Now that things have finally begun calming down; Nepgear, Karen, IF, Katsuo, Compa, and Kazuto have left the Planeptune Basilicom to head out to the nation of Lastation.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything apart from the words that I write and the characters that I create. Credit goes to the original creator of the SAO universe; credits also to the creators and contributors to the Hyperdimension Neptunia series.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [7:30] July 2nd 20XX

We've gone to the docks that Histoire specified, to find a rather large ship bearing a flag which I've seen a few times in the Basilicom.

"Nice, Histoire managed to get us a Guild ship!" IF says in an excited tone "With this ship, it won't take as long as we feared."

"I trust that this ship is good?" I ask, and I can only guess that considering her excitement, the ship must be high quality.

"Yeah. Guild ships are the absolute fastest. Nothing else can even come close. Let's get moving though, we're burning daylight."

The six of us board the ship when we encounter what appears to be the captain of the ship.

"IF, I see you and your companions have arrived. We're ready to depart at any time." The captain states calmly.

"Excellent. Set sail immediately, we need to get to Lastation."

"Understood." The captain says calmly, walking away to the bridge.

"So, what should we do until we arrive at this Lastation?" Kazuto asks calmly.

"Whatever you want." IF states nonchalantly.

"Hm, I'm going to walk around the ship." Kazuto says quietly, walking away from us.

"I'm going to try finding something to do. Later." Katsuo says, walking away as well.

"IF, Nepgear, want to practice? I want to train daily to stay in shape." I ask nonchalantly, actually beginning to like the idea of daily training. Back on Earth, I found it troublesome and after the incident with Vusago in the hospital, I developed a bit of a phobia of real life weaponry. But now, I think I'm slowly starting to get used to real weapons.

"Not that I don't have anything against daily training, but I'll pass this time." IF says, walking away as well, with Compa walking with her.

"I'll train with you sis. I need to keep in shape too." Nepgear says casually, with a smile.

"Glad to hear it. Let's try to find a duel ring or something, worst case, we fight out on the deck."

"Okay, sister." Nepgear says happily.

"Heh...I still need time to adjust to that." I say with an embarrassed laugh, developing a slight blush "She told me she slept on it and still wanted to call me a sister. I'm wondering if this is sincere or if she just needs this as a way to cope with how her real sister is in the graveyard. I'm not sure if I want to ask her such a question right now...it might be better until after we save the CPUs, but by then...would it be too late?" I ask myself sadly. I hate feeling this way, since I feel like I have to accept what feels like fake compliments or I risk hurting Nepgear. I thought that keeping Senryaku together was difficult since Hikaru, Sylvia, and Katsuo were bickering quite a few times in Aincrad and it fell to me (and later on Keiko and Rika) alone to stop their fighting before things got out of hand.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:00] July 2nd 20XX

We walk through the ship to try finding any rooms we could use as a dueling ring. While we're walking, I notice that Nepgear has a pretty big smile on her face, which I'm guessing is because I've been doing my best to comfort her since her sister is still imprisoned, that or the coping thing, or maybe both.

"The closest thing to this I've dealt with was when Haruka lost her foster parents...and I was not motherly in the slightest way back then. That should sound positive to me, but...it doesn't."

We encounter IF and Katsuo outside a pair of rooms, which I suspect is that the rooms they'll be in during the cruise to Lastation.

"Ah, IF, is there a duel ring on this ship or anything? It'll be a little...awkward for us to fight on the open deck." I ask curiously.

"Down the hall, third door on the left, the captain just told me of it."

We head into the room specified, with Katsuo following the two of us, with him saying

"I missed out yesterday during your training match. I want to see how powerful you've become without the fear of possibly getting my ass kicked to kingdom come."

We go inside the room and quickly start our training, with me planning on showing a new move I've recently developed, though I haven't had the chance to truly use it before now. I really need to thank Ophelia when I return to Planeptune for this gauntlet. It's allowed me to create skills I've never thought imaginable, though I have not fought Kazuto and Katsuo, some of the strongest people in the group, so I do want to see how I'd fare against them when I get the chance. Though I want to give the both of them the chance to build up their strength from all of the medical rest we've endured.

