After having had our encounter with the two sisters we started walking towards the walls that could be seen in the distance.

*sigh*

Or rather I thought it was ‘we’, but it seems Lizz is just hovering where she is while hanging her head.

*tap* *tap*

“...Mm?”

What’s wrong?

“It’s just… I was really proud of having made myself into what I am, and… and yet they just confused me with a normal half-dragonfly… I’m not sure how long I can handle this if it keeps up…”She says while landing on the ground and entering a fetal position.

‘Hmm… I wonder…’

I *tap* *tap* her shoulder, making her look towards me.

Actually, I think I might have a way to fix that.

And as I say that:

“You do?!” She responds with sparkling eyes and a big smile.

Maybe. Probably. It’s worked before.

“Before? You’ve had this problem before?”

Not this exa-

“Shut up! I changed my mind, I don’t care! As long as it works I’m fine, but what are you going to do?”

Well there’s only one thing that can fix as bizarre of a problem as this…

‘Do you think you could help us with this one boo-’

And then, as if having eagerly awaited an opportunity to prove itself useful yet again, the book starts glowing with a blue light like before we left the house and, while still on my back, opens up and stretches out an arm, the arm looks to be made of the same material as the books paper and it shoots forwards, grabbing Lizz, pulling her back into the book and closing again.

'!'

I quickly take the book off of my back and open it.

Index

Active Skills ->

Passive Skills ->

Titles ->

Achievements ->

Storage ->

Familiars ->

‘What’s this? Familiars? Whatever happened to Lizz has to have to do with this new tab.’

Familiars

Due to various circumstances these creatures have become one with the Book of Knowledge, you can either summon them as companions or temporarily gain powers depending on the familiar.

Elizabeth (Mutated Human)

‘Become one with the book? Lizz was never able to go very far away from it so this explains that at least… Wait, no, I’m getting sidetracked! Book, please summon Lizz!’

The book then starts to glow once again and a ball of light starts floating out of it and lands on the ground.

When the book dims down I can see that the ball of light has been replaced by Lizz, Lizz is sitting down with both her arms and legs crossed and is looking at me with a pout.

“There was a really nice bed in there! Let me back in!” she says while flailing her arms around

...

“I sai-”

Wait wait wait, a nice bed? In the book? Could you please explain what’s going on?

“I have no idea!” Replies Lizz while leaning back with a smug look

That’s not something to be proud of…

“Oh sure it is, at least I’m able to admit when I don’t know something.” She says with an even smugger look, only to realize she’s gone of on a tangent “But that’s besides the point! After the book grabbed me I was in a really nice place, it was like a small house! It had a weird white stove and a giant box that was cold inside! I don’t know what any of it is but since it has to do with the book I have to go back and understand it all! ...Also there might have been a really nice and comfortable bed that I was trying to sleep in…”

Lizz has now started blushing and is facing away from me.

Remembering how she acted when she found out I could make her sleep well I decided that maybe letting her sleep at her own place where she won’t drool on me might be a good idea.

Alright fi-

“Yes!!!” She shouts as she assumes a guts pose.

...

*cough* “Carry on…”

Lizz is now blushing ever so slightly, what’s up with her ability to always get herself into awkward situations?

As I was trying to say, I’ll summon you again when I'm in the inn so we can discuss what to do next.

“Okay. Now hurry up!”

She now has a big smile on her face. And also she’s drooling.

‘Book, could you unsummon Lizz?’

Lizz then starts to become a glowing orb of light again and gently floats into the still open pages of the book.

‘Uhm… well… Onwards to the town I guess?’

Now not really having any reason to not go to the town, I pick up the book again and leave.

After walking for what feels to have been another half an hour I finally arrive at the town’s walls and try to locate an entrance.

“Is that a…?”

“What’s one of those doing here?”

“A Blessed Doll? But what could it possibly achieve at a port town like this?”

When I get there people immediately start mistaking me for a Blessed Doll, Just like Hannah and Joanne.

This time having learned from experience I decide to play myself off as just that, a Blessed Doll is a creature that tries to fulfill its master’s wish right?

‘Well I am here with the purpose of locating someone so I can probably pretend that that’s my creator's wish. Actually, since I created the Cursed Doll that killed me and sent me to this world and body, does it mean that I technically created the thing that created me? So in a way I am a either Blessed or Cursed Doll that responds to my own wishes? I guess this little act maybe won’t be that far off from the truth then.’

I start walking towards one of the guardsmen

“H-halt! ...Please?”

I stop in front of a middle aged man wearing metal armour covered in cloth the color of fish scales, presumably since it’s a lake city they decided to arm their soldiers in the color of their exports.

“E-excuse me but, i-in order to pass here you need to p-pay a toll of five copper”

I look up at the man's helmetless face and like any respectable person asked to pay money I-

?

Pretend not to know what he’s talking about.

“D-do you not have any money?” The man suddenly gets a noticeably more scheming aura around him.

?

The man then crouches down and leans in close, whispering to me he says:

“How about this, you see that big wagon over there? If you want inside this town then go over to it and take as many of these as you can find.”

He then holds out three round pieces of metal, they seem to be made of gold, silver and copper respectively.

“Then bring them to me and I’ll let you pass, okay? You wouldn’t want to disappoint your creator by giving up and not entering this city, right?”

The guard then stands up with a wicked smile and starts to put away the three coins he showed me...

*CLANG*

...only to get hit on the head by a gauntlet covered arm, making him faint, fall down, and drop the coins.

“Sorry about that little guy, this place doesn’t force conscription onto its inhabitants so we’re forced to accept all applicants, even ones as stupid as him.”

The gauntlet covered arm belongs to a very tall, bald, dark skinned and muscular man.

Upon closer inspection his arm isn’t wearing a gauntlet but seems to instead be covered by white scales that sparkle like metal in the sun, signifying that he’s a half-lizard.

The man mumbles to himself.

“Seriously, trying to make a Blessed Doll steal? Does he want it to get corrupted and kill him?”

He then looks down at me and says:

“Don’t worry about that guy, we’ll be stricter with his food rations for a while as punishment. Now the little guy, I dunno what you’re planning on doing in this here town but rumors of a Blessed Doll staying in this town is sure bring around travellers, so feel free to enter and exit as much as you want, free of charge!”

I then walk through the gate and into the city.

I turn away from the main road and into an alley as soon as I can.

When I’m sure that I can’t be seen by the muscle lizard I raise one of my feet into the air and use Phasing on it.

*clink* *clink* *clink*

And then a gold, a silver and a copper coin fall out from inside my foot.

As I pick the coins up with my hand I can hear the sound of leather rubbing on leather again, when I get up I see that one of the straps holding the book to my back has gotten a small pouch on it.

With a few more *clinks* I put the three coins into the pouch and walk outside the alley again.

‘This should come in handy while I’m here’ I think to myself as I start trying to find someplace that could have a map or some other way of locating the Quartets’ inn.