A Few Days Later
"...these seem easier than I thought..." Caelus comments offhandedly as he reads a book of New Eridu's College-Entry Basic of Engineering. Ever since he acquired an old W-Engine shaped like a pocket watch, he had decided to research how to repair it, including reading about its history, given Wise's mention that it contains old W-Engine components.
'Luckily enough, I had graduated with Engineering as my major,' Caelus thought as he gained another notification of how [Basic Engineering] had leveled up once again. 'That's the 5th level up...'
Thanks to his passive and experience in learning engineering, leveling up his passive is a piece of cake for him. Maintaining this would increase the passive to its maximum level, and if possible, evolve his passive.
'Also, there's another thing...' Caelus thought as he glanced at his system screen.
[Erudition (LVL 0): 341/1000]
[Erudition (LVL 0): 342/1000]
'I gain a possible new Path, one that the original Caelus had never gained access to. Or maybe not yet,' Caelus thought while taking notes. 'I suppose the theory of the Trailblazers gaining all Paths in later stories might not be as far-fetched as I used to think. And another thing happens when I read and take notes on the history section earlier...'
[Remembrance (LVL 0): 700/1000]
'I guess taking notes on history is considered as preserving history, or maybe memories.' Caelus continues to write more notes. Before he could continue, a plate of food was placed next to him. Caelus is slightly surprised before turning around to see that it was Meilian who put the food.
"You forgot to eat breakfast again," Meilian says.
"I...did?" Caelus blinks before his stomach growls. "...I guess I did,"
"Hardworking is a good trait, but you shouldn't neglect your health as well," Meilian says while shaking her head.
"Ah...my bad," Caelus says while rubbing the back of his head.
"What are you studying exactly, young man?" Meilian asks curiously as she glances at the book. "Engineering, huh?"
"Yeah...I'm interested in these subjects," Caelus says while scratching his cheek.
"...W-Engine? Are you planning to make one?" Meilian asks curiously. She had been keeping up with the news, including that related to Hollow disasters. And with Qingyi constantly visiting her during her free time, she gains quite a lot of information regarding Hollow-related jobs.
"I...found one that is broken and I plan to fix it, but the components were...outdated," Caelus says while scratching his cheeks. "I even had to look up the history to know more about this."
"Have you ever considered contacting Miss Qingyi, perhaps asking her about it?" Meilian asks curiously.
"It's...best if I contact her when there's an emergency. I mean, I did get a contact number from a senior officer who is busy most of the time," Caelus says.
"You could just message her and wait till she reads," Meilian suggests before walking away.
"..." Without saying a word, Caelus pulls out a phone and messages Qingyi a few questions before continuing to read his book while eating his food.
[Erudition (LVL 0): 343/1000]
[Erudition (LVL 0): 344/1000]
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Later
As time passed, Caelus had read the entire book, and his Erudition progress had reached halfway while his passive skill had gained 2 more levels. Currently, Caelus is sitting at the guest table in the guest waiting area while attempting to look at his still-broken W-Engine, and thanks to his passive skills, he has gained more information on how to fix the machine.
[Old Pocketwatch (Broken)]
[Stats: %#@$!]
[Passive: %@/÷:*$?(]
'So, I got more information. The W-Engine works like a game, providing increased stats and a unique passive.' Caelus thought as he looked at every broken piece he found when disassembling the entire W-Engines, which was a lot.
'Geez, whoever used this doesn't know how to treat their weapons properly,' Caelus grimaces as he pulls out a piece of broken gear. The damage reminds Caelus of a bullet wound. 'Did they use this as an Aeon-damned bulletproof vest?!'
Caelus blinks before he recalls what he had thought. Since when did he start saying Aeons instead of gods!? Is this another change in his personality or identity again? Caelus can't help but be concerned, fearing his identity is slowly being erased.
"Hey, Caelus," Phil walks into the apartment building, snapping Caelus out of his thoughts.
"Hey, Phil...." Caelus pauses before looking at Phil, whose eyes had turned red and puffy. This concerns Caelus as he stops his work and approaches the bunny Thiren.
"You're okay? Why are you crying?" Caelus asks in concern, causing Phil to blink before realizing his appearance.
"Ah...no, I wasn't crying. Today's chemistry lesson had a little accident, and it hurt my eyes." Phil stammers, sounding like a nervous kid talking to his parent. This made Phil pause. Why does he even act like this?
"Phil, you didn't have a chemistry lesson," Caelus says dryly. "Remember? You stuck your lecture schedules on your table while you gave me a room tour not long ago?"
After hanging out on Sixth Street, Phil wanted to talk with Caelus, and he invited him into his room. Caelus remembers how messy it was when he first visited, especially his table, which was full of scrapped equipment.
"Ah...." Phil looks away, looking like a kid getting caught stealing a cookie.
"Did those bastards bully you again?" Caelus asks with a frown, which makes Phil slightly uncomfortable.
"W-why do you care? You're not my parents..." Phil mutters.
"I'm a friend, and friends are concerned about each other," Caelus says before pausing. "Even if sometimes they didn't show it well."
"...it's nothing you should be concerned about..." Phil mutters. Caelus knows that it is a lie, but he also knows that pushing the matter wouldn't help Phil, so he decided to drop it.
"Have you eaten yet?" Caelus asks, earning a look from Phil.
