When Nahida told the Wanderer that she was going to deal with a small familiar issue, he was quite busy watching over Faruzan. Her nightmares, it seemed, didn't require much of Buer's power to handle. That being said, after once again being too cowardly to admit the truth, he was willing to make any excuse to leave town for a few days.

Was Buer glad that he would stick with her through that quest? He wasn't quite sure.

Regardless, once it turned out that Apep, the ancient Dendro Dragon, was behind the upheaval of the desert… Well, Wanderer was quite sure she didn't mind him that much.

After a week of travelling around and finally facing the issue behind Apep's animosity, the Dragon of Verdure calmed down and was cleansed of impurities. And only then, Buer and the Nameless Wanderer returned to Sumeru City.

And what a glorious return it was.

"I have sand everywhere. In places I didn't know I even had." Wanderer complained as he hastily marched through Sumeru's streets.

The busyness of the city only bothered him further. Why couldn't cities be inhabited by twenty or so well-placed people, so that he didn't have to physically avoid them now?

Right as he was walking by an open terrace, his instinct kicked in and he dived behind a wall.

Whether it was bad or good luck, he had strolled right next to a café terrace where Faruzan was sitting and socialising with some people he didn't know. There was that Goldilocks or Kaveh, however, he was called. But there was a woman he had never seen before as well. And right as he began to analyse her, that damn Alhaitham strolled right in like he owned the place.

Faruzan seemed quite happy. Maybe they had eaten lunch or… maybe she liked those people. There was nothing wrong with her having friends. That was, after all, one of the objectives he had to accomplish to atone for his sins. The issue was that he was supposed to help her in that regard. So now what?

"Why are you spying on Faruzan and my friends?" Nahida's voice cut through his soul with surgical precision.

Wanderer jumped on the spot, looking down at the Archon right beside him. "God fucking…! Bless you. I forgot we were together. I'm not spying on anyone, I am observing the overall scene from afar without them knowing."

"That's what spying is. Making a string of words does not derive the act from its meaning." Nahida grabbed his left hand and tried to pull him away. "Come o~n! Don't be creepy! Let's go and say hello!"

"What, no!" He easily wrestled away her grasp. "I don't want to speak with those two. Or whoever that woman is. I can already tell they hate me."

"They don't hate you, maybe they're just a bit wary of you. And that's because you're standoffish. First impressions indeed matter but apologies and good manners also show a lot of maturity."

"But I don't want to apologise." He muttered, showing the callowness of a stubborn teenager. "It's their fault for feigning being nice and tricking Faruzan with false promises and…"

"If I didn't know you any better, I'd say you're jealous," Nahida stated, catching his attention immediately. "But if that was the case, I am quite sure you'd stride over there and gloat about how much she means to you."

"Hmph." He simply crossed his arms and pivoted away from Nahida. "That's so tasteless."

"So, as I was saying. This isn't jealousy. Let's see… Are you afraid she's going to replace you?"

Hitting the bullseye, he clicked his tongue and lowered the brim of his hat. "I'm leaving."

"Come on, don't be like that…" Nahida again seized his arm and pulled him towards her. "Don't you trust her?"

"I trust her. I don't trust them."

"This isn't about Kaveh or Alhaitham. You haven't opened up yet, have you? Did you not talk about feelings properly like I recommended?" Wanderer didn't turn to face her. Yet he felt her stare stare deep into his soul Even without using her powers, he was sure she knew more than she let on. "Or is it something else?"

"Enough. I simply have to apologise for leaving suddenly last time. That is all."

Nahida let go of his hand, and he resumed his aimless stroll through the town. She didn't follow him. At least, not physically.


Wanderer didn't do much besides resting from the week-long expedition. Physically he was fine, the only exhaustion and weariness happened in his mind. This wasn't something new. From fighting abyssal beings to butting heads with the Harbingers, he sometimes needed some time to recuperate mentally from stress. It had been a hard mission, but at the very least it was one he excelled at. Now, dealing with past ghosts and with a grumpy old lady was not his expertise. So he needed to prepare as well.

