Leona Gets An Upgrade

Job Details:

Job Sign-Up: Page 9, Post Number 208

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 9:07 P.M.-

After finishing all of the guild paperwork for the day Leona entered her room and walked to her desk, then immediately fished out her Infinite Improbability Chronometer from inside a desk drawer and set it on top of her desk. She was going to go to her personal space station once she packed a bag of clothes in case she stayed over for whatever reason. Leona intended to stay there for a day or two at the very least, but she liked to carry spare clothes in case something unexpected happened and she had to stay longer.

Leona walked over to her wardrobe and opened the doors, then began grabbing clothing to take with her. She fished out her green, black, and blue tank tops and put them in the backpack. She grabbed her khaki cargo shorts, her desert camouflage shorts, and two pairs of khaki cargo pants and put them into the bag. She did not know how many more tops she needed to take, so she kept looking for one or two more that she really liked.

She was already wearing a green tube top that left her arms and shoulders bare but covered her chest and stomach. It was a recent purchase from a day ago when she made a spur-of-the-moment trip to Capital Crocus Mall in search of tennis shoes so that she did not have to wear boots everywhere she went. She had been unable to find tennis shoes, but she had found a few tube tops that were her size. She had bought black, green, and blue ones and was currently wearing the green one with her green, white, and gold skirt and green, white, and gold boots.

Leona had also bought three that put the "tube" in tube top by covering only her chest. She was not going to wear those just anywhere. Only Masha was going to get the privilege to see Leona wear the less modest variety.

Leona left the three less modest tube tops right where they were and rifled through her clothing a bit more to find something she really liked. She grabbed the black tube top of the more modest type and put it into her bag. After a bit more searching Leona found her sleeveless green and sleeveless black crop tops and decided to take them too. They went into the bag and Leona grabbed her new olive green jacket and put it on, then closed her wardrobe.

Now that her clothing needs were met Leona walked over to her bed and picked up her Scout Laser Pistol and put the belt on around her waist and buckled it on. She then grabbed her Argent Gloves and put them on just in case she needed to do some heavy lifting. Finally she walked over to her desk, grabbed the Infinite Improbability Chronometer with her left hand, and wound the dial exactly forty-two times with her right hand. Once the number had been reached Leona felt the familiar sensation of getting lighter and being lifted off of her feet before disappearing in a flash of light.

-On board the space station-

Leona reappeared in the familiar white corridor and waited a few seconds to recover from being transported by the IIC. When she was ready she looked at her reflection in the window. Her hair quickly grew to waist length, but unlike last time Leona managed to look at herself without turning away. She turned her back to the window and watched until her hair returned to its normal length before turning away from the window to begin walking towards the command center. Leona wondered if Eliza was still here.

The blonde need not have worried because within a minute of being transported here Eliza was hurrying down the hallway towards her.

"HEY LEONA! IT'S BEEN AWHILE!" Eliza called out to the blonde as she ran. Leona raised her right hand in greeting and the aqua-haired android jogged over to the Wizard Saint while making eye contact. Eliza stopped within arm's reach and reached out to hug Leona, prompting the blonde to quickly step back with her hands held out in a "Stay back!" gesture. The android looked hurt for a moment.

"Please don't hug me right now, Eliza. I got in a nasty fight a few days ago and my stomach is still sore after getting a nasty slash across it." Leona explained why she had acted the way she did. Eliza quickly got the point.

"Oh, sorry about that!" Eliza apologized for almost hurting the Wizard Saint and quickly stepped back.

"It's no problem. The wound's healed over, but the soreness is still there." Leona assured her hostess that there was no harm done. Eliza smiled again.

"Hey Leona, I've got some good news!" Eliza quickly changed the subject.

"What's that?" Leona asked with genuine interest.

"My sister's here! She's helping me run this space station now!" Eliza replied. Leona made eye contact with the aqua-haired android before responding.

"You have a sister?" Leona asked in a surprised tone.

"Yeah! She's in the command center right now! We've got to go there to get your VIP keycard anyway, so let's go meet her!" Eliza suggested to the blonde. Leona was game.

"Sure thing. Let's go meet your sister." Leona agreed to go along with the suggestion. Eliza clasped her hands together.

"All right! Let's get going!" The android said enthusiastically. She led the way while Leona followed her down the hallway towards the station's command center.

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-Inside the command center, seven minutes later-

"And here we are, Leona. The command center. My sister spends a lot of time here making sure that everything's running smoothly." Eliza introduced Leona to the command center. Leona looked around the interior and noticed that it was exactly the same as it had been last time. There were still wall-to-wall monitors above the computer stations and a 3D layout of the station on the main screen in the center and there was still a door to the room that had once been Annette Larson's. Eliza looked at Leona and motioned for the blonde to follow her.

"C'mon, Leona. My sister's inside this room!" The aqua-haired android said, skipping ahead of the Wizard Saint. Leona followed behind her hostess and they soon entered the office.

-Inside the administrator's office-

"Hi Ada! My friend Leona's come to visit us!" Eliza introduced Leona to Ada, who was sitting behind a circular desk surrounded by screens that seemed to hover in midair. Ada wore a sleeveless black bodysuit and had silver hair plus a headset with a microphone. The silver-haired android swiped her hand and deactivated one of the screens, gazing directly at Eliza.

"Hello Eliza." Ada greeted her sister before turning her head to face Leona.

"Hello Leona. You must be Eliza's friend." Ada greeted Leona in a flat voice that did not have much emotion to it. Leona noticed that Ada had strange irises and a jagged mark below one of her eyes that looked like a scar. The silver-haired android also had a facial expression that made it look like she really did not care for visitors.

"Yes. Eliza's a friend of mine." Leona stated. Ada's facial expression did not change.