"Best of luck Nepgear." I say with a confident smile as I draw Celeste.

"Same to you." Nepgear says, exchanging the same smile, drawing her new Beam Buster Neo.

We quickly exchange strikes with me getting nowhere until I unleash the skill: Dark Saber.

"Rain of Destruction, come forth from the cosmos! Dark Saber!" I say, unleashing the same skill like before, however, Nepgear dodges the attack this time.

"Nice try, but you won't get catch me off-guard with the same attack twice!"

"Really now? Maybe I should test a new one I've been hiding up my sleeve." I say with a mischievous smile.

"Eh?" Nepgear says in a mild whimper.

"Rain of Purity, come forth from the horizon, Lambent Blast."

When I activate this skill, Celeste is enveloped by a bright light, which turns it into a rifle colored white and blue, which I shoot six times at the ground around Nepgear in a large radius, which quickly creates a barrier that raises around her and when she's trapped, dozens of small rifles appear from all over the barrier and attack Nepgear repeatedly, which destroys her Guard Gauge after a dozen hits, when I call off the match. I see that Nepgear fell on her rear end after the barrage, so I offer a hand to pull her up.

"Ugh...my head's a little dizzy." Nepgear says faintly.

"Go lay down if you feel faint Nepgear."

"Sure."

Nepgear walks down to a bench to lay down, while Katsuo gets up and walks toward me.

"Nice work Karen." Katsuo replies with a friendly fist bump, congratulating me on the match.

"Thanks Katsuo. I suppose I ought to wait on training further, I did exert a lot of energy using those two skills in such a short time. Keep an eye on Nepgear until she recovers. I'm going to head to my room."

"Alright." Katsuo states nonchalantly, though I sense a hint of disappointment in his voice; maybe he wanted to challenge me as well.

I depart to my room to take a little rest, as I've exerted a lot of energy from those two skills, particularly my Lambent Blast, since it requires nearly triple the energy needed to execute the first time with these gauntlets. Considering that, it's better to test new skills casually and not in the middle of battle.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [18:00] July 2nd 20XX

My 'short rest' was much longer than I anticipated as I look at a clock on the wall in my room, to see it's six in the afternoon.

"Uh...wow...I was asleep much longer than I was hoping for."

"Tell me about it."

I hear someone say that, and I turn my head to the right to see Nepgear and Katsuo sitting down on chairs near my bed.

"You really must've been tired. Maybe your constant training was building up your fatigue." Nepgear continues with a small frown of concern.

"Don't let it bother you Nepgear. This beats passing out in every way, atleast I fell asleep voluntarily." I say with a nervous chuckle. Considering that I passed out once and was almost killed since coming here, falling asleep of my own volition is a significant improvement.

"I suppose you have a point there."

"Anyway, I suspected you may be hungry, so I brought you some food." Katsuo says, walking toward a table and bringing it toward me.

"Arigatou, this'll be the first time I ate today since we left Planeptune so suddenly." I say, taking a bite of this food.

Thankfully, Nepgear doesn't tilt her head in confusion anymore when I speak the occasional japanese.

"Hey Karen, you've been getting a lot closer to Nepgear lately, what's up?" Katsuo asks curiously.

"It's recent, but I wanted to be Karen to be my big sister, and she agreed." Nepgear states casually.

"Nani?!"

"It's a long story." I say calmly, not wanting to talk about this right now.

"Talk about a shock stirring up the blood stream." Katsuo says as he lightly hits his chest to try calming his heart down.

I finish the food Katsuo brought rather quickly, then I walk toward the computer to do a little research. I activate the holo viewer to contact Planeptune's Basilicom, and luckily, Ophelia responds straightaway.

"Karen, I'm glad you called, things have been so boring since you left." Ophelia says with a mild laugh.

"Hehe, I guess I should feel honored. Anyway, were you able to do what I requested?" I say with a small smile at the start, and seriously at the rest.

"We still need more time, what you asked for is still an unknown variable for us, but don't worry, give us a few days and we'll be able to create a counter-measure." Ophelia states seriously.

"Excellent, we'll need that counter-measure if we get that ailment inflicted again. Until we find a way to treat it using a skill, we're forced to wait for it to wear off naturally." I state seriously.

