As always, Giliath demands your power stones!
*
Talking about Angelica Rogner isn't exactly the direction I expected this conversation to head. If we happen to cross paths, I might try to befriend her. After all, we're both nobles, and she's definitely the closest person to form a connection with one of the available Great Houses. if it happens, it happens. If I recall, Emperor Eugent III is supposed to ascend the throne this year. This is likely one event Father will take me to and it might allow me to meet the other nobles there. I'm sure Father's participation is mandatory, as others of high military status will be. It will be an event for the decade.
Still, no use crying over spilled milk for now. Like I said, if it happens, it'll happen.
Father saw me enter my thoughts while he brought up Angelica to me, and decided to speak out.
"Did you perhaps have something you want to talk about, Naoto?", Giliath suddenly asked me, snapping out of my thoughts.
"It's nothing, Father. I'm just amazed that such a barrier is so close to our home. There's one way further down southeast too, right?", I asked, deciding to change the topic.
"Haha! You must be talking about Garrelia Fortress. That one for sure is mighty. Even the Schwarz Drache barrier pales in comparison. It's where most recruits go, unless you belong to particular Divisions like the 4th.", Giliath said, responding with a laugh. "But the barrier you see is closer to home. Beyond it lies the industrious city, Roer as you stated. The question I asked you wasn't the only one. Are you ready for another?"
"Yeah!", I happily replied. These little quizzes Father gives me have been enjoyable. They aren't exactly hard, but it helps paint a better picture. Erebonia is massive. Much more massive after being here in person. If I had to put it into perspective, Erebonia's size is like the United States. It is by far one of the biggest countries on the continent.
"Very well. Then you know the city of Roer likes to create things. What exactly does it excel in crafting?", Giliath asked me. Hearing that question, I went into my thoughts again.
"Umm...", I began to say, after gathering my thoughts for a moment. "Roer has a lot of mines, right? Its primary resource is iron, but once the Orbal Revolution happened, they shifted their attention to creating modern-day appliances and Orbments!", I happily replied.
"Indeed. And that isn't all they do. In times of war, Roer helps create what we need to win. Now I will end off with our final question for the day. Do you know the name of who leads this group?", Giliath asked me, seeing if I knew the company behind it all. Of course I knew the time.
"The Reinford Group! Roer's their home, right?", I asked with confidence. Giliath laughed, seeing me upbeat.
"Excellent! You haven't been slacking off on your studies. Continue your pace at this rate, and I'll consider bringing you over to the town beyond Roer, which is Ymir. They're quite well known for their hot springs. Come this winter, and I'll book a reservation.", Giliath responded, causing me to pause. A trip to Ymir?
"Really!?", I replied. Man, I haven't enjoyed some good hot springs since my previous life. There hasn't been a single time that I was brought somewhere to enjoy a good soak. I mean, we do have personal baths in the villa, but the ambiance just isn't the same. And in my opinion, Ymir has the best hot springs in all of Erebonia! How could I not get excited for such a chance?
"Hahaha! I can see the excitement in your eyes, my boy. We haven't had a good chance to relax in a long white. Continue to do well, and consider it a done deal. I have some family up there too, I could introduce you to him. Once upon a time I too was adopted into their family after an unforeseen accident. Lord Teo's a good man. A noble too. Low on the ladder, though.", Giliath said, showing a hint of reminiscence in his eyes.
Now there's something I was expecting Father to bring up since we were talking about Ymir. The small town is currently ruled by a Baron, as he stated. Baron Schwarzer. Does that name ring a bell? It's the same family Rean will eventually adopt into, due to the upcoming tragedy that is set to take place. It will cause Giliath to cut all ties with Rean, but it really is taking the meaning, 'like father like son' to a whole new level, isn't it?
Father didn't lie when he said he was adopted into Teo Schwarzer's family. At the time, Teo was younger, so he began to see Father more of an older brother figure. And now with that twist, he will bring Rean into that family. This isn't set to happen for another couple years. That means we do actually have a point to head there. Father's relationship with Teo should still hold strong right now. I could totally see the three of us heading to Ymir, I just don't know if this will implicate things.
Anyways, I saw Father continue speaking. The quizzes were done for today, but the day was far from over. It was still morning.
"We've covered a pretty wide variety of topics today, haven't we? Our country's history is very long, and it can take quite a long time to memorize it all.", Giliath said to me.
"I'm sure it does. And it is quite a lot to take in. I will try my best to absorb it all.", I replied back with a nod. "It's because you want me to follow in your footsteps, right?", I continued to ask. To my surprise, Father shook his head.
"It is a lot that I'm throwing at you, yes. But you are wrong about one thing, son. I merely wish for you to stand on your own two feet on our land. What I am teaching you is merely groundwork for you to spread your wings and fly. It will be up to you to decide your own path.", Giliath answered. Unexpectedly, I saw him approach me, and reached his hand downward. Flinching my eyes a bit, began to ruffle my hair.
To think someone like Giliath is someone capable of giving head pats...
And trust me, don't get me started on head pats. It's a known running gag in the games. A certain character does it. A LOT. Still, I enjoyed this moment. Who would've thought Giliath could do this? Hahaha!