"Then you must be here for your keycard." The android behind the desk remarked. Without waiting for a response she turned her head to face right and tapped on the floating screen in front of her, then tapped on it again. A few seconds later a beeeep was heard and Ada reached down and to her left. She spun to face Eliza and held out a keycard.

"Here is Leona's new keycard." Ada told her sister. Leona noticed that it was not the gold keycard she had gotten last time. Instead it was a platinum color.

"Um, that's not the same keycard I had last time." Leona interjected. Eliza turned to the blonde and smiled.

"That's because it's not the same keycard. It's a platinum keycard. It lets you access anywhere in the station you want to go. Nowhere's off-limits to you now!" Eliza explained the difference between the gold card and the platinum card. Leona blinked.

"Don't worry, Leona. You can still get into your suite with it. In fact we've made some changes to your suite that you might like. Let's go see it!" Eliza suggested before handing Leona the platinum card. Leona looked at the card, then at Eliza.

"Let's go to my suite then." Leona accepted the offer. She wanted to put down her bag of clothing and rest awhile.

"This way!" Eliza cheerfully called out to Leona before skipping out of the room, leaving Leona to jog after her. Ada silently went back to work on monitoring the station's status.

-Inside Leona's suite, eight minutes later-

"And here we are, Leona! Your suite awaits!" Eliza waved her right hand around like a game show hostess. Leona looked around the living room and noticed a control panel on the left wall facing the living room.

"Your room now has central heating and air, so you control the temperature in here using the panel you're looking at now." Eliza informed Leona of one of the changes to her suite. The Wizard Saint liked the sound of that. However, her guide was far from finished because she started walking towards the door on the right side of the room. Leona followed close behind.

-Inside the bedroom-

"And here's your bedroom. The bed's still a double and still has the royal blue comforter you like, but we've expanded both the walk-in closet and the en suite bathroom." Eliza informed Leona that the closet and bathroom had been improved since the last time the latter was here. Without further delay Eliza walked over to the left door on the opposite side of the room and opened it. Leona walked over to Eliza's right side and peered inside to find that the walk-in closet had indeed been expanded.

It was lit by a soft yellow light in the center of the ceiling, showing that the closet was twice the size it had been the last time and featured a long metal pole in the back running from the left wall to the right wall with numerous hangers waiting to be used. There was also a large square storage cube on the right wall with nine squares for pairs of shoes to be placed in. That was eight more spaces than she needed for her footwear, but she appreciated having that option should she acquire more shoes or boots.

"I like it a lot, Eliza. There's so much storage space in here." Leona gave her verdict on the changes. Now she did not have to store her clothes in her bag the entire time she was here. However, she would have to wait on hanging up anything because Eliza opened the bathroom door a short distance away.

"If you thought that was something to see, wait until you check out your bathroom!" The aqua-haired android promised that the bathroom would be as impressive as the walk-in closet.

Ada's Appearance:

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Leona peered into her bathroom and saw that it had tripled in size and was both wider and longer. The bathroom had a large dome that provided light on the ceiling, a large shower with frosted glass doors in the top left corner, a toilet on the right across from the shower, a white sink made out of material that resembled marble to the right of the toilet as she first entered the bathroom, and a mirror above the sink with a light strip above the mirror.

"So, what do you think? Do you like it?" Eliza asked Leona.

"I like the changes a lot. I really like the shower with the frosted glass doors and the sink. I like the material the sink's made out of. It has a nice marble look." Leona replied in the affirmative and listed what made her like the space. Eliza smiled at the blonde.

"I'm glad you like it! Ada and I spent quite a lot of time fixing it up for you and making everything just so. We don't know much about you, so we had to guess." Eliza stated. Leona could tell that a lot of work had went into the bathroom. They could have just slapped something together and called it good because she was only an occasional visitor, but they went the extra mile to try and make it something Leona would like.

"Well, you two did great. I like the closet and I like the bathroom. They both look great and there's plenty of space in both of them." Leona said truthfully. The last time she had seen luxury like that was in her luxury suite on Crescent Island a few years ago. It was hard to believe that the entire suite was hers and hers alone.

"Thanks, Leona. You probably don't want me to hang around all day, so I can leave you alone if you want." Eliza offered to leave and let Leona enjoy her room in peace. Leona looked towards the android.

"I don't mind you being around, Eliza. It's not like I have anything important to do." Leona replied in a calm voice. She still felt guilty about being so rude to the aqua-haired android when the former had visited the station after the Ishgar Symposium, so she was trying to be nice to Eliza to make up for that incident. She hoped that her attempt to actually try to be pleasant to Eliza did not come across as forced. The latter smiled.

"Thanks, Leona. But I need to go back to the command center for awhile. There's something that I need to do there. I'll see you later, though!" Eliza assured her guest that they would meet again before handing the platinum keycard to Leona and leaving the room. Leona watched the android depart and wondered why she had chosen to leave so quickly. The blonde shrugged her shoulders and took her bag off, then began to unpack her clothing to put on the hangers in her walk-in closet.

-In Leona's bedroom, six minutes later-

Leona had hung up all of her clothing in the closet and put her IIC in her bag in the top right corner of the closet, so she walked out of it and back into her bedroom, where she pulled back the covers of her bed. She undid her pistol belt and put it on the right corner of the bed next to her pillow, then laid her platinum keycard next to it. She took off her boots and walked into it to put her footwear in the storage cube. When that was done Leona shut the closet door behind her and climbed onto her bed, then lay on her right side facing the closet door.

It did not take long for Leona to go to sleep because she had been busy most of the day before taking the trip to the station. Now that she did not have any paperwork to take care of or any jobs to do the Wizard Saint could relax for awhile. She closed her eyes and was asleep within a minute or so.

