Chapter 104 - Catacombs (Patreon)

<---Chapter 103 - International Expansion | Table of Contents | Chapter 105 - Tenar --->

"Update," Kyle spoke as he took his seat at the head of the meeting table in the command room, nested in the main hideout of the Ghosts of Versia. He donned a simple factory worker's shirt and pants provided by Sasha, the basic white fabric and brown pants blending in with most of the other refugees while not being too overtly shabby.

Despite his order for an update, both Culo and Sasha instead stared blankly at him, seemingly frozen in time, while Kyle squinted his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Sorry, sir, it's just... I've never seen you wear... uhm... you look good." Culo blubbered with a fluster, Sasha nodding vehemently in agreement.

"Cut the crap and focus. We're on a tight deadline." Kyle snapped his fingers. "I've only been receiving your reports via letter, but now I want to hear them in full. And I want to hear it from Culo."

"Yes, sir. Since the month we've come here-"

"Wait. Sasha, get Makoa and Feldon in here."

[Feldon?] Sasha cocked her head in confusion. [He's here?]

"He was the second prisoner with me. Don't tell me you didn't see him when you were trailing us?" Kyle squinted his eyes.

Sasha and Culo exchanged a confused glance before Culo coughed, trying to explain. "Sir, to be frank, we were only informed of your arrival, not his." Culo scratched his neck nervously, his eyes avoiding Kyle's intense gaze. "And it was hard to recognize Feldon as well, as his face was wrapped in-"

Before Culo could complete his words, the meeting room burst open to reveal a haggard Feldon, restrained by two other Ghosts who tried to hold him back, but were clearly failing to do so. "YOU IDIOTS LEFT ME BEHIND!" Feldon roared. "If I didn't know where the damn hideout was, I would have-"

"Feldon." Kyle interrupted his imminent rant. "You know the reason why I brought you along on this business trip. Please don't make me regret it."

Feldon's anger immediately subsided as the adrenaline subsided, though he still forcibly shrugged off the two other Ghosts, plopping down on a seat and catching his breath. "Yes, sir, sorry for the outburst. When I said 'idiots', I was referring to-"

"That hardly matters now. The two of you, please leave us." Kyle motioned to the two Ghosts, who looked at each other in confusion before Culo repeated the order to them, closing the door behind them. "Now, let us focus on the operation at hand. Culo, please continue with your update."

"Y-yes, sir." Culo saluted before using a stick to point toward a layout of Versia at the very center of the meeting table. "Through the distribution of Euria-infused potions predominately, we have been able to acquire large swaths of control within Ocra. Our main competitor was Masir's gang, which had been the incumbent in the city for decades, though that's clearly no longer a problem."

"Clearly." Kyle nodded. "Any problems with the Versian military?"

"We've been avoiding them quite well - we haven't lost a single Ghost to them yet, though it is not clear how much of an effort they are putting to track us down."

"Good, let's keep it that way for now. What about other cities?" Kyle clasped his hands together, leaning against the map of Versia.

"Tenar, Desham and Creuliz have already been infiltrated by trusted Ghosts, smaller cells being developed there. Sasha and I have already verified their locations and setup, they will serve well as fallbacks."

"Well done." Kyle smiled as he began to collate all the information together, formulating the next step of the operation. "I need three things: Harrison's whereabouts, Minister Dekar's location, and status of the war."

"Minister Dekar's location is not certain of now, but from some of the intercepted military transmissions that we have seen, it is certain that he is still within the vicinity of Tenar." Culo picked up a letter and handed it to Kyle, who read it quickly, his eyes scanning left to right as he suddenly spotted an interesting mention.

"They seem to be talking about something underground."

"Indeed. If our information and assumption is correct, Minister Dekar is hiding in the tunnels below the city. A catacomb."

"Catacombs..." Kyle muttered to himself. "Do we know the entry points?"

"Only some of them, but all of them require entry into the main city first. Security is tight now, but we suspect Masir knows how to get in through an external entrance."

"Get the information out of him as soon as possible. We need to find a way in-" Kyle stopped himself as he watched Feldon raise his hand meekly like a child asking a question in class.

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just not too clear on why we need Minister Dekar's location...? He's not with Harrison, nor does he have any more ministerial power. Wasn't the goal to take down Harrison a peg?"

