Bartolomeo stood motionless, his massive figure in the dim light of the mine-shaft appearing as if hewn from the very same bedrock as the surrounding walls. The heavy silence was broken only by his low, rumbling laughter, which sent a faint, rhythmic vibration through the ceiling and floor.
"How marvelous! I truly did not expect to cross paths with you again so soon, child," he shook his head, a spark of genuine amusement dancing in his hidden eyes. "And regarding the villages... Ho-ho-ho! Do you honestly believe a sane man would choose to live in total isolation in a world such as this? It would be far more terrifying—and suspicious—if I lived away from civilization."
Sensing Eni’s mounting tension, the smith gestured for her to calm herself and began his explanation. As it turned out, there was no teleportation magic or supernatural speed involved in his travels—at least, not in the way she had imagined. It was all due to the Obelisks. Those very same monoliths where Eni checked her statistics were actually nodes in an ancient transportation network. They were situated in key settlements, and those with the right knowledge used them to blink instantaneously between villages.
Eni felt the tide of suspicion recede, replaced by a brief, disorienting confusion. "Wait, stop... What about Stark?" she asked, recalling the fifteen-foot giant. "Why didn't he use an Obelisk then? Why did he just bolt out of the village on his own two feet?"
"Well..." Bartolomeo raised a finger instructively. "The giant is young. Perhaps he was simply flustered by the sight of a beauty such as yourself, or, more likely, in his typical fashion, he simply forgot the Obelisks even existed. That lad’s head is in the clouds in the most literal sense. You’d best ask him yourself when next you meet."
The smith cast a brief, knowing glance at Eni’s rucksack where her find rested. "By the way, that Fragment of Earth is of no use to me. It is utterly worthless to anyone who doesn't plan on visiting the floating island. Keep it. But remember: to activate the artifact, you must place it directly upon the soil."
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Eni shifted from one foot to the other. The artifact stockings immediately reminded her of their presence, cinching her thighs with renewed vigor, as if reacting to her internal agitation. She felt a growing sense of obligation, and it was a feeling she loathed. "Why are you helping me? I... I don't understand..." she began, but Bartolomeo cut her off sharply.
"Knowing the 'why' is not a requirement for you. Simply accept the fact: in this world, there are those ready to aid you without pointless questions," he stated firmly. "There is a village nearby, and another just twenty-five feet from here. Both should have Obelisks, considering their proximity to the floating island..."
Eni frowned, trying to parse the logic behind those specific numbers. "Wh-what? Why are you giving me this information?" she asked, baffled by the old man’s oddly specific data.
"Ah, no, forgive me. I didn't realize I was muttering. Just thoughts, merely thinking out loud," Bartolomeo waved it off, returning to his usual, slightly detached demeanor.
After bidding farewell to the enigmatic smith, Eni emerged from the mine. The sunlight, fracturing around the jagged edges of the floating island above, blinded her for a moment. She reached into her pocket and drew out the Fragment of Earth—a pulsating, brown clump of dense substance—and, as the old man had instructed, placed it upon the ground.
The earth beneath her feet shuddered. A violent torrent of gravitational energy catapulted her upward. Eni soared, feeling the steel of her corset grind into her ribs from the G-force, while the magical stockings bit into her thighs, locking her body in a rigid, agonizingly perfect posture. She drifted through the air atop a small, levitating chunk of earth, gradually nearing the celestial island. Looking down, she could see the village below. The inhabitants of this place were clearly shrewder than most; their proximity to such a strategic landmark made their community prosperous and well-fortified.
And then, the silence of her triumphant ascent was shattered by the Voice. It sounded disappointed, almost offended. "Eni... did you seriously miss the hint?"
"The hint?" she repeated, struggling to stabilize her flight with a "double jump" that made her insides twist treacherously against the compression of her gear.
"Agh! Your density is truly staggering!" The Voice was practically dripping with venom. "Both of the villages below have Obelisks. They are situated incredibly close to one another. Which means we could simply steal one of them, and no one would truly suffer! Even Bartolomeo was practically laying it out for you, putting all his cards on the table."
Eni froze in mid-air, staring down at the receding ground. The puzzle pieces finally clicked into place. Bartolomeo hadn't just "happened" to leave the Fragment of Earth behind. He knew what Eni needed. That old man wasn't just a smith; he was a silent architect, nudging her toward a much larger, much more dangerous game.