-In the living room of the suite, three hours and eight minutes later-

Leona slept for a few hours and when she woke up decided to go to her living room and sit on the couch while she tried to think of something to do. Her first impulse was to go walk around the Residential Area and see what she could find now that she could go anywhere on the station with no restrictions. Leona briefly returned to her bedroom and gathered her Scout Laser Pistol and platinum keycard before leaving her suite behind.

-In the Residential Area hallway, three minutes later-

With her Scout Laser Pistol in its holster on her right hip and platinum keycard clutched in her right hand, Leona now stood in the hallway of the Residential Area, which was a bit colder than her room. The chill in the air made her regret wearing a tube top instead of a t-shirt, but she had left all of her t-shirts back in Silver Wolf Guild Hall, so short of returning home to grab a few t-shirts there was little she could do about it. The blonde decided to press on and check out the Residential Area. She turned left and began walking down the hallway while stealing an occasional glance out of the long rectangular window to her right.

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-Inside the Residential Area hallway, thirty-three minutes later-

Leona had taken a leisurely stroll through the hallway and had come across nothing of interest except for a door near the end that had a white sign posted that read "ADMINISTRATORS ONLY!" printed in red letters. The blonde had a keycard which could get her past the door and into the area it protected, but she was debating the wisdom of going into a place that was clearly off-limits and required a keycard to get into. Even though Leona had been granted both permission and the means to go inside the area there was likely sophisticated electronic equipment or other technology beyond the door that she did not understand. She did not want to run the risk of damaging or destroying it, so she decided that just because she could do something did not mean that she should do it.

Leona turned away from the door and began retracing her steps back to the elevator so that she could go somewhere else. She decided to go to the command center to chat with Eliza and ask her about any more amenities the space station had. Leona walked past the door to the VIP suites and was moving towards the elevator when it opened and out walked Eliza. The aqua-haired android spotted the blonde and skipped towards her and Leona began to move to meet her.

"Hi Leona!" Eliza greeted Leona cheerfully.

"Hi Eliza." Leona greeted the android.

"I'd like you to come to the command center with me. There's something that Ada and I would like to talk to you about! We found something a while back that might interest you!" Eliza informed Leona of the purpose behind their meeting. Intrigued by that, Leona did not waste much time in coming up with a response.

"Certainly. Lead the way." Leona replied. Together the two went to the elevator and boarded it. Eliza punched in the destination on the keypad and the elevator door closed. The platform began to move upwards not long afterward.

-Inside the command center, six minutes later-

Eliza entered the command center just ahead of Leona. Ada was still busy at the circular desk monitoring the station's condition and it seemed like she had not moved from there ever since Leona first met her. The silver-haired android did a swipe that dismissed all the floating screens at once and made eye contact.

"I take it my sister told you about what we found." Ada wasted no time with introductions.

"She didn't tell me what it was, but she told me that you two found something that I might take an interest in." Leona informed the android. Ada rose from her seat.

"Yes. The "something" in question is a Universal Learning System, or ULS, which is a common abbreviation for the device." Ada told the Wizard Saint exactly what they had found. Leona blinked. She had never heard of the device before.

"It will teach you everything you need to know in subjects such as mathematics, science, medicine, and many more. When learning modules are installed the user can learn a subject in a much faster time than what is attainable by attending traditional educational facilities or by independent study." The silver-haired android laid out what the ULS did. Leona liked the sound of that.

"My sister analyzed the ULS and it has a science module loaded. It's a science module that features courses such as electronics, engineering, computer programming, computer repair, robotics..." Eliza started to list the courses loaded into the module when Leona interrupted.

"Robotics?" Leona asked Eliza, unable to hide her excitement. Eliza picked up on the blonde's energy.

"Yeah! You'll learn a lot in those fields! You'll be able to make and maintain your own robots! Of course there might be a learning period when what you make isn't very good, but you'll already have the basics down pat, so you can start learning from experience!" Eliza assured her. Leona began to smile for the first time in a few months. At long last she would be able to meaningfully contribute to her guild's work by learning how to make and repair technological items.

"Where's the ULS?" Leona asked her hostesses. Eliza started to raise her hand to point the way when Ada held out a hand to stop her sister.

"Not so fast, Eliza." Ada commanded her sister. Eliza lowered her right hand and Leona looked towards the silver-haired android, who was looking directly into her eyes.

"I must warn you about something before you use the ULS, Leona. I urge you to take what I am about to say very seriously." Ada said in a firm voice. Leona maintained eye contact.

"What did you need to warn me about?" Leona asked Ada in a serious tone.

"My warning is not about the ULS. It is perfectly safe to use and has no harmful side effects. Rather, my warning concerns what you will learn from it." The silver-haired android answered in the same serious tone in which Leona had asked her question. Leona folded her arms across her chest.

"Go on." Leona laconically urged the android to continue.

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"The knowledge can be used to destroy as well as create." Ada started her warning. Using her brain cells for once, Leona quickly surmised where that statement was going.

"So you're saying that it can be used to make weapons." Leona voiced her deduction.

"Yes." Ada answered.

"What you do with the knowledge is up to you. However, should you choose to use the ULS, you must go into it with both eyes open." Ada continued. This time Leona kept quiet and let the silver-haired android continue.

"When I said that the ULS was safe to use, I meant that you would not have to worry about an Artificial Intelligence or the brain patterns of a long-dead person taking over your mind. At the end of the process your mind will still be your own. That means that you cannot blame anyone else for what happens as a result of using the knowledge you gain." Ada finished her warning. Everything had been laid out for the Wizard Saint and while there was no risk of having her mind hijacked by something there was still a price to use what she learned from using the ULS and that price was personal responsibility. Leona remained silent for almost a minute after hearing everything she had been told.

