The two old women looked at the phone in the Duchess' hands. What kind of magical instrument could repeat their voices with such accuracy and stealth! They didn't even feel any kind of Aubility Power or magic used!
"Regina… what is that?!" Rivet asked.
The Duchess proudly flourished her phone. "This… this just proved that our bets are still valid. Now pay up."
Rivet got up off her feet and stared at the metal brick. Her eyes glimmered, a magic circle manifesting in her irises.
She was a Mystic Master. One that specialized in metallurgy and constructs. Something like this should be right up her alley.
Her senses scanned the screen and the buttons. Nothing fancy. Just well manufactured products. It was something that she wouldn't have a hard time replicating.
She probed deeper. She wanted to see the inner workings of the object, see the magical infrastructure that allowed it to work as it did.
But as soon as she reached down into the power source, she flinched backwards.
"...THAT'S!!! THAT'S MITHRIL!"
There was a brick of Mithril just hiding inside this strange object! She would have never thought that such a precious object would be wasted on something like this. At the very least, it should have been used on the outer frame.
".... wait…"
Rivet's eyes widened. Her heartbeat skipped.
Using her immense magical control, she was able to peer through the very Mithril box itself.
And there, she found out the reason why Mithril was needed.
This object hid a very powerful source of energy. A power that could destroy all kinds of matter in this world. A power that was thought to have been lost in the passages of time.
Unity.
This metal brick held Unity inside it.
Rivet's eyes focused even deeper. She began to inspect the flow of energy through this mechanism. And there, she found out that it was this Unity exactly that was allowing the object to function as it was.
She looked at the screen and saw her face being replayed at the moment that they made the bet.
Somehow, this object could perfectly create a facsimile of reality like it was a moving painting. And it didn't need magic or Aubility Power to do this as well. It was all based on mechanical and physical ideas that were currently above what she could currently understand.
This was a complex use of technology. It was miles above anyone's ability to manipulate physics and metals.
Even she, a proud innovator of constructs, struggled to understand even the basics of how to create something like this.
Could the Ancient Humans have created this? Could their understanding about them be wrong this entire time? Were they a civilization with more advanced technology?
"Where did you find—"
"I bought it for 10,000 Sand Dollars," the Duchess replied.
"WHAT?!"
Rivet wished that she had Regina's luck. She must have bought it from a clueless excavator who didn't know what he had. This should cost way more than 10,000 Sand Dollars.
"Why? You want one too?"
Huh?
"I can buy you one if you like," Regina said casually. "That's actually one of the reasons why I wanted to talk with you guys today.
I've recently been contemplating retiring from my station and it has come to my attention that I wouldn't be able to see you two much after I do so."
Rivet and Eldea were surprised. Retirement? So that's why she's been absent for most of New Sparta.
"Anyway, I wanted to keep in contact with you guys. And this phone will help with that.
Of course, you gotta pay your debt to me first. My funds have been running low hoarding phones. "
Then, she eagerly showed her friends all the features on the phone. "But it's all worth it. Look, we can call or text each other using this button right here. Or we can even send pictures—"
"WAIT!" Rivet interrupted. "You make it seem like this ancient object can be bought like it's some kind of commodity."
The Duchess shrugged. "Michael is limiting the purchasing of the phones, but I'm close with him. He'll make an exception.
I'll tell you all about it later once you have your own phones. Anyway, you can also have sodas and beer delivered right to your doorsteps using this…"
Her two friends were stunned into silence as the Duchess continued on gushing about the phone.
Meanwhile, the only thing they could think about was one thing.
"Who's Michael?"
…
…
…
Meanwhile, back in the viewing deck, everyone was still reeling from Sheina's victory. This was completely unprecedented in every facet.
An underdog defeating the Conglomerates. A 3rd stage beating a 5th stage. A demi-human defeating a human. Nobody expected this, except for one.
Michael walked over to Neytiri. She was still focused on the Compound Bow as Sheina bowed out of the arena and returned to their private quarters.
"A bet's a bet," he said.
Neytiri turned back at him, an absentminded look on her face. Finally, she shook her head, getting rid of her reverie.
She reached down into her pocket and took out a small metal box. She tossed it forwards, with the box glowing a magical blue as it suddenly expanded twenty times its own size.
With a thud, the box landed right in front of Michael's feet.
He opened the box, inspected his winnings, before nodding in satisfaction. "Nice to see you're a woman of your word."
Then, without waiting for a response, he took the chest and walked out of the room. He left the entire viewing deck even more flabbergasted than before.
…
…
Michael discreetly found an uninhabited corner in the Colosseum before descending into his own shadow, teleporting back to the Nation of Reborn.
A second later, he ascended into a dark room with barely any flickering lambent lights.
Two shadows emerged in front of him. The two Orc Chieftains.
"We are ready, Lord Michael."
"You only need to say the word."
This was the reason why he left so abruptly. It was time to raid the Stronghold!