LP Beach

Book 39: Liu Association Section 2—Chapter 2

Music: GuestBattle01


Our loadout today is built mostly for longevity, as is usually the case with Netzach's floor. Mr.Blond is running a pierce-focused build to take advantage of tentacles as well.



The fight today is against two different groups of 5 Liu Fixers, all of whom have the same stats.



Each one has Speed as well as Fervor—this is our first major source of Fervor, a passive which is indispensable in longer combats. In addition, the Liu all have a number of very strong Combat Pages they can throw at us.



Their two most powerful pages are Emotional Turbulence and Sturdy Defense. Sturdy Defense is a powerful block option, with a decent Evade die going into a massive Block die that draws another page if it wins on a clash. Its final Pierce die is lackluster for this point, so it's not a threat unless we ram an attack into its big Block die.

Emotional Turbulence, meanwhile, starts off as a beefy offensive option and gets even better at Emotion Levels 2 and 4, gaining +1 power to all of their dice. Between them and the Counter Block die to catch incoming attacks, this page is trouble whenever we see it.



The other threats in this combat are the Liu's 2-costs. Inner Ardor is notable as it gives a positive emotion coin, but aside a chunky second die there's not much else to it. Fleet Edge is a pretty basic 2-cost as well, giving Haste and having a trio of okay dice. Lastly, there's Flow of the Sword: A decent 2-cost, it's much better as a 1 cost—which it becomes at Emotion Levels 3 or more.



Lastly, the Liu Fixers' decks have a pair of support pages. Rush Down increases damage by 1 for all of their offensive dice this turn, and it has a pair of its own to deal bonus damage. Frontal Assault, meanwhile, is a deceptively great Light regeneration page. The second die ensures an Emotion coin due to its 1-2 range, and the 0 cost means they'll always be able to play it.



Music: NetzachBattle01


The Liu, huh…

Can't say I wanted to fight anyone like them.

Just give 'em a big smile and tear them to pieces!

It's only that easy for you.

Um… Netzach? The others and I have finished our threat analysis, and…

I think we have good news! If we follow the correct strategy, you should be able to win easily.

Easy, eh? Well, a win's a win. So what do we do?

For now, any move will do. The pivotal moment won't come for a little while yet.

Translation?



It doesn't matter what you do… Just do whatever!

…Heh. Alright, I can handle that.

Our entire strategy today is just hitting P and then space a whole lot.



HAHAHAHA! These guests have added some spice to their attacks!

Burninating Butane, it's fire versus fire down there!



You don't have to eat everything head on, you know?!

But they're so earnest about it! I can't help but appreciate it.

Appreciate it when it's not our asses on the line!



Their strikes are heavy. It's to be expected.



I just hope this plan is a good one…



No matter how much I'd screw around, Hod would always come through. If they're saying it's a good plan, it's a good plan.

Alright. We should be at the pivotal moment. The Abnormalities should be offering assistance any second now.



It's here. Now what?

Listen carefully: You need to select Laughing Powder.



Got it. Now what?

Do whatever you like.

…Pardon?

According to our calculations, the enemy can't possibly deal enough damage to you guys to overcome the defenses you have set up before you're done killing all of them. Just keep attacking, you can't lose.

I like this strategy.

While the Liu Association is considered a major roadblock for new players, particularly those who have been relying on Yesod's strength, they actually have issues putting out enough damage to overcome a defensively-spec'd Art floor. At this point, we could literally P-space our way through the entire rest of the fight and win.

So we do that.



Music: NetzachBattle03


And that's the last of them! HAHAHAHAHA!

Gee golly, Miss Hod, that took forever, even with our brilliant strategy!

Well, Paul, the Liu are resilient and powerful. They're just not able to do anything against the incredible tanking ability of our resident safety expert!

He's so cool!

Thanks… I think.



At any rate, let's clean up.

That was a giant pain in the ass… even if they couldn't do much, the hits still hurt in the moment, you know?

It was an easy victory. As long as that's the case, there's nothing worth complaining about.

Agreed. Safe and slow is the way to go.



Liu Association Section 2's Fixers are all a decent step up from anything before Star of the City, and their Power scaling and stronger base dice can make Liu a hard wall for a number of playstyles. However, they are simply not able to keep up with the sheer regenerative ability of Netzach's team. Even without our new pages from Star of the City, this fight would still have been about the same.

Music: Result


Looks like the plan worked without a hitch. I'm glad we eyeballed that beforehand.

I'm just glad we were durable enough to coast by.

Even if the Liu threw an entire army at us, we'd be fine with if you were the ones intercepting it.

Yeah… but don't count on us. I'm tired.

Sir?

I'll be having a nap. You guys clean up around here…

You got it! Sleep well, and wake!



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


What kind of association is it?

It’s a combat-oriented Association specializing in all-out war. Basically the polar opposite of the Shi we received the other day. While the Library’s reception structure acted as a strategic advantage against the Shi Association, it’s an ideal stage for the Liu.

You mean each Association employs different strategies depending on its areas of expertise and atmosphere?

Yep. Just take the two Associations we talked about for example, they’re complete opposites.

I could get a glimpse of that from the Association’s atmosphere. Hm, I wonder if the people who appeared to hold rather high positions will come to the Library in the future…

Beats me. If they do, though, it’ll be a huge pain in the ass for sure…

…I see. There’s not much I can do to help alleviate that, so good luck taking the trouble.



But… geez, it's a shame about Netzach. He does a good job when he works.

He's always been this way. If I were to assign him tasks one after another, he'd always try less and less until something terrible would occur. It would be best not to put all of our faith in him.

That's real unfortunate, ma'am.



I may not know if those higher-ups will come personally… but from what I know of the Liu, they won't stop until we're wiped out.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: Checking in on Lowell and company.

Videos

Liu Association Section 2 2

New Key Pages



New Combat Pages

Book 39: Liu Association Section 2—Chapter 3

Music: Lobby


Last time on Library of Ruina, we'd just finished turning ten Liu Section 2 Fixers into books. Let's see how they're doing after that.

VIDEO
Music: StoryJinji


Even private Offices are reluctant to take the work, going so far as to cancel contracts one-sidedly. Not only would they shun requests about dealing with Distortions, they’d also avoid any task related to the Library as well…

…I guess it was to be expected. There’s a reason the Liu was put in charge.

Director. I heard that Section 1 has sent us a report about the Distortion.

Yeah. That’s why I called you here. You both know how we’re encouraged to take records of the Distortion in order to gather data, right?

Yes. And our records can only be shown to those in close proximity to a moonlight stone, product of M Corp’s Singularity.

Which we’re obliged to carry for our mission, so it doesn’t matter much to us.

What they sent is no ordinary report, is it? If you’re sharing it with us…

You got that right. There’s something that irked me about the footage that came with it. Long story short, the Liu’s South Section 1 has failed to capture the Crying Children.

…Was the team wiped out?

No… They just missed it.

But if Section 1, led by Director Xiao of all people too, couldn’t capture it… This can’t be an average Urban Nightmare. Has it been exalted recently?

We’ll watch the footage first. It starts around here.

Music: StoryNervous






It won’t be flying anymore with that messed up body… We’re almost there. This is the final push, so give it your all!



What?

Aw, you poor thing… Section 1 of the Liu is out for your blood, a little kid. Isn’t it sad that no one recognizes the pure and clean melody flowing within you…?

…The Blue Reverberation.

Hi there~ Been a while, huh?



I don’t know what you’re up to this time… But I’d be glad if you could gently retreat and stay out of this.

I’m only here to take that pitiful friend rejected by everyone, that’s all. Injured, abandoned… And about to be struck down by the likes of you.

How sad… All he wanted to do was cry. I would shed tears for him, almost.

Cut the nonsense. What more could you possibly want to justify doing this?

I doubt a Fixer at your standing would feel that anything is insufficient… Don’t think being a Color will save you. If you keep snooping around pulling nonsense like this, your elimination will be in order one day.

To feel that nothing is insufficient… Eliminated… Tell me, are you satisfied with your current life? Affluence on the surface isn’t all there is to it.



Yes. I’m looking for something, a something that has to fit in that void.

I think I found it… But I’ve yet to claim it.

I can’t wait for the day I fill that emptiness and make myself whole.

…Oh, is yours filled already? Filled by a person dear to you.

…Don’t yap your mouth any further.

Haha, I can’t dare to crack a joke under your fierce gaze… I’d hate to see each other’s insides today, so could you kindly put this scary fellow away?

Just one last question… What in the Wings’ name are you planning to do with a monster like that?

That’s a funny question…



I think this one could join me… He looks like an interesting specimen, too. Don’t you agree, Oswald?

He smells too sour right now, but… In our hands, he’ll be letting off a dirty stench in no time! This weird sourness is what you get if you don’t know how to wash a body right. I was juuuuust about to neaten him nicely, but Mr. Funnybones over there had to send him elsewhere!!



The bottom line is, us taking him shouldn’t bother you at all.

If I took him, he’d stop destroying this Nest any further. In other words, I’m saving you the fundamental trouble of taking care of him.

No, that’s all the more reason to stop you. For us, capturing the Distortion is an option.

Creatures are everywhere in the City, does it have to be this poor friend?

I’m starting to get tired of talking… So let’s wrap up our friendly conversation here. Oswald? Give them a show for me.



This place will be filled with thunderous cheers and wondrous applause~!



Blue Reverberation…

The three of us can go to a quiet place for some private talk… Pluto?

But of course.

Music: StorySimgak


I don’t get it. Why would a Fixer at such a high grade do something like that…

That’s beyond anyone’s understanding for now. Only the Blue Reverberation himself knows.

Anyway, even though the team had no problem handling the troupers of the 8 o’Clock Circus… The Blue Reverberation vanished with the Crying Children in the meantime. Section 1 will be staying at the temporary base for a few more days to secure samples of other Distortions.

So that’s why they hadn’t come back by this morning… I was wondering if anything happened to them.

You must be worried a lot, director.

Not at all. I trust in Xiao.

Setting that aside… How’s our situation?

Section 2 isn’t exactly doing much better.

The staff we dispatched to Nest L have reported several casualties, including a sizable number of associate Offices… If we continue… We might be in serious trouble.

Yeah… We can’t just sit here and take the losses forever. We did make some progress, though. We’ve found that every person who was subject to the Distortion Phenomenon was under extreme emotional stress.

Emotional… stress, sir?

It seems evident that those who manifested the Distortion were emotionally pressured to an extreme. But the thing is, who in the City doesn’t get stressed in their life, really? Everyone’s holding their anguish within themselves.



What that threshold may be, or how high it may be… is still a mystery, though.

If your hypothesis is sound, the only ways to stop the Distortion altogether would be to reduce people’s stress or heighten each person’s threshold…

Neither of which is possible in the City.

There still isn’t enough evidence to prove it. We need more info…

Well… It’s our job as Fixers to fix the problems we’re paid to solve. We’ve got to see what else can be done.

I have high expectations for this invitation. Let’s buck up a little.

Understood.

By the way, director, how’s that one thing going?

Hm? Oh, are you talking about me entering the dumpling making contest…

No, wait… I never told anyone but Xiao about that…

No! I mean the preparation for your first wedding anniversary next month. I heard you’re gonna give her a Nest migration permit as a present.

What? How did you…

…

…Hm hmm.

…Words spread so quickly.

Come on, director. Everyone in Section 2’s gossiping about how you’re spending your newlywed life with Director Xiao the Maiden of Iron.

Let’s save that for after we’ve finished our work.

Yes, sir!

And Cecil, we should have a little chat later…

Yes, sir…

Music: Lobby


That he’s an absolute nutcase?

I’m not in the mood for jokes. From what we’ve seen so far, the Blue Reverberation was gathering Distortions.

No, I’m not sure if they can be called as such. “Distortions” that are capable of thinking and acting rationally…

Sure, that’s what he seems to be doing, but… We still don’t have a clue why. What’s a bunch of freaks going to do?

Whatever it may be, I don’t think it will be a good thing. In any case, we’re wasting our time by pondering over a question we’ll never figure out the answer to on our own.

Well… That’s a good point.

So, I suppose it’s common for Fixers to start families?

Oh, it is. They’re often in life-or-death situations together, working face to face. Most end in tragedy, though. If a couple’s staying in the Fixer business, it won’t take long until only one of them remains.

Exhibit A: Me.

Good point. That Fixer is about to meet his end here, too…



Sigh… Roland, I’ll say this before you get sentimental. They could very well make the choice to not come to the Library. Yet they still choose to come here out of their own volition.

Urban Nightmares and beyond are no longer a matter of choice. Urban Nightmares and Stars of the City are designated as such because there’s an invisible sense of compulsion involved.

Invisible compulsion? That doesn’t change the fact that they’re able to make choices. If they have things they cherish so much, why should they risk their lives by going to a dangerous place? They have the liberty of choice.

…Angela, you were right when you said no one is truly free in this City. Choice and liberty… The things they cherish so much? People’s desires clash and intertwine with one another to create an intangible chain. That’s life in the City.

Them coming here as the Association ordered…

All the guests ending up as books in the Library…

Me leaving the house for urgent work…

They might seem like choices made out of free will, but in truth, our hands were forced by the shackles of others’ desires.

…Sigh. So? Are you saying that I shouldn’t pursue my freedom because I must show consideration for them? Because I’m a machine? Because I’m unworthy?

No, it’s got nothing to do with those. But if you keep trying to earn freedom this way, the karma will come back to strangle you one day.

Enough of that drivel. This is this, and that is that.

Music: Entrance


This place looks a lot more antiquated than I expected.

It does for sure.

Are you gonna decorate your house in this style, director?

Well, Xiao prefers something cute—

…Mei! Stop asking silly things and focus on work.

Oh, so that’s our Section 1 Director’s taste, I see… I’ll take note of that.

Sigh…



I am Angela, the director and librarian of my role’s namesake.

We are the Fixers of Section 2 of the Liu Association, Southern Branch. We’ve come to retrieve the books listed on your invitation.

You may take them if you can overcome the ordeals.

…

Do you have anything else to say? The situation is pressing, and a quick guidance would be appreciated.



What do you mean?

I’m asking if they’re valuable enough for you to give up the joys of everyday life.

A machine that’s curious about the life of humans, huh~

This is what I must do to protect the joys of life you just mentioned. There aren’t a lot of things that are done out of one’s own volition. And we can’t exactly afford to skip on work we don’t feel like doing.

…I see. So you were… coerced into making this choice.

May we enter now?

You may. And may you find your book… in this place.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: With so many death flags raised, there's only one way this can end.


Videos

Liu Association Section 2 3







Geez, I'm wiped… I know we fought the Red Mist and all that, but that's no reason to hypothesize about other alternates. _{Ain't a single one of us that could make enough difference to be worth it, anyways…}

Whatever. I just have to sneak through here like always and…

Huh… is that Talow?

So it is.

Geh..!

Switch! Medea..! Didn't see you there.

So when were you going to tell me you were back?

Well… you know. It was on the to-do list. Couldn't find the right time... Figured it'd come up eventually.

Cut the crap. You drop a melodramatic speech and get yourself killed without giving anyone a chance to stop you, then show up now like nothing happened?

Look, it's not like anyone else wanted to sacrifice themselves that time. I made the right call.

Which is why you've been avoiding me ever since?

I've been busy. Bishop stuff. You know how he is.

Mm-hmm. And the reason you're being so evasive right now is..?

…Old habits die hard?

If you say so. Anyways, now that you are here I think it's a good time for you to start unpacking all that time you spent in a loop. I can set you up for a talk with Elle or Hod, they're both very good at what they do.

Huh… that's not a bad idea. Maybe I'll… do that… later.

Oh, I must insist. Call it revenge.

Revenge? What for?

Running away and leaving me and the others with all the cleanup after things were over.

Listen, that was around thirty years ago, and-

No excuses! You're coming with me right now and we're getting you a timeslot. And you're going to come.

Hey, let go-!




…Man, I've gotta' tell Paul about this one.

Please enjoy Limbus Company, releasing in about 11 hours and 20 minutes from this post.

Unless you have a bad relationship with gacha-type games, in which case please do not enjoy Limbus, maybe just look at streams or whatever. Stay safe.

I appreciate that while she continues to try and doff blame for her works with abuse of "This is this and that's that", she did take a keen interest in the fact that the people do not have the volition she initially thought

Also lul P-Spacing a whole fight like that rules

I figured I could get away with it exactly once.

And this fight is boring so this is the one to do it in.



But anyways it's time for another update.

Book 39: Liu Association Section 2—Chapter 4



All ready. How about you guys?

No problems here.

It's been forever since we've seen any action… and now we're fighting those Liu bigwigs? Good thing we're always ready, right?

Right. My History team won't lose to anyone!

Oooohohohoho!



Dimi's deck today is… a choice. That choice is violence against anyone who believes in good deckbuilding strategy.

Just leave the brunt of it to me, and I'll take care of the rest~

Doesn't seem like there's any other choice, does there? Alright, we'll give it a try.

Don't worry about it. I'll carry us all to victory.



A grade 1 fixer, with the strongest passives… Is it even possible for me to lose?

Just because it says 'The Strongest' doesn't mean it's actually the…

Don't worry about it. He's trying hard, and we'll be able to make up for it if there's any slack.

Right. As long as the two of us are together, we're unstoppable.

That's one person too many. The unstoppable one is me!



The first group of enemies today is a warmup—just another five Liu Association fixers like the last reception. Ideally, we'll use it to get our Emotion Levels up without taking too much damage.

Let's roll.



Music: MalkuthBattle01


Hey, Malkuth. I know you took a peek at the last fight with these guys, so the same idea applies.

We're not quite as immortal as Netzach… but we'll do our best!

Hey, Bishop! How's it going?

Oh, you know. Another day, another bloodbath.

Not this time. Just watch as I unleash my true power and—



The system's broken. I want a mulligan!

There are no mulligans, Dimi.

That's not fair!

Poor luck has left Dimi with only a single available play this turn, and she'll need either a max or min roll to hit Emotion Level 1 this turn.



Sure is a shame you can't keep up with the rest of us, Dimi…

It's not about the number of attacks! It's about the size of the hit! Just you watch!



Aww, come OOON!

She manages to get the Emotion for Level 1, no prize for figuring out how.



Whatever… That bear's here! Now I'll really show you guys what this is about!

You seem like you're having a bit of an off day. Need me to cover for you?

No need. Now that I've got this, I'll just attach it to Tailoring and…



Wha…

Looks like the bear had other ideas.



Fine! Whatever! I'll just use this instead, and when it comes back to me I'll be able to hit even faster!

We never see Boundary of Death again at any point in this reception. This deck wound up being beautiful in that it managed to fail in every conceivable manner all at once. A singularity of bad design and poorly implemented inspiration, it is a monument to deckbuilding hubris.