"I understand, we'll find a way to deal with it, but just give us some time." Ophelia says with a small sigh.

"Best of luck." I say, before ending the call.

I continue working on the computer to see if I can make any progress on my end.

"What was that about?" Katsuo and Nepgear ask in unison.

"I'm consulting Ophelia to create a way to cure that virus ailment you and Kazuto were infected with back when Linda attacked you."

"Oh, yeah, that was a pain in the ass...I wasn't able to move at all with that virus ailment in effect." Katsuo says with a sigh, remembering how easily he fell to that surprise attack "Karen, Nepgear, I'm going to get some rest. Later." Katsuo says quietly, walking out of the room.

"I need to rest myself Nepgear. If you wouldn't mind...think you can give me privacy?"

"Sure, good night sister." Nepgear says with a smile, walking out as well.

I sigh a bit before saying "I don't know if I'll ever get used to that." I yawn a little afterward "I guess I need more sleep."

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:30] July 23rd 20XX

During my sleep, I can feel Caelus surface in my soul. I guess she wants to talk again based on the aura I'm sensing from her, though it's shifting rather frequently between purple, red, and brown.

"I have to say Karen Koizumi. Your training sessions are giving you the physical requirements to handle Hard Drive Divinity. We just need to find a few items to finalize the procedure."

"Caelus, I want to ask. Why do you want me to be a CPU so bad? I won't deny that you saved me and I owe you a debt for that, but from what I picked up, these Goddesses are very important to Gamindustri." I ask, trying to get some sort of explanation on why Caelus is this determined.

I hear a faint sigh before I hear Caelus speaking up "Okay...that's fair to ask. Look, there are...multiple reasons why I'm pushing for this Karen Koizumi. One is that I was born a CPU and while I admit that my time has come and gone, I don't want to lose my powers. While I only know that me merging my life with yours saved me and practically made me human, I can only pray that somehow, I can use even a fraction of my power. Though if I were forced to choose, I'd rather have my life than my powers. But putting that aside, it's an unfortunate inevitability, but me merging with you will make you a CPU, no matter what."

"I see, but I want to ask Caelus. Why me of all people?"

"You were the only one I could reach out to Karen Koizumi. Besides, as a Console Patron Unit, I have standards that need to be fulfilled, even if I was going to die. Besides, there's something about you that I really like."

"What about me do you like?" I ask, wondering what about me that Caelus appears fond of.

"Hm, I…misspoke. It's more like… I can see similarities between us."

"Similarities? You're not making any sense here Caelus." I say, feeling even more confused about what she's trying to say.

Caelus sighs and says "Look, I don't know what to say in this situation. I've never had this much close interaction with humans before. I only spoke with my oracle and my fellow CPUs when I had a physical form, before I merged with you. My oracle relayed my messages to my staff and people."

"I...see. How have you gotten by after so long?" While it may be the wrong time to bring it up, but it feels kinda weird talking with someone like this: Talking through dreams.

"It hurt. I can't say much more than that. From the day I went to fight Arfoire to the day before you found me, I was all alone; no one to talk with. As distant as I was, any person would go delirious after spending so many years trapped in a place as dark and depressing place like the Graveyard. Look, um...It's a little tiring maintaining a presence this long. I need to sleep."

I can feel Caelus' presence vanish, which makes me sigh in both relief and pity.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [9:45] July 23rd 20XX

I wake up slowly after this to find Katsuo and Nepgear in my room...again.

"Okay, seriously, don't you two have your own rooms?" I ask in both anger and shock.

"Don't blame me for this, Nepgear dragged me along. She said she felt another CPU nearby and noticed it from your room."

"She must have somehow sensed Caelus." I say in my head, before I look toward the pair "I actually need to speak with Histoire about something private. Think the both of you can give me privacy?"

"Sure I guess." Katsuo shrugs casually, walking away with Nepgear in tow.

I start up the computer in this room so I can activate the holo-viewer and talk with Histoire. When I open it, Ophelia is the one who responds to my call.

"Morning Karen."

"Morning, I was actually hoping to speak with Histoire. Is she nearby?"

"She's in the room with me. Histoire! Karen needs to speak with you!"

