Part 30: Well, that was a great way of getting welcomed to Zeiss.

Zeiss gets the best town music.

-Factory City of Zeiss-



During Estelle's last visit to Zeiss, she and Joshua paid a call on the genius who brought orbments to Liberl, Professor Russell, to have him examine a Gospel that had fallen into their hands. Colonel Richard got wind of it and launched a raid on the Zeiss Central Factory, to steal back the Gospel and shanghai the professor for the Intelligence Division's own research.



After learning that he was being held in the nearby Royal Army headquarters at Leiston Fortress, Estelle, Joshua, Agate, and the professor's granddaughter Tita snuck in to bust him out, aided by pretty much the entire staff of the Central Factory.



And a cat.



The alarm went up after they found the professor, but they got some last-minute assistance from none other than the base commander, Major Cid, who was himself something of an unwilling accomplice to the I.D.'s plans.



We need to check in with Kilika.
'Kilika'? A rather exotic name for Liberl. It sounds Eastern.
What kind of woman is she, I wonder?
You never give up, do you...
Let's just say she isn't your average woman. She's bolder than Scherazard, as capable of running a guildhouse as the queen herself, and she's a master of Eastern martial arts.
In fact...word of advice? Don't even try unless you want her to rearrange your face.
Heh. Now my interest is positively piqued. What are we waiting for, then? Let us away to--

-Silence-

*KROOOOOM*



I-Is this the fury of Kilika?!
Would you give it a rest already?!
It's...an earthquake?!
Young Boy: Aaaah! Heeeeeelp!
Passenger: The dock is going to collapse! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!





Gerald: It can easily handle one this small! Please, don't panic!



Gerald: *phew* Thank Aidios that's over...Everyone, please come to reception in an orderly fashion.
Passenger: Hoooo, man...It's been a while since I was in an earthquake.
Young Girl: Heeeeee, that was SO COOL!



It wasn't very strong, but attention, world: please wait until I'm not on scaffolding before you shake again. Love, Estelle.
Haha! I'll sign that letter, too.
It's rare for us to get an earthquake in Liberl, though...
Really? Hmm.
Yeah. Hell, I can't remember the last time I felt one.
Let's get to the guildhouse, see what the damage is.

-Factory City of Zeiss-



The city has also remained calm for the most part. I believe there is little to worry about on that front. Yes, I understand. Please, continue to do what you can. Farewell. *click*
Hmhm...Your timing is quite serendipitous.



I imagine your welcome at the port was quite warm.
Ahaha...Yeah, kinda. It's been a while, Kilika.



Good to see you again, Kilika.
Likewise. I'm glad to see you here. And you two would be Olivier Lenheim and Her Highness Princess Klaudia, I believe. Or shall I say, Miss Kloe Rinz? I'm Kilika. I handle reception here at the Zeiss branch of the guild. A pleasure to meet you two.
No, the pleasure is ours.
My word, but your beauty eclipses even what I expected...Madam, allow your humble servant Olivier Lenheim to improvise a song t--
According to Jean, you've both officially registered as assistants, yes? Assistants are free to use the rest area upstairs, just as normal bracers do. Feel free to use it to relax, for meetings, et cetera.
Thank you!
Er, yes, but my impro--
If you wish to play your lute, you are welcome to play it upstairs. Do restrain yourself to reasonable limits, however, if you please.
Erm...Yes, ma'am.
(Wow, uh, I think Kilika might be even harder on Olivier than Schera...)
Right, anyway...
How are things looking in terms of work piled up?
We do have some work posted, but nothing urgent at the moment. You're welcome to attend to it as you see fit.
But...Hmm...
Huh? What's up, Kilika? You look like you're thinking about something.
This is...not a normal 'job,' but a request from the guild. In your position as the group investigating the Society of Ouroboros, I'd like you to check on something.
What d'you...?
Uh, this is a bit sudden!
Um...What do you mean?
It's actually what you might expect. I want you to investigate the earthquake that just happened.
Investigate the earthquake? You mean like go around asking about damage? Well, sure, but what does...?
Well, yes, that as well. However...Three days ago, a similar earthquake occurred at the Wolf Fort. It lasted about ten seconds, and the quake was not strong enough to cause any real damage.
Just like the last quake we got. Great...
There's one particularly odd point. The earthquake at the Wolf Fort did not affect the City of Zeiss.
Wait, huh?
Well, that IS strange. If I recall the map correctly, the Wolf Fort is not far from the city. An earthquake centered there certainly should've been felt here in the city, to at least a small extent.
It was a weak quake, so it is possible we simply did not notice.
Still, your friend is right. It does seem unusual...unnatural. I cannot help but feel a terrible sense of foreboding about it.
No, I think I get it...
Just like with our 'ghost,' weird stuff like this makes me curious too.
Anyway, sure, we'll take the job. Guess we should ask around the city and the Wolf Fort, right?
Yes. I'll be counting on you. Mr. Murdock is already gathering information about the quake in the city, however. I expect he'll be thorough, so you don't need to worry about the city.
Okay, then, so off to the Wolf Fort!
Well...ultimately, this is just my personal suspicion. Remember, it's nothing urgent. Feel free to investigate as you see fit while working on other jobs.
Besides, I believe you have someone to say hello to, yes?
Oh...Um, yeah...We saw a new Gospel too, so we really should go see Tita and Professor Russell.
That seems like a good idea, yes.
Let us delay our guild work until we say hello, then.
Come! Let us reunite with Tita with joyful hugs!
When the heck did you take the lead...?
Eh, whatever. Let's get to Gramps' workshop.