Eat this! Taser of Death!

Dimi does manage to land a BoD without hitting the max roll, though.



You see that?! Perfectly fine, despite a couple of bumps! Try to keep up, everyone!

Shouldn't be too hard.



Dimi, you've got everything you need, right?

Sure do. Why?

I've got a few ideas of my own.



While you were busy with your… that. The rest of us have been taking a bit of a beating. I'm best built for it, so I'll give them as good as I get.

Udjat's defensive prowess makes it arguably the second-best Key Page to set up for the Ashes/Spores wombo combo, as they can take enough hits and keep moving to make it really worthwhile.

Music: MalkuthBattle02


These guys are pretty tough… but the strongest combo takes the first kill, as expected!

Well done, Im! Keep it up!



That's two—we're moving on just as planned.

Controlling the entire fight, eh? That's our captain for you.

You say that, but there's something weird going on in the back.

I did good..! I did really good!



Did you see that, Josh? I got praised!

Eh. It was okay, I guess.

Right?! It felt great! I could just… just…



Explode with joy, right now!

Looks like it was just an E.G.O, ma'am!

Thank goodness. We don't need two people down for the count.



Taaaaake this! KABAM!

I guess I should have been praising him more often…

Same. Using that stuff isn't easy.

Hmph! Not bad, I guess…



But don't go forgetting about me, either! I am undefeata-



BIFF!



Suppression work completed. One remaining target, Malkuth.



About that… Joshua, put a bullet in him. Then leave it to me.

For what purpose?

Ah, I got it. You want to use the Fairies to recover before our next opponents.

Bingo.



Understood. I've scratched the enemy.



Thanks, Joshua. That was just what I needed.



Well, you pulled it off… but you don't look so hot.

Yeah. We took a real beating out there…

How the heck was Netzach's team able to take out two floors of these guys without a scratch on 'em?!

Chalk it up to the difference in our recovery skills… We'll have to go on the attack if we want to win.

Then leave the offense to me. I'm the strongest twice, after all.

The real thing is about to start… be careful, you guys.

Music: GuestBattle01


Act 2 throws us up against the real stars of the show, Lowell, Cecil, and Mei, alongside another pair of Liu Association 2 Fixers.



Lowell is a very tough cookie, with abilities that give him HP and SR back every time his Emotion Level goes up by 1. He gets 1 Strength and Endurance as well, meaning he'll be likely to stick around long enough for Fervor and Emotional Turbulence to both pay big dividends.



Cecil and Mei, meanwhile, each have one of the two recovery passives. Mei is a bit more difficult to Stagger because of this, but they're otherwise only notable for their unique decks compared to the normal Liu Fixers.



Music: MalkuthBattle03


We've taken on more losses… but it looks like they've done a lot of work for us. Don't let it be in vain.

Struggle all you like… That music you hear? It means we're going to kick your butts!

Bold words for someone on their last legs.

Please pardon her, dear guests. She's having an off-day, and is very sensitive about it.

The hell I am!

These are the guys everyone's been losing to..?

I believe 100% in my team's strength! Underestimate us at your own peril.

You heard her. Don't hold back even a bit.



All three of the leaders have All-out War, a 1-cost page that grants 1 Positive Emotion Coin on use. There's not much else to say about it, aside that it can't do a lot of damage on its own.



Cecil and Mei also have access to Tieshankao, a 3-cost with a massive second die and a Pierce counter-die. Lowell mostly keeps to the same deck as the Fixers, though with a second copy of Emotional Turbulence just to cause us more trouble.



Remember, team: They'll be aiming for the vitals because we're weakened. Don't let them get there for free!

Yes ma'am!



It'll be best if they stay far over there, then.



So, you're my opponent today?

...I think we're all each other's enemies today, actually! We can attack whoever we want.

Heh. Naive one, aren't you?



Sure am! But I'm a member of this team, too! The strongest member!

Heeeh… is that so? This one's going to be trouble…



Dear Guest… I hope you don't mind dancing with me for a while?

Not at all. It's always best to cut down the legs before focusing on the head.

Appreciated. I was hoping to ask: How did you and that other director wind up together?

…excuse me?



Ah. I see… it was a feint.

Not at all. I was hoping you could tell me how to get closer to a, uh… coworker.

Unless it'll get me the books I'm after, I don't see why I should resolve your troubles.

Fair enough. Could you keep it in mind, then? I'd like to read up on it after this.



To stop my ultimate technique… as expected of the Library.

Our reputation really precedes us now, huh?

Any fixer worth their salt keeps up on the Stars of the City, even if only to stay out of them.



Hear that? I'm a Star, baby! Everyone's heard'a me!

Don't be stupid! They're talking about the Library, not you!

Still, I'm the star of the floor~



One note, whoever has The Red Mist's counter die passive equipped will use this special effect for it, no matter their keypage.

Sir! This one's using some kind of strange eyeball-based weapon!

The Red Mist's signature blade..? But how can he manifest that..?

It manifested itself! But only for a second.

So she's involved with that one somehow… Look out. He might be channeling a legend.



Get out of my way. I don't have any intention of giving anything to you now.



Don't worry on my account. I got… almost everything I hoped for from you.



Hyup-ta! I'm on fire today!



Sir, these Librarians are proving to be very resilient. The one that pressed you for information returned to nearly full vitality, and I'm having problems scratching this one.

Then we calmly analyze their weak points, and break them apart. I don't like being unprepared like this, but…



Dimi Star Stabbing!

<sub>She's pulling out the named attacks! Things are serious!

No, I think she's just cranky.</sub>

I think we've just found our weakest link.



Bishop's pretty much set up now to become an unkillable spike wall for enemies to break themselves upon.



And if things go badly, we have Wingbeat to restore more health.



Dimi, they're coming right at you!

They must have figured out that I'm the real strongest member of the team~ But that's no problem for me.

If you need help, it's okay to ask. We're all here to cover each other.



Who said anything about help? I'm gonna' blow 'em all away at once!

Amazing confidence for someone with so much blood staining the floors…

While her deck itself is terrible, Dimi's Yujin chassis makes her ideal for throwing out Fourth Match Flames. High Kick, meanwhile, is a decent 1-cost draw page that has a 100% chance of losing to FMF.



Buy me just a little time. I'm preparing that.

The situation's that desperate, is it? Very well.

Forming Storm is Lowell's unique attack, and it does… nothing. The die on it vanishes the second that the page is used, making it only useful for deflecting Mass Attacks. In exchange for giving him a dead die, it adds a very special page to Lowell's hand for the next turn.



Cecil throws out an Iron Wall as well, a strong defensive option that makes defense die on the next turn even stronger. Since it can't do much offensively, it's best not to engage with it.



You coming, boss?

I overexerted myself earlier. You all take care of things, would you?

Of course.

Malkuth didn't start with any of her drawtech this act, and her hand was getting incredibly low. Because of that, I decided to have her sit this turn out. In a perfect world everyone is able to use all of their speed dice every turn, but if all of the enemy's attacks are already spoken for there's nothing wrong with having a character catch their breath and reload for the next turn.



Here comes the great Dimi!

That packs a real punch… Can't you prepare any faster, boss?



You know that storms take time to form. We'll weather them until then.



Those blades… you've changed your armaments as well.

They're called E.G.O. Pretty cool, huh?!

Don't give away our secrets, you dunce!



Whoops! Shouldn't have told you that. Can we pretend you never heard it..?

E.G.O… huh?

ImIdiot rolls minimum immediately, so we don't get a huge payoff from Wingbeat this time…



But he makes up for it by taking out the second generic Fixer. Only the named targets remain.

You've put in a tremendous amount of work today, Im.

I really am the strongest now, after all!



Dance all you like, little bee; you're going to get swatted!

You know… Normally, our guests' morale would be crumbling right now, and you're all calm as can be. There's a trick to it, isn't there?

You know I'm not going to answer that, right?



You're all more rational than our usual fare, too. Maybe that's the difference between a big association and a regular Fixer like I was.

Gh—Sir, are you ready?!



It's a close one… but I'm all set! Fall back!



Understood.



Hey you guys! His pose changed! That means an ultimate attack's on its way!

What kind of ultimate attack?

The kind that kills you! Look out!



The turn after using Gathering Storm, Lowell has access to Raging Storm: Harm, his ultimate attack. It's a giant 8-20 Mass-Individual that inflicts 3 Burn on hit, and with that +1 Strength on him we're just going to have to eat it unless he rolls really badly.



Those "E.G.O" you all are so proud of only seem overwhelming.



My fire doesn't need a crutch like that!

I'm almost out of blood, boss! Think we can finish up..?

They're… still standing?

Then we'll change that!



I did it again, boss! There's two left!

Dead… but this isn't the time to hesitate.



Until every enemy has fallen, we march forwards.

Bweh..! Shouldn't have left my back open.



Don't worry! She just left hers open, too!

Ah, right—this move. Earlier I clashed Raging Storm: Harm with Malkuth's Stiletto knowing that she'd lose her first die. This was because Cecil was going to attack with a single large-die attack, and I knew Stiletto would be a bigger die. Because of this, instead of blocking her attack and countering…



We took the Harm damage that we'd take anyways, but use it to avoid taking damage here. This technique is incredibly niche, but it feels cool when it works.

And that's that! Time to finish you off.

Cecil needs aid…



Sorry to interrupt you. Did you give any more thought to my question?

I don't have any intention of giving you any advice. Now get out of my way!



I'm sorry, Dear Guest, but I do need you to wait right over there until…



It's done! He's the last one left, Bishop!

Great job, ma'am!



Holding me up while she finishes Cecil off… Leaving me alone.



If that's how it's going to be… Until the end, I'll face forward.

Alright, everyone. Almost there! Let's push forward and—

I'll take care of him.

Alone?

He's mostly dead, and you guys are all on your last legs. I got this.

…Mmm… Alright, I'll allow it.



Thanks, boss.

Showing off again, eh? Fine, I'll allow it this time.

Because most of your blood's on the floor?

Pretty much.

It's mostly burn wounds for me… but same!



He's already on his way… and angry.



You, again?!

Of course. You think I was going to let you strike at the boss?



Real workhorse, aren't you? You know there's such a thing as trying too hard, right?



I have my reasons to go above and beyond the call of duty. I would've thought you understood that.

You don't understand anything… Just a kid with big dreams and no common sense.



I don't know what advice you think you want from me, but you aren't ready for it. There's no room for emotion in our line of work.





Woah. You just got owned by a book.



Well… whatever. Maybe he'll have the intel I need when I give him a readover.

Setting that aside, Im was the real standout today. It's rare for you to perform so well.

What can I say? When you combine the strongest with the strongest, you get the strongest-er…est?

That is not a word.

Ehh, it's wordy enough!



I want to say that Liu Section 2's second fight is tricky, but we basically just won it while down a member. So long as Tieshankao and Raging Storm: Harm don't deal too much damage to us, it's a simple enough fight to win. Being able to get our Emotion Levels up and set up E.G.O and Abnormality Pages in act 1 takes a lot of the difficulty out of act 2.

Music: Result


Duuuuude!

Boss, you were totally awesome out there! No matter how much they hit you, you'd heal it back up in an instant!

And that guy… You don't understand anything… That one's going on the list!

That's enough out of you two. You were squealing so loud we had to go on mute back there!

You guys should be thankful you didn't have to hear it.

We appreciate what you do for us nonetheless. Take care!

Yeah, yeah… Just return the favor sometime, got it?

Of course!

Well. I took on the brunt of the damage for everyone, of course, but I guess I'll let you guys be the star today.

You're so gracious!

Please. That Lowell guy hit like a truck, and I was the one handling most of those…

And you healed it off like nothing.

It still hurts, y'know…

Staying conscious through grievous injury is a standard part of HP Bullet training procedures. We should all be capable of it.

Doesn't mean it isn't tiring as hell.

We did all take a beating today. In that case…

Ten minute breather, then we'll pack up the books.



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


…I’m not sure I understand. The things people must do in order to secure the joys of ordinary life, people’s mindset when they do such work… The reason your attitude has suddenly changed, when you had no problem laughing off the deaths of numerous other people in the City who were no different from them… And most of all, the reason I… can’t understand all this.

There’s nothing I can do about the misfortune of others. I just learned to lightly brush off the tragedies I can’t do anything to help with. Laughing things off is the only way to stay sane in this City. I still can’t help but laugh a bitter laugh about matters I should take responsibility for, though.

…

…Well, I suppose dwelling on a problem without a conclusion would be considered strangling yourself. I’ll admit, I got too emotional this time. I never meant to say you’re unworthy to gain freedom or anything, Angela.



I know. Both you and I are bearing many wounds.

…My words were too harsh, too.

Alright, we cool~ Let’s just let it slide. Fighting each other won’t do us any good.



With that little unpleasantness between Roland and Angela smoothed over, we've unlocked Binah's first Abnormality Battle by getting Lowell, Cecil, and Mei's books.



We've also got our usual four branching options as well. Plenty of things to do, and all the time we need to take care of each of them.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



"A month later, we came to this conclusion: There was no such “beast” in the forest."

This woman simply adds unnecessary complexity.

Cane Office is still waiting. At this point, they'll be a simple mop-up.

You'll have to face the Liu again to reach Tiphereth's trials.

Or we could answer that Prescript. I'm sure you'll make the right choice.


Videos

Liu Section 2 4

New Key Pages






New Combat Pages



Mei/Cecil Exclusive:

Lowell Exclusive:

Appendix 31: Liu Association Section 2

A Liu Section 2 Fixer’s Page wrote: Liu Association is a battle-oriented Fixer Association specializing in all-out combat; we receive requests from Wings and fight great battles for them. Some may see the Liu’s fighting style as old-fashioned, but we get frequent requests from those who want strong-willed and determined warriors. Most requests that come our way aren’t complicated. Nine out of ten are resolved by simply marching towards enemies and defeating them in battle. It doesn’t require specific strategies or certain personnel. We’re the Liu, the Association that solely exists for war.

That doesn’t mean war is the only type of request we accept. After all, a Fixer is free to take any request. The catch is that all requests must be reported to the Hana Association after you deal with them. The report must include the details of the request, the client’s info, how the case was resolved, and any other relevant information… Once the report has been submitted, Hana Association will assess the performance of the Office and its Fixers, and evaluate them for promotion or demotion. That’s how the grades of Offices and Fixers are updated. Therefore, a Fixer’s grade doesn’t necessarily correlate with strength.

One last thing I’d like to add is that there is a line Fixers shouldn’t cross; a Fixer may advertise themself or their Office to get more requests, but they should not threaten people to give requests to them. This is an area handled by the Hana Association and Öufi Association, a specialist in dealings and transactions. Of course, Associations shouldn’t have to worry about running out of requests in the first place.

Lowell’s Page wrote: Xiao was a cold person who wouldn’t easily show her feelings. Even though the Liu consists of those who only face forward and never express any emotion in battle, Xiao was especially hard-edged above the rest. I came to wonder if she was capable of possessing emotions at all. Her tone was dry in the most upsetting situations, and she seemed apathetic to the loss of several colleagues. Never showing her emotions in response anything, but thoroughly looking after herself. That was my impression of Xiao. I thought the path Xiao was walking was completely different from mine. We disagreed on every aspect, from strategies to personalities; I thought my relationship with her would stay a formal relation between two coworking directors of an association.

I don’t remember when and how we got so close to each other. I couldn’t be bothered to push away the person who naturally came to my side. We started spending more time together outside of work; people intersect one another somehow. Though, I have no clue how our paths managed to converge, or what about the paths led them to cross… One thing I can say for certain is that… our relationship isn’t a superficial bond between two directors. We need each other because we cherish each other, not the other way around; can you really call it love if you only cherish your significant other because you need something out of them? At the very least, I don’t think of Xiao as an object of exploitation nor gratification.

However, I know that preaching love is utterly meaningless in this City. A Fixer should never be carried away by emotion. I know well that a person at a position as high as mine should be extra careful. I’ve seen countless Fixers who brought private matters to the official grounds, only to meet undesirable results. The moment you get swayed by something you cherish, you lose yourself; you neglect your own safety. When a human, a creature that always puts itself above all else, loses their edge because of what they hold dear and places higher priority on it over their own life… The consequences will be grim in any case. Knowing this, I decided to remind ourselves of one thing when we plighted our troth: Whatever happens to each other, we won’t put ourselves at risk. As I thought, Xiao agreed plainly and rightly. I could trust in Xiao, and I was glad to have this person as my lifelong partner. It was reassuring to know that Xiao wouldn’t throw away her own life if I ever died. Focus on my own survival, even in a mortal peril. Perhaps my heart has grown stronger since I met her. Having her next to me was already a great help to me at that point.

Cecil’s Page wrote: The Liu is an Association that specializes in warfare. We work for the single goal of victory. However, victory isn’t necessarily won in battle. The ideal course of action begins by identifying the reason the enemy intends to fight in the first place. Next, we break the enemy’s will. Only then will we launch an attack on enemy forces. Even when war is inevitable, we mustn’t hope for victory after starting the war. ‘Secure a path to victory before engaging in warfare.’ The Liu engages in battles that are already won. With a strategy that is fated to lead us to triumph, we face enemies that are fated to lose.

In other words, we don’t participate in a war that cannot be won. Blindly charging into the fray isn’t always the path to victory. And while strategizing allows you to look ahead and see where victory lies, it doesn’t ensure that you will reach it. Therefore, it’s crucial to assess the strength of the ally and the condition of the enemy before you determine if you should advance or retreat. It’s up to the director of each section—our leaders, basically—to decide what to prioritize and what to discard. For instance, Director Lowell is extremely cautious; he’s not hesitant to retreat and reorganize his forces if there’s a slight disadvantage. On the other hand, Director Xiao tends to push forward as long as there is an opportunity to count on, but she isn’t reckless about it; she designs elaborate strategies that will overcome the odds. Director Lowell’s choices aren’t always wise, and Director Xiao’s choices don’t always result in a smooth victory, but the two work their hardest within their abilities.

Mei’s Page wrote: Outside of weapons and martial arts, the most important thing that provides us with protection is our clothing. It might look like a fancy suit with golden decorations at first glance, but you know how a Fixer’s attire is no ordinary clothing! It’s mandatory for people working in relatively higher Sections to wear clothing adorned with the moonlight stone, M Corp’s Singularity. Of course, the Liu doesn’t have the exclusive right to use it, so you can see it on the clothes of other Fixers and Syndicate members, too. The moonlight stone emits a golden glint, and you can either gild your clothes with it or make ornaments out of it.