Ophelia vanishes from the sight of the holo-viewer and Histoire appears in her place.

"What did you wish to ask me Karen?"

"Histoire, I want to ask about...that person I mentioned before."

I see a grave emotion appear on Histoire's face after I reference Caelus.

"I do not wish to speak of such things in this room. Give me a moment to go to a private chamber." Histoire states seriously, before vanishing from the holo viewer, and reappearing a few minutes later.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:00] July 23rd 20XX

"Why do you ask about Caelus? Did you have another vision?" Histoire says seriously.

"I guess you can say that. The first time I spoke with her was during my unconsciousness, and she keeps trying to make me a CPU for reasons I don't understand."

"That's...unexpected. She was the wisest of all the CPUs of her generation, so I suppose I should have anticipated she would have a back-up plan in case Arfoire was not defeated." Histoire states in shock in the beginning, and casual thinking at the rest. "Karen. Caelus is a very intelligent soul, if she thinks you are capable of being a CPU, then you do have the potential. Especially since Caelus was the one who made all of the CPUs of her generation, though she ultimately was forced to fight Arfoire alone since Arfoire slayed all of her sisters. It's entirely possible that Caelus thinks of you as a twin sister, since your personality and history is nearly identical to hers."

"Histoire, Caelus hardly seemed like me when she possessed my body to activate HDD back in Virtua Forest." I say bluntly.

"Karen, look. Caelus suffered greatly when she fought Arfoire. She considered all of the CPUs of her generation as little sisters, and she experienced all of their deaths, her personality may have degraded from the shock of losing her family in addition to the centuries if not millennia of existence."

Around now, I see an apparition appear next to me, mimicking my own appearance but with the parts of the HDD form I took when Caelus possessed me.

"Histoire, it's been ages. Although it's a risk, I believe that it's worthwhile to risk using what little strength I have to reveal myself to you here." Caelus says quietly.

"Caelus, how have you survived over the years?"

"I was in very bad shape and close to death when I sealed Arfoire away, I wouldn't have survived the trek to Planeptune, so I reduced myself to disc form to reduce the energy needed for my survival and hid in the graveyard when I sealed away Arfoire. I then spread the story that I perished in battle in case any of Arfoire's followers survived and tried hunting me in my weakened state. I was able to hide my presence because of how my energy blended with the environment. However, I would've lost my life by now if it wasn't for Karen Koizumi since my energy reserves were about to run out, I had half a percent left. If she was a day or even a few hours late, I would have perished. When she was struck by Judge, I took advantage of the chaos to merge with her and make her my 'host' to maintain my life force. Despite what I hoped for, I know that my own power as a CPU will not increase because of how I have no followers left in my faith, but me being a part of her soul ensures I will survive as long as she lives atleast." Caelus states with a few pauses, as she voiced a mouthful, even for a CPU.

"So...you're like a parasite or leech, taking my own life to maintain yours?" I ask curiously. I can only pray that isn't the case since Caelus just saved my life and I don't want her killing me just to keep herself alive.

"No. I do not draw energy from your life to fuel mine. You are me, and I am you. We are two sides of the same entity now, the amount of life you carry is the same as mine now."

"I can't bring myself to believe that."

"I don't care if you believe it or not, it is the truth."

"Caelus, remember that the two of you are alike in many ways, particularly, your stubborn attitudes." Histoire states, butting in to our conversation to apparently stop any potential hostilities between myself and Caelus "In addition, you are aware of how merging your own existence with Karen will ultimately alter her own genetics to become a CPU...right?" Histoire asks.

"I know Histoire. I don't know everything about this topic but I know that Karen Koizumi will end up becoming a Console Patron Unit like myself. We should make this as painless as possible and find a CPU Memory. If we can get one of those, my own power as a Goddess should automatically make Karen a true CPU."

"Caelus, I know CPU Memories were plentiful back when you were a CPU, but the secret to making or even finding a CPU Memory was lost."

"Histoire, try asking Ophelia, she may know a way to find or create one of these CPU Memories. Considering how she was able to create these gauntlets, I imagine she should be able to pull off something like this."

"I'll begin searching to see if we could find any CPU Memories naturally. If I am unable to find such information, I'll consult Ophelia to construct one artificially. But for the time being, focus on gathering the Mascot Characters." Histoire states calmly.

