"Here it—" Anna began, but Leonardo quickly cut in with a cheerful, "—is!" matching her pace.
Anna turned to him, a confused expression on her face. "What was that?"
"I wanted to jinx too," Leonardo said, his face lighting up with innocent pride.
Elara burst out laughing, her laughter ringing like a bell. She tapped his shoulder playfully.
"You'll get it one day," she said, wiping tears from her eyes.
Anna sighed, shaking her head with a smile—equal parts amused and exasperated.
As they stepped into the lift, a small crowd followed behind, their murmurs creating a low hum of anticipation.
There, standing tall and dignified, was the conductor from earlier—the one who had talked about the stem.
"What's he doing here?" Elara asked, brows furrowing in confusion.
"Ah, hello there," the conductor greeted, raising his hand in a salute.
His uniform was the epitome of classic railway elegance. A dark navy-gray jacket and matching trousers sharply pressed down the center. A similarly colored cap sat smartly on his head. A name tag on his chest identified him as an official representative of the lift.
"Hi!" Leonardo replied enthusiastically.
The man stood directly in front of him—finally, a chance to ask questions and get real answers.
"Hello, young man," the conductor said warmly. He looked to be in his fifties, his hair streaked with silver and faint traces of black.
"You can call me Hector," he added, smiling.
Leonardo beamed. "I'm Leonardo."
Meanwhile, Anna and Elara stood to the side, watching the interaction unfold.
"Are they related?" Elara whispered, intrigued.
"Definitely a father-son duo," Anna replied with a nod.
"Anyway, this way," Hector said, gesturing toward the lift. "I'm going to guide you through the newly built system." He motioned for the crowd to follow.
The lift was enormous—nearly the size of a three-story building. As people approached, its doors slid open automatically.
Inside, it was incredibly spacious. The only thing separating them from the outside world was a transparent wall and the entrance door.
Leonardo stepped forward and touched the surface, his fingers grazing it.
"Looks like glass. Feels like glass," he thought.
"But it isn't glass," Hector said, his tone mysterious.
"What do you mean it's not?" Leonardo asked, intrigued.
"Let's round everyone up first," Hector replied with a smirk. He clapped his hands. "Everyone, gather here!"
"Welcome to the newly built lift, designed by Sage Rolhim," he announced. His voice carried both authority and excitement.
"To clear up any confusion, the materials used aren't from this city."
A voice piped up from the crowd.
"I knew it! This floor..." a woman exclaimed, running her hand over the surface like an expert. "I'm a material scientist working for Rolls-Worth. I haven't seen anything this strong before."
Smiling, Hector nodded. "The material is called polsium—similar to stone, though its makeup is entirely different."
Most people paused to listen. Objects from other cities were as rare to obtain as to find mysticals.
"Ah-ha! That explains the toughness," the woman said, her enthusiasm palpable. Still, others around her stepped aside, visibly annoyed.
"Yes," Hector replied, wiping sweat from his brow. "The transparent wall, or what looks like glass, is actually an early-stage form of polsium, before it fully condenses."
Leonardo absorbed every word like a sponge.
I'm closer to a different city than to Ronald, he thought, not forgetting his brother.
"I've seen this material before," Anna said, turning to Elara as Hector continued explaining the tourism advantages of the lift.
"When?" Elara asked, curious.
"Dad had a bit of it before we left. Didn't you see it during construction?"
"No," both Elara and Leonardo replied in unison—though Leonardo mostly said it just to join the conversation.
"Jinx?" Leonardo realized aloud, a grin forming. Elara burst out laughing, and even Anna giggled.
"I did it! I jinxed someone!" he cheered.
"'Jinxed' is a whole different thing," Elara said, still laughing.
Hector's voice brought them back to the moment.
"Anyway, let's start the ride, shall we?" he announced as the lift doors closed tightly behind them.
Leonardo pressed his face against the glass—not in wonder, but in an attempt to comprehend the shrinking world below.
"That's... something," he muttered. The word _amazing_ died before it could fully form. His voice trembled, as if he were witnessing a reality fundamentally different from everything he had known.
Anna's gaze swept the glass with a predator's calculation.
"Materials from other cities," she said.
When Hector called for a volunteer, he added with a grin,
"If anyone here is strong enough to even scratch this glass, your name'll be plastered outside the wall with your picture—for everyone to see~!"
Silence fell over the crowd. Who among them was strong enough to even dent this highly rated glass?
A man stepped forward—not as a mere volunteer, but as a challenge. His Muscle Amplification wasn't just a skill; it was his life's work.