The moonlight stone mitigates or shuts off psychological affliction induced from all kinds of mental attacks, pressure, interference, and all that… Whether it’s caused by seeing, hearing, or feeling something, or a direct assault to the mind. Although, I don’t really know how the stone works… They said it amplifies a single purpose or thought, making people forget the mental pain coming from outside, or fortifying the mind as if it’s surrounded with a giant barrier. It’s all thanks to this clothing that we didn’t panic when we saw the Crying Children, a Distortion!

The thread has spoken! We'll be doing Binah's Abnormality next. I'll try to record it tomorrow, but we're mid-workweek so who can say?

You know, it sure woulda been nice if LobCorp had a lot of that Moonlight Stone stuff, probably coulda saved ourselves many Panics, alas, all we can do is bonk them on the head and pray

Good work with Liu Leaders, they look rather saucy, especially with that Mass Attack, thats our first non-EGO Mass Attack as players right? Despite the charge up time it seems like it could be rather useful

It's situational, and is much better on floors that don't naturally have access to EGO yet. However, it's also awesome and you can use it with a Single Strike build (or whatever the passive was called) to get a big ol' MA off.

Or, hell, run it with Brawl and try and get the big die on that.

Philosophy—830.40—Big Bird

Music: Lobby


So those are the masks you have chosen for yourselves today?

The mask doesn't matter. What's underneath is ultimately the same.

Aww… but the shiny gold bits make it easier to keep my thinking all straight and stuff… and this pose makes me look super intimidating!

Yeah. I'm like… "Don't mess with me, or you're going through a wall," or something?

I see… Then, come.

Today we're taking all three of the named Liu Key Pages out for a spin. Our loadout is also all things from Liu, with a slight splash of Thumb in each deck as well. As this is an Abnormality Battle, we're focused on SR recovery and Solidarity's +1 Strength from turn 2 onward.



You've arrived. In that case, I'll send you inside now.

A moment, if you would.

…Yes?

There is more meaning in their struggle should these three children handle the fight themselves. I would stay behind and observe alongside you.

There isn't any precedent for this. Should they not be able to finish the battle alone…

I don't mind a bit! Monopolizing the cuties is a-OK by me~

Miss Binah needs a break anyways. She did all of the work fighting The Red Mist, before.

…Very well. If you insist, we'll give it a try.

SNAP

Music: AbnormalityBattle02


Cutie spotted! Dibs! I have dibs! You all heard me!!

It's awake. That means trouble.

So we've got to put it to sleep, then?

Ehhh..? But I wanna feel its sharp teeth clamping right down around our neck again! _{That's how it shows love, you know.}

Its love leads it to 'save' us, by killing us before anything else can. We've learned it 73 times. We don't need any more.

Miss Binah would be sad if we failed. Let's take care of our work properly, okay?

Boooooo.

Big Bird wrote: No one has to worry. You’ll be safe as long as I’m here.

It’s time to patrol the forest.

Let’s brighten the road ahead, so I can have a good view of the lives I must save.

I always roam the forest. Who knows, maybe there are children out there who need my help?

I should do something for the safety of creatures in the forest.

Big Bird has Ineffective resistances to everything, and its attacks cannot be redirected in any way. Because of this, it is a very obvious non-target whose abilities we'll have to manage as we fight its two sidekicks.



The Eyeball Chicks are simple opponents as well, and when defeated they'll add a unique Combat Page to the hand of whoever landed the final blow. The flow of the battle is nice and simple… so what's the catch?



The catch is Dazzle. Lobotomy Corporation veterans likely remember Big Bird's gimmick of hypnotizing Agents to walk right up to it so it can instantly bite their heads off. This page is part 1 of that process, instantly enchanting an ally to approach so the bird can finish them off.



Its other dice are both copies of Patrol, which gives Big Bird a massive number of Block dice, only able to be overcome by our strongest attacks. We really have no reason to be attacking this thing.




The Eyeball chicks are each using the same two attacks this turn. Ocular Stab is the first one, and its first die imposes a hefty Bind penalty on whoever it hits. Get used to that, as most of their attacks are based on speed manipulation somehow.



Nip is their other attack this turn, a 3-hit combo that gains +3 Power if the Eyeball Chick is outspeeding its target. We're all resistant to Pierce damage, so it's not a major concern.



Eeehehehehe… the cutie's coming right at me! Let's see what you've got for me today, you big palooka~



You always loved being sung to sleep, didn't you? Then accept my feelings as well!

A counter die from a page like Emotional Turbulence will handle the 1 damage from Big Bird's Dazzle, but it's really not worth it.



Your arms can't fit around that bird, silly! It's too big.

It's okay… the cutie's just excited right now! And now I'm feelin' all kindsa funny, too…

The block die will bonk us for some big Stagger damage when we run into it with a Counter. Still, we wanted the damage output of Emotional Turbulence elsewhere.



Hey! This one just stabbed me right in the eye! That means… Um…



Stab. It. Back.



Oh yeah! I guess it's an eye for an eye.



This mini-cutie's only got one of them, though! We'll wind up with eyes to spare…

Wait, am I forgetting something?



Oooh, quit your looming! I'll remember it jiffy-quicklike!



That's right! I'm supposed to be hypnotized! Oh cutie, please wait over there for meeee..!

Is she just playing along with it..?

Does it matter?

Mmm, I guess not! Let's help out.

Big Bird but someone is enchanted wrote: If I kill them first… then no one would be killed by the beast!

A big, scary monster lives in this forest! Be careful.

Come over here… I’ll watch over you.

I’ll be sad if you got hurt. I’ll protect you.

It’s my job to protect children in peril.

Enchanted is a special status effect that's applied by Big Bird's Dazzle, and it launches us into the main phase of the fight: one of our Librarians becomes uncontrollable, and tries to attack Big Bird with a special combat page that is…



…Not the best. Meanwhile, Big Bird waits with a special surprise for them when they get close.



Salvation is a chunky 30-30 Counter Slash die that instantly kills Enchanted Librarians on hit. If Just Mizu walks up to it, she's 100% dead.

So… how do we stop her?



For those who the Abnormalities have corrupted, there's only one fate.

Beat her up it is!

To stop an Enchanted Librarian, we have two options. The first is to have someone run into the 30 Counter die before she can hit it. This plan is dumb, and will get us killed. The second plan is Birdcage.



Bonking a Librarian with this will break one of their Speed Dice, and immobilize them for the next turn. Because Just Mizu has two Speed Dice, each of our two remaining Mizus will have to use a copy. This leaves them with only two dice to defend against four dice of attacks from the Eyeball Chicks, all of which are Nip this turn.

We also got a little lucky here, Huge Mizu's 4 Bind could have left her Speed at nothing but 1s this turn, making it a crapshoot whether or not she'd be able to intercept Just Mizu before she smacked facefirst into a Bird.



We'll be relying on Counter dice to keep the Eyeball Chicks from overwhelming us, while we make sure Just Mizu can't get herself killed next turn either.



It's our fault, you know. It's always been, at least in part.



Gh… don't be silly, Patchy! You know I'm the one that's lemony fresh. I don't know anything at all.

If we hadn't helped. Hadn't stood in the way of our friends. Maybe none of this would be happening.



You're the reason why everyone hates us!

Owies!



Aww… go easy on her. She just wanted to live and do the things she loved.



And it made us a perfectly useful little tool to the end. Our hands held a scythe that reaped their hope. A hundred deaths wouldn't be enough.



…You're just unlucky, bird. If I didn't have orders, I'd let you "save" us as much as you wanted.



Awawawawa… Everything's all spinny…!

Looks like she's finally done being a problem.

Then now's our chance! I think we scared those eyeball thingies.



All of the Eyeball Chicks' dice are using Clumsy Jog this turn, a pair of decent Evade dice that will inflict 2 bind on the Chicks should they lose a clash. Sturdy Defense is ideal for handling them, as the first die will guarantee an Evade vs Evade draw, and the second die will deal big Stagger damage as it can't lose to their second Evade die. The attack at the end is just a bonus.



They can run, but they can't hide!

Why let them pick either?



Hey, good point! Sit right there and take it, you!



Hey… mask. Shouldn't you be awake by now? Enough playing around.



Mmm… but I was having fuun! Lookatit! So majestique!

But we're supposed to beat it up! Or would that be 'saving' it, in this case?

Saving a cutie by stomping all over it…



Okee-doke! I'll help out!

After two turns of being Enchanted, our Librarian is back to normal and Big Bird swaps back to its Dazzle attack. This time, it's Punished Mizu's turn.



Don't like how it's staring at me.

Just open your arms and accept it! The brain-tinglys feel amazing.



I'd rather die.



Good news! I beat this one up… and it made a little tune as it died!

Really? I didn't hear anything at all!

It's a catchy li'l ditty, but it was really quiet.



Ooh, ooh, I wanna' hear it!

You held back…

Well, yeah. It's a cutie? Duh??

If you want to kill… you can't play around.



You have to commit.

Aww! No fair! I still can't hear it.

The big one was right. It is catchy…



I'll throw myself in this thing's mouth to get it out of my head.

Hey! No fair skipping ahead!

The light… is so calming.



I'll try singing it to sleep. Hold Patchy back, okay?

Darn tootin' I will! Nobody's getting nommed on today but ME!

Lullaby is a 3-cost page that Staggers Big Bird next turn. When hit by Lullaby, any current Enchantment will end instantly, meaning that it's optimal to try and clash Salvation with Lullaby and not hit our Enchanted Librarian at all.



I didn't know that at the time, so instead here's some trivia: Our non-Enchanted Librarians always get exactly enough Birdcages to completely stop the Enchanted Librarian, no matter how many Speed Dice they have.



Hands off the cutie!



Ooh, it fell right asleep as soon as I got the first three notes!

Aww… it's got such a pretty li'l sleeping face!

Both Salvation and Patrol are reduced down to 1 Power when clashing against Lullaby, making it nearly always safe to use.



You're right… it is pretty.

Then let's beat the heck out of it! I don't usually get to do this kind of work on this cutie… so exciting~!

You don't? Why not?

Lullaby doesn't leave our deck once we've gotten it, so between Punished Mizu and Huge Mizu both having one, it's trivial to draw our way into having one any time we need it. This fight is basically over.

Sleeping Big Bird wrote: ……

…

………

The Eyeball Chicks do have one final attack in Intense Stare, which can force us to target them and thereby stop us from keeping our Enchanted Librarian from ramming facefirst into a Salvation and dying… but so long as we win the clash it's not a problem. Sturdy Defense is really good here, as well.



Oh, that's 'cuz this isn't the best way to produce Enkephalin… For that you wanna' pet it gently and coo in its ear while you tell it that it's doing a good job. That makes it just kaboosh, you know?



And if you handled it while it was awake?



We haven't done that in a few thousand deaths. It was too inefficient.



I miss the old days of having to keep it between the light and you before it fries your senses and chomps you right in two! But all the running made me dizzy. The things you do for cuties~



It sounds like a real handful to take care of… but a fulfilling job, overall!

It was super fulfilling!

_{Aside from getting a limb bitten off.}



Ultimately, Big Bird is pretty easy as long as we take down the Eyeball Chicks as quickly as possible. In an absolute worst-case scenario, we can clash Salvation with a Block die to try and blunt the blow—two of them will probably Stagger a Librarian, but it's better to eat one instance of big damage than to lose a Librarian outright. The Philosophy floor's ability to get to Emotion Level 5 from the very start helps a lot with keeping up with the tempo of the fight, so there's no need to be as conservative as on the Middle Layers' first Abnormalities.

VIDEO
Music: BinahStory


Why don’t you take a seat and have a cup of tea first.

I’m not too used to this kind of occasion.

In time, you will grow accustomed to it, as with anything else. What is the Library like from what you have seen?

Again with that question? I thought I told you my answer already. Or are you a bit wacky in the head?

Viewpoints are bound to undergo constant change.

Gah, alright, fine. I’ll give you another answer. I got fancy with comparisons like “arena” and “jail” last time, but to put it bluntly, the Library is a perfectly ordinary part of the City where people die out all the time.

I see.

Huh, black tea doesn’t taste too bad. It’s no coffee, but it’s got its own flavor going.



It’s still hard to believe, but you said you were an Arbiter from the Head, right?

I was indeed.

I had a ton of things I wanted to ask an Arbiter if I ever ran into one.

Do you have any faith that I will answer them?

Nope, not at all. Besides, I got a more pressing question now; if you really are an Arbiter, why are you just staying here doing nothing?

I am simply watching from afar. I have long since laid down myself as an Arbiter.

You’re just watching? You seem pretty complacent about helping Angela for a bystander.

I simply take care of the tasks given to me. No more, no less.

What if Angela ordered you to tell her all about the secrets of the City only the Head knows, then?

She has not made such an attempt, possibly because she knows that I will not answer regardless.

No, perhaps she already tried to uncover my secrets before I could realize it.

And what if I tried to kill you and turn you into a book here and now? So I can pull out every little bit of knowledge you have by force?

You are a bold individual. And quite hostile as well. That is what differentiates you from us, perhaps.

Ain’t got any courtesy to show for one of the shady overlords of the City.



However, even when he faced me in person, his anger was directed at what was above and beyond. His gaze never settled on the things right in front of him; he always looked further.

Unlike you or Angela, who are well-nigh blind to anything outside of your immediate sight, as I can see.

Hey, don’t change the topic.

Quite sharp, indeed… You bear a poison, heavy and slow… yet deadly.

I know you well, even though you know nothing about me.

……

My occupation is to simply remain silent and spectate. So worry not.

Guess our conversations will always be parallel.

“O sorrow, I have ended, you see, by respecting you,
because I am certain you will never leave me.”

…“Ah, I realize it: your beauty lies in the force of your being.”

Are you leaving already? You are welcome to stay a little longer and finish your cup of tea.

Lost my appetite.

You may drop by sometimes and be my company. It is rather amusing to talk with you.

Like hell it is.

Music: Lobby


Miss Biinah! We're back from the cutie beating session! Did you have a good talk with Miss Angela?

That one is still not accustomed to my presence, and I soon found there were more pressing matters to attend to.

But you did see us fight, right? Did we do good?

What do you believe?

We got the job done, and nobody died. There's not much to complain about!

So… contentment, is it?

Awww… How should we know, Miss Binah?! You're the one who knows all the words and stuff!

…Hmph.



Another Abnormality, another trio of Abnormality Pages to look at.

Now that we have Binah with us, Watchful Eyes is an interesting page to put onto her. Her deck's main weakness is its slightly off-balance Light curve that leaves her lacking the energy to pull off full attack chains in longer battles. An extra +1 every turn is enough to offset this, and we can account for it by giving everyone else a higher than normal amount of light regen. The part about restoring the selected Librarian's Light to full almost never matters, since as a Level 1 Abnormality Page this comes up on turns 1 or 2, far too early for us not to be getting a full Light refill from an Emotion Level anyways.

Eternally Lit Lamp is another situationally useful page. It lets the selected Librarian steal attacks even if their Speed Die is tied or lower than enemies. Again it's situationally useful—but it's designed to pair particularly well with Big Bird's Level 2 Abnormality page, Salvation. Salvation gives the Librarian +1 Power as long as their enemy is faster, which is a very simple (if situational) power. Because we can't redirect enemies who are faster under normal circumstances, ELL enables this page. The second effect, meanwhile, is a unique clause: it doesn't require the enemy to be faster to go off, and that's great because it's a doozy. Should the holder of Salvation win a clash against an opponent at 25% or fewer HP, all of their dice are destroyed. This means the rest of the attacks against them will be one-sided, meaning it's at its best when used with a 3 or 4-die attack with a chunky first die. It's got a lot of potential to make boss fights easier, as 25% on a boss is much bigger than 25% on a normal guest.



Binah's next Abnormality Battle will take another pair of books to unlock, same as any of the other floors at this point in the game. I do think this was a missed opportunity—forcing the player to use specific decktypes to win against SotC opponents or having to equip certain Key Pages, or even basic deck construction challenges like back in the beginning of the game would've been an interesting way to force players to change up their strategies and possibly discover new ones. As it stands, there's almost no reason for a player to deviate from whatever strategy they've come up with throughout the entirety of Star of the City unless a fight completely stonewalls it.

And that is a shame.

Anyways, we've got four paths ahead of us. Go for whichever you want to!

Next time, on Library of Ruina



Checking on the current state of the Liu.

Checking in on a campout.

Checking in with Yan.

Meeting a person with a TV for a face.


Videos

Binah 2

I'm joining in kind of late but its better late than never...
It was really fun reading all of these, I'm really enjoying the in-battle dialogue that you put in, I'm not even that sure why.
About Big Birds' cards, I honestly feel like they are pretty unimpactful.
Watchful eyes, assuming 5 librarians, is a net 0 light per turn. It is, as mentioned in the post, much more impactful on Binah, due to her arbiter passive transforming any extra light she gains into more cards played into more fairy cards drawn, mitigating her bad light regeneration, however it moves that same problem to a random assistant librarian. Chesed's Cardiae card is basically this but much much better.
Assuming 1 librarian, its a net 1 light per gain. Cardiae is still much better.
Eternally lit lamp is ok, however it is sort of invalidated against single bosses if you have a source of bind, and in 5v5s its probably going to save you from tanking 1-2 light regen cards at best, i feel like its there just to let you redirect the red mists infinity dice.
Salvation gives you occasional +1 power, although even if you assume you manage to use that power on every card, it ends up being on the same or lower power as a lot of other tier 1/2 cards on other floors. The dice destruction effect doesn't seem to come up often since most of the time if an enemy is at 25% hp or lower its because they dropped there from 50% hp after getting staggered and will probably drop to zero on the next scene.

The thread has spoken, and we're doing the far-right node next. Let's see what the Cane Office is all about!

PS, I updated the fanart post again. It was time.

PPS, I can't really argue any of that. All of them are situational. And yet... that's all we have right now. Maybe we'll get better stuff later.

Mizu has breached containment, dragging Bishop along to a cameo in Jeph Jacques' webcomic Questionable Content.

I'm not sure how to take the knowledge that Claire is setting off Mizu's Cutie-sense.

Book 40: Cane Office—Chapter 1

Music: Lobby


Today, we're finally going to follow up on the thing where our Library has the secret behind W Corp's Singularity. Surely there are business interests who would love to get their hands on it, right?

Let's kill them and take their stuff.

VIDEO
Music: StoryChaboon






How clumsy of W Corp. to leak its Singularity so carelessly. That’s no good! No good at all!

Though everything went as the Blue Reverberation said in the end, I must admit.

Yes! Indeed! This is a perfect opportunity for us to learn the details of W Corp’s Singularity! All we have to do now is visit the Library with this Invitation and earn the books of W Corp’s cleanup crew!

