319. A Glimpse of the Common Residential Floor

The orientation of their ascent was sickening. To Frost everything appeared perfectly normal but to the others, they could not tell their left from right. Jury and the Archivist were no stranger to walking along walls. The Eternal Library hardly followed Euclidian logic.

But this was different. At times it felt like they were intersecting with themselves. Objects appeared and disappeared on a whim as they travelled through their slice of the 3rd dimension. At least this was what they believed. In truth, they could only describe the homogenous mass of white architecture as a non-Euclidean staircase.

Frost shared a small conversation with Galia regarding their world. Unfortunately, not much was shared since Frost knew so little in the first place. Not even the year was known, but she explained that she lived in a time where people around the world could communicate as if they were on the same street, with handheld devices that stored the entire human history and knowledge, and a world of vast technological, moral, and ethical advancements.

It made Galia’s eyes glisten with wonder as she pictured such an ideal world.

The opening she pointed to earlier led to the Common Residential Floor. The same pale chambers they had seen for the nth time acted as a checkpoint where another assortment of Stars gathered to defend it.

Frost noticed that Stars seemed to have a more internalized role in the Nexus compared to Moons on top of being guides. Speaking of guides; she never really understood what that meant.

The Arbiter explained that even regular Stars were somewhat affiliated with Justica Arms because of their culture that revolved around the Nexus. Unlike other Ateliers, Justica Arms strove to better it rather than themselves directly. The proof was in their widespread worship which Frost had seen before in the 6th Branch, and the fact that Galia had offered her technology to the Nexus.

“A hundred more years from now and I’ll remain the same. A hundred years from now and the Beholders we thought were sane will have deteriorated as it consumes them. The trick is to live alongside it, rather than to let it define you.”

Galia lived by these words, and Beholder Umbra likely did too considering their tech was also within the Nexus. Having a technology assimilated by the Nexus meant that there was certain things Galia could not do. For starters, she could not wield her Beholder powers like the others. Rather, she used products of her technology, namely the Justica Arms.

However, she could use far greater variants of her tech that no others could.

In essence, Beholder Galia solely relied on human ingenuity and her tough skin as a Beholder.

It was fascinating to Frost, who seldom used tools in her body that could just munch and punch her problems away.

The Arbiter spoke highly of Galia, singing praises as the triplets winced like her words were nails along a chalkboard. Jury then joined in to talk about Frost, which caused the triplets, especially Cer, to shift faces depending on who received praises.

They’re in the presence of the Arbiter, but they can act like that because they’re with me. I don’t hate that part about them though.

Eventually, as they walked through another invisible membranous barrier, they appeared in a vast plainlands where settlements sat like little towns for the Blessed. It was a cozy place where the sun shone, and the bustling life of utter peace thrived in this place. Farmlands with fields of crops stretched as far as the eye could see, farmers claiming their harvest using magic.

“So this is where the Blessed live, huh. It’s beautiful.” Frost was awed by the sight. “I’m guessing stronger Blessed tend to live further away.” She noticed that some houses were built extraordinarily far.

“People just like to live away from the noise. There’s around 7 thousand Blessed in the world that aren’t Moons or whatever. As you can tell, not all Blessed are fit to fight. They’re living a completely different life compared to the rest of the world.” Cer explained.

“Completely is an understatement. It’s a completely different world.” Ignis whispered.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if the rest of the world was pleasant like this? Do you think we can have a plot to ourselves?” Jury asked the real questions, causing the Arbiter to fondly nod.

“There are floors dedicated to the Beholders to rest, but they have been retrofitted into their personal workshops within the Nexus. For experimentation with their technology, and for the purpose of creating products. Not all choose to do it here, however, as not everyone has such a place. Additionally, moving infrastructure is not easy.”

The Arbiter explained as she poked Jury’s shoulder with a tail.

“One is created on an axis to a floor of the Archetypes. I received mine when I was taken in as the Arbiter’s Beholder.” Galia revealed, directly implying that Jury likely had such a place of her own too.

“A place to curate my technology… that sounds great! But I wouldn’t the first thing to do.” Jury sheepishly replied.

Galia closed her eyes.

“That’s fine. I suggest revealing it on the eve of the Arbiter’s Council. Depending on what it is, you may have a powerful political tool. Technologies can be combined to create vastly powerful products. I look forward to what your Atelier will bring.”

Jury feel into deep thought, her tail holding Frost tighter as she sought for someone to support her thoughts. Frost held onto her tail, stroking it lovingly as she whispered:

“We’ll think about it together when we get the chance. 7 days is a lot of time for us. Especially with your new powers.”

“Mhm. That’s true. What do I want, right… The same thing as you. I want this kind of peaceful world to spread. But before that, I think something must change internally.” Jury began with an uncertain tone, but she quickly became adamant.

“You know what that sounds like? Like you want to be an auditing Atelier.” Ber said as a joke, but this sparked a sudden flame in both Frost and Jury’s eyes. “Wait, actually?”

“You put what I thought into words. Your intelligence is admirable.” Nav gave Ber a nod of approval, speaking in a deadpan voice that sounded sarcastic. In truth, Nav genuinely praised her.

“An auditing body. The kind that keeps the Beholders in line. Ber, are you a genius?” Frost praised, causing Cer to puff out her chest for Ber, all the while Res just stood there.

“Genius. I always knew it.” Ignis said softly.

“That could be it… Yeah, that might be it!” Jury rejoiced. “Ber~! Thank you!”

“Put me at the top brass! No wait, make me top gold!” Ber posed with her sister proudly.

“Top diamond you mean!” Cer grinned.

“Yeah, diamond!”

“I’m so sorry.” Res apologized with a straight face that hid her mental anguish.

“Keeping Beholders in line? That sounds rather interesting. I am not opposed to that idea.” Galia surprisingly condoned the approach.

Galia herself was at major odds against the other Beholders. It was no secret that she herself had tried regulating them, notably Caldera Industries regarding their mining practices around villages. But she was just one Beholder, and the Arbiter could not leave the Nexus to confirm certain atrocities. Furthermore, the Arbiter in general did not appear to be as strict as Frost initially believed.

But Frost would not be as lenient. They would know hell and she’d make sure of it. Even if she wasn’t as strong as a Beholder now, they likely didn’t know that. In fact, they would consider her as a being that not even the Arbiter herself could defeat.

Knowing that the Amalgam backed Jury’s Atelier would absolutely keep them in line.

That being said – the group eventually backtracked and ascended the white column again.

As it turned out, Galia had previously eliminated 4 Ateliers in the past all on her own. The legitimacy of her claim was up for debate, but she revealed an interesting tidbit of information.

“Slain Beholders can have their technologies harvested. There is no rule that states that a Beholder should only be limited to one piece of technology. They’re usually corroded, however. Mostly unusable. You’d be surprised with what a normal human can do with a fraction of a Beholder’s might. What a sharpened tongue can do to bring people of power to succumb to the warm wraps of temptations.”

She hissed like a serpent.

“People are shaped by the world around them, but they also have inherent qualities that can change the outcome. People are like coffee beans. They go through the processes that brew them into a cup of coffee. Creamy. Strong. Bitter… rancid. And in spite of worldly and pressures, those inherent qualities can be tasted through the brew. Some processes seek to mask it. Others seek to bring it out. In the end, it’s a fundamental aspect that can never truly be removed from us.”

Galia monologued as they neared the top.

The next stop was the Middle Sanctums.

The place where the assimilated technologies resided, as well as the Eternal Library.