PftA Book 4 - Chapter 42 - A Tour of Earth

“Well? Are you two going to say anything, or are you going to just sit there staring at each other?” Mom asked as Kaylee and I sat awkwardly at the table, picking at our food.

Though she was twenty-eight, the blonde-haired woman could have probably passed as a high school senior or a freshman in college.

I saw echoes of myself in my sister’s appearance. We shared the same eyes and forehead, for example. Her hair also looked similar to mine when I was in my late teens.

Conversely, Kaylee was shorter than me by a couple of inches and looked about fifteen pounds lighter. It was obvious that she wasn’t a fighter. Her body appeared far too unconditioned for something like that.

Even an adventuring mage had to have a certain level of fitness just to handle the strain of delving. And Kaylee did not look like she spent much time in rifts.

It wasn’t a bad thing, necessarily. She wouldn’t likely progress very far without getting carried, but most people were like that.

If anything, I was the oddity in the family.

Suppressing my nervousness, I decided to approach my younger sister like I would any other person that I met.

“What’s it like living on Morkin?” I asked.

“It’s a lot simpler than living on Hadier or Earth. The cities tend to be smaller and there isn’t nearly as much manatech.” Kaylee shrugged. “It’s nice.”

“Is it weird being one of the only humans living there?”

Kaylee’s expression pinched slightly. “Not really. It was odd at first, but I’ve gotten used to it.”

“Speaking of getting used to things,” Mom interjected before looking at me. “Have you explored Earth at all since you escaped from that death-trap?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I’ve only really come here so far. I saw a little bit of the city the first time I teleported you home, but aside from that…”

“You should take Kaylee on one of those sightseeing tours like you did with everyone before you left for the dungeon. Most of the big sites were protected during the transition, but I’m not sure how long that protection will last. It might be worth seeing it again while you can. Who knows what might happen during your next stint in the dungeon?”

Kaylee looked at Mom strangely before shifting her gaze to me. It was almost like she thought I’d get upset by the suggestion.

Or maybe it was the low-key admonition about how much time I spent in the dungeon.

“I’m fine with that. I wanted to check out a few places again, anyway,” I said. “Aside from the one class I’m giving on Aegeas tomorrow around mid-day, I’m basically free for the next week.”

“I have to get back to Morkin by the end of the week,” Kaylee said apologetically. “I told my assistant I’d only be gone for a few days.”

“It’s fine. We can squeeze a lot into a few days.” I turned to Mom. “You’re going with us, right?”

“You know, I would, but some stuff has come up at the hospital that needs my attention,” Mom lied. I didn’t even need a spell to know she was making things up. “Besides, it would be good for you girls to spend some time together, just the two of you.”

I knew what she was trying to do, and I appreciated the thought.

“Well, if you’ve got to work, I can entertain Kaylee, and we’ll come grab you every evening. I’ve got a pod set up with twenty-times time dilation that you two can use to sleep.”

I wasn’t going to tell them about the pocket dimension since there was no real reason for anyone else to know about it, but that didn’t mean that they couldn’t visit. I’d just have to conceal the pod’s actual location.

In retrospect, I probably should have done that with Bell and maybe even Zavira and Kai. A secret was only really a secret if nobody else knew about it.

“Twenty-times!” Kaylee gasped. “Doesn’t that take an insane amount of mana to run?”

It would if I didn’t have full control over the pocket dimension. Creating a formation that did the same thing on the outside would be really expensive to power. I could do it, but I wouldn’t be able to maintain the effect for long unless I drained several high-tier mana cores.

“Normally, it would,” I agreed. “But I’ve got ways to work around normal limitations. I’ll need to reduce the ambient mana levels before we go there so that it’s not dangerous for the two of you, but that’ll only take a moment. Do you want to see it now?”

I also needed to remove all the exits to the pod to prevent anyone from wandering outside, I reminded myself before silently willing the changes into reality.

“Uh, yeah!” Kaylee said excitedly at the same time that Mom said, “Sure.”

“Okay. Like all teleportation magic, don’t resist,” I said with a grin.

