The game never explained where Sephalyn was during the first day's lunch, so finding her watching me now is… startling. Then again, it makes sense she'd tail the second most notable student.
I've definitely caused some kind of divergence in the story.
Who gives a shit~ I've always wanted to talk to her.
"Yea wassup?"
"Ooh? Informal, are you~ You're quite popular, yes, Isaac? Your Thaumitonic Zone's QCD Charge Doublet produced such a dazzling color. Even Yaya and Anzhi were allured by how pretty on the eyes it was."
Freaky, ahh, girl…
How long has the Veledônia heir been watching my back, so much so that she's calling me a creep and talking this informally?
"Thank you, your highness."
Sephalyn continued expressing her thoughts in a way that would make men feel less than her. A deliberate strategy to get to Isaac. "But~ You're quite the creeper, aren't you? Could you please clarify the reason for your recent secondary tour between facilities?"
Switching back to a royal vocabulary and tone.
Sure~ Game on.
Isaac tilts his head and shifts to his formal tone, just enough to feign deference. "Admiring your investments. How much does EINA owe the Veledônia household now?"
She gives a little smirk.
"Confidential. You seem to avoid my question."
"And your highness is avoiding the blatant." Isaac steps closer, lowering his voice.
My god… Her arms and thighs are bigger than mine… How the fuck am I supposed to look intimidating…
She giggles.
"Hoh? It's quite bold of you to speak to me in that manner. Do you believe you have the confidence and ability to support your statements?"
No.
No shit, I don't.
But, if I leverage the fact that everyone is scared of me…I can fraud my way through this interaction.
"The strength? Of course not, your highness. You're a Novice-Class Wave Binder, an entire class above me. But in my wits and arguments am I confident."
"Are you implying you have greater expertise or insight than I do, Isaac?"
He raises his hands and looks away. "How could I do such a thing? No, of course I'm not, your highness."
"Then it would be 'smart' for you to answer my question."
"As I said, you're avoiding the obvious. I, Isaac Mun, am similar to you."
"Elaborate. How so?"
"I'd love to get to know my fellow First-Years better by analyzing them. When I understand their flaws, I also understand them more deeply, and the weight of debts can feel even heavier when the collector knows exactly where to press and pull, no? It helps me in both combat and socialization by observing them. It's a bitch move, but it's logical, is it not?"
A slight dilation in her pupils. A flicker in red, imperial pupils.
Got her.
"Clever. But cleverness is just another currency. What are your exchange rates? If you catch my drift?"
"Fixed. Unlike yours. Consider this a down payment… If you catch MY drift."
She smiles back and snickers.
"Tsk… Such a bold mouth~ Come, Isaac. History is starting soon."
"If you don't mind, can we talk informally? I know this royalty shit and all, but Headmaster said status doesn't mean anything, ya know?"
"Obviously, dude~ We already have so much in common, so why can't we, Isaac?" She punched him in the shoulder.
Pop.
Mmphh!
"Y-Yea, Sephalyn."
Switchup goes crazy. I wonder if all royalties speak like Gen-Z.
She begins walking towards the main building. The majority of the walk was filled with banter. Sephalyn pushes the agenda of her family onto Isaac, whilst humbly flexing her status outside of the Institute.
Nice… I got a good 'investor,' per se, now. This should allow me to help Caelum settle her character development arc more easily, plus, it gives me backing other than my Five C's of Credit if I need to take a loan in the future.
Isaac trails just far enough behind her as they enter the classroom. Sephalyn pauses at the doorway, her silhouette framed by light, an entrepreneur looking at her productive capacity.
"Isaac.." She doesn't look back. "It would be nice to be a contractor of contractors."
Dismissal or a promise?
"And if possible. Do recommend me your contact lens supplier, such a remarkable and realistic pigment quality, more than the ones I use, deserves recognition. I wouldn't mind twinning with you one day as well… Hehe…"
Isaac stiffen.
SHIT! FUCK!
Oh my God, I'm so fucking stupid!
Topological Anchor Version 2 is still active.
"U-uh. Will do your highness. Yours look better than mine." Isaac looks away in embarrassment while muttering softly.
"Thanks. Don't worry, you've got good taste~ It suits you. If anything, I like it, I'm sure Anzhi would too~ More so than me."
With a soft chuckle, she gets the final words before returning to the other 3 princesses.
Caelum included, too, as he was being belittled by Turaiya.
Tsk… Shit lah…
I need to be more conscious of using Topological Anchor in the future. It's gonna be so fucking troublesome if more and more people notice how my iris color shifts when it's activated.
Sigh…
"Topological Anchor V2: Deactivate."
