Quest 94064915

...I wonder what's going on, Senpai.

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I swear, what's this all about? Don't they realize we just got back from a successful Beast hunt?

If anything, I was expecting them to throw us a party in the cafeteria, or roll out the red carpet up in the Command Room.

Why are they keeping us here in the dock? And what's this emergency briefing all about!?

Where is Sion? Why isn't she here right now!?

I'm sorry, Commander. Sion gave us these instructions herself.

I was really looking forward to cooking up a feast to welcome you all back, but we can't use any of the base's facilities today.

I'm afraid I have to ask you all to return to your rooms.

I'm sure the marines will come get you as soon as it's time for the briefing.

If I had to guess, I'd say they're gearing up for a big end-of-year cleaning.

Sion's always been a stickler for things like that...

...so she probably wants to usher in the new year with a proverbial clean slate.

Huh? Professor? Where's Holmes?

Koyanskaya's Reality Marble forced him to disappear when we first arrived, but he's got to be back by now, right?

Oh yes, he's here.

Now that Beast IV's signal is gone, the Spirit Origin graph is working fine again, so we're good.

I believe he's going over your combat logs from this latest mission with Sion in the Command Room right now.

Gotcha. That does sound like him. Okay, we'll go along with the instructions, too.

So should I head to the Command Room while everyone else heads back to their rooms?

Actually, Da Vinci, we'd like you to go back to the Border's computer room.

Sion said she needs your help with some urgent clerical work there.

Urgent, huh? Well that doesn't sound good. But sure, no problem. I had it pretty easy this last mission, anyway.

All right then, everyone, please head back to your rooms.

And congratulations on a well-deserved victory.

End-of-year cleaning, huh... Maybe the marines are cleaning the communal spaces, then.

I think I'll go help them after I get back to my room.

Why don't you get some rest, Senpai? It was a very long battle, after all.

I think that would be best. Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at the Command Room!

Okay, then I'll see you at the cafeteria in an hour. But please don't push yourself too hard, okay?

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...

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Knock knock! I'm here to help you pack!

Here you go! Just throw all your stuff into this container!

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Huh? You mean you haven't heard? You guys are all moving to new rooms, right?

So you're supposed to gather up your personal belongings in thirty minutes and meet up at the dock when you're done!

Oh, and don't worry about tidying up or cleaning the room.

Sion said you won't be using it again anyway, so why bother? Now go on, hurry up! Besides, the captain was all:

"It's very important that everyone be on time for this." He sounded real serious, too!

I am glad to see that everyone made it back to Chaldea Base without any casualties.

Congratulations on your successful Beast hunt.

Boy, that is a load off my shoulders! It is good to have one fewer unknown quantity to account for.

Now if we can just use the essence of the sacred sword we obtained in Britain to create a spell optimized against the Foreign God...

...then we can finally make our move on the enemy's home base!

Hmm. Speaking of the enemy's home base, Ms. Sion...

You presume that the Foreign God will create her own Reality Marble-like domain much the way Koyanskaya did, yes?

Is that the remaining unknown quantity you are concerned about?

Huh? Did I let slip that there is only one unknown quantity left without realizing it?

I thought I did a good job keeping that a secret. I did not even tell Captain.

Oh, I expect any number of people besides myself could have figured that out from your various intimations.

You've never objected to any of our numerous operations, but you have been most insistent about the order in which they are performed.

It was hardly a stretch to determine you did so to eliminate the various concerns you've foreseen in a particular order.

And now, Beast IV, the greatest obstacle standing in our way, is out of the picture.

I was under the impression that she was the last such concern you had.

However, I was clearly mistaken given that you are now mentioning another such concern.

And since I cannot imagine there are multiple variables more concerning than the threat Beast IV posed...

...the logical conclusion is that only one remains, no?

Yes, that about sums it up. I should have known you would figure it out, Sherlock Holmes.

There's one final matter I would like you to attend to before our showdown with the Foreign God.

What might that be? Determining her true identity or notable traits?

No, we will not be able to do anything about that until we actually face off against her.

