บท 19: Friends or Foe, Pick your Side!!!
"My name is Serval, and I'm the owner of this mechanical shop."
The blonde woman in front of them introduced herself.
"We're new here. We heard from that guy, Gepard, that there's some kind of performance here," Stelle pointed to the closed door.
"...New here? Gepard…" Serval was a bit shocked. Ever since the lower two layers had been sealed off, only a few old acquaintances came to her place.
Suddenly, she seemed to remember something.
"Ah, I know! I overheard one of the Silvermane Guards with a loose tongue mentioning that a few outsiders had met with Cocolia. That must be you guys, right?"
Stelle tilted her head back, hands on her hips, confirming with a proud stance.
"Don't be so cocky!" March 7th teased.
"No worries, no worries." Serval waved her hand dismissively, amused by the gray-haired girl's antics.
"You're rare visitors around here! How about coming into my shop for a chat? There's plenty of good stuff inside."
With Serval's invitation, and nothing better to do, the group agreed.
They followed Serval into the Neverwinter Workshop.
As soon as they entered, they were greeted by the intricate mechanical decor. Huge gears rotated on their own, seemingly defying the principles of mechanics. Was this how it got the name "Neverwinter Workshop"?
The environment reminded Kevin of a friend, someone who liked multi-dimensional thinking and enjoyed researching 'Kevin's Weaponry.'
"By the way, we noticed a lot of heaters outside…" March 7th suddenly recalled something.
"Ah, those are Belobog's most common geothermal heaters. They may not look like much, but they're crucial for people's survival," Serval explained, noticing March 7th's curiosity.
"With the harsh snowstorms outside, if we didn't have reliable heating, the underworld of Belobog would have long turned into a dead city."
"Belobog's underworld? Could you explain that a bit?" Dan Heng caught onto the key phrase.
"You don't know?" Serval looked a little surprised, as if this was common knowledge. But remembering that they weren't from around here, she patiently explained.
"The structure of Belobog is like two connected large disks. The overworld handles administration and trade, while the underworld takes care of energy supply and resource mining."
"So why didn't we hear anyone mention the underworld as we traveled through?" March 7th noticed a gap in their knowledge.
"People only praise the guardians, the city builders, and how wonderful Belobog is."
"Because years ago, an order came down. Since then, the underworld has had no contact with the overworld, except for basic material exchanges."
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Serval awkwardly scratched her head.
"…Why am I even talking about this? Just consider it me talking to myself."
"Why are the heaters placed outside though?" Stelle suddenly asked.
"It's like cooking with an open flame. If your house is the pot, the heater is the fire underneath."
"Hearing it explained that way, I actually can't think of any way to refute it…" March 7th shrugged.
"I've got a broken heater here. You all seem pretty idle—how about trying your hand at fixing it? It'll be a fun little exercise."
Serval pointed to a heater in the corner, smiling at them.
March 7th and Stelle immediately became interested and walked over to help with the repairs, with Serval guiding them from the side.
Dan Heng, having nothing to do, glanced over at Kevin, who was leaning against the wall, deep in thought ever since they left Qlipoth Fort.
"What are you thinking about?" Dan Heng asked.
"I was thinking… No, this isn't the place for such conversations."
Kevin glanced over at Serval.
"Maybe she's genuinely that warm and friendly, but I still don't trust her. Let's talk at the inn."
Dan Heng nodded and said nothing more.
Before long, the heater was fixed.
"Not bad, not bad! You've got some skill! Want to consider being my assistant? The pay might not be great, but I promise you'll be well taken care of in other ways."
Serval praised them from the side.
"Sure, no problem!" Stelle grinned, "Since you put it that way, I guess I'll stay!"
"Huh? You give in to temptation way too easily!" March 7th teased.
"Hahaha, just joking. Don't take it seriously," Serval laughed, finding the banter between the two girls quite amusing.
"I've got to get back to work. Feel free to explore the shop. And of course, you're always welcome to make a purchase."
"Got it, see you later, Sister Serval."
March 7th replied politely, pulling Stelle along. The latter had just started warming up to the place, but March 7th wasn't about to let her get swayed by this friendly older sister.
…
As the group left Serval's shop and walked toward the inn, they heard a voice.
"Back off! This is your final warning!"
Two Silvermane Guards were blocking someone from entering an alley, while the person was begging them.
"Please, please… My property documents are inside. Why can't I—"
"The Fragmentum has already corroded this street! You can submit a request to the city builders to retrieve your materials, but no one without clearance is allowed in!"
"Old man, give it up. The border passages are dangerous now. We're just looking out for your safety."
One of the Silvermane Guards, who seemed more sympathetic, tried to console the man. Recently, more and more people had been asking to go inside, and while the guards felt bad, they couldn't let them go to their deaths.
"If I can't get those documents, what's the difference between me and a dead man? Let me in…"
The man clutched his chest, looking utterly feeble.
"Sigh…"
The two Silvermane Guards sighed heavily.
