Back in Cardina, we were ecstatic to once again smell the gentle ocean breeze of the dock. Usually, one would associate this scent as a sort of smelly odor, but we who have constantly traveled the world have since grown accustomed and mostly treat it with some level of admiration and safety. In other words, we're back home safe and sound!
"Woohoo!" I kicked down the plank we used to get off the ship, "Home sweet home!"
"No need to be so vocal, Edward Saint." Aru let out a less than amused chuckle, "We've only been gone for about a week, after all."
"Still, it's incredible we made it back in such a short time alive, much less unscathed." Eleanor smiled back at her as they made their way to the dock, "We even met all of the Gods during their legendary meeting. Isn't that quite the unforgettable experience?"
"You're speaking to one right now though..." Aru slouched forward, "Speaking of, Cecily, what will you do now?"
As everyone turned over to a somewhat lost in her thoughts Cecily as she gently rocked her son in her arms, she quickly snapped out of her trance as she told us her thoughts on this journey.
"A-Ah, yeah. I think..." She looked down at her son for a moment, "I don't think I can give up on Lune just yet."
Yeah, I didn't expect any other answer from her. As someone who has known her for all this time, I knew she wasn't ever gonna let someone that can be saved go. Of course, the same goes for me. The Gods said we can't bring anyone back from the dead, but we've seen just how useless and secretive they've been every time we met one. Besides, we've got the Augmenter of Fate Issei, as well as the Water Goddess Aru on our side, so surely there's gotta be something we can make out of it.
"But..." Cecily smiled warmly at Cene, "I think he can wait just a bit more, at least until Cene grows up a bit. I'll try my best to focus on my duties as a mother first and foremost."
"An amazing response." Othelia clapped, "We're happy for you."
"Yeah, though I don't see why you refuse to let us take care of him in your stead." Eleanor grinned, "Honestly, I can kinda understand Anna, but I thrive in babysitting. Just ask Nelly and she'll tell you all about her cool auntie!"
"Letting her do as she pleases while you bury yourself in your maps doesn't count as babysitting." I brought her back down to ground level.
"Shut it, brother!" She daintily punched my pec, "You're acting like you're not part of the problem yourself, constantly sexually harassing Anna and all!"
"Well, they ARE married..." Issei chuckled, "Speaking of, let's go find ourselves a transport wagon and go back to the others. I'm sure Anna would be delighted to see you again, Ed."
Agreeing with him wholeheartedly, I had whistled for a guy to come over. Putting all of our luggage inside the carriage, we had seated ourselves inside the velvet interior as we told the driver to go up the main road to the Centralises. By now we were all pretty exhausted, and Gods know you couldn't really get any sleep on a rocky boat, so we used this opportunity to catch some much-needed shut-Eye. An entire day and a half of traveling later, we were already in front of the house. Tipping the driver a hefty sum of shils, he happily waved us off as he went back to continue his job.
"It must be tough on him." Eleanor felt bad, "Having to commute back and forth all over the continent day and night, I wonder if he even gets time to rest at times."
"No, it's actually a pretty comfy job, all things considered." Othelia replied with a nostalgic tone, "We don't usually take longer trips, but if you have the time and energy, you'd be a fool to pass up such high pay. I imagine he's right now thinking of stopping in a nearby inn and restoring his energy before continuing his drive back to Meridia."
"You..." Cecily tilted her head with a puzzled tone, "You sure know a lot about them."
"Yeah, 'cause I used to be a wagon driver myself." She proudly pointed to herself.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. We actually met while you were taking me to the Tower of Currents, didn't we?" Issei reminisced, "I practically had to beg you to join me on the trip because I was too averse to the idea of hopping wagon drivers all the time."
"That can't have been the reason." Cecily and Eleanor teased him, "Surely it was more like you saw such a pretty girl that you couldn't help but want her around for a while longer."
"Oi you two, shut your traps." He kind of groaned in a half-serious tone, "I really just didn't wanna travel alone, that's all."
"Yeah, if I recall correctly, you lead me on quite a bit during that time." Othelia suddenly went all out on him, "It started off with light jabs and friendly teasing, but when you'd always chicken out when things got too heated."
"T-That's...!" He was backed up into a corner at this point, but to his luck, a miracle appeared as she opened the door to welcome us back.
"You guys!" Anna's bright Brown Eyes teared up as she jumped to hug Cecily and me, "You're back, I missed you so much!"
Bewildered and surprised, it actually took both of us a second or two to register what was even happening, but after that, it didn't take too long for us to just as happily return the hug.
"Yeah, glad to be back." We both nodded.
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"I see, so Lune couldn't come back after all..." Anna looked a bit sad after we regaled them with the entire story.
"But still, to have met the Gods is legendary, I still think you're making that part up." Dad reclined in his chair.
"Gee, thanks dad..." Both Eleanor and I rolled our Eyes.
"I'm just glad you're safe." Mom smiled warmly at us, "I could hardly sleep this past week without knowing how you were faring on that dangerous mountain."
"Do you really think I'd let them die just like that, mommy Saint?" Aru clicked her tongue, "I took all the necessary precautions to make sure each and every one of them came back unscathed, and you still refused to believe in my godly powers?"
"W-Well, how do I say it..." Mom looked away as she scratched her cheek, "You don't really look all that dependable, Aru..."
"What'd you say, you old hag!?" Aru went to jump her, though we were quick to restrain her before that happened.
"Still, we learned a lot, and I'd say everyone got what they came here for, in a way." Issei added, "Othelia and I checked off another World Wonder, we found out more about Heaven and Lune's situation inside it, and Aru got to attend her meeting in time. Overall a pretty solid trip!"
