"Woah! So this is Kazimierz?"
Staring up at the sprawling metropolis before him, Don Quixote let out such a cry of wonder. Compared to Kazdel, Kazimierz was indeed more than twice as bustling…
As a true commercial nation, Kazimierz possessed a cityscape few others could rival. Drones buzzed through the skies, broadcasting advertisements for knight tournaments. Every few steps, one could see billboards flashing across the sides of skyscrapers.
Kazimierz's advertisements were forever dazzling in chorus.
"Mhm… yes, this is Kazimierz."
Walking behind Don Quixote, Nearl gave a half-distracted reply. Then she tugged her lance halfway from her back, weighing it in her palm—perhaps trying to steady the unrest in her heart through the motion.
For this was her homeland.
To her, this land carried a meaning unlike any other…
Especially to someone like her—someone who had been exiled.
At that thought, Nearl let out a long, quiet breath. She made no attempt to hide the heaviness of her mind.
"Mhm… so, where shall we go next?"
Don Quixote seemed oblivious to her inner turmoil, speaking to himself with eager excitement.
"Since we've come to Kazimierz, of course we ought to taste its local specialties! Hmm, Nearl, I recall you are Kazimierzan, yes? Are there any places here worth visiting?"
Rubbing his palms together, he turned to her with the question.
"Ah? Me?…"
Caught off guard, Nearl blinked, falling into thought. But before she could answer, Don Quixote gently set his hand on her head.
She flinched, looking up sharply at him. Don Quixote only smiled, pressed a finger to his lips, and winked with his left eye.
"Though I know not what story lies between you and this land…"
"…Since we've come here, let us fully enjoy the story yet to unfold!"
Nearl froze, then her lips softened into a smile. She nodded.
When it came to matters outside of Fixers, Don Quixote-san could be remarkably reliable…
In that case, she too should think carefully—was there anywhere worth showing him?
After a short silence in thought, she raised her head and spoke:
"Uh, if I had to say… Kazimierz's greatest feature is the knight tournaments."
"They don't have high entry barriers, no real requirements. All you need is to register, and you can become a competitive knight, enter the tournaments, and fight others. If I remember right, the grand tournament should be taking place around now…"
As Nearl explained, she searched her mind for other things unique to Kazimierz to tell him. But she had scarcely finished the words when Don Quixote's eyes lit up in a sudden blaze.
"That's it!"
"Eh—eh?"
Her train of thought was cut short. Her pupils shrank as Don Quixote seized her by the arm and charged forward at a run.
"Quickly, Nearl! Now is the time for you, my loyal companion, to fulfill your role! Which way should we go?"
"You're going the wrong way!!!"
Meanwhile, at the Kazimierz Chamber of Commerce...
"Ah-choo."
The representative sneezed, rubbed his nose, and chuckled sheepishly toward the man before him.
"Apologies. No idea what came over me… Could it mean something bad is about to happen?"
"I should think not. So—how have you considered the matter of our cooperation?"
The man across from him, black-haired, golden-eyed, spread his hands, his tone calm.
"The matter of partnership between Lobotomy Corporation and the Chamber of Commerce."
"Mhm… let me confirm again. You wish to join the Chamber, but at the same time, your requirement is that Kazimierz must grant you land for building a Lobotomy branch. Is that correct?"
X nodded, leaning back in his chair, waiting for the representative to give him the answer he wanted.
"Ha… if that's all, of course it's possible. The profit you bring is plain to see."
The representative exhaled deeply, stretched a smile across his face, rose, and extended his hand to X.
"Only—one more thing. You truly need no further assistance?"
"As for staff, we'll handle that ourselves. The Chamber need not trouble itself."
X stood, shook the man's hand, and smiled.
"That's fine then, that's fine."
The representative's grin widened. Casually, as if in passing, he added:
"Oh, right, Mr. X. The new knight tournament is soon to begin… As the Chamber's newest partner, do you have any thoughts?"
"We will support the knight we favor."
X gave only that simple reply. Then, murmuring almost to himself:
"Speaking of which, Don Quixote should have arrived in Kazimierz by now… It won't be long before he enters the tournament, I imagine."
He lifted his head with a flawless smile.
"Then—may our cooperation be pleasant."
For truly, to agree to let Lobotomy place Abnormalities on one's own soil—that took no small amount of nerve.
So X thought inwardly.
Though the man before him truly had no idea how many Abnormalities Lobotomy would leave here… nor how vast that number would be.
Meanwhile, elsewhere—Ch'en Hui-chieh had already stepped onto The City's streets.
She raised her head, taking in the sights, then drew her gaze back.
Not as prosperous as Lungmen. Yet with its own peculiar character…
Subtly, she lowered her eyes, taking in the white-clad masked figures around her, and those tall, oddly shaped men in black robes and white masks. A shiver crept over her, and she quickened her pace toward her destination.
Days earlier, Wei Yenwu had spoken to her about this matter of traveling to The City.
After long deliberation, Ch'en Hui-chieh had agreed. On The City's side, once Wei raised the idea, there was indeed an organization that consented to personnel exchange with Lungmen. The term was set at two months, with the agreement that after two months, more organizations of The City would in turn travel to Lungmen.
And the one who answered Lungmen's proposal—
Was the Hana Association.
That was precisely where Ch'en Hui-chieh was headed.