Hello everyone, sorry for if I took longer than expected. I was taking a break and playing HOI4, where I had a stupid run on the Road to 56 Mod (not on historical) where I played the USA in the Allies, where I had to fighting almost all of South America that went Fascist, an axis of Germany, Japan, Italy, and then Fascist Russia [which all four altogether somehow had almost 600 divisions]; Liberate Africa, save England five times, and then finally invade Europe through Spain all the way to Tokyo. Needless to say, I lost about two to three nights of good sleep on it. Oh, by the way, this was all on easy mode and it didn't feel easy at all. So, sorry that this was delayed.
No questions to answer much on this one, besides one:
the story starts post-Fontaine Arc and we are coming upon Natlan's Arc soon, do I have an idea of what is going to happen on Nod-Krai about Columbina and Dottore?
For Columbina, she isn't going to resign yet; but Dottore's little project about the Moon and Irminsul is currently to him on hold. It will probably still happen. I am just waiting on at 7.0 to hear the Tsaritsa in action and see if she might admit about Dottore as an Harbinger. Cause my issue, and I think someone on YouTube raised it, I highly doubt that she had no idea of what he was planning as she always seems to be smarter than that. You are welcome to give me your opinion on it, if you would like to.
I hope that you enjoy chapter and find it interesting. Let me know what you thought about it in a comment in the end and I might immediately reply if you ask me a question.
June 8th, 1941
Springwood, Hyde Park, New York
Childe sat at a desk in the guestroom of the Springwood, while listening to the wireless that had Roosevelt's voice come out of it. He had been listening to the voice for some time as he talked by starting with the phrase of 'this is a another talk on National Security' and continued on in a manner that almost made Childe feel as if the man was in the room with him. Childe rested one gloved hand against the edge of the desk and listened attentively. The man did not speak with thunder or even calling fire down from Heaven. Roosevelt spoke as if he were seated across from an old friend, explaining a danger that had already entered their home, and needed to only be pointed out.
"For many months, the American people have watched the Nations of Europe suffer under Nazi Conquest. We saw Britain stand alone against a power that would rule the continent by fear. However, we must now face a new fact. And this fact is that a nation from another world, a concept that we would think of as fiction, has placed its engines, agents, ships, and other unthinkable powers before the service of Nazi Germany."
Childe listened as Roosevelt continued on his talk and listed out the things that Snezhnaya had done now from its intervention of Greece and Yugoslavia to the Bismarck. Making Snezhnaya out as a belligerent in this war in service of support to the Nazi's. As if Snezhnaya was a conspirator of threatening American safety and isolationism in how the Azores are closer to America than the Pearl Harbor is the outpost in the Pacific for America.
"The man certainly knows how to paint a simple picture to his people," Childe commented as Lyney and Lynette arrived.
"Yes, but really doesn't answer whether or not he intends to have America enter war," Lynette stated as she arrived with a dispatch for Childe.
"He can't, well…not officially," Childe answered as he grabbed the dispatch from Lynette, "The man is human and has more limits on his power than any Archon or ruler in Teyvat. If anything, the Iudex in Fontaine moves the machinery of his nation more directly than Roosevelt can move Congress."
"Are you sure about that?" Lyney asked with a raised eyebrow as he recalled how the Iudex knocked Childe down on his ass.
Childe glanced up from the dispatch.
"About which part?" the Harbinger asked.
"That he is limited," Lyney said, "he does not sound limited."
Then Roosevelt's voice rolled from the wireless again, calm and steady.
"Your government knows what terms Hitler and the representatives of the Tsaritsa would impose on our world ... .They claim that they wish to build a world of peace in prosperity for all ... .Yet, the American people remember when Adolf Hitler declared, after Czechoslovakia had been broken, that he was satisfied, that he had no further territorial demands in Europe. We remember how often aggression has dressed itself in the language of peace."
Childe's eyes lifted fully from the dispatch as the room seemed to grow smaller around the wireless.
"And so the American people are entitled to ask a plain question about Snezhnaya. If the Reich has used such methods in this world, are we to believe that the Tsaritsa's agents have never used similar methods in theirs? Are we to believe that those who aid conquest abroad have practiced only justice at home? Are we to believe that a power which arms Nazi Germany asks nothing in return except friendship?"
Childe's mouth tightened as he knew that it was not just directed at Germany alone. Roosevelt was placing Snezhnaya at the same bracket as Germany by just questioning it. Before Roosevelt could continue on it, Childe shut off the wireless and sat back down.
"There," Childe said as he gave a quiet breath through his nose.
Lyney looked at him for a moment and replied, "There?"
"There is where he is different from the other Archons and rulers of Teyvat," Childe continued, "The man is not proving what Snezhnaya has done, but is teaching his people what to suspect."
