Book 11: Chapter 338: The Possibilities of Magic Engineering (part 2) |
As soon as Mira replied, Iris beamed a smile and said “I’ll do my best!” and ran out.
Then she realized she was rushing too much and she came back, her head peeking into the room, but she clearly did not regret it one bit.
“We’ll start from the first floor and go up in order, okay?!”
Her eyes were twinkling, urging Mira to follow her, ready to rush off any moment.
Only a handful of people were allowed in this room, as the oracle was an important person, who needed to be kept under maximum security. Only Alma and the female Apostles would visit her.
So now that there was a new face there, she was beside herself with joy. It was almost like this was her first time experiencing a sleepover.
And even then, the fact that she was this happy went to show just how few friends she really had.
“We’ve got plenty of time, no need to rush.”
Mira stashed the booklet away into her Item Box, and followed after Iris, ready to follow her wherever she wanted to go.
When seen from above, each floor was basically identical, like blocks stacked into a two by three grid.
And the block on the top row and middle column were the stairs.
Iris wanted to show every floor in order, so they began with the first floor, which looked like a mix between a bar and a lobby.
All of the blocks were joined together there, except for the stairs.
“There’s a lot of really tasty drinks here, so it’s the best place to relax after a bath.”
Iris then proceeded to bring up the ones she recommended, when she seemed to realize something and said “Ah, I didn’t drink it yet today,” as she pulled out one bottle and poured herself a glass, drinking it all in one go.
“Bleghh…”
When she was done, she let out a groan rather unbecoming of a girl.
Mira asked what that drink was, and Iris replied that it was a herbal tea of a special blend of many medicinal plants. Alma had told her to drink a glass every day to stay healthy.
“This…is really intense…”
Mira decided to smell a bit of it, and scowled right after as her nose was assaulted by a grassy and overly herbal smell.
But oddly enough, it did smell like something healthy.
Next they went to the second floor, entering the room to the left of the stairs. That room was two blocks long, and it was the same living room Mira first entered when searching for Iris.
“Every time I sit on this chair I get sleepy really fast… And ah, these round things are called records, and when you put them on the machine it plays music.”
Iris was enjoying it so much that she went ahead and explained even the smallest things.
Eventually she said “And here’s my favorite one,” as she happily brought over the large chest on wheels that Mira had also seen before.
“Oh, now I’m looking forward to it too.”
Overall it looked like a rather fancy box, but Iris said it was her favorite thing.
Considering just how much Alma, the empress, had spent furnishing the room, Mira already had very high expectations for whatever it was.
“Ta-daaa!”
Iris took hold of the handle on top and raised the cover, revealing a smaller box inside, which was around fifty centimeters tall, and around seventy wide and deep.
But it was clear that it was no mere box, as one of its sides was made of glass.
“Hmmm… This looks like some complicated device…”
Mira tried peering through the glass, but everything was dark inside, so it was not just a display case of some sort either.
Instead she noticed various switches and buttons on the side, revealing that it was some sort of device made with Magic Engineering.
Seeing those switches, and the glass, Mira had a guess as to what the box was.
But before she could say anything, Iris’ excitement won over as she began pressing the switches while saying “You see, this is…”
The box activated after a short moment.
The instant Mira saw that, she raised her voice in shock, saying “I can’t believe it..!”
What she saw on the box’s glass was a scenery, completely different from what they had nearby.
And it was not just that, there was also sound coming from the holes on the sides of the box.
In short, that box was a TV.
“This is called a Magic TV! It’s a really cool device that lets you see things from far away!”
Iris was smiling with delight as she switched around the picture, showing everything that was available.
There were various stage plays, the tournament’s pre-show, and various other broadcasts set up.
As Iris explained, there was a separate device called a Magic TV Scope, which would transmit whatever it saw to the Magic TV.
And if they paired that with a Magic Mic, it would also transmit sounds.
The only limitation so far was that the sound and picture would arrive with different delays. But at least the picture was of a high resolution.
(I didn’t think they would’ve progressed this far already.)
Mira was impressed seeing the Magic TV in front of her.
It had only been a few months since Soul Howl had told her that someone from the Rising Sun Committee was working on TV equipment.
She did not know if this was the result of that, or if it had been developed independently by Nirvana. Either way, culture was progressing at a rapid pace.
“Now this is amazing.”
Mira nodded, approving of Iris’ choice of favorite item, and Iris replied with a bright smile.
“It really is!”
So far everyone Iris had met very few people, and they were all older and important people in the government, which meant they could not stay with her for long.
That was why she was beside herself with joy now that she had met Mira, who would be able to stay with her for longer and share in a lot of the things she found fun.
“You know, this place here…”
Since Mira had shown interest in the Magic TV, Iris’ motivation had been set aflame, so she quickly began explaining more things about it.
As it turned out, everything shown on the Magic TV was a live feed.
Currently there were Magic TV Scopes installed in the two large theaters of Ratnatraya, the two event stages of the public convention center, and two showing different angles of the tournament’s preliminary arena.
Things would get especially interesting once the tournament actually began, so Iris would make sure not to miss watching the TV the next day.
(I guess it’s not really her fault.)
Hearing that made Mira just a little bit worried, as it seemed like Iris could end up becoming addicted to the TV.
But there was not much that could be done about it, as she had to remain locked up for as long as that dangerous organization was after her.
For now, all Mira could do was think if there was anything else she could do other than being a bodyguard, so that Iris would be able to meet more people and have a more fulfilling life once she could go outside again.