…Prez… …The Library is a Star of the City now…

We’ve completed eleven requests regarding Stars of the City until now! Such expertise is why we’re under the direct sponsorship of T Corp!

When we acquire the confidential information on W Corp’s Singularity, what are you going to do with it? I don’t believe you’ll just return it to W Corp.

We should sell it to the clients that need the technology, of course! A patent war is about to break out, too.

So we aren’t handing it to T Corp. right away.

Mister Bada! It takes more than just diligent work to rise through the ranks as our Office has! We should always seek opportunities!

I was honestly skeptical at first when we were told to entrust work to some irrelevant rubbish like the Gaze Office…

I thought they were joking with us, but look what it did for us! Here’s the thing, though…

Music: StoryNervous


It’s a pleasure to meet you for the second time, President Nemo of Cane Office.

…Here’s the thing! You poncy creep and Wing-forsaken skeleton head. Since when did we agree to go there on our own? This is how you screw us over? We’re supposed to walk into the Library ourselves? Including me?

Six-sided skull. You bragged about taking care of eleven Star of the City-class requests mere moments ago, no? What’s wrong…

Don’t tell me, are you scared…?

You were listening in on our conversation…?

…This could be problematic…

Ha! Ha! Ha! Oh, you sneaky peepers, you… They say the walls have ears, but it looks like shitbags do, too!

Am I scared?



…Prez got miffed…

It’s going to be a real hassle cooling him down for a while.

I did not quite expect the prominent and prestigious Cane Office to swallow their words.

Mister Skullcap! Do I look like scrap for brains? Your motive is so transparently blatant, I can’t possibly not be terrified!

If I were to enter the Library? And turn into a book there? And then the Library would get a book detailing the Singularities of W Corp. and T Corp? In the same Library where the book about L Corp. is?

……

…

Guess who will be getting a hold of three Singularities at once! In times like these, when we’re on the brink of a patent war? Ha! Ha! Ha! It’s so plainly obvious, I don’t see a point to say it twice!



Dear, dear…

Hahaha…

Ah… I was wondering what words were going to come out of your agitated speech device…

That’s all you could think with your rectangular noggin? Singularities? A patent war?

I can’t even get a chuckle out of it. It’s not funny in the slightest.

You like to raise your voice over the pettiest things like your life depends on them, don’t you, boxy buck. I’m stunned by how puny this is. Rhombus brain thinks we’re just here to make some bread.

How idiotic…

SHUT UP!!!!!!!!

Mister Nemonitor. I’m not interested in your views. Patent war? Mastermind? Money? Think whatever you want. But promises are promises. Pluto.



To summarize the point, we will provide Cane Office with information about W Corp’s Singularity. And in return, Cane Office will secure books from the Library for us, when we want them. The signatures of Mister Nemo, Miss Martina, Mister Bada, and the leader of our ensemble, Argalia, are clearly written here.

We weren’t told that the information about W Corp’s Singularity would be provided in the form of books from the Library. Not to mention having to acquire it ourselves.

The terms were in rather ambiguous vocabulary, admittedly. However, that would not make the content of this contract any less appropriate under the current circumstances.

…You aren’t one to decide that…

Cube-boy’d taken the pen like lightning and he signed the contract in haste, making a huge fuss about a patent war or whatever, wasn’t it? I’m pretty sure he said he’s in urgent need of intel about the Singularities.

The contract never specified that we are to head to the Library ourselves. It only said “Cane Office” is going.

You should’ve checked the terms carefully. Here, take a look.

…I’m not seeing a thing…

Let me lend you my eyeglass, dear. Have a closer look at the fine print.

…“All those who sign this contract must retrieve books at the Library”…



What makes you think we’ll abide by your fraudulent contract at this point?

Dear, dear…

This thing is no ordinary contract, you see…

Ah, what was it called, Pluto?

It would be ‘Yesterday's Promise’.

Right, that. Yesterday’s Promise! Not my type of name, to be honest.

Anyway, if you don’t fulfill the conditions of this contract, he can take anything out of those who signed the paper, see? We can take as much as we want, whenever we want.

…Nonsense!

Pluto.

As you wish.



True to his word, Pluto's holding it. It's there behind the textbox, in the lower left.

Kuhrgh…

…Bada…!

You’ve spent quite a fortune on your body. I can see this heart is augmented with an exquisite procedure.



See, ol’ oblong? I don’t care about what you think; I just want you to keep the promises you made with me.

Besides, T Corp. directly issued the same order to you, so you have to be there anyhow, no? Seething with anger at us won’t spare you from going to the Library.

Let me ask something!

Hm?

What are you plotting to do with demons like that?

I’ll perform the beauty of humanity and this world. It will break down the boundaries of loneliness we all have…

We’d appreciate it if you could get the job done by today.

Music: StorySimgak


Ha! Ha! Ha! Brainsick looney…

…Bada, is your heart okay…? …Should we go see a doctor…?

They’re gone…

…What are we gonna do now, prez…

Well! It looks like we’ve been had!

…Are you really sure we’ll be alright going by ourselves underprepared…

Let’s think simplistically, everyone. Don’t get too serious! We’ll head into the Library, take the books, and come back! That’s all there is to it! Let’s get ready!

Music: Lobby


Mmhmm. He said something about ‘Yesterday's Promise’.

I think I read about it in one of the guests’ books. On the surface, it appears to be an ordinary contract, but unfavorable terms are hidden in the fine print. It was speculated to be the cause of some kind of incident, although I’m not quite sure if the claim is verifiable…

It’s even more obscene to see it in action. That’s such a manipulative scheme.

Well, I suppose. He’s far from being the only manipulative guy in the City, though.

That’s true. People use each other all the time.

Do you think that’s a given?

I simply gave up dwelling on it any further. I still don’t believe that’s fair. In a similar vein, you’re using me and I’m using you.

If you say so, I guess.

Don’t worry. I don’t mean to imply any distrust towards you. It’s just… yes, keeping the options open, that’s all. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

Hey, I never told you any lies, y’know?

You’re only keeping a few things from me.

Mm… I guess I am.

Forget it. Why don’t you go back to sorting books, now.

You won’t bother being inquisitive, huh… Is there any reason you aren’t asking further?

None in particular… I could certainly pry, but I figured it wouldn’t be fun to uncover everything about you that way. I came to the conclusion that having something to be curious of is beneficial for maintaining interpersonal relationships, that’s all. Or perhaps I’ve grown to trust you that much.

Music: Entrance


This has to be comedy gold, the joke of the century.

I heard the Library is rather gentle, if that helps.

…Just a moment.

Is anything the matter?

Martina!

Yeah…

What do you think of this place?

It’s faint, but… I can smell something…

Exactly! It reeks of money, profit!

You can’t even smell with that head.



Are you planning to sell books or something?

Precisely! Even if our reputation as a contract Office may tank, at least we won’t starve to death if we get books from here and sell them!

Aren’t you… swimming in cash already, prez…?

Martina, our president spends a year’s worth of an average Backstreets dweller’s food expenses every day. He can never have enough money.

Still, I never bilked my Office staff, my word upon it!



You must be Angela, the director of this place, the so-called ‘Pale Librarian’!

She doesn’t look pale at all, though.

Bada! Watch your words. Miss Angela here may be our precious provider of goods and wealth in the future!

Prez changes his attitude so swiftly…

I’m used to it by now.

May you find your book in this place.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: When TV Turns Off


Videos

Cane Office 1








*nefarious-sounding shoving noises*

Explain.

Oh! Why hello there! I was just trying to get this TV-on-wheels down another floor!

Screen's broken.

That's because it fell down the first set of stairs to get here, obviously. Someone should really put in an elevator.

Then… why continue?

Well, the answer to that would take entirely too long to explain. Suffice to say I've got a good friend who's in need of a minor disappointment. And I intend to deliver!

…

Oh, don't give me that look! It keeps her sharp, and if you're sharp you don't die to stupid inconveniences like our guests.

Mm. Training. Then I'll come.

That's perfect, actually! Having you carry it down the stairs will make her think everything's hunky-dory… and then she'll find out that movie hour has had some… complications. Brilliant!

Affirmative. Commencing mission.

My thanks, BICEPS old buddy! Let's go!

Ten minutes later…

…Why are you two like this.

Was good exercise.

And let's be honest, if I didn't go at least this far you'd wonder what else I had in store.

You could always just try doing something normally.

That's the funny bit: I can only get away with that once, before it stops being unsettling!

…Whatever. I thought this might happen, so I prepared a second TV. Is caramel popcorn okay?

Do you have any cheese puffs?

No.

It'll have to do. You staying to watch the guests fight, BICEPS?

Affirmative.

Book 39.5: Truwu Red Mist—Chapter 1

Music: Lobby


Okay, I still didn't quite get it. Run me through the process one more time?

Alright... While we were delving into the literature here, we happened upon something strange. Alternate universes, red texts beyond our own red texts. We've opted to call them... mods.

Like... body mods.

But for the metaphysical, yes. While looking through them, we happened upon one you would find interesting: A solo fight against the Red Mist herself.



Solo, you say? Interesting... but I'm pretty sure we already took care of her.

Steve managed to defeat her by himself, using all his power. However, that opponent was The Red Mist before her true glory days. This one...

Stronger?

It's an unquestionably pure Red Mist experience.

So basically, you want me to kick her ass?

We thought you'd like to try.

Sold. Let's do this.




Music: The Red Mist


......




_{This post brought to you by NullBlack.}

Book 40: Cane Office—Chapter 2

Music: GuestBattle01


Since it's a 3-on-3, what're you going to be doing, Robin?

I'll be watching you guys from above with Yesod's team. It's a shame… I thought my build would compliment what you guys were doing.

I still don't see the point of this, old man.

We have new tools. We should test them out to ensure we fully understand them.

I get that…



I'm asking why you can't button up your shirt.

I've tried several times. The button simply refuses to stay set.

_{Wow. Cheap tailor.}

Not necessarily. There are some clothes that are all about aesthetics instead of function. These probably came from someone who cared as much about style as substance.

There are those who place their faith in appearances. To them, branding can be every bit as important as life itself.

I guess that'd explain why they died in a place like this.



Today's reception is a simple 3v3 affair, with three of our members facing off against the Cane Office trio we met before. Unlike the largely homogenous Liu, each member of the Cane Office has very distinct abilities.



For instance, Nemo. At emotion level 2 or higher, whenever Nemo gains Charge they'll get a +1 Endurance and Strength on the next turn, in addition to a random +1 Strength from Unstable Charge and the +2 Power on single-die pages from Singular Strike. He's also quite difficult to defeat, both because of Deflect Assault to blunt a die from a one-sided attack and because of Emergency Resuscitation Protocol. This Nemo-unique passive completely negates the first attack that would kill them, then drains their Charge to 0 and recovers 5 HP per stack spent.



Martina, meanwhile, is based around dealing bonus Stagger damage. She gets a +1 Power to Pierce dice and the same Charge bonus power that Nemo does, but the most notable thing here is actually Lone Fixer. We don't want to leave her for last.



Lastly, there's Bada. Bada gains Protection after using Charge in addition to the +1 Endurance and Strength, and Margin will keep his Light up and his hand able to play more pages. He's focused on dealing lots of damage, and his tiny deck means he'll be whipping out his big pages much more often than normal.

The three of them fulfill different roles, have very different decktypes, and do a pretty ok job working as a coherent unit—and we're using an incomplete floor, so we can't fall back on E.G.O. This might actually be a fair fight.



Music: HokmaBattle01


Why hello there, friends! We're just here to take those books and shimmy on out of here.

We're aware of your circumstances. Unfortunately, we're not to let you leave alive.

There are always exceptions, aren't there? Perhaps if we greased those palms a bit…

We have no need for money in this place.

Hahah! Well, that puts us in a bind, doesn't it?!

I wasn't expecting to deal with all this hippie stuff, after all! First that poncy fop outside, and now you ancient beatnicks! Money is the only thing that matters, don't you know it?!

…He's gotten really angry again…

As long as he's focusing it on them, it's not our problem.

I'm going to show you clodpolls what money can really do! Crush them all!



Uncanny Strike is Martina's signature attack, and it's always a welcome sight when she doesn't have any Charge—the lead Pierce die is large, and if it hits us then she'll spend up to 6 Charge on dealing bonus Stagger Damage, 6 of it for each 2 Charge spent.



Her other page, Energy Shield, gives 3 Charge on use, and 1 more if the first Block die loses its Clash. If this page went off before her Uncanny Strike she would be able to use its effect, but since it's coming later in the turn we don't have to worry about it yet.



Bada is also throwing out an Energy Shield, but also has Absorb Impact on hand. This 2-cost gives 6 Charge, no questions asked. He'll be able to throw out whatever he likes next turn.



As for Nemo, they're leading with A Golden Opportunity!, a page which gives 5 Charge immediately and has an Evade die on the front with +2 more Charge per Clash win. If this die eats a 3-die offensive page Nemo can go from 0 to 10 instantly, but since it's only got one attack we can ignore it.



Their second attack, Energy Conversion, is a very good Light regeneration page for Charge decks. By using 4 Charge, Energy Conversion will restore 3 Light—and no matter if this is done or not, the first die is an On Hit draw effect. Because Nemo's first die is A Golden Opportunity!, they'll be able to activate the Light regeneration effect without a problem.



I've gotten the information you requested, Hokma.

Splendid. And?

Each one of their bodies is filled to the brim with top-of-the-line modifications. They're also armed with high-end weaponry. Expect unusual attack vectors.

So we're looking at more things like this leg I have, huh? Sounds interesting.

Just play it careful out there, kiddos.

Gotcha. I'll see if I can draw out what they're hiding.



…Aha. I knew you seemed a little off.

So you charged into a trap of your own accord?



I'll send you a proper greeting, then.

Geez… that packed a punch.

Not enough of one, clearly. You were supposed to be dead.



Seems like they weren't all they were cracked up to be, after all! The Liu, the Thumb, all of them were just unprepared bastards in the end!

You seem to know quite a bit.

Staying on top of current events is vital to make the big bucks! It gave me the foresight to bring countermeasures for each of those groups that became books here.



The groups by themselves, yeah… We go above and beyond around here!

The Index's skills, with the penetration of one of the Thumb's former subsidiaries. Martina, did you get that?

…Yeah…



The highest threat's probably… either her, or the old man…

Oh my, did you see how her suitcase is filled with disjointed spikes? I'll definitely have to write this down.

You still haven't put that book down?

It's an exercise in practicing human sentimentality. In a normal, human manner.



I've scratched her. We need to buy just a bit more time, you two.



The price on time is a lot higher than you can pay! But if you'd like to set aside some books as collateral, I wouldn't mind drawing up a nice contract for you!



Like I'd trust any contract a shyster like you'd write up.

I'm making a good offer here, you shit-for-brains! All the time in the world for prep, and we just need a little information in return!

Definitely not interested.



Prez's gotten even madder…

This entire affair's turned into a massive hassle.



Well… that was unpleasant, but we're ready to go.

Our entire build today relies on Lean, Bloody Wings to work. While Talow and Morgan provide support with Combat Preparation, Hokma will be using incredibly chunky Block dice to deal a lot of damage to the enemy while remaining relatively safe himself.



…Well. That's a problem.

What? That you noticed they were targeting me, and you're conveniently too slow to stop them?

Come on, old man… We both know I wouldn't do that on purpose. This is kismet.

You two are both going to be taking some lumps this turn… just do what you can.



Of the attacks coming our way this turn, the most important to block is Devastating Thrash. On top of having a trio of powerful dice, Bada can spend 4 Charge to give each of them a further +2 Power. Since he's also got a +1 Strength from Unstable Charge, this will put these dice at a +3 Power this turn, letting Bada output an absurd amount of damage very quickly.



Both of Nemo's attacks, meanwhile, are Ready Up! While the protection it provides could take the edge off of our attacks if Nemo had charge, they're stuck at 1 and so we don't have to worry about anything but the attack die.



Alright then! We ignore the useless one and focus down the real threats. I've got a fat bonus for you if you bring me their head without any casualties on our side.

Trying to avoid casualties? How unexpectedly caring of a money-grubber like yourself.

Training new fixers of our capacity is just too expensive for him.

Should you be bad-mouthing your boss like that?

I don't believe you have any room to talk, Talow.

Bad-mouthing him?

There's nothing wrong with it! I treat my crew right, because finding good help is so hard these days! It's much cheaper to just make sure the good folk I have are well-compensated!

…Actually, there was a new office chair I was saving up for anyways, so…

It's a win-win for us both. Wouldn't you say?



I'll do my best, Prez…



Not so fast, Martina. I've got things I'd like as well.

Taking it as a given that you've won, I see.

It was clear from the moment our weapons clashed. We're not in the same league.

And so, you look ahead to the future without a care in the world.



Your faith is misplaced, and your eyes can no longer contain what's right in front of you.

The hell are these spikes..?

Has that baseless trust you've grasped been shaken? Do you still believe us beneath you?



I do.

The third hit of Devastating Thrash is actually a combo, with Bada uppercutting his enemy into the air…



Before slamming them back to the earth.

This guy's got something like Martina's weapon. Be on the lookout for sneak attacks.



Hey, you thick-headed little beatnick… where do you think you're stabbing that thing?

Into you. You're really solid, you know?

Solid..? Solid?

Of course I'm solid! That one stab will cost more to fix than you make in five years! This is why I hate close combat!



Cheer up, sir. We've knocked this one off guard, at least…



Grand job! In that case, we'll table this old fart and return to negotiations from a position of strength!



I told you, we're not interested.

Small fry can stay out of it!

I don't have time for this… One of you two take care of this one!

Music: GuestBattle02


I've got him.

Hokma's in trouble.

Worry about yourself first. We're all in trouble if we can't pull something together fast.

Right. Let's knock these guys down a peg or two.



Gh… easier said than done, I think.

Again with that pathetic attack? It looks like it's supposed to be a Zwei tactic.

It is a Zwei tactic.



Must have been a dead-end section, then.



We're sorry to bother you when you're so busy, but things aren't going well. You should do something.

Yeah… I got it. Hokma's busted up, Talow's getting his face rolled…



But it doesn't matter, because I'm awesome!

Damn… you just missed knocking her out.

Then I just won't miss next time.



Well, we're taking a few lumps but I'd say we've got this all sewn up! These numskulls couldn't hold a candle to us.



Heard that one before. That sort of talk never ends well…

You're talking like you know anything about it.

Fair enough. Maybe it works out for you.



That was my..!

Hah! I figured a good smack to the heart would make something skip somewhere. Seems like I was right!

That damned skeleton…



You've held up remarkably well while I was out.

You're about to fall over, old man. Just back off and leave the hard part to us, like always.

