"For now, this is the best we can do. The rest will have to wait."
After scolding the flame monster to listen to Ifrit and not cause trouble, Daniel Davis prepared to leave. He was well-versed in the seals used for jinchūriki, but since this wasn't a tailed beast, he needed to understand the monster's situation better to ensure everything went smoothly.
To understand the flame monster's condition, they would have to wait for Ifrit's guardian, Silence, to return. After all, she had been the lead researcher during Ifrit's experiments. Due to concerns about operator privacy and Rhine Lab's proprietary technology, Kal'tsit hadn't inquired much about Ifrit's situation.
"Let Ifrit go out for now. I need to ask some questions." However, at that moment, Kal'tsit spoke up. It seemed the matter involved certain secrets she didn't want Ifrit to know.
"Alright."
"I don't know. I was just sleeping somewhere."
Faced with Kal'tsit's questions, the flame monster shook its head, indicating it wasn't clear about the contents of the place where it had been sleeping.
"So that's what she wanted to know."
Kal'tsit's questions reminded Daniel Davis that she seemed to be searching for something. The Knight's Treasure had mentioned that she was looking for some kind of key.
After failing to get useful information from the flame monster, Kal'tsit didn't ask anything further.
"Looks like we really need to prepare a floating battleship. The Quinjet's space is just too small."
In the end, the number of people going to Siesta—combining the Reunion Movement and Rhodes Island members—was too large for a single Quinjet. Daniel Davis ended up using two jets to accommodate everyone. This time, they didn't use Rhodes Island's aircraft.
In fact, if it were just about transporting people, one Quinjet would have been enough, even if it meant squeezing a bit. However, they also needed to bring cars.
While they could use the aircraft to travel to Siesta, once they got close, they had to switch to ground vehicles to avoid being mistaken for enemies by Siesta.
The Reunion Movement members going included Talulah, Ch'en, FrostNova, and half of the Snowsquad, while the other half stayed behind to guard Chernobog.
As for Rhodes Island, the attendees were Amiya, the Doctor, Ifrit, Provence, Skyfire, and Red, among others. Provence was there as a disaster messenger.
On Terra, if possible, it was best to bring a disaster messenger when traveling through the wilderness, whether by land or air, as natural disasters could take many forms.
"Three fire-based Originium Arts users, and none of them are weak. If these three joined forces, they could dominate a battle. If they had been in the previous war, it would have been much easier."
Talulah, Ifrit, and Skyfire's Originium Arts were far beyond ordinary levels, each capable of turning the tide of a battle. According to Terra's standards for Originium Arts, they were all considered "Outstanding," the highest level.
Every Outstanding Originium Arts user could be considered a monster in their own right. Talulah, for instance, could destroy an entire street with a single attack.
Ifrit, on the other hand, had been created as a weapon of war. With the flamethrower specially designed for her by Rhine Lab, Ifrit was arguably even more terrifying than Talulah. While Talulah could burn people to death, Ifrit's attacks were designed to turn people into infected. Her flamethrower used liquefied Originium gas, one of the most vicious methods on Terra. Fortunately, Ifrit had left Rhine Lab, and her flamethrower had been modified by Rhodes Island's engineering experts. It was still her weapon, but it no longer had such horrifying effects.
Now, Ifrit occasionally used her flamethrower for barbecuing. Perhaps due to the Doctor's influence, Ifrit had a talent for grilling. Her skills were good enough to open a restaurant. This was likely the Doctor's way of helping Ifrit control her flames.
When Ifrit first arrived at Rhodes Island, she had to live in a special area because any emotional outburst could cause a fire. Now, at most, she would burn the homework the Doctor assigned her when she was in a bad mood.
Finally, there was Skyfire. Not only was she a noble lady from Victoria, but she was also a genius with multiple degrees and a member of the civilian organization King's Wand.
Although King's Wand was a small group of five, each member was a formidable talent, capable of becoming elite operators at Rhodes Island. Despite being a five-star Caster in the game, Skyfire could easily defeat Ifrit in a real fight. Only Talulah could surpass her.
Interestingly, Skyfire had some history with the Reunion Movement. During one of their uprisings, Reunion members had killed a pet jointly raised by King's Wand. To the Reunion members, this was nothing—they killed people without hesitation, let alone a pet.
But for the young geniuses of King's Wand, it was different. Because of that pet, the Reunion Movement suffered heavy losses, and they never even knew why.
Of course, this wasn't Talulah's Reunion Movement but a branch in Victoria. Any uprising led by the infected could be called the Reunion Movement.
This incident had brought Skyfire into contact with the infected and eventually led her to Rhodes Island. She now advocated for the rights of the infected in Victoria.
"The environment here is really nice. No wonder so many people come here for tourism every year."
From the Quinjet, they could see Siesta's lush greenery and clear waters, a rare sight in Terra. While Yan had many cities with green mountains and clear waters, few had both.
On this Originium-ravaged land, barrenness and black Originium crystals were the most common sights.
"Speaking of which, Dossoles is somewhat similar to here." Both places had white sandy beaches and blue waters, though strictly speaking, Dossoles' waters were from a lake, not the sea. However, for Terra's inhabitants who had never seen the ocean, it might as well be the sea—an inland sea.
Siesta and Dossoles were both on Daniel Davis' list. These were among the few mobile cities that didn't discriminate against the infected, making them ideal trading partners for Chernobog, even if Daniel Davis didn't particularly like Dossoles.
"Alright, let's switch to cars."
