Then, they first went to Aldina. As Mey and Warner welcomed them at the port, Warner stated, "I'm Warner Crimson Makido, a Platinum Warrior of Aldina, and it is a pleasure to welcome you all to the land of Aldina, the land blessed by the God of Darkness."
Liebe said, "It's a pleasure."
Warner said, "Please allow me to give you a tour, and you can meet with the Diamond Warrior, Heinm, tomorrow."
While walking, Elizabeth whispered, "Brother, is this the girl you slept with while on Hallelujah Island?"
Liebe said, "Well, yeah, kinda."
Elizabeth whispered, "She is cute."
Liebe said, "Thanks."
And that night, Alysa, M, Elizabeth, and Mey were in the same room.
Mey said, "Hello."
Elizabeth said, "Hi."
Mey said, "So, what's Liebe like normally? Since we kinda met in a fight."
Elizabeth said, "Long story short: tired and working."
Mey said, "Is that so?"
Alysa said, "Yeah, but he is kind to all of us."
Mey asked, "So who is the other girl?"
Alysa said, "Long story."
Elizabeth said, "I don't know."
M said, "I can hear you. It's 1 AM. Please go to bed."
And then they went to sleep.
The next morning, they went to meet the Diamond Warrior, Heinm.
Heinm said, "Pleasure to meet you."
Liebe said, "The pleasure is all ours."
Heinm said, "So, why did Astreous send you to our land?"
Liebe said, "I'm as confused as you are, Mr. Heinm. But he said to ask how you were doing and, well, ask for some peanuts. Of course, it's not like we don't have any in Eldoria; it's that he told us to ask for some from you specifically."
Heinm laughed and said, "That Astreous, always talking in riddles. I'm doing great, except for suffering from old age. And of course, here are your peanuts."
Liebe said, "Thank you, sir."
Heinm said, "Hope to see you all soon."
Liebe said, "Same here."
And then as they reached the port and it was time for them to leave, Mey said, "Will you come visit me again soon?"
Liebe said, "Yeah. You know what, when you are ready, wanna join Team Liebe?"
Mey said, "Of course."
Warner said, "I fully support that. But please, Mr. God of Darkness Liebe, visit this land soon."
Liebe said, "Dude, stop calling me that."
Elizabeth whispered, "Mother, what's this about the God of Darkness?"
Gelda said, "Long story."
Then they departed.
Then they went to Symphonics. As they were welcomed with music, they walked around. The nation was filled with music, and its technological advancements were beyond even that of the Empire.
Licht said, "This place sure is nice."
As the 23rd Unit Commander came and said, "Greetings, everyone. I'm known as Snyder. Welcome to the land of music and technology. And these are our musical automatons, known as Musizians. And my Musizian partner, Altre."
Altre said, "A pleasure."
As they walked around, Snyder explained, "Here, Musizians can be seen all around, from hospitals to the roads, and in the military they act as partners. Together, we work to improve our nation for the people. And please bear in mind that here, Musizians and humans are treated equally."
Altre said, "Maestro, I just received word: the Grand Maestro will be free tomorrow at 10 AM."
Snyder said, "Everyone, is tomorrow at 10 AM ok?"
Liebe said, "Of course."
Snyder said, "Wonderful. Please feel free to look around the city, and this Musizian, Tri, will be your guide."
Liebe said, "Thank you."
After a whole day of seeing around, they finally went to sleep.
The following morning, Snyder came to get them. As they entered the Ark Defence Building, Snyder said, "Ok, everyone, thank you for your patience. The Grand Maestro is waiting."
As they entered, the Grand Maestro said, "I'm Alex Albion Zephyr, and it's a pleasure."
Liebe said, "The pleasure is all ours."
Alex said, "These are my Musizians and my partners, Heaven and Hell."
Heaven said, "Greetings, it's a pleasure."
Hell said, "Hello."
Liebe said, "These are members of Black Rose and Team Liebe."
Alex said, "I have heard a lot about you all, and I'm quite familiar with Gelda here and the Captain."
Liebe said, "You knew my mother?"
Alex said, "We are friends, of course. We send letters every now and then. Again, back in my younger days, I was a transfer student at your Knighthood Academy for a year. Saying it humbled me would be an understatement."
Liebe said, "I can understand."
Alex said, "At one point, I even considered joining Black Rose, but then my father died, and I had to carry on the legacy as a combatant, and eventually, here I am."
Liebe said, "I'm sorry to hear that."
Alex said, "Understandable. But I have a question for you."
Liebe said, "Of course, sir."
Alex said, "So, what happened nine years ago? Till that point, every letter Lilith wrote to me was about you—like how you learned to walk, how you started to talk, etc., etc. Yet nine years ago, it stopped. All her letters became formal and to the point, like, 'Today I had paperwork.' So what changed?"
Liebe said, "I don't know, sir."
Alex said, "Sorry if my question was too insensitive."
Liebe said, "It's all alright'.
