[x] Ask for a hint.
[x] Visit the Voile Armory.

A glance was enough for me to notice that there was something different about Remilia. She wasn't smiling at all. The atmosphere was much heavier than before. I still had a number of different questions. So many things remained unclear. But before I could ask her, there was something that I had to do.

"Sorry about earlier," I said.

"..."

The vampire girl didn't answer. Instead, she just turned her attention back to her dessert. I lowered my head shamefully. That was really foolish. I felt like banging my head against the table. But I didn't in the fear of spilling the desserts. So I just held my head in my hands. I sighed. Hmm? Oh right, the desserts. Maybe something sweet would help me think. I slowly picked up the spoon to taste a bit of my fruit parfait.

"Hey, this isn't half bad.."

I continued assaulting the dessert with my tongue, greedily savoring the flavor. Distracted by the discovery of this delicious decadence, I almost failed to hear Remilia speak.

"It's good to see you too," she whispered.

"Mmph?"

"N-never mind," said the vampire. "Anyway, we should get back to business. Did you have any questions for me?"

I quickly swallowed the food in my mouth. Indeed, there was something that had bothered me for a while now.

"I've noticed that the rope and compass appeared last time. Did anyone else pay a price for them?"

Remilia didn't answer right away. She toyed with her dessert for a bit, as if in deep thought.

"I can't tell you the details," she said. "But let me say this: the rules aren't as simple as they seem. Despite what you might think, my position here isn't very powerful. In fact, I only have a view of the pieces on this side of the board."

"I see. Then how about these 'links' you mentioned? What do you suggest I do to build upon them when there is so little time?

This time, the vampire answered immediately.

"Make time!" she said. "That part is far more crucial than you can imagine!"

"A-alright," said I. "In any case, you mentioned a 'strategy'. Do you have something in mind?"

Remilia didn't look me in the eye this time. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I would have thought that she was glancing behind me. Huh? I turned around again, but there was no one there. And when I faced her again, she started talking as if nothing was odd.

"I'll explain that part later," she said. "Yes, I had better tell you right before you leave."

Suddenly, she took my hand. I knew what was coming.

"In a hurry, are we?" I said.

We were instantly transported to the Voile Armory. Though honestly, it would have been more apt to name this place the 'Voile Warehouse'. While there were some items of interest, most of these things seemed like old junk. Remilia gently tugged on my sleeve.

"Do you remember how this works? I'd hate to explain it all again."

"Yeah, I got the gist of it, I guess."

With that, I started walking around. There was an innumerable amount of things in this place. A few interesting weapons caught my eye, but like before, they didn't have any labels. I grinned to myself as I imagined walking out of this place with a crank-operated gatling gun. Yep. There was no doubt about it. That would have been damn awesome. But like many awesome things, the ones on display here weren't on sale.

I sighed loudly. By the time I completed my rounds, I only spotted a couple of new items that had labels. And none of them looked very unusual. Still, I felt that it would be a waste to walk out of here empty-handed.

What shall I take with me?
[ ] A length of rope. Its price is "Trust".
[ ] A crystal vial. Its price is "Restraint".
[ ] A small compass. Its price is "Time".
[ ] A ballpoint pen. Its price is "Accuracy".
[ ] A silver candlestick. Its price is "Calm".
[ ] I don't need any of this junk.