How did he keep screwing the situation up more and more? Not only he kept delaying the confession, but he also continuously attached himself more and more to Faruzan. And it would be so much easier to keep up with the farce of being a kind rescuer. But if Buer knew and she was disappointed with his delays…

In the end, she was right. Talking about his troubles would have made things so much easier from the beginning. Not much he could do about it now.

It had been a while anyways, Faruzan told him to go straight to her office. Wherever that was at. He just had to go and say what happened a century ago. She wouldn't believe him anyways, not like she believed his other crimes. Right…?

Throwing himself to the streets again, he roamed towards the Akademiya and entered it like he had done many times before.

He headed straight towards the reception beyond the lobby's fountain. From a quick question, he was told Faruzan had an office in section R, 180. On the second floor.

Wanderer turned from the reception, his eyes watching the hallway he used last time. They would not do, he did not recall any staircases around. Instead, he eyed up the upper floors of the Akademiya and simply flew up to them. After a few minutes of walking around, he found the R section beside the main elevator of the House of Daena. Close to the library.

He walked instead of hovering around the place, regretting slightly his previous move. Patience. Overwhelmed by nervousness, he was losing his most precious virtue. He needed it to do this.

176, 178, 180.

There weren't that many offices in that section. The number was deceitful. Section R began at number 158. And it seemed to end right at 180. Most offices were empty as well, only a few had names. Faruzan's didn't have a name, but it did have some sort of mark to show the office was occupied.

He breathed deeply, though he physically didn't need to, and steeled his resolve. No more running away.

Two knocks. And then silence.

Another two knocks. Nothing.

"Is she in the library?" He muttered before placing his ear against the door. His elemental vision flared up as well. She was inside. "Judging by the rush of air, she must have the window open… Is she maybe looking out and she can't hear me?"

The urge to try some other day clouded his mind, yet it quickly swirled away. He had to do this now.

He twisted the handle.

"And it's locked. Fuck me. Will she mind if I enter through the window…?

Rushing steps made him turn towards the end of the hallway. Again, it seemed fate did not want him to enter any locked offices. Unlike last time, he did not hurry to observe who it was. He was here by the book. Though he did fly to enter. Perhaps because of that? He was quite sure there wasn't such a rule.

Two men, clad in the clothes of the Matra, walked with certain haste towards him. The Matra was the Akademiya's disciplinary force, they would not be sent to deal with outsiders like him. For that, they'd call the local Corps of Thirty detachment. So that meant… They were not there for him.

The Wanderer hoped they'd stop at some of the other offices. But that wasn't the case. They were heading straight towards Faruzan's. So in one last hope, he walked towards them.

"What seems to be the issue?" His question did not stop the two Matra officials' walk.

Should he just let them go towards Faruzan? And then… what? If things went poorly, wouldn't it be his fault for not stopping them? He could do something bigger to lure their attention away. Besides, this was his punishment. If he had to rot in some jail, so be it.

The men didn't reply. Instead, they tried to walk around him. So the Wanderer quickly raised his arm against the wall, stopping them in their tracks.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I lost my balance there." Everyone knew it was a lie, so a cocky smile quickly developed on the nameless intruder. One of the men tried to walk past him, but with a quick move, the Wanderer pushed him away. "There's a toll here. And honouring the Akademiya's ways, the price is telling me where you are going."

The Matra had a reputation among the researchers. But that was a reputation built in soft power. Laws that the Wanderer did not care about, nor applied to. True power came from strength, and he had plenty to spare.

"Obstructing the Matra, even if you're not a—"

"I'm not the one being so unkindly to not answer a simple question. Hasn't the Blessed One of Wisdom been quite inquisitive in freedom of information?" Wanderer interjected with an arrogant pose.

"That does not apply to judicial proceedings wh—"

"Judicial proceedings, are they? Do I have to feed on crumbs, or must I make you drop the bread? You have still not answered my first question, and my patience is not limitless. Faruzan's done nothing wrong, so I see no need for this mockery of a disciplinary force."