Kyle sighed, rubbing his temples, fully intending to ignore Feldon's inane question until he realized both Culo and Sasha too were also dumbfounded by the question, unable to answer. This time, he wasn't too worried about there being a mole between the four of them, so Kyle took this opportunity to ensure everyone was on the same page.

"Minister Dekar is a critical component in our operation to snatch Harrison's power base away. Despite his ousting from power, he still wields credible and tangible influence over a large part of the Versian population, being one of the original revolutionary leaders." Kyle explained. "Having him as the face of our organization will give us the legitimacy required to build a credible threat competent enough to take down Harrison. If we can get a hold of him, we can begin to set up a counter-shadow government to contest the current one."

Kyle rose from his seat, pacing around the room. "Consider the current scene - we have Harrison Industries and his underground organization, Nest, whose hitmens have attacked us more than once. They are clearly in cahoots with the government, having obtained every military contract. I have no doubts that Harrison will seek to profit off the imminent war, much like we do."

He jabbed at the layout of refugee camps scattered all across the four major cities. "All of us know that the current evacuation of front-line villages and towns is a simple ploy to force industrialization and cheap labor into the cities, further strengthening his economic base by exploiting the desperation of the refugees. Those who comply are either recruited into the military or subject to work forever under Harrison. Those who don't suffer at the hands of various gangs around, such as Masir's gang."

"Then why don't we exploit the desperation of the refugees too?" Feldon ventured, taking his chance to clear any doubts. "We're a gang, not a charity organization. Since when did we become good-natured'rebels' fighting for Versia?"

"It is all a facade. Power in the shadows is power that endures." Culo answered, having gotten the gist of the plan.

"Indeed. We will twist Harrison's own actions against him, using the very same discontent he intends to manipulate into our strength. With a righteous banner and a purpose that others can rally behind, we can mask our movements, embedding it deep behind layers of motivation." Kyle clenched his fist. "The entire first phase of the operation is to build the power base, using what we have already achieved with the Seven Snakes. Now that we have a stable line of communication from Ocra to Raktor, we can start to arm and supply the refugees, all while profiting off an imminent war. Are we clear?"

The other three nodded in agreement, Feldon's eyes widening in understanding, though there was still a little problem with the plan for him. "It's good to build a rebel force in hiding, but when are we going to actually use it?"

"This is why I need information on Harrison's movements and the status of the war; then, I can determine the next steps moving forward," Kyle replied.

"As of now, Harrison has only been seen to be in Tenar, though we are unsure whether it is a body double or his true self. There have been observations by some of our members that Harrison Industries is still ramping up recruitment of arctech engineers from the various refugee camps, all concentrating towards Tenar. Apart from that, it's hard for us to get any secure, stable information from our members planted in Tenar." Culo summarized.

"So we still do not know what Harrison is up to..." Kyle muttered under his breath as his brain raced through the possibilities of Harrison's next move. Yet, without enough information, it was nearly impossible to figure out what the next step should be. If he made just one wrong move, everything he had set up would crumble easily, and he might have no choice but to return to Raktor. Like hell I'm going to give up on my first international expansion like this. "Culo, try to wring out any information from Masi-"

A sudden collective loud groan erupted from the tavern outside the command room, interrupting Kyle. Culo gripped the holster of a nearby handgun and carefully approached the door, opening to reveal shouts and jeers of derision at an arctech radio.

[A special feature - the man, the myth, the legend and pride of Versia for the coming decades: an interview with Harrison!]

"Sasha, play it on the radio in here." Kyle ordered while motioning for Culo to close the door tightly. They began to listen intently to the radio interview.

[Harrison, so good to finally meet the star of our golden age!] The interviewer gushed with obvious excitement. [Tell me, how does it feel to be on top of the world?]

[Thank you for the kind compliments. It is indeed invigorating to have the capability and scale to change Versia for the better towards a new future. I am first and foremost a Versian at heart and soul, born and raised.] Harrison replied with a crisp, clean voice, his words clearly refined for the public.

[Truly impressive. Your story from rags to riches have been heard already countless times and serves as a inspiration for us Versians today. However, with war looming on the horizon, many have voiced concerns and doubts that we would be able to survive the coming storm. What do you have to say to that?]