I shall not. I don't believe Ayin would have run away from such things. Besides… I wish to test how strong their faith in the material proves to be.

You care far too much about the thoughts of a dead man.

I could say the same of you and Carmen.

Just win.



Even while beaten half to death, you're still coming at me with the same ferocity? Do you have rocks where your brains should be or something?!

Time ticks ever onward for us all, dear guest. There is no time for hesitation or fear. Now… encompass my being in your sight. If you can.



I'll take care of him, Prez…



What the..?

Your attention alone wasn't enough. Sit there and wait for me.



Hey now, hey now! What's all this sudden competence?! Cut that shit out, now!



Deep in your bones, you feel it. The ever-rushing flow of time. Knowing that it may soon be up… it terrifies you.

Yes, obviously! This library is pants-shittingly terrifying! But it's not like we have any choice in the matter ourselves, you know?



Once I'm done here, I'm going to get even more money together, and make it so that blue bastard can't touch us again! T corp, that bastard, you all, the patent war to come… it'll be six or seven birds with one stone!

So get out of my way, you damn hippies!!



He's a real loudmouth, isn't he?

Ghh…ughh..!

Yeah, I feel that.



But hey, it looks like we've managed to turn things around.

You're ahead in terms of stamina, but don't get too cocky. I think they've still got some tricks up their sleeve.



Prez, Martina's probably…

I know already! What a crock of shit this has turned out to be after all. I can't believe the audacity of these people…

Don't they realize how costly this is all going to be to make up for afterwards? No, of course they don't. They've got shit for brains!



Energy Beam is Nemo's unique attack, a single massive Ranged die that can destroy an extra offensive die for 2 Charge if it wins a clash. In this situation, it's just a big stick that Nemo's Singular Strike makes hit a little bit harder than normal.



You sure you want to take so much heat, old man? You're already about to die.

Oh? Are you concerned with my well-being all of a sudden?

I think he's saying, "If you die we'd be in a tight spot… so maybe don't?"

Don't worry. I don't believe it's my time just yet in any case.



The hell it isn't, you old fart! Eat face laser!

I wonder if our goggles could do that?

Follow your dreams, kiddo.



This old body is still moving for a while longer. How about you two?



I've just finished up over here!

Drat it all, this is why you were supposed to be careful!



Tch… if I was only more competent.



There's no time to worry about that, Bada! What's done is done. We need to buck up, or we're all going to stay here forever.

Music: HokmaBattle02


And I am far too important to die in a backwater bookyard like this, understand?!

…Understood, Prez..



I shall make a gap for you all. Hammer through it.

You really are trying to get yourself killed out there.

Don't underestimate me, Talow. I've no intention of taking on more than I can carry.

Still, you're balancing on a knife edge here boss. Too much to either side…

I know the risks.



But I'm the only one who can take this shot head-on without issue.

What the bloody hell are you made of?! If I knew about a material that durable, I'd have upgraded years ago!



It's a Library special. I don't think you can buy it with money.

A place like this… What the hell were you after, you damn loony..?

Prez, I can't… anymore..!



And then there was one. Morgan, do you need any help cleaning him up?

Nah, I should have him—



The hell you do! I'm not giving the old man a single reason to complain to me later.



Well, I suppose you did contribute your fair share this time, Talow.

But?

But it's time to organize these new books. Robin, I'll see you promptly.

She headed out to join you other humans a minute or two ago.



Ultimately, the Cane Office is kind of a joke. They don't have any overpowered gimmicks, Charge requires a turn or two to set up, giving us time to focus them down, and even if she triggers Lone Fixer Martina doesn't have the offensive presence to actually down an entire floor.

I do love them, however. A+ guests, would slaughter again.

Music: Result


Ultimately… I expected more of our opponents than that.

It's best to accept victories when they come. Casualties are… unpleasant.

Still as sentimental as ever, I see.

Guess it's about time we move on as well, eh kiddos?

Coming!

In a minute, I'm writing down the part where that human's face shot a beam. It was truly something to behold!

It's really a shame that you didn't get to take the field too, Robin.

It's no big deal. I'm better as an advisor anyways.



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


Yeah. All in all, technology is the most reliable means of making money in this City. Patent wars are waged over those technologies, but in truth, neither side really benefits from them. It ends in a Pyrrhic victory at best.

If they don’t respond well, they might lose their rights to the technology by an imitation, or spend too much time and energy for the win to have been worthwhile… At the end of the day, people like the guests we just greeted profit the most from those conflicts.

Well, it’s entertaining to spectate as long as the trouble isn’t yours. I’ve got a bunch of interesting stories, wanna hear them?

Save the whole thing for a later time. It sounds like it’ll be a long tale.

…Has R Corp. participated in a patent war?

Dunno. I don’t think I heard any stories about that, at least. R Corp. is already exceptional among private military contractors.

How about the Singularity of another Wing? Has R Corp. tried to get a hold of any?

I bet every Wing thinks the same way about that matter. Few Wings use their Singularity on its own. R Corp. must be using a Singularity or two that doesn’t belong to them, you know what I mean? And they gotta pay the owners a fee whenever they use them.

If they uncovered the secrets of those Singularities owned by other Wings, they could save that expense, correct?

Spot on.



Beating Cane Office unlocks the second tier of the far right column, of course, alongside a new Abnormality Battle for Chesed. We're already at 45/48 levels required to advance in the plot; the Library's really coming along quite well at this point.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



This message cannot be displayed: ERR_MULTI_ABNO_FOUND

Angela reunites with someone she knows from outside.

An untrustworthy snake appears.

Getting back to that war we picked with the Liu.

The prescript did say 'no time limit,' but isn't this getting a little long?


Videos

Cane Office 2

New Key Pages





New Combat Pages



Nemo Exclusive:

Bada Exclusive:

Martina Exclusive:

Small fun fact about Bada, in some interviews project moon revealed he’s actually the brother of San from way back in Streetlight office. I forget exactly where that was mentioned but it’s a shame that we are starting a family tradition to make library runs.

It's in the artbook, and comes up Nowhere In Game.



The thread has spoken! We're doing Chesed's next Abnormality next. Should be a good time.

Appendix 32: Cane Office

Nemo’s Page wrote: We live in turbulent times when Wings are destined to fall behind in the market if they don’t respond to patent disputes effectively, big or small! It’s one of the reasons patent wars are that much important. Those megacorporations sue one another for patent infringement, or accuse one another for stealing their patent… Us small fries can watch the giants clash without worrying about getting caught in the crossfire; in fact, we benefit from such conflict! There are unspoken rules that you need to remember to keep your stake in a patent war: One must patent their technology separately for areas outside of the Nest or other domain under their jurisdiction, one must avoid admitting to infringement before carefully reviewing the lawsuit, the rights to a technology cannot be protected if its details were publicized through advertisements or such before the patent was registered, et cetera… Patent wars break out for so many reasons, it’ll take a day and a half to list them out!

Martina’s Page wrote: Notarization is the process of drafting a document to officially certify a deal between two Offices in case things happen… A notarial act is fairly powerful. Through these documents, you can verify various facts and secure executory force. Meaning, if one side doesn’t carry out their part of the contract… The contract can be enforced on them. There’s no need to argue about who is to blame. Notary acts exist to stop unnecessary disputes from occurring, and it’s the job of notary public Offices like Cane Office to help with that…

Oh, and the City is divided into domains… It’s similar to how the Zwei Association sets territories for policing; it’s fair to expect at least one notary public Office in every domain. This isn’t to say that you can only use the notary public in your domain; if you can’t find a notary public, or if the Office isn’t functional for whatever reason, you can always go to other domains… Though it costs a bit more… A lot of people still choose the latter since they need to get business done in a hurry. Not every notary public Office has the same level of professionalism, after all…

Bada’s Page wrote: Contracts should be signed on equal terms with the consent of all parties involved. And the Offices must fulfill the terms of the contract following the mutual agreement. It’s a societal boundary that keeps us humans from betraying each other’s trust as we must coexist. Although these principles are rather abstract, they exist to prevent anyone from devising lowly schemes and ensure that each party gets just benefits. The Head’s rules don’t cover every small detail, so you can say this is a necessary addition to fill those gaps.

Heyo! Kinda new to this website and thread, created a account after reading the prologue and because I kinda wanna see more content from library of ruina after finishing it, so im here now. Looking forward to your next post!

Social Sciences—731.33, 34—The Road Home & Scaredy Cat

Music: Lobby


We're going with Cane Office loadout today, to try out our shiny new toys. Predictably, Evil Kit has claimed the face laser.



Yeah, offense is fine and all, but knocking the enemy off balance is the best way to actually inflict that damage, and the reach advantages…

Reach advantages! You hearing this, Kitto?

I'd say that I've got the ultimate reach advantage, once I get up and running!

Psh. You weave around the attacks. You sneak in. And, BAM! Right through the kisser!

I think it's… 'To the kisser?'

I know what I said, Tweeds.

My, you three are as lively as always~

I'll take that to mean you're ready to go.

Yes, yes. We'll have to let them test their theories, and the sooner the better~

SNAP

Music: AbnormalityBattle01


Okay, I'm just going to say it: What the heck are those things?

Not sure. Maybe they're from an older time than us..?

If so, they weren't ever here when I was around.

I've never seen them before either. They must have been kept at a branch somewhere else… I wonder how they made it this far.

I guess their friends called to them.

Seems like it's a competition to guess how it works. Up for it, Tweeds?

You know it!

The Road Home wrote: …When I was sleeping… Riding… a scary…

…An endless adventure began!

Let’s all… Let’s all… Let’s all… gather up…

The Road Home is the one setting the pace of this fight, with three distinct phases. She's very difficult to damage right now, so we need to wait for her to get Staggered before we can properly pile the hurt onto her.



Scaredy Cat is tag-teaming with her today. While The Road Home will set the pace of the fight, Scaredy Cat will do the vast majority of the trying to kill us. The two are a set, if we defeat The Road Home, then Scaredy Cat will be rendered harmless. Until then, it's mostly invincible—while Bleed and Burn and True Damage can hurt it, 200 HP is a lot to chew through. It's faster to just play by the rules.

Also, behind us…



There's a house.

Yep. That's a house alright.

I guess we should see what that Abnormality does, then~



On her first turn, The Road Home targets two Librarians and Home with Let's Go, Together…, a 3-hit Mass Individual attack that inflicts Yellow Brick Road on the two people it targets.



Her other two pages are Play Tag!, a Ranged trio of decent Evade dice. While it may seem like a good idea to attack her with anyone we can spare to try and force a Stagger, this is actually a terrible idea.



On Let's Go, Together… turns, Scaredy Cat has the Courage passive, which grants it 1 Strength each time that The Road Home is attacked. This can lead to Scaredy Cat dealing ludicrous damage, which we don't want. Because of this, it's best to ignore her for right now.






Scaredy Cat's attacks are all refreshingly simple—there's nothing to really say about any of them, aside from how its plan revolves around dodging our attacks and then striking back. Just like real cats! All of its Speed Dice are set to 1 as well, making it trivial to clash with them however we like.



So are we doing anything about this house? I could break a window. It might help something.

For now, we're going to withstand anything that they throw at us. Sweet Pea, you're the fast eye. Keep a look out for any clues, okay?

I was already doing that, you don't count as the captain.

Haha, you caught me.

I'll keep an eye out as well. Four eyes might see what two would miss, after all.



Something's coming out from below her shoes… some kind of street?

It's a yellow brick road.



Hey! How'd you hit me from over there?!

Looks like she's terraforming the ground into a path for… something.



She's created a path to her home… She's going to try walking it, I bet.



And if she gets to the end of the path, what happens..?



Nothing good, I bet. Stop her in her tracks, Tweeds.



Don't you worry! If she's trying to get past us, I'll trip her up at the perfect timing!



We throw Timber onto Twee. The Road Home's attacks all use 0 Light, meaning that it's free Power as long as we spend down below 3 Light when blocking her attacks.



I don't like how that cat's looking at us.

Oh, I recognize that twinkle in its eyes. It's the unmistakable glare of mischief. We're going to try and stop that Abnormality from walking home… and it's going to try and stop us.

Then let's stop its stopping our stopping, shall we~?

Now you're catching on!

The turn after Let's Go, Together…, The Road Home attempts to walk the path she created.



She does this by attacking each of the Librarians she targeted last turn with Friends! Let's Go Home~!. Both of our Librarians must stop this attack from hitting them, because otherwise her third copy will hit the Home. This would be an instant loss for us, but thankfully a 4-4 is trivial to stop at this point in the game.

The Road Home, walking home wrote: Hoyoyo~ Let’s go, together~! Let’s skip home together~!

At the end of the road, a wonderful land… A world of dreams will be waiting for us.

We can get through long and winding roads if we stick together!

My lion pal, and the buddies here. We’ll all go together!

If we follow this path, we’ll find the home we’ve been looking for so eagerly!

Friend. Oh, friends~! Let’s go. Let’s go home~!

Dance and gather round~ Homeward we go!

The targeted duo also get the Yellow Brick Road passive, which gives Scaredy Cat a +5 Power on any attack against them. Our job here is to let the other two Librarians block Scaredy Cat's attacks, while the targeted Librarians attack The Road Home to stop her from getting Home and winning the fight instantly. There's just one problem…



Chesed drew all his 3 and 4-costs, so we can't block one of the attacks. :shepface:

Can't help but notice that I'm going to be gnawed on by a lion.

Someone made sure to stick me with a bunch of high-cost options. I can't do two of them at once.

…Hm. _{In hindsight, rigging everyone's decks… maybe not my best work.} Alright, I'll do what I can!



C'mere, kitty. Keep away from the others…



This isn't so hard, honestly. How are you two holding up~?



She's not taking a single step past me!



Me either. She's stopped!



Nnghrah… Down, you! I'm not your buddy!

You alright there, kitto?



I'll pay it back three times over.

Evil Kit takes Gleaning because his SR is lower than anyone else's and it's vitally important that we not let The Road Home or Scaredy Cat Stagger anyone on our side.



On the next turn, the pathway is gone and The Road Home returns to her first pattern.

This is really frustrating… and I need a good target to hit so I can get more resources. Slapping it into that child Abnormality is no good… but the cat might hit back, and it's invincible.

There's an obvious solution to that, I'd say.

Got an idea?



There's a house. Break a window. It'll help something.

If this works, I'm not sure if I'll be amazed or feel kind of guilty.

Because the Home is completely invincible, it's a good target for any pages that have on-hit effects. It can't die by our hands, so this is completely fine.



Opa! Nope! Noooope! Can't get it! Try again~!

What are you doing.

It's a cat. I have a laser pointer. You guys just do your thing.



I seriously can't believe that worked.

We still have to test attacking the house.



Bad news: the house is invincible!

Any good news?

It worked anyways.

Looks like we're in business, then. Just keep the cat distracted, Kit.

Oh, I will! _Mostly.



Bwah! It scratched me!

Sorry! That was supposed to be for the boss.

A prank for a prank, then~?

Not much else to do while we wait, you know?



Well. Let's take things seriously from now on… We can't afford to mess this one up.

No worries, I know when it's serious.



Sorry, missy. This here's a penalty space.



Return to start and try again, okay?



Actually, I'd prefer if you not try again, either. We can't let you get back to your home.



This one's getting a bit feisty! Have you stopped her movement?

We've got her all taken care of, no worries~

Muahahaha… good.



Hey… she's looking mad all of a sudden.

We've been stopping her from getting home, time after time. It makes sense that she'd get angry, no~?

The Road Home, angered wrote: Ah~ That wizard! That wicked wizard!

Don’t bother us! Let us go home in peace!

The mean lady wizard took my friends! She took every one of them away from me…

After blocking The Road Home's pattern twice, she uses You… Wicked Wizard! If this Mass Attack hits anyone on our side, then she returns to her pattern as usual. If everyone on our team manages to block it, however, The Road Home is Staggered for one turn—that's our chance to attack.



The only risk here is Twee, who's down to two copies of Leap and two copies of Energy Cycle. Due to her Stiletto passive, Energy Cycle is the only option we've really got. With +1 Strength this means she's rolling 5-10 and 1-3. We need to get a bit lucky.



Scaredy Cat also has Courage this turn, so it's important not to attack The Road Home directly once again.

Everyone all ready?

Sure are. But… really, what can she do? She's not exactly strong… just durable.

Don't let your guard down. She's planning… something.

House!



What the heck was that?!

A house! I told you.

I'm really getting tired of this one.

We get lucky, with Twee hitting a perfect 13 on her roll. :hellyeah:



Muahaha… That's right, kitty! Get the laser! You can do it!



Hey! Don't guide it at me!

Whoops! Sorry! …Again. …_Muahaha.

That's it! You're uninvited to game night.



The Abnormality's been stunned. This is our chance to suppress it, everyone. Don't waste it~

No chance in hell of that.

The Road Home, Staggered wrote: Friend… Let’s go together… together…

Let us all… gather together… for an adventure…

I was sound asleep… then the adventure suddenly began…

Let’s go with me. Let’s go together, friend.

Let’s go home… To home, together…

These are technically The Road Home's 'normal' quotes, but because every turn where she does something has its own quotes, we'll only ever see them when she's Staggered.




On this turn, Scaredy Cat goes into overdrive and uses two copies of Alertness. This page deals a lot of Fragile for the rest of the turn when it hits, and Scaredy Cat gets an additional 2 Strength for free on this turn. We don't want to focus on it, however.



This is our best chance to take out The Road Home.



Looks like that stinger has a use after all…

You don't sound too concerned about it.



Once you know the rules of a problem, the problem becomes much easier to solve!



We've roundly inconvenienced this cat. Take care of the main one, captains!



I'm on it… but she's really tough. Way more than you'd think.



But the two of us together are more than enough to take her down, right?

Tch. Just smells like kill-stealing to me.

You're just mad because I'm one-up on you, Pea.

See how long that lasts.



Huh. It got smaller all of a sudden.

I guess it couldn't keep up the tough act by itself. Things should be simple from here.

Finally. This thing was a real pain…



Once it changes back into its lonely form, Scaredy Cat only plays one page. The fight is effectively over, it's literally incapable of harming us.



So once again we P-space the end of an Abnormality battle.

All together now, let's suppress this last Abnormality and head home.

No need.



I could do this myself.

Tied yet again, it seems~

At this point, it'd be more surprising if we had a conclusive win one way or the other.

Either way, I'm glad these things weren't in our facility… they'd have been a real pain to handle.

Truuuue that.



The Road Home is overall a very rigid boss fight that doesn't like when its rules are broken, but the rules are simple enough to follow and the only real risk is a Stagger on someone along the path—if that happens, then the fight's already been lost.

