Infinite Dendrogram - Volume 22 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Lunchtime

Gideon, City of Duels, Fourth District

“It takes a certain type to borrow that much, and a hell of a person to lend it out too...”

“Heavy are the chains forged in gold. (Being in debt seems pretty scary.)”

“Ngh...”

After getting saddled with enormous debt to acquire Sekiun, Max rushed to the Eighth Arena to test it—but on the way, she bumped into Chelsea and Juliet.

The looks she got when she told them about how much she owed Ray weren’t exactly heartening.

“Seriously, Maxie?” Chelsea said. “That much debt? At your age?”

“I know, I know...” Being called “Maxie” used to make her mad, but recently she’d been learning to just accept it. Even if she hadn’t been, though, she wasn’t in a state to argue right now.

“Well, thanks to his big bro, Ray’s sense for money needs to be seriously recalibrated,” said Chelsea. Shu was an even bigger spender than Ray, and Ray earned a lot of money here, so he rarely hesitated to open his wallet. Someone who did wouldn’t be spending a hundred thousand lir on gacha nearly every day. “Three hundred mil lir, though...”

That was a lot of money. If someone in real life got that deep in debt—the equivalent of three billion yen—it would be the shock of a lifetime.

However, lir was an in-game currency, and there was the anti-RMT law that functionally prevented any money flow between reality and Dendro, keeping the lir wholly separate.

And as a capable Master who’d made it into the rankings, Max could feasibly save that up in a short amount of time. Because of that, while she wasn’t thinking too hard about how she’d get the money to pay off this debt, she wasn’t overly concerned about it.

Well... Chelsea thought. As long as they’re not as unlucky as Leon—well, Eldridge—anyone who makes it close to the top probably won’t have many money problems... Thinking of her childhood friend and his recent financial issues, Chelsea gave Max a sympathetic look.

“If you want hundreds of millions, your best bet is probably goin’ to the deeper levels of the Tomb Labyrinth and prayin’ for good drops,” Max said. “It ain’t easy to make full use of Ipetam’s skills there, but this katana could change that.”

“An expedition such as dreams are built upon... (Going there together could be a lot of fun!)”

“Well, then let’s do that whenever our schedules line up!” And with that Chelsea concluded their future moneymaking plans and went on to talk about what they would do today.

Ultimately, they decided that they’d have a meal, then go sparring together.

“What should we get?” asked Chelsea.

“Why not just grab somethin’ from a random stall?”

“Well, then let’s split up, buy whatever we want, and bring it all to one place. I think the park in the Fifth District sounds good—the one with the tables and benches.”

“I acquiesce. (Okay.)”

“Sounds good.”

And so, having temporarily parted from her friends, Juliet began looking around for food stalls, wondering what to buy.

I guess it’s better if we don’t all get the same things... she thought. Chelsea insisted that it’d be more interesting if they didn’t plan what each of them would get, and while Juliet agreed, she wanted to avoid buying the same things.

That meant she had to go for something she thought the others wouldn’t, but nothing came to mind.

A big reason for that was the fact that Chelsea always got so much food that there was almost inevitably going to be some overlap no matter what Juliet got.

“I stand before a feast of the unknown... (What should I buy...?)” Unable to find anything that caught her eye, Juliet found herself at a loss. Just then...

“Not here. Not there. I can’t find it anywhere.”

...she heard a familiar voice saying something similar to herself.

“G?”

“Oh? Julie! I haven’t seen you since last night!”

When Juliet called out to her, G ran over with a spring in her step. It was daytime, so she was using her umbrella, but other than that, she looked the same as she had yesterday.

“What ails thee? (What’s wrong?)”

“I heard about King of Destruction’s popcorn. It’s like this new big thing here in Gideon, so I’ve been looking for it all over. Just seeing a Superior selling popcorn could totally go viral! It’ll do some big numbers no matter what!”

“Ohh...” Juliet was aware of the popcorn too. It was a snack being sold by none other than King of Destruction, Shu Starling—her friend’s older brother.

However...

“That very sovereign of devastation now feels the burden of these festivities weighing upon his shoulders. (He’s really busy during The Tournaments...)”

“Ohh. Right. He’s doing security at the arena. What a shame...” said G, dropping her shoulders and letting out a sigh.

“...Mine own coffers, though, contain what you desire. (I have some stocked up. Do you want it?)” said Juliet, unable to watch G pout like this.

“Seriously?! You’re sure?! That’s great! That’s really great!” G took Juliet’s hand and hopped up and down in glee.

It made Juliet glad she’d offered, but...

