Lud says to an ambassador from USEG "So let me get this straight. One of your guilds…"

The ambassador replies "Yes."

Lud continues "Made some kind of lifeform…"

The ambassador replies "Correct."

Lud continues "That somehow works as a super intelligent hivemind that can infect people."

The ambassador replies "That is what I came here for."

Lud is astonished as he finishes his sentence "And you want us to do something about it."

The ambassador replies "Sounds about right."

Lud asks "Why?"

The ambassador replies "Excuse me?"

Lud asks further "Why can't you all deal with it?"

The ambassador answers "We… have tried… multiple times… and failed."

Lud rubs his own face in bitter frustration and says "How did you manage to create something that you can't control like you are from one of those movies?"

The ambassador says "Our late council member Arcturus was very secretive and managed to hide experiments that were deemed, if not borderline illegal, then full on illegal when they were discovered."

Lud sighs and says "I heard from Altair that Arcturus was a thron on her sight who led the Ophiuchus guild, which was respected for its medical and biological fields. It was something that apparently made it easy in some sense to spread corruption and pay your way to be a higher up for a hospital or two."

The ambassador coughs and says "Well… That was in the past. Now Ophiuchus guild is much more reliable with what they produce. Even Arcturus said in one of his logs before his death, quote, 'I never cared for those who want fame from my guild, as long as they don't get in the way of anyone's research that might benefit mortals in some way, shape or form. When I'm gone, if the next director wills it so, then they should feel free to rid Ophiuchus guild from those parasites.' End quote."

Tifa, who has been in the office the whole time "So he is one of my kind of people. Not caring what happens in the background as long as they benefit me."

Lud asks "Are you like that?"

Tifa scoffs and says "At least I used to."

Sarah, who has also been in the room this whole time, says "I mean you don't really care much about anyone other than hubby. Which is fine since it aligns with me as well."

Tifa says "Don't tell me you would be fine with even more wives?"

Sarah responds "And what would be so wrong with that? I mean sure, I'd love to have hubby all by myself, but I also want other people to be happy too. So if he can give it by marrying them, then what is the issue."

Tifa says in an annoyed tone "This is why I hated the game you all come from. All barbaric and the like meant to appease the gooners."

Lud says "I mean Sarah wasn't really in the dating sphere of the game according to the developers."

Tifa says "Whatever you want to believe, believe."

The ambassador asks "So… can we in USEG rely on you to take this case?"

Tifa says in an annoyed tone "What are we, some handyman to you guys?"

The ambassador stummers "That… that wasn't what I meant, nor was it my intention to imply that. It is just…"

Tifa says "Spit it out already."

The ambassador says "I heard a rumor that Ao herself wouldn't want to touch it, but it is something that needs to be taken care of. And…

The ambassador looks around to see if anyone else is in the room and then whispers "There is a rumor that Demiurge is involved in the case."

Tifa gets a worried look and asks "What did you say?"

Lud asks "I Demiurge something I should be worried about?"

Tifa says "Don't say that name so brazenly. They are not something to be taken lightly."

Lud asks "Then why is this the first time I've heard that name."

Tifa explains "If Perkele wasn't what he is, then the blasphemous D would be the worst kind of person you can meet."

Sarah gets excited and says "Ooh! Now I'm getting interested! I want to hear more!"

Tifa explains "How should I put it… the blasphemous D is… well… an outsider like me and darling. But… they came to this place in a different way."

Lud asks "Different way? You mean that it is possible for outsiders to enter Lutah?"

Tifa says with a worried look "No, and that is why he is so dangerous. I hate to say it, but if you want to ask about that person, your best bet is to talk to Perkele since he doesn't fear them."

Lud says "So they came to this world on their own. Are they powerful now?"

Tifa says "Let's just say that there are three major religions in Lutah. One is the Holy church who worship the gods. Second is the abyssal church that worships Maumar and the abyss. The third is the Nameless, who worship them."

Lud asks "And how is this the first time I heard of this?"

Tifa explains "The Nameless has an even worse reputation than the abyssal church does. And while the Nameless don't appear on the news that often, that doesn't mean that they sit idly by.

But to give you a clear idea why the blasphemous D is so dangerous… They claim to be the one true god above all and have the power to steal the essence of people and gods alike. With gods, it isn't only the essence that gets taken away, it is their authority."

Lud asks "So… how many gods has this person consumed?"

Tifa answers "We don't know."

Lud is surprised and asks "What do you mean we don't know? How can you fear something like that if there is no proof of what they can do?"

Tifa answers "It isn't that we have no proof, but… once the blasphemous D steals a person's essence and authority, the person dies and is replaced by them. While they have a main body, they have many offshoots that can't be detected. And once the person gets consumed as you say, the original person is forgotten and the blasphemous D is the only person that seems to always have been."