"Got it Histoire. We won't let you down."

"Also, Mamoru, Yuuki, and Shino have reported last night that there are no more quests being made available here in Planeptune. They are on their way to Lastation as we speak on foot since CFW Magic and Brave have taken down the barricade dividing Planeptune and Lastation; they will be in in Lastation about a week after you arrive there. They are going to handle doing quests and gathering information alongside Falcom in Lastation, Lowee, and Leanbox. While they work on gathering shares and information, you focus your full attention on finding the Mascot."

"Understood. Is there anything else Histoire?"

"Yes, there is one last thing. Seek out the CPU Candidates in Lastation and Lowee. They may be willing to assist you, but I am not certain. However, they may desire the same thing your group is: Saving the CPUs."

"After what the six of us experienced out there, we'll need an army to rescue the CPUs, that or a really good team. CFW Judge tore through us like wet tissue paper last time."

"As long as you lower ASIC's Shares, you all will be fine."

"I shouldn't keep you. Histoire, I'll contact you when we find the Mascot."

"Keep me informed." Histoire says with a small smile, before I deactivate the holo-viewer.

The holo-viewer shuts down and I'm left alone with Caelus.

"What do you intend to do now Caelus?"

"I'm going to return to your soul. Maintaining this apparition is taxing for me, it's annoying that I can't maintain a physical form permanently yet." Caelus says with a sigh, before vanishing. "If you need to speak with me, I'll try to be available. However, I do need to hide myself from that CPU Candidate: Nepgear, as I need to maintain secrecy until the time is right. Keep this secret, but when Nepgear sensed me, I was getting nervous. In my weakened state, I cannot afford to give out trust freely. Histoire is the sole exception aside from you."

"I've actually learned a lot about you Caelus. I'm curious, would you be willing to tell me more about yourself and the CPUs of your generation?"

"I don't want to talk about them, they were my sisters and I saw them painfully die to Arfoire. Just...please don't make me think of that time." Caelus says very sadly.

"I won't push the issue if you don't want to talk about it."

"Thank you. Look, I can sense Nepgear approaching. I need to vanish for now." Caelus states worriedly before I sense her presence hiding.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [10:30] July 23rd 20XX

I hear a very light knock on the door which I guess is Nepgear after hearing Caelus mention such a thing. Over the last few days during my training, my sense of hearing has been trained to when I was in Aincrad and Alfheim so I can hear much more than when I first arrived in Gamindustri.

"Come in." I say, pretending I don't know who it is.

The door opens and Nepgear walks in

"Wow...I barely knocked and you heard it." Nepgear says in mild surprise at my perception.

"Is there something you need Gear?" I ask curiously.

"Actually yeah, Falcom told us that she arranged a meeting with Lastation's Oracle for us when we arrive." Nepgear says in a calm, yet serious tone.

"Good to know. Anyway; Yuuki, Mamoru, and Shino are on their way to Lastation too. They'll be handling quests for us while we actively search for the Mascot, though until they arrive, we have to handle them."

"We ought to let Katsuo, Kazuto, IF, and Compa know of that then."

We leave my room to inform the others of the update with Yuuki, Mamoru, and Shino.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:00] August 2nd 20XX

We've left the Guild ship and find ourselves in the industrial yet clean capital of Lastation, with the color black being dominant in all of the buildings, roads, and landscapes in this city. The aura of this town is similar somewhat to Planeptune and so far, this city feels familiar to Tokyo, where we've been living since we left Alfheim. Nepgear has stars in her eyes when we enter the main plaza which Compa and I notice rather quickly.

"Wow, Lastation sure does look like a place chocked full with industrial machinery." Nepgear says with her apparently being rather psyched about being here.

"Is this your first time to Lastation Ge-Ge?" Compa asks casually.

"Yeah it is, sometimes Neptune would bring me things from here saying they were 'future-proof'. It all sounded like a lot of fun, since I'm here now, I really want to look around town." Nepgear says happily.

"Keep the shopper stereotype locked up for now Gear. We have a ton of business to take care of." IF says in a serious, yet upbeat tone.