It's also possible to take out Scaredy Cat early through the use of Bleed and Burn, which makes the rest of the fight fairly trivial… but that takes longer than just doing the fight properly.

VIDEO
Music: ChesedStory


Picking out some coffee beans. It’s much more intensive work than it seems.

I, Angela, and the employees of Lobotomy Corp. were all picked out and ended up where we are, just like the guests were. No matter what the individual wishes, society will just pick out the people it wants while leaving the rest to rot in the pile. An invisible chain of oppression is weighing down on everybody.

Those are rules necessary for people to live close to each other. Hell, I bet society’s gonna be even more messed up than it is now without ‘em, y’know?

I agree that some rules are needed. But why’d they all have to be so extreme~?

The Syndicates in the Backstreets, the Associations of Fixers, and the Wings… They’re all established on the premise of human sacrifice.

That’s how it is in this world. A big game of cat-and-mouse where the winner takes all. There’s no point trying to wrap your head around the inevitable. You really are an odd one, huh.

Would you say that the pain and loss you suffered were also inevitable, then? You always talk about the City so plainly, saying that everything happening in it can’t be helped. Is it really because you’re indifferent about it? Or are you trying to turn away from the underlying unfairness?

…Sure. We’re just being carried away by a gigantic wave. All we gotta do is surrender to the flow and float down the stream.



…

You see, I came from the Nest.

Figured as much.

I was born into a wealthy family that was the envy of all. I didn’t have to worry about my future, and was born smart too, to top it off…

Some elite prodigy you were.

I know, right~? They all expected me to join A Corp. and climb up to a high position like it was nothing. My older sister and other siblings got into Wings like a breeze, too. The Wings most people strive to enter were no more than ordinary career paths for me. I never got why they were so desperate to join such boring companies.

Damn, that’s how great your family was?

Yep. That’s the kind of family Daniel had.

But one day, in a bizarre turn of events one might even describe as fate… he steps into the Backstreets, the place he never thought would have anything to do with his life.

A rebellious little deviation from the quotidian life of a spoiled young gent?

It would’ve been pretty romantic if that were the case… But I was just kidnapped, really. Caught me by surprise.

Someone decided to kidnap a Nest resident, and a rich one at that… Must’ve been some bigshot Syndicate or just a crazy ass.



Huh. If the Red Mist did that… Well, I guess she had good reasons.

When I came back to my senses, those two were arguing with each other.



I couldn’t help but chuckle listening to that. I thought I was looking at a comedy skit or something.

So they got the wrong person? Didn’t take them for a couple of airheads.

I’m telling you~? They really were clumsy at heart. They were trying to catch some con artist who scammed Carmen out of her research fund, and Kali apparently mistook me for the perp. I thought I’d get some apologies and go back to where I belonged. But then Carmen asked me without a hint of shame to help her out for a bit while I’m at it.

She said it helps to have a visibly rich person like me stand next to her. So I said yes out of surprise and confusion. I was wondering what she was about to do, and then she took me to an open space and started giving a long speech.

I guess it wasn’t anything weird since there’s plenty of people muttering nonsense in the Backstreets every day.

You’re right about that. Can you guess what she was saying, standing next to me?



Sounds like total hogwash.

One thing that stood out about her was that she was so proud and confident with her ridiculous speech. Even when most people barely gave her a glance before going about their business. Carmen was vastly different from the people I had seen. She had the eyes and voice of a person who was willing to carve a brand new path. I never thought people like her could exist until that day.

After her speech, Carmen walked me home.

And on the way back, I saw and heard it for the first time. The hellish landscape that was so different from the world I lived in. Carmen and Kali taught me about what’s going on in the Backstreets and how people in the Nest are being extorted without meaning. When I got back home that day, I spent all night shivering from this odd sense of guilt.

The naive young noble wakes up to a half-baked sense of justice.

I did~ I guess you could say it was half-baked in a way.

I mean, you could’ve just shrugged the whole thing off as a bad day and went back to your everyday life, no?

Maybe. But I just couldn’t, no…



That simple? Aren’t you skipping too many steps at once?

Of course my family had several problems with it, but those were just small details~ I wanted to use my capabilities to help people.

I was sincere about wanting to make the world a better place. Daniel was.

How about now, then. Are you still sincere about that?

Yep, I am. I want to change it right next time. If there is a next time, that is~

Don’t expect others to have the peace of mind like you do. It’s all thanks to your prosperous background that you could say such generous stuff.

I’ll be going now~

Music: Lobby


After finding out that Carmen and Kali were both terrible at what they did, we advance to level 4 and get a new trio of Abnormality pages from our two new Abnormalities.



Of the three, Courage is the far and away best of them: it gets stronger the more allies we have, to a maximum of +3 Strength when we have a full 5 Librarians around. Simple, yet effective. If we ever go below 2 Librarians, however, we'll start losing Power instead—so it's at its best if we're playing well.

Home, meanwhile, is a decent Abnormality Page for boss fights—against single targets it's effectively a straight damage bonus—and otherwise is middling at best. It wants us to attack enemies in a specific order, which sacrifices flexibility for nothing but a damage bonus.

Lastly, there's A Road Walked Together. This one is also situationally good, letting anyone who redirects a clash off of the person who took this page gain a 1-2 Power bonus. It's a universal bonus that works on both Defensive and Offensive dice, which is nice, but we can't really control if the person who took this page gets targeted or not… which is less nice.



Just one more trio of books to grab before we can get Chesed ready for a realization. With four battles to choose from, it's probably behind one of them.



Let's focus on gains again today. This node grants The Red Mist completely insane power.

The keypage here is needlessly overcomplicated.

Malkuth's floor appreciates one of the pages from here, and we might inch closer to E.G.O, as well.

Lastly, there's a page that restores Light and gives draw with no cost here.


Videos

Chesed 4

Borbex wrote: ↑

Wed Apr 05, 2023 11:15 am

Heyo! Kinda new to this website and thread, created a account after reading the prologue and because I kinda wanna see more content from library of ruina after finishing it, so im here now. Looking forward to your next post!

Hope you enjoy it. Welcome to the thread!

Hm. I'll give it another 2 hours and 45 minutes, since this has been trending close the entire time.

So! We have... multiple news stories today. Let's start with the beginning: It's exceedingly likely, based on current data, that someone's been fucking with the polls for the last several of them. This means I need some kind of better polling service for preventing that kind of thing, if anyone's got one I'm open to suggestions... I'd consider a twitter poll but I'm not giving the person doing the polls my login info.

The methodology, over the last several relevant polls, seems to be that if their preferred option isn't winning, they just dump votes to push it over by ~1-2 votes, more as they lose the lead multiple times. There might be a second person who did something the opposite way back in the original Red Mist run, which is what caused that initial surge in it. I did call in some favors this time and asked folk to vote to close the gap to see if things would get pushed... and they did. Consistently. Until the minute I closed the poll and after, they kept getting pushed up in little bulk vote batches that put them juuust above the other option. It wasn't the worst plan, but enough statistically unlikely close voting with vote batches that start coming in at a specific time of day each time makes seeing the thumb on the scale pretty obvious.

So, secondly, because I knew things would be stupidly close, I did something I don't usually do: I voted before I took the final tally. To be clear, directly after I took this screenshot, at most a minute later, another batch of votes came in for the side that was likely being manipulated... but hey, time's up. I don't have to count them.

So, let's get to our third piece of news, the result:



We have a tie. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering the same thing: What happens in the case of a tie?






Well, see you guys next time!

-it seems to be working as intended, thanks for your time. I'll have the polls maker person do that from here forward.

Book 41: Liu Association Section 1—Chapter 1

Music: Lobby


Our opponent for the day is a follow-up on the Liu Association Section 2 storyline. This should be fine.

VIDEO
Music: StorySimgak




That’s what you’re worried about? How are we even gonna explain this to the Association in our report…

We don’t have much choice. Just gotta describe what we saw there. There’s nothing we can do about him. Speaking of, I don’t think we’ve heard from Section 2 ever since they went on an expedition to the Library. Did something happen to them?

They’re probably just too busy with the work. Director Xiao must be worried quite a bit, still. Well, we have our own problems to worry about. We’ve got a few things left to wrap up, so let’s head back inside, shall we?



…Director?

…

…Ah, sorry. I was distracted with thoughts for a moment. Don’t mind me. You said you have a report to make. What is it?

A number of experts are going to extract samples from the Distortions we’ve captured after failing to secure the Crying Children, and send them to V Corp.

The process is estimated to take a full day. Will we be put on standby in the meantime?

Have you received any contact from the president or the executive board?

Yes. They told Section 1 to stay clear of this matter. Hana Association will be taking over further affairs regarding the Library and the Distortion after monitoring the situation for a little longer.

They felt the need to take their time to carry out a more thorough analysis and review of the Library now that it’s a Star of the City, I see…

Are we going to pull out of this Nest, then?

Yes. You’ll be going back as soon as the extraction is done, so pack your belongings in advance. Until then, rest up and get yourselves back into optimal shape. You ought to be prepared for any task.

Understood, ma’am.

We’ll be going now, so have a good rest, dir—



Listen carefully to what I have to say. Section 1’s next post will most likely be the Outskirts, where the strife between the Ring and the Pinky is still fierce. We should especially be cautious of the Pinky, so keep that in mind once you’re dispatched to that area.

Duly noted.

Miris, overconfidence is your biggest flaw. Be mindful of that, and you won’t face much hardship in the future. Chun, stay on track and proceed. You have the qualities to be assigned a color one day.

Why are you telling us this all of a sudden, director…

…

…Don’t tell me, has there been other news from our superiors?

No. I mentioned all the news I received to you.



That means, a bit ago, you…

You guessed right… Effective immediately, I’m resigning from my position as Director of Section 1 of the Liu.

…

I’ll take all responsibility and penalty for the unilateral resignation and breach of contract by myself. You don’t have to worry about your careers.

What… did you just say?

I’m saying that my action will not hurt your careers.

You know that’s not what I mean!

Inside the briefcase behind me are documents containing all the information I could gather about the process of transferring my position to someone else.

That may not be exactly sufficient… But please do understand as we have no time to return to the Association HQ at the moment. I am terribly sorry to suddenly abandon my position, everyone.

You’re heading to the Library, aren’t you.

…

This isn’t like you, Director Xiao. You know you shouldn’t make such a hasty decision on this matter… I suggest going back to the Association and gathering more intel. There has to be some useful information.

You are right. This isn’t like me. It truly isn’t… It would ill become me to be tearful, and yet… I cried for the first time in my life. I never knew I’d have any relation to such sentiments. I was reminded of Lowell’s earnest request. He asked that we do not throw our lives away, no matter what happened to each other.

I thought he was stating the obvious… I thought I could remain calm and cold. But when I was faced with loss in reality, I simply couldn’t get over it. I’m ashamed of myself for this disgraceful behavior. Anger… heartbreak, despair, sorrow. What should I call this emotion I feel… I’m not certain.

There is one thing I do know for sure. I’ve seen countless lies and falsehoods as I climbed the ranks. I believed that everything in the City was deceit packaged as truth. My life was full of such lies, after all.



I get where you’re coming from, director. Still, stepping down from your position like this will be unfavorable in more ways than one. If you break an Association’s trust, you will be excluded from this business in one way or another, even if you open up an Office later. And that’s not all. After…

Even then!

Has there ever been a time when I was so worried sick? Has there ever been a time when my heart ached from parting? Has there ever been a time when I wailed, pining for someone dearly…? Lowell helped me realize that my heart is sincere. Thus, I shall gladly surrender my body to the flame of passion for him, to prove that there was meaning to my life.

How could you say it so proudly, ma’am. Director Lowell did, and now you, too…

Alright, Xiao… Let me ask you this straight out. Let’s say that you managed to get Lowell’s book. Then what? Are you doing this with any plans for the next step in mind?

…No. I have none. I’m simply trying to fulfill the will of my heart.

You should know very well how others will look at you if a big-name Fixer, like you, acts emotionally in situations like this. There won’t be a place for you to return. Is that what you want?

Even if stars were to rise in my sky someday, what good would they be without a companion to watch them together…

I’ve already made up my mind. You won’t convince me otherwise.



…I expected that somewhat.

And you’re not trying to stop us…

If you help me… I’ll have a better chance of getting his book.

You’re being so selfish, ma’am. What else can we really do when you start acting in a way you’ve never done before.

I won’t force you. You’re free to choose to stay. If you still choose to follow me, however… You’ll have my eternal gratitude.

Music: Lobby


Maybe you weren’t entirely correct about Fixers, seeing that even the Section 1 director of an Association can make such an emotional judgement.

I’m shocked, too. Who could’ve seen that Xiao of all people would be blinded by love… Looks like the light that shone during the White Nights and Dark Days had more influence than just creating the Distortion or E.G.O, huh… The impression I’m getting from all the guests I’ve watched from here is that, well… People have gotten more honest than usual.

And what we have seen reinforces that.

I can understand her to a degree. If something were to happen to you, I’d also…

…Whoa, what? Don’t tell me, you’re saying… you’re in, like… H-Hold on, but my mind isn’t ready yet…



I know best what my sentiment toward you is, and it isn’t love.

Alright, alright, I know what it’s really about, alright. You mean it’s gonna be tough to find another person like me to chat with, yeah?

Correct. It will be extremely grueling to find and build a relationship with another companion on your level from scratch.

Music: Entrance


I can already picture the branch leader furiously grilling us.

I’m deeply sorry for you.

What’s done is done. The choice was ours. Let’s focus on taking care of business now that we’ve stepped into this place.

And our deviation might be extenuated if we produce good results in the Library.

I am fine with this place being my grave. All of you, on the other hand, should value your own lives more than anything.

Yes, I know that this is a humiliating thing for me to say when you’ve already followed me here.

You’re awfully brazen, ma’am. Let’s just rule out the possibility of any one of us dying here.

If we get kicked out of the Liu, you’d better give us new jobs to obtain our grain.

You have my word.



I am Angela, the director and librarian of my role’s namesake.

I’m afraid I’m not in the mood to greet you back with hospitality, but manners are manners…

My name is Xiao, and next to me are Chun and Miris. Greet her, men.

…Hello.

…Yes, thank you.

…

What’s with the hesitation, Miss. Feeling guilty for what you’ve done after all this time?

…

I’m sure you know what fate your colleagues wearing the same uniforms as yours suffered here, don’t you?

…Indeed I do.

Yet you’ve made this choice. You were not ordered or coerced by anyone else, either.

…You’d better watch your tongue, Miss Library Director.

You talk like we’re already destined to die here.

Enough, you two. What is your point, Library Director?

I’m simply curious about the psychology of humans… which I know little of. And of the reason you’re trying to earn him back in spite of the imminent danger.

I’ve also, no… I have seen it more times than I can count, a story of someone looking for substitutes. From my experience, I cannot understand how you can value your goal more than your own life.



That is correct. That way, you won’t have to throw away your precious life.

A machine won’t truly understand. The feeling of burning blood coursing through my veins because of something I cherish. The desire to have it back by any means, in any form.

“Precious” is not a word you should utter as lightly as you just did… Dreams, hopes, ideals; all the words that describe what motivate humans to get up and live… Those words encompass meanings too grand for description… But it’s simple at the same time.

I still find that insufficient reason to risk your own life.

I won’t deny that. I presume others will overcome the loss of what is precious to them in different ways.

Then why have you entered this place with such pride? Was it ungrounded confidence that you’re stronger than us? Or were you merely blind with anger?

That… is what I would like to know as well.

However, I know that this emotion I’m bearing isn’t wrath or sorrow.

Sigh…



Sure, you can act all confident right now; because you think you’re firm and sturdy. But, when unexpected situations start to unfold before you… Will that firmness of yours last? I think not. You’ll be the first to break down, rather.

In the end, it’s having a faint hope that just becomes pointless in the face of death. What can your trifling resolve change?

…

…Is this some kind of warning to turn back?

I have neither the power nor right to stop you.

You’re really getting on our nerves now… She’s definitely looking down on us. Let’s just get in now, director.

…



Even if I think of myself as firm, I cannot stop others from thinking that I’m petty. You’re free to think of me as a pathetic human being. I couldn’t care less about how others view me.

What will a resolve change, you ask?

Of course it will not do much. Hope won’t magically illuminate the path ahead. It won’t always be bright. It will be similar to despair in a way… I might be lost in the dark, not knowing what to do or where to go. It doesn’t give me a path… Nor does it brighten the way… The two are truly alike.

However, they’re still considered two separate concepts with two separate words; because there is a difference to be found. The right thing… By bearing in mind what I must do this instant, and taking it to action, the impossible can be achieved.

Hope allows one to touch the untouchable… reach the unreachable… and see the invisible.

I won’t let your words break me; I won’t stand back… Pòfǔchénzhōu. The cauldrons were broken, and the boats were sunk; there is no retreat. So let us enter if you are not afraid of us!

…



Next time, on Library of Ruina: Handling the Liu… ag—

…Hm? No, that cannot be correct.

SNAP

Music: Lobby
Back, eh? How was she?

Not now, Roland. Something is amiss.

I haven't touched anything, ma'am.

It's not you I'm concerned with…

Book 41: We Provoked Two Militaries at Once—Chapter 1



It's the invitations. This is unprecedented… some trick of the Light, perhaps?

I don't follow you. What's going on?

You'll understand in a moment.

VIDEO
StorySimgak




…What the fuck did you just say, you one-horned reindeer?

…Oh, I’m sorry your weakass Rabbits were too feeble to get anything done.





What’s up, granny. Being serious all of a sudden.

The Fourth Pack will be dispatched to Nest L and the Library.

The hell? The Library I understand, but the whole Nest?

The Thumb is shaking after losing an Underboss, so driving them out shouldn’t be difficult at all…

It looks like the Index is being a pain in the ass instead. We won’t mobilize many troops; only a few will be going there as reinforcements.

And what does that have to do with us?

Our destination is the Library.



Haven’t the higher ups bailed us out considering the circumstances?

I guess it’s obvious that we’d get in, since the Fourth Pack was organized exclusively for L Corp’s Nest… Well… It’s a miracle that we were kept alive for so long considering how awkward our situation’s been.

We worked our asses off to ensure safety… but our necks are back on the chopping block.

Why do we always have to eat shit. L Corp. probably just self-destructed. Why do we have to get ourselves involved in the thick of it?



It would not matter if L Corp. did collapse on its own, but if it turns out to be the work of an outside force, the responsibility would lie on R Corp. for failing to prevent the threat as contracted.



And this task concerns more than just L Corp.

The hell are you talking about now?

The Library is also holding a mortgage on W Corp’s Singularity. The books of the corporation’s cleanup crew and passengers that were on one of its trains are apparently under the Library’s possession.

Passengers?

