☀️ Arselia and Akonia Auto-translated

- We'll see.

The Priestess and the (former) Empress go to the fifth room, where they find chained prisoners.

Holes in the floor, the presence of 🐖👮, the atmosphere, and the functionality of the room – these were the priorities of the visual and narrative exploration of this scene after the priestess crossed the threshold.

- Look, Aholi, - says the fair-haired one, - we've been graced with a visit from some new faces. - Ahuri, these worthless madmen all look the same to me, - says the dark-haired one, - judging by her expression, the short-haired one looks like the female version of that green gremlin, and the busty one reminds me of the former cult leader - you can tell she's been visited by a legion of men of all ages and nationalities. - Well, well, Aholi, such language is not befitting a woman of the Hoshiguma clan, - the fair-haired one turns her attention to Ayano and Sonata, - forgive my sister, she's always had a difficult personality, and after meeting your coven, it's only gotten worse... However, the commotion that happened earlier suggests to me that you two are not friends with the locals. In any case, allow me to introduce myself - my name is Ahuri, and this is my sister, Aholi. We are from Hoshiguma, in Ajitana. Both of them had an unusual soul color. There were no holes in the floor, but there were devices of unknown purpose.

Tea-colored soul.

So, the isekai enthusiasts are from the setting of Ples.

- You understood correctly. This cult doesn't belong to "us," and today, it's closing down for good. My name is Aiyano, and this is Sonata. However, unfortunately, geography isn't my strong suit. Ajitani is...? - she thoughtfully examines the chains, determining their strength and the presence of locks, and also looks around more carefully. - It's not exactly a particularly interesting question, but... I can't immediately figure out what kind of room this is. Usually, everything is more or less clear. And wait, you said "former leader"? - she looks at one, then at the other. - So, you witnessed the situation before the collapse.

Such thick chains could restrain even the enraged Tsukiko and Celiad. It seems that despite their modest size, these two were very strong. "We've been here for a while. But how can you not know the geography of the world you live in?" the dark-haired woman exclaimed indignantly. "And to remove the shackles, you need to press that lever over there." "Yes, fortunately, no one is guarding it right now," added the fair-haired woman. "Ajitani is a region on the Mitsurugi Islands. In this room, a scrymage master known as Midorik unsuccessfully tried to break my and Ahuli's will. He couldn't do it physically or magically, so he tried to achieve it through science." Meanwhile, Sonata peeked into the adjacent room. "The acid tank is in place," she commented on the results of her brief reconnaissance. "There are even pipes and buckets with diamond coating, which can be used to move the contents of the tank if we need to. The hatch down there is also in place, but I wouldn't want to send anyone that way."

What does the color of a human soul say?

It says that Tentacle is scamming people for money.

- Oni-san... - the priestess's hand instinctively rested on the gohei. - ...now I understand. It's amazing how they managed to put you in such a situation. By "scientific methods," do you mean creatures from a laboratory?... Although, with these scoundrels, anything is possible. ...To be honest, you don't look like...
She was interrupted by Sonata.
- Excellent. Dragging the containers here doesn't seem very safe, but carrying buckets of acid there is even worse. It seems we'll have to do the first one, blowing the dust off them. And is there a hatch? Hmm... - lost in thought, she snaps back and turns her attention to the twins. - Uh... my apologies. I'm just saying, we have an operation in progress. Ultimately, we plan to finish the job, - she nods towards the hatch.

- For example... In an attempt to influence our spirit, he subjected us to highly concentrated air element exposure, - said the dark-haired woman, echoing the sounds of lightning strikes from the fair-haired one, - and also studied the brain, but we were too rare a specimen for him, so it never got to our turn.
- He shaved the hair from the heads of other prisoners and removed their scalps, - explained Ahuli, - and then he poked needles into different areas of the brain and observed the reactions of the subjects, sometimes cutting with a scalpel.

- Excellent. Dragging the canisters here doesn't seem very safe, but carrying buckets of acid there is even less so. It seems we'll have to do the first one, blowing the dust off them.

- Uh-huh, then that's what we'll do.

Um... my apologies. We're just in the middle of an operation. Ultimately, we plan to finish the squid, - he nods towards the hatch.

- That's good news, - Ahuri nodded, - if it is permitted, we will definitely help you.

The priestess exhales loudly and massages her temples, remaining silent for a while, then says:
- This dwarf is already dead and halfway to the deepest pit of the Abyss. All that remains is to eradicate his legacy.
She activates a lever, something she should have done earlier.
- Are you sure?.. We don't know exactly what the situation is like on the floors below. Good help would certainly be a plus, but even without it, we desperately need information - what the kraken might be like and how best to get to the sixth floor. Do you know anything about this? We've already heard the general story from other prisoners, but they are newcomers, so there are no details.

- We only know that the "squid" is a legacy left by the previous chapter of the covenant. It tried for a very long time to free itself from the alien element that haunted its dark soul, and when it finally succeeded, it fed its former body to the monster, but without this very element, it could not prove to its followers that it was indeed itself, as a result of which it had to continue its life as one of the covenant's slaves.
- Ironic, - Ahuli agreed. - She deserved it.
- Therefore, this underground monster is a mindless and soulless creature that lives at the expense of an alien element, and it satisfies its insatiable hunger with the lives of mortals. If it is not destroyed, sooner or later it will become even larger and emerge to the surface. I dare to suggest that all the inhabitants of Anush will agree that this monster should not exist in our world.
- Sonata became very tense after hearing this. - How do you know the fate of Dakini?
- We happened to witness her conversation with Adrian, a high-ranking knight.
- Ahuri can see when someone is lying and when they are not.
- What did she look like?
- She had long blue hair and purple eyes.

The main twist here is that Lovra isn't just a regular cultist (that Dakini would possess), but Dakini herself. She gave herself away too much with her desire to leave here as quickly as possible. But now it's clear what the airship is for. I initially thought about suggesting to somehow disable it, just in case any cultists try to escape, but I was afraid that it might be a device for Ayano and her group to escape in case of something unexpected. However... they came primarily for the stone.

Someone is knocking on Carneol’s door in the middle of the night.