Knowin' Russell, they might be at the Central Factory.
Girl's Voice: _{Grandpaaaaa! The second floor's cleaned up!}
Old Man's Voice: _{Thank you, Tita! Could you organize the parts next?}
Girl's Voice: _Okaaaay!
Haha! I don't think we have to worry about finding them.
Sounds like. C'mon.



Yo! You doin' all right, shortstuff?



Yay! You're back! Where've you been?



I can always just stop visitin', you know.
Still good to see you two again. Place is a bit of a mess, though. Lemme guess, that little shake-up knocked everything over?
Heehee! Yeah, sorry for the mess.
Hiya, everyone!
Wha...



Estelle! Hello!
Es...Est...
Esteeeeeeelle...!



It's...Uwaaaaah...It's really you...I thought you were gone forever...
Wait, hang on, 'gone forever'? I'd never do that!
B-B-But...I heard Joshua ran away...And then you left the country...
I thought I was never gonna see you agaaaain...Uwaaah-haaah...
Oh, Tita...I'm sorry...I shouldn't have left without saying anything.
As I recall, Cassius sent you off to that bracer school in Leman, didn't he? When did you get home?
I got back just a little while ago. I was working in Ruan after getting back...I only just arrived in Zeiss.
I see. Well, welcome back!
Ah, wait, the two with you...
Hello, Professor, Tita. I'm sorry I've been out of touch as well.
Heh. Pardon our intrusion, good sir.
Kloe, Olivier...Everyone's here...This is wonderful!
They're helping us with our investigation. A lot of stuff happened in Ruan.
Hmm...
Well, let's get comfortable and hear the story, eh? Come, I'll show you to the living room.