Alesx said ,"Now, let's skip the formal part. You can be frank. And if you really are Lilith's son, I can assume you want to battle me, as I'm one of the top 50 strongest people in the world."
Liebe said, "How did you know?"
Alex said, "Well, in evolution, there is a thing called innate behavior that's passed down genetically, and the gene is known as the learning gene."
Liebe said, "I'm sorry, I don't follow."
Alex said, "These include instinctual behaviors, such as crying when hungry, which is a common example for us humans."
Liebe said, "I understand what you are saying; I just don't understand why, sir."
Alex said, "Simple. Because a behavioral characteristic that is passed down by you Fausts is that whenever you find someone stronger, your first thought is 'fight' and 'think' second."
Everyone laughed a little.
Liebe said, "Unfortunately, I won't say you are wrong, sir."
Alex said, "Good to know some things haven't changed. And what about the sleeping beauty?"
As Licht raised his hand, Alex said, "So you must be his son."
Licht said, "Yes, sir. Do you know my father?"
Alex said, "I know him, but I doubt he knows me, since most of our conversations occurred when he was enjoying his beauty sleep during class, including tests. So we just called him the Sleeping Beauty. And I suppose I wouldn't be wrong if the sleeping part was the learning gene for you."
Licht said, "Unfortunately, you aren't incorrect, sir."
Alex said, "If things used to be like before, I would have visited Eldoria quite a few times. But unfortunately, two decades ago, our nation was devastated in an earthquake, and since then, as the Grand Maestro, I never had the opportunity to take breaks and go on vacations or even get married."
Liebe said, "Wait, sir, you are single?"
Alex said, "Unfortunately, yes. Watching over the people's joy really is quite demanding."
Gelda said, "Come on, Alex, be honest."
Alex said, "What else could it be?"
Gelda said, "Well, you did have a thing for Lilith back in the day."
Liebe said, "I'm sorry, what?"
Alex said, "Unfortunately, it's true. But, well, I never tried, and we remained friends. Heaven and Hell here were even two of the bridesmaids at your mother's wedding, while I was the one who helped decorate the venue and the music."
Gelda said, "I remember you were crying like a five-year-old, and everyone thought you cried because you were her brother, but Jewel and I were laughing our eyes out because we knew."
Liebe said, "Mr. Alex..."
Alex said, "Yes?"
Liebe said, "Somehow, I can understand your pain."
Alex said, "Thank you. And I heard what happened to your father."
Liebe said, "Is that so? So why didn't you try?"
Alex said, "There are reasons."
Liebe said, "Ok then."
Then Alex said, "Let's have our battle, then."
Liebe said, "Thank you."
As they went to the courtyard, Alex said, "Get ready, young man."
As Liebe and Alex stepped forward, Alex said, "Liebe, you aren't enough. You four—" as Licht, Elizabeth, Alysa, and M also entered.
Alex said, "The rules are simple: the first ones on the ground lose."
Liebe said, "Ok then."
Alex said, "Please go easy on an old man such as myself."
Liebe said, "Sir, you barely look 25."
Alex said, "Thank you."
As the battle began, in an instant, Alex disappeared.
Liebe thought, What the hell is this mana flow?
Licht thought, Rampage. He really understands his magic.
Liebe thought, Is he combining Rampage and mana flow to blend with the natural mana itself?
And within 30 seconds after the battle began, all five of them were on the ground.
Alex said, "That was fun."
Liebe said, "Please teach me, sir. How did you just do that?"
Alex said, "With age comes wisdom."
Gelda said, "Teach them the party trick."
Alex said, "That is not a party trick."
Gelda said, "To us it is. Now, let's talk about what you need. But first of all, Licht, your mana flow is beautiful; the frequency and wavelength are simply perfect, yet it lacks pitch and timbre. And Alysa, same can be said about you, except yours lacks rhythm. For Elizabeth, your amplitude is far too low. And M, yours can be considered harsh—a noise that's far too harsh for the ears. And young Liebe Faust, your mana is like classical music that's gentle to the soul, yet it's filled with sorrow."
Liebe said, "Sorry, what was that? I didn't get it."
Licht said, "Same."
Gelda said, "Simply: Licht, keep mana flow constant. Alysa, adjust attacks properly. Elizabeth, not enough force. M, too much force. And Liebe, you are good."
Alex said, "Ohhh, now I realize. Now, Elizabeth is your—?"
Gelda said, "Yeah."
Alex said, "I felt it, but I thought it was simply far too impossible for you to get married, much less have a child."
Elizabeth said, "That was rude."
Alex said, "No offense, but trust me, back in the day, Gelda was mountains deep in books. It was to the point most people didn't know what she looked like since she just used her portals and always had a book in her face."
Gelda said, "Rude."
Elizabeth said, "Seems reasonable."
Alex said, "Now, let's get you that melted ice that nobody needs. Snyder, get me some wine, and with extra ice."
Snyder said, "Of course."
Alex said, "Now, let's head to my office and discuss the issue."