Might as well scan the room normally. History's mandatory, so all the important characters should be here. The Heroines, Clanker, Nobles, Spirit Tamers, Swordsmen, Alchemist…
Wait.
Who the fuck are you?
Don't. Recognize that girl.
Isaac approaches her hastily, understandably so.
Screw the seat I chose in Biothaumatics Studies. I am 100% sure that I've never seen a girl like her in EAA. Even with my limited memory… She looks so… Out of place.
Up close, it's long, ink-black hair, obsidian eyes sharper than a Xian Xia villainess's tongue. High cheekbones, vulpine nose, lips that'd make a jade beauty or demoness seethe.
Not Elenese.
Not Veledônians.
Not Knyagatyrski.
"Good morning. Is there anyone sitting here?"
Her voice slices the air, each syllable precision-cut:
"No one sits here. Would you like to?
Looks like an Asian from Earth. Korean? Japanese? Chinese… Probably. She's not like father, mother, and Aveline, though… Native Chinese? She should be from Knyagatyrsk then… But she doesn't look like the other Knyagatyrsk whatsoever…
So who?
"If it's not taken, Ms...?"
"Xuě Xīlián." She spoke in a tone that could frost glass. It was not cold in attitude; in fact, it was understanding and caring, just phrased in a way that seemed as if she hated Isaac.
His first interaction with a martial hero.
A Wuxia per se.
His first interaction with a Monurgist.
"Isaac. Isaac Mun." Isaac flashes his most obnoxious grin and lobs the nuke.
"很 高兴 见到你 (Nice to meet you)."
Her pupils dilate as her mouth hangs agape.
"你也会说中文吗? (You too can speak Chinese)?"
"Eh, 一点点 (A lil lil bit),"
Gotcha.
"我更喜欢英语 (I prefer English)."
She immediately brought her arms together and clasped her fist, the same way a Cultivator would show respect.
Isaac responded in the same way.
Can't believe this is my first interaction with one of the 3 extra DLC factions.
I've read so many Wuxia stories that I know that clasping hands is to show respect. The mandarin was honestly bullshit. My astrophysics study group got so dull that we'd curse in our native tongue, and I remembered all the language.
Similarly to Isaac's interaction with his parents. A flicker of understanding passes between him and Xuě Xīlián.
She reminds me so painfully of my transfer student friends, adrift in lecture halls where every whispered joke landed wrong, every cultural reference was not understood by us.
In a way, just like me in this world…
Her voice becomes a gentle, reassuring tone, reminiscent of someone adjusting their personal space after an extended period. When she rises to let Isaac into the seat beside her, the movement carries a formal quality, as if she has done so countless times before, with a great sense of dignity.
"Where are you from, Ms. Xīlián?"
She fidgets, fingers twisting in her sleeves. "A-ah… X-Xue'er…"
"Hm?"
"Call me… Xue'er." Her voice is barely above a whisper. "It's… rare to find someone who speaks the same tongue, and I'd wish to be closer to you in the future."
"A family nickname?" I raise an eyebrow. "Shouldn't that be reserved for your—"
"I insist, Mr. Mun."
Wow~ Straight to family nicknames. Then again, stumbling across another Chinese-speaking student in a foreign nation alone… No wonder she's flustered.
"If you say so." Isaac offered a slight smile. "Then please call me Isaac or Sac if you feel funny, hehe."
Her cheeks flush pink. "O-okay… Isaac."
Alright… Time to dig deep.
"So, Xue'er," I lean in just slightly, "where exactly are you from?"
"The Jiǔxiāo Empire, Wùhuán Dàlù"
Are we deadass…
Isaac nods sagely, as if he's heard of it.
"Jiǔxiāo Empire… mhm."
"Yes… the Liánhuá Sect. My parents currently lead it."
"Oh?" Isaac whistles. "So you're basically royalty."
She ducks her head, fingers tightening around her sleeves.
The hesitation is obvious, either insecurity or something deeper.
Interesting.
Push further.
"Then you're their heir, yeah? The pride of Liánhuá?"
"I-I wouldn't say that—"
"What other sects have you dominated, Xue'er?"
It's a bitch move…
She stiffens.
"O-only the Huǒyún Sect's heir. I'm… still in my Order of Fermionic Conditioning: Somatic Integration Lock. The others are older and more prodigious than I..."
Huh?
Huh?
Huh?
Order of Fermionic Conditioning: Somatic Integration Lock?
First stage should usually be Physical Building, no?
Wait wait… I'll FUCKING pester her later on what the fuck she's saying… But…
Isaac asked hurriedly. "How old are you?"
Her face freezes.
"Ah… w-well, technically I'm 17." She hesitates. "But my mental age… is about 127? 128?"
"...What…"
Huh?
Her voice shrinks further. "T-too weird?"
"Yep."