Posts from Nowaru

— What are you talking about? — Lutros exclaimed, finishing putting on his things. To Hanelion, these garments seemed more like the attire of a fashionable aristocrat than a powerful sorcerer. — Do you want to dissect her?

— Ha-ha-ha, good idea! But for some reason, it seems to me that experiments should start with a living person. Well, or something like a person. And then we'll see what happens. Have you ever thought about the nature of religion? Doesn't it seem to you that it is also a kind of magic? But how can we replicate the effect that... For example, Rosario bestows upon me? Who am I, and who is Rosario! It's not even worth comparing. But Ea is an enlightened Elulu-Suen. She doesn't worship Rosario. And neither does Shameimaru. Nor does Ninsharre. But she draws strength of a similar nature from somewhere, right? Where from? From herself! But this is philosophy... Which must be accepted, followed... And a person makes only one such choice in their life. If magical science could do the same, or even better...
[I'll take a risk. I'm betting 20,000 on Tirza. 10,000 in paper, the rest in silver.]

— Don't take it personally, Hanelion, but religion is for fools. People turn to gods only when they need something from them. Wealth, knowledge, power, health. And if they ask for these things from the gods, it means they don't have them themselves and can't acquire them on their own. That's all there is to it. Of course, following certain faiths can lead to certain successes, but it's all meaningless. So, are we going?

-- Of course, let's go. I disagree with you regarding religion, but that wasn't my point. My point is that it works. And we don't know how. That's the crux of the matter. How do the Elulu-Suenians gain their power? From what sources? How do the horns grow? A person may not possess the magic we are familiar with, but horns will grow on them if they become "Enlightened" in their way. Doesn't this indicate a gap in our knowledge that needs to be filled? Not through religious methods, no, but through scientific ones!

-Mirusha! - Adylika exclaimed joyfully, spotting familiar outlines at the entrance. -It's been so long! -The little girl rushed to hug her friend, wrapping her arms tightly around her. -I've been waiting so long! So, when are we setting sail? Let's hurry, I haven't traveled on a ship in ages!

"Next time, she'll have a knife in her hand."
- The ship will be ready soon, don't worry, - Mira stroked the little girl's tangled, dusty hair. - But I still have a lot to do! I need to gather a workforce, security, resources, provisions, all sorts of supplies. Have you seen the boy? He looks a bit like a scriptorium master; I wanted to hire him as an assistant. He should have already arrived. Unless something happened to him... But what could happen to a boy in Covellia? Money and food are lying right on the ground here.

- The ship will be here soon, don't worry, - Mira stroked the stray dog's tangled, dusty fur. - But I still have a lot to do! I need to gather a workforce, security, resources, provisions, all sorts of supplies. Have you seen a boy around here? He looks a bit like a scriptorium master; I wanted to hire him as an assistant. He should have been here by now. I hope nothing happened to him... But what could happen to a boy in Covellia? Money and food are lying around right on the ground here.

- Tasks? Sounds boring. Can I help you with anything? ...A boy? There's no boy. Oh, wait, there was one. He's over there, sitting in those bushes. He had a very important matter to discuss with you!

"Who knows," Ramola shrugged. "When we return, I'll try to convince Lutros to consider your proposal. After all, whether it's a corpse or an object for research—there isn't much difference; the result is the same." Then, meeting Hanelion's eyes once again, he decided to add, "At least in terms of public reaction."
Having finished discussing matters of religion, faith, and the fate of the unfortunate namhani, Ramola and Raymond reached the finest part of Cererum, where the wealthiest residents of Covellia lived—the rich among the rich. Their destination was a vast estate that resembled a true palace in its size. Ramola ran his hands through his hair to fix his hairstyle, and then they stepped inside, passing guards who were armed to the teeth. Then, crossing a massive room that looked more like a throne hall, the two sorcerers walked down a long corridor until they reached a single door at the end of their path.

Passing through this door, they found themselves in a large room where many people were gathered. There were seven of them: Taosians who only vaguely and slightly resembled one another; a busty Assarian; a red-haired sorceress; a lean, bald man; a blue-eyed blond; and a person with long black hair tied into a low ponytail. Those present did not immediately pay attention to the newcomers.
— "So there you have it, imagine this: that sucker paid me as much as 5000 for this." The bald man was clearly very amused by the story he had just finished telling.
— "The city is full of fools, and even more so of stupidity," the red-haired woman stated.
— "Ah, Ramola, hello." The blond extended a hand to the master of cold magic, who returned the handshake warmly. "And who is this with you?"
— "Hanelion Raymond, an old acquaintance of mine. But I think he can introduce himself."

