"So you can call forth anything with those magic fingers?" Sandy pestered me with questions, "Can you teleport a cat?"

"If I know all the biological components of a cat, then yes." I answered.

"Can you summon my girlfriend?" Juavez added.

"Eh? Girlfriend? Aren't you single?"

"I am, that's why I'm asking." He slapped his knee.

"Nice one, but I think Luneski would've given me one already if he had the power to." Freddy stopped to look at me after, "I hope."

"I would if I could, don't worry." I reassured him, "That being the case, give me a pic of the girl you want me to summon so I can specify it in my mind's Eye. Even still, you'd need to be REALLY charismatic to have her not freak out after getting teleported across the world to a random place completely foreign to her."

"That's for me to worry about." He nodded expectantly, "Now come on, amigo!"

"Hell no, especially not in a crowded restaurant like this." I glanced around with my Eyes, "Now hand me the menu."

As I just said, we're currently seated in a pretty snug looking restuarant in Agra, the city wherein stands our second to last World Wonder. Ahh, what was it called again...?

"Hey, what's the name of this place's World Wonder?" I turned to Freddy.

"You don't even know that much?" Sandy chuckled.

"Well, he's not from here." Juavez raised both hands and shrugged as if it couldn't be helped, "It is called the Taj Mahal."

"Ta mahala?" I tilted my head at the Cardinic phrase.

"Taj Mahal." Issei corrected me, "It's not in Cardinic."

"Cardinic... Yeah, you guys would sometimes mention that place." Freddy remarked, "Is that like the name of the starter town or something? Or is it the name of that world?"

"It's the continent I live in currently." I replied, "And no, unlike you guys, we don't have a name for our world. It's just the world, since we obviously didn't know there were any others."

"Wait, does our world have a name?" Sandy raised an Eyebrow.

"Earth, right?" I answered with a question mark at the end.

"That's just our planet's name." Juavez sighed, "Other planets exist apart from this one, though none are as inhabitable as ours."

"There are some, but they're faaaar outside our Solar System." Freddy chimed in.

"I heard the closest inhabitable one was like 580 light years away or something." Issei added his own two cents into the mix, "Well, I might be misremembering. I heard that on the Internet over a decade ago."

"You haven't heard? They're planning to colonize Mars soon." Sandy looked stoked.

"Whoa, when's that gonna happen!?"

"Nah, it's like half a century away, amigo." Juavez ruined the mood as he called the waiter in, "Not close at all."

"Aww man, you're saying I might not live to see it with my own Eyes?" Freddy looked depressed.

...Mars? Solar System? Earth? Colonizing? Half a century? I can't keep up with this conversation at all! Hello, you guys do realize you're leaving the guy that started the conversation out of it, right!? Have some tact and at the very least explain these terms to me, would ya'?!

"Hey, Luneski, you finished picking your order already?" Freddy reached for the menu in my hands, "Come on, man. This guy's calling the waiter and I haven't even gotten a turn to see the food they offer."

"What's the point of even looking? Just pick whatever." Issei rested his chin in his palm, "They're all just variations of curry, after all. Like us outsiders can tell the difference."

"There's definitely a difference, nephew, otherwise they wouldn't separately list them on the menu!" Freddy yoinked the menu from my hands, "Ah, see here? Look at the picture for this one, then this one. Totally different!"

"Alright then, which one would you rather have?"

"Meh, I'd take either one." Freddy tossed the menu to the center of the table before reclining, "Both look equally as good, after all."

"You jackass uncle, I told you they're the same!"

"Oi, the main point is in the nuance!" Freddy cackled, "I've traveled the world and eaten all sorts of cuisine, so obviously I know my stuff!"

"Ahem." The waiter interrupted their bickering, "What will you be ordering?"

"Crap, what do we do?" Freddy and Issei anxiously whispered, "I was just joking, but right now I don't know what to order!"

"Well say something, dammit!" Issei replied in the same whispery tone, "We can't embarrass ourselves by just saying something generic like...!"

"Curry, please." I raised my finger, "This goes for all of us. And water, too."

"Sigh." The waiter gave me an annoyed look, "Sir, this restaurant only does curry, you are not being funny. Look at the menu and call me again when you have your orders ready."

"Wait, can you recommend the best one?" I thought to ask, "We're foreign, and this is our first time here. We really have no idea what the best curry India has to offer is."

"In that case..." He opened the menu Freddy previously tossed away and kindly showed us all the best foods, "I recommend the chicken tikka masala. It goes extremely well with our naan bread."

"Then, we'll take that." I smiled, "Thank you, and sorry for being loud earlier."

"Oh, don't worry my friend." He nodded happily, "We enjoy tourists, but please be a bit more polite while eating at our establishment. If you have anything you do not understand, you are free to call me over anytime."

"Okay, thank you." I waved him off before turning back to see the other four with their mouths agape, "What's up?"

"He asked the waiter to pick the food for him..." Issei's Eyes showed ultimate respect.

"I didn't know you could do that." Freddy too was taken aback, "I usually just point with my finger while avoiding Eye contact..."

"You guys are focusing on the wrong thing here." Juavez frowned, "He ordered the same dish for all of us. I wanted the rogan josh."

"Yeah, we can't eat all that." Sandy complained, "England's a jerk..."