“Whoa,” Kaylee gasped as she looked around the residential floor of the pod with wide eyes. “Is this where you live? Are we on Aegeas right now?”

“Basically. The pod itself is in its own little space, but it’s anchored to my room at the sect on Aegeas. I can’t bring you out there because it would violate a couple of sect rules, but being here is fine.”

It was even true since the micro-portal leading to my room was set to automatically manifest anytime I was in the pocket dimension.

“How does that work?” Kaylee asked.

“It’s not all that different from the basic spell Create Dimensional Space. I use it to make storage rings and such,” I replied. “When I was in the dungeon, I used the spell to create little hiding spots for my pods. Coupled with a bit of Spatial Expansion, it made for a pretty secure shelter.”

“You mentioned something about that in your messages years ago,” Mom said thoughtfully.

“So, you said we can stay here to extend our time off?” Kaylee asked.

“Yes. Is the mana density comfortable for both of you?”

Since Kaylee lived on a Tier Six world and Mom used to live on a Tier Six world, I figured that was a good density to aim for.

“This is perfect. It feels just like home,” Kaylee replied.

Mom nodded. “It’s fine. Are you going to show us around, or would you rather we wander on our own?”

I happily showed my mom and sister my home, explaining the potential layout changes as we went.

“You really bought that many different sets of furniture, all for yourself?” Mom asked.

“It was Bell and Zavira’s idea,” I said with a shrug. “They were also the ones who insisted on having enough for multiple guest rooms.”

“I feel bad having you change everything to accommodate us, though,” Mom said with a frown.

“Really, it won’t take very long. Don’t worry about it.”

Thankfully, neither of my family members pushed the subject.

I didn’t make the changes while they were present since I didn’t want to draw attention to just how connected I was to the space, but I assured them another tour would be in order the next time they visited.

“So, where do you two want to visit first?” I asked once the tour was finished. “I don’t have a beacon anywhere on Earth except for Mom’s house.”

“I don’t know. Why don’t we hit all the places we went the first time so you can see the changes?” Mom suggested.

“Can we also go somewhere tropical?” Kaylee asked. “Somewhere with a beach would be preferable. I live pretty far inland on Morkin and I don’t get many opportunities to see large bodies of water.”

“We can do that.” I glanced between the two women. “We’ll start with the more touristy locations and finish up somewhere tropical.” I glanced at Mom. “Do you have any recommendations? You’re the local.”

Mom paused and tapped her chin in thought. “I’ve always wanted to see the underwater hotel in the Maldives. I heard South Asia’s new Baroness purchased several resorts and upgraded them to handle the changes. I think the underwater hotel was one of the locations she upgraded.”

I vaguely remembered something about an underwater hotel in the Maldives, but since we’d never been of the socioeconomic status where such vacations were possible, it wasn’t something I’d given more than a passing thought.

“I think the local Lord over Hawaii commissioned something similar a decade or so back,” Mom continued. “The whole project was done using magic, so it would be interesting to compare the two.”

Kaylee’s eyes were practically glowing at the news, and I watched with an amused smirk as the younger woman rapidly navigated through several sites on the tablet she’d withdrawn from her storage ring.

“Oh, wow. Yes. Let’s visit both!” Kaylee said before turning the screen to show several pictures of both resorts.

I laughed. “Okay. Like I said, I don’t have a beacon anywhere, so it’ll take me a minute to figure out where we’re going. Let’s head back to Mom’s house. It’ll be easier to search from there.”

What followed was a whirlwind tour of the interesting locations I remembered from my time on Earth. We bounced all over the planet, visiting monuments that had clearly been maintained after Earth’s integration, as well as several that had been overwhelmed by the changes that mana’s reintroduction to the world had brought.

The Grand Canyon, for example, was no longer a wide ravine showing striations of environmental changes from the past. Instead, the walls were covered in verdant vines and mossy growths.

There were still bits of the former landscape peeking through here and there, but overall, the landscape was barely identifiable. In fact, if it wasn’t for the wide chasm, I would have suspected I’d missed my target.

