Posts from 🍁Nine Ancient Obelisks Auto-translated

“It was just an example. Perhaps it seemed too trivial to you, father? Very well, I agree. Let’s say I want to find out where the sunken Mindjin is located. Who, if not your mistress, could point to the exact location, which is now inaccessible to anyone else?”

- We'll just have to wait until it's all over and things return to normal.

- I see. Well, I'll come back later...

Erika went to the guild of scribes and ink-makers.

Added 2 minutes later

Let's say I want to know where the sunken Mindjin is located. Who, if not your mistress, can point to the exact location, inaccessible to anyone else?

It's strange that Erika didn't ask about this Mindjin...

—This was just an example. Maybe it seemed too trivial to you, father? Fine, I agree. Let's say I want to find out where the sunken Mindjin is located. Who, if not your mistress, can point to the exact location, inaccessible to anyone else?

- You just need to drown in the Great Sea, and the ocean current will bring you to it. Calculating coordinates is useless; you need to surrender to the sea.

“This is… surprisingly… helpful advice. Is it possible?” he scratched his head. “Thank you for satisfying my scientific curiosity, father. I won’t bother you any further with… your leisure activities.” He glanced at his watch again, surveyed the port area, the wall, and the road leading south to Ruzaniel. “Well… is it time?”

Considering the garrison's access to such equipment at the gate and the preparations for the invasion of Calcite, with his money, Faineant would have no trouble acquiring a pair of boots or two from the governor or commanders of the combat units.

– Where, where, but with our valiant army, of course, – Camistella generously splashed herself with water from a bucket. – The statue of Arselia, I remember, was also three-dimensional. There's something to touch, it's not just a painting. And maybe it's even a conduit for the will of the deity.

The mansion... I just hope nothing happens to it. The expedition may take a long time, and Erisha isn't there either. The mansion is protected from bandits, and Calcite clearly won't send a raiding party at this time; the only thing left is the undead... but they have a long way to go to reach Enlil.

Asmidul and Shiki board an auto-diligence to Ruzaniel, but the stop occurs earlier than usual — halfway through their journey, they reach quarantine. A well-armed dlannik gives each passenger a small card.
- I recommend heading straight to the city administration with this pass; they will help you get your bearings regarding the situation in the city. It is valid for ten hours. Any questions?

“Quarantine, and we didn’t even bring any masks…” the scholar muttered, examining the pass. He had no further questions.

The autocarriage arrives at the Ruzaniel transport station at 18:00. Although the previous message mentioned "passengers," in reality, there was no one else in the vehicle besides Asmidul and his companion – the same could be said about the station itself. It had a distinctly unhealthy atmosphere, and the view was marred by an unusual fog for Asuguhom. 1. Ruzaniel Administration 2. Shiris Temple 3. Great Fortune 4. Shiris' Smile 5. Risca 6. Four Cavaliers 7. Longing Lady 8. Transport Station 9. Fallen Angel

