Finish up your calls.

The next person you contact is the queen herself. You can't help but feel entertained that not only are you and the ruler of Tivera on a first name basis, but that you can contact her anytime you wish. Your two nations are certainly more than just allied. It's more intimate than that. You finger her name on the front of the slab, and then at last you select her and hold the trinket up to your ear.

Hardly ten seconds pass before it picks up.

"Kyle! Is that you?" comes the voice of Queen Catherine II. "What a lovely piece of magical technology your people have made. It's so sleek and easy to use. Though, the vibration startled me. Let's just say it was resting on an unfortunate place when you decided to call... Mmm. Maybe fortunate, actually."

"It's good to hear your voice," you say with a smirk. "Unfortunately, I'm calling to warn you of some strange happenings."

"Does it involve the election?"

"Nothing political. This probably won't involve the Empire itself, or you, unless he wins of course. Xavex the Evolving. I don't know if you've heard of him, but he's hunting down beings like Feli and Lepo. A few mighty, ancient beings have already fallen to his murder spree."

"The name sounds vaguely familiar. Thank you for letting me know of this, Kyle. I wish I had something to offer you in return."

"Your presence is more than enough, my queen."

"Oh you stop that."

Though you can't see her, somehow you know she's smiling. "How is the election going?" you ask.

"Lady Mittens is not running for reelection. Things have been interesting since your departure. Catfolk and bunnyfolk have been discussion the return of their gods, and they know they stand by your side. If anything, they're talking more about you than whoever is going to be mayor. One man, intimately close with both of their creator deities whom they also thought were enemies before, rules a new nation directly adjacent to Tivera. You're overshadowing everything else, you naughty boy. What am I supposed to do about that?"

"I'll try to make less of a spectacle next time I need to reveal everything about myself in front of a whole city."

"You did exactly what you should have done. Speaking of which, people are still confused by your claim of being from another world. Isekai Theory has never been such a prominent subject of research."

"Well, soon I'm going to be heading out to investigate some stuff myself. Let me know if anything happens. I don't know why he'd attack the Empire, but I want to know if anything sketchy comes up just in case."

"You'll be the first to know."

"Be safe, Catherine."

"You as well, Kyle. Thank you for the call. It was good to hear your voice too."

You lay the FONE down for a few minutes before jumping straight into the next call.

I really do know a lot of important people, huh?

Finally, you select the contact Captain Silver and press the slab to your ear. Then you wait.

Half a minute passes.

Before you decide to try again later, you hear the voice of Silver, though she sounds out of breath.

"Oh! How's it going, Kyle? I hope Xue is doing well too. Nnghh... Ah! Phew. What's up?"

"Is this a bad time?" you ask.

"No, no. Not at all. What can I do for you?"

"Remember when fought the Stormqueen, and some armoured guy came to steal the kill, and we ran away?"

"Oh yeah. I've actually been looking into that. When I found out more, I was going to call you. Something to do with a God-Slayer. Sounds really serious. Why? Did something--Woah there!"

"Are you fighting?"

"Yeah. Just some pirates. Don't worry. I'm listening."

"... Well, his name is Xavex the Evolving. Stay safe out there. Like the God-Slayer title suggests, he hunts down beings like the Stormqueen and absorbs their power to grow stronger. Let me know if you learn anything. I want to stop this guy before he snowballs out of control."

"Snowballs?"

"Oh. Earth saying. Like if you roll a snowball down a hill, it gets bigger and bigger until it's out of con--"

"Look out! That was a close one. Hah! Sorry, Kyle. That sounds dangerous. I'll use this FONE thing to let you know if I learn anything important. But I should get going for now. I think Mole might have been swallowed by a giant fish. Not sure. I can see her pants over there."

"You good?"

"This is a normal day for a seafaring treasure hunter, Your Majesty. Good luck on your hunt! We'll talk again soon."

"Good talking to you, Silver. Try not to have too much fun."

As you put down your last call for the day, you can't help but reflect on all the voices you've heard. These people--they come from all different places. You're able to talk to them from far away. From the desert to the west, to the eastern sea, you have connections unseen. You stew on this for a time. There's something special about this feeling. It isn't just Invisible Ties. Or if it is, perhaps you have evolving of your own to do. Though for some you could only hear, it was like they were right there beside you.

Anyway, there's still time in the day to get more done. You stand up from the table, say your goodbyes to Sen-nu, and head back out into the village.