Chung was dumbfounded by The Minister's non-human servants. Can't blame him though; One would be shocked if they knew that the person serving them was made up of some nuts, screws, and metal. "N-Nasods?"
The Minister tapped one last button, and Oberon and Ophelia left the room. "Why do you think I was voted as the brightest and most knowledgeable? Because I created something unbelievably impossible. Like these nasods you've seen. They are capable of performing tasks that ordinary, animate beings can perform and contain an artificial intelligence that allows them to make decisions based on the presented situation."
"S-so... Are you a nasod?"
A slap was received on Chung's face. Ouch.
"No, you moronic boy. You are what you create is not applicable here. I'm as much human as you are, regardless of the difference in our intellect."
Once finishing her sentence, two... things, flew out from under her coat. One white, one black. They came close to Chung's body and began bumping into him.
"My apologies. A slap is the signal for these two drones to fight."
"Drones...?"
"Yes. The black one is Moby and the white one is Remy. Now stop beating him up, you two.
Look at the huge tree! This town must be very hard to rake in the Fall, with the leaves and all.
The plane's wheels gently kissed the ground, landing on the lush grass of a clearing. Elsword jumped out and lent Aisha a hand, helping her out of the plane like a pure gentlemen.
"Okay, let's go to the town," The boy said while leaving her behind— very unlike a gentlemen.
Aisha followed behind, somewhat upset. Elsword could be such an inconsiderate person at times. The two pushed through bushes before finally finding a clear, dirt path. A white rabbit hopped across as the two progressed towards the village. Roofs slowly came into view behind the trees.
A man with a dark beard laid back in his chair on his porch, rocking back and forth. Another lady and man sat on the porch steps by him, sipping drinks with melting ice. The river water sparkled under the sun, reflecting rays. Nobody else appeared to have been outside on such a beautiful day like this one.
"Uh, hello there," Elsword said while approaching the three.
The people on that porch all lit up, searching for the source of the voice. The lady first saw the duo and jumped up quickly."Visitors! Welcome to The Town of Beginnings!"
Families suddenly flocked out of their houses to greet Aisha and Elsword. The former shook hands kindly while the latter awkwardly scratched his head, looking for the proper words to say. Both were utterly shocked by the flood of faces.
The man in the rocking chair stood on his feet slowly. "Ah, welcome!" The chatter amongst diminished as the bearded man made his way to the two travelers. He firmly shook Elsword's hand and bowed to Aisha. "I'm Hagus, chief of this town. What brings you two travelers here?"
"My name is Elsword, and this is Aisha," the boy gestured to the girl who waved to everybody, "and we're both engineers in competition with another business. Our goal is to fly around the world within 30 days before the other group does. We're stopping here to do a maintenance check as well as rest for a bit."
The chief chuckled lightly before issuing the two into the house. "We'll, we're more than happy to have you two here! We haven't had visitors in years!"
The duo followed him inside where there was a living room that was small and comforting. Round rugs and red curtains were simply placed in the room, and a wooden coffee table sat in front of the chairs that were begging for somebody to sit in them. A cozy little plant absorbed the light from the open window nearby the door, its leaves spread daintily. Aisha and Elsword situated themselves in the chairs while Hagus brought in glasses of water for the two.
"Mr. Hagus, I wanted to ask about that giant tree at the end of the town. How could a tree grow that big? I mean, I can't think of a single species that can grow that large from the amounts of resources available," Aisha inquired. Her deep purple eyes were wide like that of a newborn deer. A very purple deer.
The chief guffawed at the girl's curiosity. "I see you've taken interest in our tree! It's most certainly our distinguishable feature from other cities in the world! I have to say, though, that the tree's size is beyond our own scientific knowledge."
"Scientific... Knowledge?"
Hagus nodded his head. "Yes. It goes beyond what the scientists can conclude. Our people know this tree's true source of energy though. The energy that not only made this tree live and become strong, but did the same for our residents for generations. "
Well, our two protagonists were clearly captivated by the chief's mysterious words. Trees needed water, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and radiant energy in order to grow and reproduce. But beyond that, how could it be possible that a tree could grow so unrealistically humongous without those basic necessities?! And for a human race the same?! They must been using up the same resources!
The chief raised his hands defensively, reading their perplexed minds. "It does sound strange, but we truly believe there is an ultimate source of energy for our town!"
"And that would be...?"
"Well, it would make more sense for me to start at the beginning."
Aisha signaled for the host to continue on. Hagus smoothed out his brown shirt, promptly reaching out to pull a thick, hefty leather book from a shelf. Dust flew around wildly as it slammed open.
Centuries, no... Millenniums ago. Yes, Millenniums ago, there was a tiny tree sprout. An ordinary tree of an ordinary species. One day, a large crystal plummeted from the heavens, striking in a small town. It landed on this little tree sprout. The crystal did not crack, however. It remained intact, hovering over the tree sprout. Since the crystal's appearance, the tree grew insanely and the town flourished with vegetation and gorgeous waters. To outsiders, it was just another scientific miracle to discover. To the townsfolk, it was their source of energy and power. Their meaning of existence.
There lived a group of people. There are many names for people like these. If one were to give a title suited for them on a journey like this, this group would best be known as "heroes".
Around the time of these people's young age, the tree had grown larger than the crystal itself. The tree's size had become one of the many wonders of the world. Just as quickly as it had grown, however, had it been stolen by thieving men. As our group of heroes rushed off to restore the source of life to the town, everything withered away. The once lush town died away. Devastation hit the town hard within those months.
Soon, however, the heroes returned with the crystal. Energy once again filled the solemn town, and the group was kindly thanked for their acts to save the town and its precious crystal.
The back cover of the book closed gently as the final words completed the tale. The two visitors sat in awe of the story spoken to them.
"So the true source of the tree and this town... is this crystal?"
Hagus smiled warmly before nodding slowly. "Our town believes in the power of the El Crystal. It has not only been the energy for our little town, but it is also the sole reason that our ancestors adventured the world. It was the fuel that began the tale of valor and companionship. A tale that has been passed down for generations and generations, if I might also add."
"That was a terrific story, don't you think Elsword?"
The propellers' spinning emitted a whirring sound that faintly filled the air. The two were already headed off for their next town.
Elsword smiled and gave Aisha a thumbs-up. "Amazing. Their view is pretty interesting."
He turned his head around to look into Aisha's lap. A blue and green crystal laid in her delicate hands, shimmering in the daylight.
"They gave us their town treasure for safe travels... A broken shard from the El Crystal..."
The girl behind him thoughtfully put a finger to her chin. "They really must not get a lot of visitors."
Elsword chuckled before turning the steering wheel on the plane. A calm left was made towards the next town.