"Go now. Go take some time to think about whether you really want to go through with it. I would suggest that you take at least a day to think the matter over. At the end of that time come back to me and tell me your decision. Should you decide that you still want to use the ULS I will help you." Ada told Leona to give it some time before making her decision. The blonde was likely going to use the ULS because doing so would make a previously impossible goal attainable. However, knowing that what she would learn could be used to make weapons gave her just enough pause to agree to the request to think the matter over before committing.

"All right then. I'll go think about it." Leona said. She turned and left the command center to go back to her room. She was going to try to sleep for awhile so that when she thought the matter over she would actually be able to focus on thinking through every angle.

-Leona's suite, ten hours later-

After sleeping for a little over nine hours Leona had gotten up and taken a shower. She had changed into her black tube top and a pair of khaki cargo pants and was ready for the day. Now she had to decide whether or not to go through with using the ULS. Leona stood in front of the rectangular window in her living room gazing out at the stars while she thought the matter over.

The knowledge she stood to gain would definitely help her. Not only would Leona finally be able to meaningfully contribute to Silver Wolf's guild mission, but she would also be able to make progress towards another personal goal, which was learning some new skills so that she could do things other than fight. Being able to work with electronics and computers would be beneficial since she owned the C-128 Albatross, an aircraft with electronics and a computer system.

However, Leona would have to consider the costs she would pay to get it. The primary one was learning to live with herself for taking a shortcut instead of taking the long way like others had done. Another cost was knowing that there was a good chance of what she learned being turned towards creating weapons and war machines instead of creating devices that could help people.

Leona was getting an idea of what Ada meant when the latter had asserted that the Wizard Saint needed to go into the situation with both eyes open. She took a quiet breath and looked at her reflection in the window for a few moments before looking at the stars again. The choice was not going to be as easy to make as she had first imagined it to be.

There was still more thinking to be done before Leona gave Ada her final decision. She needed to be absolutely certain that using the ULS was what she wanted to do. Even though it had not been explicitly stated Leona had the feeling that once she committed to using the system there would be no going back.

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-Leona's suite, forty-five minutes later-

It had been almost an hour since Leona had started seriously considering whether using the ULS to achieve one of her personal goals was the right thing to do or not and she still had not reached a decision.

Leona was leaning towards going for it because of how useful knowing how to make her own high-tech weapons could be. The four-armed creature she had fought in Fat Monsterland was too tough for her weapons to scratch unless she targeted its eyes. Using the ULS could give her the know-how needed to make a weapon that could cut through thick hide and armor regardless of where she attacked the beast. She could also learn to maintain the high-tech weapons she already had like the Ranger Laser Rifle and Scout Laser Pistol.

Leona could also use a war machine to help her in the war between Bellum and Pergrande. If she learned how to create both war machines and weapons for said machines she could design one to fill whatever role she needed it to fill. Since she tended to fight large groups of enemies one designed and equipped for crowd control would likely be her first creation. Leona could either use it by itself or have it serve as the ground part of a combined air-ground attack on enemies with her summons attacking from the air.

The Wizard Saint closed her eyes and took a quiet breath before exhaling.

It was becoming increasingly clear to her that she was going to use the ULS. Part of her wanted to go to Ada and declare her decision right now, but she was not going to do that. She had told Ada that she would wait a full day before returning to her and the Wizard Saint was going to keep her word. That would give her plenty of time to think her decision through and be at peace with it once the time came. Leona heard the door to her room open and watched Eliza walk in.

"Hey Leona!" Eliza cheerfully greeted Leona with a smile.

"Hello Eliza." Leona calmly greeted the aqua-haired android.

"Are you still trying to make a decision on using the ULS?" Eliza asked the blonde. Leona shook her head.

"I've pretty much made up my mind, Eliza. I'm just waiting the full day to be absolutely certain that I want to use the ULS." Leona informed her. Eliza's smile did not waver at that news.

"I'm sure that you'll make the choice that's right for you. You seem to be taking what my sister said seriously." Eliza commented on the blonde's announcement. Leona made eye contact with the aqua-haired android.

"I am taking what she said seriously." Leona calmly asserted. Had she been presented with this opportunity before the Ishgar Symposium she likely would have jumped on it without thinking it through. After that fateful day Leona had lost a good deal of the naivety that had prompted her to go there with minimal equipment. She was determined not to repeat the mistake brought on by naivety and blindly go into things without thinking them through.

"I'll leave you alone then. I'll be back in a few hours, Leona." Eliza said before turning around. Leona quickly called out to the departing android.

"Before you go, could you show me how to make the holograph projector work?" Leona blurted out a question. The android spun around and smiled.

"I'll be glad to show you!" Eliza cheerfully replied. She walked towards the door to Leona's personal holograph projection theater while the blonde followed close behind.

-Inside Leona's personal holograph projection theater, twenty-one minutes later-

Eliza had given Leona an explanation of how the device worked and had shown her how to change projection cubes and how to rewind and move forward to different points in the projection. Now Leona was alone in the darkened room and was seated in a seat that could recline all the way back if she chose to do so. She was watching a "scenescape" projection of an idyllic beach with crystal-clear water as far as the eye could see and beautiful white sand that seemed to go on forever. In the sky was a bright sun and there was not a single cloud to be seen.

Leona had many scenescape options to choose from if she got bored with the beach any time soon. She could choose between a desert, a forest, a grassy field, mountains, a snowy plain, a cave, and more. There were also morning, noon, and night options to add to each of the scenescapes so she could get the ambience she wanted and weather options to add if she wanted to get even more specific. Right now Leona was happy with the beach one and was watching the clear water lap on the sand.

Leona was feeling relaxed and in a fairly good mood, a mindset which opened her up for a bit of introspection. She had pretty much made up her mind on using the ULS and was just biding her time until she told Ada her choice. She would accept the knowledge contained on the science module and do her best to use what she would learn responsibly.