Lynette's ears twitched, "And suspicion is enough?"
"From what I can tell of this country, it is not enough but sufficient," Childe said as he opened the dispatch carefully, "Suspicion is something that can make or break a politician's career in this country. It can mean more or less votes from people."
Childe proceeded to open the dispatch and read it.
"Well, what does it say?" Lyney asked.
Childe's eyes moved across the page once, then again. Although, his expression seemed to have no change as he skimmed through it.
"I am to continue to try to defuse the situation and reassure President Roosevelt that Snezhnaya has no warring intentions to the United States and make statements to the American press whenever possible to remind America that in the last war, they thought that they were fighting for Democracy and peace," Childe explained.
Lyney tilted his head, "Were they not?"
"That depends on which American you ask," Childe replied, "The dispatch suggests that I remind them what came after. With Versailles, Germany was humiliated while Britain and France were rewarded with new territories and mandates. It might resonate strongly with the Isolationist bloc and give them some steam. I can imagine that Lindbergh character might be willing to hear it."
Lynette then questioned, "So we are accusing Britain of asking America to send its sons again for someone else's empire?"
"Yes, and even argue that Britain is trying to imperialize Teyvat as some sort of mystical Africa and Asia ready for their taking. A whole continent with territories, resources, and people waiting to be divided among the old empires of their world," Childe replied as he held a finger to his chin.
"From the way that Roosevelt speaks," Lyney continued, "He might be able to argue against that easily.
"That is why the argument does not need to be entirely true, We only need to show only enough truth to it to resonate to the fears that they hold already like dead sons and debt left unpaid by Britain," Childe answered, "But that is why Pierro is also looking at other routes to keep America out of the war."
Lynette stepped closer to the desk, "What other routes?"
"Trade, for one," Childe turned the page of the Dispatch, "Things that he will leave for Pantalone to deal with through his end. Pierro also recommends I do press interviews, public appearances, and speeches presenting Snezhnaya as a reluctant participant in a European conflict. We are to emphasize that Britain declared war upon us, not the reverse."
Lynette's eyes narrowed.
"Will anyone believe that after Greece and Yugoslavia?"
"Some will not," Childe replied, "They are not the audience that matters really."
"Then who is?" Lyney asked as he leaned against the edge of the desk.
"People who already believe Roosevelt is looking for an excuse to enter the war. The kind of people that think Britain has been manipulating America since the last one and do not care about Snezhnaya provided that the conflict is none of their concern," Childe continued as he paused for a moment, "And people who thinks that Roosevelt is a hidden communist in the White House."
"Like the Soviet Union? They really believe that?" Lyney blinked.
"You'd be surprised at what some of these newspapers in this country write about their leaders," Childe answered, "They accuse Roosevelt of being a communist, a dictator, a warmonger, and an agent of the British, sometimes in the same edition."
Lynette's ears tilted forward, "And they are permitted to publish that?"
"Permitted may be too generous a word, they can get sued and denounced," Childe replied, "But by then, the accusation has been read before the breakfast table."
Lynette considered it for a moment, "In Fontaine, an editor who printed such things without evidence might spend the following morning answering questions before the Iudex."
"Yes, but the goal is to have the American people make those accusations…not the Fatui…." Childe said as he stood up and walked to the fireplace as he placed it to the fire, while watching the papers burn into ash.
As the papers disintegrated, he looked out the window as he stared out to the woods and green grass. Childe knew that he would be having another meeting with Secretary of State Cordell Hull soon this week. However, the constant diplomatic talks between them were boring to him, he was never the diplomatic one out of all of the Harbingers….yet, here he was acting as an unofficial envoy on behalf of the Tsaritsa.
Childe was loyal to the Tsaritsa and did not question her order to send upon the selection done by Roosevelt, but this type of activity never really amused him. To him, this is work meant for politicians. He remembered when the news of the alliance brought him and the other Harbingers that were in Snezhnaya. When he learned about the fact that this world was at war with their newly found ally, he was hesitant on the idea of accepting it.
He didn't mind the fact that this Germany was a strong one given from the details he received, but he was immediately worried about the idea of this war being brought to Snezhnaya. On the idea that it could somehow drag his siblings, especially Teucer, in harm's way. But the thing that reassured him from the concern was the thought that maybe the Tsaritsa, who he was very loyal toward, was really only in the alliance to ensure an expansion of Snezhnaya's strength and would not carelessly drag the country in someone else's fight. Even Pierro, the Jester and Director of the Fatui, assured him one morning during a conference after the long negotiations of the Pact of Iron and Frost that war would not openly come to Snezhnaya. That the Tsaritsa really wanted America kept out of the war and had no intentions of allowing this war to reach the homeland of Snezhnaya.
