In the afternoon garden, Gawain sat on a bench, enjoying the rare peace and quiet of recent days. Since winter had drawn near, it had been a long time since he had enjoyed the afternoon sunlight like this.
The magnificent giant sun hung high in the sky, its faint wood grain-like patterns constantly reminding Gawain how extraordinary this world was. He vaguely remembered the immense shock, even oppression, he had felt when he first saw that sun. Yet before he knew it, the sight had become deeply imprinted on his heart. He had grown accustomed to that spectacular "sun," to the light and warmth it brought, and to everything in this world.
Including the large bunch of strange humans and nonhuman creatures around him.
Tir had coiled herself on the nearby lawn, enjoying the warmth of the sunlight. Her upper body stretched across the path between the lawn and the bench, lazily draped over a decorative boulder beside Gawain. In an afternoon-languid tone—though she was rather languid at any time—she spoke of events far away:
"That's basically the situation... Our queen had a proper discussion with the Water Element Lord, and they've now settled on a new agreement. The Water Element Lord has agreed to let us establish a long-term outpost in the Boundless Sea to monitor the Azure Network's activity... If anything unusual happens over there, I'll receive word immediately."
Things seemed to be progressing smoothly, which relieved Gawain. Yet after hearing Tir's account of those "negotiations," he could not shake an indescribable sense of unease. He could not help asking, "Wasn't the relationship between you and the local Water Elements rather tense? Especially since this is such a sensitive matter—setting up an outpost and permanent personnel over there... How exactly did your queen manage to negotiate this?"
Tir