Watching from a distance, March 7th spoke up.
"That must be the alley Gepard mentioned, the one corroded by the Fragmentum. I can't believe it's this close to the city center…"
"As long as the Stellaron is still active, the Fragmentum will keep expanding. These soldiers won't be able to stop it. The Fragmentum monsters will just keep multiplying and growing stronger."
Dan Heng frowned. The great guardians that everyone praised seemed less capable than he'd imagined. The Fragmentum monsters were nearly at the city's heart, yet no extra forces had been deployed.
"By the way, have you seen Stelle?" March 7th suddenly asked. She had been holding her hand just moments ago, but now Stelle was nowhere to be found.
Kevin and Dan Heng both shook their heads, having been too focused on the guards' conversation to notice.
"She always wanders off. I bet she's off scavenging something in some corner…"
Kevin recalled Stelle's constant rummaging in the Simulated Universe. She must've been eyeing something.
"Let's find her. What if someone with bad intentions snatches her away?" March 7th said worriedly, thinking Stelle might be too easily led astray.
"Her? Kidnapped?" Kevin didn't believe it. With Stelle's fighting skills, anyone who tried to kidnap her would probably end up on the ground, and she'd likely steal their money too.
Still, he followed March 7th to help look for her.
Eventually, they found Stelle in a corner, rummaging through a trash can.
When they found her, she had a trash can lid on her head, spitting out fish bones, muttering about how tasty it was.
"Why is she eating garbage?" March 7th sighed, rubbing her forehead.
"She's not just eating garbage…" Kevin remembered the things he'd witnessed aboard the Herta Space Station.
That girl had an iron stomach—and never seemed to get sick.
Seeing the others approaching, Stelle dug around in the trash can and asked, "You guys want some?"
The group: …
Kevin raised his hand and froze Stelle, trash can and all, in a block of ice. March 7th and Dan Heng helped lift the ice block as they walked into Goethe Grand Hotel, avoiding the confused stares of passersby.
Inside the hotel lobby, which was quiet because it was late, March 7th and Dan Heng set the ice block down. Kevin pulled out his gun, Judgment of Destruction. And sprayed fire onto the ice, slowly melting it. Stelle crawled out of the trash can, her face full of resentment.
Kevin sighed and spread his hands. If he hadn't frozen her, she would've never left.
March 7th looked around the hotel with anticipation.
"Tonight, we'll have soft mattresses and fluffy pillows! How about a pillow fight? Want to? I bet the pillows here are made of goose down!"
"I'm in!" Stelle immediately perked up at the mention of a pillow fight, raising both hands high.
"Nope, you smell horrible. No pillow fights until you've had a bath," March 7th said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"March, did you notice anything strange about that great guardian back at Qlipoth Fort?" Dan Heng suddenly asked.
"She seemed normal, actually. Pretty gentle too." March 7th rubbed her chin, thinking back.
"But… her eyes had this piercing quality—like, even though she was talking to us, her gaze was focused on something far away…"
"Yeah, I got the same feeling, like there was someone else in that room with us."
Dan Heng recalled the same eerie sensation.
"The Stellaron…" Kevin suddenly said, "If my guess is right…"
"I can sense the Stellaron, it's very obvious. and Stelle should have felt it at that time."
Stelle frowned and nodded. What she thought at the time was actually a Stellaron.
"Then why did she tell them that she didn't know about the Stellaron?" March 7 suddenly felt horrified.
"She deliberately hid it from us. She must have some plans for the Stellaron..." Dan Heng said lightly.
"So go to bed early, maybe there will be another fierce battle tomorrow morning?" Kevin reminded.
"No! Brother Kevin, when you say that, I suddenly feel a psychological burden. It seems that I can't have a pillow fight tonight." March 7 held her forehead and said.
Everyone parted, Stelle went to take a shower, March 7th and Dan Heng also returned to their respective rooms, but Kevin disappeared in the room.
…
The lights of Qlipoth Fort were still brightly lit late at night, and Cocolia was still sitting at her desk. At this moment, she was communicating with a mysterious voice, but to outsiders, she was talking to herself.
It's a pity that there are no outsiders here.
"Are you communicating with the Stellaron?"
A sudden voice came from behind.
"Who?"
Cocolia quickly stood up and jumped to the front of the desk.
She then See Kevin leaning against the window, looking at her quietly.
"you?"
"It seems that it was right. You did notice it."
Cocolia said while staring at Kevin.
"There is no malicious intention. Just as the purpose stated by me, we are indeed here to solve the crisis here."
"But it depends on your attitude. Do you believe in It or not? It's time to make a choice, Cocolia!"
The great sword of destruction was pointed at Cocolia, and the aura of destruction rushed towards his face.
"Friend or enemy, Pick Your Side!!"
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Sorry for not updating yesterday, here they are and today update will be posted in the night like usual
"If you enjoy my translation work, feel free to support me in ko-fi.com/nebulaarheina"
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