I teleported Zara and I to the main campfire area I remember from last time I visited here. When we arrived, I applied a concealment spell over us. I have something I need to discuss with Zara first.
"Hey, Zara, I'm pretty sure they're going to make a big deal out of me returning here with you. How about I give you a little bit of time alone here to explain the situation and try convincing them? I'll go take care of something else, then be back in an hour or so." (Mizuki)
Zara looks surprised, then nervous, which is out of character for her.
"Mizuki…I'm concerned about their willingness to accept this opportunity. I will attempt to convince them on my own, but…I may need your help. You promise to return soon?" (Zara)
I'm not sure what I can do to convince them that she can't?
"Uhm…sure, though I doubt that they'll listen to me more than you. Still, you have my word that I'll return soon." (Mizuki)
Zara nods, seemingly more relaxed.
"Thank you. The wolf-kin are obsessed with personal strength, and that's holding them back, but at the same time…it may make them more likely to follow you." (Zara)
Ahh, so she thinks that if I just make some big show of force, they may follow my orders out of respect. That's ridiculous, but if it helps, I guess I don't mind.
"Very well, I'll keep that in mind. Don't count yourself out yet though, Zara, you're strong, too. Do your best, okay? I'll be back in a little while." (Mizuki)
Zara smiles and nods her agreement. Then, I drop the concealment spell and teleport to Percivil's shop. I did promise to pick him up this morning, so I shouldn't delay any longer.
I arrive in his back room and walk to the storefront. To my surprise, Percivil is just sitting in the front of the shop with a bunch of stuff around him, waiting patiently. He notices me and rises to his feet excitedly.
"Mizuki! Yah had this old man excited about taking a journey, so I might have been too eager to get ready this morning." (Percivil)
I make a dismissive gesture and smile at him.
"No worries, sorry to make you wait! I'm here now, though, so can you show me all the equipment you need to bring? I'll get it packed first." (Mizuki)
Percivil nods and takes me around the storefront to indicate what equipment he wants to bring. As he does, I use gravity magic to levitate the items into my item box, much to his surprise. He has quite a lot of equipment, but after a few minutes we seem to be finished.
"Aye, I think yah got it all!" (Percivil)
"Great, are you ready to go now?" (Mizuki)
Percivil nods nervously. I smile and walk over to place my hand on his shoulder, and he gives me a puzzled expression. Before he can say anything, I teleport us both to the reception hall in my party's house. Percivil becomes disoriented and stumbles away from me, then looks around in bewilderment.
"Woah, Mizuki, where are we!?" (Percivil)
"I teleported us to my party's house in the western edge of the Elven Kingdom. You want a tour?" (Mizuki)
Percivil's eyes go wide in shock, but he nods quietly. I give him a quick tour, and I show him to a guest room on the first floor. After he drops off his personal things, we head outside the mansion to the cliff's edge. Percivil looks down into the valley in amazement.
"Aye, it's a nice place yah got here Mizuki." (Percivil)
After a few minutes of admiring the view, he squints curiously towards the railway.
"Err, Mizuki, what is that over yonder?" (Percivil)
"Ahh, that's the transportation system that I mentioned. I got impatient and built it last night, sorry." (Mizuki)
Percivil gives me a look of pure betrayal…I'm sorry my dude. After a moment, he sighs deeply.
"Well, that is what it is. Just make sure yah show me how it works at least, I'm curious. If that's already done, what are yah having me build with yah?" (Percivil)
I give him a puzzled look.
"Percivil, you're going to help me turn this entire valley into a thriving city infrastructure, filled with things just as cool as that transportation system down there." (Mizuki)
Percivil wears a shocked expression and looks back at the valley, probably struggling to imagine its vast and empty land being filled with a city soon. After a few moments, he smiles.
"I'm excited, Mizuki!" (Percivil)
I smile back at him.
"Me too, buddy." (Mizuki)
After a comfortable silence, he speaks up again.
"Mizuki, can yah take me down there to that transportation structure? I also need to unload all my smithing equipment somewhere down there, if that's where we'll be building." (Percivil)
"Sure thing, hold on." (Mizuki)
I grab onto Percivil, and teleport us next to the railway. When we arrive, Percivil is quicker to recover from the teleportation. After a moment, he begins inspecting the railway curiously.
"Hmm…I'm guessing yah made an item that slides along these using magic? Probably attached by some clasps. That's a fine idea, Mizuki." (Percivil)
Wow…dude knows his stuff. That took him under a minute to surmise. He begins rubbing his hand on one of the I-beam rails.
"Can yah tell me what this metal is? I've never seen something made of metal like this." (Percivil)
"That's a metal called Aluminum. It's light, strong, and won't rust like iron from being outside. That's why I chose it." (Mizuki)
Percivil's eyes go wide, and he studies the metal more closely. I hear him faintly mumbling to himself.
"Fufufu…Percivil, I'm going to go set your equipment out on the east side of the valley, near the railway over there. You have fun inspecting your new toy." (Mizuki)
Percivil nods absentmindedly at my statement, and I head over to the southeastern edge of the valley, near the railway. I open my item box and begin unloading the equipment he brought, and I try to organize it like an actual workspace. After I'm done, I return to Percivil…he's still examining the railway. It's hard not to laugh at him.
"Hey, Percivil, I put your equipment over there. I need to go take care of some other things, so are you good here or would you like me to leave you back inside the house? In all honesty, if you'd like to use this time to come up with some ideas for the city, we'd welcome your input." (Mizuki)
Percivil turns his attention away from the railway to look at me in surprise.
"You're telling me I can just come up with ideas for this new city, that's being built from the ground up, then you might help me build those ideas into the city?" (Percivil)
"Well, yeah, obviously. I brought you here for your expertise. Money and resources aren't a limitation. We just need good ideas and people to bring them to fruition. Obviously, lodging and agriculture are priorities, but we'll also need to make devices that transport people up some of these mountains. What I've built here wouldn't work well, so I'm open to other suggestions." (Mizuki)
Percivil's eyes go wide, like a kid who was just told that he could run amok in a candy store for the whole day.
"Mizuki, then please take me back to the house! I need my paper, writing tools, and existing designs!" (Percivil)
I nod my agreement to him, then walk over and send him alone back to the house with teleportation. Hmm…I still have a little bit of time before I promised Zara I would be back. Is there anything else to do, or should I just go back early?
As I'm mulling that over, a pit forms in my stomach as I remember something.
"Shit…I really should have thought about that sooner. Elira's probably pissed." (Mizuki)
I told her that I'd be building a 'special road' soon, but I didn't give her any warning. That thing showed up near their western wall the same night I mentioned it to her, and I'm sure it's been noticed by now.
Alara and the rest of them will probably arrive in the next hour. I just assumed the elves would be chill, but what if they're loitering all around those dangerous tracks or damaging them?
"I guess I need to visit Elira." (Mizuki)