Chapter 144: The Tongue Registry

Marek woke up to an unfamiliar voice coming from the communication device Rhovan had bought him yesterday.

He had no idea what it was saying.

At first, he thought someone had called him, but after checking the device, he discovered that it had been making the same announcement for several minutes. Several unfamiliar characters were displayed across its screen, accompanied by a notification that he couldn’t understand.

’Did I accidentally set an alarm?’

He tried pressing one of the buttons. The voice stopped, only to resume a few seconds later with another announcement.

Marek stared at the device for a moment before turning it off completely.

He was definitely getting that Tongue Script today.

After washing up and changing his clothes, he retrieved his First Entry Writ from the desk and placed it inside his backpack. His notebook was still lying beside it, opened to the page where he had written down everything he intended to investigate concerning Tomas Vale.

He had spent some time thinking about those things before falling asleep last night. The possibility that his father had registered under another name was especially troublesome, considering Marek had just done the same thing himself.

Nevertheless, he had already decided where he wanted to begin.

For now, however, he needed to accomplish something as ordinary as learning the language everyone around him was speaking.

When Marek arrived downstairs, he discovered that most of the others were already awake. Eren was sitting at the dining table with the transaction receipt from yesterday, while Rafe had somehow managed to display a three-dimensional map of Courtspire City above his communication device.

Kellan, meanwhile, was arguing with Rhovan about something involving transportation.

"You’re telling me we can’t just rent one of those sky taxis?" Kellan complained as he followed Rhovan into the dining area. "You said we could go wherever we wanted once we had our own money!"

"I said you could purchase ordinary necessities, you fool! Since when did renting a sky taxi become an ordinary necessity?"

"Since I discovered they existed!"

Marek took an empty seat beside Dario, who had already finished most of his breakfast, and helped himself to some of the food arranged across the table. Several of the dishes were unfamiliar, but he had grown considerably less concerned about that after yesterday’s experience.

Besides, the food was quite good.

"Are we going to get the Tongue Scripts now?" Nadia asked Rhovan as she approached the table. "Because I tried using the device you bought us, and I couldn’t even find the settings."

Rafe raised his own device. "I found the language settings. I just couldn’t understand which language I was supposed to select."

"Then how did you manage to open that map?" Marek asked, pointing at the projection above the table.

"Icons."

Marek shrugged. "Fair enough."

Rhovan seemed quite pleased with himself as everyone gradually turned their attention toward him. He had already eaten before they came downstairs and was now occupying one of his ridiculous golden chairs, despite Goldwake House having more than enough ordinary furniture.

"Today’s destination is Mirrorline," he announced. "We’re visiting the Courtspire Tongue Registry first. Once your Scripts are prepared, we’ll proceed to Clearroot Binding House for the installation."

Marek remembered the two establishments from their conversation last night, but there was something he wanted to clarify. "Can’t we just purchase the Scripts and install them ourselves?"

Rhovan gave him a strange look. "Would you purchase an unfamiliar medicine from another World and immediately swallow it without knowing what it does?"

"Well, no."

Marek thought about that for a moment. ’That makes sense.’

He had already encountered several kinds of Wroughts since meeting Rhovan. The Stillglass Seals Celeste gave him were particularly useful back at the Exhibition Center, while the Unregarded Sun was currently responsible for their altered appearances.

However, those objects performed functions quite different from installing an entire language into somebody’s body.

Perhaps getting professional assistance was the more sensible approach.

After breakfast, the group prepared to leave Goldwake House. Rafe had already identified the metro route leading to Mirrorline and was quite confident that he could guide them there without Rhovan’s assistance.

That confidence only lasted until they reached the station.

There were several entrances leading to different platforms, and the navigation system displayed their destination using characters none of them could recognize.

Rafe examined the route again before turning toward Rhovan. "Which one?"

Rhovan laughed so hard that Kellan threatened to push him onto the railway.

Fortunately, they managed to board the correct train without causing another incident.

Their journey took them through several commercial and residential districts before eventually reaching Mirrorline. Marek spent most of the trip observing the city through the windows, taking occasional notes whenever he noticed something interesting.

Unlike the district surrounding Goldwake House, Mirrorline had considerably more administrative buildings and commercial offices. Many of the structures were connected by elevated pedestrian walkways, while broad public plazas occupied the spaces between them.

There were also numerous establishments advertising services that Marek couldn’t identify.

