Chapter 75 – Italy (Patreon)

When I got up in the morning, I found a note under the door:

"Thank you for everything.

L."

When I met with Lis and Mahya, they had the same note.

Lis said, "That girl needs to learn to deal with her problems instead of running away."

"From the conversation I had with her yesterday, I think she will go and deal with them. I think she left like that because she was embarrassed." I said.

Just in case, after breakfast, I went into the archive and wrote a message.

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Tr. JR

Clueless, Hungry, Inventor, Versailles, Television.

Just let us know you’re okay, and we hope you’ll join us.

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Judging by the looks Lis and Mahya gave me, they saw the message. Rue was upset that he couldn’t continue watching his cop show and was in a bad mood all day. All of us were.

I decided enough was enough and said to Lis and Mahya, “Italy was always on my bucket list. Let's tour Italy, do more workshops, and have fun.”

Lis didn’t look convinced but nodded. As a compromise, I suggested that we visit only a few major cities, not all of Italy, and he agreed and smiled. We flew to Palermo; I booked some workshops, and we went sightseeing.

We went to see the Palermo Cathedral, the Norman Palace, the Royal Palace, and the Palatine Chapel and 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 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, which I couldn't get a point for because I had already given it up, but at least Mahya and Lis got the point. The rest of the workshops were fine, but we laughed less than usual. Rue couldn't join the food class, so I arranged for him to learn Italian, and we left him with the TV in the hotel. At least we ate very well during the whole week we stayed 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 for so long, and played and sang the song Who by Fire by Leonard Cohen – music was my way of dealing with things.

“And who by fire, who by water
Who in the sunshine, who in the night time..."

“Insightful song,” said Lis.

“Yeah.”

Mahya had tears in her eyes and left for her room.

We flew to Naples in a slightly better mood but still feeling down and worried about Lyura.

In Naples, I booked some workshops, and we went sightseeing. We visited the Royal Palace and Spanish Quarters, the city's underground, the Historic Center and Sansevero Chapel, and the National Archaeological Museum. I loved the museum and was 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 can be annoying. At least we had workshops to look for.

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 E-foil, and Lis promised to find a solution to make it into a Magitech device. We bought three each and wanted him to return to the hotel to get started on the project right that minute, but he told us to “hold our horses.” I laughed hearing him use such an Earth expression, but Mahya was confused and pointed out that 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 following day, when we saw the paintings, we quietly threw them away and had a tacit agreement never to speak of them again.

We laughed during the whole Tarantella Dance lesson, especially since Rue decided to join us and wanted to dance too. Judging by the number of cell phones I saw pointed in his direction, he would be a media star.

We rented a car and drove to the Gate, and 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 sure would lead to something with a high mana level, led to a tech world?

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Travelers Gate #1648461683

Destination: Zelphia

Status: Unintegrated

Technology level: Medium

Threat level: Humans–moderate. Other species–high.

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Those Gates made no sense.

We flew to Rome and spent a week touring the city. Again, they weren't too impressed with the archaeological stuff, 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."

"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 decided to keep the skill and use it with her woodworking. None of us got the point for the Gladiator School, and Lis said it was the most ridiculous thing he ever did.

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 don’t keep it as a skill we can progress in levels, we 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 in between workshops, for three weeks felt very artistic, and even got all the points. We did three different wine tours and bought a lot of wine.

After three weeks in Florence, Lis said, “Let’s stop with the workshops; we have a lot of points and need to move quicker.”

“I need points for two, and Rue’s spells and abilities are expensive.”

He thought momentarily and said, “When you decide by which Gate you’ll be leaving, 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.”

“Okay, let’s move faster.”

We flew to Venice, and I loved it, but they weren’t impressed. It turned out that Parsha, a world both of them had visited, was mostly canals except the mountains, and the canals there were much cleaner. I created another ten Purifying Aluminum Blobs and placed them discreetly in the canals. I knew it wouldn’t make much difference, but every little bit helps. I even created a mana construct shell to prevent the spell from dissipating with time. Learning has its benefits.

We took a Gondola ride with a singer, and both of them said that my voice was better. Friends are fantastic, especially since my late wife lovingly described my voice as “much better than a dying cat, but don’t quit your day job.”

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

Destination: Murinabla

Status: Integrated

Mana level: 59

Magitech Level: Medium

Threat level: High

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I asked Lis, “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 different magic item creation schools.”

“I’m confused now, What’s the difference?”

“Magitech is the creation of technological items, like your house and electric appliances, driving, sailing or flying vehicles, city defenses, industrial machinery, and the like, powered by mana instead of electricity via a power source. There are other methods to power things, such as steam or fire, which they excel at. There are also different ways to create magical items, with runes or magic script, for example, without a mana crystal or a dungeon core power source, so they are not Magitech.”

“Huh. Thanks.”

Before leaving Milan, Mahya informed us, “We need to go to Switzerland for a short while, and I need your help, John, to set up a bank account.”

“Why?”

“I’m selling computer technology to a company in Switzerland named Axisbits, and I need to finalize the deal in person and a bank account for the money.”

“Sure. Do you have a lawyer?”

“No. Do I need one?”

“Definitely.”

“Okay, let's find one in Switzerland.”

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.

New class unlocked: [Bard]

Would you like to take the Bard Class as your sub-class?

Cost: 5 Ability Points

Y/N

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