Chapter 7
67.
As the story continues, the group needs to figure out where the Evil Mimi originated from. Figuring out its biological data will help them trace its origin, as well as the proper way of dealing with it. The problem is, none of what they know matches the Evil Mimi. But what if they test something no one is familiar with? Having this question in mind, Rubi borrowed the Runecrystals of Lulu and Yuna.
Using their 3d scanner, Rubi thoroughly assesses each side of the Runecrystal. After a few seconds, the results are shown on the computer. It turns out, Runecrystal has a genetic structure inside of it. When Rubi tested the other Runecrystal, it showed another genetic structure, which is closely similar but different from the first one. The writings inside of the crystal are what make them different from each other.
"Fascinating, they are like fossils. They contain different structures, depending on what's inside of it…" Rubi said while reading the results.
"I don't understand what nyu said, but I told nyu it would work," Lulu replied.
"At this point, we experienced too many mysteries with Rue, we hardly get surprised by whatever it brings," Yuna added.
"Chuu~ As long as it glows, that's all I want!" Pily also commented.
"Some parts are similar but the rest are somewhat different," Rubi replied.
"Just like Kita and Hana, their talents are ice and water. Similar in a sense but entirely different." Yuna responded.
Rubi tried to compare the Runecrystal structure to the Evil Mimis' genes. For the first attempt, something matches. Though only some parts of the structure, the latter is incompatible.
"Finally, a relationship. It's not a complete match but still, a relevant connection!" Rubi said.
"If every Runecrystal is closely similar but different to each other, and the same goes for Evil Mimis and Ruenecrystals, does that mean they belong to the same group?" Yuna asked.
"I think the better hypothesis is Evil Mimis are the by-product of an experiment from Runecrystal. I mean, it's impossible for a creature to come out from nowhere, without any form of relation to any other creatures that exist in our world. Something beyond nature must have happened." Rubi explained.
"My head hurts just by listening," Lulu commented.
"Let's report this hypothesis to Eve," Rubi responded.
As soon as they arrange the printed documents of the analysis, Rubi, Yuna, and Lulu immediately head to the observatory. Eve read the data and it made her rethink the results that she had.
"If this is true, then it all makes sense now…" Eve said.
"What do nyu mean?" Rubi asked.
"We've been studying their behavior, and they are a very odd one. At first, we thought that they were related to the Beast Mimis since they were furious. But the more we look at it, the behavioral pattern is somewhat similar to Tameable Mimis…" Eve answered.
"Not to mention, they have the same fur texture…" Rubi responded.
"I know that this is a weak claim for now, but I think Evil Mimis are Tameable Mimis corrupted by the Runecrystal…" Eve stated.
"It's hard to believe that, I mean Pily has been holding our Runecrystal for a long time but he does not turn into one of those," Hana argued.
"Chuuu~ It's true. I hid Runecrystals before I even met them." Pily responded.
"Then it must have been forced through a lab experiment," Rubi replied.
"Is that even possible?" Kita questioned.
"Technically, yes. If the Runecrystal can change a Kemi's state, then it can also be done to other living creatures. But since the Evil Mimis show a violent manner, the possibility of them being forced to evolve using a Runecrystal is greater than they themselves fusing with it willingly." Eve answered.
"The Tameable Mimis are harmless, while Evil Mimis are evidently aggressive. It could possibly mean that the Evil Mimis are corrupted by forced evolution. But of course, these assumptions are hypothetical for now." Rubi added.
"Even so, this is still disturbing. Who would have done such a horrible thing…" Hana reacted.
"I highly doubt that it's from the Central region. I know every ongoing project here in our region, and none of those are related to Tameable Mimis. Our focus is renewable energy, not evolution." Eve replied.
"Is Hideo involved?" Lulu curiously asked.
"Hmmm… There's no proof of his involvement yet. He collects Runekeys, not Runecrystals." Yuna answered.
"No… I think he is definitely involved in this one." Raven responded as she entered the observatory. "I just got a report that Hideo has been exploring a lot of islands, specifically the Deserted Isles. Not to mention, there are rumors that Hideo and the Head Developer of the Southern region are plotting something," she added.