Wanderer had decided that the Matra would give in, regardless of consequences. And if he had something in mind, he would achieve it. At least, if it was only these two.

"What seems to be the issue?"

The Wanderer immediately recognised the calm, if ever-so-slightly confident voice of General Mahamatra, one of Nahida's friends. He seemed to already know what was going on, immediately walking up towards the Wanderer and stopping barely a hair's length away.

"Is Faruzan's rescuer protecting her possibly dangerous research?" Cyno asked, making a crack in Wanderer's expression.

Rescuer? How did he know that? Did Faruzan… Of course, she must have spoken about him when she retold her story to the Grand Sage.

"As I've said, Faruzan has not done anything like that."

"So you are speaking in her stead? Have you both agreed to that?" General Mahamatra continued, unwavered by the seething protectiveness of Faruzan's Pupil. "So she doesn't. And if there's nothing dangerous occurring, then there's no harm in us checking her office."

Cyno stepped away, trying to walk around the wall that was the Wanderer. For a moment, it seemed like Wanderer was willing to give it up. And then he placed a hand on Cyno's shoulder and shoved him back.

The two Matra immediately frowned and stepped back, as if completely aware of what was going to happen.

"You don't seem to understand. Faruzan's done no wrong. And I'm not letting you rummage around her belongings based on a baseless assumption. Hell, I won't let you do that at all. Full stop." The Wanderer growled back, seizing up the General. "So you can either leave, or I'll make you. And that won't be pretty for any of you."

"Obstruction of justice and threatening a Matra official. Do you want to add assault to those charges?" Cyno added, his frown changing little.

The answer was yes. If Wanderer rushed him, there was no way the General would be able to react in time. But he wasn't sure. Cyno wasn't some schmuck, and he was Nahida's friend on top of all that. If this wasn't self-defence, then…

The office behind him bursted open.

"Can't you all stay quiet, for the love of Buer!" Faruzan complained in a straight, stern tone.

Her surprise at seeing her Pupil was quickly soured by the realisation that he was about to pick a fight with General Mahamatra out of all people possible. She knew best to not meddle with those types.

"What's going on?" Faruzan asked, walking towards them.

"We'd like to ask you a few questions." Cyno continued as if nothing had happened. He patted Wanderer's shoulder before walking unobstructed towards Faruzan. "It'll take but fifteen minutes."

"Oh, uh… Of course." Faruzan nodded, keeping the door to her office open. She glanced at Wanderer but Cyno quickly redirected her attention.

"Would you mind talking with your Hat-bound rescuer afterwards? He's quite irascible. We'll have a serious discussion as well."

Cyno's words twisted Faruzan's expression into a mixture of disappointment, shame and anger that she nonetheless maintained in control.

As the Matra and Faruzan disappeared into her office, Wanderer wasn't quite sure how to feel. Everything was quite better before Faruzan found out what was happening. If he hadn't doubted himself, then this wouldn't have happened.

Again, everything was because of doubts. Why did that keep happening?

Embroiled in those thoughts, minutes passed and whatever the Matra was looking for, they didn't find. Though the two nameless goons left in a sour mood, Faruzan and Cyno seemed to have gained some respect for each other. That wasn't enough for General Mahamatra to forget what had happened between them. Wanderer ignored most of the things he parroted about. Something about not having criminal records, being an Inazuman spy, being just a random adventurer. Useless chatter.

Wanderer was more focused on Faruzan's lukewarm expression throughout the entire laydown of laws.

So when the Matra finally left, it was Faruzan's turn to burn his ears off.

"That was General Mahamatra, the top of the top! What possessed you to do such a stupidity?!" Faruzan's clear indignation caused the Wanderer to pause.

"The fact that I can beat him up?" His answer did not please her in the slightest. In fact, it made her even angrier.

"The fact that… That's your reasoning?!"

"They said you were suspected of a crime you never committed. So I told them to fuck off." He leaned against the door frame. "They should have given me some evidence rather than some oral accusation. I don't know why you're upset."

"What do you think I'm going to say? Thank you for almost going to jail for no reason, I'm really glad?!"

