ALL NOVEL B2—Chapter20: Italy
When I got up that morning, I found a note slipped under the door:
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Thank you for everything. |
When I met up with Lis and Mahya, they were holding the same note, both looking as puzzled as I felt. Lis shook his head, frowning slightly, and muttered, “That girl needs to learn to face her problems instead of running away.”
I leaned back against the wall, crossing my arms. “From the conversation I had with her yesterday, I think she’s planning to deal with them. She probably left like that because she was embarrassed.”
Just in case, after breakfast, I went into the archive and wrote a message.
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Tr. JR |
Judging by the looks Lis and Mahya gave me, they saw the message. Rue was upset he couldn’t keep watching his cop show and was in a bad mood all day. To be honest, all of us were.
I decided enough was enough and said to Lis and Mahya, “Italy’s always been on my bucket list. Let’s tour around, do some workshops, and have some fun.”
Lis didn’t look convinced, but nodded. As a compromise, I suggested we visit just a few major cities instead of all of Italy, and he agreed and even smiled. We flew to Palermo, booked some workshops, and went sightseeing.
Our visit included the Palermo Cathedral, the Norman Palace, the Royal Palace, and the Palatine Chapel. We also did the Street Food and No Mafia Walking Tours. Lis and Mahya didn’t get the No Mafia Walking Tour, so I told them to watch The Godfather. They did, and didn’t get it either.
Aliens are no fun.
- Palermo’s Delight: Unleash the Secrets of Pizza and Gelato Making
- Cooking Class with Mamma Lucia & Vincenzo
- Palermo: Sicilian Bread Masterclass
- Palermo: Italian Aperitivo Masterclass
The cooking class was pasta, but I couldn’t earn a point since I’d already given it up. At least Mahya and Lis got the point. The rest of the workshops were fine, but we didn’t laugh as much as usual. Rue couldn’t join the food class, so I arranged for him to learn Italian while we left him with the TV in the hotel. At least we ate well during our entire week in Palermo.
On our last evening in the city, we were sitting in the living room of our suite. I took out my guitar, which I hadn’t played in a long time, and started playing and singing Leonard Cohen’s Who by Fire. Music has always been my way of dealing with things.
“And who by fire, who by water
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time”
“Insightful song,” Lis murmured, his gaze distant as he absorbed the lyrics.
“Yeah,” I nodded, my voice quiet, still lost in the mood the music had created.
Mahya had tears in her eyes and left for her room.
We flew to Naples in a slightly better mood, but we were still feeling down and worried about Lyura. In Naples, I booked some workshops, and we went sightseeing. We visited the Royal Palace, the Spanish Quarters, the city’s underground, the Historic Center, the Sansevero Chapel, and the National Archaeological Museum. I loved the museum, absolutely captivated by everything, but Lis and Mahya told me that after visiting another two or three worlds, I wouldn’t care about “old stuff they found buried in the ground.” The alien perspective was annoying sometimes. At least we had workshops to look forward to.
- Resin Workshop
- Private E-foil Lesson
- Hands-On Blown Glass Ornament Experience
- Handmade Neapolitan Jewelry Workshop
- Creative Experience with Clay in the Cilento National Park
- Workshop: Learn How to Make Natural Solid Soap
- Ceramic Workshop in Positano
- Fresco Painting & Aperitivo with Seaview in Sorrento Peninsula
- Typical Traditional Tarantella Dance Lesson
All three of us fell in love with the E-foil, and didn’t even care we didn’t get an ability from the lesson. Lis promised to figure out how to convert it into a Magitech device. We bought three each and wanted him to start on the project right away, but he told us to “hold our horses.” I laughed hearing him use such an Earth expression, but Mahya was confused and pointed out she didn’t have a horse. I laughed even harder, and Lis smiled. We were getting better.
We got utterly drunk at the Fresco painting workshop, and the next day, when we saw the paintings, we quietly threw them away and made a silent agreement never to speak of them again.
We laughed the whole time during the Tarantella Dance lesson, especially since Rue joined us and wanted to dance too. Judging by the number of cell phones pointed his way, he was going to be a media star.
We rented a car and drove to the Gate. I was sure it would lead to Olympus based on my experience with Asgard. Much to my surprise, the Gate led to a tech world. I was really confused. Italy, which I was certain would lead to something with a high mana level, led to a tech world?
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Travelers Gate #1648461683 |
Those Gates made no sense.
We flew to Rome and spent a week touring the city. Again, the archaeological stuff didn’t impress Lis and Mahya too much, but the rest of the places charmed them. At least they admired the Sistine Chapel. When we were at Saint Peter’s Basilica, Lis lit a candle and said a prayer of thanks.