"R-Right. We need to work just as hard as we did in Planeptune, since Lastation is in danger as well. I'll hold off on window shopping...for now." Nepgear says in a mildly nervous tone.

"Hey Nepgear, everyone!" I hear the friendly voice from the familiar red-headed warrior, who is running toward us.

"Falcom, It's been a while." IF says casually.

"That it has. Karen, Katsuo, Kazuto, I'm glad you three are okay. I heard that you've gone through all sorts of trouble since I left."

"Don't remind me..." Katsuo says in mild annoyance.

"Anyway, I scheduled a meeting for you guys with Lastation's Oracle, she'll meet with you all in one hour. Until then, we're free to do what we wish." Falcom says casually.

"Since we have some free time, I'm going to go look around town." Nepgear says happily, beginning to take off.

"Nepgear! Get back here!" I say in mild annoyance, chasing after her.

"Hey! We shouldn't be-" IF says in shock and in defeat, seeing me and Nepgear already long gone. "Separating...damn it. I hope Karen's able to keep her focused, making Lastation's Oracle mad is not wise for anyone." I was able to hear this last part before turning a corner.

We've gotten ourselves lost in the city complex of Lastation and considering how massive this city is, trying to find Katsuo and the others will be impossible using conventional methods at this point.

"Nepgear! Stop already, before we get even more lost!" I say seriously, sounding even more like a parent, to my mild dismay, with her thankfully stopping at this point.

"Sorry...I let my eagerness get over me. Sorry about taking off." Nepgear says apologetically.

"Atleast you learned your lesson...now let's contact IF and the others."

I activate the gauntlet's communication system to get ahold of everyone.

"Katsuo, everyone, sorry about taking off on you all." I say apologetically.

"It's no problem Karen, where are you?" Katsuo says nonchalantly.

I inspect the surroundings to find some sort of noticeable landmark, to find none nearby.

"I don't know, there's nothing here I can recognize and give out that can help. IF, Compa, please give me something to work with, I'm as lost as a puppy wandering through a city the size of Manhattan and Kyoto combined!" I say with mild frustration.

"I don't get the analogy one bit. But try to find the Guild here in Lastation, we can meet up there in a half hour."

"Got it IF. We'll try to find our way to the Guild." I say before disconnecting the communication between us. "Mataku...come on Nepgear, let's try to find the Guild." I say in mild anger.

"Okay." Nepgear says in a dejected tone.

We walk around the city rather aimlessly when after about fifteen minutes pass, a black haired girl wearing a black dress with milky blue lining and a circle with white lining connecting the dress to her neck collar, approaches us and begins speaking to us

"Excuse me miss, are you lost?" I hear a young girl say in my direction.

"Um...are you referring to me?" I ask the girl curiously.

"Yes, are you and your daughter lost?" The girl repeats in a friendly tone, though I outright blush when she mentions the term daughter, since I'm still a young teenager, though I've learned long ago you can't judge people by appearance.

"Uh...She's not my daughter, she's my step-sister." I mutter rather awkwardly with a blush. Geez, hearing someone call me a mother so bluntly is beyond embarrassing.

"Oh, my apologies. I shouldn't have made assumptions." The girl says politely, with a bow and small laugh following. "Do you need directions anywhere? I know this city like the back of my hand, if you need to get somewhere, just ask."

"My sister and I need to get to the Guild, could you bring us there...?" I ask in the same tone.

"My name is Uni, and I'd be glad to bring you two to the Guild."

"Pleased to meet you Uni, my name's Karen, my sister here is Nepgear." I say in a friendly tone. This Uni is one of the friendliest people I've met in this world aside from Nepgear.

"Pleased to meet you Karen, Nepgear. Actually, why do you want to the Guild?" Uni asks in a casual tone.

"We're trying to build up Lastation's shares for its CPU." I say calmly.

"That's quite a noble goal for a family of two. Anyway, just follow me, I'll bring you both there." Uni says, before walking to the east, with us following her.

"Karen, you may want to exercise a little caution, I can easily tell that this girl: Uni is another CPU Candidate just like Nepgear." Caelus says to me rather seriously.

"Caelus? Uni's a CPU just like you and Nepgear? How can you even tell?" I ask her rather curiously.

