OLD-WORLD EXTRA-Chapter 94: Decision

"So what can you give me, Arcadia?" Emir asked as he approached the enormous monster he had slain.

Arcadia materialized, looming over the lifeless body of the monstrous salamander.

"Giving you too many relics will definitely make you suspicious to the UEF, I suspect that they already have you on their list." Arcadia said in response.

Emir nodded as he added:

"Well yeah, my excuse for gaining access to those bombs wouldn't fly, they ain't stupid."

"So before giving you better equipment and such, you must first decide if you would like to remain hidden from the Order or go against them openly, after all, if you announce your alliance with the UEF, the moles the Order has would easily find that out." Arcadia reminded him.

Emir flashed a gaze at Lyra before responding:

"Well, about the UEF, I might involve an agent of theirs that I could trust, but besides that, I have no plans of going against the Order so brazenly, that would ruin the purpose of all of Lyra's plan."

A faint smile crossed Lyra's lips upon hearing Emir mention her name.

"Good, then that means that I won't be giving you anything that would obviously announce your betrayal."

"I have a military store in this building, however, as it isn't specialized for high combatants and the gear they have is only up to S rank, I'll provide you an augmented suit with a disguise function and an information gathering device integrated into it, and a weapon of that rank." "The stronger and better you become at using Aether the less your need to use augmented suits and weapons will be; however, for now, and the two years ahead, you will still require them."

Emir shook his head.

"No worries there, I'm not rushing into it, I'll take my time to build up a solid foundation, but I must ask, Lyra, what was the Order's plan?"

"Why have me get better at using weapons when I would end up not using them in the end? And why didn't they just start off with me using Aether after unlocking it back then?"

Lyra flashed a smile as he unleashed his customary barrage of questions.

"These are solid questions, Emir. Long story short, they wanted to build you up as an Aetheric Duelist, a unique class of celestials among the many others that focuses on melee combat and ranged combat. Although you would let go of using guns in the future, you still need experience in being accurate." Lyra answered.

"As for your question about just using Aether in the beginning, your body was and still is slowly mutating and absorbing Aether to strengthen itself, so if you used Aether back then, your body might not have handled it, that combined with the cultivation Art that you now have--"

Emir waved his hand as he said:

"Let me guess, it's to allow me to absorb and accumulate Aether inside me at an easier rate, as my body strengthened itself over and over again when I reached copper rank."

"Correct, you see, the plan was to have you knowingly use Aether for the first time when you finally become a Paladin, the final Ascendant sub-rank, but by then you would've been fully under their control." Lyra confirmed.

"I see... Well, let's talk details later. For now, I will follow my previous plans so we don't look suspicious. I'll also use that novel as a reference, after all, you said it was prophesized and then calculated with me as a variable in those future events, right?"

"Yep. That's a good idea, our best choice of action, or rather our only choice, considering our current situation." Lyra replied.

Emir soon found himself surrounded once again by the three golems, who promptly returned his rucksack filled with expensive old-world medicine and presented him with his newly acquired gear.

Emir swiftly donned his new augmented suit, which was identical to his previous ones-a Neuro-Link type.

With practiced ease, he adjusted the suit to his liking, making it look just like his form-fitting A-rank suit, which was a simple black design.

He then gingerly lifted his new weapon, a shiny and futuristic rifle that utilized Aether as ammunition instead of conventional bullets.

It operated much like a rail gun, but with an added boost of power that made it a formidable tool for any battle.

As Emir checked out his new equipment, Arcadia spoke:

"The augmented suit is named ExoGen S-Class, while the weapon is named Aetherstorm Launcher; they are both commonly manufactured equipment, but compared to the technology of today, it is quite an upgrade. The rating for the suit is E7, two more than your previous one.

"As much as I'd like to keep talking to you both, we must say our goodbyes now as I can't join you outside the ruin, but I can communicate with you telepathically.... All you would have to do is tell Lyra, and she would deal with that."

Just as those left her mouth she raised her hand for a handshake.

"Sure."

Emir extended his hand to Arcadia in response to her gesture, and he, of course, felt nothing

as he went through the motion of shaking her holographic hand.

"Thanks for this Arcadia, I won't let you down."

A chuckle escaped her mouth as she said:

"Of course you won't, I'm betting everything on you, and you must know that I won't bet on a losing horse."

He mirrored her laughter.

"It's great that you're confident, no pressure, eh?"

Arcadia smiled and said:

"No pressure."

Emir then looked at Lyra.

"Alright, let's go then."

She nodded as she walked in front of Emir, leading him towards the teleporter, the only way

out of the deep underground ruin.

They arrived at a large chamber capable of housing numerous vehicles, and the door opened

to allow them entry.

Lyra disguised herself as an average female hunter in an instant, and then confidently strode into the chamber, with Emir following closely behind her.

Moments later, Arcadia's voice reverberated throughout the elevator-like cubicle:

"Goodbye, and good luck, Order's chosen..."