Back to the Future 1999: Raining at the Same Time

"This is the Vienna branch building...?!"

"It's truly... magnificent! Such a clean and minimalist wall... it's like a temple of modern art!"

For Marcus, who spent her childhood in an orphanage and later lived on a secluded island, just seeing such a building was enough to excite her.

"Hmm, I can tell... the contrast and interplay between different shapes and materials... this Mr. Olbrich must have put a lot of thought into the design..."

"Mr. Carl, you must have had a very pleasant experience working here!"

The students' eyes sparkled with undisguised excitement, and they felt genuinely fortunate to be able to live here.

"Ah? No, no, this is the Separatist House."

But for Karl, who considered himself a gentleman, the building was no more repulsive than a dead rat he might encounter on the street.

"It's the gathering place for those young artists who spout nonsense in cafes. They call for art to separate from tradition, which to me seems more like a separation from human life."

"There was nothing pleasant inside, only incomprehensible paintings and neurotic lunatics. But people kept visiting the Secessionists, and the Secessionists' Secessionists, like mitotic salamanders multiplying..."

"The entrance to our historic branch is on the left, please move a moment..."

Following his directions, you can see the enormous Goren standing at the entrance.

"Look, you just encountered it too. This is Vienna's most loyal and reliable guardian knight—the Colossus of Goren, driven entirely by magic, a masterpiece of the European revival of mysticism!"

"In 1662, a court mystic from London presented it to the emperor. For centuries, it has faithfully guarded the empire..."

"Ah! It's you!"

An abrupt and excited greeting interrupted Karl's impending rambling, and a figure peeked out from Goren's shadow.

"……Um?"

The sudden appearance of the stranger made Marcus shrink slightly behind Chenxi. Her mentor's advice still held true; she didn't use her mystical powers to read the man before her, even though she sensed something amiss.

However, faced with Marcus, who had suddenly become somewhat dependent on him, Chenxi showed no pity and quickly pushed her away:

"Marcus!"

"Hmm? What's wrong, Mr. Chenxi?"

The little seagull whose name was called suddenly turned his head to look in Chenxi's direction. The sudden cuteness overwhelmed him, forcing him to raise his hand to cover his eyes to block the light emanating from that face.

"Ok?"

Marcus tilted his head, and Chenxi fell to the ground. But before he died completely, he handed a small bottle containing a golden liquid to Marcus and instructed him:

"This is something we might need later. If any unexpected situation arises, we can just throw it out."

"Is this... a mystical tool I've never seen in the Foundation's records?! Is it really okay to entrust such a precious item to me?"

Clearly, the student, who was undertaking an outsourced task for the first time, was suddenly entrusted with an important mission, which represented a sense of excitement and trepidation for her.

"Of course! Marcus is super cute, isn't he?"

Although she didn't know why she received this honor for such a reason, being praised so frankly still made her cheeks instantly blush with an alluring rosy hue.

"Then... what is Mr. Chenxi going to do?"

When asked this question, Chenxi revealed a sly smile and put a finger to her lips in a shushing gesture.

"Hmph, of course it is..."

Before he could finish speaking, his figure gradually vanished before Marcus's eyes, along with the rest of his sentence, disappearing completely. Startled, she immediately rubbed her eyes, but even the last faint phantom of Chen Xi had completely disappeared without a trace.

Even "reading" couldn't detect any trace of mystical magic. Only the glass bottle in her hand, still slightly hot, reminded her that Chen Xi had indeed been standing right in front of her.

Fortunately, Heinrich attracted Hoffmann and Karl's attention, preventing them from noticing the little incident.

"Respected Mr. Scarbia, greetings! How is your youngest son, Tamino? I heard his relationship with his fiancée is not going smoothly?"

"...I'm so sorry, please wait a moment, Ms. Hoffman."

At this moment, Mr. Karl, unusually, displayed his gentlemanly manners and took the initiative to stop Heinrich from approaching.

“Excellent, Heinrich, just as excellent as your turbulent artistic career.”

"That's wonderful! Best wishes, Mr. Scarbia!"

"Oh, my apologies."

He stood at a distance and nodded slightly in the direction of Hoffmann and his group.

"Hello to you, Angeloti, and—the lady whose name I do not know."

After saying this, the strange gentleman turned around and, without looking back, walked briskly into the temple-like building.

“Look, this is one of the crazy artists.”

Marcus was no longer interested in hearing what Carl was saying.

"Chen...chen..."

"Everyone knows I only have one beautiful little daughter! This gentleman with the bald chin has just returned from studying in Berlin."

"He probably hasn't read many books, but he twisted his ankle and fell into the world of drama..."

"In my opinion, he has listened to too much Wagner and Mozart, which has damaged his central nervous system, so he sees everyone as a character in an opera."

"Either it's an eyesore, a dazzling spectacle; or it's a piece with too many notes, all flashy and impractical..."

The increasingly clear pulse replaced the watch in recording the passage of time, and the repeated "accidents" had worn down the patience of the veteran investigator.

"Oops, I've gone off on a tangent!"

Karl tapped the stone statue in front of him with his cane.

"Rest assured, we have significantly modified its original procedure to accommodate the frequent flow of people..."

"You just need to tap its armor three times and stroke its beard, and you can go inside."

"Oh, I forgot! You are two respectable ladies, without beards! But you possess... remarkable mystical arts, don't you?"

Finally unable to hold back any longer, Hoffman chose to respond.

"First of all, I am not a mystic."

"And then, I also don't have the sense of humor you're hoping for."

"--All right!"

The chubby man shrugged, as if he pitied the few people who couldn't understand his world, couldn't understand a true Viennese.

"But this is no joke. It only recognizes beards, and not everyone is like Heinrich... After all, it's a symbol of gentlemanliness...!"

The relentless stream of absurdities has significantly tested the patience of the veteran investigators.

“Mr. Carl, please just give me the list of mystics we agreed on. We won’t be going into the Foundation’s branch.”

“How can that be? Are you two going to miss the beautiful scenery along the Danube? There’s no better way to experience the advantages of a modern system than by horse-drawn carriage along the ring road! The Sacher Hotel has already prepared soft beds—”

"Have you two not yet tasted our national treasure...?"

"Thank you, we've already enjoyed it during the two hours you were away."

"Please give us the list."

Hoffman spoke slowly and deliberately, his tone leaving no room for argument. Fortunately, however, the misfortune that was about to befall this unfortunate man was not far off.