Observatory

Gen then said, "Atlantis? What's that?"

And Pria looked at him and said, "Don't you know it? It's a very popular restaurant in the dome."

"No, I've never heard of it. Is the food good there?"

"Excellent. I would say it's the best food in town. It's just not the most popular restaurant in town because of its high price."

"I see. What kind of food do they offer there? Fish?"

"Yes, but not only fish. They have a system where each floor of the building offers a different service. So you have different kinds of food there."

Hearing this, Gen looked wide-eyed and said, "They offer different services on each floor?!"

And she said, "Yes. Is that so surprising?"

"It's not that. It's just that where I come from, there's another restaurant that has the same kind of service."

"Oh yeah? What a coincidence?"

"Maybe it's not a coincidence."

Pria then frowned and said, "What do you mean?"

And Gen then started gesturing and said, "Do you know if they give an album about this size to the people who take the most expensive service?"

Pria then thought about it for a while and said, "I think I've heard something about that, but I'm not sure."

And Gen said, "No problem. I'll go and check if this restaurant is the place I'm thinking of."

The elevator continued to rise for a while, and Gen asked Pria about various things he was seeing from above. She explained them one by one, until one moment when their vision changed because they had entered the water.

Gen then looked wide-eyed and asked, "Are we going outside the dome?"

And Pria said with a hand over her mouth, "Hahaha, we're almost there, Gen. Just enjoy the view."

Gen then looked around and realized that thousands of fish surrounded him. This left him speechless.

After a while, he said, "Wow, that's amazing. I've been through many aquariums today, but this is by far the best of them."

And Pria said, "Hahaha. I know. Everyone who comes here the first time is surprised by this."

Gen then said, without taking his eyes off the water, "Pria, maybe you should quit the observatory and start selling the entrance fee to see this aquarium. I bet anyone would pay for this view."

And Pria said, "Hahaha, I'll think about it."

Gen then continued to look around, and after a while, he saw a fish that was kind of far away looking in his direction. The fish was far away, so it was not possible to identify what it looked like. The only things that were possible to see were the shadow of its long body and its blue eyes that glowed in the water like lights in the dark.

Gen had the impression that it was looking at him. He then turned to Pria and was about to ask her what fish it was when suddenly he felt a strange sensation and looked back in the direction of the fish directly into its blue eyes.

He then felt a shiver run down his spine, which made his whole body tremble and also made his incomplete crown appear on his head, but he was too shocked to notice.

Right after that, the shiver faded, but the fish continued to watch him for a while and then disappeared into the water. Gen then fell back till he touched the wall of the elevator and stood in shock for a few seconds, which made him unaware that Pria was staring wide-eyed and open-mouthed at his crown.

She then rubbed her eyes, and Gen began to wake up from his shock. The crown on his head began to disappear slowly, and he then fell to the ground. He stayed there for a few moments and, after a while, wiped the sweat from his brow and stood up.

He then looked at Pria and said, "Now I know why you don't get many customers. That fish scared me the most I have ever been scared in my life. Most people would have fainted if they had experienced what I just did. I can still feel my heart beating hard in my chest."

Pria was still a little shaken up, but she quickly woke up and said, "Don't worry, Gen. You get used to the feeling after a while."

And Gen said, "I doubt that will happen. I never want to go through that again."

The elevator continued to rise for a few more minutes, and then they got out of the water.

The elevator door opened, and Pria said, "Here we are, Gen."

Gen then got out of the elevator, and Pria said, "Well, I hope you enjoy the experience."

Gen then looked at her and said, "Aren't you coming?"

And Pria bowed her head a little and said, a little discouraged, "I can't. I still have all these flyers to hand out before the day is over."

Gen then looked at the mass of flyers and said, "That's right. Well, good luck."

And Pria said, smiling, "Thanks.", and then the elevator door closed, and it started down.

Gen then looked around and realized that there was almost nothing around him.

He then thought, 'Why is this place so empty? There isn't even a chair for me to sit on.'

He kept looking for a while longer but didn't see anything, and then thought, 'I better take a walk around to see if I can find anything.'

He then started to walk around the place, and after a while, he saw a woman sitting at a table by herself.

He then thought, 'Good. Looks like I'm not alone. I'd better talk to her. Maybe she knows how this place works.'

Gen then approached her, and suddenly, she looked in his direction.

She then waved and then gestured for him to come closer.

Gen then frowned and thought, 'How strange. Why is she being so friendly?'

Gen then kept going in her direction, and after a while, he arrived in front of her table, but before he could say anything, she stretched out her arm toward a chair in front of him and said, "Would you join me?"

Gen then frowned and said, "Sure?", and then sat down in front of her.

Gen then looked in her direction and realized that she was a very beautiful woman. She was about Miss Anna's age and had a body about the same level as hers. Her hair was blonde, which went all the way to her back, and as the norm in Tólis, her eyes were blue.

The woman saw Gen watching her, giggled, and then asked, "This is your first time here, isn't it?"

And Gen said, "Yes."

"It's a little confusing at first, but then you get used to it."

"I don't even know if I'll come here again."

"That fish is scary, isn't it?"

Gen then leaned his elbow on the table and said, "Isn't it? I was almost scared to death."

And the woman said, "You get used to it."

Gen then leaned back in his chair and said, "Well, I don't know if you can get used to that feeling, but I know I don't intend to try."

The woman then smiled and said, "That's understandable. By the way, my name is Isabelle."

"That's a nice name. Mine is Gen."

"Thank you. You have a nice name, too."

"Well, I know it's a lie, but thanks anyway."

"Fufufu, You're welcome."

Gen then frowned and said, "Aren't you even going to deny what I said?"

And Isabelle said, "Do you want me to deny it?"

Gen then rested his chin on one of his hands and started to think, and after a while, he said, "No. No need.", which made Isabelle laugh and say, "Fufufu, you're funny, Gen."

Gen then smiled and said, "Well, I know that's true, hahaha."

She then asked, "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

And Gen said, "Well, I'll take anything."

"Well, it's late. How about some coffee and some light snacks?"

"Can I swap the coffee for juice?"

Isabelle then said, a little annoyed, "Didn't you say it could be anything?"

And Gen said, a little embarrassed, "Well, it's just that I'm not a big fan of coffee."

Isabelle then started to laugh and said, "Hahaha, don't worry, Gen, I'm just messing with you. Are you sure you want juice? If you want some liquor, I won't be bothered."

Gen then thought for a moment and said, "Well, I'd better not. When I drink, things get a little out of my control."

And Isabelle said, "All right then."

She then took a piece of paper that she had with her and a jar of ink. She then made a tiny ball of water on top of her index finger, dipped it in the ink, and began to write down their request.

She then put the paper in a hole in the table and said, "There. In a little while, we will get our orders."

And Gen said, "Ok, thanks for your help."

"You're welcome."

The two then stayed silent for a while and then said, "Gen, where did you come from?"

And Gen said, "I came from the Dahji desert."

Isabelle then said, "Wow, that's interesting. I didn't know the desert had another King outside of Rose and her Husband."

And Gen said, " Well, almost no one-", but stopped in the middle and said, "What?!"