The ambassador says "In other words, you may have met them already multiple times. Heck, even I may be one of them and I wouldn't know the difference."

Lud asks "Wait, are you serious? What do you mean that you don't know if you are one of them? Shouldn't you know?"

Tifa answers "And that is why they are so dangerous. While the person dies, the offshoot might not even realize they aren't the original person, but still feed the false god."

Lud asks "So their goal is to be the one true god. Then what? Just rule away? What comes after? And in the first place, how do we know they exist? Is it Maumar who told you?"

The ambassador says "Maumar was the first one to notice and send the message about the threat. But since Maumar was the first one to notice, it is possible that he also…"

Lud's head is spinning after all this information and says "Hold on a moment. I need to think for a second."

Tifa asks the ambassador "How do you know that the blasphemous D is involved?"

The ambassador answers "It is due to the nature of the hivemind. We suspect that Arcturus got a hand on a part of… well… the one who shall not be named. This hasn't been proven but his notes speak of some kind of sample that he didn't specify its origin and used it as the basis of the hivemind."

Tifa asks "Does the hivemind have some sort of name they use or something that has been designated to it?"

The ambassador says "Don't call them it or you might regret it if they ever catch you. But still… USEG calls the hivemind Arcturus created 'Pluto', but the hivemind seemingly doesn't like to be given a name by someone else but themselves. Yet, they call themselves Them."

Tifa asks "And what if I call them it?"

The ambassador says "I heard that they administer the most brutal punishment for those they find out called them it. I heard that it is the most painful thing a being can biologically feel"

Tifa says "I see. Well, if the blasphemous D is somehow involved, as much as it annoys me, then we might have to offer our help."

Lud says "Wait. You are taking the initiative for once? Well that is surprising."

Tifa smiles sweetly at Lud and says "Well… I felt like it was about time I shuffle you around a bit." But instead of warmth, this smile brought chills down Lud's spine.

Lud asks the ambassador "So… Where do we need to go?"

The ambassador says "Well, since you agreed to help us with this matter verbally, I suppose it is safe to tell the exact coordinates. You'll need to head to Babylon 12 in the lower realm. The star system was… let me see…"

The ambassador looks at the notes he brought in and says "Ah… The Wefantz system that is a solitary system near the bottom of the realm and circles around TzuluzT."

Lud asks "I've heard of this TzuluzT before, but what was it again?"

The ambassador says excitedly "Well it is an artificial planet that Ao herself made to observe the abyss. They say that it was made purely out of one of her eyes, but I find that theory lacking, as, while it isn't a sun, it radiates light all the same and spews aether similarly to suns, but the amount is much less than any known suns. At the very least, it houses one of her eyes since Ao does wear an eyepatch over one of her eyes. Walking on TzuluzT is possible and it does house some form of ecosystem for life in it, but for the prime races like us, it is almost impossible to do so without heavy medication and equipment meant to defend from the amount of aether that is released.

Around TzuluzT are four planets and three Babylons. The planets are called Uniquazt, Kaprotazt, Megapliqymazt and Myrdazt. The Babylons are the aforementioned Babylon 12, then comes Babylon 13 and Babylon 15. Babylon 12 has been abandoned ever since Pluto took over while any and all contact to it has been halted due to the nature of Pluto."

Lud says "Wow. A whole solar system type of deal, but not quite. But why ban contact with Babylon 12? If it is just biological, should observing it with cameras still be feasible?"

The ambassador says "While I mostly agree with you, due to the possible connection to the one who shall not be named, all forms of contact are halted until further notice. But if you want proof for the caution we are taking, those who have observed Pluto via cameras have shown signs of being unstable."

Lud says "And you think it is okay if we go there for some reason."

The ambassador says "I know, but we have faith that, due to Elysians being kind of aliens to this world, we hope that you have more resistance to it than we do."

Lud sighs and says "Well, Tifa already agreed to help, so who am I to call this off."

The ambassador says "Excelent. I'll handle the transportation issues and some other official jargon first before you can depart. We'll be in contact shortly, so please wait couple of days first."

Lud says "Do send any paperwork I need to sign this way as soon as possible."

The ambassador says "Roger that. See you all soon."

Lud sighs again and asks Tifa "What have you gotten us into, Tifa."

Tifa says "If the blasphemous D is involved, then I am required to take action."

Lud asks "Why so? You don't seem like the kind of person here that has really nothing they need to do."

Tifa says "It is… personal."

Lud says "For you to hide something from me, I suppose it hits home hard."

Tifa reminisced about the past when Lud hadn't come to Lutah yet, and she remembers how, at one point in time, Maumar showed some signs of anger or frustration when he noticed something that Demiurge had done. It was the first moment in her life that she really felt what true fear was like and she didn't dare to talk to Maumar for a while, even though Maumar himself acted in the usual way.

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