No, the last variable I am concerned about is much simpler than that.

But I cannot blame you for not knowing what it is!

After all, this is a problem even you overlooked!

Really, I do not know what else to do about it but laugh!

If not even Sheba can observe this particular problem, there is no way we can do anything about it!

...?

...I am sorry. This is really not the time to be laughing at the sheer magnitude of the danger.

Holmes, I would like you to bring them the Spirit Origin graph.

There is a small chance I might not be able to bring it all the way to the Border, but you can definitely get it there.

Chaldea Base is in an extremely precarious situation right now.

According to my Thought Acceleration and Memory Partition, I cannot guarantee our safety even ten minutes from now.

So I need you to get to the Border ASAP and bring Da Vinci the graph.

You can't guarantee our safety...? Do you mean you can't be sure what's going to happen in the future, even with your powers of calculation and prediction?

Then why not use Trismegistus II instead, since it can calculate even more than you can?

I would, but I cannot. At the present moment, it is little more than an overlarge paperweight.

I have already moved its data to another container, and am rebooting it even as we speak.

Then, you need me to transport the Spirit Origin graph because

Exactly. I am glad I do not need to waste time explaining further.

...Just between you and me...

...Trismegistus II predicted that Chaldea would suffer some very heavy losses on this last mission.

Why, it outright declared the mission would be a failure. Can you think of any reason why, Holmes?

...Of course. Reading the logs earlier was enough to give me a chill.

Beast IV had been saddled with a significant disadvantage before she could "hatch": the curse she received in Britain.

That curse forced Koyanskaya into a difficult position, leaving her no choice but to undergo rapid growth.

But even so, Fujimaru's loss was all but inevitable. And not because he and his team would be unable to defeat her in battle.

Their fates were sealed the moment they set foot in her domain and went to fight her in its center.

Right. Beast IV was prepared to destroy herself along with her domain and everything inside it.

Essentially, she had set a trap in which her hunters would die the moment they defeated her.

If we consider living to fight another day the true victory, then Chaldea would normally have lost that fight. But

Indeed. Thanks to Taigong Wang, Director Goredolf's personal feelings...

...and Master Fujimaru's clinching remark...

...Koyanskaya was convinced not to go through with her self-destruction in what was truly nothing short of a miracle.

They successfully transformed a fight to the death into a discussion, thereby eliminating the idea of victors and losers entirely.

Yes. It was the best result I could have hoped for. I knew my faith in Chaldea would be rewarded!

That being said...

...according to Trismegistus II, Chaldea is going to be wiped out today.

There is nothing we can do to avoid it. This is where our true loss comes.

What!?

An island that moves with the Void Sea. A mirror image, reflected in a place cut off from space-time.

...Hmph. An interesting idea, at least for Earthlings.

That explains why not even my omnipotent sight, able to see even down to the level of individual particles, could find it. It doesn't exist in this time.

There was no point in scouring the ocean to find it, since it was never within my grasp in any case.

To put it as Earthlings might, it's like you've been jacking my signal... Or maybe it's more like you've been hiding in my backyard?

However...

Your pathetic little hideout is a secret no more! Do you see? Once I really started looking, it took me all of three seconds to find!

I haven't been harmed, of course, but I still need to punish you for having the temerity to defy your god.

Hear me now, you fire-wielding insects, you miserable nest of hornets.

Your sovereign has decided that you shall all be crushed like the insects you are!

Fou, fooou!

Seriously!? I thought there was no way the Wandering Sea could be found!

When you say "gravitational field," you're talking about the kind of pseudo-black hole we saw in Olympus, right!?

Not even the Wandering Sea can endure something like that! What's gonna happen to the base!?

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Yes, Senpai! All the Chaldea staff are here, and making their way onto the Shadow Border!

The only ones we're still missing are Holmes and SioAh!

My apologies for the delay. I'll explain later. Time is of the essence.

I have the Spirit Origin graph right here. Come, we need to escape immediately.

Believe me, I'd love to do just that, but what about Sion!?

