Was he missing something Was there another function that a Class could fill It could assist in the formation of images but other than that
Then RandidlyÆs eyes flashed A Class also leads one to obtain a Fate and if I were to give her a Class there would be another connection between us Those are possibilities Is the Class just a ruse in order to establish a firmer connection I could ask Nathan to do it but itÆs unclear if he would be able to simply based upon experience and ability I have no doubt that this wouldnÆt be a normal case of providing a Class
But also I suspect the fact Lyra came her after the challenge isnÆt a coincidence
As Randidly considered LyraÆs request she opened her mouth once more I can see from your face that you are thinking Thinking very hard So let me try and explain some details It is only due to my unique Path to this situation that I can get a Class Although I have infiltrated the role of a Village Spirit I still have a distinction under the System of once being human But since I donÆt have a human body itÆs just a matter of grounding the Class in a physical object that I can carry with me
What are you offering me in exchange Randidly asked Before he proceeded further he needed to judge whether entertaining this experiment was even worth it
Lyra held up two fingers IÆm offering two things The first is rather simple during the process of giving me a Class youÆll have complete access to my Soulspace With the defenses IÆve painstakingly gathered these past months youÆll be able to see and understand the structure of energy that creates a Village Spirit IÆll hold back the restrictive formation of the System to provide you this information Interesting yes
Randidly folded his arms Although he was idly curious about the shape of the Aether and had no doubt that it would be a significant boost to understanding the System itself it wasnÆt worth pointlessly giving Lyra another tool in her arsenal
As though reading his unwillingness Lyra sighed theatrically and shook her head At that moment it seemed as though all of lifeÆs toil and struggle were pressing down on LyraÆs feeble shoulders
The corner of RandidlyÆs mouth quirked up Sometimes he forgot that she had been a child actor until those moments where she indulged in meaningless theatrics Of all LyraÆs traits this was one that he didnÆt mind
Although you treat it so casually I want to stress again that this is not easy for me Lyra said tiredly In addition my Status as Village Spirit gives me a lot of information regarding the equivalent of Paths available to my affiliated entities I cannot speak of it due to certain limitations but if you were to view the levers of control I possess you would undoubtedly have some small amount of prescience
That made Randidly pause Although the language is flowery sheÆs basically saying that she can see the future possibilities for Donnyton Or Villages generally It could be another false lead but she has been relatively straightforward about the benefits offered in deals with her in the past She shared that trait with the Creature Is there some secret about Villages generally hidden there
But the reason she can be so honest about the benefits was that the consequences were so deeply hidden As it was with the Creature so it will also be with Lyra
Randidly unfolded his arms in no hurry to speak Only when he saw LyraÆs mouth twitching in annoyance did he finally open his mouth And the second thing you are offering me
Once more LyraÆs beaming smile returned Information regarding your friend Shal He finished ascending and has returned to Tellus If you help me IÆll tell you what I know about he endured and his result
CanÆt I just ask him directly if he finally finished Randidly asked wryly But when LyraÆs smile didnÆt waver he knew something was wrong After sending a quick message to Shal Randidly realized that the problem was larger than he had assumed
Warning Contact with the targeted planet is currently cut off while the Third Calamity occurs If this contact is related to an emergency please contact the Cohort 5 Overseer so your request can be considered
Randidly I would never offer you something worthless Lyra scoffed But with my connections I can obtain information that you canÆt our Paths and reach are very different ThatÆs why there is no one else but you that can help me
Feeling a stirring in his chest Randidly reflected on his past interactions with Lyra Always demands and teasing never trades But also no true gifts had been exchanged As such the karma between them was complicated Which meant that there wasnÆt a forced gift in either of their futures but it also meant that the outcome of their interactions felt extremely messy
Just like my parting with Donnyton became messy Randidly thought while twisting his mouth Then he shook his head and asked Lyra Why do you want a Class If you give me the honest answer IÆll think about it
IÆm sure youÆve already guessed it at least partially Lyra said as she wrinkled her nose ItÆs to have access to images As a Village Spirit we are extremely limited as to releasing our own images To prevent a higher Cohort from spoiling a lower Cohort I imagine I was confused for a while why you would ride so roughshod over Donnyton you know But then I noticed that spear mark you have After making some discreet inquiries I learned that it prevented your images from being used for Earth to ascend
You might have started as a farmer but youÆve become a warrior No matter how many seeds you spread now we need more assurances for Earth And I have no doubt that when you learn more about the System and the Nexus youÆll be too busy preparing for grander problems to push EarthÆs images to the next Level And like I said I donÆt want the Earth to fail before the Third Calamity So giving me the ability to use images myself is a win win
More than that giving you a Class gives you the ability to condense a Fate And later I have no doubt that you will attempt to complete a Great Path Randidly immediately realized
What do you mean IÆll be busy preparing for grander things Randidly asked
Lyra shook her head That information is part of the reward youÆll get for helping me I won’t sell it cheaply to a pretty face
Randidly ignored her joke Then he gritted his teeth IÆm sure you understand my unwillingness to give you another weapon IÆll need some time to think about it Come find me in a week Hopefully IÆll have made a decision by then
WonÆt you have left the area around Donnyton ItÆs difficult for me to travel so far you know Lyra pouted
Randidly didnÆt bother to respond
Seeing that her emotes didnÆt sway him LyraÆs face became serious I understand your CrownÆs Pride will not want to give others control over EarthÆs fate But we are small fish being tested in a pond After your travels IÆve no doubt that youÆve seen that And IÆve seen the ocean that is the Nexus as a Village Spirit We need this We need every weapon we can bring to bear Even you cannot manage everything alone And like I hinted at thereÆs something that only you can accomplish If you donÆt realize what that is in time it will be too late
Then Lyra disappeared Her energy signature dissipated quickly dwindling to nothing as Lyra moved her projection away from him After waiting a few seconds Randidly released a blast of Aether clearing the lingering particles out of the air
Even her words as she was leaving sounded like half a threat
Yet Randidly didnÆt dismiss her concerns out of hand Truly he knew too little about the System itself let alone the Nexus and the various powers that gathered there and competed against each other to indoctrinate new worlds into the SystemÆs ways
The question was whether that information was worth the price of handing Lyra a way to directly influence the Earth RandidlyÆs immediate answer was no but the ambiguous pressure he felt from not knowing what would happen prevented him from refusing immediately
Randidly scratched his head Truly this wonÆt be an easy week
Then he released a deep sigh to exercise all of the stress that the meeting with Lyra had injected into his previously cleansed psyche As the sounds of the spring and the wind slowly returned he sunk back into his peaceful state Then he returned to his Path screen intent on spending the remainder of his PP