-Break-

  When we all woke up the m after the party, I decided to call people together to discuss a few things. The people iiohe leaders of the vilge and a few others.

  “Ok everyone, first things first, I would like to apologise for everything. Even though we are all back together, I would still like to apologise for all the y presence has caused.”

  “Orb, I told you to stop apologising,” Oren says

  “I know that, but the more I think about it, the more I feel this o be said. Still, this is the st time I will apologize for this matter. From this point on, I want to move forward and press through all our challenges.”

  Maple says, “I also want to talk with you all. I know sihis year began, all our lives have been pletely hectic with almost no time to sit and digest all we have lost, but with all the things that are ging I want you to know at least ohing, until we get fully ba our feet, I will be taking my houses role as vilge chief.”

  “Maple, I knoere having fun with that idea, but I want to ask you, is this what you truly want,” Willow says.

  “I have given this much thought, but I want to stay the vilge chief. It is simply taking responsibility for my as, and this doesn’t mean I don’t pn to leave one day, I am just postponing it. I want to share the outside world with all of you, so I ’t trade one for the other; leaving and proteg the vilge are two things that I hold close to my heart.”

  Rubbing her on the head, I say, “Wonderfully said Maple, and now that we have got this out of the way, let’s get to the main discussions. First, our living situation, I take it that you all want to return and rebuild the vilge.”

  Pine says, “Yes, we all discussed it i length while you were gone and when all the men came back. It is our home where many of our families are buried. We want to get back there and rebuild it all, no matter hed it may be.”

  Buloke then says, “I am all for living ba the woods, but are we even sure it’s safe? During his time in the mine Willow had to tell guards where our vilge was located.”

  Pouting, Willow says, “Sorry for that.”

  “I didn’t mean to put any bme on you since you had no choice you o make your story believable. I am just stating facts just a fact.”

  One of the younger women, Jute, says, “The members of Gaia’s sky told me they went around bragging about how to get into our vilge when they sold the first batch of us, so even if you didn’t tell anyone Willow our situation would still be the same so cheer up.”

  “Thought, as you all see, we have to deal with the fact that the two things that keeps the vilge safe is now gone.”

  One of the elderly Vilgers, Cedar, says, “We ’t just leave our home like that due to possible circumstances.”

  Buloke says, “Old man, the reason we’re in this situation is due to a unforeseen circumstaning to fruition. We ’t just ighings like this anymore, especially when it is something much more possible. If we want to be as safe as be, staying in this tunnel system is the best possible choice.”

  “But we ’t just let all that our aors built just fade.”

  “We have many more people to care for now, and we ’t risk their or our safety due to the history of a bygone era.”

  I cp my hands as loud as possible and say, “Good point on both sides. Buloke, I believe it is incredibly kind of you to put the safety of people you have only just met above your want to return, but too many people here have seen their friends, families and children, be buried in that vilge; it is not so easy to let go of such feelings, I am sure you rete.”

  As he is about to snap back at me, Buloke calms down and says, “Sorry, Cedar, that was iive of me.”

  “Still, even though I defend Cedar, I don’t agree with him. For now, I think you should all stay iunnels.” Shock appears on the faces of everyone around me, “I know how difficult it must all be for you, but I believe I have an idea as to how to protect the is of both parties but I need some time. So, you guys all put your trust in me?”

  Oren says, “Well, we have been trusting you for a while, so what’s a little more time.”

  Looking around, I see that everybody has accepting looks on their face, so I say, “Thank you all very much. I will try my best. So, since we have that settled, my order of business is what to do about the ditions of all the people we brought back. Over the time everyone was over there, they were exposed to the toxins of the crystals. People like Buloke just got off with sg and some minor issues, but those who were there for extended periods have their lives at risk. So, all in all, I o go find some medie for them.”

  “Sorry I couldn’t be of more help,” Oren says.

  Pine sps her husband on the head and says, “ime someone says sorry, I am killing that person. You ’t bme yourself for things out of your trol. It is not your fault you don’t have that level of medical expertise.”

  “Your wife is right, and you shouldn’t be worried about other health right now when your body is on the worse side.” Due to Oren’s old age, even though he was only there for a little while, it still heavily impacted his body and just from looking at him, I wouldn’t say he is doing alright.

  “So, towards the end of getting medie, I will be going to the nation of Seirei. That would be the closest pce I get something effective, so I pn to head out tomorrow.”

  “Then we will have to send a group with you. You’re not going alohis time.”

  “Thank you, Pine. I would appreciate that.”

  “Umm, I don’t think that will be possible,” Sparrow says.

  “Now tell me why that is.” I say giving him a cold stare.

  “Simply because we have almost used up all our funds, the lupas are out. And I don’t have any gold lying around anywhere.”

  “How? Last time I checked, we still had a ridiculous amount.”

  “It seemed when you told the people who left to help themselves, they did without araint, that plus the shopping that was done over this past four months has almost dried us up. So, we won’t be able to afford medie for a rge crowd or everansport to and from Seirei.”

  Rubbing my hands against my head, I say, “This is bad. I o figure out some way to get money fast.”

  Sparrow, “Well, you could always-.”

  “DENIED.”

  “I didn’t even finish talking.”

  “Any idea you have will be something I don’t want to.”

  Scratg my head, I murmur to myself, “e on, god, please help,” but just like a moment right out of a cssic fairy tale, I hear someone scream, “ Cyrus, are you ok.”

  Hearing this, everyone in the room and I move out to see Atanta, Aea and Alis all around Cyrus, who is coughing on the floor. I rao him on the floor and asked, “What happened.”

