The crowd has gathered together again.
Windsong: I ...
It is a familiar place—one she's visited in dreams before.
This time, though, her watchers seem more curious than doubtful.
Their eager eyes follow her every move.
Windsong: Today, I am going to introduce the study of ley lines.
Windsong: And the progress of my research on Rayashki.
Windsong takes a deep breath, pulling out a few pages of research notes.
The pages are passed from hand to hand, stirring excitement.
Windsong: Thanks to your help, I have finished a draft of the town's ley energy map.
Windsong: And I have confirmed the presence of many precious resources.
Knut: Through these colorful lines?
Windsong: These lines and spots show us the state of local ley energy. Each color represents a different concentration of creatures or minerals.
Windsong: Simply put, this area covered in frozen earth and frost contains many rich resource veins.
Windsong: These gray marks symbolize them. They are located in most of the corners of the map, all of them outside of town.
Resident I: Oh! Maybe that's why Grandpa said we couldn't grow anything here in the beginning.
Resident I: They eventually solved that problem by importing rich black topsoil for our fields.
Windsong: As for the runium you've mined to make a living, look at the dark gray marks.
Windsong: According to the map, they are becoming increasingly scattered and faint, so it can be hard to see them.
Knut: ...
Windsong: Besides resources, we can also find concentrations of different creatures using the map.
Windsong: The navy blue marks represent the Qiqirn, while the aqua green ones represent the mutant Qiqirn from the wharf. They feed on plants, and you can find their traces in many corners of the town.
Windsong: The red brown marks are the Kikituks, an aggressive species. They're vicious by nature and prey on just about anything arcane they can find, even other creatures.
Knut: I feel as though my head is going to explode from all this new information. Can you explain a little simpler for this old workhorse, Comrade Windsong?
Windsong: Of course.
She proudly produces a small handful of fluff.
Windsong: This sample comes from a Kikituk in the mine. I took it with Mr. Evgeni's help.
Evgeni: ...
Knut: Seems like just a normal piece of fluff, no matter how I look at it.
Windsong: Yes, and in most people's eyes, it's nothing more than that.
Windsong: But in a ley hunter's eyes, it reveals a great deal of information.
Windsong: Ah. The navy blue marks and the red brown ones seem to mix together. And there are also dark gray ones popping out among them.
Windsong: So it looks like our Mr. Kikituk ate well. Perhaps he had a Qiqirn soup with runium-flavored kefir.
Knut: Hahaha, looks like these critters have realized our dream long before we could.
Resident II: But what about those black marks?
Resident II: If my memory serves me right, the map you just showed us had those black marks, too.
Windsong: Yes, but they don't match any creature or resource we know.
Windsong: I believe it represents a new kind of resource.
The Other Resident: Oh! Well, where is it then?!
The mood has intensified, residents clamoring around to see.
Windsong: We can only find the answer in this area here.
Knut: You mean in the depths of the mine?
Windsong gives a slow affirmative nod.
Windsong: The ley energy is emanating from there. Afterwards, it flows throughout the "food chain," passing through all kinds of creatures and materials before eventually returning to its source.
Windsong: Then our new resource is probably somewhere there.
Knut: So we need to find it! Then we won't have to put up with Zeno anymore!
The audience sparks up. Rippling murmurs turn into a burst of questions and excitement.
Knut: But, do you have any other proof?
He lays out his hands, as if expecting Windsong to put something there.
Windsong: Of course. Remember the critter you found in the mine, Mr. Knut?
Knut: Yes, you said it was called, em, a Hoi-Hoitoo.
Windsong: Hoituk, a subspecies of Kikituk. They live underground and feed on minerals.
Knut: That was around the time we had begun to run out of runium.
Windsong: Is that so? But they were still there, perhaps even more active than usual. That could only mean they were attracted by some other mineral or energy source, right?
Windsong: And even though I didn't find any further Hoituks during my research, I did find the Olga mutants, one of their close relatives.
Windsong: Since they are social creatures, my discovery must prove the presence of some of these Hoituks, even if we cannot find them yet!
The surrounding cheers swell again, prompting Evgeni to clear his throat.
Evgeni: But in the end, this is all just conjecture. Are we really going to waste all our time and money on your assumptions?
Evgeni: Or can you prove it's something more than conjecture?
Windsong: I would call it a preliminary conclusion.