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-Leona's suite, the next day-

Leona had spent a good part of yesterday in her personal holograph projector room watching the beach scenescape and a desert scenescape when she finally tired of the beach. It was a good diversion, but today was about business. Leona's eyes opened and she quickly rolled to the right side of the bed, then put her feet on the floor. Today Leona was going to use the ULS and she felt a sense of focus that she had not felt in a long time.

She went into her bathroom, grabbed a bathcloth and towel in preparation for a bath, and shut the bathroom door. She was going to get a shower before she told Ada her decision. The Wizard Saint had pretty much made up her mind, but she was going to give herself some time to think her decision over one last time before she could not take it back.

-The command center, forty-two minutes later-

Dressed in her black tube top and another pair of khaki cargo pants and carrying the platinum keycard in her right side cargo pocket, Leona walked into the command center to look for Ada. The moment she entered the room she made a hard turn right and headed for Ada's office. She was halfway there when the door opened and out strode Eliza. The aqua-haired android paused for a moment at the sight of the advancing Wizard Saint, then recovered and greeted Leona.

"Hey Leona!" Eliza greeted the blonde. Leona stopped where she was and raised her right hand in greeting.

"Hello Eliza." Leona cordially greeted one of her hostesses.

"Are you here to see Ada?" Eliza asked.

"Yes, I'm here to see Ada." Leona answered confidently. While in the shower she had thought everything over and her decision had not changed. She was going to go through with this.

"All right then. This way!" Eliza said before turning towards the office and walking just ahead of Leona, whose pace had quickened now that her goal was within sight.

-Inside Ada's office-

Eliza barely made it through the door before Leona, who walked past the aqua-haired android and stood in front of the raised circular desk the silver-haired android was seated at. In front of her were floating screens in every direction that had all sorts of information Leona could not even begin to comprehend. It did not take Ada long to notice the blonde and swipe her hand in front of her, making all of the screens disappear before spinning in her seat to face the latter.

"Hello Leona. I take it you have made your decision regarding the use of the ULS." Ada offered a token greeting before getting right to the point.

"I've made my decision, Ada. I'm going to use it." Leona confidently replied. Ada looked at Leona for a moment before rising from her seat. The moment the silver-haired android stood up the Wizard Saint felt like she had set something in motion that could no longer be stopped.

"Follow me. We are going to take the elevator to the Science Level." Ada commanded. Leona started following her and Eliza followed behind Leona. The trio exited Ada's office and the silver-haired android began to lead them out of the Command Center and towards the elevator.

-The Science Level, four minutes later-

"And here we are, Leona. The Science Level! This is the lowest level on the station!" Eliza enthusiastically introduced Leona to the level the trio had just arrived at. Ada walked by her sister and the Wizard Saint without saying a word and the pair hurried to catch up to her. As they walked Leona noticed that the hallway they were in was exactly the same as all of the other hallways on the station. It had the same rectangular window on the right that looked out onto space, it had the same white walls with panels and flashing lights to the left, and it even had a door at the end of the hallway. However, this hallway had two metal doors with card readers on the left and they were spaced far apart.

"We will soon arrive at the laboratory where the ULS is located. It is in the laboratory behind the second door on the left." Ada informed Leona without looking back. Leona's pulse began to quicken as she drew closer to the door in question. Each step took her closer to achieving her goal. When the trio reached the door Ada brought out her own keycard and pushed it into the slot, then waited for the beeeep. The light flashed green and the metallic door hissed open.

"The ULS is only a little further, Leona. But before we continue any further, know that there is still time to reconsider your decision." Ada offered Leona a chance to turn back.

"Thanks for the offer Ada, but I'm not changing my mind." Leona calmly but firmly declined the chance.

"If you insist. This way." Ada said flatly before removing her keycard from the reader and walking into the room. Leona and Eliza followed close behind her.

-Inside the second laboratory-

The trio were now inside the laboratory, which was full of fancy computer equipment much like that present in the command center. There were wall-to-wall monitors and computer stations with swiveling chairs on each side of the long rectangular room with a pathway leading down the middle and towards a metal double door. The monitors were all inactive. Rectangular strips of lighting on the ceiling positioned at regular intervals bathed the area in a calming soft white light.

"This place hasn't been used in awhile, Leona. There really hasn't been a need to use it until you came along!" Eliza informed Leona as the trio walked towards the double door at the far end of the room.

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Leona remained silent as the trio walked towards the double door in the back of the room. She was so focused on what was about to take place that she did not hear the conversation between Eliza and Ada. The trio reached the door and Ada walked over to the keycard reader on the right and inserted her card. There was a long beeeep before the door opened in the middle, each door sliding to the side.

"The ULS is in this room." Ada announced as she retrieved her keycard. Leona silently followed her hostesses into the room.

-Inside the ULS room-

The trio walked into the room and Leona saw an upright object that was roughly seven feet tall. It had a gray base and a gray top with empty space between it. To the left was a computer console connected to the object by cables. The room itself was roughly the size of the suite's bathroom but was empty other than the capsule and the computer connected to it. The walls were bare metal and so was the floor.

"Here it is, Leona. The ULS!" Eliza introduced Leona to the device that was going to give her a big boost in scientific knowledge. Leona looked at it and blinked.

"It is a capsule, Leona. The protective screen comes up only when it is in use." Ada filled Leona in on what she was looking at. The gap between the top and bottom now made sense to her. In the blonde's defense this was the first time she had ever seen anything like this.

"Are you certain that you want to go through with this?" Ada asked Leona. The silver-haired android made eye contact with Leona after asking that question.