"Who is Hideo?" Rubi asked.
"I can answer that while we are on the road, shall we travel to the Northern region now?" Raven replied.
"Hai, locating the source is our top priority," Eve responded.
The long conversation finally creates a stepping stone for their progress. Just like in every experiment, it all starts with a hypothesis based on observation. Once the claims are proven with supporting details, they turn into facts, which are used to guide future generations. Otherwise, claims will remain hypothetical.
Preparing for their next journey, Eve used her position as a Head Researcher to issue lockdown security to their laboratory. The heads of a research project have the right to ask for security assistance from the main laboratory of the Central region. It's a common ordinance in the Central region since developing different ways to harvest energy is dangerous. A lot of unforeseen casualties are a risk if a Kemi accidentally causes a lab error without the
Head Researcher's supervision.
The group kept the information about the Evil Mimis secret. Strictly following their Head Developer's order. Non-disclosure rights help them to keep their project hidden from other laboratories. With that, they were able to completely lock their laboratory.
When everything was settled, the group rode the minivan once more. Raven's car was temporarily kept inside the garage since the minivan is a lot more spacious. The group brought their backpacks in case something were to happen. Also, Rubi takes the wheel this time since Eve and Rubi are scared that Raven will turn their Minivan into a race van.
Traveling to the Northern region is closely similar to the distance between the Southern to Central. It will be a long road adventure, it's now time for the Catgirls to buckle up for another trip.
68.
The Central region has better traffic than the Southern region. As of now, the road is nearly empty and it has never been busy. The Kemis in this region spend most of their time in the laboratories, only to go outside when necessary, unlike the Southern region where everyone is everywhere.
It's been 5 hours of constant driving, and the group is quite tired of it. They decided to stop for a while to stretch out for a bit, then continue their journey after a short break. Instinctively, Raven went to the driver's seat, while the rest sat elsewhere.
"Wait, I think something is wrong…" Rubi said since she exchanged seats with Raven unconsciously.
"Oh no…" Eve replied as they all watched Raven stretch her neck.
An empty road is every racer's dream, it's hard for Raven to pass on this one. With that said, Raven, the Racing Queen is back. The average duration of traveling from the Central to the Northern region is about a whole day. Then again, only if they are driving at average speed. But for the Racing Queen, the speedometer is the limit. Nothing is going to stop her from making the vehicle almost fly into the air.
In just one afternoon, before the star even settled, the group reached the Skyway towards the Northern region. They thought it would be a road trip with multiple stops, but it turned out to be a whole day sprint. None of them can even speak at the moment. Their souls are still in the Central region, trying to catch up with the minivan.
"We're here, who's hungry?" Raven said as she finally drove slower. There's a speed limit in Skyway that's why Raven was forced to follow.
"What just happened?" Rubi asked.
"Is this what they call warping…" Eve replied.
"I still think that nyu are the Racing Queen. I'm no match for that…" Kita said.
Hana, Yuna, and Lulu could not even react, they are still coping with the sudden City Race: Minivan Edition. Raven laughs as she enjoys the moment.
Eventually, the group calmed down. Everything sank in as they finally realized that they are in the Northern region. If the Central is similar to the Southern but less flashy, then the Northern region is completely different. The scenery of this place is silvery because scientists in this region prefer the strength and durability of the materials, instead of being flashy and expensive.
Kita wants to eat somewhere but Eve and Rubi insist that they should eat the food that they brought. Among the 3 regions, the Northern has the least appetizing meals. Mainly because real food is rare, and food supplements are abundant. Their goal is to discover, and that's why they need to be efficient in terms of traveling across the UniPaws. Food that does not easily rot, has less space consumption, and is able to be eaten in an instant are the conditions that made food supplementary as the staple resource in this region.
The group decided to camp in a parking lot while they ate their dinner. Eve and Rubi are already experts in this kind of setup, they always bring a small stove to cook meals.
"So, nyu are telling me that this place is the boring one?" Kita asked even though her mouth was full.
"Maybe nyu shouldn't eat and talk at the same time," Hana commented.
"Hai, there's no fun place in this area. Everyone wants to go voyage after voyage." Raven answered.
