3
The next morning…
“Six, do you plan to sleep all day? Get up! I don’t see them. Looks like they’ve gone into the ruins!”
Snow’s yelling wakes me as I lay sleeping inside the buggy.
“What the hell? It’s too early in the morning for all that yelling… It’s easier to follow them if we give them a nice head start…”
“I don’t care; get up! What if they get to the treasure before we do?!”
I keep telling her we’re not here for any treasure, but it’s just not getting through to her.
Thanks to Snow’s excited urging, we quickly finish breakfast and set off after Heine and company.
The entrance to the ruins, ordinarily sealed, is wide open, which I suspect is the result of Russell’s handiwork. A cautious glance into the ruins shows a thick layer of dust carpeting the floor. The ruins have been untouched for a long time.
“Look at this, Alice. We’ve been in a fantasy world all this time, but now it’s getting all sci-fi-ish.”
In fact, the lights in various parts of the ruins are still working. The walls and corridors, made of some unknown material, give the whole place a distinctly cyberpunk vibe.
“There’s definitely something odd about this planet’s culture level. It makes more sense to assume there was an advanced civilization in the past and that what we see now is a post-collapse society. Really, when you think about it…” Alice glances over at Rose, prompting me to do the same.
“Wh-what is it? Why are you looking at me like that?!”
Ah, I see. “She’s not exactly a product of natural evolution, is she?”
“Right. This planet’s ecosystems are all out of whack, but Rose takes that to the next level.”
“I don’t know what it is you two are talking about. But that’s pretty rude!”
I look to Rose and put my index finger to my lips in a hushing gesture. Kneeling, I use my jaw to point out a set of footprints in the dust. “Look, tracks. It shouldn’t be too hard to follow them… So with that said, hey, Snow.”
Snow walks over.
“Strip.”
“Seems you’re still in that desert mindset. Fine. I’ll kill you before I deal with Heine.”
A single word is enough to send Snow nearly over the edge.
“I’m saying you need to take off that armor. You clank when you walk. You need to take this more seriously.”
“Grr… F-fine. Give me a moment…”
As if in protest, Grimm uses her toes to lightly back away in her wheelchair.
“No, we’re not doing something as ridiculous as exploring ruins with a wheelchair. We’re screwed the moment we run into some stairs. Stand up!”
“Nooooo! And here I’d sworn I’d never get up from it again after burning my soles on the desert sand.”
Ignoring Grimm’s protests, we force her to start walking on her own feet.
Alice frowns at us. “A little quieter please, you meatheads. Are you trying to give away our presence? Once you’re prepared, we’re going to catch up to them before they reach their goal… What is it, Rose?”
Alice turns her attention toward Rose, who has been tilting her head with a puzzled expression and glancing around the interior of the ruins.
“No, it’s nothing… This is supposed to be different from the ruins they found me in, but the shape and patterns of the wall feel familiar, like I’ve seen them before…”
These ruins have been sealed up until very recently. That means it’s safe to assume that if she’s seen these walls before, Rose is a product of this ancient civilization…
Suddenly…
As we’re enjoying the feeling of adventure that comes with exploring an ancient ruin, we hear Snow grinding her teeth together.
“Grr…! It won’t budge…!”
“Miss Snow! What are you doing?! You can’t just pull off the lighting!”
It looks like Snow’s convinced herself the lights would be worth good money, so she’s trying to remove the lights embedded in the walls.
How far does she intend to fall anyway?
“…Hey, Alice, are you sure we shouldn’t just leave her here?”
“…Well, I already told her I’d pay her a bonus if she was useful…”
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