"I know that you are probably tired of hearing that question after indicating that you want to go through with using the ULS, but be certain that using it is what you want. Once the process begins it cannot be stopped. Once the process is complete it cannot be undone. For better or worse you will carry the knowledge with you the rest of your life." Ada warned Leona that once she stepped into the ULS capsule and the process started she was making an irrevocable commitment. Leona made eye contact with the android and looked at her. There was silence as the blonde reviewed her reasons for wanting this one last time.

Leona wanted to be able to help Silver Wolf with its mission by being able to contribute with her technological knowledge.

She wanted to expand her skill set so that she could do more than fight.

She wanted to be able to maintain and repair any advanced technology she got her hands on instead of always having to rely on someone else to do that kind of work for her.

Finally she wanted to be able to better help Bellum in the war against Pergrande by creating a war machine to help her in battle.

"I'm sure that this is what I want, Ada." Leona calmly confirmed that she wanted to use the ULS. Ada walked over to the computer console and looked at Leona.

"Very well then. Please enter the capsule." Ada requested in a businesslike tone. Leona complied and walked towards the waiting capsule, then took a step up into it. She walked into the center and turned around to face Eliza just as a shimmering blue screen dropped down, separating her from Eliza, Ada, and the world.

"Activating the ULS now. The process will not take long." Ada informed Leona. The interior of the capsule began to glow light blue and Leona's view of the outside world was soon cut off by the light. The Wizard Saint began to see a series of golden numbers and charts flash in front of her eyes and she began to feel an expanded mental awareness that made her smile.

This was really happening.

She was finally improving herself so that she would no longer be a desert bumpkin who wandered through life and relied on luck to get anywhere.

The blue light filled the capsule and Leona blinked as it faded. The capsule screen then disappeared, allowing her to see outside again. Leona calmly walked out of the capsule with a smile on her face.

"The process is complete." Ada announced as Leona stepped onto the cold metallic floor of the room. The cold did not bother the barefoot Wizard Saint at all. She was too excited about the possibilities that now stretched before her to be bothered by her lack of footwear.

"Hey Leona, are you OK?" Eliza asked Leona. Leona nodded.

"I feel great, Eliza." Leona answered truthfully. She could not recall the last time she had felt this... alive. Using the ULS had not cured Leona of her self-esteem issues nor her mental trauma, but now she could start building her self-esteem up by putting her newfound knowledge to use and creating things to prove to herself and others that she was no dumb blonde.

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"Before you go back to where you came from and start putting your new knowledge to work, I must tell you something. The ULS gave you the knowledge you needed plus a boost in intelligence that was just enough to help you remember everything you learned If you did not possess a genius intellect before the process you did not suddenly become one afterwards." Ada pointedly warned Leona that while she might have learned several scientific disciplines in a short time she was not a genius. Leona was OK with that.

"I'm fine with not being a genius, Ada. Learning those fields of science was enough for me." Leona replied plainly. She was not greedy. While becoming a genius would have been a nice bonus, she was more than satisfied with what she had gained.

"Be that as it may, you must also remember that your knowledge is new. You have learned everything you need to know but you do not yet have the practice in using it. Be aware that you can and will make mistakes until you get experience in using what you have learned, so do not get discouraged if you do not produce masterpieces right away." Ada added. Leona took a moment to think of her reply to that warning.

"All right, Ada. I'll keep that in mind when I start out." Leona said in all seriousness. Before she let her enthusiasm run away with her she planned to do some research into where she could acquire parts for robots, a means of producing said robots, and other specialized items she would need. All of the knowledge in the world would not do her any good if she lacked the means to produce her planned creations.

"Are you going to leave us now, Leona?" Eliza asked the blonde. Leona shook her head.

"No Eliza, I'm not going to leave just yet. I'm going to go back to my suite and watch a scenescape or two." Leona told the aqua-haired android that she was not going to run off now that she had gotten what she wanted. Eliza smiled.

"Great!" Eliza exclaimed. Leona turned to face Ada.

"Thanks for helping me, Ada." Leona thanked the silver-haired android for her assistance. Ada looked directly at Leona and did not say anything, so Leona waited a minute or two for a response. When she did not get one Leona walked out of the ULS room and began her trip back to her suite.

-Leona's Suite, the holograph projector room, eight minutes later-

After leaving the ULS room and the Science Level Leona was now sitting in her personal holograph projector room and watching a scenescape of the beach at noon. She watched the crystal-clear water lap against the shore as she thought about what she would need to do to get her plans off the ground. She already had a few things in mind... the next problem was finding sources for those items.

Leona was tempted to ask Dr. Reid for some help, but she doubted that the same scientist who had opposed her learning about robotics was inclined to give up any information on where to procure parts or machinery. The Wizard Saint decided to not ask her and moved on to another potential source, Mr. Bank. Mr. Bank might be willing to help her if she did some work for him in exchange for the information.

Mister Burke was a second possible source. He might want Leona to do some work in exchange for what she wanted, but she was willing to do that. He was a good client who never cheated her out of payment or went back on his word once he gave it.

Leona took a quiet breath as she watched the scenescape. Once she had procured everything she needed to get started she would need a place to set it all up. The first and most obvious choice was Silver Wolf Guild Hall... it was a good candidate because it was in a location that was fairly easy to defend. Anyone who wanted to steal her creations or destroy the production facility would have to get past the various guild defenses up to and including Leona herself, who was obviously not going to stand back and let it happen.

Leona tried to come up with a second location as a backup plan because Silver Wolf Guild Hall was the most obvious place for her to set up a production facility. It was exactly what people would expect her to do. However, she did not need to get too clever because a place far away from the expected one came with its own set of problems. The new location might not be easily defended or might be far away from sources of parts. While she could transport parts to the location, that would mean a delay in production.

