—
After finishing the creation of the lathe cutters with his mother, Meve continued to pester him, never answering his questions about the state. Although he already knew some things from reports and news, he still wanted to know what had happened exactly. But it seemed his mother was adamant about doing nothing but pestering him.
So, with no choice but to look into it himself—the new state of Lyria and Rivia—Gustave said to the dwarf, while his mother continued to mess up his hair, "Dwarf. Let's pack up. We will continue to create our Lathe in Lyria and Rivia."
As usual, the dwarf grumbled and cursed the whole way, muttering something along the lines of "what the fuck is happening to me" while packing everything up.
Gustave also ordered the soldiers—made up of semi-mages from his own Twin Realms House of Raven, which now basically shared the same curriculum and Elder Blood activation as the Cintra Magic Academy—to help him and the dwarf as well.
Some of them were stunned by the different way Gustave spoke compared to the one they had known during the ship journey to Cintra. Gustave, however, once again ordered everyone to help him and the dwarf, without giving much thought to how people were reacting.
Considering that, in every timeline, despite many hiccups—even in one parallel world where things were extremely dire—he had never once been shunned by his allies or family, there was no point in becoming paranoid again, since the survival stage of his life had already passed.
Emotions that would become a hindrance at this stage of life were set aside. What was needed was a healthy dose of concern to keep him moving forward, not something that trapped him in place, dwelling on others' feelings or how they thought of him now that he was able to defend himself.
Because now, Chapter's full force was held back by Cintra; the Aen Elle by Alvin; assassins by the newly improved House of Raven family guards of the joint kingdoms of the Twin Realms and Cintra; and gods and demons by his ancient grandmother and divine allies above.
That left only monsters—threats he could escape from or outrun if his body reached its limit—along with bandits who slipped through the guards' protection and fanatics who chose suicidal attacks, turning the struggle into a matter of whose fist was bigger.
That was something he had wanted from the beginning, since physical threats were easier to defend against and counter than hidden ones—the kind that dragged him unknowingly into traps.
Just like meeting O'Dimm, which had forced his instincts to hide from destiny and became the catalyst for the board's rearrangement the devil desired. As for real-life hidden threats, one was Matta Hu'uri, whom he decided to leave to his maids because he trusted them, and another was Caldwell.
The same Caldwell who, perhaps laughing maniacally from his grave, saw that his death had become the catalyst for his son to lead a far larger rebellion, now so structured that it was almost becoming a new kingdom.
—
Wanting to see with his own eyes how his mother had solved this issue—and many others—Gustave picked up the drawstring bag filled with lathe cutters and the Lathe he and Zoltan had made, then began walking toward the palace, or more precisely, the hidden magic academy where the teleportation hub for the two kingdoms was located.
But before he had walked far enough, a tremor rippled up from beneath his feet, forcing his gaze toward the harbor of Cintra. Knowing it was only a small tsunami caused by a massive deep-sea monster—one that appeared from time to time every three to four months—Gustave ignored the tremor, just like everyone else, and continued walking.
Like a well-oiled machine that had already dealt with this issue many times before, Cintra moved into action.
While walking toward the hidden magic academy, Gustave saw many Second Degree and several Third Degree mages teleporting into the harbor, Cintrian officers managing every canal, tributary, floodgate, and sluice gate copied from the Twin Realms' designs, and soldiers of Cintra evacuating citizens into newly created bunkers throughout the city.
And because Cintra was built atop ancient elven city ruins with a sewer system similar to Novigrad's, access to the bunkers ran through those sewers.
Not only that, but the sewers from three years ago and those of the present were vastly different. They were now so clean that some residents had decided to build homes underground, as the system could accommodate enough light from the city above and offered many easy access points, allowing those who lived below to do so without hindrance.
This system had also been expanded to the point where it could accommodate multiple underground train stations—something Gustave had hinted to Calanthe and his mother long ago through Morse code while discussing logistics of every kind. Just as planned back then, the goal had been to build a chain of allied kingdoms stretching from Cintra to his Twin Realms.
And because the eventual plan was to build locomotive trains in the future—and considering that magic in this world could greatly accelerate construction—that was why hints had been given to Calanthe and his mother to build this infrastructure long ago, back when he had still been asleep.
That was why, even though the number of people living underground could still be counted in dozens and the system could still only be called a network of bunkers, Gustave knew it was only a matter of time before it became a fully functional underground train station system.
—
Disembarking from a canal boat—since the magic academy was located in a highly concealed area accessible only through the waterways—Gustave, while walking with his mother and talking about anything except matters of state, finally saw with his own eyes the place he had never enrolled in because he had fallen asleep.
Styled like the Illumination Academy of Summerset Isle from The Elder Scrolls Online, but many times larger—as was often the case when game reality met real-life reality—the first thing visible upon entering the corridors was lush greenery: carefully trimmed bushes lining paved paths that led toward circular fountains at the center.
As lantern lamps stood every few dozen meters along the pathways, Gustave turned his head sideways to enjoy the view of the trees decorating the courtyard, bursting with many different colors, the majority of them Japanese apricot and jacaranda—or, in this world's terms, Nazair Pink Trees and Nazair Purple Trees, respectively.