"I, Watanabe Tadashi, will try my best," he muttered, raising his hand among the wide-eyed group.
Leonardo watched him stride past, a strange feeling creeping into his chest. Inferiority. It clung to him like gas, weighing down his body.
Watanabe stood still for a moment. Then, taking a deep breath, he pulled one hand back, posed, and slowly pushed the other hand forward—and bang.
The glass absorbed his strike like a drum, reverberating with an intelligence that hinted at more than just material strength. It wasn't unbreakable—it simply chose not to break.
Watanabe sighed deeply, then walked off without a word.
Hector laughed, beads of sweat vanishing from his brow.
"This should be more than enough proof."
Leonardo approached him—not out of simple curiosity, but because he needed to understand that feeling. The one that shattered his focus just by standing near the man.
Anna gave a final smile, not of triumph, but of recognition.
"Ryuji is here," she murmured to Elara.
Elara's expression went still.
"In this lift?" she asked.
Anna nodded.
"That guy is amazing," Leonardo said, eyes still on Watanabe. From his poised stance to the sudden strike, everything about him felt extraordinary.
To everyone's astonishment, the glass remained intact, showing only a faint tremor. The collective gasp of the onlookers was almost audible.
"As expected," Anna said, watching how the glass held firm. Her voice carried satisfaction, as though the result confirmed her faith in the materials she'd seen her father use.
Most people were shocked that such an incredible strike hadn't even left a dent.
"You see," Hector said, his grin widening, "this is almost indestructible." He knocked on the glass with his knuckles. The crowd exhaled as one, reassured, their anxiety ebbing.
"It's better to see it in action than to just believe someone," said the woman from earlier as she approached the Polsium glass. Others stepped aside as her curiosity drove her forward.
"She's weird," someone murmured.
"Really weird," another agreed.
The large man who had struck the glass stared at his fist, almost in despair.
"It appears I'm not worthy to be a guide," he said quietly, catching Leonardo's attention.
Leonardo walked over, curiosity tugging at him.
"Hi," he said, hesitant but friendly.
"Greetings. I'm Watanabe Tadashi (渡辺 忠)," the man replied with a formal gesture.
His demeanor was ritualistic, almost ceremonial, a stark contrast to the casual air around them.
"I'm Leonardo. Pleasure to meet you."
Leonardo studied the shaved man's face, then tilted his head. They looked... different.
"You're really strong," he added. "Can I call you Wata? Your name's a bit of a mouthful."
"Oh—" Watanabe paused, then nodded.
"Wata is alright, if it is your preference."
He fell silent again, eyes fixed on the glass.
"It's really strong," he said flatly, voice tinged with frustration.
"Yeah, I suppose so. You think it's like those glasses that don't break under full pressure but shatter under a single point?" Leonardo replied. "Its drum-like vibration made me think that."
Wata turned his eyes to Leonardo with curiosity.
"Are you the de Meauxs' guide?" he asked, very softly.
"Yes," Leonardo replied, almost embarrassed.
They stood in silence until Anna's voice broke through.
"Leonardo!" she shouted, cutting the tension like a blade.
"Coming! Bye, Wata!" he called, hurrying over to her.
"Yes. Bye, Leonardo," Wata replied, not turning around, still staring at the glass.
"That guy seems sad," Leonardo said as he reached them, concern on his face.
"He's a guide," Anna replied, scanning the lift's remaining passengers.
"For him, this is his life's work going stale," she added, her voice tinged with something unreadable—perhaps anticipation.
Leonardo watched Anna closely, his expression growing more serious.
"Speculation won't get me anywhere. I need to understand this system."
"It really is today," Elara chimed in, excitement and apprehension mingling in her tone. "I was having second thoughts."
"Yeah, it appears so," Anna said, her gaze sharpened. Leonardo looked back at Wata, just as the man turned and walked away, his figure shrinking with each step.
As the lift reached another floor and most passengers disembarked, Hector noticed a handful remained—Anna, Elara, Leonardo, and several more scattered about.
The atmosphere thickened. The remaining passengers seemed to be holding their breath, waiting.
"Aren't you going down?" Hector asked, walking over, confusion evident on his face.
"No," Anna said flatly. Her tone left no room for negotiation.
"We're going to the very top," Elara added firmly.
"The very—" Hector stopped mid-sentence.
"You're one of the families, aren't you?" he asked, his eyes widening as he looked around. Most of the remaining passengers were indeed from the families.
He gulped. The weight of the realization hit him.
"Yes," Anna replied. A frown crept onto her face.
The war waiting above... it would be no less than the one in the Central District.
She knew that much.