And they had another Gospel with them? Troubling.
A holographic projector that can show an image all the way across a region? How...How is that even possible?
Well, the CONCEPT of a projected holograph is nothing new. I've been kicking around ideas for pulling it off myself, even.
But a device that can project a lifelike, three-dimensional image great distances away from its origin point?
I...can scarcely imagine the physics behind such a thing. Hmmmmm...
That weirdo we fought said something about an 'experiment' with a 'new Gospel.'
It did seem bigger than the one from before, but it didn't stop our orbments.
Oh, yeah, speakin' of, how's the Gospel we captured in the coup? You figure anything out about it yet?
Mmm. About that. The more I investigate that little enigma, the stranger it gets.
Strange?
Yes. Let me start at the end, actually. I am convinced the 'Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon' is not a function of the device itself.
Wh...What?
B-But...That Black Orbment has stopped other orbments dead in their tracks. We've SEEN it, Professor!
You've seen orbments stop in its presence. That isn't quite the same thing, milady.
No matter how I look at it, though, the quartz in the device simply cannot actually do that. It can certainly warp orbal fields--oh, how it can do that--but suppress them? No.
Warp orbal fields...?
Oh, 'orbal field' refers to the electromagnetic field generated by an individual orbal device. With normal orbments, you can describe an orbal field by drawing its 'field lines,' and those follow very specific rules...When Grandpa tested the Gospel, though, its field didn't obey those rules at all!
This is going a little above my pretty little head, I'm afraid.
'Obeying...rules? You mean that thing the plebes do?'
Yeeeah...Afraid not much is registering.
In layman's terms, it's a warped orbal field that doesn't obey the laws of such things as we understand them.
Regardless of that, though...ultimately, an orbal field amounts to nothing more than orbal energy in an area. Unless you were to apply very specific direction and purpose to them, you shouldn't get the 'Orbal Shutdown Phenomenon' regardless...
To be honest, I'd been utterly stuck on this, but with your report of this holographic business...I may have an idea.
Thank you for letting me know!
Haha...Well, I'm not sure how that was useful, but...you're welcome?
The Royal Army oughtta have possession of the hologram thing the enemy was using. If you want to have a look, get in touch with 'em.
Hmm, I may just do that.
Speaking of which, what are you going to be up to now? Will you be working in Zeiss for a while?
Oh, yeah, about that...

Ah, so Kilika thinks the earthquakes...Hm.
Well, it is true that earthquakes are rare here in Liberl. And she is correct about the earthquake at the Wolf Fort.
Three days ago...
I think Ms. Kilika is right! I don't remember Zeiss getting any tremors at all! That IS kinda weird...
Well, it's a natural phenomenon, so I kinda doubt the society is involved. It's still pretty weird, though, and we'd like to figure out what's going on.
Indeed. Earthquakes, hm? I wonder if it would be useful...
Huh?
Gramps, if you haul out another weird invention, I swear...
Hmm...I do have something in mind. But then how would we...? Wait, transmit the data back here using...and then hook it into the Capel! Of course!
Hah! Yes! It'd work perfectly!
Uh, Professor Russell? Could you keep the rest of us in the loop!
Ah, don't worry. I need to check a few things regardless before we start. I'd recommend heading to the Wolf Fort, and learning from them what happened. I'll see about preparing you a little something useful for when you get back.
Well, I definitely won't say no, but...What 'little something' are we talking about, here?
Hah! That'd spoil the surprise! Just you wait. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get to the Central Factory! Just have to browbeat Murdock into going along...
Tita, would you mind helping your ol' Grandpa?
Oh, sure...
Estelle, Agate, I'm sorry. We finally met again after so long, and...
Haha! It's okay, don't worry.
I'm just happy to get a chance to see you again!
Estelle...
Hey, no tears now, kiddo. Besides, we'll be here in Zeiss for a while. We'll have plenty of chances to see each other later. Just you wait.
Yeah!
Uh, um...I'm sorry we couldn't give you much of a welcome.
Haha! Don't worry, Tita.
Fear not! We shall stop by again. Perhaps, on that day, I too can be greeted with such moist, welcoming eyes!
And on that day you'll have two black eyes.
Um, haha...ha? Anyway, see you later!
We'll contact the guild once we're ready!



Still inside all the time fiddling with machines at her age...Kinda makes me worry, you know?
Mmm. She doesn't do a lot of 'girl stuff,' I guess.
But hey, I didn't at that age, either, and I turned out okay.
Her parents oughtta be the ones worried about it, dang it. I guess they can't, being out of the country. Think I might have to talk to Gramps about it the next time we see him.
Why, Agate. That's quite a...brotherly thing to say.
Huh...?
Or perhaps a fatherly thing to say.
Ah, what a fine daughter! You would make any man jealous, Mr. Crosner.
...You lookin' to lose some teeth, blondie?
Not at all. Indeed, I do envy your bond with that girl.
Haha! To be honest, I understand what Olivier means.
Tita's the kind of girl you wish was your little sister. I envy you, Estelle.
H-Hey, Kloe, cut it out...
Well, don't worry! Everyone'll get to know her soon enough! Except for Olivier, maybe.
Estelle! An arrow, my heart!
Oh, for...I can't keep up with this.
Let's get this show on the road, huh?
You're right, we should. So let's make our way over to the Wolf Fort while we work on those other jobs!