"No. You should be glad your life is continuing uninterrupted. Though, I suppose you didn't really need me, did you?"

Faruzan sighed in frustration. "Are we really back in square one? Just you mysteriously doing things for no reason?"

Nahida's words suddenly crossed his mind. Talk sincerely.

"I just… wanted to help." He looked away, his fingers grazing his anemo vision.

"Well, you didn't. Thank Buer that General Mahamatra was a reasonable man, or we'd be both in trouble." Her angry gaze didn't cease in the slightest. "Let's not forget that you left all of a sudden last time. I should be more angry at that! Also, I don't like your face! How are you going to make up for all of this, huh?"

He had no idea.

"I'm the guilty one, you should choose the punishment yourself."

"Now that's a good answer." Faruzan's anger tempered as she twirled her hair. "Clean my office!"

Wanderer shrugged as he was led towards Faruzan's office. That being said, he didn't expect that the relatively small office of a professor, barely enough for two bookshelves and a desk, was filled with trinkets, materials and books all around.

"Have you heard of the word organisation?" He said, closing the door behind him.

The two bookshelves to his left were filled with materials all around, even on the floor. To his right, there were towers of trinkets and books. To the front and below the window, there was a desk that she had transformed into a workstation. It was somewhat overwhelming.

"I did ask for a workshop." That was all Faruzan had as an excuse. "But none had windows. And I don't want to be alone in a windowless room." She rushed towards the desk. "But just look at this! It's been adeptly named Vairambhaka gear! But it still needs adjustments, there's a small issue I need to figure out…"

The Vairambhaka gear was some sort of pyramidal artefact, but it was lifeless at the moment.

"What does it do?"

"You'll see. Why don't you look around while I fix it?"

Wanderer's chest shrank as he remembered what he was supposed to do. Confess his sins. He had to do this. Both for his sake and her own. Just speak clearly and properly, expressing himself like this was years ago.

"There's something I want to say." Wanderer started while Faruzan tinkered with her project. "Sorry for leaving suddenly last time."

"Oh, that's okay." Faruzan's answer was as calibrated as his own.

She did not want to speak about that, even though she complained about it. So what now? How to approach this?

"What I'm trying to say," Wanderer continued, his voice becoming a pitch higher. "Well, the issue at hand is…"

His reluctance managed to pry Faruzan away from her project, though she seemed more curious rather than concerned about his strange demeanour.

"The first time we met. The, well, before the… You can't remember this, but…"

Why was this so hard? Why were the words stuck in his throat? Should he have rehearsed it all? That wasn't it. Admitting the truth was physically demanding. His whole body was struggling to just say a few words. And why? Because he didn't want to make Faruzan upset? To betray her trust like that? That silly reason? Faruzan trusted him more than he trusted himself. Nahida knew what he was capable of, and that's why she constantly tried to give him advice. But Faruzan wasn't like that. She used him like a crutch, to pick up her own shortcomings. Yet, every time they shared something, he couldn't help but be more drawn towards her. As if the pain they had experienced, at different times and places, was the same. Their own. Was that love? Pity? He didn't quite understand it.

"Hey… You're looking sick." Faruzan approached him. She caressed away his hair and placed the back of her hand against his forehead. "You're burning up."

"You're just too cold from keeping the window open." He answered, gently pushing her hand away.

Faruzan turned towards a chair full of books and carefully removed them before picking up the chair and placing it beside him. "Come on, sit. Maybe your tension is too high…"

There was a time when he forced himself to do what she wanted. Now, he wasn't so sure anymore.

For one reason or another, he sat down on the chair and rubbed his face as if it would help with admitting the truth.

Out of all things to feel guilty about, it had to be this one.

His hat was knocked aside as he unexpectedly hugged her and buried his face against her abdomen. Faruzan didn't expect it, but the surprise lasted only a few moments.

"You're not going to start to kiss me again, are you?" Faruzan's voice showed a light teasing tone, but it didn't last as her Pupil shook his head. "Alright… If you don't tell me what's wrong, I don't know how to help you."

