Sighing loudly, Alex pulls over, stopping his hovercar at the side of the road.
"Don't worry, Jewel... I can deal with this. I can bullshit my way out of any situation, as I've proven again and again," Alex declares as he sits relaxed in his seat. "I know how to deal with cops."
The policeman stops his car and walks over to Alex.
Staring at the man, with his comically large glasses, old-school police uniform, and large beer belly, Alex can't help but smirk confidently.
This will be even easier than I thought.
"What seems to be the officer, problem?" Alex happily jokes.
"Uhm... is this a joke? Like your car? I'm Patrolman Roll, West City Police," the officer says, identifying himself while looking completely confused. "You are going against West City traffic rules, and if I took you seriously, I'd have to arrest you as a gang member. Please explain yourself."
What?
Jewel... is there something wrong with the car?
Princess Jewel notices that all the cars and hovercars around us have licenses.
And our car?
It has a skull. Princess Jewel likes it very much. It reminds her of her time as a Pirate Princess.
"..."
Jewel! This is obviously an illegal and unregistered car. No wonder we got pulled over. You should have said something.
"Hello? Please... explain yourself and provide some identification, as well as your registration and license," the officer demands, still friendly and calm.
The hell? Like I have those things.
Alex quickly conjures Thorian's Domination, hides it with In, and then uses its ability Unleash Spores to douse the man with a wave of spores.
He then waves his hand in front of the officer's confused face. "You don't need to see our identification. This isn't the man and spider you are looking for."
But instead of replying, the man simply stares emptily into the sky, completely stoned, and Alex speeds off.
"Move along?" Alex asks, raising his voice so anyone nearby can hear. "Okay."
Jewel! Climb onto the back of the car and remove that damn skull. No license is better than appearing like a damn robber or gang member.
Princess Jewel reluctantly obeys.
Just do it! This is your fault. You should have mentioned the skull.
Soulmate should have taken a closer look.
"..."
Driving into the city center, Alex stops the car and turns it back into a capsule.
He looks into the air, seeing many flying aircraft above, possessing the speed of planes, yet the maneuverability of his own hovercar.
"We need to get one like that, Jewel!" Alex declares. "That will make things so much easier. No... one is not enough. At least two; we need a backup. Maybe two for me and two for you."
Princess Jewel agrees..., but for now, that looks like an unreasonable goal. Of course, Soulmate could simply steal one.
"It's worth a thought, anyway; you are right, for now we have to walk," Alex admits. "I don't want to go against the cops... you better use Zetsu, or you'll scare the shit out of the Peasants here. I mean, people, stop affecting me."
Now Soulmate is just unreasonable. It's way too late for that. Soulmate's speech patterns have been thoroughly influenced by Princess Jewel, and he is now stuck with them. ❤️
"..."
"... just cling to my back, okay?" Alex asks before approaching a pair of middle-aged ladies with shopping bags and expensive-looking clothes.
"Excuse me, ladies, I have a question. I wonder if you could help me?" Alex asks, trying to be polite and pleasant.
"Ohoho, another one. They grow bolder by the day, don't you agree, Janis?" the first woman asks.
"Yes, Flora, this one in particular looks so rough... oooh, I am weak to that kind. Do we bite? I still have some money left to spend; my hubby didn't notice that I took some from his business account last week," the other lady says, eyeing Alex greedily.
"Uhm, this might be a misunderstanding. I am sorry; I just wanted to ask about the location of Capsule Corporation. I'm new in town, and you ladies look like you know all about this place," Alex immediately clarifies. "Sorry if I came across as suspicious."
I can't afford to be reported. Best to avoid the police.
"What a disappointment. Also, how come you don't know? Everyone knows," the first lady asks.
"As I said... I'm new, and I'm from the country, farming all day," Alex explains.
Farming FC, hehe.
"You're making it even harder to resist..." the second lady says, grabbing his arm. "How about it, farm-boy?"
"Uhm, excuse me, I really need to go there," Alex says, feeling embarrassed.
I mean... being popular with bored and rich older ladies is a step up from being ignored by everyone.
Soulmate shouldn't get distracted!
Fine... I know.
"Fine... but maybe later?" the second woman asks, giving Alex a card with her number.
"Sure... the faster I get done with my business," Alex hints, causing the woman to hand Alex a stack of bills.
You received 100,000 Zeni.
What the?! What is she doing?
She then rushes towards the street, forcefully stopping a hovercar and gesturing for Alex to come over.
"Take this young man to Capsule Corp! Right now!" she yells at the confused driver.
"Uhm... thank you, I guess? See you soon?" Alex replies, stepping inside, only for the driver to speed away.
"Not those again," he mutters. "You'd best stay away from those crazies; you'll regret it. Do you really want to go to Capsule Corp, or should I drive you directly out of the city?"
"To Capsule Corp! Whatever's wrong with those ladies, they'll at least get stuff done. Saved me a lot of time, to be honest," Alex reasons. "Hurry up, or I won't tip you."
Not like I ever will, hehehehe.
