"What do you mean by 'city tour?" (I)

  "Did you even take a look at your mortals? How things have changed in the time you abandoned your very own world?" (So)

  Unfortunately, she does have a point.

  Heck, I didn't even look the last time I was here.

  But can it really be so bad?

  I mean, it's been a while, but how much can they have expanded in that short time?

  "That's gonna be so cool! I really want to see how it's looking now! This is like really traveling back to ancient times!" (C)

  At this, Soraja looks at Chiaki with a difficult expression.

  "As much as it pains me to say this, Chiaki, you shouldn't show your magnificent self in this place." (So)

  "What!? Why not?!" (C)

  "You might be recognized. While your 'friend' can just adjust her appearance as she pleases, the second coming of the legendary mage would certainly cause some uproar." (So)

  This is putting it very mildly.

  Chiaki contemplates only for a moment, before returning back to her excited self.

  "Well, if it's just that, I got right the thing for this!" (C)

  Oh no!

  Just as I expected, she pulls a certain pair of sunglasses from her pocket.

  How could I not notice this during transportation?!

  She puts them on and promptly drops down, so suddenly that I almost don't manage to catch her fall with my tentacles.

  "Damnit, Chiaki!" (I)

  "I, I'm grateful for this." (So)

  Whoa!

  Soraja thanking me?

  Well, she really has a soft spot for Chiaki.

  A moment later, a flesh cocoon grows next to us, and out of there, a girl in brightly colored, shining yellow emerges.

  It resembles Chiaki a lot, but the features are all a tiny bit off.

  As if she rebuilt her form with an editor, without paying too much mind to being completely accurate.

  Or it's intentional, you never know with Chiaki.

  She even thought about replacing her casual wear with some kind of plain linen clothes, as you may find them here.

  "Chiaki, where did you have that thing?!" (I)

  "In my pocket!" (C)

  “You did not! I would have noticed!” (I)

  It's not like she can smuggle anything through while I disassemble her.

  "No, not quite... Did you soulbind this artifact to yourself?" (So)

  "I've got no idea what you're saying!" (C)

  "Sigh. This is just like you." (So)

  Yeah, wanting a straight answer from Chiaki is an exercise in futility.

  However, for now, it might be better if her real body stays here, just in case something happens.

  "Anyways! What do you think? Am I looking like a local?" (C)

  In my opinion sure.

  Yet Soraja looks at her more scrutinizing.

  "Nothing could ever completely hide your regal origin. But I assume it will suffice to mislead these mortals." (So)

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "Sounds good enough to me! What about you, Iori?" (C)

  Sigh.

  We're doing this it seems.

  Conveniently, shifting my body as desired is by now an all-too-simple matter for me.

  A simple thought and my appearance shifts according to my intentions, even smoothing over all those little blanks I didn't mind too closely.

  As this is what I recently had quite a lot of contact with, and which isn't even too far off my true colors, I take on a deep purple hue.

  I also take the chance to grow out my hair and make myself around one year older.

  Nothing too crazy, just so I look mature enough that nobody is going to question me wandering around the streets instead of thinking I got lost.

  If that would even be possible in that one village the people are dwelling in.

  I also got myself a bit of a dress that's made of one long piece of fabric.

  A bit like a toga, but adjusted to the local customs.

  It's a bit closer to what the scholars wear, as I saw that one from the expedition to Soraja's temple.

  Just a bit of finer clothes.

  With these, it shouldn't be a problem if I go to any fancy places like a temple.

  "Whoa! That looks so stylish! That cut fits you perfectly! I should've asked you. (C)

  I roll my eyes and try to otherwise not to let Chiaki get to me.

  "So, seems like we are ready! Ehm, how exactly are we going there?" (C)

  Right.

  I can't exactly open up a portal on the main plaza.

  Well, I could, but wouldn't like to deal with the consequences.

  "This doesn't pose an issue. I can create a path to my temple." (So)

  "You got a temple? Like another one?" (I)

  "Of course, I do. It's a bit remote from the city proper, but they did indeed choose a lovely place. It doesn't pose a difficulty to open a portal right there." (So)

  Okay, I should remind myself that those people had quite some time.

  A moment later, a mystical golden portal starts swirling in front of us.