Huh? Since she was surrounded by so many passersby, Juliet realized she’d defaulted to using her affected manner of speech—“Julietese,” as some called it.

However, G didn’t seem to be bothered by that. She’d carried on a conversation like she’d understood every word. She seemed basically like Ray in this regard, and Juliet found it strange.

“Weren’t you also looking for something?” G asked, cutting short Juliet’s thought and bringing her back to the conversation.

“The path of a gourmand is endless, and I, too, tread upon its many twists and turns. (I’m also looking for a food stall...)” Juliet took the opportunity to tell G what she was doing, figuring that G might’ve seen something while walking around and looking for the popcorn.

“You too? We’re in the same boat! What stall are you looking for?”

“Culinary delights few have laid eyes upon. (Anything rare and interesting, basically.)” Juliet asked if she’d seen any unusual foods that were less likely to overlap with Chelsea’s haul.

“Well... How about a drink that goes through the colors of the rainbow as you drink it? They say the taste changes too.”

That was enough to make Juliet’s eyes widen and sparkle.

“Then I must make haste. Ah, and if thou art willing, a banquet with my companions and thy promised treasure awaiteth thee. (I think I’ll go get it right away. Oh, I’m eating with my friends. Do you wanna join? I gotta give you that popcorn too.)”

“Sure! Thanks a bunch! Don’t mind if I do!”

And so, the two went to buy the rainbow drink, along with some other food, and then headed to the park where their group was set to meet.

“Oh. You’re the first one here... Wait, who’s this with you?”

When the pair arrived at the park, they found Max sitting at one of the tables. Max immediately gave G a suspicious look.

“A companion brought to my side by the whim of fate, known to all as G. (She’s G, a friend I happened to run into.)”

“I’m G—Julie’s friend, G! I think we’re going to get along great!”

“Uh... I’m Max. A pleasure.”

So she’s the type who’s not at all bothered by how Juliet talks, just like Ray, Max thought. Then again, she’s kinda got her own weird way of talking.

She then noticed that G was looking right at her.

“What?”

“Your clothes are really nice. Looks great on you!”

“My design, then, has borne fruit... (I know, right?! I picked them out for her!)” Max had once challenged Juliet to a duel, lost, and been compelled to be her dress-up doll as punishment. These were the clothes Juliet had put her in, and for no particular reason, Max had just kept wearing them ever since.

“Julie! You really do have great taste in fashion! Can I take some photos of you?” G asked Max.

“Sure, I guess,” Max replied, prompting G to clap in glee and pull out a magic camera. Yeah, I can see why they’re friends, Max thought. She’s even got this whole devil thing goin’ with her horns and tail.

And thanks to her parents, Max was more than used to having her picture taken.

“So you understand all that Juliet’s sayin’, huh?” Max asked as she was being photographed. It was the same question Juliet had had on her mind earlier.

“I guess I’m just used to it. My brother’s novels are also full of those weird turns of phrase.”

“That so?” Max wondered if it was something anyone could actually get used to, but then she realized that she herself also had a better grasp of Julietese than she did when they first met.

“Thanks! I got some really good ones! Have some copies!”

“Sure, whatever... Wait, these are really good. You a pro?”

“She is one whose calling is to spread spectacle across the world. (G is a content creator.)”

“Really? That sure is somethin’.”

Right as G finished taking Max’s photos, Chelsea finally joined them.

“Sorry for the wait, you two! Wait, three?”

“A companion brought to my side by the whim of fate, known to all as G.”

“I’m G—Julie’s friend, G! I think we’re going to get along great!”

“Those are the exact same lines you used with me,” Max said.

“Oh? G, huh? As far as Julie’s friends go, you’re pretty...normal.”

“Are you even listenin’ to yourself...?” Max felt that was a weird thing for Juliet’s best friend to say—but at the same time, another question popped into her head.

Is she really that normal? The horns, tail, and the crown felt like features that made her stand out even more than Juliet. Well, maybe it’s normal by Dendro standards. There’s people here who wear animal costumes all the time.

As Max rationalized Chelsea’s statement, Chelsea and G shook hands, introducing themselves.

With everyone gathered, they showed each other the food they’d brought. Thankfully, Juliet was the only one who’d gotten the rainbow drink.

“It’s so interesting! Tastes good too! This would get so many views!” G was already acting like a part of the group, enjoying the mountain of food Chelsea had brought while giving her thoughts on Juliet’s rainbow drink.

“Views, huh...? If you’re a content creator, what kind of content do you make, anyway? Food reviews?” Max asked.

