Although Little Ashina was still as idle as ever today, she didn't head to Smuggler's Woods to pet the little gnolls like she usually did, nor did she take the new players dungeon-running. Instead, she snuck over to Triss's alchemy workshop and picked up the thing she'd commissioned a few days earlier. Then, like a thief, she slipped out to the outskirts of Scarlet Castle, where major construction was underway.
She didn't linger at the Silvermoon Pride's outpost in the camp outside the city, either. Instead, she kept flapping her wings and flying through the afternoon sunlight, traveling a long way before finally reaching the woods outside the Cadman People's Army barracks—the former survivor camp.
This was where Kachitoni Tai and Niguge Lu Dayou had been attacked by the Witch Hunter, where Meow Brother had completed his class-change ritual, and where Murphy and Old Fenok had reached their agreement.
The little grove was unremarkable, but it had played an important part in the "new history" of Transia and the players. Now that the Witch Hunter had become one of Transia's own, however, the woods had fallen completely quiet.
Deep in the woods, Menghaha—newly recruited by the Silvermoon Order—finally smiled when she saw Little Ashina flapping toward her.
She waved Little Ashina over like a clandestine operative signaling a contact. Little Ashina came closer and handed her the tools.
As Menghaha stretched and took out her own computational orb, even the usually fearless Little Ashina showed a rare trace of hesitation and nervousness.
She whispered:
"You're really going to take it apart? Aren't you afraid it'll explode? I heard that even among halflings, the method for making computational orbs is a closely guarded secret. Those clever little people might have put all kinds of strange things inside."
"Why not just stand