The Wizard Saint would decide on what to do later. She was going to give it some time and think it through before making a decision one way or the other. Besides, she had other things to do like maintaining the Albatross' engines and searching for the next elemental stone in the collection. As soon as she got home she would plot her next move, but first she would spend one more night here. Leona was liking the scenescapes and enjoyed watching them, so she would watch a few more before she went to sleep and went back home tomorrow.

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-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, the next day, 5:00 P.M.-

Having returned from the space station at roughly 11:00 A.M. via her IIC and having finished all the guild paperwork she needed to do after a marathon session lasting six consecutive hours, Leona was now back in her room, but she was not going to take a break. Now that her administrative responsibilities were finished for the day, she was going to pursue her personal agenda, which was to find someone who could get her started on acquiring the tools needed to produce robots. Her choices were between Mister Burke of Shirotsume and Mr. Bank of The Neutral Grounds.

Leona changed out of her green tank top and green, white, and gold skirt into a slightly more formal outfit of blue t-shirt, khaki cargo pants, and brown boots in preparation for her trip. She was going to speak to Mister Burke first since she had done some work for him fairly recently and he might be amenable to helping her out. Leona had put on the scabbard to her Silver Longsword just in case she needed a weapon and was about to head for her waiting Albatross when someone slipped a message under her room door.

Leona walked over to the paper and picked it up, then began to read it.

"Dear Leona:

It's Dr. Reid again. I'd like you to come to my laboratory as soon as you can. We have something to talk about. The password's Murphy." Dr. Reid told Leona. The Wizard Saint was about to ball up the missive and toss it onto her bed when she thought better of it. As much as she resented the doctor for holding her back and forcing her to seek alternative means of getting the knowledge she wanted, Leona would change her plans and go to Motor City, if only to hear what they supposedly had to discuss.

-Motor City, inside Dr. Reid's laboratory, 8:07 P.M.-

Leona had taken the Albatross and had Coleridge fly her to a clearing outside the city. There it landed and she disembarked, watching it to make sure the cargo bay door rose and it locked behind her before she went into the city proper. Once in the city she walked to Dr. Reid's laboratory and gave the password at the intercom grille. Now she was inside the mini-kitchen and sharing a cup of coffee with the doctor, who was looking more than a little frazzled.

Dr. Reid was wearing a pink tank top and short black skirt and was barefoot. Her hair was disheveled with several split ends and she had the beginnings of dark circles around her eyes. Leona did not say a word about her hostess' appearance as the latter began to talk.

"Hey Leona. I called you here because we need to talk about something really important." Dr. Reid repeated what was in her message.

"What might that be?" Leona asked calmly. While on the outside she sounded like she cared, inside she did not. She just wanted to get this over with so that she could continue her current information gathering trip.

"It's about the Atlas Project. I've almost finished it, but there's one last detail that needs to be addressed before I can complete it. I've learned that the wiring I've been using was a bit too weak to handle the power output of the generator, so I'm going to fix that by using higher-grade wiring." Dr. Reid informed the Wizard Saint of the latest development. Leona's thoughts changed from barely restrained indifference to something approaching interest.

"I've located a source of the wire I need in Capital Crocus, but I can't get there very easily because my truck has transmission trouble and I really don't want to talk. Would you be able to take me there somehow?" Dr. Reid requested the Wizard Saint's aid. Leona's hidden resentment was starting to be overwritten by the desire to help an old client, if only to help see the Atlas Project through to completion. The Wizard Saint gave a small smile.

"Are you afraid to fly?" Leona asked her hostess. Dr. Reid shook her head.

"No. Why?" She asked. Leona continued to smile.

"I own an aircraft now. I flew it here and it's in a clearing outside Motor City. I'm ready to go whenever you are." Leona informed the doctor that she had a means of transport ready and waiting. The doctor lowered her mug of coffee and smiled.

"Great! Let me go get some money and my boots and I'll be ready to go!" Dr. Reid said before darting out of the kitchen, leaving Leona standing there with her mug of coffee. The Wizard Saint calmly sipped the coffee as she began to think about the unexpected opportunity that had just dropped into her lap. She could make use of the doctor's source of high-grade wiring for herself... later, of course. Leona did not want Dr. Reid to know about her newfound ambition and plans.

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-Outside Motor City, on board the Albatross, 8:53 P.M.-

Leona and Dr. Reid were standing in the cargo bay of the Albatross, which was still loaded for Leona's upcoming trip to Mysterious Canyons. Dr. Reid looked around her at the cargo bay before looking at the Wizard Saint, who was facing the door that led to the interior of the Albatross.

"I see that you've got quite a bit of space in this cargo bay. You've got more than enough to carry the wire for me." Dr. Reid commented on the spacious cargo bay. Leona was in a fairly good mood, so she went with it.

"Yeah." Leona said laconically and gave a small smile. She walked towards the door that led to the aircraft's interior and Dr. Reid followed close behind. While Leona looked outwardly happy, inside she was feeling resentment pushing at her mind, resentment for Dr. Reid treating her as nothing more than a "gofer" and a chauffeur. It was OK, though. Leona was going to get more out of this errand than the doctor realized.

-Inside the Galley-

"Wow, you've got an onboard kitchen too?" Dr. Reid asked when she laid eyes on the small but serviceable galley. Leona nodded.

"Yeah. I've also got Passenger's Quarters so that passengers don't have to hang out in here the entire trip. They're not luxury suites, but they have single beds and each one has its own bathroom with shower." Leona notified Dr. Reid that passengers had their own quarters to stay in during a trip and that the quarters had beds and a bathroom with shower. The doctor looked overjoyed to hear about a bed.

"A bed? Really?" Dr. Reid asked.

"Yeah. I'll show you to a Passenger's Quarters. There's two of them and they're laid out identically. Take your pick." Leona told the doctor. Leona led them out of the Galley and back into the hallway.