“I do a variety of things. Singing streams, game commentary, events I set up with my Dendro clan, et cetera...”

“That so?”

“But recently, basically everyone in my clan has just been mining a mountain. It’s not much of a show.”

“Sounds like it’d make good background noise for people to listen to while they work or something...”

“That’s not what I’m going for. I make content because I want people to look at me. That’s why I came to Gideon. There’s this whole festival going on, and I met Julie here,” G said before taking a sip of her drink, looking really happy. Hearing her words made Juliet look slightly bashful.

But there was one here who was just watching the exchange in silence—Chelsea noticed something and couldn’t help but ask.

“Hey, G, I have a li’l question...”

“What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Why are you usin’ an umbrella?” G had been carrying an umbrella ever since she’d met up with Juliet today. Even after she sat down and began eating, she was still resting the open umbrella against her shoulder, hiding the top half of her body from sunlight. However, the sun wasn’t even that bright today, which made this a little unusual.

“Oh! My face is weak against ultraviolet rays, so I use it whenever it’s daytime. UV is the enemy.”

“You worry that much about an avatar’s skin? Is it like a restriction or somethin’?” There were jobs that had certain restrictions based on the in-game clock—those in the vampire grouping, for example, which suffered major stat reductions during the day. Embryos could have similar restrictions too. Chelsea assumed that there was something like that making G use an umbrella.

“That’s basically what it is. You got it right!” G nodded, not denying the assumption whatsoever. “I get that it takes a lot of space, so I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s fiiine. It’s a big table.”

“Yeah. Chelsea bought so much food, but it all fits on it no problem.”

“Quell thy fears. (Don’t worry about it.)”

“Heh heh heh. Okay. Thanks.”

The four then continued to have a fun lunchtime.

“Thanks for the lunch. It was really tasty! Seriously delicious. Especially KoD’s popcorn...”

Having finished eating, G basked in the postlunch warmth, clearly ecstatic. As promised, Juliet had given her some of the famous popcorn, and she seemed to be very satisfied with it.

“I know, right? It’s crazy good!” said Chelsea.

“Though I hear that the bear’s actually holdin’ back when he makes it,” said Max. “He said that if he actually cooked for real, it’d shock your taste buds so much it’d kill ya. It sounds like a joke, but...yeah.”

“And thus thou shalt be delivered unto the pearly gates... (So tasty it literally takes you to heaven...)”

The three of them agreed with G. Shu’s cooking skills were simply that absurd.

“That sounds interesting! I’d love to try that! It might be difficult for me, though...” G muttered.

“That bear’s... Well, that guy’s elusive even now that his identity’s out in the open. At least he has a clan and a base now, so it’s a little easier to get a hold of him.”

“And he said he’s been busy with security and farming materials and whatever.”

Chelsea and Max expressed their agreement with G’s sentiment.

“Hm...?” However, Juliet felt as if G’s words held some different meaning. She couldn’t find a way to express how, but she found something off about them.

“Anyway, we’ve eaten, so let’s go sparring! I gotta test my katana too!” said Max, cutting off Juliet’s thoughts before she could put them into words.

“Sparring?” G asked.

“Yeah. That’s what the three of us planned to do after lunch. Wanna join us? It’ll be a chance to fight against three ranking duelists!”

Chelsea’s words made G tilt her head.

“Ranking duelists? You’re gonna meet some?”

“Meet some? You’re lookin’ at ’em,” said Max.

“Ah hah hah,” Chelsea chuckled. “So Julie didn’t tell ya, huh? The three of us are in Altar’s duel rankings. Julie’s in fourth place, I’m in eighth, and Maxie’s in twenty-fourth.”

“...I’ll be near the top eventually,” Max added, seemingly bothered by her comparatively low rank. She’d once tried to beat Juliet and skip ahead, but she lost. Ever since then she’d been going up the ranks one by one.

“So duelists aren’t just naked wrestlers, their victims, and card gamers...” said G.

“The hell do you mean?!” Max shouted.

“Ohhh. You’re from Legendaria, huh? Their top-rankers are known to be pretty...colorful,” said Chelsea.

“Sounds to me like they give us a bad name!”

“Hey, it’s just like how Tenchi’s duelists are known to be battle junkies. It’s a national thing.”

“Ngh... But my old country’s battle addiction peaks with Jubei at fourth. The top three duelists are way more balanced as people... Definitely not as fighters, though.”

It seemed that the disposition of duelists varied greatly depending on where they were from.

