Story Reader / Palette Clash / Overture of Future / Story
Walking down the spacious hallway, you're fast approaching the hall at the end of it.
The hallway is lined on either side by the awakened machines from all schools, all apparently waiting for you and Dulcinea to arrive.
I thought Dulcinea working for Cervantes was going to be the one deciding the winner. What's up with the human?
Don't ask me. I have no idea, but my guess is that they represent humans?
Since when did they appreciate our arts, though?
Remember this Construct by the name of Ayla?
...
Thud!
The door to the hall closes and shuts away the discussion.
In the gentle lights lie paintings from all three schools—each presenting 10, totaling 30.
Anything goes—from the very abstract to works simply beyond anyone's understanding.
This is Dulcinea's way of putting the Palette Clash to an end, and you keep telling yourself to trust her.
...
Looking at all the works, however, you can't help but feel a tinge of doubt now...
...I really can't say who's the winner, Commandant. My database lacks previous instances for me to base my judgment on.
Artistically, the mechanoids have come so far in so short a period of time that Dulcinea isn't able to make a judgment with the judgment program pre-written in her.
...
Can I pick them by the level of complexity of their colors?
This might just be for starters, but a starter like this obviously lacks any depth...
Dulcinea has crouched down around an inconspicuous corner—where a scroll of painting lies.
You feel like it's been a while since you last saw a painting so ordinary...
So ordinary in a way that, with nothing more than a single white bird perched on the roof of a building in it, it stands out.
And your sudden fondness for this painting, you reason, is most likely just your artistic taste buds—which have recently been bombarded with an array of works ranging from colorful to inexplicable—craving something fresh.
But what's this painting doing here? If you're doing the math right, this would be the 31st painting.
Right then, as though having heard that question in your head, an awakened machine dashes up and quickly takes the painting away.
Apologies, ma'am, but this painting shouldn't be here, and I'm sure it's only here now because the other two schools have failed to do their checking properly.
The Awakened Machine wraps up the painting unceremoniously with a piece of white cloth and, much to your surprise, opens up the window behind and tosses the painting out the window.
That's a bogus claim right there. Why in the world would we ever put something like that here?
Playing dumb now, aren't we? Say whatever you will, but I see the painting as a direct attack on the other schools.
The scene has stirred up a heated discussion among the awakened machines that had been observing the process in silence.
Fortunately, however, the leaders from all three schools come forth to draw the crowd's attention to the one thing that really matters here—Dulcinea's conclusion, that is.
When you pull at her, it hits you that she's zoned out.
Coming back to her senses, Dulcinea follows the plan and picks one painting each from all three schools, after which she begins reading a prewritten text from the database.
The text is a critique that you asked Ayla—who's pulled an all-nighter drawing in the tent—to come up with that provides analyses and opinions on the works from the three schools.
Fortunately, the machines haven't really come to establish their own form of art independent from the humans', which made it possible for Ayla to write up the critique in a breeze after calm contemplation.
To be safe, you went through the critique yourself. It's nearly impeccable, and you're sure that even the uninitiated would have no trouble understanding the critique.
Milon and Mark would have seen right through Dulcinea's act had they been around—but since they aren't, you're sure no one here would second-guess her judgment.
...As such, seeing as all three schools are evenly matched, I'd like to announce the termination of the Palette Clash.
Convincing the machines that the contest ended in a tie with Ayla's critique...
And then announcing the termination of the Palette Clash as Constellia's administrator...
This, according to Dulcinea, is probably the best solution to all the conflicts she could come up with that the machines would most likely find acceptable.
...
Much to your surprise, the machines fall silent at the announcement.
And in the silence, an agreement seems to have been reached among the machines.
Ma'am, we're completely okay with the contest being a tie, and we wouldn't object to the idea of another round.
But why are we putting an end to the Palette Clash, if I might ask?
...Well, because a tie means we can put all the conflicts behind us.
Which means Constellia can start working again as it did before, and we'll be able to get ourselves ready for negotiation with humans...
That's just not going to cut it.
And I take it that you made that announcement just now as Constellia's administrator, ma'am?
...
I believe this will best benefit Constellia down the road.
That's all the more reason we can't accept the deal.
Would Sir Cervantes have said the same had he still been around?
Hitting Dulcinea where it hurts, the question silences her for a few moments.
The silence, however, bodes ill for the machines.
...
Right when the awakened machine closes in on Dulcinea, the halo over her—a symbol of her status as Constellia's administrator—begins shining with ripples of light.
Wait, you are not going to stop us with that now, are you?
Chaos quickly pervades and strangles what would have otherwise been a peaceful discussion.
Some of the awakened machines try to retrieve their works for no apparent reason, while others start firing messages away through the city network.
And there is a handful of them that's slowly making their way toward Dulcinea, seemingly ready to physically force her out of the city network.
Fine, fine.
BANG! A loud noise drowns out the commotion, followed by a rain of splinters that showers down every which way in the moonlight.
Then, you see her—she who has just smashed the window with those bent legs of hers, with her bow creaking tightly now in her hands.
With a swoosh, she sends three arrows drilling in a straight line deep into the floor, stopping the awakened machines that try to close in on Dulcinea.
Chill out, folks.
Before you know it, you find yourself and Dulcinea in mid-air flying through the broken window, having been flung by Alisa.
They ran away!
Get the mechanoids ready. We need to do whatever it takes to stop them!