Furthermore, the Tsaritsa only wanted German technology, military experience, and access to Earth's resources. When he explained to Childe about America, Childe really believed that America really wanted to sit out this war and that its people had no desire to sacrifice themselves in another European war. Only Roosevelt stood in the war of it truly staying out, where said President was forever searching for an incident that would allow him to push the United States's entrance into the war. Although, the Jester said that even if Snezhnaya was in a situation of war against the Allies, the Snezhnayan homeland was well-protected and the barrier between worlds made such a possibility even impossible for it to reach.
"Britain" the Jester told him, "is in such a state of decay that the only way that they can even keep their fledgling colonial empire is to negotiate peace. They, unlike the Americans, do not even have the resources to lift a bomb to waste in dropping it on Snezhnograd instead of Germany."
Childe believed Pierro about Roosevelt and the idea that war would never come to Snezhnaya. At the time, he really did believe…then he met Roosevelt in person and was not as certain. The President did not appear mad or anything like he expected for a ruler desperate to go to war. The man was certainly strong in his own right, while not hiding the impairment to his legs and refused to allow them to diminish his authority. However, he met many people who had suffered less and decided to forever remain bed-ridden ... .Roosevelt showed that his health was not going to stop and that he was strong in his own right. The Harbinger almost admired the President for it, but that was all he wanted to give him.
Then Britain declared war upon them with Churchill going as far to compare the Tsaritsa to Hitler. His emotions about it really showed in front of Secretary Hull, when he almost tensely demanded that America end its lend-lease to Britain. Hull had merely looked at him across the table and asked whether Snezhnaya intended to end its assistance to Germany. The answer was not something that Childe enjoyed hearing from the Secretary.
Childe looked back toward the desk. Beside the empty envelope from Pierro rested another letter that he had already opened. The contents of the additional mail was smaller, but was covered in a child's handwriting asking how his toy selling business was going at 'this America.' In the letter was a small drawing of a Mr. Cyclops occupying one corner with him right beside it smiling.
"The war cannot reach Snezhnaya," he murmured.
Lyney glanced toward and asked, "What was that?"
"Nothing…nothing at all."
Lynette's ears shifted slightly, but she did not press.
Childe grabbed the letter with the drawing and sled it into the inside pocket of his coat. He wondered how far this alliance was willing to Snezhnaya with it and whether the Jester's assurance had any real weight to them; because now, they started to sound like a promise. And if there was one thing that he learned well in fighting against stronger opponents, it was expectations don't always agree with reality.
June 10th, 1941
The Firth of Clyde, Gourock, Scotland
The medium sized ocean liner SS Pasteur sailed slowly out to sea from the anchorage beneath a low ceiling of gray cloud. Pug stood near the end of the pier with hands buried in the pockets of his naval greatcoat with his cap on him. Beside him, Pamela Tudsbury held her fur hat against the wind as the great grey painted liner was taken in hand by two tugboats and drawn toward the deeper channel. The large smokestack behind the bridge of the vessel giving out a good amount of smoke as it set off.
Along the promenade decks of the ship and its rails were an assortment of soldiers, crewmen, nurses, and other people placed on the voyage. A group of soldiers at the rear end of the upper promenade deck, Pug could tell, was looking upward in glancing but questioning eyes at Paimon floating above Aether as she waved at Pug.
"Goodbye," she called out, "Please make sure that there's plenty of food ready for Paimon when she comes back."
Aether placed his hand on his forehead for a moment and then took hold of one of her ankles, where he gently pulled her closer to the deck.
"Paimon," he said looking toward the staring soldiers, "you were supposed to remain out of sight."
"But they already saw Paimon," Paimon replied.
Down at the pier, Pamela laughed softly beside Pug.
"So much for discretion with the little one," Pamela said.
"I don't think discretion was never one of her strengths," Pug answered as he took his cap off and waved it at the two travellers as the ship sailed out from the distance.
"You sound fond of her."
Pug kept his eyes on the ship for a moment, "I suppose I am. She reminds me a lot of Madeline when she was younger."
Pamela looked toward the tiny white figure still waving from the upper deck promenade at the stern section.
"Was Madeline that loud?"
Pug chuckled as if he was recalling a memory from ages ago, "Oh, much louder when she really wanted something. Then she got older and learned to be more silent in getting what she wants."
"Such as?"
"Such as taking a job at NBC without telling either of her parents while me and Rhoda sailed on the Bremen with you and Talky to Berlin."
Pamela smiled at the idea.
"And Aether?" she asked
Pug watched the young traveller finally persuade Paimon to descend behind the canvas windbreak.
