Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 924: Bracelet and the Collar (Part 2)

”Agh...?”

Adamʼs mouth was wide open, he couldnʼt believe what he heard. Silvana was as baffled as he was.

”What the hell are you talking about? What do you mean there are no free Operators here? How can there even be fewer Operators than Phantoms? Thatʼs bullshit!” he rose, slamming the table.

Everything Orel had said before, though it had been strange and even wild, had made sense, especially since he was talking about the Lower Ring. But now, Adam was hearing something impossible.

Strangely enough, Orel didnʼt get angry, he wasnʼt the least bit embarrassed by Adamʼs reaction. It only amused him.

”Hahaha, Adam, Iʼm sure you as a K3-Phantom are well aware of where all Operators begin their journey, right?”

”Of course I am! First, they attend the academy, then a job at the forts, then they are assigned to the Phantoms that chose them. Sure, not every Phantom gets an Operator right away, but it happens pretty quickly. Any K0-Phantom can get their Operator after completing a few missions!” he waved his hand.

Orel lifted his cigarette to his mouth, a thin trickle of smoke passing in front of his deep-set eyes.

”Adam, the forts, like the rest of the military, are part of the government, their personal army to some extent. At the Lower Ring, there is no government, no forts.”

As if struck by thunder, Adam froze in place, realizing that Orel was right.

”More to the point. First of all, the forts are needed for the military and general Operators to help the K0 Phantom squads fight the monsters near the walls. But... Do you see any walls at the Lower Ring?”

Without saying anything, Adam walked over to the window that overlooked the entire Lower Ring, both the Outer Field and the Inner Field.

Most recently, Adam was on the very edge of the Outer Field since he fell into the Lower Ring by crashing into a junkyard. There was nothing further - just walls like in a very deep and large cave.

Then, Adam slowly turned to Orel.

”So... No military, government, or even Operator Academies?”

”Yeah,” Orel shrugged nonchalantly. For him, this was the reality he had lived in all his life, unlike Adam, who found everything strange and alien.

Silvana gasped. She tried to remain calm, but it stunned even her.

”Wait, Mr. Erik,” she said respectfully. ”The lack of government and military I can still understand, but academies... Without academies, how do the Operators know what to do? How do they help their Phantoms without the functionality of military forts? Without databases and government assistance?”

”Well, thatʼs the interesting part - they donʼt. Itʼs because, in most cases, Phantoms at the Lower Ring only find an Operator when they reach K2-Level. A Phantom with an Operator at the K0 or K1 levels? Pffft, thatʼs something on the verge of impossible.”

Adam and Silvana were ready to inundate Orel with an endless stream of questions. They didnʼt understand how, but every time he answered their question, they got three more.

But Orel understood that as well.

”Stop, weʼve gotten too far away from the original topic. We still have time to get back to the academy, military, and other stuff. Before Misa gets back, I want to talk about the bracelets and collars.”

After exchanging a glance, Adam and Silvana nodded and returned to their seats. At first, they just wanted to deal with the rules, but now they were curious.

”So, like I said, collars and bracelets are needed for either safety or control. Misa can go out at night, to the grocery store, shopping, or even a nightclub. No one will touch her when they see she is a taken Operator. No ordinary person would put themselves at that risk and bring down the wrath of the Phantom on themselves.

”I hope thatʼs clear and weʼve dealt with that part.”

”Donʼt be in a hurry,” Adam extended his hand, his palm open. ”Some things are not. A mere human wouldnʼt try to capture someoneʼs Operator, itʼs a death sentence, here at the Lower Ring, but what about the Phantoms?”

”Hm?” Orel raised an eyebrow, a little stumped.

”I mean, letʼs say I saw Misa or any other Operator dancing in a nightclub. I notice her bracelet, but Iʼm a K3-Phantom. I could take the risk and capture her to make her my Operator or sell her or whatever you do with Operators here. Moreover, if I were a K4-Phantom, that would certainly make sense, wouldnʼt it?”

Adam took a deep breath, realizing that he was speaking confusingly.

ʼʼHow do the Phantoms determine that this Operator isnʼt just taken, but that the Phantom of this Operator is stronger than them? Iʼm sure otherwise even K0-Phantoms would have tried to kidnap Misa or Rishaʼs boy.”

With a slight smile, Orel parted his arms to the sides. ”Itʼs simple - bracelets and collars arenʼt just pretty accessories or a demonstration of the Phantomsʼ power. These things are worth a hell of a lot because the Void Crystals are used in their crafting.”

”Void Crystals?” Silvana tilted her head, even though she had never heard of it.

”Yeah, they have many useful properties, but one of them is that they can absorb any kind of energy. So Misaʼs bracelet has the Void Crystals in it, full of my energy. She canʼt use them for defense or combat as any kind of weapon, but thatʼs not needed.

”All Misa needs to do is channel some energy into her bracelet, and everyone will sense that her Phantom is at K4-Level. Obviously, this will scare anyone away. However, even without the energy, thereʼs a powerful aura constantly emanating from her bracelet to show how strong her partner is.”

Adam and Silvana were silent for a while, thinking about what they had just heard. They realized that this conversation was far from over, but gradually, they were getting to grips with the complex structure of the Lower Ring.

Step. Step. Step.

At the same moment, Misa returned to the room, an old puzzle box in her hands.

”Everything okay?” she wondered.

”Yeah, so far so good.”

Orel took another puff, a mysterious smirk on his face.

”After all - weʼre all Operators and Phantoms. All living in the same world. In the same Citadel.”