“Thus, we now must make haste to our ephemeral conflict. Whither shalt thou go? (So yeah, we’re gonna go spar now. What about you, G?)”

“I have something to do when it gets dark, so it depends on the location. Where are you going?”

“The arena in the Eighth District. A friend lets us use it.”

“The Eighth Arena?” G put her hand to her mouth as if in thought and shifted her gaze. “...Okay. That place works for me. I’ll come with you! I can watch,” she eventually said with a nod.

“Thou art most graciously welcome indeed. (Sure, go ahead.)” said Juliet with a smile on her face.

“Hm? Wait, G, didn’t ya come here for the final Tournament?” Max asked. “The public matches must’ve started by now. Shouldn’t you go watch ’em instead?” She felt that if any outsiders came to Gideon at this point in time, they would likely be here for that, so it struck Max as odd that G didn’t seem to care about it whatsoever.

“I’m here for a different reason. Well, I came to meet my brother too, so...two reasons, actually.”

“Thou art bound to another by the ties of blood? (Oh? You have a brother?)”

“Yeah. He’s with Altar, so...yeah. But he’s now watching the final Tournament, so here I am.”

Is that why she said she had something to do when it gets dark? Juliet thought. The final match of The Tournaments would start sometime late evening or after sundown. If G’s brother was in the audience, he wouldn’t be free until after that.

“I see,” said Chelsea. “But if you’re in Gideon, you can’t leave without seein’ some duels. At least watch us spar. If anything, things could get more intense than those Tournaments.”

“Okay! I’ll do just that, then! I’ll enjoy myself, then!” said G, filled with unfiltered glee.

Her expression was very natural, clearly showing that she really was excited about what would happen next.

Thus, the four of them made their way to the Eighth Arena.

◇◆

Upon arriving, the four entered the Eighth Arena through the entrance once used by the spectators. They opened the glass door and went in as if it were nothing, which made G wonder.

“No keys? What’s up with the security here? Why are they so careless?” she asked. In response, Max showed her the gold plate given to her by Ray.

“I borrowed a magic key,” she said. “Entering without it activates the barrier, and breakin’ through it sounds the alarm, so the security here is just fine.”

Though this Eighth Arena was currently being rented by a clan, the clan’s main members each had a key, and the leader—Ray—had multiple spares. One of those spares had been given to Max.

“I see. And just one is enough to let in everyone with you?”

“Yeah. You can also use it to change the stage’s settings.”

They continued walking as the two talked. Juliet and Chelsea were taking the lead, since they’d already used the arena yesterday. Passing what used to be a corridor meant for duelists, they arrived at the stage.

Just like last time, the members of Death Period were not present, so there was no one to greet them.

“I’ll set things up, then. You mind if I use the aquatic fight setting again?” Chelsea asked as she began to manipulate the arena’s controls.

“I don’t mind,” said Juliet. “What about you, Maxie?”

“It doesn’t matter to me either way. I’m just here to test my katana,” said Max as she took out Sekiun—the blade she’d won at the auction.

“Aquatic fight? You can fill this whole place with water?”

“Yeah. There’s a setting for it. I’m gonna fill it up like this today, though.”

Chelsea set the stage by taking out Poseidon and using its water summoning powers. It was a blatant brute-force approach—but it reduced the water bill, so nobody else was going to say anything about it.

“Oh? So it doesn’t spill and just keeps filling up!” said G.

“Legendaria doesn’t have aquatic arena fights?” Juliet asked.

“No. I don’t remember ever seeing one, anyway. They just fight like normal. On the stage.”

“Legendaria’s tribes can gain serious advantages based on their environment. If they don’t fight in the most generic setting, it’d just be unfair.”

Chelsea’s explanation made sense to everyone present.

“By the way, Julie, you’re talking different now. Why?” G asked.

“Um...”

“Julie’s a pretty shy girl, so she talks different whenever there’s lots of people around.”

“I see. That’s kinda cute.”

“Is it?” Max asked.

“Nnngh...” Juliet’s cheeks flushed a bashful red.

“Speaking of, the way you talk is different too, G. Like how you often say the same thing twice...”

“Oh. This is intentional. It’s on purpose.”

“Intentional?”

“I say the same thing in multiple ways so that my words are understood correctly and the nuance isn’t lost.”

“So it’s a ‘so important you say it twice’ kinda deal?”

“More or less. That’s about right,” G said as she nodded with a smile. “I want my words to get across properly. If you say something wrong, you can attract flames and drama.”

“That sounds like a peek into the dark side of being a content creator...”