"He reminds me of Warren," he said after a moment, "Always trying to appear more mature than he looks. But he is less talkative than Warren."
"Are you worried about the two of them?"
Pug replaced his cap and nodded, "Yes. The Pasteur is a big, but fast ship. The British usually let her sail independently without escort, like the Queen Mary. She can outrun any surfaced conventional U-boat without needing to zigzag.
"That sounds encouraging."
"It would be, if we were dealing only with conventional submarines."
Pamela turned toward him, while Pug kept his eyes fixed upon the liner.
"I doubt that the Fatui could catch up to her," Pug continued, "But if they are caught in a good firing position ahead then…"
Pug stopped his thought as he did not think it was appropriate to think of such a scenario.
"Never mind," Pug said, "I don't want to think about it."
Pamela nodded as they walked down the pier to the staff car that Pug borrowed to transport them.
"It's odd isn't it?" she questioned.
"What is?" Pug said back.
"The world has gone madder over the past months since we last met," she stated, "London was being bombed and you went on that air raid over Berlin that seemed extraordinary enough.
Pug opened the passenger door for her, "And now?"
"Now other worlds are real. Britain is at war with a nation from one of them, and we just waved goodbye to two people who should not exist according to every sensible rule that we once believed."
Pug glanced back toward the sea as he replied, "The world was already mad before the Fatui…Now, it is just…worse…."
"Yes, the tales are enough that the Ministry of Information released to the public on the Fatui, surrendered troops frozen to death by being turned into ice statues. It certainly has enraged the population of Britain for sure," Pamela answered, "before it we could say that the Fatui were a German invention…another absurd tale from Goebbels and Lord Haw-Haw ... .now there are dead proving it otherwise."
Pug didn't say anything really as there really isn't much that he could say to help the situation.
"But it doesn't automatically mean that they can win the war, Pamela," Pug finally decided to answer.
"I know, but it still dumbfounds me on it all, but Victor…."Pamela trailed off as she turned back to Pug and hugged him intimately, "I am glad to see you again."
Pug, almost surprised, hugged her back with the same energy of appreciation.
"I am glad to see you, too," Pug replied, "But you know that I will not be staying here long right?"
"Yes, I know….heading to Lisbon and then Washington," Pamela said with tears welling in her eyes, "How's Rhoda?"
"Oh, she is fine, she just returned from Berlin thanks to Lady Arlecchino's help. Got her on a flight to Lisbon and then a long one to DC," Pug answered, "Apparently, Arlecchino also took a personal interest in Natalie and Aaron's case as she said that she would bring it all the way to the President through her fellow Harbinger Tartaglia or as he is also known as Childe."
"You mean the one that made that great circus show in New York?" Pamela asked.
"That's the one," Pug admitted shyly.
"It's odd to hear that one of these Fatui helped your family. After Greece, one begins to imagine them all as monsters."
"They aren't all alike," Pug said.
"No. I suppose neither are the Germans."
Pug's expression hardened into his professional stillness, "I like to believe that there are Germans risking their lives against Hitler. No doubt, there are others helping him enthusiastically. A uniform can tell you what government that person serves, but not always what sort of person is inside it."
"And Arlecchino? You talk about her."
Pug glanced back at Pamela and questioned with "Do I?"
"Nearly as often as you speak of Rhoda in front of me."
Pug could sense a teasing blade to the remark as he thought, "I really don't know what sort of person she is. She was my principal contact in Berlin and she approached me with a messenger not the other way around. But she is the reason on how I learned about Teyvat to start with.I know that she has lived a harsh life and even murdered a person because of that life."
"That's not reassuring."
"It isn't meant to be at all, she may help someone today but assassinate someone tomorrow under the Tsaritsa's uniform. It's her specialty."
"You admire her," Pamela accused with a smile.
"I respect her abilities when possible, but I will give you this. The woman knows how to give a person the creeps."
"Such a glowing recommendation," Pamela joked with a wink, "It's almost like you are saying that she is almost walking death."
"Like I told General Tillet, try being in the room with her."
Pamela said nothing as she got into the car and he drove off all the way back to London.
As Pug drove on back to London, he could not help but feel a gap in his heart when he thought about the idea of leaving Pamela to herself. Who is to say that after he leaves London on whether he will even see her again. For the first time in a while, it seemed duty was carrying him away from something that he did not want to lose.
Inside the lower level of the House of Daena and the Akademiya, Sumeru City, Sumeru
Earth time: June 15th, 1941
The abandoned library chamber deep below the grounds of Sumeru city, where the remains of old bookshelves and large roots cleared. The dust has been cleared and loose debris has long since been cleared for usage. The atmosphere was cold but tolerable for a research community of scholars. Various members of the Akademiya and its Darshans began roaming around the chamber overlooking an arch of two enormous wooden roots. The roots glowed green with the passageway between the roots projecting a bright mirrorlike green glow of light.