[As many should know, Harrison Industries is heavily intertwined with the governement and military of Versia. We provide our services and products to the best of our abilities and the confidence placed in us by Acting President Monero speaks greater volumes about our stance on the coming war - we will not lose if it came down to a fight.]

"That Harrison man must be crazy. Versia is a fraction of the population of Raktor, not to mention the military exercise is a joint program with the Counts of Kregol and Perlis! Is he crazy? We could throw three soldiers for every one Versian trained!" Feldon exclaimed, only stopping when Kyle glowered at him, transmitting the universal expression for 'shut the fuck up.'

[Our weapons and armor technology have been designed and perfected by the best minds around, along with the innovative engineering process that allows us to accelerate blueprints from paper to reality. Whatever comes, we will be able to adapt quickly and with ease.] Harrison continued, hardly flustered at all by the interviewer's question.

[Indeed they will, but recent news about artillery strikes hitting Versian towns and villages near the border have seen nothing more than condemnation from Acting President Monero.] The interview's voice grew solemn. [Many have been devastated by the loss of their homes.]

[I understand the suffering of the people.] Harrison spoke calmly. [Yet, to rush into war is not the right way to ensure peace and stability. War breeds hatred and terror in a never-ending cycle, one that Versia may still be suffering the consequences of. While we will not back down without a fight, it is erroneous for us to initiate any foolhardy attack. But we are also soon deploying countermeasures that will be able to secure our borders better.]

[Countermeasures?]

[That's right. In response to the conflict, Harrison Industries has developed and innovated brand new weapons to counter the Yual Dominion. As a small nation, it is critical that our manpower be conserved and used effectively in battle. To that effect, I would like to announce an inaugural exhibition fair at the end of next month! Entry shall be free for all Versians so that all may see the glory and power that we can bring to bear at the frontlines.] Harrison announced with a joyous tone.

The rest of the interview was plain details about the exhibition fair, and the interview turned out to be a shell for Harrison to market this event. "Did you hear about this exhibition before?" Kyle asked Sasha.

[This is the first I've heard of it. I've never seen anything mentioned about it in any communications, military or not.]

Either Harrison just came up with it, or Nest is extremely proficient in securing information. Kyle was more inclined to believe the latter, never underestimating his opponents. He had experienced his fair share of such cunning enemies and wouldn't put it past Harrison to be able to pull off such a feat. Especially one with Galactic Era tech.

That was the true ultimate goal that Kyle had not told anyone else, not even Sasha - he had his suspicions that the catacombs beneath Tenar would reveal secrets and ruins much like that of the Oracle. Whether or not it had already been plundered did not matter to him; knowledge itself was the treasure. And if I'm right, no one else should be able to access it. At least nobody without a System.

Kyle still hasn't ruled out that others could potentially have the same System they did - there was no reason to, and he felt it far more probable than no one else having the System. In fact, if no one else had the System, it would make it far harder for Kyle to gain an insight as to his origins in this world.

While Kyle pondered on the next steps, Feldon and the rest were already arguing about Harrison's motives. "It's clear as day that the man is just your regular usual money-grubber. If we want to predict his moves, we have to start from there." Feldon offered his conjecture.

"If he's a usual money-grubber, then he would have expanded into Raktor, not hole up in small ol Versia. Like you said, fraction of Raktor's population here." Culo readily disagreed, Sasha supporting him.

"Well, maybe he likes the sound of tenars more than rakels?" Feldon grasped at straws. "And it looks like he doesn't really want the war from the sound of the interview."

"That's just a facade." Kyle joined the discussion. "Without the war, his investments into the military sphere will be all for naught. He needs the war to happen, and so do we." He picked up a pen and began to draw up a plan, overlaying Versia. "Get Masir ready by tonight. I don't care how you extract the information - as soon as we know how to enter the catacombs, we will liaise with our forward Ghost cell in Tenar. And from there, we'll set up the dominos to fall one by one until we crush Harrison."

"But we still don't know where he is!" Feldon exclaimed. "How are we going to crush him?"

"Don't act like an idiot. Harrison himself just told us where he'll be in two months. And I fully intend to be present."

The dense primal trees of the Keru Forest around Ocra were being chopped down one by one, and their ancient age was ignored as they were used to build palisades and shelter and act as firewood for the refugees. Amidst the never-ending sawing that continued even through the night, a discreet arctech wagon slowly inched out from a thick undergrowth masking the end of a sewage tunnel, its wheels rugged against the uneven ground.