  Alis responds, “He suddenly just fell over.”

  Is it the toxins doing this to him? I hear he was at Basileia for twice what most people were there for. The toxins have probably doheir work on his system.

  Cyrus eventually raises his head, and when I look at his face, he says, “I am going to throw up,” then his legacy starts to a his mouth. Moments after that, he begins to spew darkness.

  I tell everybody to “Move back,” as he spews darkness. What’s going on? Cyrus hasn’t been able to get his legacy w since we left Basileia. While I was caught up in my thoughts, I noticed that his darkness started to retract, and objects started to emerge from it, tiny Pieces of buildings, small stones, but most eye-catg of all, a ridiculous amount of Basileia crystals.

  Upon seeing these, Willow tells me, “ORB FREEZE THEM,” hearing his voiaps me bato reality, and I freeze all the highly explosive crystals. Walking up to Cyrus when he finishes, I say, “What was all that?”

  But with a sick expression, he says, “There is still more.”

  Looking around, I see the maihat ’t hold any more Crystals. So, I picked Cyrus up and threw him into ounnel shaft, where he let loose more crystals. And after a short period, he filled the entire area with them.

  Back when he was covered in the darkness, he assively abs all the things around him, and Cyrus was otom floor of the mine, so as he when up, he probably sucked in all the crystals.

  After he stops, we pull him back to the main area, where I say, “How the hell did Willow the 2nd carry you with all those crystals inside.”

  “Basileia Crystals weigh almost nothing, despite having a sizable mass. It is one of their infinite uses,” Willow says.

  “So, I guess this is why you were feeling sick, Cyrus. But at least this fixes our problem.”

  “Let’s not get too hasty”, Sparrow says. “If you think about this logically, if we start selling Crystals right after Basileia was raided, it will only attrawatention, so we should go with my inal pn, which is to get a grant at the port city of Deno. We have to gh a there to get to Seirei anyway and the church there gives grants to people in desperate need, and we sure are in desperate need.”

  Letting out a sigh, I say, “Well, that is a good pn, so let us go with that. So, to save funds, I will bring the minimum number of people necessary to e with me. So, I will bring Cyrus, so we have someoo carry the luggage and to show the symptoms of the toxins to them. Sparrow will also e with me as the perso associated with Deno. He will be helpful. We leave first thing tomorrow.”

  -Break-

  Φ “Sir Orb, are you ready to go,” I say.

  “Yeah, I am just waiting for Cyrus”, the boy responds with a sour tone.

  To think I would be so lucky all the Basileia crystals are here. Due to the destru that happeo Basileia, we now have a monopoly on them all. We sell them for whatever price I-we want. If I were to get even two per t of those sales, I would live a fortable life until I die.

  The only issue is that I have to get in good with this annoying brat who is already highly suspicious of me. But I have a pn, that other brat Willow or something, was able to infiltrate Basileia by showing he has worth, and if I kiss ass and do the same, I am as good as in.

  Φ Sparrow has gotteer at trolling his heartbeat, so I don’t know for sure, but he is probably trying to kiss my ass due to the future profits I could bring him. How annoying.

  “Orb, I am ready,” Willow says.

  “Good to hear.”

  “I thought Willow wasn’t to go with us?”

  “Due to your advice yesterday, I realized that Willow the 2nd might be noticed from Basileia, so we are only taking him the part way towards Deno, then we are going to use other means of transport to reach Deno port.”

  Willow whispers into my ear, “Hey, Orb, are you sure I ’t e as well? It is just that I have a bad feeling, mainly trusting Sparrow for the way there.”

  “Don’t worry, I have already stuffed snow up his butt, and when we reach Seirei, I finally use one of these,” I say as I hold a letter out.

  “What is that?”

  “How could you not remember? This happens to be one of the letters of introdu Capti wrote me. It is to a friend in Seirei. When I get there, this friend will be my guide instead of Sparrow, so everything should work out.

  While talking, we hear Atanta let out a giant scream. Running over to what I heard, I see her on the ground pointing her fi a beautiful young man with short spiky bd violet hair with horns and a tail.

  Upon realising who it was, I let out a shriek and said, “Cyrus.”

  Pine walking up behind him, says, “His hair was pletely rown and covered his face, so I cut. Do you like it.”

  What the hell is this? A person’s looks and aura ’t ge this much from just a simple haircut.

  Atanta says, “He sort of looks like a prince, but the dragon aspects make him look sort of tribal too. The diy of this is getting to me.” looking at Atanta’s face, she looks as though she is about to jump Cyrus, so I hold her down.

  Willow walking up to Cyrus, says, “You are looking good.”

  He Shyly responds, “Than-n-n-nk you.”

  After Cyrus stutters, Atnta calms down. It seems his personality ’t be ged with a simple haircut.

  As we prepare to leave, lots of people e up to say goodbye and wish us well, but when Maple es up, she says, “Orb, I have figured out a name for our vilge.”

  “Oh, tell me then.”

  “I have decided to call our vilge Aplos. You like it” she says proudly.

  Rubbing her head, I say, “I love it.”

  “So, you hear that everyone from this day on where all the people of Aplos remember that.”

  Walking up to Maple, Willow starts plimenting her naming skill, “What a wonderful name, of course, an amaziiful princess like you would e up with it.” As he says this, Maple gets embarrassed.

  Seeing this, everyone joins in, “How wonderous you, our Maple.”

  “Utterly fantastic.”

  “Beyond prehension.”

  Hearing all this, Maple says, “GET OUT OF HERE, YOU IDIOTS,” as she runs away. With her words sending us off, we head out of the tunnels.