Several of the cities I remembered were completely gone, while others had clearly prospered from the changes.

A notable change was the addition of tall, enchanted walls surrounding population centers. Even small villages were encased by protective barriers, keeping the residents safe from any roaming rift beasts that had yet to be culled.

I was honestly a bit impressed with how far the people of Earth had come in subjugating the rifts and the creatures that had escaped from them. There were only a few areas where active rift breaks were still happening, and most of those were isolated and far from civilization.

“It looks like Earth is about to tier up,” I commented when I brought us to my previous Antarctic challenge ground. All the rifts were Peak Tier Three, and several looked to be on the verge of crossing the threshold.

Since the situation was being actively monitored by the people living in what was once a harpy-hunting outpost, I wasn’t overly worried. I was sure the nobles in charge were preparing for the minor changes that would ripple out.

Even if they weren’t, the changes would be relatively minor outside of the immediate area. It wasn’t like the whole world maintained the same mana density, after all.

“Should I be worried?” Mom asked.

“I wouldn’t,” I answered. “You live far enough away that I doubt the changes will impact you, aside from maybe gaining access to cheaper Tier Four materials.”

From Antarctica, we visited the Great Wall of China, a refurbished Roman Colosseum, several pyramids of varying styles, the Eiffel Tower, what remained of ancient architecture in Greece, and the site where Stonehenge once stood.

I was particularly sad to learn that Stonehenge had been destroyed by rampaging rift beasts before I even left the dungeon. We were still able to see an echo of the famous site through Time magic, but it wasn’t quite the same as seeing the real thing.

“As neat as it is to see something like this,” Mom said, motioning toward the illusions around us, “I’m getting a little tired. It’s well past midnight in my normal time zone.”

I glanced at Kaylee, only just noticing that she also looked like she was struggling to stay awake.

“Oh, sorry! Do you want to rest at my place or go straight to the Maldives?” I asked before adding, “I already shifted the floorplan and swapped out the furniture.”

“When did you get a chance to do that?” Mom asked. “We’ve been together the whole time.”

“I took care of it while the two of you went to the bathroom at the Colosseum,” I replied. “With the time dilation, it hardly took any time at all.”

“Can we grab dinner somewhere local and rest for a while? I’d rather see the underwater hotel with fresh eyes instead of just passing out,” Kaylee said.

I had Lisa check the network for the best semi-local restaurants and selected one with excellent reviews. It still amazed me, sometimes, how much of Earth’s culture had survived the transition.

I was glad for it. There was a lot worth saving.

“Okay, I found something. Is traditional English fare okay for everyone?”

“Yes, but please don’t order everything on the menu again. It’s so awkward when you do that,” Mom complained.

“But how else am I going to get a copy of all the recipes?”

“Can’t you just have them package everything to go? You have an extra [Stasis Storage] ring, right?”

I frowned. I didn’t, but it would only take me a moment to make one.

“Also,” Mom continued hesitantly as she looked everywhere but at me, “Could you, maybe, use your disguise to make yourself seem a little less intimidating? The staff at the restaurant in Paris were a bit overwhelmed by your presence.”

I’d noticed the reaction I’d had on the local staff, but I’d gotten so used to it by now that their whispers and stares didn’t phase me. Still, if the attention made Mom and Kaylee uncomfortable, it was easy enough to fix.

“Sorry about that,” I said as I focused on changing the disguise settings imbued into the earrings I was wearing to make me appear weaker. “I wasn’t really thinking about it since I’m already hiding my third affinity.”

“How do you deal with the stares, though?” Kaylee asked in almost a whisper. “Or the fear?”

Like Kaylee, I also noticed several expressions of fear and discomfort when people identified me and realized how strong I was. Most probably didn’t truly understand the power gap between us, but they understood enough to be wary of me.

“I ignore the stares and try to be as polite as possible,” I replied. It was all I really could do. “Alright. I’ve lowered my apparent tier to five. It’s still sufficiently above the planetary threshold to prevent any misunderstandings without being so high that it automatically incites fear. Let’s go eat, and then you two can get some rest. We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow.”