He recognized several Zodiac emblems displayed above their entrances. Some belonged to Libra, while others represented Virgo, Gemini, and several other Houses.

"Why are there so many different House establishments here?" he asked Rhovan as they left the station.

"Mirrorline is one of Courtspire’s major service districts. Many institutions operating throughout the Concord maintain offices here, especially those involved in registration, education, healthcare, and inter-House services."

"So the other Houses can establish businesses in Libra’s territory?"

"Of course! Did you expect everyone to remain inside their own territory forever?"

"No. I’m just wondering how much influence the other Houses are allowed to exercise here."

Rhovan smiled at that question. "You’ll understand once we begin studying Libra’s government. For now, let’s get you something that allows you to understand what people are saying before you start investigating their politics."

Marek had no objections to that.

Their destination was located inside a large administrative complex several streets away from the station. Its entrance was marked by Libra’s emblem, accompanied by several smaller symbols that Marek recognized as Gemini and Virgo.

Rhovan explained that Tongue Scripts were manufactured through cooperation between several Houses, with each institution responsible for a different part of the process.

The House of Gemini preserved the language patterns, Virgo handled the medical requirements, and Libra maintained the legal records concerning the Scripts and their intended bearers.

The House whose language was being prepared also had to approve the corresponding language edition.

Marek found the arrangement quite interesting. He had already learned that the Houses could exercise tremendous influence over their respective territories, but he hadn’t expected something as ordinary as language acquisition to involve so many different authorities.

Then again, the Prime Continuum was operating on an entirely different scale from Earth.

When they entered the registry, several clerks were already attending to customers.

Most of the people waiting inside appeared to be ordinary travelers. A family was speaking with one of the clerks near the entrance, while several individuals wearing unfamiliar uniforms occupied the seats beside the registration counters.

There were also numerous displays advertising different Tongue Scripts.

Marek recognized the Zodiac emblems accompanying each advertisement. Everything written beneath them might as well have been random symbols.

Rhovan approached one of the reception counters and began speaking with the clerk.

The woman greeted him before examining the documents he presented. After several exchanges, she activated a larger screen and pointed toward several available options.

Marek waited patiently for their conversation to finish.

"What did she say?" he eventually asked when Rhovan turned around.

"She wants to know which language you intend to acquire. I told her we’re commissioning seven Tongue Scripts, and that all of you recently arrived from Earth."

"Thesarin," Marek answered immediately. "That’s Libra’s language, right?"

"Indeed. A splendid choice, Ophi—"

Marek stepped on his foot.

Rhovan’s expression immediately changed.

"Newton," he corrected himself, smiling as though nothing had happened.

The clerk glanced between them before asking another question.

Rhovan answered her and then explained that they could choose any available House language regardless of their own Astral Signs. Since they intended to remain in Courtspire City for quite some time, acquiring Thesarin would be considerably more practical than choosing a language belonging to another House.

Marek agreed.

He was particularly interested in accessing government records, and he doubted that relying entirely on Prime Language would be convenient whenever he encountered documents written specifically for Libran institutions.

The others also chose Thesarin after some discussion.

Eren was interested in the available editions and asked whether the registry offered versions containing specialized financial and legal terminology. Unfortunately, the clerk explained through Rhovan that those required additional qualifications or separate extensions.

"Can’t I just purchase the most comprehensive edition?" Eren asked.

"Knowing the terminology doesn’t automatically qualify you to practice a profession," Rhovan explained. "They have regulations concerning that."

Eren seemed somewhat disappointed, but eventually selected the same edition as everyone else.

Once they had made their decisions, the clerk requested their First Entry Writs.

Marek handed over his document and watched as she entered the information into her terminal.

Newton Machiavelli.

Earth.

Ophiuchus.

No House affiliation.

His information appeared across the screen in unfamiliar writing. The clerk checked it against the document before asking him to place his hand on a small identification panel.

Rhovan translated her instructions.

Marek complied.

A pale light passed across his fingers before the panel emitted a short notification. The clerk then requested a voice sample, which required Marek to repeat his registered name several times.

"Newton Machiavelli."

After another verification procedure, the clerk presented him with a document requiring his consent. Rhovan spent the next several minutes translating its contents, including the possible complications associated with an improperly prepared Tongue Script.

Marek listened carefully.

He had no intention of allowing an unfamiliar object to interfere with his Astral Mark, especially when he still didn’t completely understand the nature of his own abilities.

"Will this affect my Authority?" he asked.