A soft but noticeable musical chime of wind blew through the passageway. To the scholars, the notes were gentle but almost playful. But the scholars nearest to the Arch kept glancing toward it with unease. This project that they were working on was unlike anything that they had ever done before in their careers. Right beside each base of the roots were candles that projected light around the dark area.
One of these scholars examining the arches was a medium height female with fair skin and hair that was turquoise that ran as messy bangs along the frames of her face. She stood beside one of the temporary instrument tables that examined a row of needles trembling behind glass near the arch.
"The resonance is holding," she announced, "but barely."
Not far from her was a tall male, who had a distinct medium-length hair that was dirty blonde on its ends. His sharp eyes with red irises that almost looked offended at her comment.
"Why of course, it's holding, Madam Faruzan," the male replied, "What do you take me for? I can design anything to be everlasting unlike some architects."
Faruzan slowly turned her head toward him.
"Kaveh," she said as she pronounced his name in a manner that sounded as though she was trying to keep professional, "The support structure is precisely why the resonance is barely holding. Your reinforcement braces are interfering with the harmonic flow along the roots."
Kaveh placed one hand against his chest as though personally wounded.
"Well, I'm sorry, I was told to design an arch that sustains this 'soft aperture'" Kaveh replied as he used his fingers at the word, "that can resonate to a world that I have no business knowing how it works or can be connected. The only reason I am even doing this is because Alhaitham told me that he would forgive my existing rent debts. Saying that its functionality was worth more than any dinner he could buy me."
Faruzan folded her arms as she raised an eyebrow and replied, "Then perhaps you should have used the money you are saving to purchase a basic text on harmonic architecture."
Kaveh's expression sharpened as his irritation began to boil and retorted, "Harmonic architecture is not my field of expertise."
Faruzan raised one finger with a smirk behind her face and replied, "Then you admit the deficiency lies with the architect."
"I admit that I was asked to combine architecture, Ley Line Theories, Dendro Resonance, and experimental dimensional physics within four days of preparation," Kaveh answered as he rolled his eyes, "This should be something above my pay grade, but yet I was told that I am one of the few to be trusted with this secret. I do not understand why I am being made the keeper of such a project."
Behind him at the descending evaluator a calm voice answered his inquest.
"Because you are incapable of keeping your opinions to yourself, not secrets."
Kaveh closed his eyes as he let a breath of annoyed air from his lungs.
"Of course, you were listening," Kaveh said.
Approaching from behind was a male with gray hair with turquoise eyes with an orange ring, yellow pupils. He wore a dark outfit that was exotic with a half-off coat like an outfit with green. He walked up to a temporary desk that was assembled from salvaged library tables that were covered in books, diagrams, and pages of various types of calculations done. He grabbed one of the pages of calculations and examined them.
"You were speaking so loudly that I could hear you as I descended from the upper level," Alhaitham said.
"That does not answer my question," Kaveh said loudly.
"I didn't interpret it as one," Alhaitham said straightly, "I took it as a complaint."
If a sensor was built in the room, then it could detect Mount Kaveh ready to explode. Faruzan turned toward her instruments, though the faint movement at the corner of her mouth betrayed her amusement.
"It was both," Kaveh said.
"Then the complaint has been acknowledged"
"And the question?"
Alhaitham lowered the page and looked at him, "You were selected because you possess the necessary expertise, no meaningful political ambitions, and the useful ability to overthink things without using common sense."
"That sounds more like criticism than praise," Kaveh said feeling insulted.
"Considering the project you are doing, for once, it is a benefit," Alhaitham said plainly.
Kaveh looked at him again as he sighed, "I am beginning to regret accepting the rent arrangement."
"I doubt it," Alhaitham replied.
Kaveh was about to open his mouth again to object until one of the glass gauges near the Arch struck its end with a sharp metallic click.
Faruzan leaned over the instrument table that the sound originated from and tried to adjust a brass dial on the table.
"The resonance has fallen another three percent," she said.
Kaveh glanced toward the arch, where the glowing veins within the roots were no longer pulsing together. The light traveled at an uneven pace along the wooden root and slowed its speed as it reached the upper junction.
"What'd I tell you?" She said to Kaveh, "Your support is hurting the resonance connection ... .for all we know, we could accidentally connect to a volcanic chamber if it keeps getting disrupted."
Several scholars standing near the Arch quietly took a step backward for their own safety.
"Please," Kaveh continued, "We just need to restart and reposition the ends of the roots upward, where it can fix that resonance"
"What makes the disruption dangerous?" Alhaitham asked.
