Chapter 43: Pavilion (1/2)

After catching up with the three who had gone ahead, Rakna had briefly summarized what he had been doing after they asked him what had taken so long.

”Slave dealers, huh?” Allan muttered darkly. ”This System seems to be more… 'real' than I would have liked.”

”I see what you mean,” Flavia nodded. ”We need to be careful and not just make the assumption that this place doesn't go beyond just Hosts and their System.”

”Indeed. Though, this kind of situation will probably not just involve Locals. It's a certainty that even Hosts might partake in such crimes,” Nyx added.

Rakna stayed silent but the three of them didn't need him to say anything to know that he agreed if his speech about humans at the party was anything to go by. He was one of the people who knew very well how ugly people could be.

”Looks like we're here,” he changed the topic as they arrived near the Pavilion, a massive building with an oval shape and an arched glass rooftop. The walls were carved and seemed to be made of various materials aside from the several rows of tinted glass.

The area around the direct boundaries of the building was cleared of any urban structure and the front side was an entire plaza with a fountain in the center. The entrance of the building had at least five big revolving doors and a sizeable stream of visitors going in and out.

”Well, this definitely looks like an important place,” Allan commented as the group made their way through the plaza and around the fountain.

They got to the entrance and then inside without any trouble. They took a moment to admire the hall that they stepped in. It was a circular hall with a very high ceiling. Above them was a sort of giant sophisticated gyroscope that floated in random directions. The walls were constructed with mechanisms resembling gears that were spinning very slowly.

The floor seemed to be made out of granite and with two different shades. The brighter shade defined paths that led in three directions. Two of them being the extravagant staircases to the sides and the last one leading to an imposing reception counter.

Allan whistled and looked around at the people going up and down the stairs with only a few of them heading to the reception. Oddly, there didn't seem to be as many people as he expected after seeing the traffic outside.

”Ah, you're here,” the recognizable voice of a certain clown made the group look to their left where Gray was approaching them with an ever so bright grin. Though, his attire was different. It was not as… 'clowny' before.

The color scheme remained the same but his clothes currently were more akin to a business suit. He didn't have the clown nose this time and his cybernetic face had no obstruction. He also wore a red top hat now and a quite eye-catching pocket watch hanging from his tailcoat with a silver chain.

”I praise you. You're quite early all things considered. Many new Hosts tend to sleep more due to over-exhaustion,” he commended as he stopped in front of them. ”So? Did you enjoy your brief exploration of Black Steel?”

”Fairly,” Rakna responded. ”We did enjoy having a small chat over noodles.”

Gray blinked. ”Well, that's quite a cozy thing to do although you've been pretty much kidnapped and thrown into a perilous world which you have no information about.”

”You're talking to Rak, you know. He could be dying tomorrow and he wouldn't give a shit if he could not do anything about it,” Allan commented and the clown cackled.

”I see. Anyhow, Rakna Xiorra, I'm here to guide you through the Pavilion. Your friends should also go meet up with their guild members. Normally, you should be asking the reception where your guild is, but I'll tell you myself as a service,” he said and pointed at the staircase on the right of the hall.

”To get to the Madness Guild's meeting, it's straight after going up those stairs until you find the room numbered 045. I think they will start the meeting in about thirty minutes. As for the Wiccan Guild's meeting, it's a bit after that. You'll reach an intersection; go to the right and search for the room numbered 077,” Gray finished and turned to the three concerned people.

”Got it memorized?”

”Yeah, no problem,” Allan said.

”No worry,” Nyx said and Flavia nodded agreeingly.

”Sweet!” Gray clapped his hands. ”Let's go then, Rakna. My guild doesn't have a room because we knew we would be getting only one member; if any. We can go straight to the left staircase and proceed to the awakening of your magic. I'll explain a few things on the way too.”

”Sure,” Rakna replied. ”Though, I trust I'll be able to regroup with my friends over here, right?”

”Of course. This won't take long. Then, you will be mostly free to do whatever you want when we introduce you to the underground railway,” Gray stated. ”You'll see what I mean in time. Follow me.”

”See you later,” Rakna waved his hand at the three who replied with a curt nod. Allan then followed Gray's directions and separated from Nyx and Flavia who went for the Wiccan Guild's room.

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