On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

While on the Material I received calls and messages endlessly, both from within Japan and internationally, until it reached the point I jokingly thought I’d need to be able to split myself in the Material too to manage, in the Boundary matters were settling. Soon, the second Rank of the Barrier Enhancement Anchor Spire would be rushed through, and then it was time to think of what was next.

One slot would be kept open for the rush builds which would be the main source of our progression, now I was going to spend half our accrued ether. The others… it wasn’t a necessity for the Build Queue Anchor Spire to be upgraded yet, that worked best on either a resource poor Territory, or on a high-Ranked one, where resource costs simply became too extreme. No, strengthening the Territory barrier and our income further meant using three slots to upgrade the other three Anchor Spires to Rank 3. A million each to get them started, and a thousand Astral days.

Roughly a year. Sadly, since the upgrade costs follow the Anchor itself, each is sixteen million now to fully complete from scratch, though compared to the two and a half billion Rank Five’s completion, plus another hundred million to get it started, if we had the resources, the cost would be trivial. And Rose just laughed at my thoughts anyway…

Of course I did. Rose’s tone was amused, separate to the partitioned Wisdom World she’d created. I glanced in on that to see everyone chatting cheerfully, though Hyacinth was mostly quiet, the mental strain hardest on her, plus her task was the most difficult, yet she interjected on occasion, when she felt the need.

To find such sums on your world would be far from trivial. Though judging by everyone’s efforts, it will not be long in coming. Perhaps a year of your Material time might not be impossible. But then, haste is a concern. This second Boundary is… far more fragile than anticipated. The resplendence of the merging with the lower Astral of your Territory indicates that. And it seems… your science and technology are quite clever, so many able to monitor the changes, despite such a recent transition to a world full of spiritual knowledge…

Yes, well, we’re an adaptable species, humanity.

Indeed. It seems so. Of course, with risk comes potential reward. While you will draw malicious eyes, those who might attempt to bother us unwisely might surely hesitate at the known strength of your defences. Attacking a Territory of the Fourth Heightening is a very different proposition to those below them. So don’t worry too much. Rose’s tone was excited, and I liked the way she said ‘us’. We… fear… that your world, this Earth, may be more complicated than we imagined, but… if Divine Taṇhā can believe in you, we can too.

Thanks. Don’t worry, I won’t be reckless. I’m more than happy to take the advice of those who know more. But… my resolve was firm. …just because others have failed or said it can’t be done… it doesn’t mean it’s true. After all… I’m walking a Path none have trodden before, right? Though not alone…

Yes. Not alone. This time it was Lin who spoke, and the slight surliness in her thoughts amused both me and Rose. I may have set you on this Path, and… my older sister might have claimed her spot, but… we will push your back. Waltraute is waiting, whip in hand, and… so too the Divine Norns, I believe. So… we must be bold.

Bold I can do. My mind echoed with wry, self-depreciating chuckles. As my thoughts continued to be with them, I reached the spot we had selected for a new, secure Ring Gate Hub. We had decided upon an area to the west of Tokyo, around the Gozenyama mountain, with rich access to both earth and water elements for the gates, as well as a beautiful conflux of geography allowing for a particularly deadly array of defences. At around sixty kilometres from the Anchor, it still had forty of buffer to the main Territory barrier, as well as now having its own.

It was currently a bustling hive of activity. A portion of our forces, led by Hyacinth, had made a beeline straight there, though it had already been… pacified… even before the Territory had reached Rank 4. Now, the Mortal Engineers, supported by Trolls, Giants and earth elemental users, at least those not at the factory site, were shaping the area into its final form, though work had already begun prior to this, though on a smaller scale.

Spotting Moira amidst the chaos, the black-haired, pale-skinned Elf looking quite fetching in an approximation of Haru’s usual business wear, her long hair bundled up professionally, I approached her. “Hi, Moira. It’s looking good. Oh, and… congratulations.” My Eyes glowed, as I could feel a strong presence from her, and noted that she’d not only mastered both light and darkness elements now, but also gained a Class for it, though the name was a little… unpleasant.

If you can rename anything, now’s the time, oh World Tree. I sent out a silent prayer. Or if not, I’m going to lie and call it something else when we do a debrief. Showing none of that on my face, I praised her, and she nodded, accepting it with good grace and little excitement.

“I have to silence Duke Vulpatrius. He is the major opposition to our work in the Court. And while he would have no wish for our efforts to fail, not in retaking Salamandrastrae and pushing back the Unseelie, curtailing his influence is still beneficial. But it was not my efforts alone. Those two twin human girls, Chiaki and Chiasa, are indeed treasures. With their aid, it seemed so clear to me. Treasure them.”

