Scarlett ran a hand over the faceted surface of the [Obedience’s Solitude Loci], studying the emerald. It felt odd, holding it like this, if only for the fact of how valuable it looked. Like holding a wad of thousand-dollar bills. The brain couldn’t quite comprehend its value.

She pushed those musings to the back of her mind and focused her attention on the Loci.

‘Listening’ to it, as Arlene had told her to, had yet to bring much result. She’d tried it over a dozen times since her talk with the woman, and she wasn’t hoping for much more now. Luckily, if what the system’s description told her was enough, that didn’t necessarily matter.

Now, it was time to put one of her suspicions to the test.

First of all, if part of the Loci’s will was to find a worthy master—which fit with its presence as an item in the game—then she had to show that she could fill that role. That meant somehow convincing a mute gemstone that she qualified.

She brought out the [Mark of the Fey] from her pouch of holding. The blue crystal was a bit smaller than the Loci, and ever since that Idol had interacted with it, tiny, barely visible sparks ran through its core like lightning.

“This was given to me as a sign of trust,” she said out loud, holding up the crystal. At the same time, she tried channeling the intent behind her words into the Loci, like she had done when she interacted with it back at Abelard’s mansion. “When I give my word, I always uphold it. Others of your kin can attest to as much.”

A few seconds of silence followed.

She wasn’t really expecting a reaction from the Loci. It was doubtful whether it actually had the intelligence to comprehend her words, or if it only worked on intent. Still, it was better to play things safe. It was also easier to organize her will and thoughts while speaking.

Lifting the Loci higher, she gestured at the garden around her. “This is part of my domain, as well as my home. If you would allow it, it will also be yours.”

She stood up and began walking around the garden’s center, continuing to channel her intent into the Loci as she spoke. “It is different from your previous dwelling, but I do not think it will be inferior. What it is lacking will soon be added, and I am certain it can reach levels well beyond what you knew before.”

After showing it the immediate area, she proceeded to show it the rest of the hedge garden before continuing onto the adjacent training grounds, all the while ‘explaining’ things to the Loci as they went. Then, slowly making her way across the property, she showed it everything else that was inside the stone walls encasing the estate—the two guards at the gate gave her strange looks when she passed them by, but she ignored it—before eventually crossing the courtyard and entering the mansion itself.

There, she ran into a pair of servants that were cleaning the foyer. Both curtsied as they greeted her.

She gave them a brief nod in return, once more holding up the Loci. “These serve under me, and it is part of their duty to maintain and care for my needs and those of the estate.”

The women blinked at her words, and Scarlett cringed slightly inside as the two glanced at each other and the Loci in her hand with bewildered expressions. She would have liked to avoid the people here in the mansion while doing this, but part of the point was demonstrating that she was a good master. If she couldn’t talk to the Loci, then showing it felt like the best option.

She left the two servants in confusion for now to continue the mansion tour. At one point, as she was walking through the third-floor hallways in the west wing, she spotted Rosa turning around the corner ahead of her. The bard smiled as she seemed to notice her and walked over. That smile turned into a grin as she looked down at the Loci in Scarlett’s hand.

“I thought I heard the saccharine notes of your speech, but with the way you talked, I figured you were guiding some important guest or other around. Who would have thought it was actually just you showing around your precious new jewel? I suppose it’s true what they say about gemstones being a noblewoman’s best friend, eh?”

“I would hope not,” Scarlett said. “I cannot think of much that would be more tragic.”

“Yeah, I much prefer gold myself.” Rosa raised her hand as if she was holding something heavy. “Has a lot more weight to it, so it can double as a bludgeon in times of need.”

“That is not what I meant, but I suspect you are already aware.”

The bard just gave her the same smile in reply. “So, how come our local Baroness is walking around her mansion talking to a stone? People have called me crazy, but the worst I’ve ever tried talking to was a crab.”

Scarlett opened her mouth to answer, but paused. She narrowed her eyes at the woman. “…A crab?”

Rosa put one hand to her chin as if remembering a fond memory. “Ah, yes. Shirleen the Incogitable. Crassest crab I’ve ever met, but she sure knew how to dance.”

Scarlett stared at her. She was uncertain whether Rosa was being serious, or if this was just another of her pranks. Considering the world they were in, it wasn’t impossible for there to be intelligent crabs.

She shook her head to rid herself of any drifting thoughts. Rosa was most likely joking. Probably.

“To answer your question,” she said, “I am acquainting myself with the ego of this artifact, as well as familiarising it with the estate.”

Rosa nodded her head. “As one does.”

Scarlett gave the woman a sharp look, but Rosa just showed an amused expression.

“I’m not judging. I’m sure you know exactly what you’re doing. Who’s little old me to butt in?”

“…As usual, I find it hard to discern whether or not you say that in jest.” Scarlett eyed her. “But that is of no concern. You can return to whatever it is that you were doing. We will see each other again at a later time.”