“I thought you believed in Guiding Spirits, not the God of Earth,” I said, as I watched Lis light the candle.
Lis didn’t look up as he responded. “There are many names for gods and goddesses in the cosmos; the name doesn’t matter. What matters is that there are guiding beings that watch over us. Years ago, I wanted to say thank you for surviving Tír na nÓg, and now I can do it.”
Mahya heard that and lit a candle too; I followed suit, lit a candle, and said thank you for bringing them into my life.
I booked some workshops, and we started going to them one by one.
- Make Your Own Italian Sandals with Local Fashionista’s
- Ancient Mosaic Workshop
- Rome Amigurumi Courses Level 1 Basic—4 hours
- Private Stained Glass Course in Rome’s Trastevere
- Trieste: Marbling Workshop
- Rome: 2-Hour Gladiator School
Mahya fell in love with Mosaic and kept the skill to use with her woodworking. None of us earned a point for the Gladiator School, and Lis said it was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever done.
When we arrived in Florence, I discovered a lot of art classes. Based on our experience with weaving, we knew there was a limit to how many skill variations we could farm, so we reviewed the options and chose the best ones. After all, even if we didn’t keep them as skills we could progress in levels, we’d still keep the knowledge.
- Create Your Original Cuttlefish Bone Cast Jewelry
- Sculpt like Michelangelo
- Costumes and Drapery Workshop
- Scenography Workshop
- Linoleum Printing Workshop
- Mixed Media Workshop
- Fashion Illustration Workshop
- Fluid and Drip Painting Workshop
- Oil Painting Workshop
- Tempera and Renaissance Painting Techniques
- Palette Knife Painting Class Florence
- Traditional Florentine Gilding Course
We went sightseeing between workshops. For three weeks, we felt very artistic and even got all the points. We also did three different wine tours and bought a lot of wine.
After three weeks in Florence, Lis saw me going through various sites offering workshops and said, “Let’s stop with the workshops; we’ve got plenty of points and need to move quicker.”
I glanced at him, frowning. “I still need points for two, and Rue’s spells and abilities are expensive.”
Lis paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “When you decide which Gate you’ll be leaving through, explore the area by land and do as many workshops as you can find. I’m worried about flying, and we still have the African and Chinese Gates to consider.”
“Okay,” I agreed, nodding. “Let’s move faster.”
We flew to Venice, and I thought it was amazing, but they didn’t think so. It turned out that Parsha, a world both of them had visited, was mostly canals except for the mountains, and the canals there were much cleaner. I created another ten Purifying Aluminum Blobs and placed them discreetly in the canals. Although I knew they wouldn’t make much difference, every little bit helps. I even created a mana construct shell to prevent the spell from dissipating over time. Learning had its benefits.
We took a Gondola ride with a singer, and both of them said my voice was better. Again, I decided friends are awesome, especially since my late wife lovingly described my voice as “much better than a dying cat, but don’t quit your day job, dear.”
We flew to Milan, toured the city, and drove to the Gate. This one matched my expectations better.
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Travelers Gate #1549469733 |
I turned to Lis, curious. “You said the Genomey were amazing inventors and Magitech artisans; how come their world didn’t have a Magitech rating?”
“Because they don’t use only Magitech. They use different power methods and various magic item creation schools.”
I frowned, still puzzled. “I’m confused now. What’s the difference?”
“Magitech is the creation of technological items—like your house, electric appliances, vehicles, city defenses, industrial machinery, and the like—all powered by mana instead of electricity. But there are other methods to power things, like steam or fire, which they’re really good at. There are also different ways to create magical items, like using runes or magic script without mana crystals or a dungeon core as a power source, so they aren’t classified as Magitech.”
“Huh. Thanks.”
Before we left Milan, Mahya approached us, looking serious. “We need to go to Switzerland for a short while, and I need your help, John, to set up a bank account.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
“I’m selling computer technology to a company in Switzerland named Axisbits, and I need to finalize the deal in person and set up a bank account for them to transfer the money. They don’t pay in cash,” she explained.
“Sure,” I said, considering. “Do you have a lawyer?”
“No,” she admitted, looking slightly unsure. “Do I need one?”
“Definitely,” I replied firmly.
“Okay, let’s find one in Switzerland,” she agreed.
On the flight to Switzerland, my red light started blinking out of the blue.
I checked.
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Songs you brought to a different world have become famous and loved by more than a thousand people. |
HUH?!?!?!?