Golden lightning immediately Swirled outwards, of course, without any power, and the thugs also cooperatively lay sprawled on the ground, playing dead.
After that, it was a mix of reciting lines and fighting. Although neither of them had acted before, they both had a foundation in swordsmanship, so this scene also passed in one take.
"Phew! That was exhilarating! I didn't expect you to be so powerful. Why haven't I heard of you in Inazuma City before?" Arataki Itto asked, combing his hair.
Just as Shiki was about to say something, his subordinate leaned into Arataki Itto's ear and said: "Boss, she's the Shogun's Side Attendant! Weren't you locked up for fighting around that time..."
"Uh... cough, cough, let's not bring up the past, alright!"
"So you guys are here!"
Paimon's unique voice came from the side. Shiki turned her head and saw the Traveler and his Emergency Food.
"I saw you posted a commission at the Adventurers' Guild. Is there something you need my help with?"
"...Let's discuss it in detail."
Shiki pulled the Traveler aside and then recounted Xavier's nightmares and the mysterious numbers.
Lumine thought for a moment and said: "That string of numbers? I did ask him about it. But Xavier told me at the time that it was just a string of numbers and had no special meaning, so I didn't pay it any mind."
"Can you be more specific? For example, where did you see this string of numbers?"
"I found it on a data detector that had fallen on the ground. It must have fallen and hit something, causing it to appear."
'Fallen on the ground...'
Shiki fell into thought. Would Xavier, that meticulous guy, make such a low-level mistake?
And in an environment like Tatarasuna, the detector should always be carried and kept close. Why would it be left on the ground?
At that time, she had entrusted the task to the Traveler because she was busy. Now it seems that something unknown must have happened at that time.
Looking at it this way, when the incident occurred, the Traveler hadn't arrived at the scene, so she only found the detector left on the ground.
So the question is, what exactly happened to Xavier? Why, as a human, does he not have the most important soul? And what is the purpose of that unknown existence?
"Traveler, tell me everything that happened from the moment you arrived at Tatarasuna until you left. Remember, everything."
"Ah? Alright."
The Traveler saw the girl's serious expression and could only carefully recall what had happened in Tatarasuna.
"When I took your commission and arrived at Tatarasuna, Xavier wasn't there, but the purification devices and everything were laid out on the ground."
"So Paimon and I purified the curse gods of the Mikage Furnace Core. After we finished and were returning the instruments, we ran into Xavier, who had returned from who knows where."
"And finally, it's what I just told you. I picked up the detector on the grass, asked about the meaning of the numbers, and of course, there was nothing."
"Mhm..."
Listening to the Traveler's words, Shiki conceived a scene in her mind: Xavier's small wooden house with purification devices for inerting the curse gods laid out in front, and the fallen detector on the grass not far away.
The Traveler at this time hadn't discovered this detector and directly went inside with the purification device.
A while later, the Traveler finished purifying the curse gods of Tatarasuna and returned to the wooden house to return the instruments, just happening to run into Xavier who had returned, and finally discovered the detector that had fallen on the ground.
Hmm... there are suspicious points, but it's very messy.
"Later, you, Xavier, and I will go to his house. I don't know if we can still find clues after all this time."
After thinking for a long time, Shiki still decided to conduct an on-site investigation first. Perhaps something could be discovered.
"That... I want to go to Seirai Island..."
"I'll give you a hundred Primogems then."
"When do we depart?"
The Traveler's change in attitude was so quick that even Shiki almost couldn't react. Good heavens, is it true that they'll do anything for Primogems?
"You wait a moment. I'll go tell Xavier."
Shiki finished speaking and turned to walk towards Xavier, who was fiddling with the projector.
"Stop that, Xavier. The Traveler is here."
"That fast?"
"Fast? It's already noon. After we settle the wages for those extras, you'll come with me to Tatarasuna."
"Tatarasuna? Why go back there?" Xavier asked, puzzled.
"Of course, to see if we can find clues about that string of numbers. You don't want your dreams every night to be about being dismembered, do you?"
Upon hearing "dismembered," Xavier instantly shivered. These past two days had been enough for him. If it continued like this, he might as well not sleep.
"The sooner we solve the mystery, the better. Speaking of which, what were you doing on the day the Traveler purified the curse gods?"
"Oh, I was a bit hungry at the time, so I went out to find something to eat," Xavier said, scratching his head.
"Oh."
Shiki remained noncommittal, instead telling Xavier to settle the wages first.
After settling the extras' wages, Shiki, the Traveler, and Xavier directly teleported to the Waypoint in Tatarasuna.
"Traveler and Paimon, I'll trouble you to search around. Xavier and I will go into the house first."
"No problem!"
It was still the familiar small wooden house. After Xavier opened the door, Shiki was the first to enter.
On the table were neatly arranged manuscripts, and in the corner lay a thick book. Shiki could vaguely make out the four large characters for "Emergency Handbook" on the cover.
Shiki looked around but found nothing amiss.
'1.36.29.1, what does this string of numbers mean?'
Suddenly, Shiki's gaze once again fell upon the Emergency Handbook.
"Xavier, do you know what's written in the Emergency Handbook?"
"Of course I do. It's just some methods for dealing with different levels of hazards. Why do you ask?" Xavier asked.
However, Shiki ignored Xavier and silently opened the Emergency Handbook, turning to the page where 1.36.29.1 was located.
'Just three very ordinary guidelines, but if you take the first character of each, they are 'rescue,' 'grasp,' and 'person.' The first two are easy to understand: 'rescue me.' But what about 'person'?'
"Xavier, what kind of problems that can't be solved by the guidelines are there, generally?"
"Aside from irreparable damage, it's diplomatic issues that have escalated to a national level. Such matters aren't something we small engineers can resolve; they naturally need to be reported to those above."
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