Farid returned to his palace, and when he opened the door, he stood there, surprised by the ruined state of the palace. He inspected the rooms and furniture with a sigh. One of the servants, who looked like a man in his thirties whose hair was beginning to recede, spoke. He was the palace accountant, named Neron Condalina Bachiulin V. He spoke in his deep voice and calm, confident tone:
"It's not that bad, Sir. That's the style of those scoundrels. At least they confined themselves to the furniture and didn't destroy expensive items."
"No, rather, what was the motive for all that unnecessary chaos? Didn't they have enough evidence against me? By the way, where are Lusihar and Sigma?"
"Lusihar was the one who informed Queen Sadim so she could go to you. Her return will take some time. As for Sigma, umm... they killed her."
"What did you say?!"
"She is an idiot. The Global Coalition sent the Divinity Interception Unit, their strongest squad, and she stupidly wanted to stop them."
"Oh...
[Farid was silent for a moment, standing in place, affected]
She's the only one who reminded me of my world. But she resurrected me after I died, in the way I wanted, and brought me back to the hell of existence."
"You are not the only Translocator. The respected Tiffany is also a Translocator."
"Who?!"
"The one Lusihar yelled at—the one with the messy hair."
"Ah, I know her. I'd rather die than talk to a fertility goddess. By the way, is there a market today?"
"Yes, but I can notify the servants, and they will buy what was destroyed."
"No, I want to see the market myself. I haven't been out since my Translocation into this world. I want to breathe new air."
"Let me check... You are completely concealed now, but some guards will accompany you."
"No problem."
After a long search, Farid found some suitable old clothes that were tight on Sahin's body. This was convenient, as he didn't want to attract attention. He went down to the ground level, where Alphonso and another guard were waiting for him.
"The carriage is ready, Sir."
"I want to walk. The distance doesn't seem far. I want an open space. I'm tired of enclosed spaces."
Alphonso and another handsome young guard with a similar hairstyle to Farid's, but shorter and less dark hair, deep blue eyes like Lapis Lazuli, and ghostly white skin, set off toward the city.
" The sight of the trees walking is quite surreal."
"It's their migration season to the north for summer and the mating season. You will get used to it after it ends. Their pheromones create an atmosphere of happiness, so it looks like a fantastical scene. You should see them swimming in the northern sea... heh."
"Look at that rock!!"
The guard darted toward a limestone boulder and broke off a piece with a dagger he had. Its core was black. Alphonso grabbed the stone and began to eat it with his teeth. Farid also took a piece and started eating it, amazed by the taste, which was similar to milk chocolate but with a stronger flavor. He smashed the stone on the ground.
"No, I am in paradise. I challenge you to convince me otherwise."
"Heh, was your world that bad?"
"The food here is tastier and clearer. You have new colors. The rocks in my world split heads, while here they are more beautiful than all the chocolate in my world. It's enough that you breathe happiness."
The other guard spoke:
"Heh, this boulder is not from Madlina, but from the nearby plains of Sakharia."
"Huh?! How? A boulder like this must weigh many tons. How was it moved here?"
"It's the winds of the destructive Storm Season, which even trees bury themselves or hide in fear of. They are winds so fast that anything flammable ignites from their friction with surfaces, and everything is sanded down. Its weight is not an issue given the strength of those winds."
"Amazing... Do you have other unusual seasons?"
Farid asked eagerly.
"Of course. We have beautiful seasons like the Winter Season, called Resurrection, and the Twilight Season, where the rain is juice that changes taste and color every year, and the Spring Season, which we are in now. And there are also evil seasons like the Summer Season, the Autumn Season, also called the Season of Death, and the Storm Season, called the Season of Destruction."
"Astounding... I need time to digest all this information."
"Don't worry, you'll get used to it, and even time will pass faster. Perhaps because the planet itself is incredibly massive, which changes your perception of the scales of existence."
Martinus replied.
"Do you mean this planet's gravity hasn't crushed me?"
Farid wondered.
"Therein lies the secret of the Objective Reality Anchor, Sir. We live on an existential layer where the laws are stabilized to suit us, otherwise we would have been crushed long ago due to the immense size of this planet and its mass, which is far greater than Earth's Sun!"
"Fascinating. That reminds me of some advanced metaphysical theories in my world. You have seemingly primitive technology, yet you possess a deep understanding of cosmic laws."