"All CPUs and those specifically blessed by them give off a special kind of aura. As a former goddess, I can recognize the aura of those individuals, and I can use that talent to determine who has the capability to become Console Patron Units. Sadly, my power to do this is extremely limited because of how I have no followers, I can only use this power in a tiny radius thanks to the symbiotic bond we share, with the distance Uni keeping between you being the absolute limit."

"So...that power you possess is very helpful to find the CPU Candidates Histoire asked us to find, but we more or less need to be in point blank range?" I ask curiously.

"Essentially. When you become a full CPU, I would not be limited in such ways, since I'd have a back door of sorts to the power created by the faith you would have."

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [12:30] August 2nd 20XX

While I was speaking with Caelus, we managed to get to Lastation's main plaza, and Uni brings us into a moderately sized building which apparently is the guild building and brings the both of us inside. We walk inside and I see Katsuo, Kazuto, and Falcom at an electronic billboard, apparently looking for quests to do.

"Katsuo, Kazuto, Falcom!"

"Oh Karen, Nepgear, you made it." Katsuo says casually, but with a smile.

"Yeah, Uni brought us here." I say casually, approaching the trio with Nepgear and Uni.

"Pleased to meet you Uni, thanks for bringing these two here. Anyway, we really need to hurry; IF and Compa already left for the Basilicom. As soon as we take up these quests, we're going to head there with Falcom leading the way." Kazuto says politely.

"Oh, you have business in the Basilicom? I'd be willing to go with you guys there, I was actually on my way there when I brought these two here, if you had told me you had business there, I would've brought you to the Basilicom directly." Uni says casually, with friendly laughing throughout her statement.

"We'd appreciate it Uni. We need to get there fast, our meeting is in a half hour." Katsuo says in a quiet tone.

"Got it, I know a shortcut there, follow me." Uni says, motioning the five of us to follow her, with Uni taking the lead to guide us "Oh, now that I've gotten a chance to look at you, you're Falcom right? You stopped by the Basilicom twice." Uni asks the red head casually.

"Yep. I was trying to get information but the oracle was very troublesome." Falcom says in a mildly dejected tone.

"I happen to have a way with people, maybe I'll have better luck." I say calmly.

"Best of luck, Kei is very troublesome to deal with to most." Uni says with a small laugh.

Hyperdimension Standard Time: [13:00] August 2nd 20XX

The eight of us us are inside the Lastation Basilicom, though only IF, Nepgear, and I are speaking with the Oracle. Katsuo, Kazuto, Compa, Falcom, and Uni are in a different room, not wanting to interrupt our meeting.

"I welcome you to Lastation's Basilicom. I'm the oracle for this nation: Kei Jinguji. I heard from that girl: Falcom, that you wished to ask me something, I presume all three of you: IF, Nepgear, and Karen Koizumi, are from Planeptune, am I right?"

"In a manner of speaking. IF and Nepgear are natives of Planeptune, while I'm a sort of...summoned hero. And how do you know my name?" I state a little awkwardly, before inquiring how Kei already knows of us.

"Information is the very nature of my profession. I've been watching you all since you arrived in Lastation, you two had a very awkward start upon arriving, what with you both getting lost." Kei says calmly, and slightly egotistically when she glances at me and Nepgear.

"I see your reputation precedes you." IF states calmly to the Oracle.

Kei walks toward me and whispers something to me

"Even though the information I hold is vague, for now, I can tell you're holding another passenger."

After Kei says this, she walks back to where she was before, with IF and Nepgear being mildly confused.

"Damn...this Oracle is too crafty. Even if she knew your identity, no one should be able to detect that I exist inside your body."

"Is it possible Histoire simply told her?"

"No. Kei didn't mention Histoire one bit, she would've made it clear."

"Caelus, remember that Kei may try taunting you into revealing yourself. She may try withholding vital information to pester you."

"I didn't think of that...perhaps having a second opinion can be very useful."

"Miss Kei, we're trying to find Lastation's mascot character, do you happen to know where it is?" Nepgear asks the oracle politely.

"It's not that I don't have the information but I have a question for you three: What can you offer for my information?"

"What are you talking about?" I ask curiously.