Faruzan pointed toward the trembling needles .
"The roots are no longer resonating together," she explained, "It requires a coherent resonance pattern. Every point along the arch must carry the same harmonic signature and the roots no longer are working together at all."
Alhaitham approached the instrument table and examined the gauges with a closer eye.
"And what happens when those frequencies drift farther apart?" He asked.
Faruzan paused briefly, while Kaveh noticed the hesitation.
"We could lose connection to the correct Earth," she answered.
"What do you mean by that…correct Earth?" Kaveh asked.
"We could accidentally connect to an alternative Earth with a different history, different universe, and different everything," she explained, "We're using the memories in the Irminsul provided by Lesser Lord Kusanali to connect to it, but even those memories are not a strong connection to begin with. They form a connection to incomplete images, voices, and even locations that can shift dramatically in the way that their history is different."
"A different Earth?" Alhaitham questioned with a thumb to his chin, "Is that even possible?"
"It's a hypothesis ... .if the Irminsul can change memories, then different worlds are outside the realm of imagination," Faruzan continued, "But the issue is that we are trying to prevent at the same time is ensuring that its destination frequency must be shifted far enough away from the existing German portal that we do not connect directly right beside it."
"Which is also where we are having these issues," Kaveh finished.
"I see," Alhaitham said, "You have my sympathies…."
"Why are we even trying to connect to this other world…..huh?" Kaveh questioned Alhaitham as he moved closer, "If anything to go by those Germans, their world is nothing but trouble and it might be best that we just stay out of their affairs."
Alhaitham gave Kaveh a look with an upward gaze as he sat at a chair to the desks covered with the papers.
"It's not just the Germans to worry about," Alhaitham replied.
"What about those Japanese? I thought they showed no harmful intentions at Ritou according to the news. They met with the Shogun and were received positively," Kaveh said.
"That is just the small drop of water in the story."
"Something that you're not telling us," Kaveh accused.
"Nothing you need to know," Alhaitham dropped plainly.
"That did not answer my question," Kaveh responded.
"Sorry that was a question? Maybe try again after my tea break," Alhaitham retorted.
The sound of the elevator descending again could be heard as a woman stood there as it finished its landing, where she walked up to Alhaitham.
"Sir, the General Mahamatra wishes to see you in the Grand Sage's office, he said that it's serious," she said.
"Thank you, inspector," Alhaitham said as he stood up and walked to the elevator without saying 'goodbye' to the two project runners.
He followed the Inspector back to the elevator as it ascended with them.
"Did he say what it was about?" He asked the Inspector.
"All he told me was that there was an incident in the Avidya Forest that requires your immediate attention," she replied.
Alhaitham nodded as he said nothing as the Elevator reached its destination. Above them in the massive room was a giant blue sphere of light that rings connected to it, they paid it no mind as they marble floor moved up to a set of steps that led to an upper level. At the upper level, the massive details of the large circular room of the Grand Sage's office could be seen. Bookshelves as tall as shrines covered the walls and filled with different books that contained knowledge. In front of them contained the Grand Sage's desk made of wood and carved into a unique shape of curvature.
However, the desk was not what had the two individuals' attention, stood Cyno also known as the General Mahamatra. He had tan skin with reddish orange eyes and gray hair with his jackal headpiece.
"Thank you, you may leave, Inspector," Alhaitham said.
The woman bowed as she walked away back to the Elevator and disappeared. Leaving the two men alone in the Grand Sage's office.
Cyno did not speak until the Inspector was beyond hearing.
"Azar and the other exiled former sages are missing."
Alhaitham stopped beside the desk as he nearly blinked.
"Missing from the Avidya Forest?" Alhaitham said.
"Their assigned residences were found empty this morning," Cyno answered.
"All of them?"
"Azar, Khajeh, and each of the other sages sentenced alongside them."
"When were they last seen?" Alhaitham asked.
"Yesterday after sunset. A forest Ranger delivered their daily provisions and spoke briefly with Azar. Nothing appeared unusual."
"Did the Ranger enter the residence?"
"No. Azar accepted the supplies at the door."
"And the guards?"
"Six Matra were posted nearby. They claim an Akedemiya carriage arrived shortly before midnight," Cyno explained.
Alhaitham raised an eyebrow as he looked at Cyno with an eyebrow raised.
"Claim?"
Cyno removed a folded document from beneath his cloak and placed it upon the desk.
"They were shown this."
Alhaitham opened it where the document contained an order for the immediate transfer of the former sages from Avidya Forest to Sumeru City for questioning concerning prohibited research. It carried the seal of the office of the Scribe and a secondary mark belonging to the Matra.
His own name appeared at the bottom, where Alhaitham read the order once.