He didn't know the answer either. An answer that seemed far away as Faruzan started to slowly caress his hair, as if he had done nothing wrong in his entire life. How misplaced her soft, tender touch was. His crimes were hard to believe, forgotten by all but himself. This was truly the worst punishment he could receive.

…So was that not enough?

What was the point of telling her the truth now? Nowadays, she was happier every day, while he felt miserable for being a liar. Was that not enough punishment? If he said the truth, then she'd be despondent like he was. And in exchange, he'd be better off.

Why should she suffer more than him?

If Buer knew what he had done a century ago, so what? He'd admit it without any shame. Buer would do nothing if he explained his reasoning. Because… That's right. This wasn't lying. What was it she said? It was a benign lie. Faruzan didn't need the truth at the moment, her life would be actively worse if she learnt it.

He'd say the truth. But not now. Nor tomorrow or the day after. He had to suffer for far longer so that his crimes levelled out.

It made sense, right? Did it make sense? It had to make sense.

"Um… Can you breathe like that?"

Faruzan's question prompted him to pull away from the hug and suddenly realise what he was doing. He picked up his hat from the floor, quickly stood up from the chair and made up an excuse.

"I... Let's forget this happened." He hastily exclaimed as if Faruzan would follow through.

"How about no? It's the third time you say you have to confess something and never do." She answered, watching him don his hat back again.

Buer's advice. That he should still follow, right? Somehow, now that he had decided to bear the full burden of truth by himself for a limitless time, everything felt much easier.

"Listen, Faruzan. You already know a few things about me, but you don't really know the meaning behind them. I don't like telling this to people, but I've lost a lot of things in my life. Both a sense of purpose and cherished people. Sometimes I feel happy with you, other times I wonder if I deserve any of this, and at the worst times I wonder if it would be better to return to being alone. Everything I like is something I lose. And when it isn't, it's because I've been lied to. It's a hard thought pattern to break from… You had to begin from zero as well. But just look at you. You're already back on your feet faster than I ever could have dreamed of. How can I deserve someone like you?"

Whether Faruzan expected the frank reveal of his inner thoughts or not, she seemed to have been somewhat expecting it.

"You know, whenever I said this was an equal partnership and you rebuffed it, I thought it was because you believed yourself to be mightier than me. Not backwards." She shifted awkwardly in place. "But I'm not really back on my feet. I had nightmares again, you know? And everyone treats me as a pitiful object from another era. Just a few people treat me with the respect a scholar deserves… You're the only one who treats me normally. And I don't mean that as a bad thing." She blinked and sighed. "Look at me, here you are pouring your heart out and I keep talking about myself."

"Well, I was doing the same thing. I just want you to know that I act strangely because of that."

"I understand now, so that's why you're so clingy but always run away. I'm not going to leave you just because I feel like it, you need to know that! You're my… Hmm… My beau! Irreplaceable!" Faruzan was awfully proud of whatever she had said, but it shimmered down as she noticed Wanderer's utter confusion.

"The fuck's a beau?"

"You know…! A suitor…? My sweetheart!" She seemed more embarrassed of saying that than whatever old-timely word she used. "So from now on, I'm going to give you hugs until you get rid of those awful thoughts."

"Uh, right." Buer did say to open up, but she said nothing of what to do afterwards. Now what? "Well, you, uh… continue with your things. And I'll be watching."

"No. Hug first." Faruzan raised her arms like she was being robbed and slowly approached him. "You're not escaping a dogged-old hug!"

"You're very strange sometimes."

"Weird? We're both strange, fine Sir. That's why we stick to each other." Faruzan hugged him over the shoulders for a few seconds before whispering. "You're supposed to hug back."

Hugs were not his speciality. Regardless, he hugged around the waist and wondered what he was exactly supposed to feel. They definitely felt different from Nahida's random hugs. Which he never actually returned.

"See? All better now." Faruzan pulled back, smiling brightly.

"I prefer the kisses." He admitted.

"Yeah, well, you're not getting any for leaving last time." She crossed her arms and turned around dramatically. "And I am busy!"