"I presume you've heard of the phrase: Equivalent Exchange? If you want information on the Mascot, you must offer something equivalent to what you seek."

"Hmm...I can only think of two things capable of being equal with information. The first is yet more information, the second is manual labor." I say in a perceptive tone.

"I will settle with assigning you manual labor. We need components for a new device currently in production. We need two components: the Treasure Gem, and a deposit of Hematite."

"T-Those two components are incredibly rare! How are we supposed to get those?!" IF says in a rather shocked tone.

"I know Hematite is a type of ore, but is Hematite and this Treasure Gem that rare?" I ask, rather confused about the situation.

"They're so rare that shops refuse to stock either, they'd get robbed. I have no idea where to get either material. This request is impossible!" IF responds to me in a surprised tone.

"If that is the response you hold, I won't force you to do what I ask of you. Forget what I asked for, I clearly miscalculated the value of the information."

"We need the mascot. Let's just play along IF." Nepgear says calmly, and I agree with her on this one.

"Fine." IF says in defeat.

"Very well, we'll look for these components, when we bring them back, you'll tell us everything you know about the mascot, right?"

"There's one more request. I want you three to tell me what happened in the Gamindustri Graveyard. Three years ago and recently."

"You truly are good at gathering information when it's possible, your skill rivals that of Solaris and Argo the Rat." I say with a smile, having made deals with Argo a few times in Aincrad, and referencing the me in the past, with my Sleuth skill.

"My information is lacking, but considering how Miss Nepgear is here, you must have been in the Gamindustri Graveyard recently. I want to know. Is Lady Black Heart okay? Why is it that only Nepgear returned?"

"Noire is with my sister still, They-"

"Hold up Gear. Kei, remember the phrase: Equivalent Exchange? It's rude of you to try prying information from us for free now, isn't it?" IF says mockingly.

"Very well then, I would like to request that you collect the items I mentioned before. Do so, and we will exchange our information."

"Fair enough, we'll be back Oracle Jinguji." I say, before walking away with IF and Nepgear.

We exit the room and leave the Basilicom to find Katsuo, Kazuto, Falcom, Compa, and Uni outside, apparently waiting for us.

"We have a new objective: We have to find two materials called the Treasure Gem and a deposit of Hematite." I say calmly.

"You know, I actually heard of the Treasure Gem, Ancient Dragons in Planeptune's Virtua Forest tend to have them. Though I sadly haven't heard of Hematite." Falcom states casually.

"You must be kidding!" IF says in mild annoyance.

"Hmm… Falcom, IF, Compa, are there any places in Gamindustri that hold mineral hot springs?" I ask, knowing the background of Hematite ore from my world.

"Actually yeah, there is a resort to the southwest of here that hold hot springs. But why are you asking us about hot springs?"

"I'm not sure if it applies here in Gamindustri, but in my world, Hematite is typically found in places with mineral hot springs. Figuratively, we should be able to find such things in the same relative location."

"It couldn't hurt to try." Falcom simply shrugs as she apparently agrees with my point of view.

"Either way, for now, I think we should divide and conquer to get these two components." I say casually, and a little sadly, never liking having to do things like this.

"You sure that's wise? That sounds like a recipe for disaster." IF says in mild disbelief.

"If we want to do this quickly, we need to separate. We can keep in contact via our gauntlets." I say seriously.

"How do you plan on dividing the teams Karen?" Kazuto asks me.

"Nepgear and I will go to Planeptune to get the Treasure Gem. IF, Compa, Falcom, Katsuo, Kazuto, I want you five to go find the Hematite."

"You're leaving yourself shorthanded Karen, you do know that right?" Kazuto says seriously.

"We've been to the Virtua Forest before, we'll fast travel there, get the gem, and return to Lastation. We'll be gone a few hours to a day at the absolute max."

"Hey. What about me?" Uni asks mildly angrily.

"I'm not going to force you to help us Uni, though if you wish to, that is your own choice."

"Your friends may need a guide around Lastation, and as a native Lastatian, I'll do what I can to help."

"Okay, Uni will be helping you five, while Nepgear and I will return to Planeptune. We won't be gone long." I say, activating the fast travel alongside Nepgear.