Nexus Awakened (An Isekai LitRPG Gender Bender Story)

922. Atelier Subsidiaries

A town called Emershine resided thirty-eight kilometers from Greenbirth.

It was one of numerous towns that were connected to H5’s Capital via port by the surrounding Note River. The name came from, unsurprisingly, the Green Conductor. When viewed from the skies the grand river took on the shape of a truly massive clef, a type of musical note.

The Note River was part of one of the largest water systems in Brandar. It eventually led into another dozen smaller rivers before eventually joining H3’s inland sea, which progressed further into D10 and beyond.

Emershine became their point of interest after playing a game of chance. Frost and Jury had agreed to go on a small adventure and dine at one of the neighboring settlements. After flicking the arms of the wristwatch that was latched on Frost’s right arm, the minute hand settled at ‘five’.

“Southeast. That is… Emershine.” Jury checked her map to confirm. “Oh! It’s another place influenced by the Green Composer! It shouldn’t be that different from here.”

“I was hoping it’d be different. I kinda wanted to see what else H5 has to offer, but oh well. It’s different enough anyway. No trains today though. We’ll have to move on foot.”

Forty odd kilometers was nothing to them. With their world-class AGI, it would be surprising if it took them more than thirty minutes on foot.

Since there were no trains scheduled to move along the Nex Megalopolis today (barring the Express Trains), they navigated through the bustling streets and alleyways of Greenbirth. Music, the drones of chatter and the scent of warm meals reminded Frost of how close it felt to Earth.

To a degree of course.

But still, magical billboards and eye-catching advertisements for stores were everywhere. Magic achieved what it took humanity thousands of years to cultivate in just several hundred, to a thousand or two years after the dawn of civilization in Elysia.

Once they passed busy alleyways and underpasses containing forges, magical workshops and seldomly known Purveyors of magic-enchanted weapons, they were greeted by the warm light and the sight of a seldomly used train station.

Despite this, it was well maintained.

Station Receptionists and workers wearing maid and butter outfits busily tended to the most minute of tasks. No matter how mundane it was, they worked tirelessly to maintain the appearance of a busy station.

It wasn’t necessary, nor were there any policies that enforced this behavior. The only other soul was a family of four; a Dragonid mother and her three children who were asking for directions.

“The… The Black Dove. The Black Dove!?”

Is that name still going around? Wait, how did they recognize me as the Black Dove but not the Amalgam? Hasn’t my face gone around yet?

The reason why they acted like they were busy was because they had noticed Frost. What wouldn’t a person give than to bask in the presence of a Color? Although, that depended on a Color-to-Color basis.

Not all Colors were friendly, after all.

“B-B-B-B-B–Black Dove!?”

Frost smiled and waved, as did Jury. But deep down she just wanted to get to the train tracks and get out of here as soon as possible.

“I-If you don’t mind– what brings a Color here!?” A small squirrel boy Demi-Human ran up to her, their eyes dazzling in the sunlight.

“Oi, step off the Color!”

But that reaction was not shared by all. A human woman whose left face was crystalized like beautiful diamond dragged the boy aside by the color. Then, she lowered her head as far down as possible, exposing her nape as if to say: “Cut me down, but spare this boy.”

The air degraded from a bubbly atmosphere to one of pure dread. The Dragonid mother wrapped her tail and hands around the eyes of her children, expecting that woman to lose her head.

How troublesome. I though Colors were heralded. Then again, that was just the Green Composer in these parts.

“Raise your head. I don’t intend to harm you. We’re not in any rush, so don’t feel like a small encounter will slow us down. That logic doesn’t work in a city like this.”

If that were the case, then hundreds would have lost their heads if they happened to walk in front of Frost. The last phrase caused the woman to realize how wrong she was. But before she could lower her head further, Jury’s tail wrapped her body and fixed her posture.

“My sincerest of apologies. I’ve made a regrettable mistake.”

“Woah! The Black Dove is kinder than HQ said she was!”

The reactions of the boy and the woman were polar opposites.

Frost reached down and tapped the head of the boy, shattering their horrifying perception of her.

“HQ?” Frost asked.

“Ohhhhhh! Fro – I mean, Black Dove – or… my love! They’re the Wayward Crossing!” Jury linked arms with Frost, revealing their relationship to further bolster her public image.

“Wayward Crossing, huh. One of the subsidiaries of Caldera Industries. I see. So you’re the ones who manage the stations.”

“Across all over the Nex Megalopolis we do!” The boy hopped on his toes.

“Within secure areas, they put the likes of this one since the risk of confrontation is so low.” The woman, after managing to recover from her earlier panic, succinctly explained.

She added:

“Which is funny considering Dungeons can appear when you least expect it. It’s as if Caldera Industries has forgotten the Dungeon that formed over the Express Train’s railway last year. Now they’ve put up another few hundred stations and lines.”

Caldera Industries, like nearly all Ateliers, had subsidiaries that worked to support the main Atelier. One could think of them as the branches of a tree, or in the case of Inflow Direct – The very roots.

The Chapters of Inflow Direct for example were technically subsidiaries.

Although the term was analogous with ‘body’ as well.

For example, the Tear Retrievers, Black Wings, Three Heads of Security and Time Reverberation were all Bodies of the Head but would still fall under the subsidiary label, as the Head encompassed it all.

That being said–

The main function of Inflow Direct was the creation of magical liquids, most notably the Infusions, potions and elixirs.

The Chapters on the other hand synthesized the Serums through existing magical liquids.

The philosophies of the Beholders and culture of the main Atelier were not usually identical. Furthermore, the chain of command and leadership set them up to act independently from the Atelier’s command.

And if they became redundant or dangerous, then it was easy to cleave them off. A lizard survives by cutting off its tail.

They could always create a replacement.

“Stations… That would be for… ah, I understand.”

Frost didn’t want to say the answer out loud in the presence of prying eyes.

The mass deployment of Repenters was the reason why Caldera Industries had created a vast network of rail lines across the Nex Megalopolis. Since vehicles like cars did not exist in this world, trains were their most reliable, cheapest and fastest method of moving from location to location.

“Top secret!?” The boy’s squirrel ears fluttered.

“Isn’t that how things work here?” Frost smiled, patting his head again. “Forgive me for scaring you. Caldera Industries must have misrepresented me.”

“Considering I’m still alive, yeah, they made it seem like even looking at you would get us killed. Did they fuck you over? Only reason they’d antagonize a Color is if they had their asses kicked by them. I’m telling you, our HQ’s HQ is petty.”

I think Galia would agree as well.

“Hmhm~ By the way, this rail leads to Emershine, right? Anything noteworthy to find over there? We’re on another honeymoon, but we missed our reservation. Good food as well?”

Jury hugged Frost from behind, a scene that shocked every single attendant who was blessed to witness it with their own eyes.

“Since it’s not far from the Capital it won’t be that different from here. Once you start going even further then it can start to feel like you’re moving back in time.” The woman replied.

She pinched the hems of her short, frilly skirt and bowed.

“I hope that answers it.”

“Good food is everywhere on the Epiderma!” The boy exclaimed.

“It is.”

Curiosity got the better of Frost. They were clearly not from the Epiderma. So before they left, she asked where they were from.

“The Subderma Layer. We were fortunate enough to be taken aboard the Diving Bell to pass through the layers of the Maw of the World. Without it, this–”

The woman tapped her half-crystalized face and then pinched the ear of the boy.

“–Would have consumed us.”

ORIGIN : Human