  Soraja's doing, but she doesn't even seem strained.

  Seems like her time here did her some good.

  "And 'hop'!" (C)

  Of course, Chiaki is the first to jump through.

  A moment later, Soraja follows past with her usual regal gait.

  Hey!

  Is it closing?!

  Oh, not without me!

  Before the golden swirl can shrink away, I jump behind.

  I land headfirst on some stone floor and need a moment to repair the damages this did to me. Ehm, is the portal crackling?

  "Couldn't you just displace your presence instead of messing up my portal network?! They aren't exactly easy to make in this dimension, and the very world hopping through a portal within itself isn't exactly an uncomplicated matter of no consequences!" (So)

  Is she telling me here that I'm at risk of knotting up my own dream?

  "Don't be so harsh to her, Soraja. You could've told her before as well. Or am I wrong." (C)

  "Sigh. No, I guess you're right." (So)

  It starts to get uncanny how complacent Soraja is.

  I know she's infatuated with Chiaki, but did my classmate always have this kind of authority over this goddess?

  Now that I'm back up, I can take a look around.

  Huh, this temple is really spacious.

  Not quite as extravagant as the one on the mountain, but it's getting close.

  A huge hall that holds a number of decorations like before.

  Especially the pictures catch my eye.

  They depict Soraja interacting with various colored people.

  The depiction is rather rough, using gold and white to depict a face that is more of a featureless mask and very basic forms for a body in different poses.

  There she's blessing a field, and on another she’s blessing the progression of a construction site.

  On the last, she's simply rising above the landscape that consists of a great part of buildings and fields as if she were the sun.

  I move my gaze in the other direction and notice that the buildings get progressively more destitute.

  It basically shows how Soraja got them up from this.

  So the ones on the left must be the past.

  On one of the first, I have to halt my breath.

  There are only ruins on this one.

  Calamity.

  "Wow! These guys are good! It's really cool what they got up here! By the way, why isn't there anyone in your temple?" (C)

  "Because it isn't time for a sermon. It's one of my core teachings that if you have something better to do than to sit idly in a hall then you should do it. Therefore, my faithful aren't supposed to sit all day around in a hall. In general, I cut loose on most pointless activities of reverence that serve no real purpose. Might be why eventually no one bothered remembering me." (So)

  Well, I can get behind her ideals.

  It's kinda admirable how she's truly focused on helping people to achieve their goals, and it's not just a cult revolving around her person.

  "So if no one's supposed to come here, then why did they even bother building a temple for you? Isn’t that pointless as well?" (So)

  "Yes and no. The point is the building itself. A temple is a focus of civilization. Throughout history, it was often enough the temples that convinced barbarians of the greatness of a nation. 'If they can manage to create something so astonishing, they have to be great people.' The ability to create something great that brings you closer to divinity, this is part of what makes up the essence of prosperity." (So)

  So she's saying that a huge and useless building is fine as long as it's fancy.

  "But we shouldn't idle. I created a slight distraction, so it should currently be possible to leave the temple without drawing attention." (So)

  Soraja guides us through the hall to a grand set of giant doors.

  Yet right in front of the door, I stop.

  I just can't proceed.

  "Is something wrong, Iori?" (C)

  Sigh.

  "You know, I'm afraid of what I'll find on the other side. I didn't really want to think about what happened to this world after I abandoned it for almost another century." (I)

  I even avoided sneaking a peak with my world sense, which would theoretically allow me to grow eyes everywhere, only because I don't really want to know.

  "Whatever we'll see there, I don't think it's going to be so bad. Didn't you give that maid this call-item back then? If truly there'd been something going terribly wrong, wouldn't she have used it?" (C)

  Or maybe she thought it would be better to keep me for literally god's sake out of this world and not give me a reason to bring more chaos into her life.

  Would I even have noticed during my breakdown?

  "Really? Now you're getting second thoughts? This is absolutely pointless. As if they'd vanish if you won't look. I did more than enough to preserve these people. They are well off enough." (So)

  "See, Iori? You can just open up." (C)

  I guess they're right.

  I mean, how bad can it be?

  So I lay my hands on the door, and propelled by inhuman strength they part.

  Oh my god.

  Okay, those people truly had a lot of time.