Inside the jostling wagon, only sniffling and crying could be heard from a dozen various girls chained together into a single metal cage, knowing their impending fate to be sold as slaves in Tenar. Some of the more desperate ones tried to catch the attention of the guard sitting right next to the cage, only to earn a sharp jab with a sharp pole that could draw blood from its pinpoint tip.

In the front of the wagon at the driver's cabin, Sasha, Feldon, and Masir sat together in an awkward silence, Masir's torture wounds having been healed by a potion. He gripped the rough steering wheel carefully, unwilling to go against the fearsome Sasha, whose every glance terrorized him.

"Wish I was like Kyle back there, taking care of the ladies." Feldon whistled, trying to break the awkward tension, but Masir and Sasha hardly replied.

Contrary to Feldon's expectations, Kyle was hardly interested in the slave girls he was guarding. He knew for a fact that they had been kidnapped off the streets of Raktor, ladies from middle-class families. Already, a few of them noticed his clear Raktor roots, trying to appeal to his nationality, yet it drew no compassion from him. Not much could.

He had never considered himself to be a citizen of the Yual Dominion despite the former owner of his body being so. To him, it was just a playground, a test of his abilities. Combined with the System, it was almost beginning to feel like a game. Almost.

Kyle still also couldn't rule out the possibility that the world was a VR game entirely, though the existence of the Oracle Chamber and his supposed Administrator privileges were already evidence that it went much deeper. Only with more information could he narrow down the possibilities. He clambered towards the front of the wagon, rasping his knuckles on the window. "Put on the camo." He motioned to Feldon, pointing his finger at a small briefcase that Sasha was holding onto.

"The camo...?" Feldon held a confused gaze, his eyes shifting back and forth before he snapped his fingers in realization. "Right, the makeup from Haui!"

Kyle groaned, before shuffling back to his original position, taking out a small canister which held a slightly-transparent cream, one that would alter their appearance enough to be considered different. The cream felt slightly mushy and lumpy, but Kyle didn't care as long as it did the job. As soon as he was done applying it to his face, he closed his eyes, taking a break for the long trip ahead, though he remained continuously aware of his surroundings.

Just before the first rays of daylight hit the skies above, the wagon reached its destination - a seemingly nondescript cave opening big enough to fit a single person. There were no markings nor fixtures whatsoever anywhere, only the natural foliage of the forest surrounding it. Kyle wouldn't have made a mental note of the place if it weren't for three clearly armed men filtering out through the entrance the moment the wagon approached.

"Name and license." The leader of the three armed men gestured as he approached the cabin door cautiously, his right hand never leaving the rifle's holster slung in front of him. Kyle peered out through the slits of the wagon's cloth, noticing the gear of the armed men. They were well equipped, featuring nearly a full arctech knight armor set though at reduced thickness, favoring mobility over durability.

"Masir, here to deliver the goods as promised. Where's Yona?" Masir opened the cabin door gingerly so as to not alarm the armed men, carefully stepping out onto the ground while rummaging through his pockets, before handing over the license, a small piece of scribbled paper, to the leader.

"Yona's busy. I'm in charge here now." The leader grunted as he checked the license. "Get all your men out here."

"Of course, sir." Masir bowed hastily before turning back to holler violently. "HEY! GET THE FUCK OUT HERE NOW, LINE UP!"

Kyle, Sasha, and Feldon followed the plan, coming up front and lining up in front of the armed men, with the leader inspecting them. However, as soon as the leader spotted Kyle's face, he nearly let out a shriek, recoiling back in horror. "Goddess above, what the fuck happened to you?"

Kyle cocked his eyes, but Masir hurriedly stood between them, smiling sheepishly. "This one, he's a young man I took pity on. Terrible accident with a few arctech devices left him freckled, acne notwithstanding. Safe to say, those warts aren't going away anytime soon." Masir explained.

"You need an alchemist to get you checked up." The leader nervously leaned in to get a whiff before nearly belching in disgust. "That smell won't be getting you any girls anytime soon, that's for sure." Still, he did his job, holding up a list of portrait pictures against Kyle's face and comparing them. "Right, you're good to go."

