Kandance is resting right now. She technically doesn't get fatigued, but sleeping does help her mental state, so I made a bed icon for her to use. I'm surprised she didn't realize her mistake sooner. When the tenth Hero was brought up and the fact that their journey happened before the Dreimaaz existed, none of those set her off? Maybe someone did fuck with her mind and prevented her from realizing. Or it's been fifteen thousand years and it slipped her mind. Probably that one.
Anyway, I'm just gonna go back to the MPC cafe now. I'm also starting to get mentally worn out, and it hasn't even been a full day of my possible year-long trip here. Maybe I should think about getting a home somewhere? All the districts have neighborhoods, and you can live in whatever one you want regardless of race, so that's something to consider.
Shit, now I'm wondering if I should walk back and see if that construction person was still there. I could have asked to talk to their friend about the tenth hero and stuff. Maybe even get a job to earn some… what were they called again? Yehlgold?
Actually, how much do I have on me? I seemingly had some in my pockets to pay for that cubicle in the cafe, but I don't know how much I have left. That's info I need as soon as possible!
Actually, if this Mortal Form is like a character sheet, my money should be on it, right? I open it up, and… yup. Looks like I got four hundred and eighty Yehlgold. If I remember right, it's twenty Yehlgold a day for that cafe, and it seems like Fanta Regauss runs on the same twenty four hour cycle as Earth, even if the time passing between the two is different. Anyway, that'd be about 1.2 Yehlgold an hour, so if I have to, I can spend forty nine more days in the MPC cafe as long as I don't buy any food. … Yeah, I really need a permanent residence.
But that comes later! I get back to the cafe, the bat lady checks me in with that rune key I still got on me, and I return to the cubicle. It's cramped, but the floor is made out of some sort of bedding, so it works well enough for me. I curl up, close my eyes, and… cannot sleep. Damn it all.
"Ahhhh!"
Whuh? Huh?
"Kandance?"
I open the God Panel, she's not asleep anymore. Guess the noise came from her.
"I can't take it anymore! I need to talk to the tenth Hero! She's the only one who knows the absolute truth of what happened, she has to be!"
Guess she really can't let this go, huh? Fine, I'll deal with it. Even though there's plenty of stuff I dislike about Kandance, she doesn't seem like a bad person deep down. Plus, I like to think others deserve another chance. Well, it's hard to justify that when someone does horrible things like laughing at my death, but- I should stop thinking about this before I convince myself not to help.
"Well, is she alive or dead?"
"Dead. Even when isekai'd here, you can still die."
Alright then. Actually, this is a good way to get her to tell me something important.
"So… what happens when someone dies? You mentioned not knowing if my world had an afterlife, so what's it like here?"
I see her hesitating. Like she's weighing her options. Why would she not want to tell me?
"Ugh, fine. As much as I want to keep teasing you with stuff for my revenge-"
Oh come on, THAT is why?! Petty little…
"-I'll be making this an exception for my own sake."
Well, it's something. I just nod and let her talk.
"Yes, there is an afterlife of Fanta Regauss. One afterlife that everyone, from the mortal races to the monsters and demons, goes to: Makruuz."
"Honestly, I expected something worse, considering your naming scheme. Was thinking it'd be like, 'Eubongia, The Stream of Salvation and Suffrage' or something like that."
Kandance puffed her cheeks at me in anger before continuing.
"Anyway. Souls in Makruuz are sorted depending on who they came from, and are then judged accordingly."
"By?"
"... Right. It's time you learn about deities."
Ah yes, juicy lore!
"I thought you'd want to manage everything yourself…"
She just shakes her head in response.
"I'd rather not try to copy myself to do every little thing all at once. That gets messy. Instead, I made deities to do the tasks that need full focus. Blessed them with power, not giving mine to them since that would deprive me of it, and gave them all the instructions they require."
"And for anything that falls outside of that?"
"Left to their judgement."
I feel like that might backfire at some point, you know?
"Anyway, the Deity of Death is Deutralohs."
I think I can make a reference out of this.
"Deity, Death, Deutralohs. DeDe-"
"He's not fond of nicknames."
Damn it.
"He's the one managing Makruuz and the whole afterlife system of the world. If anyone would know where a Hero's soul is, it'd be him."
Right, got it. So I gotta find a way to Makruuz and- … wait, no, that'd be by dying. And I can't die without going back to God form. And I'm pretty sure I can't die when I'm like that. … Shit.
"Is… there a way to go to him without dying?"
"You can once the Mortal Form deactivates on death. But then you can't use it again and you'd have to make a new one from scratch."
Fuck that. No way am I making myself experience death again. Once is enough!
"And can I do that in this form?"
"Unless someone's made magic for that? Nope."
Will I really have to go around all of Fanta Regauss to find someone who can open an afterlife portal?
"Well, what about just communicating with him?"
"If you can find a way…"
Find a way… hmmm… well, I have my God Panel. And I can still make apps and stuff on it even though my God powers aren't available right now. Does that mean I could…?
"... I'm a genius."
I smirk. This should work. That rhymed. Nice. I draw up a phone icon, I give it the ability to call anyone I know the name of. It'll make a screen that I can see them with and that they can see me with. Yes! I enter "Deity of Death, Deutralohs", and…
"... What is this?"
A cloak made of darkness, covering up a body with no skin. A being made of muscle and bone, a layer of magic glowing purple to protect his blue flesh and veins. Black sclera with purple eyes, two sets of wings with runes carved all over them, and a permanently dour expression. So this is the one who rules the afterlife of Fanta Regauss.
"Identify yourself and this magic, mortal."
"You may not recognize this power behind the Mortal Form, but I believe this should be proof of who I am…"
I press my finger onto Kandance and drag her up over the panel, which should hopefully show her to him.
"Oh? Well, now you have my attention."