I'm going to need to have a talk with her about failing to foresee this despite all her talk about prognostication.

At this point, she's as much a member of Chaldea's staff as anyone! We can't leave her behind!

Heh. I wish she could have heard you say that, Goredolf.

But right now, our own escape takes precedence. Ms. Sion said as much herself.

She also said she would catch up to us later. Her exact words were:

"My name is on the lease to the Wandering Sea, so to speak, which makes it my responsibility to shut the five gates completely."

Doing so will take her approximately twenty minutes. ...I trust you know what that means?

But, Holmes, that's

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No, Fujimaru. She was very clear with me on this point.

Make sure that you prioritize Chaldea's escape above all else. I promise I will catch up to you soon.

Well, "soon" might not be entirely accurate, but I will definitely be there for your final battle.

That is the whole reason I ran away from the Atlas Institute, after all.

For the record, this is all playing out exactly as I predicted.

I am actually something of a hard-core gamer, so believe me when I say I am absolutely not going to die without seeing how it all ends. Lol.

Remember, Sion is an Atlas alchemist, and they do not make future predictions lightly. As such, I accept what she said as fact.

If you want proof of that, consider that we are all here and prepared to depart on the Shadow Border.

Meanwhile, Da Vinci and Captain are already on the Storm Border preparing it for launch as well.

She always knew this would happen.

As such, we can be reasonably certain that she has also prepared her own individual method of escape.

H-hngh... I suppose you do have a point.

I did wonder why I was suddenly being asked to pack my belongings...

But I suppose it only makes sense that our enemy would begin taking more proactive measures against us now that there's only one Lostbelt left.

So it was probably inevitable that we would have to leave this place sooner or later...

Indeed. There was bound to come a point when we could no longer remain at the Wandering Sea.

Hence the living quarters on the Storm Border. Sion planned to use it as our next base of operations from the very beginning.

Remember, Chaldea was never officially under the Wandering Sea's protection.

I believe it should strive to protect all those living in the present, without aligning with any particular faction.

...An organization that strives to protect those living in the present...unaligned with any particular faction...

...Indeed. Yes, you're absolutely right, Administrative Advisor.

Meunière! Fujimaru! Kyrielight!

Hurry up and board the Shadow Border already! The rest of the staff got on ages ago!

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Connection to Selen's gate, severed. Connection to Ellen's gate, severed.

Connection to Guénon's gate, severed. Connection to Fushiruka's gate, severed.

Connection to Ganne's gate, sev

Oh?

Is something wrong, Professor? Did you forget something?

...Or rather...

...to what do I owe the pleasure?

I never expected to see a mage of the real Wandering Sea reveal themself to a modern mage.

Is it that strange? This will be the last time you and I see each other.

Have things changed so much that is it no longer considered polite to part ways in person?

Ah... I see. No, you are right. That remains polite in the modern era.

Unfortunately, our institute has sort of been...going its own way for a long time now.

Our members tend to favor meeting over screens, mirrors, threads, the internet...anything besides speaking in person.

I am something of an iconoclast at the Atlas Institute, myself.

The Eltnam family has a Spiritron technique called Etherite that enables us to hack directly into other people's brains and hijack them for our own ends.

However, my father was quite the doting parent, and he showered me with affection every chance he got.

I think that is why I came to see the value of interacting with other people in person.

That is why I do not use Etherite, no matter how handy it is, as well as why I am so naturally upbeat.

So I am truly both honored and delighted that you came to see me yourself.

Thank you so much for giving me this chance to speak with you face-to-face.

You are still in that time period, right? Is it not costing a staggering amount of magical energy to make this call?

It is. Enough to kill an entire continent.

But no matter. I didn't have anything better to do with it anyway.

That's why my mentor agreed to let me waste it on a visit to the future.

Your mentor... Do you mean one of the mages who created the real Wandering Sea?

I was told there was no one left behind in Ganne, but between you and your mentor, it sounds like there were two.

Only within the Lostbelts, that is.

Outside of them, Gannethe Gate of Rebirth, should rightly no longer exist in your time.