The moment the leader turned to face Feldon, he too recoiled, though the shock was to a lesser extent. "Are you picking up a circus? One got warts, the other got burns, and the last is just a shame!" The leader furiously glowered at Masir.

"What can I do? Military been grabbing all the good ones. Look, I don't think Yona is going to be too happy about us being held up here. How about we stop griping about my men's looks and let them have their peace, all right? I'm sure their social life is already bad enough."

"Fine. Your license is good. Don't forget to renew it end of this month." The leader finally relented, handing back the license and motioning for the two other armed men to open the way. Kyle and the rest got back on the wagon, Kyle carefully watching as the tight entrance was slowly expanded, the original limits of the opening actually part of a mechanical door with a stone facade.

"Pretty smart of them to hide it in plain sight. Just another cave; who knew it could open to fit a wagon?" Feldon murmured to himself as Masir lurched the wagon forward. The cave opening enlarged to reveal a tunnel road, providing smooth travel for incoming arctech wagons along with intermittent lights embedded all along the road.

This isn't good. If we want a sustainable smuggling route, it can't be one controlled by Nest. Kyle eyed the various Nest patrols sparsely posted along the tunnel route as they descended into the depths, going deeper and deeper in a barely noticeable decline. Taking over such a tunnel would no doubt raise the suspicion of Harrison, not to mention bring the entire Nest organization down on him. There must be another way in.

The wagon had to hit a few more checkpoints; the Nest checks were extremely thorough. Kyle gritted his teeth as he endured the mocking and pity from some of the Nest patrol members, memorizing their faces so he could enslave them personally when he was ready. Each checkpoint only further impressed him that this route was definitely not feasible.

Soon, the wagon finally hit the end of the road, the tunnel road leading into a slightly larger cavern where there was ambient water flowing through ancient canals dug out centuries ago, the stench horrid. Masir tapped the cabin in a known pattern, signaling for Kyle and the others to get out. The port was active, able to berth a total of four ships that seemed to be regularly ferrying cargo and products much like the slave girls they had brought to and fro, the boats periodically hurtling off down the rushing waves to an unknown fate. Kyle noticed a few shipments headed for other destinations far beyond Tenar, proving that the underlying network of tunnels and catacombs was not only restricted to the capital city.

The slave girls to be sold were transferred onto a smaller boat, the boat powered by a strong arctech motor that allowed it to sail up the currents within the rivers of the catacombs. As Kyle strolled towards the designated boat, he caught the glance of a nervous Nest worker, who quickly avoided eye contact and acted like he had never looked at all. The nervous Nest worker's behavior clearly stood out from the rest of his raucous and brutish colleagues, making for an intriguing sight, Kyle making a mental note. Interesting...

While the slave girls were being herded onto the deck, Masir clasped his hands nervously as he leaned over to Kyle, whispering urgently. "I brought you all the way in here. Once you deliver the slave girls, if you walk right up to the end of that specific canal and look out for the sign 5A, thats where you'll find a service ladder from which you can enter Tenar proper. This is where we'll part way-"

Masir suddenly felt Kyle's arm slung around his shoulders in a chummy fashion, as if they had been best brothers since childhood. "Masir, let me guess what's going to happen the moment you leave us. You're going to tip off Nest that we are in the city, and hope that they will be enough to kill us so you can regain control of Ocra." Kyle smiled jovially as he patted Masir on the shoulder, making it seem to the surrounding Nest workers and patrollers like they were sharing a joke. "And here's what I'm going to do - I'm going to kill every last Nest member, slaughter through them all the way back to Ocra and find you, and then string you up upside down in a cell for the next fifteen years where no one will ever find you again. If such a future scenario is not to your fancy, I highly suggest you stick with us."

Masir recalled the brutality with which Kyle executed his henchmen, wondering if Kyle could really do what he said. As he glanced at Kyle's smiling expression, he intuitively felt a deepening sense of fear and unbridled power, his mind slowly convincing him that Kyle was speaking the absolute truth. He nodded slowly, earning a larger hearty smack on the back.

"Good doing business with you, Masir. Always a pleasure. Now, if you would please." Kyle held that same eerie smile, leaving Masir shivering at the back of the boat while he headed to the front. With the preparations completed, Nest workers untied the boat's rope to the berth, allowing it to drift into the center before a designated boat operator revved up the motor.