"Where are they going?" Lulu asked.
"They aim to find more materials in different islands. I think they usually head to the Deserted Isles. There are a lot of undiscovered places there, plus the rumors." Rubi answered.
"There's no other projects here? Just one mission?" Yuna questioned.
"Hai, which makes this region the perfect place to do something else behind everyone's radar. The Central region records each project while the Northern only records the expedition logs. That includes the materials gathered during the search.." Eve replied.
"Well, it makes se-" Kita was about to respond but she suddenly choked on her meal.
"I told nyu to stop talking while eating," Hana said as she gave Kita a glass of water.
"Is she always like this? I mean, chaotic?" Rubi curiously asked.
"Well, we don't really have a choice." Yuna kiddingly answered.
"We love her that way!" Lulu added.
"I don't know if I should be mad or happy from what I just heard," Kita commented after she recovered. They all laughed as the group continued eating.
After enjoying their meal, the group proceeds to a hotel. It's like an inn from Riverania, but it's more advanced in terms of structure. Hotels are built for investors who visit the place just to observe the exploration. Since Raven is popular, she pretends to be an investor while the rest are her assistants. At first, the receptionist was quite skeptical since there were too many assistants. She, later on, gave them access to the rooms because it's the Racing Queen after all.
"Good thing nyu are famous, I thought we'd be sleeping outside. Which I also don't mind, to be honest," Kita said as they entered their room.
"Well, it comes with a disadvantage," Raven replied.
"Disad-" Lulu yawns, "vantage?" She added to complete her question.
"Hai, since we use my name to stay in this establishment for free, there's a possibility that information will eventually crawl to Hideo. He may not be influential in other regions but words can spread easily nowadays." Raven explained.
"Then we better hurry, we must find something before Hideo finds out our plan," Hana replied.
"I think we forgot to discuss who Hideo is during our ride. Or we did but I was just not able to hear anything at that time?" Rubi mentioned.
"I totally forgot about that, I'll explain it now," Raven responded.
Raven proceeds to tell her story about Hideo. Just like how Hideo found Kita's group, he also found Raven years ago. It's not hard to track Raven back then since she was an outstanding Kemi. It was the start of Raven's career in Motor Racing, Hideo already scouted her before she even entered her first race. Hideo offered Raven an agreement that he would fund her racing career as long as Raven signed the contract. It was too good to be true back then, but it turned out to be a trap in the later years.
The story proves that Hideo is a schemer. He can effectively control someone by taking advantage of a situation. As someone who's been controlled for years, Raven did not allow Kita's group to experience the same thing. But her actions already made Hideo realize that Raven will turn against him eventually. After the long story, the group decided to call it a day.
69.
The hotel that the group is currently occupying has an enclosed footbridge connecting the hotel and the expedition work area. Allowing the visitors to cross each place during working hours. As soon as the star rose on the UniPaws, the group started to work. Eve and Rubi were already gathering information even with just 5 hours of sleep. They are used to working more while having sleepless nights. The rest of the group meets up with them when they realize that it's been hours since Eve and Rubi started working.
The group saw Eve and Rubi in the cafeteria of the hotel, drinking coffee while arranging papers. They approach them to ask for progress.
"So how's everything?" Kita asked after she yawned.
"Sorry we woke up late," Hana said.
"Don't worry about it. So far we managed to get an update about the recent expedition that they did. But it's not related to any Tameable Mimis or Runecrystals." Eve answered.
"Our speculation is there's a group or maybe an individual that works in the expedition. They or that Kemi sneaks in during the expedition to collect Runecrystal." Rubi responded.
"Another theory is this expedition is just a cover-up for their true agenda. It's hard to believe that this is just the work of a single or small group of Kemis." Eve added.
"Nyu are like detectives!" Lulu commented.
"I guess it's natural for scientists to be this observant and analytical," Yuna replied.
"Believe me, this is just a surface of what a scientist can do," Rubi said.
Later that moment, a Kemi serves them breakfast meals. Raven already orders for them while they are busy with the updates.
"Never skip breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day," Raven said as the food was being served.
"I thought the food here was only supplementary?" Kita questioned.
