Chapter 430: Echoes Of A Forgotten World III

Chapter 430: Echoes Of A Forgotten World III



Quinn, Elijah, and Junior joined Aria in a second, peering into the case.

Inside were rows of small devices, each the size of a coin, with small buttons on the sides. They, with one exception, reacted similarly to her, thinking that they had hit the jackpot.

Getting closer, Junior squinted his eyes at the tiny labels beneath each device and asked: "What are those?"

Elijah, the 'exception,' shrugged his shoulders.

"Dunno. They might just be data storage. Back then, people used these to keep information

on physical devices, not just on the network or inside their own bodies like we do."

Aria reached for the handle of the display case, but it wouldn't budge.

She tried again, pulling harder, but it was locked.

"Guess we're not getting in there."

Junior laughed.

"Not without breaking it open, at least."

Quinn looked at Elijah.

"You think the Academy will allow that?"

He nodded.

"You're not thinking right. It doesn't matter what the Academy wants, they told us to do as we like, so we can break this no problem."

"Then let's do it—"

Elijah clutched Junior's shoulder, interrupting him.

"The Academy doesn't care, but that doesn't mean that the AI manager of this place doesn't. It might send its droids after us if we're not careful."

"Ah..."

Defeated, Junior stepped back and began searching the other sections of the shop.

The others went their own way, exploring every nook and cranny, their footsteps echoing on the tiled floor.

They packed things like Personal Drones, Home Automation Systems, and even what appeared to be Holo Gaming Consoles.

Aria found herself drawn to a section near the back of the store, where larger, bulkier items were stored.

One of the items caught her eye-an eighty-inch rectangular vessel as thin as the nails on her fingers, with cracked black glass on its front, held within the frame.

The vessel was covered in dust, and the glass had a spiderweb of fractures running across it, certainly not a credit maker, but there was something about it that made her want to investigate further.

The image was grainy, the colors faded with age, but the warmth of the moment was still there, she could see it... feel it.

She watched the scene for a very long moment, a pang of emotion tugging at her.

Envy was burning within her.

A more pure type of envy, quite unlike Arthur's.

Why could they live normally but she couldn't?

What had she done to lose her life?

This was a glimpse of something she could never have... It wasn't-

"Quinn."

Elijah cut off her somber thoughts, and she shook her head, calming her emotions.

"What is it?"

At her question, he pointed at his rucksack and stepped outside the shop.

"Let's keep it moving."

Quinn nodded, turned off the projector, and set it back on the table.

They left the shop, stepping back into the dimly lit passageway.

The vibrations from below had increased even more, but again, they didn't pay it any mind, or

at least they tried not to.

But just as they passed a neighboring shop, a sudden presence appeared, making them all

freeze in place.

A man stood before them as if materializing out of thin air.

He was tall and imposing, wearing a white cloak that had a familiar insignia on the chest,

right above where his second heart would be.

Elijah had realized it at once.

While there were a few inconsistencies, like his hair not being white, it was obvious where

this man had come from.

Templar.

"Guys... prepare yourselves. This'll be the hardest fight of our lives."