Vertin: This is ...
Z: The official letter of appointment from the Foundation.
Z: Congratulations, Vertin. After the long evaluation period and the re-examination ...
Z: The Storm Reformation: Manpower and Discipline has been officially approved by the Pax Security Council.
Z: Team Timekeeper is now a legitimate independent department.
Z: You are now granted more flexible autonomy and independent budget.
They’ve been waiting in the suitcase for this document for far too long.
Regulus: What was that? Did you say budget?!
Regulus: Does that mean the Foundation will buy … assign me a new ship?
Z: Unfortunately, "independent" means "doesn't rely on others."
Vertin: I can apply for a ship for you, but it's not guaranteed.
Regulus: Tsk, misers!
Regulus: Fine. Not that I wanted an obsolete ship painted in grayish shepherd check.
Regulus mumbles and walks away. She has entirely lost interest in this conversation.
Z: However, the price of passing that bill is to let the Foundation keep its authority to discipline unregistered arcanists.
Z: The arcanists who have been and will be assigned to Timekeeper's team will be put through a risk assessment procedure carried out by the Foundation.
Z: Those who are in lower-risk categories only need to receive primary artificial somnambulism training, while the high-risk ones will go to the School of Discipline.
Z: But I will make sure they will be registered as members of Team Timekeeper when they enroll.
Vertin: I see. I have only one question.
Vertin: Are you still our point of contact for the Foundation, Madam Z?
Z: Yes, of course.
Vertin: Then I have no further questions.
A smile breaks on Madam Z's lip.
Z: Meanwhile, Team Timekeeper can apply for secondment from the Foundation, Laplace, and Zeno, if necessary.
Z: You can check this file for more details.
Ms. Z hands over a supplemental clause of considerable thickness.
Fortunately, there are other things in more dire need of being checked for now.
Z: You can make your own plans of action. The Foundation only needs a monthly report on the result.
Z: You are the first-in-command, Vertin.
Vertin: Okay.
Z: You already have a target, I assume?
Vertin: That base the Manus used to keep its Olitiaus four years ago. It has never been reversed by the "Storm."
Vertin: I'd like to investigate that place again.
Z: So you've been there many times.
Z: Well, that'd make a good start for Team Timekeeper.
Z: I'll arrange for some people to meet you at the base.
Z: Heh heh ... I think you'll have a great time together.
Regulus: Oh. The fog is thick here. A-choo!
The mist hangs heavy in the valley, and the temperature is somewhat uncomfortable for those accustomed to the suitcase.
Vertin: It used to be the nest of Olitiaus, a kind of creature resting in valleys with abundant water resources.
Vertin: What's more, it's winter now.
The leaves are indeed covered with a thin skin of frost.
Regulus clicks her tongue and eyes the fog-shrouded Gate of Zeno.
Regulus: So, why do I have to be the errand girl? The Foundation wasn't even planning to give me a ship!
APPLe: Ms. Sonetto is going through the procedures in the headquarters to transfer herself to Team Timekeeper.
APPLe: Ms. Druvis and Sotheby are on a break, for they have spent much time and energy clearing the woods and repairing the Foundation's square.
APPLe: Ms. Lilya has been given an administrative penalty because she broke into the Rehabilitation Center not long ago.
APPLe: This leads us to the current situation, where only the Captain and this APPLe are able to act freely.
Regulus: What?
Regulus: So in the end, was I, the renowned rocking pirate, the only one who didn't cause any damage to the Foundation buildings?!
Regulus: Ugh! I have never felt so humiliated in my life!
Vertin: You're not planning on destroying this place now, are you, Regulus?
Regulus: No, no. Emm?
Regulus: Hey, see who's here! Lilya and a stranger!
Next to the rusty iron door, Lilya squats on her hunkers, looking extremely bored.
Lilya: What took you so long? Fell into a gutter?
A graceful stranger is standing next to her.
???: Hello, Timekeeper.
Ms. Moissan: My name is Moissan. My employee ID is SF27602191908238X. I believe Madam Z has told you about me.
Ms. Moissan: I am now an official member of your team.
Vertin: Ms. Moissan, welcome to the team. Madam Z said you're an excellent tutor in arcanum.
Ms. Moissan: She's too kind to say so. In fact, I have a lot to learn from you.
Ms. Moissan: Also, thank you for taking good care of Ms. Sotheby.
Regulus: Hold on, you know Sotheby?
Vertin: According to Madam Z, Ms. Moissan used to be Sotheby's private teacher.
Ms. Moissan: It is a long story.
Ms. Moissan: Let Ms. Lilya give us an introduction to the base first. As the field operator, she knows this place better.
Ms. Moissan smiles toward the flying witch beside her, who has started to yawn.
Someone clearly has grown tired of this humdrum small talk.
Lilya: Hah! After I got promoted and transferred to the headquarters, those exciting outbound missions have been removed from my schedule.
Lilya: In short, although it's called the base ...
Lilya: The only place unaffected by the "Storm" is a narrow, 20-meter-long corridor, no larger than a hunter's lodge.
Lilya: My former fellows had already searched this place from top to bottom.
Lilya: Those Laplace dudes had even sent in their lab dogs to search here inch by inch. Found nothing but some excrement of the Olitiaus and the dogs' own poop.
Vertin: There might be some clues that are invisible.
Vertin: Regulus is a specialist in optical arcane skills, maybe she can find something.
Regulus: A specialist? Ahem ... Well, I'll take that as a compliment.
Regulus: But for the record, compared to searching, hiding treasures is more of a pirate's lot!
Regulus: So if it were up to me to hide treasures in this place ...
Regulus walks into the depths of the river valley.
APPLe: Please hold on for a second, Captain Regulus.
APPLe: The fog seems abnormally thick.
Regulus halts and hesitates. Slowly, she turns her head.
Regulus: Whaaa! Ambush! Ambush! These prats nearly shot my hat off!
Lilya: Lucky you. They hit the jackpot right away.
Lilya: Hmm. There shouldn't be any ambush in this place.
Ms. Moissan: Easy, Ms. Regulus. Please carefully retreat to my side!
Ms. Moissan: Ms. Timekeeper, please cover us!