his head, “When? I said I did not have a hand in the primary route planning. And, besides, we would go through Russia only once so, why not, eh?”, says Will, trying to persuade the stressed San. “This boy is gold, Ghost!”, exclaims Alice as Leo butts in with, “I know, right?”. “His capacity is not that much but his output is just… immense. With no particular action being done, his signature left behind is so big. Might be a bit of drag, though. And he does not act like a posh sap; instead, acting like Ghost”, he adds. As the pencil clicks onto the table, “All done!”, says Li. “Say, Li, could you show these 4four the full potential you boast?”, says Johann, encouraging Li to lift his suppression. much to his avail.

For just a moment, Li lifted his seal upon his capacity. With a metallic light-yellow luster, a fiery up-blaze and a hexagonal symmetry, the passive aura of Li fills the entire room, outshining the aura of Sera… With a knife in hand, “Under the lights of the heaven, what are you?”, says Sera, about a meter or two away from the table. Alex is also absent from her seat with only Alice still sitting at the table. Confused, “Eh? Why did you guys jump so far? He is our friend, no?”, she says, with a glove already worn on one of her hands. Surprised, shocked and scared, “3 times as much as Blanc…”, startles Leo. “Eh~ it happens. Now, sit”, says Will.

Following the line drawn to the capital of Russia, “If you follow this route, you will reach Moscow in 7 days. A little longer than the recommended route but… it is a scenic one. Say, Li, did you come up with this or did Cassandra or Johann make this?”, says Alice. “Uh…“Uh… yeah, no, I made this…”, answers Li. Glancing over to San and Johann, “Interesting”, says Sera.

Sighing out a large, “Ah~ I am really missing my peace, now”, says Will as the door bursts open… At the bar-stand, with a thick Wurttemberg accent, “The one dubbed The Ghost has been reported to have entered here. Who here is the Ghost of Berlin?”, questions one of the officers, wearing the same green trench coat and khaki pants the fallen Carnation wore.

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Instantly, unease fills the room, in turn for the comfort the cozy cabin offered. Quietly, “Yuki~ Make me that one rope-dart”, says Will as he stands up to welcome the uninvited guests. As the owner of the bar, “Welcome, inspectors. How may I help you?”, he says, going behind the bar-stand. Showing their identifications, “We come from the High Command, hailing from the Berlin Consulate. Please, state your name and your affiliation with this place. If you can, provide any information about the individual with the title of The Ghost”, states the other inspector as the they start to take a look at the menu.

As the inspectors start to give out their orders, Alex and Sera goes to their jobsites, preparing. Taking their orders, of two pints of beer with a side of chips, “Today is quite a slow day… You might be the only one drinking these today… So, what did the chairman order you guys to do?”, says Will. With Alex pouring the two pints and the potatoes being fried at the back, the bar once at a standstill sounds into full operation. Checking up their pocketbooks, “Four years ago, the one who we are asking for escaped the verdict of our fair society, fleeing to the west. But, about three hours ago, a report stating the previous passport used by him was again used to enter a train to the capital. Albeit, the station also sent a distress call for their domestic terrorist, Li the Pyromancer, escaping their territory on the same train”, the drinks are served, “I do not know why they do not just show up to the office and turn themselves in. Not like we are entirely different personalities: We work, we commit and we suffer, all to live a manageable life”, tells the inspector.

“Say, how long have you been operating this establishment, Mr. …”, trails off the other inspector. “It is Will, sir, William Yeva. I have not been the manager for some time now, actually”, pointing to the side cubicle, “The one working as the manager of this place is sitting right there, Alice Yeva. She is now sitting with my friends who happens to be working on a project not so far away”, says Will, with a calm and composed smile, with Alice tossing a coin at him. Pausing for a moment, “Your friends…?”, asks one of the inspectors. Confused about the question, “Yes, they are my friends… Is there a problem?”, asks Will. With the realization hitting the inspectors, “May I see your registration, please?”, one of them asks. Also realizing something had given away their identity, pretending to pat his pockets for the papers, “Oh, it is not here. I must have left it in my coat there”, says Will, going to the cubicle.

All at once, the inspectors unholster their firearms, the bar-front is lit up by golden circles around the walls, Yuki gives Will the rope-dart with a blunt end and pulls a makeshift web, Leo readies his grenades, Li puts on his mask, San unholsters her backup pistol and Alice puts on her gloves. Raising his voice, “Are we worth your lives, inspectors? Tell me, is Arnold’s life worth one of ours, Otto?”, says Will, the dart dangling from his right hand. “If you surrender, our lives might not be at the stakes. Will, please, just… lower your weapon and tell your friends to lower theirs as well. We will not convict you of anything else – just the ones we are here for in the first place”, tells the one named Otto. Coming out of the kitchen, “I suggest you holster your arms, leave this establishment and forget you have ever set into this place”, says Sera, making the spheres howl as if it was magnetically charged. Both parties stay at a standoff, waiting for the other to make an immediate threat…

In a swift motion, Alice switches the position of Alex with a coin in between the inspectors. Disarming the two, Alex runs back to Sera, evading the inspectors and the onslaught Yuki and Will unleash upon the two. While targeting for the limbs, Will set a flurry upon the two men. Finessing around the strikes Will was dishing out, Yuki manages to bind the two with the strings shot from the web she pulled in the bar-front… Walking to the cubicle, “San, give me your pistol, please”, says Will. Hesitantly, she gives him the pistol she held, unable to know the reason for his ask for a lethal weapon. Giving the pistol to Yuki, “Now that any casualty risk is prevented, we can talk. Do you have families, Otto? Arnold?”, says Will, squatting down to the bound inspectors.