…

Myo, did you get contact regarding the task you said you’d handle on your own?

…

Myo.



Damn, that means…

She probably used it recklessly after waiting several hours on the train, trying to escape. She’s definitely the kind of person to do it.

Was there a particular reason you had her take that WARP train?

Eh, not really… I happened to have some other job I wanted her to do someplace else, so I asked her to take care of that as well. The Library was only a measly Urban Legend back then, so I didn’t think it’d be a big deal.

She wasn’t someone who’d die to an Urban Legend, so I gave her that job for sweet bucks, nothing more.



Do I look like I’ve got the dosh to pony up a first class ticket, let alone three?

Aight, let’s say that she somehow got outta the train while it was running and got turned into a book in the Library. W Corp. is on the move just to cover up a few regular passengers disappearing? I mean, the train arrived at its destination without any problems people could see.

Yeah. No one would believe the story of the train stopping for that long.

I wonder why they’d send the cleanup agents in such a hurry~ That could easily backfire and expose its Singularity to the whole world.

Some will be interested in pursuing the truth behind the trains based on the contents of the books, too. It’d make more sense if first class passengers were gone as well.



It’s our job to protect the Singularities and Nests of L Corp, W Corp, and T Corp. If we don’t want to be stamped out, we’ll have to retrieve the books related to the Singularity by any means. We also need to find out the reason L Corp. collapsed. However, if there is falsehood mixed in the evidence you bring, the Ravens will directly dispose of you; be mindful of that.

It’d better have been L Corp. cutting its own throat…

It’s silly how everyone acts like their lives depend on the Singularities.

That’s our job, so we have to secure them with our lives, silly or not.



The “time-saving” teleportation of W Corp!

Which is in fact taking passengers on a thousand-year ride in another dimension, then going through the weird time tunnel thingy or some shit. And when the train arrives, those passengers are restored as good as new. And T Corp. repackages that time collected by the trains for sale or use, doesn’t it?

I bet some of those passengers are out there enjoying meat stew somewhere in the City, completely oblivious to the hundreds of years of suffering they went through that’s now being used for the pot of humble meat n’ broth they’re eating. Hell, R Corp’s no different, look at what we…

That’s enough.

If you rattle off another word about Singularities, I’ll put you in solitary confinement.

Yem…

There’s not a moment to lose, so prepare to mobilize.

Music: Lobby


I’m curious. I wonder how the Library in its state will fare against R Corp.

Oh really, ma’am! Spoken like someone who never does field work herself…

I trust you to handle it nicely as you always have, even though you’re complaining right now.

As much as I’d like to give you advice… The Rabbit Team is the only one I’ve seen in action, so there’s not much I can say here.

Eh, don’t sweat it. It’s not like you ever told me how to fight.

…Sorry about that.

…C’mon, don’t give me that stern face. I was just joking.

By the way, why did your corporation hire R Corp? I could see why at first since I knew nothing about how things went in L Corp, but looking at Gebura and the librarians here, they seemed more than capable of handling any kind of situation.

Things would often go out of control because of the entities we called Abnormalities. Sometimes, the situation became too much of a burden for the employees to handle.

So you called the Rabbit Team to reduce casualties.



Even though I never saw them myself, I was told in brief when the contract was first made. The Rhinos wield significant combat prowess, but they are easily agitated and can cause collateral damage to the point of reducing the facility to rubble.

…That guy sure looked tough and dependable. What did they tell you about the Reindeer?

I was told that they use psychological attacks. While the machines would’ve been relatively safe from them, they still had a risk of causing irreversible damage to the manager.

In a nutshell, the Rabbits were the only team suitable for that facility, huh.

That’s right. Of course, the Rabbits did make matters worse sometimes… But all in all, they were quite helpful.

Music: Entrance


This atmosphere makes me feel as though we’re in the Ruins.

A Star of the City is not much different from the Ruins in terms of danger.

Aren’t you guys excited to graze some fresh grass?

Myo, please keep your mouth shut for five minutes.



Greetings. I am Nikolai, leader of the Fourth Pack of R Corp.

Been a while, Angela! I’ll drop the formality since the contract’s over.

It’s good to see a familiar face.

You broke L Corp, didn’t cha?

What makes you think that, I wonder?

I figured your rotten mind would do something huge someday the first time I met you.

You can’t fool my gut feeling. Thanks to you, we’re all about to be destroyed.

You’re still rambling stupid nonsense, unable to read the mood. If you’re so curious, you can read a book to find out. Oh, in case you don’t know what a book is… It’s a little bundle of pages made of paper that you can hold in your hands and read.

You’re playing grown up in your little Library after you’re done being a puppet secretary, huh?

Are you offended that I might have killed the Red Mist, the woman you were such a big fan of?

…

…Myo, I told you to shut up. And you, I’m intrigued by what you said.

Could you guide us inside first?

Of course. May you find your book in this place.

Next time, on Library of Ruina: Nobody here is being paid enough for this shit.


Videos

Liu Associaton Section 1 1
R Corp 1








While it is good to see a familiar face once more…

This is a troublesome situation… We have a few floors prepared, but we cannot send them to stop both armies at once.

Your resolve has been waning, of late. Have you awakened to fear in your transformation?

Asking absurd questions as usual, I see.

I suppose you are simply here to observe again?

My duty is to do the work assigned to me. The floor of Philosophy stands ever-ready to consume any who would stand within it.

To say such a thing while wearing that outfit… Are you offering to help me again?

Is that what you see it as?

…I don't have time for this. Roland.

Yes, ma'am?

Route the resources we'd reserved for the Liu Association into dealing with the R Corporation soldiers. It should be enough to handle them.

Sure thing. And the Liu..?

Do not worry about the cast-off scraps of an Association.

Eesh. Alright… I'm going, I'm going.

Thank for getting me into the series, TeeQueue. Immensely looking forward to you dealing with this sudden and totally unexpected gameplay complication. And congrats on finally getting to see Myo again.

Is the last image of the Liu side supposed to just be the same one as previous image? Also I was not expecting to hear those words like that, ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWA

Also Myo is temperamental as all hell today huh, shame she's gonna die here, woulda been nice to spare at least one fun person

Syrelian wrote: ↑

Sun Apr 16, 2023 4:10 am

Is the last image of the Liu side supposed to just be the same one as previous image? Also I was not expecting to hear those words like that, ROW ROW FIGHT DA POWA

Also Myo is temperamental as all hell today huh, shame she's gonna die here, woulda been nice to spare at least one fun person

It was an error, I've gone ahead and fixed it now that I'm on the lappy.

braybray wrote: ↑

Sat Apr 15, 2023 6:44 pm

Thank for getting me into the series, TeeQueue. Immensely looking forward to you dealing with this sudden and totally unexpected gameplay complication. And congrats on finally getting to see Myo again.

I'm just so happy to see her again. She's my favorite, and forever has been.

graze some grass

I recommend touching grass.

.......Wait, hell, we're fighting the rabbits, that's not going to help at all!

Book 41: We Provoked Two Militaries at Once—Chapter 2

Music : GuestBattle01


Netzach's floor is all using things we've seen before. We have a bit of everything ready to go today.



The R Corp reception has a trio of fights, with the first being against Rudolph and his Reindeers.



R Corp is another Charge archetype, and every member has the ability to store up to 20 Charge instead of the standard 10. This affords them heightened flexibility when it comes to storing Charge to spend later. The Reindeers also get +1 Strength for each 30% they lose in battle, making them a bit harder to take out once we've roughed them up a bit.



Rudolph, meanwhile, is a cut above his troops, with 50% more HP and nearly twice the SR of any of the base Reindeers. He's got a passive that gives him a bonus to Stagger damage whenever he has 11+ Charge stockpiled, and also gains +1 Strength and Endurance each time he recovers from being Staggered—it stacks with Reindeer Treatment's bonus Strength, so once we knock him down we need to take him out. Ignoring him just makes the problem worse.



Music: NetzachBattle01


Alright, team… let's do this as quickly as possible.

Agreed. Let's handle this…

Hello hello..? I think you guys are hearing me right now.

…Myo? How'n the hell..?

Haha, how's that one, granny? I told you that the old comms frequency was worth a shot.

…C'mon, this was good intel! I can hear what they're up to and broadcast it to the rest of you.

It'll be a cold day in hell before my Reindeer need anything your weakass team can give us.

Haah? Maybe I'll just listen to the screams of you all getting torn to pieces then?

Why not? You might learn how your work's supposed to be done for once.



Every single enemy we face in this reception has two pages in common: Concentrate and Graze the Grass. Concentrate is a big beefy 3-cost with a big beefy 8 Charge to go with it, we'll want to clash these with good 3-costs of our own when we can. Graze the Grass, meanwhile, is a basic 0-cost Light Regen page that gives 3 Charge as well.



As for the Reindeers, they have two unique pages of their own. The first is Energy Strike, which deals the user 4 Stagger damage on use, and can deal bonus Stagger damage with the third die in exchange for some Charge. As for the second… We'll get there soon.



You know, with those masks on no one will see your beautiful smiles!

Ain't a lot to smile about, for a Reindeer.

Nonsense! You all have such fine horns! I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do!

You heard him, team. Let's crush 'em fast, before it can get to us, too.

Like some guy who can't fight without getting a migraine could accomplish anything.



Hyeesh… tough little reindeer, aren't you?

If that's all you've got, I'll slay you.



HAHAHAHAHA! I'm sure you will, good sir!

Don't cheer on our enemies, Mr.Black.

There's no problem with wanting the best out of everyone!



There's a problem if it makes our jobs harder.

Ahh, just kip up to the challenge! You'll be fine!

Seems like these guys have rapport like my Rabbits when we're off-duty.



Shouldn't you already know about… right, the memory wipes.

Obviously. What, did those horns fry your brain already?

No more than all those sorties ruined yours.



Do we even have to fight these guys..? Maybe they can take each other out for us.

Don't be ridiculous. There's no challenge in culling a bunch of weakass Rabbits.

I thought you were angling not to get killed today, eh? Maybe watch what you say about my Rabbits.



I'll say what I like: our staves are fully charged, and this farce is over.

Not liking the look of those things.

It's fine. We can take on any opponent so long as our wits remain with us.



On turn 2, Rudolph and two of his Reindeer buddies use their other signature page: Mind Whip. Mind Whip is a single massive hit that costs 4 SR to use, and can deal an extra 8 Stagger Damage if they have 3 Charge when firing. We don't have any good ways to stop this attack, so we just have to tank it.



Well… this is gonna' suck. Just bear with it.

You're a real inspiration, boss.



Mind Whip fires a beam of concentrated electricity at our side, in what I can only describe as some sort of special beam cannon.



Holy hell… It feels like my head's going to pop open!

Yeah, that'll happen if you get hit by a Reindeer special. They numb you something fierce.



It's delightfully tingly! I can't feel my extremities anymore!



Mm… yep. That's a buzz, alright.

Not one of them died yet…

Maybe you're losing your touch.



The hell I am.

Hoo..! Every strike is heavier than the last! These R Corp boys really are built to fight! HAHAHA!



Byegh…

Well hey, looks like your boys got one of them on the ropes!

Defensive formation, team.

We're being pushed back… how unusual.



Their damage output is just that high. We'll have to step it up and go all out if we want to win…

It's a pain in the ass, but I'd rather not die.



Good news, then! None of us dead quite yet… and I don't think those horns are recharged! There's plenty to smile about!

The Reindeer's sheer offensive presence will put a dent into any floor we use on them, and even Netzach's powerful defenses can get overwhelmed if someone is hit by multiple charged Mind Whips and Energy Strikes.



Even Laughing Powder won't be able to keep us covered for this one, though as long as we spread out the Mind Whips we should be okay overall.

Nowhere to run, and nowhere to hide. R Corp won't be stopped by you.

Two of them are unstable. We've got a chance.

Only a chance, though. Man… I bet the Liu team's having a way easier time than this.

That's no excuse to slack, now! Sword-arms up!

Music: GuestBattle02


Jeepies, these guys are some serious punch wizards!

Don't give up, Justy! We've all got your back here.

I don't. Good riddance.

Now, dears… remember to remain focused until the end.

While the Mizus are using the same outfits as back in Big Bird, they've got Binah to help them against the Liu Section 1 Fixers. However, Section 1 is definitely a cut above their Section 2 brethren.



As far as stats go, they're not much stronger than Section 2, and like all of the Liu they still use Frontal Assault for Light regeneration and Emotional Turbulence for their trump page. Their remaining two offensive options, however, are much more difficult to deal with than Section 2's tricks.



The first of these, Single-Point Stab, is a 0-cost page with a relatively large Pierce die on it. When used, it will call all copies of itself in the deck to hand, making sure that they can continue to play it for the next several turns to come while thinning their deck out to make their draw for the turn more useful.



Their second, Burning Flash, is even more concerning. When used in combat, it hunts for a copy of Burning Flash in the hand, discarding it if it finds one. The user then draws a replacement page, and the Burning Flash's dice are added to the current attack. This is relatively easy to understand, but the kicker is that both dice count as single-dice. This means that Singular Strike applies to both dice at once, meaning Burning Flash can output a lot of damage, very quickly.



These single-die skills can also make it very difficult for us to get our Emotion Level up and running, and being outnumbered means they're getting some free hits on our team as well.

So it's really no surprise I'm a li'l beat up, you see!

Should you really be talking to them like that?

It's fine. It's not like we're in any real danger anyways.

We're not supposed to know that.

Boooo. Spoilsport!



I've provided the support I can. Show me something entertaining, would you?



I only intend to fight so long as we're forced to.

Is that so? You seem quite at home on the battlefield.

A hammer that can't crush a nail gets thrown away, is all.

So you say.



We're not hammers, silly, we're Librarians! If we can't crush nails, we just use a thicker book next time.



You're missing the point. We exist only to kill, and when we stop being useful we'll be put away again.



Excusez-moi?! I exist for the cuties!

_{Psst! Focus on the guy stabbing you, Justy!}



We put Watchful Eye onto Binah here. Her Light regeneration is weak compared to the rest of her floor, so this will help keep her topped off. (Also, we have to put it somewhere.)

Music: GuestBattle02


Miss Binah… we're still outnumbered, and Justy's on her last legs. This is bad, right?

It could be. How do you others see things?

With my eyes, of course!

And what do those see?

Oooh. Well, I'm a little beat up, but they're all right on the edge of being shaken apart.

So I'mma shake 'em!



Well said. It's time to crush their plans entirely.



Wowsers… you're right! These guys are all just a breeze from falling over!



Duuh! That's why you keep shaking 'til they're shook!



Ultimately… our only power is killing anyone who comes too near.

Music: BinahBattle02


But like… we're good at it, right?

Yep. We're the best~

Onward, until the work is complete.

Music: NetzachBattle02


Finally… It was like they were swinging electric sandbags at us all.

About that, boss… I'm on my last legs over here, and the others are beat up to boot.



I always feel nicest after a bit of a good back-and-forth! The bleeding shows your blood's still pumping! HAHAHAHAHA!



If I pump much more, there's not going to be any of me left…

Well goddamn… I knew Rudolph was a half-baked loser who couldn't get anything done… But that still doesn't mean I thought you'd take them all down without a loss.



I wouldn't exactly say we didn't take losses… M'beat already.

Honest of you. It's a shame that Maxim's got dibs next… I wouldn't mind tearing you all apart myself.

The Reindeer aren't difficult at all, but they'll put out an absurd amount of damage if they go Mind Whip-happy. Because we don't have a lot of ways to stop that from happening, whatever floor comes out of this fight is going to be missing ~half of its HP, and the best we can do is make sure that it doesn't result in 1 or 2 downed Librarians.

Music: GuestBattle01


Seems like you still got your head on straight.

As straight as it ever is. Switch with us?

'Course. Thanks for taking the roughest part for us.

Just cover my cleaning work for me next time and we'll call it even.



The Rhinos are slightly bulkier with slightly less SR than the Reindeer, but because their 30% HP loss bonus is to Endurance and not Strength, it means they're less offensive than their horned cousins.



…And then there's Maxim. While the standard Rhino can be kind of beefy, Maxim is a whole tank. While he has 11+ Charge, he gets a free 2 Protection every turn, and in addition to that being at 20 Charge will supercharge his damage output and cut damage he'd take by 30%. We'll want to do as much damage to him as possible before he hits that 20 Charge.



Music : GeburaBattle01


Well howdy, Miss… You're no ordinary opponent, are you?

Nobody on this floor is.

Maybe so, but you-

Maxim.

Something wrong?

That bitch over there is the Red Mist.

The Red Mist..? That lady you gab on about when you're sloshed?

She got her body back at some point… I wonder if she's as good as the old days.

She'd better be. I always wanted to kill a legend.

Don't count your eggs before they're laid, rookie.



The Rhinos also have a pair of unique pages, the first of which is Bulky Impact. As a 2-cost, its 5 Charge isn't amazing, but the Blunt die is quite chunky.



Rhino Ram, meanwhile, is a 4-cost with a first die on par with the Reindeer's Mind Whip. When it hits—because it will hit—it gives as much charge as Concentrate, so if Maxim decides to throw out a lot of these he can fill his Charge up to 20 in only a couple of turns.



You know… back in the day, I could've suplexed one of these guys.

They really would've come in handy for dealing with some of the tougher Abnormalities we had…

They'd destroy the place. Rabbits were better.

…And you brought a former R Corper to the battlefield, too, huh?

There's fresh grass in front of me. I've come to graze.

Hey Maxim, I'm rooting for these guys.



Aw, c'mon Myo. We're on the same team.

True, but, if they win then it means Rabbits are stronger than you Rhinos.



So if I win, that means the Rhinos are better, eh?

Moot point.

All of the Rhino's animations are massive, taking up most of the screen. They really feel like tanks.



These guys are big, but that's all they are. Their moves are slow.

Back in the day, we could've danced around these guys all day.



Even now… there's not a lot of punch behind their attacks.



If the enemy's half-assing things, don't question it. We'll beat them down until there's nothing left!

You've really gotten used to that body, huh?

Yeah. I can't shut out the whiny emo git's voice entirely… but I've gotten better at just letting it talk.



Good for you… but I'm taking the Abnormalities on today.

Something up?

Myo gave me shit more times than I'd care to count over the years. I feel like paying it back.

Oooh, I'm shaking up here. That robot's puppet is trying to pick a fight.

She's all yours, boss.



Little problem with that: every one of you is going to get run over right here and now.



Big talk. Let's see you back it up, tough guy.

Music: BinahBattle02


That chaotic sound from below… Dears, it seems that she's taken to playing her music once more. End this pair now.



…



All done, Miss Binah!



That went so fast… why don't you just give us the order to kill them right off, every time?