“Oh, don’t worry, I do.” I promised. “When we get time to breathe, I’ll be holding an awards ceremony. Probably on WTV. Though Arisu-san’s going to struggle to host it when she’ll be winning half the awards herself.” I glanced out over the construction. Hyacinth was busy, infusing her nature and space elements into the multiple Gates. There were five on the outer, receiving ring, arrayed in a star pattern around the peak of the mountain, and Arisu-san had helped Hyacinth grow in tweaks to the mushrooms so that anyone wanting to use the Gates would end up at a random one of the five. That way, it was harder for inside traitors, not that I thought we had any, to sabotage the network. Better safe than sorry, and… with some sort of self-hypnosis, like we suspect the Wild Hunt uses, it might be possible to fool the barriers…

Around each of the five outer gates were built powerful walls and fortifications, manned by towers topped by the newest generation of Ixitt’s guns and artillery, as well as some rather vicious flamethrower-style weapons. Considering we were using flechette and hollow-point ammunition, dum-dum rounds too, explosive ammunition…  yeah, it’s all… rather illegal. But against Chosen, ordinary weapons lose their effectiveness rapidly, and against someone like me, it still probably wouldn’t be enough, due to the League gap. Though…

Ixitt’s efforts had managed to modify the weapons so that they wouldn’t fire without some aether, which actually raised the efficiency close to crossbows, making a noticeable difference in effectiveness. Still, these were hardly our only defences. Not that I’ve built them yet.

Holes had been dug and platforms erected, and each Gate would be ringed by sixteen Defensive Emplacements. Of which eight would be Hands Of Forgiveness, since thanks to Haru, I could build them too. The other eight would be split, four being lightning-based towers, as they had some of the highest  attack power against both single targets and mobs, though that was a longer-term plan, as Shaeula was going to have to supply me with the elemental energy for construction, firing and upgrades, unless we found a better solution, and the other half… It’s fortunate that thanks to bringing Sekka’s Territory under our control, we now have access to ice element…

Emplacements using ice could slow and trap enemies, like a debuff, so they rounded things off even better than originally planned. Firepower could also be directed across the star, so each location was actually protected by three sets.

Then, past another layer of walls, which would be defended by thirty-two more Emplacements, was the single main transfer Hub, which allowed access to the Ring Gates of mine and others’ Territories. It would slow immediate transfer, but again, thanks to Arisu-san’s work with Hyacinth, I and those with sufficient Rank of Lovers’ Link, could bypass this delay, as there was no danger of anyone so tied to me ever being a traitor.

Even so, the delay was minor, and wouldn’t hamper deployments much, while massively increasing security. There was also a secret second main Hub gate, buried in the mountain, which was in case the worst happened and somehow traitors did manage to sabotage the primary access point.

“Yes, her tireless efforts have been invaluable.” Moira agreed. “So when can we expect the first Emplacements? The Barracks too.” The plan was also to establish a dozen Barracks to provide a standing army, though then grinding their Ranks up to unlock powerful defenders such as Kamaitachi, Trolls and Giants was a longer-term but still very achievable goal.

“Since the elemental energies don’t scale on a rush-build, I can start soon. When the open queues have their Anchor Spires, I’ll begin. So, likely tomorrow. It shouldn’t take too long to get the Rank ones all in place, though gathering the elemental energies, especially for the lightning variants, will take longer.”

“I see. That is not too long a delay.” As Hyacinth spotted us, she waved, smile on her face, and Moira frowned. Seeing that, I raised an eyebrow, and she shook her head. “I apologise, that was… unprofessional of me. I can hardly fault her work ethic, to create so many of these modified Ring Gates, even with her beginning in advance… why, it surpasses the Plantkin themselves. To think that she… could do such.”

“It seems everyone’s been reacting strangely to Hyacinth ever since her appearance changed a little.” Though it’s just skin and hair colour, mostly… though I can’t say her features don’t look a little more… regal… odd as that is to say, considering she still acts the same with me and the others, as a supportive maid. “It makes me wonder… do you know who she was… no, who she is?”

“You were correct the first time. She herself has made it plain she is Hyacinth now.” Moira insisted. As we watched the construction crew setting everything up, Hyacinth bedding in the final of the five Gates around the outer layer, we fell silent for a long time, until Moira, unusually diffident, offered some hesitant advice. “When the time comes, remember that. If you do… then I suppose I shall have to give you my full respect. The past… the past is hard to shake off. Even now…” Her expression darkened, but she then sighed bitterly. “I was not even alive then, but the schism that split the Court affects us all even now, colours all we are. There can be no peace between us and the Unseelie, too much bad blood, too much hatred, too much death, yet… on seeing her, and princess Shaeula, Asha, and even you… I wonder if it is wrong to have a little hope.”

“It’s never wrong to hope.” I agreed. “Though we have to put in the work to make hope bloom. Now then…” I continued talking to Moira for a while, checking everything was okay, before Hyacinth rushed over, all the Gates planted and functioning. We tested them out, both the proper method and by connecting Lovers’ Link briefly, which was surely only possible due to the Bondweaver Path, and it all worked flawlessly. Of course, the standing Gates also need defences, but those are somewhat lower priority than the main Hub here.

“I shall gooo with Akio.” Hyacinth declared, when we returned, and Moira nodded.

“Your work here is done, Hyacinth. I see no issue in that. A most satisfactory job.”

“I live to serve.” she giggled, though I noticed that her laughter lacked that manic, sometimes even frantic edge. Seeing that I was listening closely, Hyacinth, unusually bold, took my hand, resting it against her chest, in the warmth of her ample cleavage. Seeing that, Moira pursed her lips disapprovingly, before giving up.

“I suppose I can hardly fault your excitement, Hyacinth. And he is your… lover… after all.”

Hyacinth nodded at that, and I couldn’t help but remark on how she’d changed. “Ever since Rebun Island, you’ve grown strong, Hyacinth. Not just physically, I mean, but…”

“Hyacinth knooows.” She pushed a finger to my lip playfully, her violet eyes kind. “The sorrow there… perhaps it even exceeds back then. Yet… it can be ooovercome. I must return soon and drink more of it. It shall be a looong work until it is all made into something we can use. But it gives me hooope. I find that so very precious. As I find yooou, Akio.”

This time she sealed my lips with her own, and out of consideration for Moira, we kept it chaste, no tongues, and as we parted, she nodded gratefully, before ordering us to attend to our business, and leave her to manage matters here. With that, instead of using the Gate, I swept Hyacinth up into my arms, into a bridal carry, and as she giggled charmingly, clutching me close, a welcome sensation, I used Seven-League Wings to leap across our Territory, covering the distance to the factory site swiftly.

“What a pity. Sooo soon.” Hyacinth chuckled, nibbling my ear and even licking it playfully. Not to be outdone, I gave her a gentle squeeze and then set her down. She straightened her skirt, and we surveyed the site, hustle and bustle matching the Ring Gate Hub. Mortal Engineers were rushing about, and I spotted Kana, and even Tarōbō, using earth element to shore up areas that had shifted due to the expansion. With a grin, I had an idea, though it was a bit hard to test now.

Though if I use Seven-League Wings, I can get back here in a few minutes…  now I’m very curious. I found Ixitt, who was watching with an almost rapturous expression, tail lashing eagerly, as he stood at one of the new places of overlap between the Material and… the lower Astral, I guessed, since the Boundary had come unravelled here, as judging by the brilliant night sky overhead.

“Ah, Akio, Hyacinth. I trust all is well at the new logistics centre?” he asked, and Hyacinth shot him a proud glare.

“Ooof course, I would not make mistakes. The Mushrooms will not answer to anyone but those we trust. And your toooys are there.”

“Indeed they are.” Ixitt agreed, unbothered by her rebuke. She talks a little differently now too. It’s hard to notice but… she’s more authoritative at times.

“Now then…” he continued. “I expect you want to know the results of the merger?” We nodded, and he clasped his hands eagerly. “Magnificent, as anticipated. We knew overlap was possible. The Scotsman proves that. He is… not as you are, Akio, but a true example of a mortal visitor to the lands of the Fae, though by now he is functionally one of us. Areas of slippage used to be, if not common, then existent. Fairy mounds where the space inside exceeded that without, glens where passage between led to some… interesting blending. Here… the scale exceeds that.”

I nodded, remembering the floorplan. “That’s good for us, isn’t it? But more to the point, is it safe?”

“So far, the ratkin I sent out through to the Material have little problems. Oh, have no fear, I properly contacted your human allies. Fujiwara Security are escorting them. Consider it like the power of Laverna and the Duke of Dreams. However, there are some distinctions.” Warming to the subject, he rubbed his hands together. “Distinctions which make their powers ever more useful!”

“Dooo calm down.” Hyacinth insisted, and Ixitt grinned toothily.

“My apologies. It is simply we are in a position to begin this very day! On a scale broader than I had dared dream possible. I suppose we have to thank your rich backers.” He winked, before detailing his findings, and they were indeed shocking.

Fae and other spiritual beings could pass between the gaps, as could humans, ordinary ones without even properly functioning Chakra networks! I was a bit pissed off he’d put humans at risk, but apparently they were volunteers he had gathered beforehand, from Fujiwara Security Services, and I’d have to provide Chirurgery as compensation. They’d recognised that to continue to be elites, they’d need that at minimum to keep guarding VIP customers. They weren’t wrong, so I let it slide, after warning Ixitt again. I don’t need him mimicking Christina. Speaking of which… she’s still looking fairly dreadful, even so…

Her curiosity had driven her, despite still being wheelchair bound and rather crippled, to witness this, and I noticed that she was with the Takakura girls, and Hotaru, oddly enough. Seeing me, Hotaru flushed crimson, and bowed, drawing the curious gazes of the girls she was with. So long as she realises I’ve been too lenient with her and she stays out of trouble, I’ll consider it a good lesson for myself. I can say no to those who truly don’t appeal to me. Though… That just made me remember Michiru and Miyu, and I realised that even with that, I was still far too easily won over.

Not at all. Hyacinth, in my arms, communicated with her thoughts. It is your kindness, boundless love, that we cherish. Not all are worthy of it, but… we talked to them. They are earnest, at least. I do not know if you will love them, but… we agreed they were worthy of a chance to earn such, to demonstrate they are worth your compassion.

Thanks. Yeah. I’m going to look at them properly, get to know them better. Not just them… I’ve put off too many. But it’s time to evaluate them honestly, my own feelings truthfully. Though… the Quest surely comes first.

Indeed. My very busy Akio. My love…

She caressed my face, and Ixitt coughed. “I hate to interrupt your silent affection, but… I still have results to lay out.”

I flushed, and Hyacinth cheekily caressed me a moment more, before taking my lips for a second, this time the kiss deep. When she was done, she sucked at my saliva, before nodding, and I wondered if this was some kind of discipline, maybe? Ixitt might have thought so too, as he actually bowed.

“My apologies. I forgot my place. I should have realised your tender moment comes before all. Now, if you are done… I am relieved. So then…”

To further summarise his findings, he laid out that be it humans coming to the Astral, or spiritual beings to the Material, they suffered no particular drains on their aether stocks in areas I controlled in both realms, and likewise, items could exist indefinitely if taken through. In areas that were within my Territory but I didn’t own on the Material, it functioned like Ling’s ability, or Ginneka’s, for items, so that eventually they’d be dismissed. That had led to some… strange… ramifications, such as humans effectively teleporting when they were booted back. Ixitt had been careful to keep everyone in wide open areas, but the horror of potentially getting transferred back inside of a wall, or worse, another person, existed, though Ixitt believed that couldn’t happen, as first he ran animal testing, and the little creatures ended up shifted to an area beside solid objects or other animals Ixitt had set up.

Yeah, don’t tell mom about that. She really doesn’t approve of testing on animals. Though I can’t fault Ixitt for being careful in ensuing everyone’s safety.

The interesting thing was, though, that Ling’s power when combined with this effect, meant that it had no time limit anywhere in my Territory, and the same was true for Ginneka’s Favour. I was starting to see how they would retain their usefulness even after a Boundary collapse, and there were probably other hidden effects we weren’t sure of yet. And it was this ability which meant that we could confidently start the factory today.

“Of course…” Ixitt finished. “…if the humans or Fae tried to exit your Territory, that was impossible. That immediately terminated the transfer, or in some cases, they were stopped, as if at a wall. We need further research to establish the rules behind the differences. As for time dilation in the split areas…the overlap blends in with the surrounding flow of time, preventing any steep gradients, and at the factory site, which is the largest single piece of land you control in both areas, at the heart of the expansion, it functions with an area of Astral time. Though this would cause… issues. However… the solution is at hand!” he bade me examine the new Astral And Material Connector.

Astral And Material Connector increases the Ether density of the surrounding Territory, as well as allows the absorption of small amounts of Aether and Elemental energies, as well as Adherence, from those within it. The flow of variable time in overlapping areas of the Material and the Astral can be stabilised and set to an appropriate rate, and restrictions can be applied in crossing areas of overlap.

“I’m going to need more of those, aren’t I? A lot more…” I grimaced, thinking of the expense, as I checked out the Building with my Eyes, as Ixitt indicated. “Luckily this Rank four covers a kilometre radius.”

“It is not quite enough, since our site has expanded, but it will do under the initial plans, so we can start forthwith. Though please do set the time flow to its maximum. We had not anticipated that, so in fact we can likely process three times more per day than anticipated. And also… the sharper delineation that causes between areas of flow might be useful for other matters.” He grinned, and I nodded, realising immediately. Spatial sparks… like behind and outside Arisu-san’s Room. And… something else. Still spatial, but… a mutated variant? Is that… no way, that’ll need a lot more investigation.

“Quite a few science experiments that have been completely theoretical on Earth might be doable with such a confluence of effects.” Ixitt finished, and I nodded.

“Yeah, okay, well, now we know the situation, it seems the KTV broadcasts are largely right. It’s mostly areas I own in both worlds affected, though Tokyo’s going to see a lot of odd visitors. It’ll be harder for humans to get to this side, since they’d have to find a spatial overlap in land I own, but…”

“There have been a handful already.” Ixitt understood, nodding. “After all, some few roads, parks and so forth, which you own due to your negotiations with your government, have also undergone the change. But we have set up posts there. It would be handy if we were not so short-staffed. More Barracks, perhaps?”

“Money, always money. I thought I was rich, and now my pockets are empty and everyone’s demanding their cash! What is this, a damn pay-to-win mobile game?” I mock-grumbled, as Hyacinth giggled and patted me comfortingly. “Although everyone’s working hard. Asha’s Tree under the buffs might overshadow everything, but the amount being pulled in from the teams out securing the hundred-kilometre radius we now can seize are no slouches.” They were eagerly raking in significant ether, likely from their efforts to Level up. “How many people are we talking about?”

“It will get somewhat worse as we control more of the area, but… we will need perhaps ten thousand in the end.”

I winced. “Damn. No way I can just spam Rank one Barracks then, that’s too inefficient, and there are limits. Higher Rank ones may cost exponentially more, but they provide a good deal more troops. Fine, we always knew I’d need a massive infrastructure push, and even with banking half for Haru, we can do this. It’ll give us a horde of troops to call on too in an emergency.”

“I do admire a decisive leader.” Ixitt agreed happily. “And speaking of such… you humans have a tradition, do you not? Especially pertinent, as I believe your… new grandmother…” he grinned wickedly. “…did switch on the first full-scale commercial nuclear power plant herself. Though I believe it was tested beforehand, as was ours.” He winked slyly, and I searched my brain, before grasping he meant Queen Elizabeth.

“Now then, if you will follow me?” Hyacinth and I agreed, and a horn sounded. That brought everyone running, including Kana, who quickly latched on to my side.

“I’m missing Levelling up to help out here. Ixitt called me back. Best make it up to me, okay?” she grinned adorably, and I planted a soft kiss on her lips. Surprised, she reciprocated, face pink.

“I will, don’t worry. I never forget anything you do for me, Kana.” I promised. “A Levelling date? Sounds like it’ll be fun for when things cool down. But…” Our lips locked together again, and with my free hand I stroked her hair. “…we won’t just be all work, I promise.”

Kana made an indelicate noise, face red. For such a monumental occasion as this, the crowd was oddly small, but there were still plenty of faces we knew, so she was embarrassed, but after a moment, Kana’s self-confidence kicked in and she stood proud, and I was sandwiched between her and Hyacinth. Laughter echoed around, even Christina smirking, though it was rather pained and jealous. With that, Ixitt gathered us all, and soon we were at the power-plant, which, being as it was here in a prime overlapping spot, would continue to exist without further input, as would a great deal of machinery, minimising the need for constant aether infusions, another point more favourable to us than planned.

“It’s impressive.” Kana remarked, and I agreed. The power plant itself looked nothing like what I’d learned of Material ones, it generated lightning element directly from aether, and converted it into electricity, adjusting the voltage through careful crafting of coils and magnets. Excess lightning element was then stored in a vast array of bluesteel batteries, which actually gave me an idea. Once the system is up and running, and the overflow is managed, maybe we can spare Shaeula the effort and take the needed lightning element from here? We could even charge the Tengoku-Seki further…

Lightning bolts contained a reasonable amount of electricity, hundreds to thousands of kilowatt hours, but harvesting them was impractical, at least on the Material. Here in the overlapping Astral though, things were very different. And generated lightning element could contain far greater, more compact amounts of energy. Which would be needed, as this was a roughly one-gigawatt reactor, though the possibility of scaling it up was factored in.

Therefore it needed the equivalent of ten thousand or so bolts of elemental lightning a day to be generated. Obviously that took a rather large amount of aether, due to poor conversation rates, but with the increased density, and the large amount of Etherites which had gone into making the Artificial Ether Spires that powered it, the maths checked out, Ixitt promised, so I was assured. Though thinking about it, if time runs four times faster here, then outside, even the overspill would be quadrupled. It wouldn’t make it a four-gigawatt generator in truth, as most of it will go into running the factory four times faster as well, but it means it’ll definitely outperform what we anticipated.

Once the electricity was flowing, it could run the factory, connect to the Japanese grid, or be held to charge a large amount of our special batteries, to provide backup power in an emergency. Speaking of…

“This is the…” Ixitt paused, grinning. “Naming is hard.”

I agreed with that, and I felt my Eyes itch a little.

“Regardless.” As we all gazed upon the oddly compact device, still huge, but most of it taken up by the forest of hundreds of artificial Spires, which made me wince at the cost, though at least the system maintenance would be next to nothing, making everything generated pure profit, Ixitt continued. “In honour of our princess, who wields the royal element of lightning, and the God of storms of this land… we call it the Shaeula-Susanoo Reactor Mark One!”

As he clapped his hands together, I grimaced a little at the name, having an unfair bias towards Susanoo thanks to the actions of some of his followers here on Earth. I knew Shaeula would be happy though, and indeed she was.

It is only natural to name such a marvel after me. I was the first among us to master the lightning, though I shall surely not be the last. Do not despair, Eri, Hyacinth, Rossweisse, Ortlinde, you sisters… in time, you shall have worthy achievements named after you as well!

It’s not like I care… Eri protested. They were observing it through my thoughts, and in the Wisdom World, I could see Rose was rather impressed and taking notes.

“Don’t worry.” Rose chuckled. “We have similar technology, so I am not stealing. Just comparing, as we don’t use this electricity much, aether is so much more readily available here. But if we do use anything we learn, don’t worry, my Verr. We’ll pay suitable fees. Perhaps with our bodies!”

At her joke, Shaeula teased that was what she was after this whole time, but it made sense to me. Obviously technology would have progressed to a great extent in the upper Astral and the Pantheons, but that made me wonder… wouldn’t that significantly degrade the scientific nature of advancements?

“Undoubtedly. In a land of abundance, and the ability to overcome difficulties through sheer volume of power…” an unfamiliar voice, and I realised that a raven-haired, crimson-eyed beauty, albeit in tiny, foot-high form in the Wisdom World, was speaking. “…such efforts are unneeded. Until… until they become necessary.” Gerhilde’s beautiful expression was troubled. “When abundance is converted to weapons of war and spent endlessly, perhaps some… redundancy… might be wise.”

I nodded at that gloomy thought, resolving to never abandon the foundation, the Material Laws, no matter how easy and miraculous the Astral Laws were in comparison.

“Akio, if you would?” Ixitt pointed me to the lever behind him. “Though you need not pull it, simply channel a littler aether to start it. We tested it briefly, and it functions safely, so… it all begins here.”

In the Material, I was getting notifications that the first loads of garbage, thousands of tons, were arriving onsite. Even several loads of cars and old white goods, usually destined for expensive recycling facilities, had been sent to us due to our significantly lower fees. Sorry, but I know for a fact Hinata’s had the nobility and anyone working with us divest themselves of any stakes in such businesses… there are always going to be losers… but overall, we’ll drive the cost down for everyone, and get better results…

“Yes, it does.” Wishing Hinata could see this, but knowing she was prioritising her own strength and helping secure as much of the area around us as possible, in case other Chosen moved in, as unlikely as that was, I noted that we had a camera crew from WTV here anyway, and I saw that several of the older AKB idols were narrating. I waved, and they waved back, panning the camera.

“All right then.” Still accompanied by Hyacinth and Kana, knowing it would make a great talking point and propaganda piece, I grasped the handle, and my aether flowed. It was like completing a circuit, and the moment I did so, everyone felt the weight of it, the air suddenly heavy. Lightning flashed, and the coils shimmered with sparks, most of the energy of the bolt transferred, and the same technology used in the batteries trapping and recycling waste heat and discharge, getting us as close to a hundred percent efficiency as possible.

“Hey, Ixitt, wouldn’t converting the aether directly into electricity be better?” I murmured, as the arcing bolts continued to flow, and soon the batteries were humming.