As Faruzan returned to repairing her magnum opus, Wanderer observed her just a step away. She was quite serious on the matter, it was interesting seeing her like that.

A few prism-like objects caught his attention, sitting right beside Faruzan's main table. Those were the ones they gathered from that makeshift weapon of the relic hunters. Only one of them glew, the remaining three were inert. They were lined up, barely touching each other.

"You should clean up around here or this is going to look like a pigsty. More than it is." He picked one of the prisms up.

"I had a million ideas I wanted to try. I've gone by a few hundred… I'll clean up next week." Faruzan glanced at what he was doing and suddenly freaked out. "What are you doing? Don't touch those, they're fragile!"

She rushed towards him, carefully took the prism off his hand and placed it back with the others. Then, she sighed in relief after checking their condition.

"I thought it was trash. They don't work." Wanderer said, in an attempt to excuse himself.

"It's not trash… they're the memoir from our trip." Faruzan longingly stared at them for a few more seconds before turning back towards her workstation. "They're an antique we rescued. Isn't it a neat metaphor for our trip?"

"Hmph. Like we did anything worth remembering." He turned towards the pile of books and was about to take one when Faruzan snapped a reply.

"It might have been normal for you, but that was the first thing I've done after a century. So I'm going to cherish it even if we did nothing extraordinary."

The acts themselves were normal, but the background behind them was important as well. It was obvious in hindsight. Faruzan seemed a bit more receptive to saying her real thoughts as well. Knowing what she felt like was somewhat informative, he believed.

"I see…" He muttered, picking up one of the books. Solid state physics, it was called. "I liked putting down people together. Verbally. And physically as well."

"Of course you liked that. I enjoy discussions. Any Haravatat student knows that dialectics are very important. So I enjoy that well-crafted art." A spark escaped the gadget, which she was expecting.

"Well-crafted art, my ass. At one point you were just insulting that swindler from Caravn Ribat like your life depended on it." He put down the book and picked up another one. It was merely titled Metaphysics.

"When you get to my level, you'll understand there's a point where people don't listen to arguments." Faruzan glanced at him, noticing his book curiosity. "Those are books I discarded, they're not as useful as I believed. I have to return them. Old theories, don't make me laugh…"

He shrugged and put down the last book, ignoring her last remark. Like always. So he stopped and asked. "Are they… not good?"

"What is?" Faruzan didn't expect the question. He wasn't quite sure what he was asking either.

"Well, the… The theories. Are they not good anymore?"

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it. Just look at this." She finally picked up her Vairambhaka gear, cusping it in both hands. "Seems fairly innocuous. What's your first impression?"

Why didn't she want to tell him? Faruzan had secrets as well. It didn't matter, Buer said everyone was allowed to have secrets.

"Looks like it's from Deshret's civilisation. Even if it looks dead."

"Well, unlike those relic hunters, I need no wood, nor bronze, to make a copy of its technology. When I was in the chamber, I interacted with a few of these systems. Though, don't tell anyone that and just behold."

"Alright. I'm beholding."

The pyramid shape artefact suddenly started to rotate and shot up in the air. It floated between them, glowing white. Faruzan held his hand and placed it below the gadget.

"Look." Faruzan snapped her fingers, her vision flaring to life and giving the Vairambhaka gear new-found energy on top of its ancient, Al-Ahmar technology. It was covered in anemo energy, hiding its metallic components. Wanderer could feel a faint air current emanating from it. "It can clear up sand particles!"

"It… You created the closest thing to ancient technology in existence. And you plan to use it to blow away sand." He touched the gadget, but it rejected his touch with a burst of energy. It interfered with his own, augmenting the pain.

"No touchy! It has more uses. Like cutting, projecting energy and reaching high places. But it was mostly for the sand." She controlled the gear towards her before it quickly ran out of energy. "For some reason, using my vision makes it shut down afterwards. It must overload its circuits."

That issue rang a bell. An instrument unable to sustain the elemental energy of a powerful object? It almost seemed like an insult.

As Faruzan placed the gadget back on the table, Wanderer approached her.

"I'll…" He started but stopped himself. "May I try something? Give it to me."

