☀️ Arselia and Akonia

— Oh, that's Celeste Wida Asukan! — Pyra immediately recognized the face from her father's book.
— Correct. She continues to work in the Margel government to this day.
— And how does she not get tired of such bureaucratic work? — Cleona frowned unfriendly.
— She deals with history and culture, often organizes a wide variety of events, learns new things... — Matthias tried to defend the honor of an old acquaintance. — Moreover, her activities never negatively affect the inhabitants of the kingdom, so, in my view, she deserves only respect. And, to tell you the truth, I feel for her on a human level.
— Hm?
— ...The Coven of Passion was not the only organization of its kind. She and three other people became victims of similar experiments. Their bodies require nourishment from a corresponding element: Celeste needs her abdominal cavity to be saturated with air, which is aided by an accessory specially designed for this purpose.
— O-o-oh! — Pyra was greatly surprised, her eyes becoming as round as rems'. — So that's why she always walks around with an open stomach in any weather, even in winter! And now the piercing makes sense!
— Yes, that's how it turns out.
— And what about the other three then?
— Now look, I'm not telling you this just to satisfy your curiosity...
— Oh, fa-a-ather!!
— Fine. One of them requires her bare feet to always touch the ground.
— Tiles, tatami, and other surfaces aren't suitable?
— Nothing critical will happen, but she will feel unwell after spending a long time on such surfaces.
— And shoes?
— Shoes are absolutely not an option. Most likely, she wouldn't even be able to walk.
— ...That's sad.
— It's not that bad. The second needs very large volumes of water and spends most of her day in the bath. The last one has it even worse; the need for the fire element forces him into various painful procedures, although in recent years, to combat his symptoms, he seems to smoke cigarettes specifically manufactured for this.
— They should learn "Baldru," — Cleona voiced what seemed to her the most obvious treatment option.
— You know, I think that could work, but it's not done in a single day, especially since they are all busy and sick people. But something else saddens me. It seems that because of her condition, Celeste convinced herself that no man would be interested in an "abomination" like her, and therefore she never even tried to start a relationship with anyone.
— Nonsense! — Noticeable astonishment was written on the face of the youngest of the group. — She is so beautiful even at her age, and besides, she is so educated, well-read, and competent! Surely in Anuzish there are plenty of worthy men capable of building a happy family with her!
— I believe so too, — the father agreed, — but apparently, complexes are hard to overcome. Especially when you have such a heavy past.
— Let's get back to the story, father, otherwise this is... A very sad topic for such an evening.




— I recognize this bearded man, though he looks younger here. This is the King of Mindjin, Shen Tao, right?
— Correct. This photo is almost 30 years old, so you understand. By the way, he wasn't always an autocrat.
— I know. He was a senator of the empire and a representative of the Mindjin government, though I'm not entirely sure how he came to his new position.
— Well, when he reformed Mindjin into a kingdom and appointed himself its autocratic king, it came as a surprise to no one. By the time of the empire's schism, he was too influential and popular in his native land for anyone to be able to gather enough force to oppose him, whether political, economic, or military. Even now, he is already in his seventies, and he clearly doesn't plan to loosen his grip on the country. Even when his physical shell expires, the work of his entire life will almost certainly be inherited by one of his sons.
— Credit must be given to him, — Cleona was not in the habit of flattering anyone, and therefore her point of view was almost always as objective as possible, — of all the former regions of the empire, in terms of overall state indicators, Mindjin is second only to Margel. And even then, if it weren't for the predatory treaty imposed on the regions by Naria, it would likely be first.
— I wouldn't call it predatory, but yes... As far as I know, this man never rests, in the sense that governing the state is the most fascinating pastime for him. The government he assembled functions with extreme efficiency; even Margel can only dream of such a thing. Although, of course, far from everything in a person's life is measured by numbers in statistics.
— I would never have thought that you two would praise an old, bearded uncle-autocrat so much...
— Oh, look what I'll show you.
Matthias shows his daughter another photo.

— Who is this?
— Brahea, his bodyguard and secretary. Your mother had the honor of knowing her in their home world.
— The word "acquaintance" is hardly applicable to our superficial, or rather non-existent, relationship with her, but the fact is that before Naria isolated Anuzish from the rest of the universe, the fat man managed to establish close ties with Visteria and somehow summoned people useful for various tasks from there. For example, Felicia Lungwort went to one of his sons; a very stern woman.
— I see... I see that he really is a man of many talents and ambitions.
— Yes, in that regard, I can only envy him. — Father patted his daughter on the head. — Let me tell you about some other Mindjinians. This is mostly secret information, so it's better not to discuss it aloud outside this room, alright?
— Alright!
Nodding approvingly, Matthias named those whose portraits were depicted on these pages, told briefly about them, and then summarized:
— The pupils of the "Constellation" followed the path in life prepared for them by their benefactor, and only Chu Han was an exception: the guy ran away to Tais, where many of his brothers in faith gathered. Ye Shui led the secret police of Mindjin, Xiao Bao and Lai Huang work as her trusted internal agents, while Carla and Adele are external ones. Antoinette does the same as the eldest daughter of Patriarch Eugene — searching the world for various curiosities, but she does so in secret from the Church. The School of Serenity founded by Lans thrives under the leadership of Liu Shuren and her children. Na Lim rose to the highest rank of intelligence, Ho Yin retrained in firearms production and currently his brand "Thanglong" is in great demand both at home and in the foreign market! And Quan Yu continues to manage the "Feihua" restaurant and enjoy life. I think we have something to learn from him.
— How did it happen that after the isolation of Anuzish, firearms are still used everywhere? I thought there should have been a technological regression.
— A regression did indeed occur, but not everywhere, and alternatives were found for many lost things. For example, in mechanical engineering, instead of precious stones, they began using "Anuzish sweat" discovered in the mountains, a colorless flammable liquid. Airships, cars, and trains were refitted with new engines and fundamentally nothing changed, although the spread of these vehicles did indeed slow down.
— What then no longer works?
— Well... For example, at the Golden Date of 975, at one of the competitions, the winners were awarded pair compasses, however, a new energy source alone cannot replace the lost functionality of magic stones.
— And besides that, what changed?
— The number of mages decreased, magic became slightly less effective overall, the Lunarian reproductive trait naturally disappeared, although I am not sure about their current lifespan. Perhaps they lost more than they were deprived of?



— Now this is an interesting story, the Gentlemen of the High Road!
Matthias pronounced this name with emotion of approval on his face and in his voice.
— Never heard of them, although some of these faces seem vaguely familiar to me...
— Once they were a gang of bandits operating in the vicinity of Risserlang, but that is long in the past. Their noble transformation began on the day they learned that Ayano was Naria's daughter and a princess of Margel.
— And what relation does she have to them?
— Right, you probably haven't heard about this before. In short, when the coven was finished with and the guys and I headed home, Ayano, Sonata, Ahuri, and Ahuli set out to find Azarina's family relic, and during this adventure, the Gentlemen of the High Road tried to rob them!
— And, for lack of a better expression, "got their butts kicked"? I think that quartet could easily deal with a much greater threat than simple bandits.
— Actually, no, that didn't happen.
— Did they actually rob them?..
— That didn't happen either.
— Then what happened?
— They kept them company and escorted them to the place our quartet was seeking.
— ...In what sense?
— Ha-ha, literally!
— I don't understand, but I still want to know what happened next.
— When they realized they almost had the Princess of Margel in their hands, they reacted differently. Some lamented that they had so ridiculously lost a valuable hostage; others, conversely, began to fear that their faces and names were now known to royalty; but Melti Sambrosia thought in different categories and was very inspired by what happened; the man turned out to be very sharp and figured out how to use the abilities of his group for something worthy of legends.
— Ah-ah-ah! I remember! Isn't this the King of Carnia?
— Yes, that's him.
— How did that happen?
— Their gang moved to Carnia, where they began robbing the rich and giving their goods to the poor. In the conditions of that time in that country, this was especially relevant. Over time, many locals began to join their side, and eventually, Melti's movement overthrew the authority of the time.
— Like some era of kingdoms... And what fate befell his comrades?
— Melti appointed Geondana Escape II as commander-in-chief of the army and guard of Carnia, and... Before I forget, let me tell you this: once, employees of the hospital of the 69th district came to Gladia, the capital of Carnia, for a vacation, and the new king and his friends were simple people and often spent time among the common folk. In short, after an unexpected but pleasant acquaintance and subsequent meetings, Melti took Clidna Protos as his wife, and Geondan married Maryu.
— It feels as if the universe itself rolled the dice to bring them together.
— Ha-ha, maybe so. Or maybe their souls were drawn to each other like magnets. So, as for the others... Katsukoy Queensglory organized his own analogue of an adventurers' guild, the "Guild for Helping the Residents of Carnia." Unlike the GP, they were sponsored by the royal treasury and citizens could post their announcements there for free. Technically, it's not quite free, since taxes are taken from people for this... But effectively, such a state of affairs completely pushed adventurers out of the country. Jurtre Clearhunter carries out various assignments directly from the king, also married and lives happily, repenting of his bandit past. Ors Massage built a massage parlor in Saga, on the border with Novella, east of Renn. He called it "At Massage-san's"; clients come to him even from abroad, he loves his work very much. Pipdorm Managerovich similarly manages a dormitory of some institute in Rapunzel.
— Isn't that a women's academy of sports and magic? — Cleona struggled to recall unimportant information. — I think so. What a dog. — Shaking her head disapprovingly, she decides to finish the brief story about Carnia herself. — Tomsak Ordermaid, their priest, headed the church of Arselia in their country and engages in activity typical for his position. Next!


— And next we have Villia. Adrian Spite, its criminal grandmaster, was a more strong-willed person than the other victims of the underground abomination in the coven and came out of the coma in the autumn of 985. Since imperial law did not allow judging unconscious people, he was exiled to his homeland, and by the time he came to his senses, the empire no longer existed, so he remained unpunished. Moreover, due to Villian customs and preserved influence, he retained his title of Grandmaster of the Knights of Villia, and when he unexpectedly woke up, he returned to the administration of now independent Villia, replacing his temporary deputy.
— Which of these two is Adrian?
— Neither. I have neither a photo nor a drawing of him.
— Pity. Though maybe not; often people with ugly moral qualities are ugly in appearance. And these two?
— These are Lexicon and Villiana; they were colleagues at the "Golden Hole," first got married, and then moved to Villia after Adrian returned to the political scene. I have nothing more to say about them, but perhaps if someone among our acquaintances showed a bit more interest in them, they would turn out to be as pleasant and involved in our lives as, for example, Bazhena? — Sighing, Matthias brushed away the encroaching dark quasi-philosophical thoughts. — And this is Nayke; he used to have a pharmacy on Emerald, but since then he also moved to Villia; I don't know what connects him to Adrian.
— Adrian's return, by the way, added quite a bit of headache for Tluasse from Carneol, — it was evident from Cleona's voice that she disliked the Grandmaster of the Knights of the Order of Villia, to put it mildly, — Patriarch Eugene appointed her head of the Church in Villia and she worked steadily to improve the moral atmosphere in the country, and then Adrian started rolling everything back into debauchery, corruption, and the like.
— Sad... By the way, since we brought up the subject of the coven, how are the other victims doing? Well, obviously I know about Iraola, but the others?
— Lifa is still in a coma, Altina passed away during childbirth, but her daughter lives in wealth and wants for nothing; she was very lucky that Yun and Rikumer decided to adopt her. Matthias, show her.
Obeying the request, Matthias shows another photo.

— Eugenia Almond at the Welfern Grand Prix 999. — he explained. — They named her after the patriarch, obviously.
— Are these definitely races?.. Looking at this outfit and Sonata's outfit before, one might think that these competitions have absolutely nothing to do with cars.
— Beautiful cars and beautiful women go very well together. — Matthias looked at the time. — Okay, now let's do a blitz, I'll quickly tell you the rest and close the gestalt about the coven at the same time.


— Lovra Untroye, freed from the curse of passion and obtaining the long-awaited body immune to aging and other biological inconveniences, fled from the empire, realizing that staying in it was risky. Her new place of residence became Asahina, on the Islands, where foreigners are treated most warmly provided they have something to offer. What she offered the ruler of Asahina I do not know, but now she seems to rule in Hakozaki. I believe she became the first foreign daimyo in Misurugi.


— Dia was very upset that she didn't get first place at the Golden Date. You'd think there was only a 0.4 point difference between her and first place, but for some reason, this fact affected her very strongly. After a few weeks, she quit XXX, and then the roads of life led her to Yokoyama. This is in Toyokawa, where the locals allowed vampires to settle. Dia seemingly entered their service in the hope that they would make her one of them. Ironically, considering that it was her boss who once dreamed of something similar.


— After the "Hearth" burned down, Faemire had a difficult time emotionally, and emotional support was provided to her by one of the few other dwarves she knew in Margel, Orros. Later they married, and after the schism of the empire, they returned to Noir.


— Salmon Zimbari categorically refused to tie his life to a representative of the same people as himself and tirelessly tried to seduce human women. After a hundred failures, one little fish finally fell into his net. It was Leona Gissles, although now it's more correct to say Leona Zimbari. They still live in Margel.


— Craig died on January 10, 981, a week after Naria. He had no students, known children... Also?.. Hmm...
— Father?
— No, nothing. Memory of him will be preserved for centuries and millennia ahead in the amazing masterpieces that his mountain-like hands brought to Anuzish. Alice, a Lunarian of a similar level to him, works in the "burrow" to this day. She is still unmarried.


— Let this couple be an example to you that miracles are born from simple chance and a bit of human initiative. Dionisa and Anna were brought together by Erephir, and although they were not closely acquainted before, they managed to find a common language and live happily. They are eternally grateful to the Right Pillar and are always glad to see them in their home... Homes, rather, they have quite a lot of real estate in the capital. Their children are also very beautiful... But, of course, you, Pyra, are still the most beautiful of all.


— As a result of the precious stones losing their magical properties, Quentin Quant's "Chronos" almost went bankrupt, but the clockmaker had enough enterprise to change his line of business. He began to earn even more than before producing engines for cars, ships, and trains, and made clocks as a hobby — for himself and close friends. Penelope bought up everything that wasn't bolted down and currently owns a profitable business in various sectors of the economy. Quentin and Penelope met through mutual acquaintances and one day decided to marry. Whether this was another business decision or something based on mutual sympathy, I do not know.


— Creon began breeding and selling cats... To the surprise of the ascetic himself, this business, combined with his special talent for attracting cats, proved to be very profitable. He still sends all his income to Cridear.


— Once Tawawa left Margel, but consistently appears there every December thirty-first to visit her old acquaintances. I know nothing else about her.


— Having taught everything she knows, Kalinka left Sidonia to manage the affairs of Ikigaya, and she herself preaches throughout the world, spreading her faith to all corners of Anuzish. She is supposedly married, but I have never seen her spouse... But maybe they'll visit Margel for the celebration of the new millennium?

...

— Dears, it's time for us to prepare, otherwise we really will end up between two fires, and we still need to make it to the square on the thirty-first.