“Undoubtedly, though the difference is less than I originally anticipated.” he agreed. “But there is something primal about this method, and it was research towards the opposite, which is a process we use in several other parts of the factory. Besides, lightning element cannot solely be left to the princess, can it?”

Knowing Ixitt had seen through me, and Shaeula agreeing in my mind, I nodded. “Okay, well, it’s still a masterpiece.” The rate of bolts cast were accelerating, the air filling with ozone, and Ixitt laughed.

“Indeed. But we are far from done. Now then… to the recycling devices!” Ixitt led us into the next room. Human and Fae technicians were watching, making sure nothing went wrong, as vast truckloads of rubbish were dumped onto conveyor belts. Even barrels full of liquids weren’t a problem, and soon the first loads were ferried into the true Alchemy Chamber, a ten metre cube. It too was powered by a forest of Artificial Ether Spires, as well as electricity, and I once more knew where the vast investment from Ffionnan had gone. Speaking of…

I gestured for her, and also for Mayumi-chan, to come over. Seeing that, Mayumi-chan brightened, and I asked her why she wasn’t with Hinata, and she shrugged.

“I did want her to come watch this, but instead she sent me to see the fruits of my investment. Though…” She puffed out her cheeks in an open display of discontent, as the first loads were bathed in a brilliant glow from within the cube, and outside it, numerous storage facilities, more than a hundred of them in fact, despite there being only ninny-two naturally occurring elements in nature, began to fill up at different rates with unique elements. Oh yeah, we’ve been introducing materials touched by Astral energies into Japan at a low rate, this must be to separate those out safely too…

“I’m not part of this, am I? How frustrating. And I couldn’t train with Hinata, there’s no point, as I can’t Level…”

“Cheer up.” Kana, ever the cheeky girl, grinned. “Less Levelling means less danger, right? Poor Miyu-chan and Michiru-chan…”

“I… heard about that.” Mayumi-chan muttered, seeming a little lost. “Is it true then? Has Fujiwara-sama consented to you and Miyu-san…”

“It’s not a matter of consent. It’s between us.” I insisted. “Nothing is set in stone, you know? But… they’ve expressed intent to see if it works out. So we’ll spend more time together, and…”

“That’s not how it is done!” Mayum-chan was frustrated but quickly modified her tone. “I’m not criticising you, Akio-kun!” she hurriedly insisted. “It’s just… if she has a courtship that doesn’t work out, her prospects and honour are compromised… for a daughter of the Three Great Houses to bear that shame…”

“The only shame would be Akio not liking her enough.” Kana disagreed. “Besides, you forget. Akio promised to make sure she would only marry when she was happy to. And anyone who would hold it against her wouldn’t pass Akio’s or Miyu-chan’s standards anyway. Besides, have some more faith, you said she’s your friend, right?”

“True. I… was wrong.” Mayumi actually apologised, surprising us. “I’m very sorry, Kana-chan. It’s just… well, I’m sure you can see how shocking it is to me. And… forgive me, but I had rather presumed she had no interest in men.”

“She doesn’t.” Kana chuckled, Hyacinth nodding beside us. Luckily, everyone’s, including the KTV broadcast, attention was on the filling storage facilities, wealth being generated in real time, which made Ffionnan’s eyes sparkle, and I could hear her mumbling about ‘return on investment’ feverishly.

Beyond that, there was a largely automated factory line, which was taking in generated resources, to create our new batteries, though for now I was told, and at least for the foreseeable short-term future, we’d need to import rarer resources from our contract with Kumba-Stillwater or through Ichijou house, to fill in some shortfalls for our production. Though in time, when volumes spike, we’ll be self-sufficient with even the rarer elements.

“But being interested in Akio is quite different.” Kana insisted, and Mayumi-chan gazed at us earnestly for a while, before nodding.

“I… think I understand. First Hinata, now Miyu-san. The nobility…” She shrugged playfully, quite a charming gesture, especially coupled with her facial expression, which was one I’d rarely seen on her, that of gentle self-mockery. “…Hinata was right all along. We’re riding your coattails now. Everything’s changed.”

“Not everything…” I promised, as we watched a production line, powered by our effectively free electricity, began assembling the batteries from a mixture of free recycled materials, some Etherites, and other Boundary materials, and also some we’d been supplied from South Africa in advance. Most of the batteries were small, for mobile phones, laptops and such, but one line was making bigger ones for electric vehicles, as one of our major goals was cleaning up Japan’s air for Asha and the other Fae.