After the Quinjets landed, four cars drove out. The Reunion Movement and Rhodes Island each had two cars, and they quickly headed toward Siesta.
"The prices are reasonable. They're not jacking up prices for the music festival, and there are plenty of free facilities." After entering Siesta, the Reunion Movement and Rhodes Island split up.
Their goals were different. Rhodes Island was here purely for vacation, while the Reunion Movement had the task of negotiating with Siesta's mayor. Although Daniel Davis thought there was no need to rush, Talulah and FrostNova felt differently.
Fortunately, after Daniel Davis' persuasion, the two didn't immediately head to the city hall. Instead, they sent members of the Snowsquad to make contact first.
"Ursus curse words!"
When the Snowsquad member returned from the city hall, his expression was grim, and he kept muttering Ursus curses.
"What happened?" FrostNova immediately asked. As the Snowsquad's big sister, she wouldn't stand by if her subordinates were mistreated.
"They look down on the infected. All that talk about equality is just... Ursus curse words!"
"Did you meet the mayor?" Daniel Davis asked.
"No, I only met the mayor's assistant. Apparently, the mayor is away on business and isn't in Siesta right now."
"Don't get too angry. It's just a case of the monkey king ruling in the absence of the tiger. Some people just take themselves too seriously. We'll talk to the mayor when he returns. In the meantime, you can enjoy yourselves. Oh, and don't worry about spending. Use as much Lungmen currency as you want."
Siesta primarily used Lungmen currency, though other currencies were accepted with exchange.
One of Wei Yenwu's greatest achievements in managing Lungmen was making Lungmen currency one of Terra's mainstream currencies, preferred by many merchants. Even in Ursus, Victoria, and Columbia, Lungmen currency had a significant presence. In places like Siesta and Dossoles, it was the primary currency.
The mayor of Dossoles had once tried to emulate Wei Yenwu by issuing their own currency, but it failed. The official reason was a minting error, but Daniel Davis didn't believe it. Issuing currency was a major undertaking, and for such a mistake to occur was laughable.
Moreover, if it were anyone else, such an explanation might be plausible, but the mayor of Dossoles was Candela, who would never make such a mistake.
In Daniel Davis' view, Candela's failure was likely because she tried to issue alloy coins—essentially gold coins. In an era of increasingly developed commerce, gold coins had their place, but they couldn't compete with paper currency, especially well-backed paper currency.
While Lungmen currency seemed like Wei Yenwu's success, it was actually backed by Yan.
Before coming, Daniel Davis had prepared a substantial amount of Lungmen currency. Now that he was wealthy, he didn't mind spending it.
The Obsidian Festival was the best stage for singers and bands aspiring to make it in the music industry. Every year, countless singers and bands came, most at their own expense.
Only the top-tier musicians and bands received official invitations from Siesta, along with hefty appearance fees. This was why so many were willing to come at their own expense. Whether they gained fame at the festival or were scouted by renowned bands or companies, it could lead to rapid success.
This year's Obsidian Festival was the most lively in recent years, as the top international musicians had all come at once. Just one of them would have caused a sensation, so having all of them together made this year's Siesta the most crowded yet. The streets were abuzz with discussions about the festival.
For other bands and singers, this year was the worst. With these top musicians around, they had little chance of standing out.
Daniel Davis understood the fans' fanaticism. He had seen even more extreme behavior.
"DDD, Emperor, and Sunset Limited—these are legendary figures."
Looking at the posters of these figures hanging all over the streets, Daniel Davis couldn't help but shake his head. These were not just decorative titles; they were truly legendary.
Emperor was a long-lived being, and the four members of Sunset Limited were all connected to the Seaborn. As for DDD, though no one had seen her true face, she was likely also a long-lived being.
For such a famous figure to always appear masked without anyone knowing her true identity was highly unusual.
Daniel Davis knew the entertainment industry well. Without backing, it was a muddy pit. Just look at what happened to Hung.
Of course, this was just speculation, but given that she was grouped with Emperor and Sunset Limited, it was plausible.
"Ah, all these long-lived beings are just lounging around. Only Kal'tsit and the Doctor are carrying the weight."
For Emperor, Sunset Limited, and others, music was just a pastime. The greatest advantage of being long-lived was having enough time to learn everything.
For example, Nian, Ling, and Dusk's second brother was said to have been a terrible chess player, but after so many years, he was now almost at the level of a chess grandmaster.
"Amiya, Ifrit, you're actually setting up a stall here? Where are the others?"
On the beach, when Daniel Davis and FrostNova arrived, the Rhodes Island group was already there. Ifrit was busy grilling for customers, with a long line in front of her. Talulah and Ch'en had gone shopping together.
"Red and the others went to the concert. The Doctor... Provence seems to have something to discuss with her." Amiya looked a bit unhappy, likely because the Doctor hadn't accompanied her.
"Something's wrong? Did something happen?" Daniel Davis asked.
"I'm not sure." Amiya shook her head.
"Let me help you."
"Huh? Isn't that Thorns? He's here too?"
While helping Amiya and Ifrit, Daniel Davis unexpectedly spotted Thorns, a character he had wanted but never managed to pull, much like Blaze. In Arknights, also known as "Guardknights," Guards were incredibly powerful, either as cornerstones or god-tier operators. Back then, Daniel Davis only had SilverAsh; he lacked Thorns, Blaze, and Surtr.
"Mr. Thorns is on vacation."
After Amiya introduced Thorns, she explained that he didn't like crowds. After greeting Amiya, he left.
It was only because of Amiya that he had come over. Otherwise, he probably wouldn't have shown up at all.
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