"Have you packed everything you need?"
Shiomi pushed open Touko's door and saw her placing a few changes of clothes into a suitcase.
"I didn't have many personal belongings to begin with. Most of this was bought after coming to Chaldea." Touko snapped the suitcase shut. "Besides, the ship already has rooms. The ones here at the Wandering Sea feel more like a guesthouse."
"Fair enough."
Shiomi agreed.
Storm Border's interior was vast and complex, fully equipped to serve as an ark for the end of the world.
Moving into the section the Wandering Sea lent to Chaldea had only been for convenience, to make commuting between work and rest easier.
Now, that convenience was no longer necessary.
Using Atlas Institute technology, Sion had recreated Trismegistus II within the Wandering Sea, restoring the facilities required for Chaldea's operations.
Those facilities had already been successfully transferred onto Storm Border.
It was time for Chaldea to part ways with the Wandering Sea for good.
"Once we leave, there's no turning back," Shiomi said. "Are you ready?"
"That's what I should be asking you." Touko dragged her suitcase over and stopped in front of him. "I've already decided. Whether it ends in victory or destruction, I'll walk this path with you until the outcome comes."
"Good." Shiomi nodded once.
He had already known her answer. There was no need to say more.
"Let's go. Wouldn't want to get left behind."
Touko caught his arm and nudged him along toward where Storm Border was docked.
"How's the puppet work coming along?" Shiomi asked.
"Very smoothly." Touko smiled. "Being able to receive the Valkyrie techniques shared by the goddess Skadi… even if it's a completely different concept from my puppets, it's given me things I could never have obtained in a lifetime otherwise."
"So even a puppet master who's reached the pinnacle can still go further?" Shiomi asked.
"Hard to say…" Touko shook her head. "It's technology that goes beyond the human domain. If I'm not careful, it could become something that interferes with humanity's continuation."
Shiomi understood immediately. "So you'll study it, but not use it?"
"More like, I won't make it public." Touko shook her head again.
It had nothing to do with Sealing Designation. Keeping those new techniques for her own use was more than enough.
Recreating the Valkyrie creation techniques of Norse mythology in puppet form was not something a mere Sealing Designation could deal with.
The Clock Tower would be thrown into chaos. Human History, where Mystery was already fading, would experience another disturbance.
Worst case, she might even end up becoming enemies with Aoko again, for reasons that had nothing to do with personal grudges.
Just imagining it was exhausting.
Touko preferred a free and easy life now, not one where "trouble" kept knocking at her door.
"As long as you're satisfied with it, that's fine." Shiomi's attitude remained the same as always.
That reassured Touko.
Chatting as they walked, they reached Storm Border. The Nemo sailors were moving the last of the supplies aboard. Touko carried her suitcase onto the ship first, while Shiomi remained below, keeping watch.
"You should board as well, Shiomi-san," Sion reminded him. "Since the descent of the 'Alien God,' Storm Border has only performed one Imaginary Number dive in and out of the Wandering Sea."
Her meaning was clear. The Wandering Sea's coordinates, hidden under its inherited defenses, had not been exposed.
"Even if there's only a 0.01% chance, we still have to stay alert," Shiomi said. "I'm the only one who can defend against the 'Alien God.'"
"Well then, we're counting on you." Sion replied lightly.
Shiomi nodded. "Issuing the eighth contract to assist Chaldea and save the world… Whether it's the Clock Tower or this world itself, they owe you."
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it." Sion waved it off. "I just think it would be a shame for this world to disappear like this. Father doesn't particularly care, though."
"Alchemists are Magus at heart, after all." Shiomi rested his hands on his hips. "I don't have that kind of Magus mindset. I can't understand your father's way of thinking."
"There's no need to understand." Sion said calmly. "My course of action is what deviates from the Atlas Institute's usual style."
"I see." Shiomi glanced at the Nemo sailors. "Anything left to move?"
"Combat supplies," Sion replied. "Considering the intensity of the battles ahead, even with Storm Border's own defenses and the goddess Skadi's barrier, we can't guarantee it won't take damage."
"Got it."
So those supplies were meant for repairs and maintenance, to keep humanity's final ark in perfect condition.
"What about the Wandering Sea? Any reaction from their side?" Shiomi asked.
"None. Since the deadline is approaching, they only asked whether I wanted to revise the contract and extend the term." Sion shrugged. "This is an Atlas Institute contract. If we extend it, settling it later might not be so easy."
"Unlike the Clock Tower, neither the Wandering Sea nor the Atlas Institute tends to openly involve themselves with the broader Magus world." Shiomi wasn't surprised. "I've heard the Wandering Sea gets along better with the Atlas Institute than with the Clock Tower. Is that true?"
"True or not? It's just two organizations with similarly gloomy styles finding each other tolerable." Sion spread her hands.
"Gloomy, huh…"
Shiomi recalled his single meeting with Zepia. It did fit.
"Oh, the relocation's done. I'll head back to the ship. What about you, Shiomi-san?"
A Nemo sailor signaled that the final shipment had been completed.
"I'll stay until the end," Shiomi said. "It would be bad if something went wrong during Storm Border's activation. Even if I miss it, I can catch up using 'Independent Manifestation.'"
Understanding his reasoning, Sion boarded first.
Of course, Shiomi was being cautious. But after failing to gain the upper hand in their last clash, the 'Alien God' would find it far more convenient to wait in the South American Lostbelt than to attempt an attack now, when Chaldea's coordinates remained uncertain.
He looked around the now-quiet hall of the Wandering Sea, at the buildings reminiscent of the First Industrial Revolution.
Whether the leading figures of the Wandering Sea or the alchemists of the Atlas Institute, the destruction and rebirth of the world were no more than passing events to them.
Even if Human History had ended in 2017, the history before it would not disappear.
The Wandering Sea, existing independent of time itself, truly had little reason to care.
Behind him, the warship's startup sequence neared completion.
Shiomi finally turned and stepped into the ship.