Regardless, the Wandering Sea of 2019 is now about to disappear.

It's no business of Chaldea's whether I exist or not.

Oh? So you are not going to scold me? Even though this island is about to be destroyed as a result of you lending it to me?

Of course. The Wandering Sea will always exist.

In the distant past, they built a workshop on a remote island in the far-off seas to cut themselves off from humans and gods alike...

...and they erased it, along with the area surrounding it, from that universe.

The Wandering Sea is now a child lost in space-time, an eternally missing person. No one can observe it, or touch it.

...No one except for the five gates.

The Wandering Sea that appears in every time period is no more than the shadow cast by what the Wandering Sea once was.

Even if the Wandering Sea of 2019 is destroyed, it only affects 2019.

That destruction will not affect the past, the future, or, of course, the true Wandering Sea itself, as it was completely erased from space-time.

Now I see. I used to think that each of the five gates led to a workshop.

But they are time gates. I understand that now.

They are able to communicate with the Wandering Sea from before it was erased, no matter the time period.

Exactly. I was once a mage from the A.D. era, just like you.

I only began living in the Wandering Sea after my mentor in Ganne invited me to join.

You said you were an iconoclast at the Atlas Institute, which means there is nowhere in this world for you to call home.

...

There are only so many mages who can learn the Wandering Sea's teachings.

I know. I have heard you gather applicants only once a year, each time choosing only one to join you.

That's right. However, there are actually very few qualifications for becoming one of us.

As long as the Mysticsfates, align such that you are there when a gate opens, it doesn't matter who you are.

And one of the Wandering Sea's gates is open right now, Sion Eltnam.

Thank you, Fabro Rowan. I appreciate your offer, but I am afraid there are still things I need to do here.

Do not worry. I will lock up properly before I leave.

While I am sure you and the other members of the Wandering Sea consider the Foreign God to be a problem you can safely ignore until the distant future...

...for myself, Fujimaru, and the rest of Chaldea, it is a matter requiring our urgent attention and action.

So I cannot go through the gate with you at this time. And if this should prove to be the only time the gates open before me...

...then it will simply mean it was not meant to be, and I will just have to try and win a different lottery.

So I thank you, sincerely, for all your help thus far.

I see. Very well then, I will leave the cleanup to you.

...One last thing.

We of the Wandering Sea did not lend Chaldea shelter.

We gave you an opportunity, Sion. An opportunity for this...incomprehensively bizarre plan of yours.

...

Safe travels, Sion Eltnam, daughter of the black earth.

Go wherever your heartno, your predictions take you...like a lone bird soaring through the underworld.

Hm? What a peculiar analogy... As far as I am aware, I have no connection to either the underworld or birds.

Oh well, maybe it will all make sense someday. Now then, I had better get to work!

It would be no fun just allowing the base to be destroyed! If it is going to go out anyway, then it may as well go out with a bang of its own making!

Now then...

Let us see just how much punishment the Foreign God's physical body can actually withstand!

Oh man, oh man! The gravity field is already sucking up the top of the Wandering Sea!

We can't wait any longer, Captain, or we'll never get enough speed going to escape!

I know!

Tomlin, Kawata, Octavia, Chin, Cayenne, Elron, Marcus, Meunière...

Fujimaru, Mash, Fou, Goredolf, Holmes... There! That's everyone on board!

Storm Border, emergency launch! We're getting out of these waters at full speed!

Th-that's all well and good, but what if that damn Olga Marie comes after us!?

Look, she seems like she's wide-open right now! What if we took this chance to strike!?

There's no point. We don't have any weapons capable of even scratching her!

If she decides to come after us, then we'll just have to make sure she doesn't catch us!

All hands, to your seats!

Professor! Set the ship's inertial dampeners to maximum!

Bridge to the bow: move the dimension-piercing timestream to the stern! We're going to use the aperture recoil to help us accelerate!

This will be our fastest launch ever! Professor, I'm counting on you to control the hull!

Yup, you got it. My calculations are all done, so I'm good to go whenever!

