62 Unfortunately Not The Last Supper (1/2)
The Bloom family dining hall. Eight people were sitting at the table, waiting for dinner to be served. Only two of them were happily chatting though, the other six were still perplexed about the turn of events. The conversation the other two were holding was to put it nicely ”not very interesting and very plain”. Joshua had the impression he had landed straight into a bad sitcom and had even ordered Luna to play a laughing track every time he deemed appropriate.
A woman suddenly marched out of the kitchen and said: ”Dinner's ready! Honey, can you help me serve our guests?”
”Of course, darling!” Henry Bloom replied and helped his wife distribute the dishes.
Joshua looked at the plate that was brought in front of him. It was a pasta-based dish reminding him of spaghetti. Instinctively, he scanned it to check if there was no strange substance hidden inside the meal but found nothing unusual. He took a bit out of it and found the food pretty tasteless.
'Even the food feels fake…' he thought.
About an hour earlier, the previously dead owners had come home, clueless of their previous state. Worse, upon discovering a bunch of intruders inside their house, their immediate reaction was to invite them for dinner. They were also overjoyed that their good friend Lucien had come to visit and didn't care he had been tied up in their basement. And thus, the party was currently 'enjoying' a free supper as a guest of the Bloom family.
From Joshua's point of view, the only positive element in the last hour was Catherine's new clothes, she simply looked gorgeous in her new outfit. Clarisse had complimented her, naturally oblivious to the fact Catherine was wearing one of her own dresses.
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Catherine was pretty clueless about the situation as well. When Joshua had announced the owners were coming home, she initially thought it was one of his dumb jokes. And boy, did she wish it was. Eric and Joshua briefly told everyone the population of the city suffered from what's called a 'Wiping'. They thus pretended to have had one and were confused about a lot of things. The Blooms had bought that lame excuse, no questions asked.
While eating, Catherine kept an eye on the rest of the party. They were all quiet, clearly wondering what to do next. Joshua's expression was actually pitiful. He didn't seem to take the situation well.
'Joshua, you look terrible. Can you adjust your position or they might start asking more questions...' she said, mentally.
'Are you kidding? I could have entered their house dressed up like Darth Vador and they still wouldn't bat an eye. These people are… I don't know. This whole scene freaks me out.'
'Go ahead, I don't speak stupid. I wanna go home.'
'Fine… I would have expected you to be a bit more mature, though. This doesn't resemble you.'
'Sorry, you're right… I think I need some time to adjust to the general ambiance of this place.'
'Suit yourself, but please don't take too long. I need that brilliant mind you're so proud of.'
'Ha, unfortunately, I think complete morons are a natural enemy of mine, I cannot comprehend their actions.'
Everyone was more or less done eating by now, so the moment seemed opportune to ask some questions.
”Mister Bloom, thanks again for the invitation,” Catherine began.
”Don't worry about it, my dear. Your presence at our table has been so cheerful. It's us who should thank you for bringing such joy in our daily life.”
Catherine took a quick glance at her friends who looked like they were about to die of frustration and couldn't fathom where he got that idea.
She continued: ”As we told you, we seem to suffer from a Wiping. May we bother you with another favor? Could you help us refresh our memory and give us a general information tour of the city?”
”Of course, of course! It will be our pleasure! Please wait a moment, I'll go get our holomap.”
Henry left the house and headed for his vehicle. A moment later, he came back with a strange circular object. In the meantime, Clarisse and Lucien had cleaned up the dining table. Henry placed his weird ball on it and pressed a button on its side. Immediately, a few runes began to shine on the surface of the ball and a few seconds later, it began emitting light which formed a three-dimensional hologram of the city.
Catherine was delighted to see that Joshua's expression became a bit more interested and he was examining the map in detail. The others were a bit more surprised at the sudden appearance, Catherine had slowly become more accustomed to technology thanks to Joshua's influence so the hologram didn't surprise her too much, but the others had only acquired Luna recently so they still had a long way to go.
The projection was extremely detailed. Catherine couldn't help but fathom how ordered the map looked. The core of the city was surrounded by a large circular canal. From that circle, eight straight branches were flowing inwards to the center of the place, dividing the city into eight equal districts. Each of those had a massive pillar-like structure at its center. The eight water flows eventually converged into a big lake located right in the middle of the metropolis. On the lake, there was an island, on which a large magnificent structure, which Catherine suspected to be a palace had been built. Actually, the palace wasn't the only beautiful thing to behold. Once you went past the first circle, the global architecture became extremely extravagant. Most houses seemed to have unique designs with their facade ornate with various motifs, statues, mosaics, and frescoes. Even though her family was wealthy, her own mansion paled compared to a mere random building found here. She wondered about their current position and it was easy to find. There was a glowing dot on the map, indicating it. They were currently in the suburbs of the city, outside the outer circle, where the structures were much more modest looking.
His dumb smile unwavering, Henry began his explanations:
”My friends, I hope you at least remember the basics. The city lord lives on the island in the center of town. Access to that place is strictly forbidden unless you receive an invitation.
The city is divided into eight districts, each powered by an elemental generator,” he said while pointing at one of the giant pillars. ”There is one for each type of energy and we name the districts after the element their generator is producing. We have thus have the Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Light, Dark, Lightning and Neutral Districts. Combined they provide all the energy we need for the whole city. Does any of this ring a bell?”