“Actually, wouldn’t talkin’ more increase the risk of sayin’ the wrong thing?” Max asked.

“That is one way to see it. This is another. So yeah!”

“I’m dooone!” said Chelsea, putting an end to their exchange.

The stage within the barrier was completely underwater by now, and there were a number of Chelsea’s boats floating about, acting as platforms to stand on.

“All right! I’ll show ya how much stronger I’ve gotten! Ipetam! Let’s go!”

“Grrraaah!”

Following Max’s call, her Embryo emerged from her left hand. It was Ipetam—a bearlike Sentinel with swords growing out of its back.

“Ah ha haaa! Well, someone’s motivated. But I’m not letting ya catch up with me that easily!” said Chelsea, looking more than ready to face Max.

“You two go first, then,” said Juliet. “G and I will spectate.”

Chelsea and Max walked into the barrier, while Juliet and G went to the audience seating. It was a good bit higher than the stage, but Juliet was able to fly up, while G managed to clear the height with a jump. They then took a seat and watched Chelsea and Max’s aquatic battle.

“I can’t say I’ve seen many fights on the water, so this is pretty interesting,” said G. “I am familiar with underwater fights, though.”

“Really? Oh, but I guess even Altar doesn’t have many places that use boats. You have to go to Keyora for that.” Granvaloa was perhaps the only country where fights above the water were commonplace.

“You Altaran duelists are something else, though,” said G. “They’re fighting for real, and it’s enjoyable to watch.”

Her excited face as she watched the duel on the stage was proof that these words came from the heart. Chelsea and Max were both non-SJ max-level Masters, and the clash of their combat expertise was a sight to behold.

“Is it different in Legendaria?” Juliet asked.

“A lot of duels there are about forcing your own rules onto the other person. Skydrag’in actually turns it into an entirely different game. Well, not like I’m in a position to talk.”

“What’s your combat style, anyway? You probably have some high stats, don’t you?”

“What makes you say that?”

“That jump you did. Also, your movements are very smooth, so I figured you fight a lot.”

Juliet’s combat sense was very high even by duelist standards, so she’d noticed many things while observing G since they met yesterday.

“Yeah. I’m actually very, very strong, if I do say so myself.” Showing no humility, G answered as if this were an absolute truth. “My Embryo is in the Castle family, though, so it’s not well suited for duels. I also fight using monsters that are above my capacity.”

“I see...” Duel rules forbid the use of tamed monsters that didn’t fit within the minion capacity and had to use party slots. And excluding exceptions like Lang’s Halley, Castles were a rare sight in duels.

With that, Juliet understood that G was indeed powerful, but just not suited for arena fights.

“Oh, sorry. I shouldn’t have asked you to talk about your abilities...”

“It’s fine! It’s completely fine! I revealed most of my powers in my videos. Though, this tells me that you haven’t watched them yet.”

“Ngh. Sorry...”

“Ah ha ha. You only found out about me yesterday. I get it, I get it,” G chuckled as she patted Juliet’s head.

That gesture made Juliet feel like, although their avatars were about the same age, G was probably older than her.

“By the way, about you borrowing this place...”

“Huh? Yeah...”

“Are the three of you on good terms with the owner... Ray Starling?” Though she found the change of subject somewhat strange, Juliet nodded in response.

“Yeah, we’re...friends. Yeah, friends.”

“I see. So that’s how it is.”

G put her hand over her mouth and shifted her gaze, just like she had at the park. It must’ve been a habit of hers whenever she was lost in thought.

“I wonder if I’ll get to meet him today.”

“...Huh?”

“Oh. Uh... I’m intruding in his place like this, and I’m just wondering if it’s okay to do that without even introducing myself.”

Juliet felt something slightly off about this, but ultimately brushed it off.

“Ray... He’s probably watching The Tournaments right now. I think he’ll come back here once that’s done...”

“I see. In that case...”

Whatever she said after that was too quiet for Juliet to hear. However, G’s eyes were shining with a light different than any before.

“Oh.” Then, as if noticing something, G looked up at the sky and, for some reason, began waving.

However, Juliet didn’t see anything there.

“Umm, what are you doing?”

“Mmm, nothing much. Just wishing upon a star.”

“Huh?” It was still daytime and stars were nowhere in sight, so Juliet found that very odd.

“Things are gonna get so fun soon. I’m so excited.”

“I see...” Juliet was happy that her friend was having a good time.

But at the same time, she felt that there was something strange about all this.

G’s behavior just now strongly reminded her of King of Asuras, Jubei Kaga—the powerful foe they’d faced in the recent event.