"...you really need to stop acting like a parent," Phil calls him out, earning a snort from the gray-haired man.
"Someone's gotta be the responsible one," Caelus says, which makes Phil roll his eyes.
"No, the university's canteen food was disgusting," Phil says honestly, which earns a snort from Caelus.
"It can't be that bad," Caelus says as he tidies up the mess from his disassembled W-Engine.
"They made a giant meatball, and it has a human face! I swear, I hear it groan and wheeze, and the face moves," Phil exclaims while exaggeratedly waving his arms.
"You should see the one from my old school, the entire thing melts through the metal container and digs through the ground. I swear, I think it's still digging," Caelus says as they both chuckle while walking towards the apartment's cafeteria.
"So, how's your progress with that old W-Engine?" Phil asks curiously. He had offered to help when Caelus obtained it, but Caelus had politely refused, asking Phil to recover properly.
It was a surprise how quickly a Thiren could recover. And the advanced medical technology in this world also helps. Unfortunately, it still wasn't enough to fully treat anyone with Ether Corruption.
"Good, I'm starting by getting rid of every broken piece," Caelus says before he tries to throw the pieces away.
"You shouldn't throw them away. You could even sell those, although not for high prices." Phil suggests that Caelus look at him before showing the broken pieces.
"Even if they look like they were abused by the military and treated like a shooting dummy?" Caelus asks with a raised eyebrow.
"...yeah, no one's gonna buy that," Phil deadpans as he looks at the broken pieces. "What did the previous owner use their W-Engines for? A bulletproof vest?"
"I asked the same question." Caelus shrugs as he tosses away the broken pieces. "Anyways, I plan to visit Sixth Street again to return the tape. Wanna come with me?"
"You...already watched it?" Phil asks in surprise. "When did you even get the time to do that?"
"Did you forget that I got a lot of time thanks to my current job?" Caelus asks with a raised eyebrow.
"...I forgot you were a semi-jobless..." Phil mutters.
"Okay, that insult was unnecessary." Caelus deadpans. "Also, semi-jobless? Is that even a thing?"
"You consider it an insult, so..."
"I consider it an insult because of the tone you used, not your nonsensical choice of words."
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Later
"We're back in Sixth Street again..." Phil mutters as he and Caelus walk out of the train station.
"Duh, I plan to return this tape while you plan on devouring multiple bowls of noodles," Caelus says.
"I think you mistook me for yourself. You ordered more bowls than anyone back then, remember?" Phil says with a raised eyebrow.
"I order because Nicole chose to contaminate my ramen with her pair of meat sacs," Caelus retorts. "You, on the other hand, order one bowl with a bunch of side dishes."
"It's only side dishes," Phil mutters.
"A plate of gyoza, a bowl of karaage, several eggs, and a bowl of miso tofu soup," Caelus listed. "Then, your bowl of noodles is a large size with extra toppings."
"Okay, okay, you don't have to list them all!" Phil exclaims as his face turns red. "And how did you even remember all of that!?"
"I got good memories," Caelus says with a triumphant smirk, earning a pout from Phil.
[Remembrance (LVL 0): 810/1000]
'Wait, that counts?' Caelus blinks, looking at the system screen popping up before dismissing it. As they walk, they blink when they notice a woman with long white hair tied in a side ponytail style, wearing military gear with even a giant backpack and a sword sheathed on it, who walks across the street and doesn't acknowledge either of them.
"That woman..." Phil mutters. "It's Soldier 11 of the Obol Squad."
"She's popular?" Caelus asks with a raised eyebrow. He was honestly surprised to see her here, and he couldn't help but wonder if this had to do with Agent Story.
Or perhaps she's here for another reason.
"I...wouldn't call her popular, not when compared to the Section 6," Phil responds. "But, she's part of the military force known to protect New Eridu. And honestly, it's by far the most controversial military force in New Eridu."
"How so?" Caelus asks in confusion.
"...the squad only consists of women, some are...maybe young girls? They look and act young..." Phil replies unsurely.
"So...the controversies are due to suspicion of child soldier and grooming?" Caelus asks in disbelief.
"That's how the media reacts upon seeing them, even if the military forces had insisted on dismissing the accusation. But, you know how the internet is, they doubled down their accusations." Phil says while shrugging.
"I understand the accusation, but gossiping about it after seeing my squadmate is rather rude," An unknown voice says, causing both Caelus and Phil to yelp as they turn to see a blond-haired woman dressed in military gear and a blindfold standing behind them.
"I'm sorry for eavesdropping, but when my job is to secure my partner's back, you are required to observe the surroundings." The woman says teasingly as she leans closer to Caelus. "Hm, you're interesting. I can hear your voice, but I can't detect your Etheric fluctuation..."
"H-huh?" Caelus mutters in shock. His face turns slightly red as the woman gets closer; her outfit isn't helping at all.
"Sorry, just rambling to myself," The woman says as she takes a step back. "But, please, make sure not to slander the Obol Squad with rumors. You're lucky I'm the one who hears you two and stops you."
Neither boys said a word and merely nodded rapidly as they rushed towards the video store. The woman giggles slightly before she receives a call through her communication device.
"Trigger, report," A female voice can be heard from her communication.
"So far, so good. Just a couple of bystanders going to the video store, probably to return the rented tape," The woman, Trigger, says before leaving the street. "But, I did encounter someone interesting."
To be Continued