Chapter 140: Thank you

The hours went by and so did the food. Jules was very adept with her one usable arm. Though weak to the point of struggling to hold a spoon, she took her time eating and would leverage the long handles of the grill to heat her meat. When necessary, Matty would help her out, which wasn’t often and only when she politely asked for it.

All that remained was the alcohol in their systems.

William’s relationship with Marta had developed into a silent friendship. Whenever they saw something weird, they would exchange looks and funny faces. No words or jokes were necessary, and since Marta was naturally shy, he didn’t expect any more out of her either.

William expected wrong.

He had never seen Marta drunk, but that did not make up for Marta’s current condition. The blonde was shitfaced drunk and singing her heart out. According to Kazi, it was Poland’s national anthem. Her armour gone and wearing a white drawstring jumpsuit, Marta jumped on the table, singing and screaming, Jules giggled and hit the table to the beat. Then there was Kazi, who said he was going to go outside and let them calm down on their own.

That left William with…

“So…”

Matty. Yeah, William was left with the scowling Matty. A bit tipsy, his brows were softer than normal. ’If I can’t talk to him now, then I probably won’t ever.’

“You and Jules, how did you meet?” William asked.

“Gate 1.”

…progress, right?

“Did you save her or something?”

“No.” His voice turned sharp and turned to look at him, irritated. “She saved my life,” Matty clarified. He sipped on his wine.

“She…saved your life?” William repeated. He drank as well. “That’s…um…interesting.”

At Gate 1, a woman that wasn’t able to move her arms saved a guy like him? He wasn’t tall or buff bt he certainly wasn’t powerless.

In a low mutter, Matty continued, “No one ever did that for me before. I owe her everything.” His mutters lowered and William barely managed to hear him admit, “I hate it when she puts herself down.”

A smile spread across William. He sipped on his wine again, feeling the tension leave him, and said in a sing-songy tone, “Awww, somebody has gotta a crush~!”

“Yeah, I love her. So?”

Oh.

“Oh, um.” William awkwardly rubbed a hand down his cheek. “Want another drink?”

“Sure. You’re paying.”

Did he not care that he was underage? Whatever. Honestly, it was better like this. Being treated as an adult was nice—

“Okay, no more drinks.”

“Huh?” William had barely gotten to taste his fourth glass when Kazi came back inside. His arms crossed, it did not look like William could argue. “Ugh, really!? Please, just one more!”

Kazi shook his head and pursed his smiling lips. He grabbed William by the shoulder. “Alright, William, come on.”

He was way too weak to resist and ended up zombieing his way out. “But Kaaaziiii~!”

“Fresh air, come on.”

The sky was dark. Weird. He wasn’t sure how the Nebulous Bazaar’s day and night cycle worked. At the very least, when night time did fall, it was after a very long period of day.

“I let you drink alcohol and wine because I know you’re mature enough to handle it. Today though, you went a little too far and I think you know it. I don’t want to be policing you, William.”

“Sorry, Kazi.” He gulped the night air and sighed in relief and guilt. He discreetly glanced at Kazi, who was focused on the stars. William also started looking at them. They were beautiful. “…do you really think I’m mature?”

“I know you are.”

“Really?”

“You have a healthy dose of fear in you. Most teenagers aren’t like that. They tend to think they’re invincible.” Kazi flashed him a smile. “You’re a good guy.”

’A good guy…not kid, huh?’

William erupted into laughter.

“Sorry, sorry. It’s just…” William’s laughter tapered off, smiling without meaning. “…you’re more of a father to me than my actual father was. He would have never said something like that to me.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah, my father was…something.” William let out a sigh and rubbed his cheeks with both his hands. “God, what am I saying? Forget it—forget what I said. I’m…I need to go home.”

Kazi didn’t immediately respond. “Get some sleep.”

“I will. Oh, but what about—”

“Marta is fine,” Kazi said. “She’s breaking out of her shell. If she goes too far, I’ll step in.”

“Thanks. Um.” Man, how many times was he going to thank him? “Er, thank you for always looking for me. For all of us.”

Kazi gave a curt nod. Smiling in turn, William said, “Enter home,” and his world changed.

His lodgings were simple. White walls, a poster he bought at random depicting a NFL player turned player, and a long, fluffy white bed. There was a bathroom and shower stall, courtesy of Kazi. He didn’t exaggerate about his skills in trade school, he was a bonafide jack of all trades. The water piping system took him half a day to make, connecting to the miniature water tower outside his little abode. William had no idea how much the water tower cost but wagered it was at least a couple million points.

’Kazi got one for all of us. Me, David, Elena, Sun-young,…he didn’t hesitate to set-up our homes.’

All those points he earned from the train and he elected to help rather than be selfish. William flopped onto his bed and wondered if he would have been able to do the same. His muscles ached and before he realized it he had fallen sleep.

He slept for more than thirteen hours.

*****

“PATENT FOR SELF-SUSTAINING ELEVATED WATER STORAGE TANK WITH MAGICAL FILTERATION AND REPLENISHMENT SYSTEM

Background

Elevated water storage tanks are designed to store and supply water to communities, utilizing the principles of gravity and pressure. The water is typically sourced from nearby lakes, rivers, or wells, and pumped into a raised storage tank. The elevated position of the tank ensures that water can be distributed through pipelines to a specific location with sufficient pressure. However, these systems rely heavily on a continuous external supply of water, which can be susceptible to contamination and depletion.

Abstract

This patent describes an innovative water tank designed to provide a consistent and self-sustaining supply of clean water. The structure incorporates both advanced engineering principles and magic circles to maintain and replenish its water supply without external sources. This water tank is equipped with a spherical reservoir at its top, which houses over twenty magic circles. These circles utilize the kinetic energy generated by the water’s movement as magical power to continuously purify and replenish the water, ensuring an endless supply.

The water tower must be filled with 10,000 gallons of water. Any less or more will destablize the magic circles and not allow the stated amount of momentum to be turned into magical energy.”

– Excerpt of Letter Patent to the Old Mage Tower, 111 HE

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