Luckily for them, each building had a huge board listing the stores and establishments it held. Finding a library just took them a bit of time. Much to their dismay, the only books they found were about magic.
Paper was much more precious in Kolga than on the outside, forcing the underwater people to use it only when it really mattered. The only thing they could figure out by studying them was that despite their isolation, Kolga’s inhabitants had researched the first four tiers of magic in a similar way to the Kingdom.
There was no trace of tier five spells, of light magic, of the ritual, nor of Forbidden Magic.
‘This makes no sense. The whole city lives off Forbidden Magic, why they don’t use it for anything else and why hide the existence of light magic?’ Phloria thought.
‘Maybe they don’t need it thanks to the Forbidden Sun.’ Tista said. ‘Coming to the library didn’t get us any leads on the city’s history. We should try going to a school next.
‘Children must be taught about the world they live in and we might learn what we need from those lessons as well.’
Yet no matter how hard they looked, there wasn’t a single school in the first two rings they explored. The two hours at their disposal were almost up and the built-up pain put their willpower to the test, especially Tista’s.
With her bright cyan core, she was the weakest in the group and despite her best efforts, she could sense that its color was about to get duller due to the poison.
‘Let’s find some place to sit down and use Invigoration without drawing attention.’ Phloria knew that using the mind link would hasten the poisoning, but she had no other choice.
Talking with Tista would not only reveal that they were moving together, but there was also the risk that Leegaain’s pin wouldn’t activate and that they would talk the language of Garlen instead that of Kolga, blowing their cover.
They followed the signs inside the building to reach the theatre located on the 27th floor. There were no elevators, just two shafts that ran through the whole building. One for those who needed to go up and the other for those who wanted to go down.
To move quickly from one floor to another, people just needed to use a flight spell to reach their destination.
‘Why can we use flight indoor but not outside?’ Tista asked.
‘I don’t know. My guess is that it makes it impossible for spies to move quickly within the city. Being unable to fly and speak means that regular people doesn’t have enough time to gather any intelligence before the Forbidden Sun cripples their strength.
‘Also, it keeps people from getting near the sun without being noticed. It’s a simple but effective protection.’ Phloria guessed right.
It was the same reason why the use of flying cars had so many restrictions. That way, they couldn’t be used for recon either.
The girls reached the theatre which didn’t differ much from what they expected. It was a wide circular room with a raised stage in the middle, pitched floor, and several rows of seats arranged in a semi-circular shape.
Several people were already inside and only a few isolated spots remained, forcing the girls to seat in the back rows. They sat down, pretending to be interested while using Invigoration to revert the effects of the poisoning.
Due to the world energy inside Kolga being thin, the breathing technique lacked its usual potency yet it still managed to alleviate their pain and made Tista’s core back to bright cyan.
Suddenly the lights went out, leaving only the stage lit. Contrary to the girl’s expectations, no actor came out. The wall came to life as the image of human-merfolk hybrid appeared.
‘What kind of theatre is this?’ Phloria was flabbergasted.
The projection of the merfolk wasn’t a hologram so much as a projection. If Lith were there and could share with them about his first life, he would tell them that place was a movie theatre.
“Greetings, citizens of Reghia. I’m Jyanu and I’m going to inform you about the latest events.” The merfolk said before reading the news like an anchor-man.
Aside from the fact that Kolga’s society was no less flawed than their own and a list of crimes, Tista and Phloria didn’t learn anything. They exploited the darkness to check on their clocks and amulets without being noticed.
‘Damn. There’s not enough time to keep searching. Better stay here and rest while we wait for Lith’s arrival.’ Tista said via their mind link.
After the news came the propaganda. The anchorman spoke about the horrors of the surface and how the enemies of Kolga kept them locked inside the barrier because afraid of their power.
When the news ended, the lights were turned on again. Phloria and Tista were about to leave along with the others when they noticed a countdown on the screen along with the words “The foundation of Kolga”.
They returned to their seats just in time to see a class of small children, each accompanied by one of their parents. While the children looked enthusiastic, the adults seemed to be bored out of their skulls.
Luckily for the girls, there were enough seats for everyone, but they still received several glares from the parents that didn’t take their eyes off them until the lights went out.
The countdown disappeared, replaced by what looked like a cartoon.
“A long time ago, the powerful mage Ripha Menadion lived in the Garlen continent.” The narrating voice said while the screen projected the image of a woman with her hair of the seven colors of the elements who wielded a hammer almost as big as her.
“Despite being a human, she was wise and kind, taking under her several disciples. Ripha imparted them her knowledge, but no matter how talented they were, her disciples couldn’t match their master because her tower made her powerful beyond belief.”
The screen showed Menadion in front of a colossal tower. Each hit of her hammer turned an ingot of metal into a weapon, an armor, or an artifact that after being basked in the light of the tower, gained the power to split the see and raze mountains.
‘Yeah, right. I wish Forgemastering was that easy.’ Tista had a hard time not clicking her tongue.
Her disciples stared at her in awe while begging Menadion for help.
“Menadion then bestowed upon each of her four most loyal disciples an artifact that would allow them to overcome their limits. Our ancestor, Asfell Kolga, received the Hands of Menadion that gave her the very power over mana geysers that still ensures our safety.”
Even though the picture focused on a pair of gloves, the girls could still recognize the other three items. A pince-nez, a mask, and a helm.
The kids and the girls stared at the artifacts in awe.
“Kolga’s skill reached new heights, but even with the Hands, her talent wasn’t enough to craft a tower of her own yet she shaped her home to resemble Menadion’s as a sign of her eternal gratitude.
“One day, however, tragedy struck. One of Menadion’s disciples resented their master for not gifting them any artifact. In their rage, the traitorous disciple attacked and killed Menadion, obtaining both her tower and her hammer, Fury.”