"I understand, Father. I'll do my best to find my own path.", I happily said, replying back to Father.
"Good. Good. Now let us continue our discussion about the Reinford Group for a bit, then we'll head back home and enjoy some lunch with Kasia and Rean.", Giliath said to me, ending his patting.
As much as I wanted to retort that comment, I couldn't. The knowledge Father has been imparting me thus far is quite good. I can feel that he's truly trying to watch out for me. It looks like today's lesson wasn't quite over yet, so I could only nod my head at his words. I saw Father continue to speak.
"Roer is indeed one of our most industrialized cities. At its peak stands the Reinford Group. This group has been around since the Middle Ages. They were once but a humble group known for making their weapons. As time passed, they adapted to the use of gunpowder. And when Professor Epstein introduced Orbal Technology, the Reinford Group adapted yet again. No longer did it solely focus on creating weapons. It eventually branched out, creating domestic devices, tanks, and aircrafts. And they became even more crucial to our military during this. And here's an additional known fact, they played a major role in the creation of the Transcontinental Railway.", Giliath said, continuing his lesson.
That's one good thing to point out. Not many know that the Reinford Group has existed since the Middle Ages. Back then they were simple artisans. And given a few centuries, they're now one of the most prominent manufacturers on the continent. If you come across some modern household appliance, it likely has the Reinford Group's name on it. It's not like they're the sole group out there, though. They have rivals, like the Verne Company based out of the Republic of Calvard.
I kept silent, as Father wasn't done with his lesson.
"Because of the new technology introduced, demands skyrocketed. Its acting head, Gwyn Reinford, created many divisions within its business to handle these needs. And it was with that they could single-handedly assist meeting the Imperial Government's needs. Four main divisions were created. The First, the Second, the Third, and Fourth Divisions respectively. They focused on different tasks, like iron and steel machinery, armaments, public infrastructure and transportation, and communication tools, which included Orbments. Even battle Orbments weren't out of their expertise.", Giliath continued.
"I understand the role of the Fourth Division, but wouldn't that make them compete with the Epstein Foundation?", I asked.
"So you managed to catch onto that part. The Epstein Foundation holds reign on our Orbment production currently, but with groups like the Reinford Group's Fourth Division, they've finally received some competition. Having like-minded rivals in the field is useful to help produce better results and quantities. And on a more personal level, I've witnessed some of the Foundations' disciples compete against each other quite a bit. There's two known individuals in the field, Franz Reinford, and Gerhardt Schmidt The former didn't actually work for the Foundation, however.", Giliath answered.
I didn't think I'd come across those two individuals so soon. The latter is a recurring character in the Cold Steel games while Franz Reinford is none other than Alisa Reinford's father. The first Cold Steel game tried so hard to hide her identity and when the reveal arrived, it was pretty lackluster. But seeing as Roer and Trista are somewhat close to each other, wouldn't that make Alisa Reinford my neighbor too, on top of Angelica Rogner? So many characters close by.
It would do me well to visit Roer sometime. If Father brings us to Ymir during the winter, we'll be able to see the big city along the way!
In regards to the Epstein Foundation, Father only mentioned one figure. It has three leading disciples. Gerhardt Schmidt was just one of them. The other two would be Albert Russell, and Latoya Hamilton. Professor Hamilton wouldn't make an appearance until Daybreak. Another little bit from the promotional trailers they've teased. In Sky, the focus would be Professor Russell and his granddaughter Tita Russell. Professor Schmidt wouldn't come in until Cold Steel, where he often switched sides, depending on his current interests.
I shouldn't even talk about Tita Russell for that matter, either. She's one of Sky's playable characters, yes. But it's S1189 right now. She likely isn't even born yet.
"So with minds like theirs, they've helped create those Combat Orbments, right?", I asked.
"Exactly. Like the one I have in my possession, they've made such possibilities a reality.", Giliath replied. It looks like he was pretty much done with his lesson. Another one I will hold with high regard. There's so many characters out there you can talk about, it can create endless amounts of conversations. There's hundreds, or perhaps even thousands of them.
"I think that's enough for today. I've laid quite a lot on your plate, son. So instead, I think it's time to show you some more Combat Arts. The first one was just an initial look. We should be far out enough to attract some monsters. Not many of them lurk along the railway, but there's enough plains and trees around where we might encounter a few.", Giliath suddenly said, drawing my attention to him.
We really are heading this direction!?
Monster hunting!
"Really!? You'll show me some more magic spells?", I excitedly asked.
"Hahaha! They are Combat Arts, not spells, my son. Only the witches of old can cast spells. Please keep that in mind.", Giliath said, reminding me.
"Right, right.", I replied, scratching my cheek. I felt a bit embarrassed realizing what I had said.
"Then we shall bring up one last topic for today. This one particularly pertains to you, Naoto. Are you certain you want to learn the Rapier as your weapon of choice?", Giliath said, suddenly asking me a serious question. The weapon of choice, huh...
"I...", I began to say, raising my head to look him right in the eyes...