-Passenger's Quarters #1-

"This is a pretty good setup, Leona. I hope you don't mind if I stay in here during the trip!" Dr. Reid said before walking over to one of the beds, taking off her boots and socks, setting her bag of Jewels aside, and plopping down on the mattress like she owned the place.

"It's no problem." Leona agreed to let her passenger stay in the Passenger's Quarters during the trip. There was only enough room in the cockpit for Leona, so the doctor staying here would make things a lot easier. Once her passenger was settled Leona left the  Passenger's Quarters to go to the cockpit and engage the autopilot that would take them to the outskirts of Capital Crocus.

-Capital Crocus, inside Tech Supplies, 11:55 P.M.-

The Albatross had landed on the outskirts of Capital Crocus roughly an hour ago, but Dr. Reid had fallen asleep in mid-flight and waking her up had taken awhile. After she had finally woken up, gotten her money, and put on her boots again the pair traversed the city, which was somewhat busy even at this time of night. Now they were inside a specialty shop named Tech Supplies, which was still open for some reason. Leona was not sure why the shop was still open, but Dr. Reid was pleased by her lucky break.

On the sides of the store were various offerings locked in thick glass display cases positioned along the walls. There were offerings such as motherboards for computers, computer chips, special maintenance tools Leona had never seen before, manuals for computer programming, and other items. At the back of the store was a man standing in front of a door behind the counter with a white sign to the right that read "EMPLOYEES ONLY!" in bold black letters. He wore thick black-rimmed glasses and a red polo shirt with blue jeans and brown dress shoes... his build was best described as "slender," but that might be too generous. He was so slender that it looked like a strong wind could knock him down.

"Hello ladies. I'm Carlton Watson, the owner of this shop. What brings you to Tech Supplies?" The man calmly asked them with a smile. He looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties and was clean-shaven with short black hair.

"Hi Carlton. I'm here for a special type of wire used in robotics. I need something that can withstand the output of a strong power generator." Dr. Reid told Carlton. The man's face lit up and he made eye contact with Dr. Reid.

"I've got just what you need, lady. I've got it in the back... I'll go get it for you. I'll be back in a few minutes." Carlton told them before disappearing into the back of the shop and shutting the door behind him. The two blondes stood in the shop and waited for the special wire to be brought to them. While they waited Leona looked around the shop for anything that she could purchase at a later date, but she did not see anything yet. One day she would have to return by herself and peruse the wares at her leisure.

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It had been at least eight minutes since Carlton had went to the back of the shop and Leona and Dr. Reid waited in front of the counter while the bespectacled man rummaged through the back of the shop for the special wire. Everything was fine until they heard a muffled but still audible CRASH followed by other sounds. The two blondes looked at each other and the unspoken question was asked.

Who would go check on Carlton?

"I'll go check on him." Leona stated. She took a few steps back to get room to run and vault over the counter. When she was at the required minimum distance to get a good running start Leona was just about to sprint when the door to the back opened and out strode Carlton with the wire, which was on a black plastic spool and had a blue outer coating. Carlton's hair was out of place and his glasses were a bit lopsided on his face.

"I'm sorry about that, ladies. I just had a metal shelf turn over in front of me and send product all over the floor. I'm fine, though. Let's do business." He told the two blondes before setting the wire on the counter. Dr. Reid walked over to the counter with her bag of Jewels and began to pay for the wire while Leona hung back. Once the transaction was complete Dr. Reid and the bespectacled man exchanged some final pleasantries before the doctor turned away from the counter and walked towards Leona with the bag of Jewels in her left hand and the spool of wire held awkwardly in her arms.

"I've got what I came for. Let's go back to Motor City." Dr. Reid said to Leona, extending the spool towards the Wizard Saint. It seemed that the doctor wanted her to carry it.

"OK, we'll go back to Motor City." Leona replied before accepting the wire. Unbeknownst to the doctor Leona too had gotten what she was after. The Wizard Saint now knew where she could find high-quality electrical wiring for her future projects and other items that she might need. Dr. Reid exited the shop and Leona followed close behind with the doctor's purchase in her arms.

-Silver Wolf Guild Hall, Leona's Room, 3:17 A.M.-

Leona had finally returned from her errand less than an hour ago and was now in her room. She planned to go to Mysterious Canyons tomorrow to begin her search for the elemental stone, but first she really needed to clean the Albatross' engines. They likely still had sand in them from her second trip to the Forgotten Deserts some time ago and she needed to clean them out before her next trip.

Leona changed out of her clothes and into one of her navy blue jumpsuits she had bought for the purpose of wearing during maintenance so that she did not stain her normal clothing with oil. The jumpsuit fit her perfectly... it was not tight around the chest or backside and it allowed her to move freely. After changing into the jumpsuit Leona walked over to her bed, put her socks and boots back on, then walked over to her desk and fished out the instructions on how to clean the engines that Lara Douglas had given her. With the instructions in her left hand Leona walked out the door to go perform maintenance on the Albatross.

Gathering supplies for her latest personal project could wait. Leona had no way of knowing if anyone else was after the elemental stones, so she had to act fast. She would perform maintenance on her aircraft today and go to Mysterious Canyons tomorrow so that she kept the momentum of her search going. Once the search for the elemental stones was over she would begin gathering supplies for her first foray into building robots. While she had a few lingering regrets about taking a shortcut to get the knowledge necessary to achieve her goal, using the Universal Learning System was the only feasible way available to her and after considering all the ramifications of using the ULS she had chosen to use it.

Leona would deal with any consequences when she got to them. Right now she would rejoice in finally learning something that interested her and had practical benefits. She would make her plans to build robots later, but for the time being she had to put them on hold in favor of finding the elemental stones before others did.

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