"System, anything?"Daneel was left completely alone after being addressed by the man on the stool. He didn"t mind, at all, though. Taking the time, he studied everything in the room while waiting for the system"s response to his question regarding whether it had been able to detect anything in the scene he had just seen.
[Responding to host. More data is needed for a concrete conclusion, but hints have been obtained about a "nature" that is possessed by the doubts of light. They have been found to share existence with the objects known as crystals. They disappear when the crystals are absorbed, and are present around all similar sources. They can be said to possess a "wild" nature when the crystal is unrefined. Slight changes have been detected after the first step of refinement. In the procedure that was just witnessed by host, their nature was forcefully converted to become similar to that which was possessed by the dots that exist around the stone figurine. The purpose is still unclear, but it is possible that after conversion, the power present inside the crystal might be extremely beneficial to someone who possesses a method to change their natural disposition into a form that is alike to the converted nature.]
The explanation was more complex than anything he had expected, so he had to take some time to take it apart and study it thoroughly. While he did so in a corner of the room, Mr. Merry noted down something in a small notebook that he had taken out of his pocket.
Aside from the stool, there were three rattan baskets to the side standing over which the three other men present in the room were talking.
Daneel had only heard the beginning of the conversation to understand what they were on about. The one among them who had been wearing that tool before which somehow facilitated an ability to manipulate the dots of light had spoken proudly about how his yield was much higher than usual, and the young man who had turned out to be his son had ordered Mr. Merry to put in a good word with his superior on the surface. The accountant had only nodded subserviently and begun to carefully count the contents of the three baskets, even though the wizened man had been quite careless when he had thrown the crystal before.
One of the baskets closest to him contained other similar figurines. Each of their colors was different, but they were all in the form of the same man meditating peacefully. On further study, Daneel had been quite awestruck by the sheer detail on the face: he had been able to make out each and every feature, including the fine strands of hair that had been tied back into a bun.
The other baskets contained blocks of crystals. One held the finished products of the Refinery that had been sent here, and the other was filled to the brim with crimson crystals that reminded him of those he had walked into to reach the Pit.
It was only a minute later that he finally understood exactly what the system had told him. It was as if the secret domain that he had stepped into by banging his head on a wall was like an onion that he was slowly peeling away, so his only hope was that he wouldn"t be made to cry with each layer he removed.
The wizened man had been so proud that he had been able to use the crystals that Daneel wondered whether he would commit suicide if he found out that a slave whom he regarded with so much distaste could actually absorb them, which was unheard of even on the surface, as far as he knew. The system had told him that the ability to do what he was doing had been locked… and that Diamond, clearly, was a means to temporarily unlock that capability.
If so… who was responsible for figuring this out, and establis.h.i.+ng this place?
This was the main question that had been on his mind for a long time, but he knew that it might take a while for him to get the answer. For now, his objective was different, so looking up, he began to hope that they would be able to leave, soon.
His time up here was limited. Gerard had told him that such visits were unorthodox, at best, and illegal at worst. They might be able to get away with the excuse they were using if it was only for a couple of days, but if he extended his stay any longer… he would be tempting fate.
There was also the matter of Lord Burrow, and what he might think about Daneel coming here. Right now, he hoped that the man didn"t care about him enough to keep track of everything he was doing, and even if he was wrong in this, he prayed that the Lord would really just chalk it up to his zeal to climb back to where he had grown up.
While waiting, he also noticed that the two well-dressed men whose house they were in looked vaguely familiar. Caught up in the thrill of coming here and exploring the purpose of the Courtyard, he hadn"t given the time, before, to carefully study the ones he had seen so far, so he racked his brain now, but came up empty.
"System, have I seen these two somewhere else?"
[Responding to host. The two targets were present at host"s execution.]
A shudder went through him as soon as he remembered that terrifying experience. At the same time, he recalled that moment when his eyes had wandered over the well-dressed group that had stood apart from the surface-dwellers, and he immediately wondered why these two hadn"t commented anything about his past.
From what he had seen of them so far, he would have expected that they would be the first to put him down, and gloat due to the difference between them now. Then… a single look at his clothes made him understand the reason behind this not happening, yet.
He was wearing the same garb of a trainee he had woken up in after traveling in a pile of refuse to reach the Refinery. He didn"t need a mirror to glance at his face; his hair was overgrown, his skin was grubby, and his face had none of the arrogance that had been his hallmark when he had still lived above the ground.
"Why can"t I have been born as a coddled prince instead of one who was going to die? Oh, things would have been so different…"
He was still musing idly about this topic when he felt a tap on his shoulder. Snapping his head up, he saw that the two had disappeared, leaving just Mr. Merry who had a small smile on his face.
He did say anything, though, and just led the way outside. He talked only when they were halfway to his house, and even then, he was brief.
"Accountant. Same job, same duties, but here… there is so much more sn.o.bbishness to handle. Sometimes, I wish I was still down in the Refinery… but then, I look down and remember what I love so much about this place!"
He slapped his belly and laughed to himself before walking faster, his gait much stronger than what it had been before.
As soon as they reached home, he had a hearty snack of bread with a slice of greasy meat that Daneel wasn"t able to identify. He graciously offered some to Daneel, too, which he accepted as he knew just how hard food was to come by.
Then, talking about how it had been a tiring day, he left to take a nap, showing Daneel exactly what he had meant before. He could be called a prince when compared to those in the two layers below, and clearly, he had become accustomed to a certain quality of life that he wouldn"t be able to abandon no matter what.
Finding himself alone for the first time since coming to this layer, he saw that it was the perfect opportunity to begin his task. He didn"t know how to tell his host that he was going out, though, so after searching around the room, he found a stack of small parchments above the fireplace.
Leaving a note that he would be exploring the Courtyard, he stepped outside…
… and came face-to-face with a short teenage boy with a sneer that might make people think that he was the king of the world.
Behind him, there were three strongly built man who all raised their eyebrows when they saw him emerge, and as if they had planned at all along, they shot out their hands and caught him by his shoulders and the scruff of his neck.
More than anything, Daneel was shocked because all these three were at the same level as him. According to what he had heard, Neophytes were supposed to be rare, but as he remembered the origin of their young master… he understood why he shouldn"t be surprised.
"Master Daneel! Oh, when I heard that you were in the third layer, how could I stop myself from coming to visit? Let"s go! We have a lot to catch up!"
As the cronies of the heir of the second most powerful family in Graiton dragged him away, Daneel could only curse himself, as it almost seemed as if he had called this upon himself by expecting his past to catch up to him, which it had done in the form of this kid he had bullied mercilessly for the last five years.
His face blanched as he recalled how ruthless he had been, and for the first time…he wondered whether coming so close to the surface had been a really bad idea, after all.