Wow, the cop has found the key to success.

-- Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, -- Raymond nodded. "So, it's clear that we are acquainted, as mages."

Lol.

- Really? - Mirabella glanced at the bushes. - Hey, boy! Erion, is that you? What are you doing there?
- As for help, I need to recruit as many decent and talented members of society as possible for the colonization effort. After all, we need to develop and repopulate a beautiful domain in unexplored lands from scratch, which means we need specialists of all kinds and a good gene pool. I wanted to ask Erion to spread the word through heralds, post announcements, or even put on a small puppet show in the town square, depicting our expedition in a positive light, but if, as you say, he has some social problems, which is why he's hiding in the bushes, then he probably won't be able to do that.

-Erian? No, I thought his name started with M, hmm... Melnigor? Melkifor? Ah, right, Meltaret!

Come out, Fragment!

“Call me Tantred, Hanelion, and welcome to my home. Comrade Ramola is my comrade.” The blue-eyed man nodded to Ramola, who was already busy with something, and then gestured to Raymond to sit on one of the sofas. “Please, have a seat, and help yourself: Darnian wine, exotic snacks – choose whatever you like.” “And yet, I am disappointed with this turn of events,” the Assyrian woman said as the dark-haired man kissed her neck and shoulders. “I didn’t expect this degenerate to win the tournament, but I didn’t even think he would be eliminated in the first round.” “Who was he, may I ask?” Ramola inquired, engrossed in choosing what to eat. “A legionary, my lover. He sang me songs of love, about how he wanted to be with me forever…” “And did you grant him eternity?” the Taoist smiled approvingly. “An interesting idea.” “Indeed, what could be more interesting than experimenting on people?” the dark-haired man commented sarcastically. “And you’re right, I don’t remember you ever complaining, quite the contrary, you always came back wagging your tail and asking for more.” “Well, well,” the red-haired woman, as before, sat without any visible emotions on her face; it couldn’t be said that she disliked the company, rather, it was just the way she always was. “Experiments on stamina using additional equipment like high-heeled shoes, whips, and other interesting things?” “I suggest we change the subject,” the bald man interrupted the lively conversation, suggesting they discuss the latest events in the city. “Well, for example, the other day, a young man who bought paintings from me died,” the owner of the house tried to pick up the new topic. “Actually, he bought an entire collection from me, spending almost all the money he inherited from his parents.” “Well, now it’s clear how you got so rich,” the bald man said with a sly smile. “By the way, about wealth, Erald died the other day. The dark-haired man paused to take a sip of wine and then continued. “Or rather, he burned to death along with all his servants in his own house.” “Isn’t he your relative?” the Taoist inquired. “Cousin. Older. Karma is a cruel thing.” “Why is that?” “Well, let’s look. There’s Erald, who spends all his money for the well-being of others, leaving himself only the necessary funds for a comfortable life. And there’s Raimar, me, who has drowned more people in blood than I can remember… and I’m alive and well.”

It's nice to see that we made it into the news.

Added 15 minutes later

- And regarding assistance, I need to recruit as many decent and talented members of society as possible for the colonization effort. After all, we need to develop and repopulate a beautiful domain in unexplored lands from scratch, which means we need specialists of all kinds and a good gene pool. I wanted to ask Erian to spread the word through town criers, post announcements, or even put on a small puppet show in the town square, depicting our expedition in a positive light, but if, as you say, he has some social issues that make him hide in the bushes, then he probably won't be able to do that.

- Posting announcements? Putting on shows? That sounds much more interesting! - Adylika nodded. - And he does have problems, yes. He came to ask for your help in resolving them, by the way.

- Yes, I think you can use your imagination. Do you have enough money for all these important things?

-He does have problems, that's for sure. He came to ask for your help in solving them, by the way.

- So, maybe he should turn to the city guard? It's their job to solve these kinds of problems. I can click right now.

- Yes, I think you can use your imagination. Do you have enough money for all these important things?

-Money? Again, money? Even for this, money is needed? - Adylika sighed. -Let me calculate. Ten, twenty, forty, one hundred, one hundred and thirty-five linear pieces of paper! I doubt that will be enough, right?

- Maybe he should turn to the city guard? It's their job to solve these kinds of problems. I can contact them right now.

-He's a very, very, very problematic person. He even has problems with the city guard.