Where to Set Out

Activating Paper Moon. Initiating planet navigational chart plus/minus convergence. Commencing Shadow Border's docking sequence into reality boundary.

Proper Human History Resemblance: C Lostbelt Depth: A

Firing existence verification tether into Reality Space. Anchor point at Heroic Spirit ■■'s virtual nautical chart, confirmed.

Zero Sail, complete. Emerging into Reality Space.

Reality Space anchor secured. Reality verification complete.

Establishing Shadow Border's existence within Lostbelt. Zero Sail return successful.

Good, we've made it back to Reality Space.

Fou fou.

Oof... That violent shaking never gets any easier. Are you okay, Master?

I'm impressed, Master. Not many people could adapt to this as quickly as you have.

...You don't say. You've got good instincts, Fujimaru.

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Heh, not so fast. Just take a look at how adeptly I'm carrying myself. Why, I'm the very picture of dignity. A Zero Sail is no worse than a drive in the rain for me.

Surely all that rattling must have been a dreadful sight more difficult for a freshly summoned Servant who's never left that lukewarm base of yours, no?

...I feel quite as powerless as a krill. One already in a whale's stomach at that.

But never mind. So long as I am at sea, even the most violent upheaval is as a gentle breeze to me.

If anyone should be worried about getting seasick, it's you guys. This ship could and should be much more comfortable.

In particular, I'd like to add a bit more in the way of padding to my cushions.

A good captain must always take care of his crew, after all. Had I known how uncomfortable these chairs were, I would have prioritized making improvements...

Hey, I'm glad to work together to keep the Border's systems in good shape...

...but I'm not about to let you go tinkering with tiny things like that on your own anytime soon.

Even something as small as changing the air freshener we use in the bathroom could lead to fighting among the staff.

I'm actually being a lot more considerate of everyone on board than you might think, you know?

That is good to hear, but this is the sort of problem that should have been addressed in the planning stages of creating this vessel.

You might have the most advanced vessel in the world, but it will do you little good if your crew is in too low spirits to make proper use of it.

I'd guess the previous Da Vinci had no idea how difficult a voyage at sea could be.

Ouch. Well, you've got me there.

The last version of me was a genius, but she was definitely kind of...insensitive about things like that.

Still, she did make this amazingly capable armored vehicle back when nobody had any idea what was going to happen.

I'd say that more than gets me off the hook for overlooking little things like cushions!

Quite so. The next time we build a vehicle, we'll be sure to pay more attention to creature comforts.

In the meantime...we have made our way through the storm wall, and are now inside the Indian Lostbelt.

We should begin by assessing our surroundings. First things first, Mr. Meunière, can you see this Lostbelt's Tree of Emptiness?

...Yeah, I think that's it over there. I can see something far-off to the southeast!

So, it has already taken root, as I suspected. Furthermore, it appears to have already grown considerably.

But unlike in China and Scandinavia, at least we know where to find it. That should save us a good deal of time.

Then let's. Go cut. It down. Right now.

Just like that!? Are all Chinese robots so...bold?

No, that would be too dangerous. The tree is very far away, and I doubt the enemy has simply left it undefended.

Oh, yes, that reminds me. I'm aware we have yet to define this term for our current circumstances...

...but there is almost certainly another enemy we will need to face here.

Given what we have seen thus far, there is an excellent chance that there is a Crypter assigned to this Lostbelt, and a king who has been ruling it since prior to the Crypter's arrival.

It is therefore in our best interests to gather as much information as we can before we prepare to face them.

...While this particular Tree of Emptiness does seem to have grown considerably, it also appears to be in a fairly stable state.

So we do not seem to be under any immediate pressure.

Of course, if things should take a sudden turn for the worse, we will have no choice but to act...

...but for the time being, it should be safe to prioritize investigating this Lostbelt.

Whatever steps we take next, we should begin by getting to the bottom of this caseer, that is, this unknown history.

Y-yes, quite. Very well, we will start by gathering information. It's important to know exactly what sort of dangers one is up against, after all.

I see. Understood. For now.

All righty, let's see if there's anything else of interest around here... Hm? What's that?

Hmm. It would seem there is something else visible to the naked eye here; something a fair distance from the Tree of Emptiness in its own right. Fascinating.

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What the hell is that!? Is it natural? Man-made? Hurry up and scan it, man!

I'm working on it, I'm working on it! Come on...

It's no use. I can't get a read on it with anything! It's like it's deflecting any attempts to scan it!

Hmm. I thought it might be some sort of magecraft-based structure...but if it doesn't show up on magical energy scans, perhaps it isn't.

It seems all we can do is barely make it out with our eyes.

Which would mean that, empirically speaking, we can't even be sure it is truly there.

I suppose one possible explanation is that we are all just seeing things!

You mean, a mass hallucination? As in, a vision from space...? Warm hospitality... A frightening girl... Ghh, my head!

Please calm down, Director. I'm sure that was just Holmes trying to make a joke.

Fo fou.

At any rate, the only thing we can say for sure at this point is that we have no idea as to what's going on.

Though I do wonder if this may have anything to do with that mysterious girl we saw near Russia's Tree of Emptiness...

...in the sense that we could also see her despite being unable to observe her with any instrumentation.

Then again, I suppose she did technically appear as a sort of blank spot on our sensors... Hmm?

Regardless, we still have far too little information to work with, so there is nothing to be gained from drawing conclusions now.

Hmm. I guess we might be able to get some readings if we got in close?

I can't say I'm thrilled about the idea of getting near that thing, but if you want to head over there and try...

Don't be daft! Why would we try to go inside that thing when we don't know the first thing about it!

Why, if something were to happen to the Border, or to me, mankind's last hopes would be dashed for good!