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"You have a knack for making things sound way better than they should sound, y'know that?" Eleanor smirked at him, "But I suppose that's a strength as well. Hope you don't mind my curiosity, but what'll you guys be doing from now on?"
"Sister!" I reprimanded her.
"No, no, she's right to ask." Issei and Othelia chuckled before Othelia explained, "We wouldn't want to intrude, so we'll be departing for our next destination soon enough."
"But we don't mind you staying here at all!" Cecily immediately suggested, "We've got rooms, so you're free to stay here for as long as you need to."
"No, no-" They insisted on leaving, but Cecily insisted over them.
"My house, my rules." She scarily replied, "You need to rest up, this isn't up for debate."
"Gulp..." The two of them quivered in their seats, "W-Will do, ma'am..."
"Seriously, where's the rush?" Aru fully made the place her own as she practically laid down on the recliner, "You'll get there sooner or later if we're to believe your little story you got going on, so best make use of a mortal's hospitality while you still can."
"I don't condone that level of mockery, but I do agree with Aru." I chuckled, "You guys are friends, as far as I'm concerned, so even I would like you to stay and calm down before continuing with the journey. And of course, don't hesitate to call us if you need any help from now on, wherever you may be."
"Right, I got my phone now, after all!" Issei proudly showcased it above his head, "Oh right, you guys don't have one, so it's not like we can communicate just yet..."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Anna giggled as she got up to fetch us some letters that apparently came in while we were gone, "These came by just this week. All from Meil. I'm not exactly sure what any of it meant, but I'm sure the boys will have an easier time figuring it out."
"A letter?" I then opened the first one up as I read aloud, "Good day, friend. I take it you have been well these past few months since we last spoke? As of the day of me writing this, Nelly has safely arrived at the dock, and we are currently preparing for her entrance exams. She is an extremely diligent worker, I have no complaints."
"Wow, so Meil really did go to University..." Issei couldn't believe it, "When you told me that during the hike, I found it kind of hard to believe that we were talking about the same guy, but by his handwriting, I can tell it's him, without a doubt."
"Shhh!" I furrowed my brows at him before continuing reading the next letter, starting with an Ahem, "In any case, I would like to bring you up to speed with a certain "project" I have stumbled upon. Namely, it is something the locals here refer to as "The System"."
"The System?" Dad was the one to jolt at that name, surprisingly.
"You know what that is?" Eleanor turned to him.
"Yeah, back when I studied in Banas, the locals told me all about it." He explained, "It's an abandoned proposed project for a digitized bank system. Instead of physically trading money for goods, all of your expenses and money would be stored inside this System."
"Oh, so like E-Banking?" Issei nonchalantly asked.
"..." We all looked on with dumbfounded gazes.
"Don't worry about it, that's unimportant for now." He shook his head as he urged me to continue reading the next letter, "Come on, Ed, read the rest!"
"Okay, okay! Stop rushing me, geez..." I rolled my Eyes before continuing to read, "The truth is, I have been tasked with trying to restore it, and in reading what was left of its documentation, I have come to the conclusion that this System can be used for much more than just this. I hope you do not mind me raising your hopes in advance, but if my hypothesis is correct, there might be a way for us to communicate by voice across the ocean within the coming months."
"Communicate across the ocean?!" Everyone jolted, "Surely that's impossible!"
"Heheh, the bastard's going full Senku now that he's cracked open the toolbox of technology." Issei chuckled, "Yeah, it's possible, and if anyone says they can do it, it'd be him."
"So wait, are you saying we're gonna get phones like you?" I kind of got ahead of myself as I excitedly asked.
"Hold your horses, now." He stopped my hype from developing further, "I can assume you'll start with something way more archaic for now, but yeah, in a decade or two, sure."
A decade or two? I can't wait that long! Nah, Grim wouldn't just wait around in this situation, so why should I? If it were him, he'd personally take Issei with him to meet Meil and hopefully have Meil replicate his phone without fail! And that's exactly why...!
"We're going to Simpleton!" I proudly grabbed him by the shoulders, "I refuse to let you go on with your journey until we can easily communicate with each other at a moment's notice!"
"Fueh?!" He stammered.
"Huh?!" Everyone else soon followed his example, "Ed, that's mad...!"
"Wrong, it's a precaution." I refuted their claims with a hearty smile, "Besides, think of it as a little detour to rendezvous with your old pal before completing the long and arduous journey. Surely you'd like to see him once more before you go, right?"
Hearing me mention how his last World Wonder was in Abyssus Solis, he felt kind of melancholic about it. I know it's shady to manipulate him into doing what I want, but I genuinely can't pass up an opportunity like this. If there's a way to attain Issei's technology decades before we were supposed to, then I'm not gonna pass it up! I need a way to communicate with the people in my life all across the world, for their sakes just as much as mine.
"I-I'll..." He kind of stammered awkwardly before running upstairs, "Lemme think about it."
"Issei!" Othelia ran after him, leaving everyone else sitting here in silence.
"Welp, guess it IS getting late, after all." I shrugged as I got up, "I think it's time we go to bed."
"Huh? But it's not even 11 yet?" Anna gave me a puzzled stare as she followed me up the stairs as well.
"Seriously, we've been married for three years and you still can't get the hint?" I closed in for a kiss, groping her plump butt now that we were away from everyone, "I do believe you still owe me that favor you promised before all this went down."
"Fumu..." She giggled mischievously as she opened the door to our room, "Why do you think I followed you up here?"
Fuck, my wife is awesome...! But wait, is this really it?! Is she really gonna let me do her ass?!
"A week is probably enough time to prepare." She insinuated as I locked the door behind us, "Welcome back, tiger."
"Good to be back." I kissed her again as I went to town on her for the remainder of the night.