Faruzan was reluctant. Nonetheless, she brought the Vairambhaka gear to his hands. "But be careful. I don't think I can find any more materials such as those without going back to the desert."

He looked at the pyramid, which was way more complex than it looked from up close. Although it was shut down, he inspected the bright core inside it. Even though the gadget was dead, it still gleamed with energy. Anemo energy flowed from his right arm into the pyramid, opposing little resistance as the energy flowed towards his left arm.

"It can take on elemental energy just fine," Faruzan added, knowing that was what he was checking for. "But if I turn its core on…" She snapped her fingers, which immediately destabilised the energy flow, and forced itself into shutdown. Faruzan turned towards a notebook, flipping its pages. "I did the math, it should sustain itself even with a different energy flow. It doesn't even pass through its core, so why…?"

"A fire can sometimes extinguish a smaller fire." He made the Vairambhaka gear float on the palm of his hand. "It might be built to sustain energy, but a vision is much more powerful than whatever its core is. The elemental energy replaces its normal energy outflow. The core's energy cannot leave the source due to the elemental energy's pressure passing through it. So it forces a shutdown."

That was why his body couldn't sustain a gnosis.

The sudden insight of her Pupil made her pause and look at her little project. "I see… You reckon that's the cause?" She placed it down on the table. "Then perhaps..."

Faruzan was too engrossed in the maths and design of whatever idea had popped up in her mind to realise Wanderer's surprising knowledge in the matter. She wrote down a few formulas he couldn't quite comprehend and modified the Vairambhaka gear in minute ways.

"This is either going to work or we're exploding admirably for the sake of progress." Faruzan gleefully said as the Gear lit up back to life.

"Exploding?"

The Gear spun around itself, its metallic components once again engulfed in anemo energy. Right when it seemed to be reaching its breaking point, energy suddenly flowed towards the base of the pyramid. Like so, the energy projected outward from the base and turned into a mirrored pyramid. It now resembled an octahedron.

"Are you still beholding? Behold harder!" Faruzan exclaimed with a mixture of amazement and joy as the Vairambhaka gear darted around with incredible precision and finesse. "That'll show those naysayers and whippersnappers! Old and outdated they said!"

Wanderer was under the impression that, just like the Doctor and the Sages had conjured, a bigger vessel was needed to properly handle all the energy. Instead, Faruzan had simply worked around the original model and somehow…

The gear stopped right in front of him and washed him over with anemo energy. She broke out of the stupor and pulled back.

"See? See?! It works!" Absolutely delighted did not properly convey the happiness Faruzan was exuding. She gathered her wits as she noticed the Wanderer's continuous gaze. "Ehem, thank you for your keen observation, fine Sir."

The Vairambhaka gear stopped on Faruzan's hands and turned off on command. Faruzan giddily walked back to her workstation between giggles and happy murmurs.

"You know, I think you've finished your sentence right now! How come you know about energy flows?" Faruzan asked, suddenly realising that it was her Pupil who gave her a push.

"I am not an expert. In layman's terms, I'm not so different from that little pyramid."

Perhaps… telling Faruzan that he was not human wouldn't hurt.

"Oh, like uh…" Faruzan feigned a cough and inconspicuously walked towards the open window. "Well, it's normal for youngsters to have a lot of, well, licentious energy. And sometimes it can override your normal way of thinking, so… So, well, next time…"

Faruzan was a lost cause, he thought.

"I didn't mean that I'm horny, you old, brain-rotted hag. And I thought I was the one with issues. Look, do you want to see a very complex machine or not?" Faruzan turned towards him, her eyes slowly drawn towards his hips and then lower. "No, it's not inside my shorts."

"Oh. Okay, less awkward. What kind of machine?"

"I'll take that question as a yes. If you give me a day, I'll reveal it to you."

Everything was working out all right. He was even making strides on that whole "talking" issue they had, as Buer recommended. Now, he only had to explain to Buer the situation and why he was decided to indefinitely withhold that sensitive information from a century ago.

Nahida would understand.

Surely, she would.