No, our first order of business is to ensure our surroundings are safe, and then to ensure I'M safe! Isn't that right, technical and administrative advisors!?

You're not wrong. Lostbelts do have their own populations, so we know there's got to be a town around somewhere.

I can't tell yet if there's one near that giant cube or anywhere else nearby...

...but wherever we find one, we shouldn't get too close to it in the Border. Remember what happened in China?

So if we're prioritizing information and supplies, I think we should start by looking for a campsite.

Luckily, the environmental readings are all stable, so we can assume we're safe enough to focus on keeping a low profile.

I'd really rather not use the camo function if we can help it, since it's a major resource hog.

Now, where's a good out-of-the-way place we could hide the Border around here... Aha, that rocky mountain over there looks promising.

All right, we should probably decide on our plan of attack here. Just to make sure, how's that device holding up?

...The Aronnax Phantasm's as quiet as a piece of coral. It's not about to wake up anytime soon.

I was afraid of this. Even if we get to the coordinates now, I won't be able to do the ritual to activate it as long as this Lostbelt is here.

Hmm. So we won't be able to use your fancy new device or update the Border until we get rid of this Lostbelt, huh.

I thought that might be the case, but that doesn't make it any less sucky.

What did you expect? One can hardly hope to win first prize without taking part in the race.

We will need to cut off this Lostbelt sooner or later, so if anything, this only helps simplify matters.

Indeed! Now, as usual, my duty is to defend the Border, seeing as it's the last bastion of hope for mankind and all.

Fujimaru and Mash, as you two are our field team, you will be working...well, in the field.

Given that this will be the fourth Lostbelt you've investigated, you should be old hands at it by now.

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...Yes, sir. I'll be sure to stay alert while we're in the field.

Like I said before, the environment here's a lot more stable than it was in Russia or Scandinavia.

It's similar to China's climate in a lot of ways...but in addition to the physical heat and humidity, there's also a high concentration of mana in the air here.

That means you won't be able to use the portable stealth devices I gave you in China, just so you're aware.

Still, at least we know you won't need to use the Ollerus Boards or any other special transport equipment here...

...so you won't have to worry about that.

Yes, ma'am!

Good, good. Just the sort of enthusiasm I like to see.

However, one can't live on enthusiasm alone. Having just two of you out in the field is a risk I would rather not take.

So the Servants who will accompany you on your investigation shall be

Sorry, I think that is a sensible decision, but I can't accompany them.

I was not sent here as a combatant. Were I to try to fight alongside Fujimaru, I would just get in his way.

My job is to make improvements on this vessel.

I may not yet be able to do so, but there is still a lot of foundational work I can begin now.

The first thing I'm going to focus on is improving this bridge's shock absorption. As I said, these cushions leave quite a lot to be desired.

Hey, I was planning to get to them when I had time, you know!

Of course. I will. Accompany them.

I have. Some connection. To India. As well. I am sure. I can. Be useful.

Right. India has historically been close with China, where they called it Tianzhu. I'm sure you're familiar with it.

Thank you, Nezha. I'm very reassured knowing you'll be there to help us!

...

... Nonetheless, Nezha alone simply won't be enough.

Da Vinci needs to remain here on standby, so that she can operate the Border at a moment's notice if necessary.

And Holmes needs to stay so that he can make full use of the Border's instruments while he analyzes our findings.

Suffice to say, Fujimaru, that you will need to bolster your fighting force if you are to carry out your investigation.

To do so, you will have to try summoning new Servants in the field.

It's a shame the Atlas Institute Servant wasn't more accommodating, but there's nothing we can do about that!

(I see Gordy's in a really good mood now that he has another Servant staying behind who can keep him safe.)

I agree you'll need to start by summoning new Servants, but as they say, every cloud has a silver lining.

And this particular summoning has two of them.

First off, electricity. Thanks to Sion, we have another disposable booster you can use, like you did in China.

She said it's called a Void Cell. I gotta say, the Atlas Institute comes up with some really interesting stuff sometimes.

As a refresher, just hook it up to Mash's shield and it'll provide all the resources you need for the summon.

Unfortunately, thanks to all the time it took to make everything, it's only got enough juice for two Servants...

...but hey, it's still waaay better than flying a kite in a storm, right?

Second, I already found a perfect leyline for summoning! Aaand it's well within walking distance.

I concur. Once you have bolstered your forces there, you can begin investigating our surroundings in earnest.

Understood. We'll make sure to do that.

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Fou fooou!

...You sure you're okay with this, Gordy?

Wh-what do you mean?

Oh, you know, I just figured you'd want to say "Hold it! I'm the director, and I give the orders around here!" or something like that.

Oh.

...Well, I will admit I did come up with a few authoritative directives ahead of time...

...but I ultimately decided they weren't necessary, given how this Lostbelt seems fairly peaceful.

And if there is no point in saying them, well, why waste my breath? It's only good sense.

Of course there's a point to them. They're very important! Go on, Gordy, hurry up and say something!

O-oh? Well, if you insist, and if it's not too late... Ahem.

Hold it, hold it! You're forgetting something pivotal!

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Your Commander's orders, of course! We can't start an operation without them!

Go on now, line up! Backs straight! Never mind the salute, just listen up!

Fujimaru! As the captain of the Shadow Border, and the director of Chaldea, here are your orders!

You are to investigate this Lostbelt spreading across Indian land, and to find a means of felling that Tree of Emptiness as soon as possible!

In addition to eliminating this Lostbelt, and protecting Earth from this invasion...

...you are also to secure a path that will enable us to further modify and evolve the Shadow Border!

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(That's more like it. When a mission's especially difficult, that's when you need to send them off with high hopes.)

(We're really coming into our own as a team. I think we'd even give the old Chaldea a run for its money!)