Bowing before the mural, Genzа hesitates for a moment, not daring to raise his eyes to the goddess, then takes a deep breath and meets her gaze. "Hi... You look good. As always. ... I'm glad this Sanctuary wasn't affected. ... ... Sorry about what happened – with this conflict and everything. To be honest, I don't know if it bothers you, but in my opinion, faith shouldn't be affected by human-defined boundaries and their disagreements, but I'm not a theologian. I keep telling myself that I'm just a cog in the machine and couldn't have influenced the global events, but Kami and Hiso think otherwise. I encourage them not to let it weigh too heavily on their conscience, but the thought still lingers. Maybe someday historians will figure out what happened, find more lenient explanations, but I doubt I'll be around to hear it. I guess I'll have to carry this feeling to my grave, maybe sooner rather than later, maybe not. But I won't let it get me down, at least not for the sake of my friends – that's what I've decided," he thinks to himself. "Listen, do you remember my father? He was also yours. When I was a child, I didn't understand all this stuff about gods. I thought: if he's so lucky, why hasn't he found any treasure yet? Why does he always come back from quests all battered and bruised? I thought: there's luck, and if it smiles on you, then – bam – you find a hundred gold pieces, bam – you make some amazingly useful acquaintance, or you win at roulette. Heh, I was just a kid. But then, when I came to you, I immediately forgot all about it. Do you think you know why? Don't laugh... I saw your image and understood – that's it. Something clicked inside me," he puts his hand to his chest. "Maybe it's wrong for some people; they choose with their minds or something else. But I thought – either with my heart, or not at all. That's a simple reason, ha-ha... My brother, may he rest in peace, also thought like that; he even lost an ear. A fool, anyone would say, but it inspired me. But you know, over time, I realized something else. You've seen how much chaos has happened, so much that you'd want to give up. But every time, my thoughts return to that image inside, and somehow, it becomes easier to breathe. So I realized that the point isn't to find a hundred gold pieces or show off your status, or have commoners kiss your ring, or even decorate your house with beautiful paintings. It's that there's something that's just mine and yours, something that helps you grit your teeth and go through fire, water, and hell. And for that, I wanted to thank you, just in case I can't do it later. I'll try my best to survive tomorrow and get everything done successfully – not out of fear, I remember that I'm cursed, and I've already died several times. But at least to try to resolve the situation as soon as possible and get everyone back to normal life. A few years ago, I would have said it was out of pure paladin's impulse, but now, it's hardly applicable to me. So, probably out of a desire to show those who think they're at the top of the food chain that anything can happen, and that even when you think you're invincible, that coin will eventually land on its edge. And then we'll take back Rusik. Some smart-aleck intellectual in horn-rimmed glasses would argue that the same bet on roulette or half a coin might never pay off, and the odds are always the same; you need some complicated schemes. But I want to think differently. That a series of failures will eventually lead to a major victory, and our human struggle boils down to finding the strength to push through the difficulties and bad situations to that very moment. It's probably not very rational, but I'll stick to that opinion until the end. Okay, I'm going to get ready. Again, I'm sorry, and thank you for everything." Leaving the sacred place, going outside, and pulling up his chair, he still finds his close friends before going to bed so they won't worry and shares his findings about the expedition to the flower garden: "It's amazing – everything is in its place, the house isn't ransacked or sealed, as if she just went out to buy bread. The feeling is... let's say, like a retiree. She lives her life, grows flowers, does handicrafts, entertains herself with fairy tales on long, lonely evenings, but there are also some works for super-minds, various sciences, astronomy, and so on. To be honest, there's no feeling of a mysterious, evil witch. But check this out – all the vegetation has vanished, leaving only sand. And not as if it dried up after a few months of not being watered, but it's just gone, completely. No, it doesn't look like Ginza destroyed it all out of anger; it just disappeared. So, think about it. Remembering how genjutsu affected her... The old woman is definitely not simple, but I can't say exactly how, I don't have enough information. Listen, do we have any decent mages in the battalion? I just don't know, but I'm thinking, is it possible to somehow determine someone's location based on a specific item belonging to them, or at least in which direction to look?"

"—For a place tied to luck, it seems the local mistress has turned her back on her subjects." —brushing away the misty veil with his hand, he wipes his lenses. "—I'd bet that we can expect a loss of health for every day we stay here. Well then, let us proceed to the administration, as was mentioned."

—For a place so reliant on luck, it seems the local ruler has turned her back on her subjects.

Luck has abandoned them, the smile has turned into a bestial snarl, and all around are risks and fallen non-angels... No ladies, no knights...

On their way to the administration building, Asmidul and Shiki are attacked by zombies.

Initiative
[20] Shiki (225/225)
[14] Asmidul (175/175)
[1] Zombie-1 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-2 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-3 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-4 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-5 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-6 (???/???)

Asmidul: Or maybe Lydia would be better? Come back! I'll forgive everything!

Shikich attacks the lower-center unit on the left.

Shiki attacks Zombie-5
Zombie-5 takes 200 damage (-0/200)

Initiative
[20] Shiki (225/225)
>[14] Asmidul (175/175)
[1] Zombie-1 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-2 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-3 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-4 (???/???)
[1] Zombie-6 (???/???)