. Before Ryuu arrived, I had already made a few arrangements. Such as picking a different spot for our entry. Nothing required us to appear on the simulated North Island at the exact location of the simulation facility, so I had set the appearance point to the North Shore, which had a wide expanse of grassland ending in ten-pace-high cliffs …

. Lunch was Dorian cuisine again. The main dish was ginger pork and rice. The sides were a croquette and a mix pickled daikon, burdock root and carrot. Ryuu was genuinely surprised to find an umeboshi tucked into the rice, although I noticed a slight tinge of disappointment when he ate it. Something must have been different. Ryuu had been …

. Gugrenar rose into the air, finally fleeing the torture, and the trumpeters blasted out a loud chord, followed by a series of mini fanfares. I flew up to rejoin them and then the announcer declared their victory. The roaring of the stands had decidedly dimmed. The home team had just lost, after all. They wanted retribution, but this land was …

. The trio stared at the screen without replying for several seconds, long enough to make me wonder if Orho had accidentally sent her spiritual voice in a private communication to me rather than speaking to the room. Finally, however, Dilorè broke the silence “To make it impossible to stand on the ground…” she mused, turning the idea over in …

. All three gave me dour glances as we once again stood on the travertine pavement with the wind whipping our hair, but I hadn’t lied. I had certainly asked them to fight a dragon before. We were in the entry screen, before the dragon’s arrival. As when we first arrived the only sounds were the flags snapping as they …

. Gaia screened our talk from scenario replay, so I could pick and choose what to reveal. I chose not to say anything just yet. Even Kanon had to make do with my assurance that, ‘I’ll tell you at some point in the future.’ After she left, I spent time on my own, cultivating, considering my options and seeking information …

. The wine glass dropped from my hand, but a flick of Gaia’s finger stopped its fall. Her fingertip gently lowered, and it settled safely on the floor. The shock I had felt at those words had not been my own. It had come from a certain fifteen-year-old in the back of my mind. From that fact, I knew that …

. Grand masters of Huajie had seen vistas like this, in astral visits to the Fundamental Realm. They spent most of their efforts after returning on imparting as many revelations concerning spiritual matters as they could recall, but sometimes the only memories they retained after passing through the Great Barrier were glorious images such as this, which were nonetheless recorded …

. The ball was indeed destroyed. They didn’t need to confirm it in the end, because the system informed them of it, once the ball finally impacted the floor below. The message was delayed because it takes quite a long time to fall more than thirty miles. At my request, Lady Kanon used her ‘shortcut’ to transport Mr. Kowa’s team, …

. Time advanced. Many days passed. I stood in the white plain that was the top face of a gargantuan cube ten times the size of the Imperial capital and watched as Orho fired arrows at the hero. It was only a comment by Ka that had revealed that Orho had archery skill. When I heard, a training technique was …