In the reception room of Chaldea.
"It's been two years, Mr. Natsukawa." Marisbury greeted him enthusiastically, shaking his hand.
"Although I did send word that Chaldea has been successfully built, I didn't expect you to come so quickly. The Operations Division hasn't even been fully formed yet."
"I just wanted to check out the situation. After all, I might be staying here for a long time in the future, right? Getting familiar with the environment beforehand isn't a bad idea." Naoki replied. "But the staff count is lower than I expected. I didn't see many people on the way here. Haven't started recruiting yet?"
Marisbury nodded. "Indeed. Construction has only just finished, and everything is just getting started. Honestly, I still have a pile of documents in my office waiting to be signed and processed."
Chaldea's facility in Antarctica was actually quite expansive. Naturally, a facility of this size wouldn't escape the notice of countries with research stations in Antarctica.
Why was such a large institution suddenly built in Antarctica? Who owns this research facility? What research projects will it undertake?
Questions like these would inevitably arise once Chaldea was discovered. And due to the secrecy of the mysteries, even to ensure the continuation of the Human Order, the existence of the Clock Tower couldn't be revealed. Figuring out how to maintain Chaldea's existence without exposing the mysteries while gaining recognition of its autonomy from world nations… all these issues fell on Marisbury to resolve.
Of course, Naoki knew Marisbury had already handled most of these problems. It's worth noting that Chaldea's construction had previously received UN approval, with about thirty percent of its initial funding coming from various countries. Now that Chaldea was built, what remained in Marisbury's hands were likely just some formal documents.
For example, additional paperwork that held no legal weight but still needed signing.
After serving Naoki and Gray cups of black tea, Marisbury sat on the sofa. "By the way, if you want to look around, what are you interested in seeing? The experiments currently underway at Chaldea? Or getting acquainted with the equipment and devices you might use in the future?"
"Partially. I also want to meet some acquaintances who might be here. I met Roman in Paris a few days ago—he must have arrived by now, right?"
"Yes, the doctor arrived five days ago. He's now responsible for the daily health checks of Chaldea's staff. He should be in the medical room. Shall I call him?"
Naoki shook his head. "No need. I'll go see him later and surprise him. Besides the doctor, I think there's one other acquaintance here."
"Lev Lainur Flauros—over the past two years, while I was working at the Clock Tower, I heard that he, who was always holed up in the Department of Archaeology, suddenly left his lab last year and vanished without a trace."
"He's here now, isn't he?"
Professor Lev—the spark that ignited the bomb of the Human Order Incineration. The embodiment of the Demon God Pillar Flauros. Originally, he was supposed to take his own life in 2015 to prevent the Human Order Incineration, but since Chaldea was already built, he might now be under the influence of the Demon God Pillar.
Sipping his black tea, Marisbury paused for a moment before nodding. "Yes, Professor Lev is indeed here. One of Chaldea's core devices—the Near-Future Observation Lens SHEBA—requires his expertise to ensure its perfect operation."
"Where is he?"
"If you know about him, are you planning to eliminate him, Mr. Natsukawa?"
Marisbury hadn't forgotten what Naoki told him two years ago: that Professor Lev would trigger an explosion in the control room after the Human Order Incineration, trapping everyone inside and cutting off any hope of restoring humanity.
"If that's the concern, you don't need to worry. To prevent the future you mentioned, the control room's building materials were specially designed. Ordinary bombs won't affect it."
"I didn't say I'd eliminate him. I just want to say hello. After all, he's a colleague I'll be working with in the future. Greeting him first is a good idea, right?" Naoki smiled. "Don't worry, I won't destroy Chaldea before the Human Order Incineration happens. I can guarantee that. Because in the process of restoring the Human Order, Chaldea is essential."
Seeing the friendly smile on the Holy Sword User's face, Marisbury felt a slight chill. He was well aware that his family's dream was realized largely because of the compromise between Solomon and Naoki. If the other party had insisted on interfering, Chaldea would never have existed.
Frankly, in the outside world, no one could stop Naoki.
"If that's the case, that's great. You're both vital talents for Chaldea. If your relationship isn't good, it could affect Chaldea's operations. But unfortunately, before you arrived, Professor Lev said he'd be recalibrating SHEBA, so he can't be disturbed right now."
"Oh, that's a shame then."
Setting down his empty teacup, Naoki looked around, sighed, and stood up. "I was really looking forward to meeting Professor Lev. Since he's unavailable now, we'll talk another time. I'll go see Roman. Where's the medical room?"
"There are maps at every corner of Chaldea, including outside this room. They show the locations and routes to all key areas."
"Very thorough setup—see you later then, Marisbury. Come on, Gray, let's go find the doctor."
Watching Naoki leave the reception room with Gray, Marisbury remained seated for quite a while before picking up his teacup and finishing the remaining black tea. "It's like I've asked a tiger for help. One wrong step, and I could fall into an abyss."
"But even a tiger, if handled correctly, can be interacted with normally… There've been plenty of interesting rumors from the Clock Tower these past two years. Hopefully, I can make use of them."