Set all four Triton Engines to full throttle! Storm Border, move out!

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Yes. No sign of pursuit from the Foreign God.

We've just left the North Sea, and we're currently on a course for the center of the Eurasian continent.

We'll continue heading east, towards the Pacific Ocean.

Any other questions, Da Vinci? Holmes?

What happened to the Foreign God? I thought I saw a nearly blinding flash of light while we were making our escape.

I'm betting that was the Wandering Sea'sno, Sion's counterattack.

The same way the Foreign God compresses ultra high-density mass to generate gravitational fields...

...Sion compressed the Wandering Sea down as small as it could go, then hit the Foreign God with the full force of its decompression.

Though I can't tell if the Foreign God isn't coming after us because it injured her...

...or if she just didn't notice us escaping.

I see. So she refused to go down without a fight, eh. I'd expect nothing less from an Atlas alchemist.

But, now what do we do? Is Sion really going to come back?

And don't we need her to keep the Storm Border working, and to have Trismegistus II come up with mission strategies?

No need to worry about that. Trismegistus II is already here on the Storm Border.

That was the whole point of the end-of-year renovation, after all!

Is there anything more iconic than a giant supercomputer on a massive flying battleship!? It really is the stuff of dreams!

Wat.

Huh?

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I can see from the looks on your faces that you thought I blew up along with the Wandering Sea. I appreciate your concern.

I am sorry for misleading you. I am actually a vamer, have a somewhat unusual constitution.

After I locked up the Wandering Sea, I set the island to self-destruct and came to the Storm Border by myself.

It is kind of like manipulating my existence probabilities. You can think of it as something similar to Yu Mei-ren's atomization.

Now I see. Of course an alchemist who lives by numbers would never willingly blow themself uerm, sacrifice their own life.

What matters to them is not what follows after the fact, but their currently ongoing calculations.

Your every action serves your own interests...or so I presume.

Correct. As they say, the good you do for others is good you do yourself!

Grr, why couldn't you have told us this sooner!? You just had to play the martyr, didn't you!?

Do you have any idea how worried we were!? Er, well, not me, of course. I'm the Iron Commander.

But did you ever stop to think how the rest of the staff must feel!? We don't need to see any more sacrifices, dammit!

Oh. Is that true, everyone?

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...Me too. And I think I speak for everyone when I say we all feel the same way.

I'm so happy to see you back safe and sound, Sion. It must have been very hard work, demolishing the Wandering Sea like that.

...Damn, I had no idea.

...Well, I wasn't worried. I know you're tougher than most Servants.

More importantly, now that we've all caught our breath, we should decide on our next course of action.

As of now, we'll be conducting our missions from the Storm Border.

We'll continue to fly in random directions across Earth so the Foreign God can't track us down again.

We'll only land for maintenance and refueling.

The Storm Border may be an excellent ship, but even it can only last so long without a proper port of call.

Which means we'll only be able to pull off one more major operation before we need to dock. Do keep that in mind.

We're well aware. Regardless, only one Lostbelt remains.

Once we have completed the spell we need to face the Foreign God, Chaldea will make its way into the Seventh Lostbelt.

...It won't be long now before we confront U-Olga Marie, the being who calls herself the Foreign God.

I trust you have no issues, Commander Goredolf? Mr. Fujimaru?

N-no. We're finally about to enter the, er, final phase of this campaign.

Fine with me! Let's do this thing, I say! But only once we've prepared for every contingency we possibly can!

Of course.

We do need to process the essence of the sacred sword, of course, but it's also imperative that we figure out what makes the Foreign God tick.

Is she really Olga Marie, the former director of Chaldea? Why does she look the way she does?

Until now, defeating her has been our only choice. But the more we can understand our enemy, the more options open up to us.

This last mission with Koyanskaya proves it. Right, Fujimaru?

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So, now that that's settled, we should start getting used to our new environment.

I say we all split up and work together to make the Storm Border the best damn base Chaldea's ever had, starting with checking out the new facilities Sion built for us.

Hope you guys are ready, 'cause I think we're about to be busier than ever.