The Ring of the Nibelung 4

Nibelungen #04


p91
Ring 4: The Arcadia


p92
Schwüles Gedünst schwebt in der Luft ; lastig ist mir der trübe Druck !
Enough of these stifling steams and of this oppression! (Donner, scene 4)


p93
...

Where am I?

... But... I'm in the workshop...
What am I doing here?

Good thing I activated my bulletproof protection.
Huh?

Who's there?
Is it true that your father is dead?

You were a friend of my father?
Yes.


p94
I was too late...

I couldn't see my friend again before his death...
I knew he was calling for me... But I was way too far to pay him a visit...

And I also was too late to prevent you from forging that ring...

If I had made it on time...
I wouldn't have let you make it...

...


p95
Here, take this!
What is it?

It was your father's gun.
I kept it during all this time.

!!

And now, I give it back to him through you.
...

This is a Cosmodragoon!! A warrior's weapon!!


p96
Follow me!
Now things gotta become serious!!


p97
Is it a dream?
Using such an absurd vehicle is a complete waste of energy.
But this is my favourite hobby.
The emotion it gives me is the most important thing, do you understand?


p98-99
But this is... the Arcadia?
Exactly, you already know a lot of things. This one is the third one.


p100
I was told a lot about it by my father.
Sometimes, he even drew it for me.
He was an admirable father.

He also told me that there would have nine in total...
Nine ships...? He even told you that...?!

That's logical, you were his son, after all...
Indeed, the last one will be the number 9...

The captain is not currently on board.
Nobody knows where he went.

...

What is it? Are you scared?


p101
Not at all... But I was often thinking about this ship.
And to finally be able to get on it makes me feel like in a dream.
The reality is different from everything you can imagine!!

It wasn't as easy as you may think.
Ah!

I had to get through two or three barriers before reaching your workshop.
Because of my car, I got arrested by the police, and I even got shot.
And I only have one spare poncho.

Are you hungry?
Yes.

You can't work properly then.
This is the mess. You can order whatever you want.
panel: Kitchen
You're going to give me work?

Yes, a very difficult task.


p102
If you prefer your college lab...
I can get you back on Earth.
Out of question.

Then, that's good!!
...

Does anybody ever do the cleaning here?
Someone will definitely find some time to do it.

When was the last time this room got cleaned?
Dunno. Maybe 5 or 6 years ago.


p103
Pork meatballs, steak, rice, bread, chicken's legs, melon, cakes, ice cream...
No way they could have all that here.

But they do though!
You just have to read the menu to get what you want.
...

But I'm not a big eater...
Guys who don't eat enough are useless.

Don't worry, if you can't eat everything, we'll mince the leftovers and everyone will eat it.
We have to carefully recycle the food.

Who let his fork in the meatballs?
Ah...

It's his fault.

All the ship's conveniences are quite old... and since there is not often new crew members, workers are busy.


p104
What will be my job?
Sorting books and stutying their contents.

Books?
They are old ones published on paper.

Thanks to that, we'll know more about Nibelung's legend.

You are the one who forged that ring...

You must find out who is that Alberich and what is his purpose.
To try to understand everything from an old opera is surely a difficult task.

But I feel that you, the forger of the ring, have the duty to help us.
At any case, that's what I'm thinking.
But if you don't want to, it's no big deal.


p105
Alberich? Is this man part of the mafia? Is he a professor? A detective? A pirate?
We don't know. You have to find that information!!

Alberich made you forge that ring.
And now everything is starting again!!!

This is fate circle.

Where did you get all these informations?
Miimay told it to me. She lives in the Arcadia.

It seems that she rules the ship's bridge. She's a sweet and beautiful woman who possessed a great intelligence.
Miimay...

And him?
He's Yattaran, the chief mate. He don't really like machines, but he's a brave and valuable person.

The chief mate...
This is the library.


p106-107
!!
The automatic data processing tool is broken, so we'll have to do that job ourselves.
And the workforce is way too insufficient.
Here, you will find all the ancients documents found on the Earth.


p108
...

I'll introduce you to the ship's crew during tonight's diner.
There are a lot of manga's versions.
Book: Das Rheingold

This is because the one who had to gather all these books really love them.
See ya...

...

If I have to read all this, it would take me 10 years!
And trying to understand the work of an entire life... It doesn't seem really fun!!

I went on board of a super ship, and... I'm replacing a broken computer...


p109
I wonder what I am doing here.

This is an annoucement!! The captain is back, all the free crew members have to gather on the combat bridge!!
I repeat!! All the free crew members have to gather on the combat bridge!!
The captain?


p110
panel: Library
Where is the combat bridge?

!!

Who are you? What happened to Tochiro?
Ah!!


p111
It's not because of my injuries.

Then what is the cause?
I know it perfectly.

Is there any way to cure it?
No, there isn't.

Not a single cure...


p112
Where is the nude woman who was there...?
Who? What do you mean?

I have finished to study the books.
Are you making fun of me? No one can finish such a work in so little time.

I hope that you aren't wasting my time.

What's all that?
I gathered the machine's pieces that were lying here and there.
With its help, the task was far more easier.


p113
You're really skilled.
You managed to forged that ring.

About that ring...
Did you find any useful information?

There were also erotic versions, which made it harder for the machine, but it's fixed now...

Here's the report.

Here.
Is this... the report...?

...


p114
I'll read it later.
Follow me to my room.

It is in the middle of the ship.
In a location not easily accessible.

There is something I must tell you.

Here's my room.


p115
Woah!!!

I forbid you to build a cleaner robot.
I don't really need it!!!

Understood?
Yes yes yes.

Do you want some?
No thanks.

It's delicious!!!

It's about my illness...
Yes...


p116
I forbid you to tell anyone about it.

...

Because no matter what you'll do, it won't change a single thing.
Understood.

...