As she was about to leave, a thought came to her. She paused, turning back to Rosa. The woman looked back at her with curiosity.

“Did you forget something?” Rosa asked.

Scarlett considered her for a moment.

“Incidentally…” She raised the Loci up in front of the woman. Maybe this should have been among the first things she tried. “You would not happen to hear anything from this artifact?”

Rosa arched both eyebrows, the smile on her lips growing larger. “You’re asking me if your pet rock is talking to me?”

“It is not a pet rock.”

“Sure it isn’t.” The woman chuckled, then took on a slightly more serious expression as she examined the Loci. After a few seconds, she nodded her head as if in response to something. “Ah, yes, I agree. It is kind of a strange thing to ask, isn’t it?”

Scarlett frowned. “That is quite enough with the jesting.”

Rosa looked up at her. “Heh, sorry. Can’t stop myself. Occupational hazard.”

Scarlett lowered the Loci, preparing to leave again. “If you cannot sense anything noteworthy, then I will take my leave.”

“Never said I didn’t sense anything.”

She stopped, returning her attention to the woman. “Do tell.”

“Well, it’s hard to put a finger on it, but I could feel a sense of…dutifulness, I guess?” Rosa said. “Or a want of it, at least. Like it craves something to do.” She cocked her head to the side. “There’s also an air of expectance around it. It’s paying attention.”

“Dutifulness and expectance, you say?” Scarlett knitted her brow. That didn’t sound too bad. In fact, that sounded exactly like what she needed.

“Thank you,” she told Rosa. Then she turned around to leave for real this time.

She continued to tour what remained of the mansion, introducing the Loci to the rooms and some more of the people that were moving around. There were a couple more embarrassing scenes where the servants gave her strange looks, but her skin wasn’t thin to the degree where she couldn’t handle it. Eventually, after finishing off with the east wing and her own office, she left through the back of the mansion and returned to the hedge garden where she had started.

There, she once more sat down beneath the alcove at the center and held the Loci up in front of her.

“As you have seen, my domain houses a variety of souls within it, each serving and assisting my pursuits in some fashion. For the time being, this is a place of peace. But that peace is tenuous, and there are many who could threaten it. I require a way of watching over my domain and ensuring its safety, and I wish for part of this duty to fall upon you.”

A few seconds passed as she let the intent behind her words sink in.

“Whatever demand you might have of me to accept this responsibility, I will endeavour to satisfy it. Recognizing me as a master is perhaps not a choice that can be done lightly, but it is one that I guarantee you will not regret. And as I said, my word is law.”

She examined the area around her. This garden was large enough that some restructuring could be done with little issue.

“This would be your new home. It will be reformed and refined specifically to be fit for a being such as you. No expenses will be spared.”

To her mind’s eye, she imagined what the place might look like. A pillar could be raised at the center for the Loci to rest on, and a pavilion built around it. From there, she could add whatever else might be useful or necessary.

She tried channeling this image into the Loci, along with her intent in the form of a question.

Observing it, she waited for a response of some kind. There was nothing more she wanted to show. She just hoped this would be enough for a reaction, at least. It would be embarrassing if she really had just been talking to herself this whole time.

The seconds passed, her spirits sinking as they did. Then, a faint green light emerged from the Loci, similar to when the idol from the Wandering Realm had interacted with it. Something nudged at Scarlett’s consciousness. It was a sensation similar to forming a connection with any other artifact, but this was more than that. Simpler, and yet more complex. It was primal, in a way, but there was a will to it. A purpose.

She reached out to the sensation, accepting it. A link formed. To her eyes, the Loci in her hand suddenly shone like a lighthouse as invisible links spread out from it like a thousand feelers, extending into the environment and towards the rest of the estate. She got the feeling it wanted to be put down, so she stood up and took a step forward, kneeling down to place it on the ground.

Then she watched. To an ordinary onlooker, the Loci might have only appeared to glow a brighter green, with not much more happening. Her new link to it, however, fed her an impression of how it grew to envelop more and more of the estate and attached itself to its metaphysical—was that the word?—surroundings.

It didn’t change anything, more than it became part of everything. It literally merged into what was already there, in a way that Scarlett couldn’t quite comprehend. The Loci was becoming both a permanent and non-permanent fixture of this space. It was breathtaking to take in, in a way. There was a beauty to it that she couldn’t quite put into words, and that was despite her never being the kind of person that cared much about things like that.

She didn’t know how much time had passed when she suddenly heard sounds approaching. Looking up, she spotted Fynn come running into the garden with a heavy scowl on his face. He slowed as he saw her, walking over to her as he warily eyed the glowing gemstone on the ground.

“…What happened?” he asked.

She smiled at him. “It is nothing much. I have simply negotiated the services of a new custodian for the mansion.”