Catching the fragrance in the air, filled with the wonderful aroma of small flower garden patches passed from time to time, Gustave recognized the scent of iris and linden blossoms—a signature of Calanthe, and now also part of Ciri's perfume, since both of them had already entered the society of sorceresses.
Limestone benches appeared at intervals along the paths, and upon them Gustave saw people sitting to read and write, occasionally experimenting with spells learned and researched from books. Those present were no longer only members of the House of Raven enrolled in the magic academy, but also common folk with active Source abilities.
Gustave also caught sight of small ponds of coral rock appearing from time to time to decorate the courtyard, connected to the waterways of the estuary city. Within them swam many ornamental and saltwater fish, most commonly reef dwellers such as chromis, butterflyfish, firefish, and clownfish.
Boom.
The sound of muffled explosions came from classroom windows, flinging books, demonstration tools, and even students out into the open. Such noises were heard from time to time, a reminder that despite its beauty, this place was, at the end of the day, still a magic academy.
Even Hogwarts had similar scenery—beautiful surroundings, yet filled with chaotic students. This academy was no different, though the chaos was somewhat toned down, considering that the House of Raven was filled with individuals capable of manipulating the future and the past through their Elder Blood, often preventing disaster before it even began.
And because sightseeing was not the purpose of this visit, but rather reaching the teleportation hub, Gustave could only enjoy the panoramic view briefly before finally arriving at the massive open gate leading into the main entrance hallway, with helical staircases on both sides leading upstairs to the astronomy tower.
After walking upstairs for quite some time—thankfully, with his Sequence 8 body preventing him from wheezing despite the many stairs—Gustave and his party finally saw the circular, massive hall, with a central gatekeeper's desk that also served as a library to record celestial phenomena and housed the enormous telescope.
Seeing his mother walk up to the desk to ask one of the researchers—although he knew the gatekeeper was Albertus Rivus's grandson—he noticed a man, relatively old to middle-aged, passing by after taking some scrolls, someone he recognized from books.
Seeing Vysogota, he could think only that perhaps the expeditions to Nilfgaard, commissioned by Calanthe to spy on the enemy, had brought not only intelligence about foes but also the allies themselves, who had been persecuted by the Black Ones.
With the thought of the professor—who had essentially become a caretaker and kind mentor for Ciri in the original timeline—at the back of his mind, he heard the sound of a portal opening at one of the doors along the wall, activated by Albertus Rivus's grandson.
Walking through the portal and entering another hallway filled with the sound of thunder and rain, he was finally able to see what his mother had endured over the past three years.
—
"Mother. It has been hard on you."
Seeing his mother smirking proudly rather than appearing depressed—a miracle in itself, considering Meve had managed to hold the Twin Realms together despite teetering on the edge of destruction—Gustave then deactivated his [Knowledge] ability after deducing the history of a city filled with scars and pain.
Wanting to see the city's state through normal eyes, to witness how it still prospered despite everything, Gustave took an umbrella given to him by a castle servant and proceeded to walk into the city of Rivia by himself, accompanied by an entourage of soldiers and mage-soldiers.
Walking along the pavement, slick with rainwater flowing through drains he had not designed himself, Gustave imagined the latest retaliation of Kreve back then—floodwaters so strong that young children and their parents had struggled to breathe, desperately grasping for anything to hold onto.
Upon seeing the crooked design of the drainage system, he noticed the traces of dying scholars who had repeatedly banged their heads on bloody tables just to complete the designs, often perishing from exhaustion and lack of sleep while trying to perfect each drawing.
As Gustave walked along a street corner, he rubbed his hand on one of the walls and felt the marks left by his own family's mages, who had fought desperately to stop the flood before being struck in the neck by flying debris in the storm.
Walking past a bakery now filled with smiling people, Gustave saw that everyone there carried their own sword—an item that would normally be very expensive for ordinary citizens.
Sighing, knowing that after the flood, bandits and mercenaries—pushed about by various factions—had decided to sack the city and raped its women, forcing his mother to expand the coffers just to equip every citizen with means of self-defense, Gustave noticed two groups of hooded figures in several corners, scanning the area like hawks.
Walking toward one of the groups, which recoiled upon seeing his entourage of soldiers and still did not know who he was, Gustave bowed ninety degrees and said, "Send Syanna my heartfelt thanks. Come to the Dandelion opera house, and just tell her that some naive little kid wanting to be a knight is in Rivia."
Ignoring their flabbergasted expressions, Gustave proceeded to the other group, most of them still young and wearing dog masks, bowed, and said the same thing: "Send the Duke of Dogs my heartfelt thanks. Come to the Dandelion Opera House—the kid who wanted to ride a dragon with him is in Rivia."
Continuing his walk, he saw many artists performing for nobles from all over the world who had come to visit this rainy, tourism-driven kingdom.
Gustave quietly gave thanks in his heart to these artists, who had calmed the ire of nobles that had almost pushed the Twin Realms into destruction—simply because those nobles had become afraid and paranoid ever since he had provided inspiration to many monarchs on how to rule kingdoms without nobles.
