I Hate Systems

Tentuna City; in the Yakuna—caravan lodge—that they had bought, Dolare was seated in a room, going through a ledger that accounted for their expenses. He was accompanied by the Cartographer and Porter, making a tally of things for their upcoming journey.

After all, they planned to set off for the Xetuka Kingdom's capital city, Forkuna in a couple of days. They were already done with most of the work, now waiting for Horan to arrive and give the final say on the matter.

"We've managed to sell off most of the excess goods that we brought," Dolare spoke, sighing as he filed the last of the papers.

"We don't have anything to worry about in terms of finances." The Cartographer said, "Lord is pretty competent in this regard. I'm sure we'll find a revenue stream once we arrive at Forkuna City."

"Yeah…" Dolare nodded and was just about to speak when suddenly, the nearby table broke as four individuals slammed into it.

The trio in the room were startled, feeling that they were being attacked by some daring bandit when Dolare calmed down his Wind Mana, recognising Horan among the group as he rushed towards him, "My Lord! Are you alright?"

"Yeah…for now." Horan felt a searing headache as he barely managed to get up, wobbling a little as he took a seat on a nearby chair, gasping in exhaustion, still reeling from the terrifying auras that slammed into him when they were escaping.

Even though Compass Carburettor had brought them away, his exceptional senses allowed him to perceive the enemies they were being chased by. And…they were vast, akin to a world each.

Such was the vastness of the presence harboured by the entities that had aimed for them, the mere thought of which caused him to tremble as he stared at Compass Carburettor, "Teto, just…what was that?"

He then noticed the figure of Stencil nearby, asking in shock, "And, how did Yaka appear with us?"

"It's somewhat complicated." Compass Carburettor sighed, closing his eyes as he digested the information he obtained from conversing with Aronaut, understanding what he had done.

'So, even though it was unleashed in a hurry, the Lore I created took effect.' He thought, for the Relic forming the core of Aero Society was the same as him, Hazen, Gahrat, and Domino Plottopia, another Main Character—the fifth.

There was still plenty he was unaware of regarding the Relic. But one thing was for sure. Among all the Main Characters, in terms of raw power, the Relic was at the top. After all, it alone now encompassed more than ten percent of the Main Character System.

Compass Carburettor inspected Stencil, heaving a sigh in relief upon seeing that she was uninjured, "Thank goodness."

"Dad, what happened in the end? Are Aronaut and Slayer fighting?" Stencil asked.

"They fought for some time." Compass Carburettor nodded, "But at present, Aronaut is somewhere else, wielding another me that has been created, this time as a tool."

"A tool…" Stencil muttered, recounting what she heard, "There once existed a tool…"

"So, you are aware of it too…" Compass Carburettor muttered, observing Stencil to see that the majority of her Luck had been expended. At present, her Luck values were no different to a commoner leading a life of hardship.

It would be risky if things remained in this state for longer durations. But even if he wished to help replenish her Luck using his Bullet Template of the Happy-Go-Lucky System, Compass Carburettor didn't have any Mental Energy to use.

He had expended everything in that conflict with Slayer. So, there wasn't anything he could do for the time being as he stared at Horan, "I relied upon my Pseudo-Relic once again. It seems Gehera's mother has a greater identity than what we perceived."

"My mom…I sensed her clearly…" Tears welled up in her eyes as Gehera sniffed, inhaling the strong aura of her mother coming off Compass Carburettor.

"There are two Birdmen Saints guarding your mother." Compass Carburettor said, "So, we cannot rescue her for the time being. But,"

He said with a smile, "I have obtained some clues regarding the power in you. Once we activate that, we might chance upon a way to save her."

"Please help me!" Gehera bowed, feeling something stir up in her, little by little as it felt like she was on the verge of enlightenment, of breaking through, of attaining something. But, it stopped after that, causing her to feel irritated.

"For that…" Compass Carburettor muttered in thought, staring at Horan, "We must head towards Forkuna City first."

"But first, Lord Horan, what's your take on this?" He asked.

"Hmm…" Horan thought for a while before saying as a matter of fact as he patted Gehera's back, "I'll help her. Since I've already involved myself, it makes no sense to back out now. Besides…"

He smiled wryly, "In this world, once you go against a Hidden Organisation, either you eradicate them or be annihilated in the process. And, I've already become an enemy of the Talon Secret Organisation."

"Yes…" Compass Carburettor muttered, "And, their claws reach deep into the Xetuka Kingdom too."

After all, the higher-ups of Tentuna City were part of the Talon Secret Organisation that had vanished after the incident they created with the Burnak Kingdom.

Tensions were high on the street as the commoners were jittery, stockpiling as many goods as possible as they locked themselves in their homes.

Some of the afraid ones even vacated the City and rushed into the wilderness to survive the upcoming storm.

After all, whether it was the Xetuka or the Burnak Kingdom, both had lost a city each, the ruins of which painted a grotesque sight. And, as too many people died, those related to the killed people now took up arms against their opponents.

War was imminent!

Within a day, the entire atmosphere of Tentuna City changed as Horan could feel it clearly, sensing the fluctuations emitted by the electric fields of the various people around him. This was how he got a read on the people, only possible because he wielded the Lightning Elements both as a Warrior and a Mage.

With that, Horan looked at Dolare, "We'll be leaving in an hour."

"Tentuna City will become a battlefield soon after."