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

"Oh shut up! You should've spoken up if you wanted something else, so now you're gonna eat your chicken tiger maslina and you're gonna like it!"

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***

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Brurp, ah, pardon me. All that spice and meat really made me inflate like a balloon. But hell, if it takes inflating like a balloon to taste what my tongue just tasted, then I'd gladly float up into Heaven! Seriously, those spices were to die for! Oh my Gods, I thought they said Mexico had the spiciest foods, but this place is on a whole other level! India, my beloved! Teach me your ways and help me spread the word of all the spices you have at your disposal! Oh my, looks like these guys aren't singing the same tune I am. They can hardly finish theirs, while I'm over here wondering if I should go for seconds.

"You, PHAAH, you already... ate yours?" Issei was coughing up a storm next to me.

"My nose! Napkins!" Sandy cried out.

"Meu Deus, what is your stomach made of, amigo...!? Ooouugh..." Juavez clutched his rumbling stomach tightly.

"I can't eat any more!" Freddy shouted, "Luneski, eat my fill, please!"

"Mine too!"

"Yeah, amigo, have some of mine!"

Ahhh, Heaven~! They're all willingly giving me their shares without me even having to lift a finger! I'm drooling just at the sight of all these barely eaten plates! Well, time to dig in!

"I'm gonna go to the little boys' room." Issei stepped away.

"This guy must seriously not have any taste buds..." Sandy glanced at me taking hearty bites of the curry, "That or they're all numbed beyond saving."

"You kidding? I love spices!" I smiled back, "But I thought salt and pepper were the best you could get, so I'm filling up as much as I can while I still have the chance! Nom nom nom!"

"Should..." The waiter could be heard whispering to his coworker about us, "Should we tell them the dish is the least spicy one on the menu?"

Aww, what? You're saying I could've had more spice in my life? No, I need to try it, I just gotta! But wait, we're so close to finishing our trip around the world, and I've already been here for over 2 whole months. Cecily must be worried sick... Wait, it's Cecily we're talking about. She's not worried sick, she's furious, but I think that only serves as better encouragement for me to rush back home as soon as possible.

Walking out of the restaurant after tipping the waiter nicely, we had begun our trek through the city to our destination - The Sixth World Wonder, ta mahala. So what, it's a street or something? Ah, but Issei said it's not a Cardinic word, so maybe not? Well, I'll keep my expectations realistic and grounded just in case it IS something unremarkable.

"This is DEFINITELY remarkable!" My Eyes glimmered as I Beheld the sight of the beautiful temple in front of us, "What the hell, this isn't a mahala!"

"How many times do we have to tell you, it's the Taj Mahal!" Juavez growled.

"Hahaha, wowie! I feel like a kid again whenever I see stuff like this! It never gets old!" I then suddenly realized, "Gah! No!"

"What? What's the matter?" Freddy tilted his head.

"Issei, we could've been taking pictures of us standing in front of all the World Wonders!" I held my head in anguish, "I saw people doing that on occasion but only now figured out why! Gods, it would've looked so cool!"

"Ah, I guess we forgot." Issei smirked, "But oh well, I'm not one to take pictures that often. After all, it took me scaling the tallest mountain in the Vast World with all Five Gods together for me to remember to take out my phone."

"Besides, Luneski, nephew would have to give you his phone if you wanted to keep the photos." Freddy chuckled, "And no way in hell would he ever let that thing go."

"It's got a God given infinite charge, what do you expect?" Issei smugly shrugged.

"Infinite charge?" Sandy's head turned.

"God given?" Juavez's Eyebrow creaked.

"Never mind that! We could just Materialize a printer, or a phone for me, or...!" I listed through all the options before slowing down at the last one, "Or... just have Issei come back with me."

"......."

"............."

"Lu-"

"Absolutely not." Freddy decidedly declined, "I just got my nephew back, after all. I'm sure his parents feel the same. Besides, I'd like to meet his girlfriends soon, so don't go stealing this opportunity from me, Luneski."

"Are hot girls all you ever think about?" Issei grinned, the corner of his mouth quivering, "Damned uncle, you could've let him off easier than that."

"N-No, it was a stupid suggestion on my end." I shook my head hastily, "Let's just forget the topic and go touch the Mahal."

"Don't abbreviate it, amigo." Juavez laughed, "The Mahal, he said! I don't think I've ever heard anyone call it that casually."

"He's not from here, right?" Sandy shot back with a grin of her own, "Leave him be."

The Taj Mahal, a mausoleum built near the Yamuna river over 4 centuries ago. Apparently the person commissioning it wanted a tomb to bury his wife, who was the inspiration for the name of the temple itself. I see, such a strong love even in this world... I did the same with Marina back in Lichtenstelle, though admittedly I named the island after our would-be son's name. Touching its marble surface rewarded us with another Wonder light. A sombre, melancholic air perpetuated around us. No one spoke a word, and we all knew why.

"Just one more Wonder, heh." Issei awkwardly let out a chuckle.

One more Wonder, and Issei gets to see his lovers again. One more Wonder, and Freddy gets his dream girlfriend. One more Wonder, and I get to go back home again. Love, it's the main motivation for all three of us. Makes you wonder if all human actions are backed by a conscious or otherwise subconscious yearning for love? Just one more Wonder. Just one more, and I'll have to say goodbye to my friend for the final time.