Disc 2: Land of Castles and the Lion. Ch. 1: Headhunt

Stone’s Water took Common Day by surprise.

He could see the Community’s walls and borders in a single glance—something unimaginable in Many Streams. Satis, on the other hand, was awestruck by the vastness of it all.

Tongue was amused by both their reactions.

“You two aren’t the traveling type, are you, my dears? First time away from home? Many Streams is the biggest Community, so everything’s tightly connected. But normal Communities are made up of separate infrastructures. For example, the entire community is called “the Land of Castles”—composed of smaller communities, like Stone’s Water, Iron Bridge, Divination Central, and so on.”

This stretch of the road had a much heavier footfall. Everyone seemed in good spirits, paying little attention to one another. The guards let people pass without thorough inspection—which was fortunate for Tongue, considering her multiple weapons.

Of the four, Satis was the most visibly excited as they entered the Community.

The buildings weren’t as tall as in Many Streams, but they were more ornate. Unlike his former community, the ground floors bustled with shops and services of every kind. The streets were filled with people, all busy, and no one seemed to carry any real worry.

“Now, stay closed and don’t get distracted by the stalls. We need to reach the Guild first,” said Pretty Anarchy Emerald. She sounded serious, though it was obvious she felt more at ease behind the walls.

“Why does everyone look so… happy?” Satis asked, clearly struggling not to wander off.

“Oh, dear girl. Why wouldn’t they? They have less than a year to live—shouldn't people make the most of it? In places like this, pleasure is maximized,” Tongue replied, glancing at the shady establishments across the street.

“No time for that. And yes, here you can find everything—or at least you should. No one’s got a reason to work anymore, right?” Pretty Anarchy Emerald pressed them onward.

The merchant guild explained that the Traders-Workers Guild faced a serious issue: they were short on labor. Pretty was sent to Many Streams to recruit workers, but the Great Earthquake struck first, leaving her back to square one. Most Guild members focused on one thing—accumulating assets.

The idea was quite simple: people wanted to make the most of their final months, so they had no problem giving up possessions—homes, tech, jewelry, weapons. They only hoard the exact amount to live until the exact day of the world's end. No need for savings.

Some exchanged them for money (monetary transfers between NCCAGs were possible since they didn’t rely on the digital cloud), but services demand was more common. Especially for services of pleasure and entertainment.

“But we don’t have enough manpower.” Pretty Anarchy Emerald didn't sound very concerned.

“Why? What’s the point of being rich in a dying world?.” Common Day asked.

“Look here and you’ll get it.”

She referred to a large open-front building. Several men stood behind a counter, taking notes on boards behind them. The customers were eagerly buying something.

“Those are ‘faith-bros’. Not in a religious sense. A lot of people still believe the world will survive—that god’s demise was just a conspiracy theory. In places like this, they recruit investors to bet on humanity’s survival after the so-called ‘end.’”

The Traders-Workers Guild believed the world would continue. They were scrambling to hire workers and amass wealth, hoping to become the new landowners of the peninsula after the ‘false’ apocalypse passed.

When the quartet arrived at Weaponry Plaza—the historic center of Stone’s Water—they witnessed a commotion.

“We will return to punish this outrage! The Lion will not tolerate insults to his subjects! Sinners, there is still time to repent!”

The speaker wore a soft reddish robe. Two others in similar robes stood beside him, flanked by five more men clad in lightly gilded armor. Common Day recognized in the red robes the cross-with-dots symbol from the mansion.

The crowd laughed. The gilded guards formed a protective line and ushered the robed figures through the streets. Neither Pretty nor Tongue recognized the group. They got their answers at the Guild office.

“Don’t worry about them. They’re from the Albigensian Counter-Crusade. Merchants say they came from north of the peninsula, crossing the central mountains. The problem is that the crazy big boss in Strength is backing them. Madmen attract madmen. Or so they say.”

Ground Nebula, head of Stone’s Water Guild office, and Pretty Anarchy Emerald’s adoptive father, informed them of the current situation.

He was overjoyed to see his daughter again and clearly hopeful at the sight of potential workers. He offered them rooms free of charge—traveling Guild members meant there were usually vacancies.

Common Day warned him about the upcoming waves of survivors from Many Streams. The Guild’s head appreciated the intel and went to make preparations. Common Day was surprised to find his Community wasn’t as well liked as he believed. The rest of the peninsula resented Many Streams for being conservative and isolationist. Its leaders ignored outsiders’ problems. The Ground Nebula hoped most of them had perished in the quake.

Exhausted, the group showered and went to bed. Though it was still day, modern rooms could be darkened easily in accordance with the NCCAG hour cycle. Common Day slept peacefully, but quietly acknowledged that it felt strange to sleep separately from Satis.

He was woken by the demoness' shrill voice.

“They’re here! They’re here! Wake up, servant!”

Hundreds of thousands of survivors flooded Stone's Water. From his window, he saw them begging for sheñter. Some huddled in the street’s corners, making homes from boxes. It was too late to escape the Great Earthquake's aftermath, so he rejoined his companions to discuss what to do.

Pretty Anarchy Emerald had a secure position with the Guild and wouldn’t face much hardship in Stone’s Water. Black Tongue would resume her mission—but not before gathering intel on other scientists’ whereabouts.

Common Day did all he could to stop Satis from revealing that part of their mission was to spread evil across the world. He only told them that his final destination was the peninsula’s last community—to reunite with his family before the end.

“My dear, who would’ve thought you had such a lovely goal!” Tongue teased, smiling like a mother.

The merchant girl eyed him skeptically. She didn’t believe someone like him had such simple motives. Truthfully, neither did Common Day. He had acted on impulse when he faced death. But during this journey, he’d experienced more things than he ever did at home.

“It's a funny world to walk around, right?” he said jokingly, putting the subject to rest.

They agreed to gather information and meet again later at the Guild. The few available bars were likely packed with outsiders. Common Day and Satis hid the big electricity pile and stepped out into the streets.

To his shock, he saw her—the short, brown-haired woman in the frilly purple dress.

His heart pounded.

Satis gave him a look of absolute disgust.