The group filed out of the Lantern Teleportation Hall. As they walked through the retro underground corridor, they chatted animatedly.
As they passed the Research Institute, where equipment beeped and whirred, the easygoing Knuckle said,
"We've been so busy these past few days, getting ready to join your team."
"For example, we've had to spend time at the Research Institute examining and studying your findings."
Knuckle pointed toward the Research Institute and said to Gelman, "Staring at corpses floating in containers for a long time isn't exactly a pleasant experience."
The taciturn Shoto chimed in, "But what really drove Knuckle crazy was the material in the Archives."
"I wasn't driven crazy."
Knuckle flushed a little as he protested. "But... those documents were piled up like mountains, and every line of text was as tiny as a gnat."
"Only the illustrations scattered throughout the pages and the handpicked pictures in the albums made it a little easier on my eyes."
Their footsteps echoed up the spiral stone staircase, keeping up a brisk rhythm.
The ever-courteous List walked at the front, just like the butler or footman of the castle—except he looked far too young for the role.
He snapped his fingers loudly in the air. In an instant, the deliberately aged, yellowish lighting of the spiral staircase changed to ordinary white light.
Doon scratched his head, looking perplexed.
"Oh, come on, List! You ruined the atmosphere. Do you know how much effort I put into creating that dim, candlelit effect?"
"Wouldn't it be better to replace it with real candles or regular lights instead?"
List smiled faintly. Clearly, he hadn't been too keen on the deliberately retro lighting, which had taken so much time and effort to install.
"But this is a castle, according to the setting!" Doon argued.
List had