Before Shutdown: Checking on Loose Ends
Before the Ark Gallery shut down. It was the dead of night, darkness settling around me. I sat on the sofa, savoring the quiet. No windows or anything. Anyway, in that silence, I was sorting out what needed doing next.
There was a ton of stuff lined up after the gallery upgrade finished.
"Dwarf cough syrup and tree nutrients—I can probably ask about those now... Ah, Sora?"
I'd totally forgotten about her amid all the to-dos. What happens to Sora's body during the gallery shutdown? With nonstop incidents and the work I kept piling on, it had slipped my mind completely.
Yes. What is it, Rain?
"Uh... what happens to your body during the upgrade?"
Info I should've checked before posting the notice. My lack of consideration made me ask extra carefully.
The connection will be suspended. However, the body can be maintained for three days without mana recharge, so there's no need to worry.
It shuts down, huh. I figured since we made the body, her mind had fully transferred, but she was still tied to the system.
"I should've asked sooner. Sorry, Sora."
Not at all. I understand it's necessary.
Not "it's fine," but "it's necessary." Going back to a bodiless state didn't sound pleasant for her. Once the upgrade's done, I should cheer her up. Would she like tteokbokki? Thinking of foods I hadn't treated her to yet, I passed on my apologetic vibes.
"Once it's over, wanna grab something tasty? Just thought of the perfect thing."
New foods are always welcome. I'll look forward to it, Rain.
Good, she seemed cheered up. Was it because I rushed into things? From food supplies to Sora's body, I kept overlooking stuff. Little oversights like that pile up and bite you back as big problems. To avoid repeating mistakes, I opened my notebook.
The page listed all ongoing tasks. They'd stacked up so much, I could barely track the details anymore. To avoid missing anything, I'd check statuses before the upgrade. Plus, fix issues from my lack of foresight.
Was their work environment that bad? Effects were showing already.
Dwarf cough issue was no biggie. Real problem: our paid slave's identity getting exposed from handing stuff out. My oversight again. If I'd thought colder, I'd have waited and tested via guild masters. Rushed heart caused it.
Can't erase all suspicion, but good use could deny it. Hoping our 's cover holds, I double-checked for other issues.
"Sora, that clears up the dwarves, right?"
Invisible to me, but she could see. I asked my stellar secretary.
Yes. All foreseeable issues resolved via that message.
Clean wrap-up. Satisfied with my handling, I messaged Valerian next. Curious how much he'd dissected the "subtly leaked" weapon.
If favorability floated overhead, it'd be infinity. The Retired Emperor greeted me warmly despite the hour.
Figures—tough with medieval tech here. But with the sample, news'd come eventually. Imagining bright futures, I asked about the weapon.
Super primitive usage. Stone slinging...
The wand core I gave away instead of reclaiming. No way they'd fully copy with this world's tech, so I shut my eyes and let it go. Curious how it'd be used. Hoping wand-based weapons help gallery survivors. Whispered a small wish, then checked gallery clock: 23:55.
Planned to ask tree spirit about nutrient effects, but time too tight. Save for reopening. Latest experiment, so slowest progress. Even with tree spirits, probably needs a week to confirm. Trees take time to show effects—play it loose.
Thoughts sorted, I scanned incoming post titles for gallery reactions pre-shutdown. Thanks to always opening on time? Fewer separation anxiety posts, more hyped for upgrade adds.
But what now. No food adds this time. Imagining disappointed gallery folk cracked me up.
Rain, shutdown in 1 minute. See you in 16 hours.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Sora. See you tomorrow."
Per my request, Sora's 1-min alarm. Connection to body cutting soon, so she settled on the cat cushion I rarely used. Debated buying it hard, but good call. Seeing her curled comfy, figured more cat stuff for home.