The city was adorned with various tall stone buildings and intertwined peaks, like claws scratching the sky. Every corner emitted a cold whisper, and every statue held a story. The sight of dry, decaying plants created an artificial aesthetic that contrasted with the cheerful view of the surrounding plains. The city was filled with people—humans and their lookalikes. Many humans wore formal black clothes with silver necklaces, rings, and accessories. The lookalikes, a lower class, did not have such luxurious clothes, and many of them were slaves.
The trio headed to a crowded restaurant, and after they sat down on wooden chairs, Martinus pointed to the waiter and said loudly:
"Three five-layered Deadly Death Feasts!"
A significant amount of time passed before the food arrived. They were three epic, great towers, each containing five dishes of strange, delicious, brightly colored food, and a transparent barrel of various juices, portioned as desired, some of which were glowing. Farid's focus scattered as he looked with sparkling eyes at this madness, then he regained his concentration:
"Wait, how much does this cost?"
"There is a 50% discount for the holiday season. One tower costs 30 Flex. It's cheap considering its quality and type."
"Alright, let's place a bet: whoever doesn't finish their tower must pay."
Farid was not confident, but he started. First, blue and purple fruit cubes, dotted like stars in the sky, in addition to berries with what looked like a glassy skin and a lapis lazuli blue and bloody red color. Farid plunged into them, surpassing Alphonso and Martinus in finishing them.
Then the seriousness began, embodied in a pie that looked like pizza but was stuffed with ground meat with other layers of strange ingredients, which Farid finished with difficulty.
After that, a layer of raw, grilled, and electrified meat of various shapes. There were three types of sausages, six types of different colored meat, and something that looked like potatoes but was also meat, and a delicious special sauce that made anything edible, no matter how bad. For Farid, the taste was addictive, and he couldn't stop, but his stomach capacity was limited.
Next, four sandwiches on the verge of exploding, wrapped in something that looked like tortilla bread. Farid was suffering now. After just one sandwich, he gave up and became absent-minded, as if life had left him, but he was still chewing, driven by the deliciousness of the food.
After that, a whole layer of seafood. Here, Farid was paralyzed in his seat and froze. At that moment, Lusihar appeared and snapped her fingers in front of his face, greeting him, but Farid only managed to look at her with his face smeared with sauce.
"I will help you, my dear. Alphonso, may I have an extra chair?"
"That's cheating!"
"Since when do I play fair?"
Lusihar took a chair, pulled the tower/dish toward her, and started eating.
"Were you aware of this eating competition?"
Alphonso asked with a smile.
"I deal with the physical and phenomenal reality. As for Farid's rules, I break them constantly. And besides... I saw the dish myself as I was coming. You can't let him eat all that alone."
Lusihar said, eating with a voracity no less than Farid's.
The remaining item was a purple and black cake, like a clear night sky, where stars were scattered like sacred words shining amidst the silence of blues and blackness, pierced by a purple twilight.
Lusihar finished her food, and Alphonso and Martinus finished theirs. Alphonso was the last to finish, so he had to pay.
"Now that we have finished our heavy meal, rich with the cognitohazard residue of living beings, it is time for the ritual of contemplation and waiting for it to digest."
The four descended the stairs to the basement and entered an isolated room. Lusihar said:
"Has Sigma returned?"
"Sigma died. The Divinity Interception Unit killed her with the Meriotopological Cutter."
"Yaaay! [Lusihar raised her fists in celebration] But a question...
[Lusihar's expression changed to seriousness, staring fixedly into Farid's eyes]
How will you deal with your hallucinations? The interrogators will notice them sooner or later."
Farid's eyes widened in horror, and his breathing quickened. A panic attack was coming. He had completely forgotten about the matter.
Here, Lusihar grabbed his arm, pressed herself next to him, and said:
"Don't worry, we will find a solution. And honestly, I doubt she died. Life isn't that easy. The Meriotopological Cutter is local, not absolute. And she is stupid, but not to the extent that she wouldn't split herself, or perhaps she is stupid and didn't split herself because I saw her regeneration from that ring above her head. That must be her main body."
Farid calmed down a bit. After descending several floors down, they entered a room full of people meditating while seated, navigating the Noosphere and also their dreams.
Lusihar said:
"Do you want to try an out-of-body experience? This will help you distract your thoughts and prevent the episode."