"For the scientists, yes, since that's what they prefer to do to save time. But they serve real food for visitors, especially if they are potential investors." Raven answered.
"Being a VIP is fun~" Lulu commented.
While they are peacefully enjoying their meal, Yuna recognizes someone. An Antelopegirl Kemi with long black hair, eating alone across the table.
"Is that the artist that we watched in the Digi art?" Yuna asked.
"Probably not, different hair color," Kita answered.
"If she is an artist, changing hair color is normal for them," Rubi responded.
Raven looks at the Kemi that they are talking about, and in that instant, she remembers the Kemi. "She is Vali, the most famous Digi artist in Zenshin," Raven said.
"Yow Vali!" Raven called Vali's attention. Vali looked at Raven, and then immediately approached the group upon notice.
"Hi! I did not know that you were also here." Vali greeted Raven.
"I'm just roaming around, how about nyu? What are nyu doing here?" Raven replied.
"Well, I'm required to do an artwork about the Northern region. I'm trying to scope out the place first. There's a Kemi named Celeste that I should meet, she will give me a tour around." Vali answered.
"I'm glad that nyu are doing well. I hope nyu enjoy your trip. By the way, these guys are my assistants, they are helping me with my travels." Raven responded as she introduced the group. The rest of them wiggled their ears to greet Vali.
"Nice meeting you all!" Vali said as she also wiggled her ears. "Anyway, I think that's her, I'll be going now!" She added.
"Hai, see you around," Raven replied.
After Vali left, Hana said, "Nyu and Vali seem close."
"We worked together a lot back in the day. She's a hard-working Kemi, and we barely hang out since she's too busy." Raven answered. "Shall we move on too?" She added. Seeing Vali again made her realize that she also needs to put in more effort as well.
Pretending to be an investor, the group goes around the place to observe. They are allowed to check every corner of the project since it's the right of an investor. Raven leads the way as everyone follows. Looking around the place, the work area is truly inviting for visitors. The place have different model ships displayed. There are 2 parts to this place; one is the engineering of the boats, and the second one is the expedition proper where they reload stocks in the boat. The supervisor, a Chameleonman Kemi, acts as the tour guide of the group. Raven and the group are projected as big investors after all.
Countless hours passed, and it looks like they are getting nowhere. Kita's group tried to ask subtle questions which are intended to make the supervisor spill some information. But none of those attempts worked, it's either the supervisor is extremely good at answering questions or he doesn't know anything about it in the first place. The group decided to go back to the cafeteria to rest. The supervisor gave them privacy for now, but he did tell the group not to hesitate to call him again if they wanted to continue.
"This is frustrating!" Kita complained.
"Lower your voice, nyu don't want to create more trouble, don't nyu?" Hana told Kita.
"I am confused if they are playing dumb or they are entirely clueless about the Evil Mimis," Yuna added.
"All I could hear earlier was... there, out there, and going to these islands," Lulu commented.
"Chuuu~ They do tell a lot about exploring other places," Pily commented as well.
"I am starting to think that there's no laboratory related to Evil Mimis here. It's somewhere else…" Eve hypothesized.
"That's it… What if we also go somewhere else? Like the Deserted Isles?" Raven suggested.
"We cannot just simply join an expedition even if we are an investor," Eve argued.
"Then let's buy a ship. Let's go there by ourselves. We can narrow down the islands that have already been discovered, right?" Raven responded.
"I also learned how to navigate during our travels," Yuna added.
"Well, that's doable but hard. I mean owning a boat is way too expensive." Rubi said.
"Don't worry about that, we are prepared for that! Right, Raven?" Kita intervened.
"Hai, new plus the old-time champ. I'm confident that we can even buy two of those ships." Raven answered.
"But still, none of us can steer a ship," Eve said.
While the argument continues, they are getting carried away by it, resulting in a loud conversation in the cafeteria. A couple of moments later, a white short hair Catgirl with yellow eyes, noticed the chaos. Her ears led her to the distinct noise, she was very intrigued by the topic especially when she heard that the group needed a seafarer. The Catgirl Kemi decided to approach the group as she shyly asked, "Anooo… Are nyu looking for a seafarer?"
End of Chapter 7