There is little point in cutting off a bud before its time. Clear the books away, dears. We have work to do, yet.

…You're more rushed than usual, Miss Binah.

…Perhaps it is so. I simply feel my old thirsts wax once more, knowing my old foe is on the same battlefield as myself.



Each and every one of them… I won't let their sacrifices go to waste.

They've inflicted significant damage to one of our opponents. We'll take advantage of it and finish them off for sure, Director.

That one in the middle seems to possess much in common with an Arbiter…

Then it's fortunate we've had a chance to see her Singularities ahead of time. Move out!

Yes, ma'am!

Music: GeburaBattle02


Fracturing confirmed on all bones within ribcage. Enemy still standing.



How bout it? Still feeling confident?

You're fast… I'll give you that. Like buzzing bees I can't get an angle on.

All the power in the world is worthless if you can't land anything more than a glancing blow, after all.

So in the end, will we get a good hit in, or will you avoid all our blows..? I'm getting fired up.



This one's down. You four take care of the others.



Roger that, boss!

Bulky Impact is a strong page, but it pales in comparison to Stiletto, which crushes both its dice through sheer size. As for Rhino Ram…



Hah! Easy targets!

Blazing Strike can handle it now that Tenebrais is fully online.



Suppressing target.

You're going to suppress me?



Obviously.



Hah! These guys are just chumps after all!

Hear that, Maxim? You guys're chumps.

Guuhh…

Right. Guess you must have missed it.



With Absorption, we've completed our Abnormality Page combo for Gebura. Vampirism gives us HP back whenever we attack an enemy with Bleed on them, Absorption converts that healing into more Strength, and Fear of Water was a misclick I made when trying to pick a different page. The game does not let you go back.



Looks like things are all sewn up here.

We'll take care of the leftovers. You two catch your breath back there.

Affirmative.



That's one…

Ma'am, we have a problem.

Problem?



This damn rhino's too stubborn to know when he's dead!

That's… the thing about rhinos…

Once we're riled up, we rampage until there's nothing left.



Alright, I'll clean your mess up. That's my job as your senior… but don't make a habit of it.

I don't leave messes in the first place!

You're not even going to respond? Harsh.

There's no point talking to a dead man, Maxim. Just finish 'em off already.



I've been waiting for this moment for years.



Then you can wait another couple minutes. Being so reckless is what's costing you so many people, you know.

Music: BinahBattle02


Quite massive, aren't you?

No, I'm Huge Mizu. Nice to meet you!



That's a bold thing to say, wearing the body of my comrade.



Thank you very much!



Don't talk to the enemy. There's no point in it.



Sure there is! We get to learn cool stuff while we're beating the heck out of them!

So you say, but the two of us are evenly matched.



Nuh-uh! I'm stronger by half! Maybe even half and a half!

Then it's a good thing I brought a second.



Wha-?



We got one of them! These bastards aren't invincible!

The first of many.

Advance! Give no quarter!

At last, your well-earned 'justice' is here… Heheh.

Uhh… this looks bad, right?

That depends entirely upon where one casts their eyes, dear.

Music : BinahBattle03


For the light of a star is only seen within the darkness…

Next time, on Library of Ruina: Color and Rabbit, Arbiter and Dragon

Book, Rabbit, Star, and Dragon...

Book 41: We Provoked Two Militaries at Once—Chapter 3

Music: BinahBattle03


So like… if you can see the stars in the dark, what are we supposed to be looking for, Miss Binah?

Observe them. Capture their barest essence in your eyes, and the way shall become clear.

Mmmmmmm…!



Of the named Liu trio, Chun's unique ability is the simplest to handle: two pages in his hand will make any page he plays inflict double the Burn they normally would. He also has extra Blunt power, but that isn't a huge deal by now.



Miris, meanwhile, has Singular Strike like the normal Liu Section 1 Fixers do. However, his Hugging Fire, Sitting on Brushwood passive is interesting: any enemy hit by one of his melee attacks will take Stagger damage from their Burn at the end of the turn. This means that blocking his strikes is important if we want to keep our SR from withering away into nothing.



And then there's Xiao. Like Lowell before her, she has both of the passives of her underlings. In addition to this, her Force of a Wildfire passive will slap our Librarians with a debuff that will spread their Burn to the rest off the party should they be Staggered. Because someone she hits will tend to rack up a lot of Burn, this can give Xiao a very potent snowball effect.

I got it! We have to not get hit, and hit them a lot.

Riveting.

Music: GuestBattle01


Meanwhile, the final group of R Corporation is the Rabbit Team, with 3 Rabbits, Myo, and Nikolai herself leading the charge.



The generic Rabbit Team members get Haste as their HP lowers, to complete the trifecta with the Reindeer's Strength and the Rhino's Endurance. It's usually the weakest of the three skills, and they're otherwise unremarkable.



Myo, like the other leaders, is effectively a souped-up Rabbit. Her Compressed Charge-stimulated Muscleforce passive (written here solely because the font is so tiny in game) gives her even more Speed when she's got 11+ Charge. She's faster, but speed doesn't mean much on its own.



However, she's got Nikolai backing her today. As the leader of R Corp's 4th pack, she gives everyone in the party 1 Strength and Endurance once she hits 11 or more Charge. Additionally, whatever enemy she targets will take 50% more HP and Stagger damage from all attacks starting the next turn, which could allow the Rabbits to focus them down without any interruptions thanks to their high Speed.

Unfortunately for them, nothing outspeeds Gebura.



Music: GeburaBattle02


Hey, Red Mist. No… it's still Gebura now, isn't it? Do you still remember how to use that sword?

I'm not the same lost kid that'd fall for your crap anymore, Myo.

Ohoo..?

I guess your body's upgraded from a rusty scrapheap to a puppet, now that I look at you. How many times have you died, anyways?

This one's my third life. What's it to you?

Well hot damn. You've died soo many times now… Can you really say you're strong anymore?

'Cause you're sure as hell not a survivor.



The Rabbits and Nikolai don't use Concentrate, though they do still use Graze the Grass. In place of that, the Rabbits have a trio of their own pages. The first, Pinpoint Shot, is a big Ranged die that gets bigger if their Speed is 6 or more. We intercept this one in the traditional manner.



Quick Suppression, meanwhile, is their main Charge generation page: it grants 5 Charge and inflicts Bleed. That's about it.



Lastly there's Concentrated Fire, another Ranged page that gives +1 Power when the user's Speed is 6 or more. The ranges are good, but as a Ranged page it's as vulnerable to a single big die as ever.



As for Nikolai, while she has a trio of Graze the Grass and a trio of Quick Suppression, her last 3 pages are copies of Battle Command. This page is a more expensive upgrade to the Musician of Bremen's pages, giving 2 allies 1 Strength with the power befitting a 3-cost Star of the City page.



Myo. I allowed you to keep using their comms system because I thought you could find something useful, but… did you want to use it just so you could taunt this woman?

Don't know what you're talkin' about, granny.

Then how do you know her?

Isn't it obvious? She's a fan of the Red Mist.

The red… that woman?

Eh? I'm supposed to be a dried up husk's fan? That's hilarious.

Dried up, eh? You four, leave that hopping brat to me.

Alright… just this once, boss.



You think you can do anything against a Rabbit?!

That peashooter's not firing off our bullets anymore. It can't get through my E.G.O.



See? Worthless.



You got a little of your bite back… This is gonna' be fun after all.



Their suppression fire might be a problem to get through…

It's weak. Push through.

Most people can't tank bullets like you can, BICEPS!



Sounds like a personal issue, if you ask me.

While the Rabbits hop along the ground…



Hold on there, lady. Didn't they ever teach you it's rude to interrupt?

I sensed you were doing something dangerous for us.

Ah… you're a sharp one.



If we don't handle that woman, things could get troublesome.



Unlikely. We're stronger.



Tch… you're harder than you look, aren't you?

You can't hack it on this floor without being a bit tougher than normal.



You all warmed up over there, boss?

Yeah… Still can't pull this on as quickly as I used to, but…

Music: The Red Mist


With you guys having my back, that's not really a problem, is it?

You were holding out on me..!

Rabbits, keep your distance! Spray her down from afar!

Belay that, Rabbits. Leave the Red Mist to me. You graze the rest of the area.

Music: BinahBattle03


Back with Binah's crew, our best option for handling the sheer amount of high-power pages that five opponents can put out is Staggering or defeating them as fast as possible. To that end, Mass Attack pages like Raging Storm: Harm are the way to go.



The Liu aren't going to just sit there and take it, though. Chun and Miris can both use Flaming Dragon Fist, another block into big die attack, this one with a whopping 6 Burn on it. This one is coming from Chun, and the icon next to the page's cost means that it's under the effect of his passive—if this hits it's worth 12 Burn instead of 6. We'd like to block this.



Miris is also coming at us with a Fervid Emotions, another powerful 4-cost page that inflicts 1 Burn 2 times with each hit, for a total of 4 Burn.



Lastly, Xiao has her own Mass Attack—and it's stronger than Lowell's was. For one, she doesn't have to waste a Speed Die to set it up, it's simply always ready. It also hits twice, and inflicts slightly more Burn than the Harm version. She simply refuses to be outdone.



There's waaaay too many attacks… I can't keep track of them all!

…Half of them. I'll crush half.

How ambitious.



…Goodbye.

This heat… it's definitely the Section 2 Director's…

No... This is but a mockery.



Do you think yourself worthy of wielding that power?!

Were we not worthy, you would have no reason to come here.

Silence, thrall of this cursed library!



If this place truly grants power to emotions…



Then take the whole of them!

I have witnessed your resolve.



Allow me to respond in kind.

That's not going to work!



Then, from below.

Chains? But how…



It doesn't matter. Be as tricky as you want. We'll crush you all the same.

So you say.



..!

Yet even now, my Fairies are eating away at your dear leader. Can you truly believe she will hold out forever?

She's… powerful. She'll hold out as long as she needs to.



Don't listen to her. She's trying to goad you.

Yeah… you're right. Thanks, Chun.



Now, as for you…

I accept this punishment. We deserve it.



Don't make it weird.



Hey, what'd we even do to deserve something like that?

The same thing we always do: betray expectations, and slaughter those around us.

Huh. But what expectation are we betraying?



Khh-!

Today..? Their expectations of victory.

Ooooh! I got it!

Music: GeburaBattle03


Myo…

Don't worry about it, granny.

It's obvious that you're no match for that woman alone… and while you've been screwing around, two of your precious rabbits are dead. The third's on death's door, too.

I told you to handle the other four. The fuck were you doing?!

If you don't get your head under control right now, then I'm going to—

My head is screwed on perfectly well, granny.



You feel it too, don't you?!

Boss!

I'm fine, it's just a bullet or two..

Exactly, exactly…



A couple of slashes won't stop me… Some bullets won't stop you, either. So we can finally fight all out, like we've always dreamed.



Maybe you'll kill me…



Or maybe I'll kill you.



Either way… I want to gorge myself on this grass a bit longer.



'Fraid it won't work out like that.

Yeah… Things have to end sooner or later.

…Hey. Gebura.



I guess you're not half bad after all.



And you're as sloppy as ever. Thanks… I guess.



That stupid Rabbit… Mixing up personal feelings and business… what was she thinking?



People who think with their heads wouldn't understand it.

And people who can't think with their heads will return to the grasslands.

Sez you. I have you right where I want you.



One less blade of grass to graze.



Miss Gebura is the centerpiece of our offense… but none of us are slouches either.

Even if all we were doing this time was keeping you four occupied…

You all did your jobs just fine. Those Rabbits view even Stars of the City as just something else to graze on.

So that's how it was…



It can't be helped… I've underestimated this place.

The next time we meet, things won't go so well for you.



…Next time? You running away?

We're R Corp. We never retreat.



…Huh. Must know something I don't, then.



It's just talk. We kicked her ass so hard she couldn't help but try and throw us off.

…It's quiet.

Shouldn't there still be fighting upstairs?

Binah was supposed to be taking care of the Liu, yeah…

I'm not a fan of it, but let's go see if we have to bail her out.



The hardest part of R Corp is regrouping after the Reindeer deal a metric ton of damage to our first team. Because we get two floors to deploy, it's not too bad so long as we dedicate one of them entirely to absorbing the hits from that first battle. The second floor can then use the Rhinos to build up steam that'll carry them right through the Rabbits.

Music: BinahBattle03


Meanwhile, Binah pulls out the heavy ordinance against the enemies. Degraded Shockwave's 3 Protection will help blunt some of the damage Punished and Huge Mizu will take, and the damage output should help us manage the chaos somewhat.



By playing and removing and replaying our Mass Attack, it's possible to somewhat control the dice it targets on the enemy—we can select the initial die we want, but all the dice on the other enemies are chosen randomly each time it's placed. Here, we've aimed for the weaker attacks on the second speed dice of Chun and the rear Fixer, and also for Miris's broken die.

Miris… you already know the situation, don't you.

They focused their attention exclusively on the Director. With her unable to defend herself… That Arbiter-like woman is going to strike.

Yeah. Thought so. …I'll make an opportunity for you. You know what to do, right?

Thank you.

They're up to something.

Then let them give this their all.



I shall greet them all the same.

Degraded Shockwave's effect is a trio of ripple effects across the screen that may trigger PTSD in any Lobotomy Corporation veterans.



Gah..! Dammit!

The attack blew her clear away..!

It's not over yet. Stay on the defensive!

The first hit triggers Xiao's escape threshold—she cannot be killed in this combat, and leaves at 170 HP.



The third hit takes out the other Staggered Liu Fixer.



Remorse… Didn't expect to see that in the eyes of my killer.

This is a job. We both have our parts to play.

…Whatever you have to tell yourself.



…Moving on to the next.



Good timing, Patchy! I just got this one all sewn up for us.



Then I'll… I'll..!

Gh…



…I'm not dead? You hesitated.

You were just tougher than I anticipated…

I'm not… done yet!

The Director… I've got to get her out of here.



Keep them occupied as long as you can. I'll secure Director Xiao's safety now!

Like Xiao, Miris also runs away—though in his case at 10 HP remaining. We won't be taking either of them out today.



Sir!

…A final effort, as a candle flickering against the winds of a storm.



Destined to be snuffed out, in the end.



Aww, man… those two got away while we were handling that last one!

Worry not, dear. Such an outcome did not lie outside of my expectations.

Does anything?

Who can say?


The Liu Section 1's single-die attacks can put a lot more damage on our units than Section 2 was able to, making them somewhat more difficult opponents. In addition, the sheer amount of Burn the three named Fixers can output can burn right through our HP pools. By now, though, we've got a number of ways to spam Mass Attacks—and there's nothing better at handling a large number of opponents than tossing out two or three of them.

When we click to continue, though, we get something strange instead of a Results screen.

VIDEO
Music: STOP


Please calm down, director!

You could’ve fled alone if you were so afraid… Explain why you had to drag me along!

…

Music: Result


…Seems like everything's been handled up here after all. Huh.

Did you come all of this way to ensure our safety?

I came to make sure the job got done.

It is appreciated. I would offer your choice of hospitality, but… there is work to be done.

Wuh-oh. I don't think my arm is supposed to bend like that.

No problem! I'll twist it back in place!

…It is as you see.

…Yeah. I'll be by for tea later, maybe.



Man, the boss really stole the show today, huh?

Not like we could really compete with a color, after all.

Ahh, that's quitter talk! Just try a bit, you'll be amazed at what you can do!

There are limits to optimism, you know…

Still, it just means we'll have to try harder tomorrow.

Guess so… We'll get our moment eventually.



VIDEO
Music: Lobby


I’m not sure. I can’t exactly tell if that was a Distortion or E.G.O.

That one guy ran off with her at the speed of sound, to be fair… No wonder we couldn’t get a good look at it.

Was it confusion… I wonder what the reason was.

What motivated him to do such a thing?

Didn’t expect him to care for his boss that much… I’ve seen people run off on their own, but dragging someone else along so they can both live? That’s new. Though the woman who got nabbed was determined to fight and win. Will they come back to the Library?

I don’t know. What will happen next is a mystery as always.

All I got to see for sure was horns and a snake’s scales growing out of her… I guess.

That was a transitional phase of some kind, I assume. It was likely a sign of gradual progress. I couldn’t tell if that was a Distortion or not because there’s such a fine line. What we saw won’t be sufficient clues for now.

That’s how it works, huh… The whole thing about lines of emotions is still lost on me, though.

…

What are you pondering about this time.

I’m just frustrated at the lack of a clear answer.

Anyway, we will have to wait and see for now. We don’t even know what has become of them yet.

I suppose that's true enough… We didn't get their books yet, after all.

Though, while I'm thinking about books:

VIDEO


Friend? She was little more than an acquaintance, as I said before.

True, but she was still one of the few people that have known you for a long time. She’s a former associate of yours, which I’m sure is a rarity among the guests. Doesn’t it feel odd or anything?

…It did leave a curious impression. That’s all there is to it.

Nonetheless, I wasn’t planning to go easy on her regardless of my feelings. We have a purpose clearly cut out for us, and so do the guests.



…

…I don’t know. But right now, I want to focus on heading towards this goal I have. I don’t want to pay attention to what’s around me…

Taking these steps is hard enough for me.

You don’t want to have any regret, huh.

…

Roland, you don’t seem to get tired of asking if I have regrets.

Well, I mean, you may have been ignorant of everything at first, but… You’ve seen and experienced many different things on the way here. I was just wondering if those experiences changed your thoughts a little.

A person’s aims and wishes… don’t stay the same forever, you know.

…I don’t know about that.



With that, we're finally free. While the Liu have given us a lot of cool toys to play with, the real winner here is a single passive from Myo's key page, which I'll go ahead and mention here:



Myo's Prowess is an ability unique to her key page, and its effect allows Gebura to instantly get +5 Power to all dice on her infinite Speed Die's combat page. There's more to it than that, but the game's difficulty curve can now be quite effectively snapped in half—the Strongest Prowess combo, as it's colloquially known, is an incredible tool for the rest of the game.

That's all for now. There's two Abnormality Battles on the table alongside four nodes to do, so where we go from here is in your hands.

Next time, on Library of Ruina



"People have been committing sins since long ago. "Why do they commit sins, knowing it's wrong?""

"When the two met at last, the Hermit brought countless minions to destroy the Servant's world."

The fires of vengeance still burn.

What could possibly be stronger than R Corporation?

The Prescripts still wait.

As does this Snake.


Videos

Liu Section 1 1.5
Liu Section 1 2
R Corp 2

New Key Pages







New Combat Pages





Nikolai Exclusive:

Rhino/Maxim Exclusive:

Reindeer/Rudolph Exclusive:

Chun/Miris Exclusive: