Posts from ☀️ Arselia and Akonia Auto-translated

Having reached the museum, Beata decides that she doesn't want to part with this painting and that it would be better to hang it in her home in the most prominent place.

I knew it.
- Are you out of your mind?!
- What could possibly go wrong? It's beautiful!
- No, you're definitely out of your mind.
- You're just jealous.
- Of what? That this mess has eaten away at your brain?!
- IT'S NOT A MESS, OKAY, IT'S A MASTERPIECE
- Okay, you know what? I'm going to go ask myself.
- You dare contradict me?! To go against my will?!
- Correction. I'm not going against YOUR will. I'm going against the will of THIS DAMN PAINTING.
Without waiting for an answer, Guion leaves for the museum. Beata trudges to the "Haven," muttering under her breath that she won't let that jerk come home.

Who has the map?

Beata has it. Guyon isn’t stupid enough to take it from her, otherwise he’ll infect everyone again.

How can one steal a painting and sell it?

Okay, then Beata goes home, Guyon goes to the museum, and I’ll answer the philosophers’ questions.

While Beata is deciding which wall to hang the tapestry on, Guyon runs up to the first museum employee he sees (a tour guide?). - Hello! Excuse me for interrupting, but there's something going on... My partner and I found a strange painting and wanted to consult with your museum because you have many magical artifacts in your collection, and you either know what to do with suspicious artifacts or have the right connections. But this accursed painting turned out to be truly cursed! So, as a result, neither this mess nor my partner is with me. What should I do?!

— Oh, I'm so sorry! I traveled a very long way to the capital and overestimated my strength. So, this place belongs to you? You must be an influential person. Please forgive me if I said something thoughtless in the heat of the moment. You helped me, and I am grateful, — Kelian dra innocently batted her eyelashes.

— Hmm, — Ayko didn't pay attention to being addressed with "you" after such an obvious, but still pleasant, compliment. — The main thing for me is that you regained consciousness, miss, and you are in good health, right? Unfortunately, I am not a doctor, but it seems you are just exhausted? And I'm very sorry that I have nothing to offer you except a glass of water, — she offers to the last guest.
— So... You mentioned a princess? Something happened that made you rush here in such a hurry?

I'm exhausted... There's no other way to put it! Your capital is quite a hot place. I'd plant more trees here... or summon some rain... The view is beautiful, but the stuffiness ruins everything.

— Thank you, — Keliandra said gratefully, accepting a glass of water and immediately emptying it. — Most of my life has been spent far from civilization, so it can sometimes be difficult to avoid mistakes. Yes, Princess! I'm here at her invitation and need to meet with her. A certain person teleported to me using magic right in the middle of the street and ordered me to come here. I thought that was a good enough reason to hurry.

—Good day to you, miss. I see you have recovered quite well after this "journey." You may feel a slight fog in your head as a residual effect, but don't worry, it will pass quickly. My name is Klin, and I serve Her Imperial Highness, Princess Welferna, Naria Es Diesra Arual. —the knight made the same bow as he had to the other guests before, giving his companion and the newly arrived a chance to introduce themselves.
—Her Highness has instructed me to explain the situation to you and answer any questions you may have, so I ask that you try to listen to me to the end, no matter how absurd what you are about to hear may seem.
Klin paused briefly, giving the guest time to prepare for the upcoming story, and then continued:
—The fact is, miss, that you were summoned here, to this residence, by a special magical ritual, which was conducted under the supervision and with the direct participation of Her Highness. Judging by the other guests, magic is a common element that unites all civilizations, like water or air, and therefore I dare to assume that you too have a general understanding of what is meant by a summoning spell. I wouldn't even venture to guess what sensations you experienced when moving from one point to another, but I doubt I would be wrong if I said that it was not the most ordinary experience in your life. However, that is not all. The main difference in your situation is that you, miss, were summoned not just to another city or another country. You were summoned to another world altogether.
The mountain man fell silent again, waiting for the guest's reaction, similar to those he had already observed.
—... That's right, the empire where you are now is beyond your reality, just like many other worlds. My esteemed colleague next to me—who is also a recent guest in our world—can confirm my words. And he is not the only such "outsider." However, I doubt you will believe all this at first, but I assure you, it is enough to go outside and look around to be convinced of the truth of this fantastic picture. Therefore, I will be brief, because reality affects the mind much better than any words. I believe that, if she wishes, Her Highness will also want to meet with you. In the meantime, I am ready to answer any questions you may have, to the best of my modest knowledge, of course. Her Highness's residence and her staff are at your service, as a guest of the princess. —Klin bowed politely to the newly arrived guest once more.

The stranger's explanations did sound rather absurd, at least at first. If she was summoned to another world, why does she understand the language this otherworldly darkie is speaking? And why was she summoned, and not someone more outstanding, like Lord Twyce? On the other hand, she knew that in her own world, there was magic for summoning entities from other planes of existence—demonology. According to the consensus among scholars and theologians, demons did not materialize from nothing but came from their own world. That is, the existence of other worlds was considered a potential possibility. Of course, few people made assumptions about the existence of worlds similar to hers, let alone rituals that would allow ordinary people to be summoned from these worlds... but that doesn't mean it wasn't all true. Perhaps the Lythian warlocks were actively studying these issues, but any information on this subject was intended only for a narrow circle of people. In addition, Alaria had already been to the mansion of Alfarad Asparagus, a place that seemed to defy the usual laws of existence and adapt to the whims of its owner. At the moment, the Tanarian could not think of anything that contradicted her interlocutor's story. At the same time, from personal experience, she knew that things that had once seemed fantastic to her, or even things she had not even thought about, were quite possible. As for summoning her instead of the hypothetical Lord Twyce... here one could return to what Alaria knew about demonology. Summoning a powerful demon was a much more complex and risky process than summoning something simpler. Perhaps similar rules applied here. Or maybe there was no real control over who your magic would cunningly snatch from his native world. Not to mention that to summon the hypothetical Lord Twyce, you need to know about the existence of this hypothetical Lord Twyce. So, Alaria could somehow rationalize the man's words as something not entirely meaningless. Of course, it would be naive to believe all this right away, but as the stranger said, she would have the opportunity to verify the truth of this whole story herself in the future. Besides, the idea of deceiving a person with such fantastic stories seemed to the Tanarian to be something no less strange, or even more absurd. Moreover, many times over. But concealing or distorting certain facts is a completely different matter! But to catch the interlocutor in a lie, one must first have at least some understanding of what he is talking about, and Alaria's knowledge in this area was extremely limited. A healthy skepticism has never hurt anyone, certainly not her, but refusing to accept objective reality is a very different matter. At first, one should proceed from the current situation: she is in an unfamiliar place, probably with an unfamiliar culture, and she is needed by the local princess for some reason. And time will tell whether the whole story is true or not. Besides... in a way, it was even flattering that she was summoned out of a myriad of interdimensional beings. Of course, at the same time, it was difficult not to worry about the current situation in Rheime, but it would be foolish to deny that she had more pressing problems at the moment. Besides, time could flow differently in different planes of existence, and while she was "traveling" to this world, a thousand years or even mere fractions of a second could have passed in her native world... However, there was little point in guessing exactly.
—Oh... —the Tanarian said, finally breaking the silence and, perhaps, the image of a strong, silent newcomer, or someone who had nothing to answer to this monologue, —... I don't want to seem overly rude, but first I would like to know what the purpose of my being here is. I think you understand that it is not every day that you are magically snatched from your native world. At least, in my native lands. Perhaps things are a little different here. Oh yes, —the girl quickly realized, —and what should I call you? Perhaps I missed this moment.

A brief summary is needed at the end, for Nebka.

— Thank you, — Keliandra gratefully accepted the glass of water and immediately emptied it. — Most of my life has been spent far from civilization, so it’s sometimes difficult to avoid mistakes. Yes, Princess! I am here at her invitation and must meet with her. A certain person teleported to me using magic right in the middle of the street and ordered me to come here. It seemed to me that this was a good reason to hurry.

— So, that’s how it was... This person teleported using magic?

“It seems that this person was not wearing an antimagic ring, or was teleported from outside the city... which seems risky, as it would attract the attention of the guards. Unless, of course, she had special permission for this – and that is the most logical option.”

— Unfortunately, I will disappoint you, because you will not find Her Highness here. However, the circumstances under which you received these instructions, although unusual, are interpreted by me quite clearly. From today, you have been assigned to our squad, which is under the direct sponsorship of Her Highness, and under my leadership,” Ayko shrugged. — At least, that’s how I see it.
— We are the multi-tasking Carnelian combat squad, and I am its leader, Ayko Viresenser,” she introduced herself for the second time, in case the guest didn’t remember in her current state.

It seems the princess managed to decide Keliandra's fate for her and disappeared in an unknown direction. Oh, that imperial justice! There was an attempt to snatch some knowledge from the local Academy. But on the other hand, if the squad is prestigious and close to the princess, then it might have the corresponding capabilities... And Ayko looks like a pleasant person. Although she is small, of course.

— So, that's how it is? Then I should call you leader,” the address immediately changed to “you,” — “I am a sorceress, although with the ring, that's a dubious statement, but believe me, outside the city, my skills can be very useful.

And Aiko looks like a pleasant character. Although she is quite small, of course.

Were you expecting more? Just don't set your expectations too high.

— So, that’s how it is? I guess I should address you as “leader” from now on — the address immediately changed to “you” — I am a sorceress, although with this ring, that’s a questionable statement, but believe me, outside the city, my skills can be very useful.

-- Very nice to meet you. Well, for starters, you don’t need to worry about the ring; we’re unlikely to conduct our activities within the city limits. Beyond its gates, the ring ceases to function immediately. It’s good that you know magic... I heard that among your people, it’s a gift you receive automatically, but not everyone develops it. In general, it turns out that the concentration of spellcasters in our group is much higher than expected, so I’m glad; it’s very useful. Hmm, by the way, do you have any recommendations? Never mind, I’ll ask myself.
-- The conditions, if you are willing to work for us, are as follows.

During today's philosophical meeting, most of the participants rather quickly "dropped out," and only five remained at the center of the discussion: Li Jun, the organizer; Kasu Kichigai, the owner of the "Vulture"; Creon, an Ascetic from Kriedaar; Ayko Virensenser, and Klin Chegver.