The catacombs hardly had proper lighting, darkness enveloping the entire boat save for the cabin as soon as it entered the main channel, fighting against the rushing tide of sewage and other unknown objects caught in the stream that flowed through Tenar. "Sasha, memorize the route," Kyle muttered under his breath, activating his Follower skill.

[Understood. I've already mentally mapped the location.]

"Good." Kyle felt the boat swerve back and forth through the deafening black void of the dark canals, the Nest boat operator seemingly acting on muscle memory as though he had the entire map of the catacombs memorized in his head. Within a short ten minutes, Kyle could see a small little lantern in the distance, growing larger by the second while they approached the pre-arragned dropoff, Nest workers positioned on a small little docking pier that led into what Kyle assumed was an functioning workshop, sounds of intricate machinery audible over the rushing roaring currents.

The slave girls whimpered as they were dragged up the pier, some beginning to fight back in a desperate last attempt the moment they were hauled out of the boat, knowing what lay ahead was their final destination. Kyle didn't waste any time helping the Nest workers restrain and subdue them without hesitating.

"Heading back now?" The boat operator waved to Masir, who shook his head.

"Sorry, champ. We got business in Tenar." Masir replied as the rest got off the boat onto the pier, waving his license paper as a form of proof while clutching it tightly, making sure it didn't drop into the canal.

"Suit yourself." The ensuing churn of the arctech motor had the boat speed back off towards the pier while the Nest workers continued to force the slave girls into the factory, completely ignoring Kyle and the rest as he walked off, following Masir's lead.

"Those slave girls, what the hell are they doing down here in the catacombs?" Feldon asked Masir with a naive face.

"Fuck if I care. Just to fuck or maybe even to work, I don't really give two shits. I got paid upfront, and I've done my part of the deal, that's all." Masir shrugged.

As the four of them trudged along the slimy moss covered side paths of the canals that were beginning to seem more and more like sewage tunnels, Kyle motioned to Sasha, giving her a series of orders through hand signs.

[Stay and watch the workshop?]

Kyle nodded, Sasha immediately compiling and vanishing without a trace. Neither Masir nor Feldon even noticed her leaving. Masir was fully focused on squinting through the darkness as he groped his way forward along the wall, intermittently cursing when he accidentally grabbed onto a bug.

"Here we are, 5A." Masir motioned to a ladder mounted against the wall ahead, daylight streaming through the rim of a manhole cover. "After you," He bowed respectfully, but Kyle instead drew out a handgun and prodded him.

"You first," Kyle ordered, not taking no for an answer.

Masir's face paled, but he complied anyway, quickly clambering up the ladder while Kyle kept a steady aim on him with his free hand as he followed closely behind. Masir grunted as he shifted the manhole cover outside, peeking his head out to check for anyone watching before clambering upwards, Kyle also climbing out with Feldon in quick succession.

They found themselves in a secluded alleyway, yet unlike Raktor, there were hardly any homeless men languishing in corners or slums built into the crevices of buildings with kids sniffing drugs. Instead, it was clean and spick, well kept with neatly arranged trash in piles or containers. The stark difference made Kyle feel slightly disorientated, as though he had been teleported into a different era. That's impossible. Cities of this era should be crime-ridden and filled to the brim with filth in overcrowding and trash. How can this be?

Even when Masir led them out to one of the main streets, the roads, pathways, curbs, and sidewalks were all spick and span, looking like a picturesque city straight out of a fantasy book that glossed over all the horrid details of human dwellings. Bright portraits of young ladies showing off the latest fashion and quaint little cafes along the road all spoke of a society clearly dominated by decorum.

[Grand Versian Exhibition, proudly sponsored by Harrison Industries!] An arctech billboard blasted out, a light-thrower plastering the wide, handsome, grinning face of Harrison on a black background. [You don't want to miss it!]

"This doesn't seem like the evil den of a money-grubber. People here look.... happy." Feldon remarked as he watched a group of schoolboys shout and playfight over pieces of bread, uncaring of the food wastage. "This is nothing like the refugee camps! Is this where the nobles live?"

Masir scoffed. "Nobles? We haven't had nobles in Versia for fifteen years, unlike you Yual dogs! This is the lower quarters - every citizen living here has the same standard of living. Welcome to Tenar."

<---Chapter 103 - International Expansion | Table of Contents | Chapter 105 - Tenar --->