With the experienced driver and the hovercar, it takes just five minutes for Alex to arrive at Capsule Corp, the building quite tall, yet also round and dome-shaped, with a few buildings surrounding it, as well as some cylindrical extensions connected to the main building, appearing like chimneys, but actually being used for additional living space.
Getting out, Alex sees a few palms and a large sign reading 'Capsule Corp', not only on the main building, but also on a small gate leading to the premises. He quickly pays the driver just a thousand Zeni; despite his earlier state, he tips him a small amount and then stands alone in front of the building.
Does Soulmate have any concrete plans? Princess Jewel does not remember discussing the approach.
Jewel, usually I just eyeball things like that. I rely on my strongest skill, namely making up bullshit, to proceed in those situations.
Princess Jewel is impressed... she trusts Soulmate. After all, this is Princess Jewel's only chance at Evolution... and her life will turn into a nightmare should Soulmate fail, causing her to spend her remaining days as a huge Thornback Matriarch.
Alex now looks visibly depressed.
Now you are making me nervous with all the pressure... it should be fine; I've come up with a couple of approaches... there is no need to be afraid. If we're together... I believe we can do almost anything. Anyway... for our current plot, I've come up with a solution. Just let me cook!
Confidently, Alex approaches the entrance and equips all of his items, his appearance changing from that of a normal man in a simple shirt, pants, and shoes into that of the Ebony Warrior. However, he intentionally chooses the style that exposes his hair and face, so he isn't mistaken for someone truly inhuman.
To his surprise, there are no security guards or employees visible who could spot him.
He simply rings the intercom placed just outside the gate on the private property, belonging to the Capsule Corporation.
"..."
"Hello, please state your business," a mechanical voice speaks through the intercom.
"The fuck is this?" Alex mutters silently.
Soulmate! Capsule Corporation does not have many employees, but there are countless intelligent robots inside.
"My name is Alex Kerber, and I need to immediately speak with Dr. Brief... it's a matter of national—no... global security," Alex says, trying to sound serious.
"... Currently, we are not interested in buying newspaper subscriptions. Please write an official reque—" the mechanical voice replies, before Alex immediately interrupts it.
"I swear, if you are unable to comprehend what I am saying, get a human being to speak to me before I tear apart your empty robotic head," Alex threatens, triggered by the robot's reply. "This is an emergency! SOS!"
"Please redirect any official requests through the official channels. Must continue to sweep and clean. You are denied entry," the voice says before the call ends.
Soulmate....
"Well... not like they have a door blocking our entry," Alex says, shrugging his shoulders. "We can enter anyway."
Entering the property, Alex looks around. "Entering the building will just lead us to talk to the same stupid robot, which means we have to find another way."
Walking around the property, Alex's eyes immediately light up as he spots a blonde, attractive woman in a shoulder-free blue dress, running after a small, brown, hairy dog that is darting around the property. She has short, yet voluminous blonde hair and is wearing various pieces of jewelry, yet her eyes are barely open.
"Oooh... Blooms, come back. You can play inside the atrium; don't wander off!" she yells, hurrying after the dog.
Alex uses his AGI to immediately catch up to the dog and grab it, causing it to freeze and stare at Alex in shock.
"Oh?!" the woman yells.
Alex, trying to smile kindly, slowly walks up to her and hands her the dog.
"Here you go, young lady," Alex says. "I'm looking for the famous Dr. Brief. You must be one of the children of the household, right? Can you do me a favor and ask him for a meeting? The robot replying through the speaker seems... glitched."
"Hehe," the woman replies, giggling softly. "You're a real charmer, aren't you? And who might you be? Your pet seems quite lovely; it reminds me of a set of amethyst earrings in my collection."
She can see you?
Though the Peasant's eyes are closed... she's the sharpest person Princess Jewel has seen in this world.
"I'm Alex Kerber... a Spectre and Demon Hunter. I've come to this planet to hunt a dangerous demon; it's a matter of life and death. As I said, the demon might wipe out this entire planet," Alex explains.
"A demon, you say? How dreadful! But I am not quite sure I can believe that..." she says, looking slightly suspicious.
"I believe I have proof; please give me a chance. I wouldn't ask this if it weren't serious. I am not here to scam you," Alex pleads. "Please just grant me five minutes with Dr. Brief. I believe I can convince him to believe me. If not, I'll leave immediately, I swear."
Alex's [Shepard's Promise R2] activates, and his eyes briefly glow in a blue light.
"Hmmm... okay, since you are such a polite young man... and your armor clearly stands out... you even look the part... oh my... a true Demon Hunter. This is exciting, isn't it?" she says, carefully inspecting him and pausing after every sentence, taking in Alex's complete appearance.
Yes! Did it!
"Heh, I can show you something even more exciting if you want to," Alex says, grinning, while feeling a mysterious presence on his back staring holes into the back of his head.
"Oh my... you shouldn't..." she says, blushing and looking away. "But maybe we can get a drink together or visit a nice restaurant. Anyway, let me introduce you to my husband."
Finally, she opens her light-blue eyes fully and extends a hand towards Alex. "I'm Panchy, the wife of the Doctor."
Alex shakes it, meeting her gaze head-on. "It's nice to meet you."
---------------------------------------------------
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