After Lua finished sending a letter to his father, and also summoned Vision to update him on their new location, he quickly began to unpack his belongings.
The room that Luna had given them was surprisingly spacious. It had two beds that were both comfortable, and larger than the ones they had in the hotel. On one of the sides of the room, there was a couch that was made out of leather. In front of it stood a lone coffee table.
Between both of their beds was a window, facing the street next to the building. It wasn't a great view, but Lua had no place to complain. He was getting free accommodation after all.
Lua quickly brought out his trenchcoat, and frowned. He was still upset how his coat had gotten slashed by the demon. Regardless, it was still his only coat. Lua liked it too much to stop wearing it. He planned on finding someone to patch it up later.
He looked directly at Arc, who was also unpacking Lua's belongings. As a mechanical being, he didn't need to wear any clothes, so his belongings were relatively compact. He only brought absolute necessities, like scrap metal or tools.
We truly got luck with this arrangement. If the mercenaries were anything serious, we'd have to go through a serious screening. We're fortunate they owe us a debt of gratitude.. Lua sighed, thinking of the events that had lead up to this point. He had gone from his comfortable home to fighting demons in a matter of days. It was a bit too much for a 15-year-old like him.
Things aren't going to get any easier.. It's time to grow up, and bunch the hell out of some more demons. Lua grinned, mentally preparing himself for the adventures to come. He fully knew he could be killed by his reckless actions at any point, but he didn't care. His life meant little in the greater advance of humanity. One day, perhaps, all life will truly understand the wonder of machines.. Always organised, and a truly perfect machine never breaks down.
Lua got up from his bed. He knew that he needed to solve the next series of mysteries that stemmed from the gem if he wanted to advance further. He knew well that he needed to advance. The ordeal with the priest-demon told him that he couldn't hope to survive as a teenage mercenary without getting stronger, even if he was in a team.
Lua wasn't one to stick his neck out for those he cared little for. However, he also knew that others wouldn't do so either. He was determined to get strong, no matter what he had to endure.
Lua had the new symbols in his mind already. He had been ruminating over them for some time, yet he couldn't decrypt them just yet. He knew he had to write it on a piece of paper if he wanted to seriously finish this early. After all, he learned by looking at things. If he wrote down the symbols, he believed he could understand them a lot more easily.
First symbol he drew was of something that resembled a glove. Lua sucked at drawing, so although he meant something that looked like a glove, it ended up looking like oven mitts. He sighed, ignoring his major failure at drawing.
He added the second symbol. It resembled a piece of paper, his next clue.
Lua was suddenly dumbstruck. Does this literally mean the documents my father gave me?
If so, this meant that the gem was self aware of the hints it was giving, and it adapted to the person. However, if the documents weren't enough alone, this meant something was deeper.
Can the documents be incomplete? No.. perhaps the gem is trying to teach me how to evolve the 'right way'? That means the 'right way' includes the documents to some extent.. I should read those.
The third symbol was once again the Vertical Eye. This meant he would have to talk to the Lord of Secrets again, unlock some mystery to gain full understanding of specific subjects.
The fourth one was relatively unique. It was a scythe, a tool used commonly for farming. Lua was stumped on the meaning of the two symbols - the glove and the scythe.
He looked at Arc, and found him looking into the ceiling, absent-mindedly. Sensing Lua's gaze, he quickly looked over. Lua simply nodded, and Arc got the message. It took him a few seconds to get up and come over.
He gazed over the symbols for a moment. "You didn't take the symbols literally last time, so how about you do the opposite?"
Lua looked at Arc, surprised at his suggestion. "You want me to go to a field and use a scythe?"
Arc chuckled. "Maybe not that literally. I was mainly referring to the glove.. Perhaps the gem is telling you to "learn" how to make a gadget that will help you in combat, and improve your quality of life? If you make such a device, you would definitely learn how to better utilise your powers.."
Lua was momentarily surprised by Arc's deep thinking. He almost thought they were different people. Seeing Lua's expression, Arc grinned and said, "Being a robot with an arm that has way too many functions gave me the idea."
Lua felt he was close to the truth. He felt his combat power was lacking either way - perhaps if he had a new gadget to help him fight, he'd be able to survive for many days to come. "Do you know any places that sell materials that are easily shaped?"
Arc thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Maybe copper or brass would work well with a glove, though."
Lua nodded. "Copper would work best. Although brass is more resistant to corrosion, it's not durable at all. Copper, on the other hand.."
Lua quickly began to draw up a few schematics, excited to start his brand new project. He would make a gadget that would not only be useful to him, but also let him take down enemies without much trouble.
He couldn't stop smiling while doing it.