"I did not authorize this."
"I know…. they have no reason to fall under your jurisdiction."
Alhaitham examined the document and rolled his eyes as he spoke, "Then whoever wrote this either misunderstood the structures of the Akademiya or expected no one to examine it closely."
"The guards examined the seal."
"And fell for it," Alhaitham commented.
Alhaitham helped the document beneath the light of a nearby lamp, where the paper was a genuine type of stock that was used by the Akademiya. The language that the text contained was the stiff phrasing used in administrative transfer orders and the secondary mark of the Matra was reproduced with impressive care. Almost an exact match to the actual mark as if someone got a hold of an actual stamp. The duplicate of his signature was less convincing though, where the final upward stroke curved in the wrong direction. A direction that he had not used this year or since the removal of Azar and his accomplices.
"This was copied from an older document," Alhaitham said, " I changed the way that I wrote my signature since we removed Azar from power."
"But it gets worse though…." Cyno admitted.
"How?" Alhaitham questioned.
"You and I both know that through the new network agreement that the German's have been running those U-boats to Liyue lately," Cyno continued, "Well, it just so happened that, the One with the number 66 on it was in Port Ormos the other night to restock on fresh food. Their captain claimed that the seas made the voyage longer than anticipated causing their fresh food to spoil. Well, last night there was a large natural fog bank covering the coastline from Port Ormos to the coastline south of Qingxu Pool. The U-boat sailed out last night in the cover of that fog, their captain claimed that in their world as long as they ran their navigation lights and slowed their speed, then they could sail."
"Run their navigation lights in war time?"
"The captain claimed that their enemies had no possible way of attacking them in Teyvat and such procedures were safe for them."
"When did they depart?" Alhaitham asked.
"Shortly after midnight and the same night that the former sages disappeared."
"Convenient," Alhaitham commented.
"I thought the same thing, so I asked the harbor master if anything unusual happened. He didn't recall anything as it was so foggy that one could hardly see. He did protest to the captain of the U-66 on departing in such weather, but the submarine was already unmoored and set sail. Once I learned about it, I had a runner go to Liyue to see if they could stop the Submarine for an inspection intercept and inspect her under Liyue Law." Cyno explained.
"But that doesn't answer where Azar and his accomplices went. Plus the captain understands that we are not on Earth…Teyvat doesn't use their forms of fog navigation."
"No, but before departing, the carriage that carried them was found abandoned outside of Port Ormos this morning."
"So they probably snuck aboard it and are out at sea."
Cyno nodded and kept trying hard to not show any rage about the situation as he replied, "Yes, I hope that they can be caught in Liyue."
"That is if they are heading that way, for we know that they are either sailing to Snezhnaya or turning around to Nod-Krai. Or…they are on their way to Germany," Alhaitham answered.
"You know what this could mean right?" Cyno questioned Alhaitham with his red-orange eyes looking at the scribe's orange-ringed yellow eyes.
"I have a feeling," Alhaitham said, "But tell me."
"This was a collection of all the elements of Pro-Snezhnayan Sages that helped Dottore in his little project," Cyno answered.
"Yes, the collecting of persons to make a possible government-in-waiting maybe," the Scribe repeated, "Can you quietly send a message to the other members of the network? Ask them to recheck the whereabouts of their pro-Fatui elements?"
"I can," Cyno answered, "I can have Kazuha send them the way that he came in on the network agreement."
"Has Lord Kusanali been made aware of it?"
Cyno grimly nodded as he replied, "She is concerned that this is only the first one we have noticed and asks for you to speed up the Aperture Project. The memories of Earth in Irminsul have been getting darker."
"How darker?"
"The Irminsul is getting memories now of a city at night," Cyno answered, "Shop windows were being broken or marked in yellow paint. Buildings of similar religious structures set on fire. Uniformed men dragging families from their homes while crowds watch. Some of the people were beaten or killed openly. There was so much broken glass that it looked covered in ice while surrounded by those hooked crosses everywhere in the streets.
Alhaitham said nothing as his mind tried to imagine such a scene in Sumeru or anywhere in Teyvat, but the scale of it resisted comprehension. This was not the work of one violent individual or an uncontrolled crowd. For something like that to happen in a world or country like the Germans, it meant that there was a system where someone decided that a group of people did not deserve the protection of its government.
The moment that he thought about Kaveh instantly made him think about how such people might take the connection between him and the architect. Their personal relationship is private and hardly showed any form of intimacy in public that could invite speculation. The city knew that they are currently roommates, but a lot of people made rumors about the two on how they act like an old married couple. Others that knew them personally guessed the truth, but respectfully did not say it outloud.