Turning to look at some of the nobles who had the audacity to come here, despite being responsible for the near-destruction of his homeland, Gustave sighed to himself, realizing that sometimes the devil is not above or below—it is amidst and near, very close to the human heart.
Wanting to balance the karma, he asked the servants following him for a piece of parchment and pencils to list every single one of them who had a hand in these crimes, to be captured silently, for they deserved to be treated as lab rats for experimentation—considering that his mother's intelligence agency was not as potent as his Elder Blood ability.
Deciding to ensure that the city would always resonate with the cacophony of orchestral music in every corner all day long, to provide a home for artists who, driven by their deep longing to witness the future of an era, had risked their lives calming nobles from across the world, Gustave intended to make this city a tourism hub through and through.
Walking further, he saw another group—a cult of science composed of wannabe scholars—arguing fiercely in the rain with an Eternal Fire priest, who had no choice but to be present, since barring them would have invited even more fanatic disasters.
Upon seeing this, Gustave simply watched them with amusement. When it came to fanatics, he knew it was a tricky and highly complex matter. So just following the precedent set by governors on his Earth—who had managed to maintain countries with multiple religions while their nations continued to prosper—Gustave let these religious groups be.
As long as they did not bring suffering to his kingdoms across the timelines, they were allowed to create and operate their groups. But if, in any timeline, they proved to be a hindrance, there would be no choice but to sweep them away, no matter who they were.
Continuing to walk around the city, he was flabbergasted to see no signs of giants or Ogroid and witches monsters attacking any part of it. From the reports he had read back in Cintra, every land neighboring the Blue Mountains had been struck by disaster—much like the areas near the Great Sea, which were hit by tsunamis caused by deep-sea monsters from time to time.
But upon looking into one of the very deep waterways, he saw many blue, giggling female nymphs at the bottom. Gustave understood that it was likely the help of the Naiads that his kingdom remained free from monsters and witches. One of the Naiads turned toward him with a mischievous expression, then suddenly sprayed water, drenching him completely.
Splash!
"Hihihihi! You are it!"
Wiping the water from his face and flicking it to the side, Gustave watched the fleeing, giggling nymphs with amusement. Thanking Aucween and his ancient grandmother for giving him a connection to these Naiads, he shook his head and continued walking.
Passing through an artificially created scene of destruction—not caused by a club of giants, but by rock trolls who merely wanted to make their home—Gustave realized that his mother, after encountering these strange minions of divinities, had decided to use them to create the illusion that the city had also been attacked by monsters.
Seeing the rock trolls lazily basking in the rain—who, he deduced, had been moved by his mother from somewhere else to stage the destruction—Gustave walked up to one of the groups and decided to help light the fire of their cauldron in the damp rain.
"Igni."
"U'man. You thanks. Tugo, Elder hit head. Say u'man here, good…"
"In that case, convey my regards to your god Elder Tugo, Barp. Your demolitions here have helped us greatly in staging the destroyed kingdoms. Many thanks."
"Ugh, ugh, ugh… Welcome yours. Shupe, priest. Shupe magic! In big cave."
Surprised to see that Shupe had truly become the first sorcerer troll, just like in the Gwent card, Gustave looked toward the magic academy versions of Lyria and Rivia, headed by Alvin, seeing the troll being taught in person by none other than Triss Merigold how to open portals.
Upon seeing Triss, just like in so many other stories that had continued without him, Gustave sighed.
He realized clearly that the situation with the Chapters had become so dire that his mother, instead of following his advice, had allowed certain concessions so the mages of the North could refocus on Cintra rather than their own kingdoms, since the sanctions on goods had hit them particularly hard.
Remembering this unbalanced karma, he resumed walking, thinking that at least it was Triss and not anyone else.
Thanking Ciri for her powerful convergence of destiny—which had ensured a roughly 50/50 split of allies depending on his actions, rather than enemies—Gustave saw that at least part of the urgent state matters had been handled by his mother with only one or two words of inspiration.
Wanting to assist his mother in state affairs immediately, Gustave expanded a bit of his spirituality to deduce the identities and backgrounds of every spy surrounding him so his mother could use the information effectively. Passing it on to his servants, he finally walked into the Dandelion opera house, under the heavy rain and mist of the city.
Finally able to see the person he owed the most thanks to—whose ballads had inspired scholars and artists from around the world to come here, effectively becoming a lifeline that kept the kingdom from collapsing—Gustave approached Jaskier and said, "Master Julian Alfred Pankratz, may I go onstage?"
"Well, that's a name I am not—Your Highness Prince Gustave! You—"
"May I go onstage, Master Julian?"
"Oh… I know that looks… In that case—go on, pour every drop of your heart into it, Prince…"
Seeing the exchange students from Oxenfurt, one of them being the young Priscilla, Gustave walked up to her and asked, while looking at her lute, "May I?"
"Of course, Your Highness. Let every bit of your heart flow into it."
Walking onto the stage, wanting to express his deep, frustrated emotions, Gustave sat down and began to play the piece Lumière à L'Aube, amidst the heavy rain and the city's pain.
—