Secret Chat, or Straight-Up Conspiracy Meeting
Around the massive round table sat the big shots from the fantasy world and me. The Tower Master, the Royal Alchemist, the Elder of the World Tree Forest, and even Saintess Lianes. All their eyes were locked on me in unison.
I'd planned to ask them some questions, but the moment the meeting kicked off, they seized complete control of the conversation. Outnumbered... Now I was the one fielding their questions.
"Hoo... science, you say... So you're telling me your world harnesses the power of lightning—not mana—to drive machines and advance civilization. What an utterly ingenious direction I never could've imagined."
The Tower Master stroked his scraggly beard, unable to hide his admiration. The bald Royal Alchemist beside him nodded eagerly, eyes sparkling.
"Producing pure lightning in massive quantities, storing it, and using it without mana or mana stones as a medium? Incredible. Even the top mages in my tower find lightning one of the trickiest and most dangerous forces to control."
Electricity and lightning. There were subtle physical differences if you dug deep, but as a hardcore liberal arts guy down to my bones, there was no way I could logically explain amps, volts, or electromagnetic induction to these mage geezers.
"Yeah, just think of it as using electricity instead of mana."
Despite my shallow explanation, the Tower Master and Royal Alchemist nodded as if they'd grasped some profound truth, letting out endless gasps of awe.
Before I knew it, questions about all sorts of stuff from my world—Earth—were pouring in. Suddenly, I was like a star lecturer holding court, while the other four propped their chins on their hands like obedient students, listening intently.
I'm a liberal arts major— is it really okay for me to be explaining this stuff...?Screw it. They'll figure it out when they see it for themselves later.
"Hmm, from what I've heard, that 'science' of your world is a truly mysterious and efficient power."
The Tower Master set down his teacup, easing into the main topic.
"If we could bring even a sliver of that knowledge to our Ereinia continent... we might cultivate the strength to withstand whatever unprecedented catastrophe looms in the future."
I nodded vigorously in agreement.
"I'm 100% with you on that. Science has its limits, no matter how advanced. But if Earth absorbed the extreme advancements in magic, theology, and alchemy from Ereinia, we'd be way safer too. Truth is... my neighborhood's in serious danger right now."
"Danger? What happened in your world?"
The Royal Alchemist asked in shock, and I started spilling all the crises Earth had faced so far.
The Tower Master, Royal Alchemist, and Elder of the World Tree Forest's faces hardened instantly upon hearing it.
"The System... the System... So it's safe to assume this community we're using isn't limited to a few individuals—it's spread across your entire world."
"Yes, exactly."
That's when Saintess Lianes, who'd been quietly listening, spoke up softly.
"The Blue Window that Breeds Destruction..."
It caught me off guard. I never expected to hear that exact term—from Erielle's mouth—straight from the saintess herself.
"Whoa! Saintess, you know that phrase??"
She nodded gravely at my question.
"Yes. Long ago, it referred to a catastrophe that struck this Ereinia continent. Dragons, humans, elves, beastkin—all races banded together, risking their lives, and barely managed to stop it. But the aftermath of that horrific war plunged our continent into a brutal dark age for thousands of years, according to the church's historical records."
Ah. That's why you cross-verify history by hearing from multiple sources. The Wind Spirit King Erielle had brushed it off like, 'Eh, we almost got wiped out, but we shook it off in just a few thousand years and bounced back.' To an eternal being like a spirit king, that was a blink—but from a human perspective like the saintess's, Ereinia's history was a literal hellish dark age spanning millennia.
"Haa... Truth is, Earth's on the brink of the same mess. I've gotta do something to stop it..."
I let out a deep sigh, and Lianes smiled warmly to comfort me.
"Preparing and staying vigilant ahead of time is commendable. But don't worry too much, Repairman. The disasters from the Blue Window that Breeds Destruction don't end the world overnight—they erode it slowly over vast stretches of time."
It lined up perfectly with what big bro Jermad had said: 'We held out for about 2,000 years, roughly.'
"Still... shouldn't we prepare now for any contingencies? Our hunters back home are ants compared to dragons."
"Of course. You absolutely should. And your noble path of salvation... the four of us will support it with all our might."
At Lianes's response, the Elder of the World Tree Forest, who'd been listening with arms crossed, snorted derisively. The Tower Master cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke up again.
"Ahem. Well, Saintess, you're right. That's why, after seeing that update notice, I had a brilliant idea..."
As the Tower Master broached it, the eyes of the other three at the table snapped to him.
"Master-grade privileges... How about we funnel them all to one Repairman?"
"...Pardon?"
I blinked at the Tower Master's out-of-left-field proposal. Then, as if they'd rehearsed it, the Royal Alchemist, Saintess, and Elder nodded in unison, signaling approval.
"That's a great idea, Tower Master."
I stammered in confusion.
"What do you mean... funnel them to me?"
The Tower Master gave a weighty explanation in response to my bewilderment.
"We rushed into this video conference room for one reason: to strategize how to snag direct trading privileges. You saw the notice, right? The perks granted upon reaching the top grade, Master."
"Of course. Dimensional visits and invitations."
"Exactly. That absurd ability to traverse dimensions freely. With it, we could cross dimensional walls and gain immense power and knowledge. So we debated: to protect our current peace and Ereinia, who among us four should aim for Master first."
As expected. Folks at the pinnacle of power all thought alike. They'd seen the system update and immediately started crunching numbers to claim dimensional travel rights.
"But we reached a conclusion after discussion. Didn't we struggle against a mere plague?"
"Hey... you didn't know any better."
"Precisely. No matter how we sliced it, your world's knowledge outshines ours in universal applicability."
Made sense—science aimed to enrich all humanity's lives, unlike magic or theology that favored specific classes.
"Here's my take: Better for you—the sole otherworldly being—to hit Master first, rather than one of us four from Ereinia."
The saintess nodded in agreement.
"As expected of the sage they're calling you, Tower Master."
"Hohoho, thanks for the praise, Saintess."
The Elder scowled and grumbled.
"Wait, why? Even if one of us becomes Master, we can just invite this guy, right? Why hand Master status to him?"
"Look here, Elder. Suppose one of us four reaches Master—say, me, for argument's sake."
The Tower Master addressed me directly.
"Then only I get dimensional travel and invitation rights. The other three can't go to your world. Sure, I could promise to learn Earth's science and spread it across the continent... but human greed is sneaky and subjective by nature."
Everyone except the Elder nodded solemnly.
"If I become Master, I'd prioritize importing magic-science fusion research. That old alchemist over there would hunt chemical formulas and new materials. The pointy-eared elf would obsess over rare plants and seeds, wandering forests. And our holy Saintess... she'd carry sacred relics, preaching doctrine to your world's pitiful mortals. Right?"
The Elder flinched—hit right on the nose—and Lianes, who'd been smiling serenely, coughed awkwardly. Strong affirmations.
"So, better for you to claim Master than one of us monopolizing power. For your sake, and to keep Ereinia's factions balanced."
"So you're saying... you'll funnel Master to me right now...?"
"Yes. As Master, you'd hold the reins and invite us four fairly to your world. We'd each pursue our fields, share distinct knowledge, and advance Ereinia without bias. Sound reasonable?"
Oh... fuck, this is a jackpot.