In the city that Cyno described, those rumors might be enough to mark their names on a list, paint a symbol on their door, or drag them from their home in the middle of the night. The possibility settled coldly inside Alhaitham, he could endure being targeted himself. But the thought of anyone putting their hands on Kaveh with harmful intentions was another matter entirely.
June 16th, 1941
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dominion of Canada
8:35am
The city of Halifax emerged from the morning fog as a forrest of cranes, smokestacks, masts, and gray naval hulls appeared. Aether stood at the rail of the SS Pasteur as two tugboats guided the large single smokestack Ocean Liner into the harbor. The ship's engines pulse beneath his feet with a steady vibration with the speed of the fast liner reduced to a mere crawl. The liner had sailed more than five days in the open ocean with lights out and escorts appearing on an in and out basis along the horizon.
Paimon hovered beside him with both hands gripping the rail as they watched the port come alive. So many ships of different sizes, types, and purposes seemed to have fulfilled the harbor to near burst. On their left, they could see docks with train rails not far filled with various cargo loaded onto the trains.
One thing that Aether could say about Halifax that unlike London was that it did not have the feeling of a city under the scars of bombing. He could not find a single building split open upon the sky and no street was filled with stone and brick. He could see the signs of war on the city, but no signs of war-torn damage.
"So this is Halifax?" Paimon said.
Aether nodded, while not far behind him was Captain Mallory in a heavy rain coat and hands buried in its pockets.
"I still wonder why Commander Henry couldn't join us?" Paimon questioned.
"Because Commander Henry is an officer of the United States Navy, if the ship had been attacked with him in it," Mallory answered, "Then it would be an incident that would not be good for President Roosevelt."
Aether looked back toward the harbor entrance where the fog concealed the route that they had arrived from.
"He said that he would meet us in Washington," Aether repeated.
"He will," Mallory answered, "After he lands in Lisbon and manages to get a flight from there."
"He also said that we were welcome to live with his family in Annapolis once he arrives," Aether said
The Pasteur moved between two lines of ships as Tugboats pulled her close to a pier. After some time, a gangway was placed alongside the ship where Aether and the others stepped out.
"You will be taking a train to Washington from here, there will be a couple of stops along the way. But we should be in DC on the 18th no later than," Mallory commented as they stepped off, "You'll be staying at the Henry residence if I recall?"
Aether nodded.
"That's good, I recommend that for the time being you stay there or don't leave Annapolis at all. You'll see President Roosevelt on June 23rd for dinner with his son and Mrs. Roosevelt. It's the earliest opening in his schedule. He is looking forward to meeting you apparently," Mallory continued.
I hope that you liked this chapter and the story thus far, please feel free to leave either a comment, favorite, and/or follow. In the next one, we will be moving to Operation Barbarossa.
Now for historical facts to include:
1. Nazi persecution of Gay men: When the Nazi regime came to power, they strengthened a part of the German Criminal Code called Paragraph 175 which criminalized sexual relations between men in 1935. I mainly implied this through Alhaitham thought process about him and Kaveh, as I kind of ship them. In Nazi Germany, Gay men were seen as a level of being Jewish where gay men would be sent o concentration camps in large numbers.
2. Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass): This was something I referenced as the memory that Nahida recently saw that leaked into the Irminsul. In this event, it was a nationwide anti-Jewish pogrom that occurred on November 9th to 10th, 1938 that was coordinated by Nazi officials and its party organizations. Over a thousand synagogues were burned with a lot of Jewish business and homes vandalized. Jewish people were assaulted and killed, where over 20,000 Jewish men were imprisoned in concentration camps. The purpose of me refencing it is to slowly start exposing Teyvat to the horrors of Earth, where as far as my recollection goes on in-game lore is extreme compared to anything of recent memory.
3. SS Pasteur: This ship was a real one that was French built Ocean Liner under the french South Atlantic Shipping Company or Compagnie de Navigation Sud-Atlantique. After the fall of France, the British took control of the ship were they would use to be a fast transport. It was so fast that it could make transatlantic crossings by itself without worrying on be attacked by U-boats.
4. The speech of FDR in this chapter: this is a fictional one, but I tried to base on the language that he used in similar speechs like when he declared an 'unlimited national emergency' and his 'Arsenal of Democracy' speech. The manner that was I was trying to describe how he speaks was to reference his fireside chats through radio.
I hope that this is enough on references, if I missed one, please feel free to let me know.
Now here is some questions that I want to ask you, I am going to start keeping it to two whenever possible, if no one minds:
1. What other memories do you think could leak into the Irminsul from Earth's history up to the war? And how big of a problem, do you think it could be?
2. Do you think that Childe will still be loyal to the Fatui, if the war comes to Snezhnaya and start endangering Tuecer as well as his other siblings?