“…besides, you might not have believed in me, but you did in Hinata. So you bought in early, partner.” I held out my hand, and after a moment, she took it.

“I did indeed. And now I won’t hear a word said against you!” Mayumi-chan insisted boldly. “Just… a favour, please? I know it’s presumptuous, but that’s who I am…”

“I’m listening.” I raised en eyebrow, and she blushed.

“Just… please consider Miyu-san carefully. It may seem foolish to you, but we care… cared so much about our reputation and honour. I want her to keep hers clean. She deserves that. It’s… not easy, being raised so strictly, to discover oneself. To reach for something truly precious.”

“That I can do.” I agreed, actually rather touched. Mayumi-chan’s changing too. Hinata’s been good for her, and girls like Kana too. Broadening her horizons, making her realise the world doesn’t revolve around her.

As if to prove my point, Kana smirked, patting her shoulder. “Cheer up, Mayumi-chan. If we go upstairs, to the surface factories, all these free materials will be going into your part of the business. I should know, I helped set the foundations for most of the place and dug the shafts where the conveyor belts go through! You’re starting now… the first products. The first profits!”

That perked up Ffionnan too, who began bombarding Ixitt with questions.

Mayumi nodded, agreeing. “Yes, I’m rather eager for the grand tour. I’ll express enough excitement for Hinata as well. Anyway, just… oh, never mind. I will speak to Miyu-san myself. You never fail to surprise… me?”

Yeah, that wasn’t… what I expected. As we crossed the overlapping area of space, and entered the fully Material part of the factory, I had wondered if it would be a way to get both of my selves to inhabit the same side, which would have offered endless opportunities in battle and other pursuits. Instead, my Silver Connection burned, and my mind shrieked, flooding with a sense of odd incongruity.

Your Skill, Silver Connection, has &%^&^£%$$£ &^&&(*&^^^& ££%*(^ ^$^$%(%$ %^*^%&

A message full of gibberish flared in my mind, one I’d seen before, or so it seemed. In that moment, my Astral body dissipated, and its vanishing probably left them all very shocked. Firing off a quick text-message to Kana, now that she was back in the Material, explaining, I summoned my Astral body back at the Pilgrimage hotel, and quickly raced back to Tokyo.

“A shame. I had really hoped that would work.” Back in the Wisdom World, everyone was observing the failure, and Shaeula licked her lips with disappointment.

“Why?” Eri asked, and Shaeula gave her a withering look with her amber eyes.

“You are as eager for it as I was, you can not deceive me.” Shaeula insisted, and now her thoughts held a predatory gleam, matching her eyes. “Two Akio’s at once, yet the same Akio. I do not and will never accept a clone or an imitation, a fake. But if both are truly him, one thought, one mind, one spirit, as it is now…” she grinned lasciviously. “Imagine it, Eri, mouth and pussy both at once…”

Gerhilde had frozen at her crudity, Run was laughing loudly, though her face was pink, and even Lin and Rose were embarrassed. Hyacinth was nodding though, and Eri, cat ears and tail springing into existence, shrugged. “I can’t say I haven’t considered it. But only…” Eri insisted primly, though in a private thought, she admitted it didn’t sound so bad. “…because Shiro brought it up, though she mentioned her ass instead of her mouth…”

“Ah, she would indeed! Shiro is rather fond of anal…”

As Gerhilde retreated from the Wisdom World, mortified, Run’s laughter chasing her, I had reached Tokyo again, and trying to enter the Material, I got the same discomfort, sensation, and message, though the gibberish was again slightly different, though that was the nature of such a garbled message, it didn’t necessarily mean anything. I’d received a reply from Kana too, happy I was fine, and promising to keep an eye on everyone as they toured the upper factory.

In that case… there’s something rather odd happening here, and I think… it’s something I need to understand. It wasn’t Foresight, not this time, but almost as if my Path was whispering to me. As I tried it a few more times, the night passing, getting ever closer to the start of the final proper day of Pilgrimage, only the rededication at the Tengokusentou left after that, I’d finished upgrading the Barrier Enhancement Anchor Spire to Rank 2, and was saving for the Rank 3.

As I flared out of existence again, I tried to isolate the strange feelings and sensations. But this time, as I headed back to Tokyo, I decided to detour back to Nishimorioka en route, to fulfil a promise I’d made to protect the shrine, now that the Oni my sis had persuaded to guard it would be leaving. It’s a bit of a waste of a Satellite Anchor, from a logistical standpoint, but… I don’t put a price on keeping my word, and protecting those who supported me, my sis, my family and my friends…