Evgeni: But could it be endorsed by any authorities or proven theories?
Windsong: So far, no.
Evgeni: So then, it is little more than a fairy tale. Am I right?
Windsong: I admit it's a gamble.
Evgeni's now-infamous brow furrows once more.
Evgeni: It's never easy to dig, you know.
Evgeni: And Zeno has already withdrawn all their own equipment. All we have left in Rayashki are some outdated machines.
Evgeni: Besides, Ms. Windsong mentioned the critters. Maybe their presence there is some kind of proof, but they are themselves a danger.
Evgeni: It is obvious that there will be many more critters there than near the town.
Evgeni: And you would have us waste time—perhaps even sacrifice our comrades—to pursue what could just be a fairy tale?
Windsong: ...
He advances closer, step by step.
Windsong's mouth opens silently. The look on his face far too familiar.
The moment before the collapse of ley line academia.
Yes, that is the look.
The suffocating weight of questions and regrets.
Examiner I: There is no doubt, the cost is simply too high.
Examiner I: Who would be foolish enough to dig some holes in the wild just to see if there are critter bones in there?
Harsh sounds of laughter come from everywhere and nowhere all at once.
Examiner I: The answer is very clear. We don't need a new kind of geography mixed with arcanum. Let's save everybody some trouble.
Examiner I: Conclusion: the application for Project: Ley Line should be rejected.
Examiner II: Agreed.
Windsong: I ...
Examiner II: Heh, even cranks can apply for research funds nowadays.
She staggers back.
Bumping into something solid.
A strange yet familiarly cool sensation lands on her shoulder.
Vila stands behind her.
Vila: Keep moving, Comrade Windsong. Keep moving.
Vila: The people of Rayashki don't back down in the face of their problems.
Windsong: ...
Vila: Whatever it is, we can fix it together, right?
Windsong: ...
Vila: I approve of Comrade Windsong's proposal.
Residents: Me too!
Her surging ship launches forward, plowing through stubbornness and doubt.
Never looking back.
Windsong: That's right.
Windsong: This is not a gamble or a fairy tale.
Her hands tremble as she opens her backpack.
Windsong: Here's a ley line simulator.
Windsong: It can simulate the creatures on the ley energy map, so we can do further analysis.
Vila: Is it able to simulate the critters, too?
Windsong: Certainly. Simulating critters is lesson one in the ley line textbook.
Windsong: We can use the simulation to carry out targeted training against the critters.
Vila: Looks like the study of ley lines is more organized than I thought.
Vila: Congratulations, Comrade Windsong. You will have the manpower you need.
Windsong turns as more and more fists are raised into the air.
Resident I: Turn it on, comrade!
Resident II: We can't wait!
A deep breath, a glance to confirm that all is ready, then ...
*click*
"Kikituk": roars
Evgeni: ...!
Evgeni instinctively positions himself in front of everyone.
Knut: Hahahaha, it's like digging the mine all over again!
The Other Resident: That was the biggest achievement of my life!
Knut: Let's do this, comrades!
Knut: Digging like this is no easy work!
They roll up their sleeves, pressing forward confidently.
COMBAT
Knut: Phew! That was one powerful blow. Hahahahaha!
The square is now pocked by groups of disheveled workers, resting after their rigorous exertion.
Windsong's back is soaked, and her simulator creaks with stress.
Vila: I think we can draw our conclusions now.
*creak*
The old bench groans beneath her boots as she nimbly propels herself onto its narrow back.
Vila: Everyone! We have to admit this is going to be a risky operation, but it's also our last chance.
Vila: To protect our land and our people!
Vila: We must explore the mine!
Vila: There will be danger; yes, some of us may get hurt, but we may also find this new resource and save our Rayashki.
Vila: For you, for me, for everyone!
There is no cheer that rises to meet her. The only thing audible now is the distant sea breeze buffeting the shore.
Vila: We can already expect that critters have occupied the mine. We'll just have to work together to drive them away!
Vila: We dug this mine with our old machines once, and we'll do it again!
Vila: This is how we've made it so far.
The crowd rises, pulling in together. Windsong looks up and outward.
Knut: However old they are now, they will always be our children, right?
Knut: Yuri, you are good at assembling, huh? Nikita, you're going to be busy with the engines. Valeriya, we need you for the screws!
Residents: ...
More and more stars light up.
They outshine the twinkling snow.