But then again... were Stelle and Caelus really that easy to Super Break?
Of course not.
Being treated like destitute beggars on the street was barely a blip on their radar. Why would they care about a little hit to their pride?
"Beautiful big sister, actually, we aren't short on cash." Stelle waved her hand dismissively, pressing the handful of Shield coins back into Serval's leather-gloved palm.
"That is right. We just have a deep, personal appreciation for rummaging through trash cans." Caelus nodded in solemn agreent, returning his share of the Shields to the blonde woman.
Serval tossed the coins in her hand, the tal clinking sharply. She raised an elegant eyebrow, her tone dripping with playful skepticism. "Oh? Is that so? You do not have to put up a tough front if you are struggling to eat, you know."
"It is the absolute truth. Sorry for the confusion, beautiful big sister."
"This is just a... highly specific hobby of theirs." Leon stepped forward, offering a smooth, polite smile to gloss over the sheer absurdity of the situation.
March 7th let out a strangled groan, her face burning hot enough to lt the surrounding snow. She reached out, grabbing both Stelle and Caelus by their collars, and violently dragged them back into the group's formation.
This was humiliating. Beyond humiliating.
She could feel the weight of a dozen stares from the passing Belobog citizens, all of them side-eying the two trash-goblins.
"I feel like we are the absolute center of attention right now, bro," Stelle whispered loudly, puffing out her chest with unmistakable smugness.
"As expected of our natural charisma, sis," Caelus replied, crossing his arms in triumph.
As for their weird sibling titles for each other... the crew had long since given up trying to correct them. They operated on their own bizarre wavelength.
"Do not treat those weirded-out looks like a reward!" March 7th snapped, her boots stomping against the frost-covered cobblestone.
A soft, pretty smile graced Firefly's lips as she watched the chaotic exchange, while Silver Wolf rely twitched an eye, her expression screaming of second-hand gar cringe.
Typical behavior for those two.
"Just a hobby?" Serval muttered, her gaze sweeping over the eccentric group. "That certainly is... a very unique preference."
She took a mont to truly look at them, realizing she might have genuinely misjudged the situation.
You could hardly bla her. When Stelle and Caelus were elbow-deep in the municipal garbage bins just monts ago, the rest of their group had collectively turned their heads away, staring at the sky or the pavent, desperately pretending they did not know the two raccoons.
, their clothing was a dead giveaway. Nobody in Belobog dressed like this.
In this city of eternal winter, ordinary citizens were bundled up in thick, heavy coats and scarves. Even with the ambient heat radiating from the street lamps, the temperature was far too biting for anyone to travel light. Only Pathstriders, who could channel the energy of their respective Paths to ward off the biting cold, dared to wear such thin, stylish outfits.
Yet, every single person in this group was dressed for a spring breeze. Even the two who had just finished diving into the trash were completely spotless, clearly having used so form of Path energy to clean the gri off their clothes.
"Hey, it is fine, just a little misunderstanding." Serval let out a hearty, unapologetic laugh, waving her hand dismissively. "I am Serval. I do not think I have ever seen you folks around here before."
Given how strikingly attractive and distinct Leon and his companions were, Serval was absolutely certain she would have rembered them if they had crossed paths even once.
"We just arrived in the city, so it is perfectly normal that we are unfamiliar faces," Leon replied, his tone relaxed and conversational.
"Just arrived?" Serval blinked, the gears turning in her head.
As I thought...
"I heard a rumor from a loose-lipped Silvermane Guard earlier today. He ntioned that so outsiders had secured a private audience with Cocolia." Serval leaned in slightly, a sharp look of inquiry flashing in her striking blue eyes. "That would be you guys, right?"
Visitors from beyond the sky. Belobog had not seen anyone from the stars in centuries. She could not help but wonder if these sudden guests were here as friends or foes.
"That is right! It is us!" Stelle and Caelus declared in unison, planting their hands on their hips and puffing out their chests again, looking entirely too proud of themselves.
March 7th covered her face with both hands, unable to bear the sight.
Firefly let out a soft chuckle, her eyes warm and tender as she watched the twins' antics.
"What rare guests indeed." Serval's smile widened, her initial suspicion lting into genuine hospitality. "Co on, why do you not stop by my Everwinter Workshop for a bit? It is just down the street."
At least for now, these eccentric outsiders did not seem like the scheming, calculating types.
"Eh? The Everwinter Workshop belongs to you?" March 7th dropped her hands, her eyes sparkling with sudden excitent. "We were actually planning to head there anyway!"
"Gepard told us that there are occasionally live performances there!"
"If you are here hoping for a concert, you might be a little disappointed," Serval chuckled, shaking her head. "There are no performances scheduled for today."
"Huh? Not today?" March 7th slumped, her ahoge drooping in instant defeat.
"Gepard's exact words were 'occasionally there are performances.' You conveniently ignored the most important qualifying word," Dan Heng pointed out, his voice calm and entirely unsympathetic.
"Darn it, I was really looking forward to so music..." March 7th grumbled under her breath.
"So it was my little brother who pointed you my way." Serval laughed, the sound bright and clear in the chilly air.
"Little brother?" The group blinked, looking at the blonde woman with renewed curiosity.
"That is right. Gepard is my younger brother, by blood," Serval stated frankly, showing no hesitation in revealing her family ties. "If you really want to see a performance that badly, I suppose I could improvise a little sothing for you in a bit."
The atmosphere shifted into a comfortable, happy chatter as the group followed Serval down the winding, frost-kissed streets toward the Everwinter Workshop.
Serval was the unconventional eldest daughter of the prestigious Landau family. Once upon a ti, she had been Cocolia's absolute closest friend and confidante. Now, she lived life entirely on her own terms as a freelance chanic.
She ran her little shop, Everwinter, right in the heart of the freezing Belobog. Whenever the mood struck her, she would casually flip the open sign to closed, drag her equipnt outside, and hold passionate, ear-splitting open-air rock concerts right on the pavent.
If a curious custor ever asked how her workshop actually managed to turn a profit with such erratic hours, she would simply offer a cool, effortless smile and reply, 'It is just a hobby, darling. I do not rely on this to make a living.'
Beyond her distinct, rebellious personality, Serval possessed an outstanding, striking appearance and an elegant figure that easily rivaled Cocolia's mature charm.
Walking slightly behind the group, Leon studied the blonde rocker with a faint, amused glint in his eyes. In his past life, Serval had been a four-star character in the ga. Specifically, a four-star Erudition damage dealer focused on Damage Over Ti. Unfortunately, not many players kept her in their main team compositions for long.
After all, her kit was heavily reliant on stacking Shock debuffs, making her a bit niche compared to the heavy hitters. Still, seeing her in the flesh, radiating such vibrant energy, was a completely different experience from looking at a screen.
"By the way, there is sothing I have been wanting to complain about ever since we got here," March 7th spoke up, pointing a gloved finger at a large, glowing chanical device humming by the roadside. "This city is so strange. Why are all the heaters placed outside the buildings?"
"Logically speaking, shouldn't heating equipnt be installed indoors where the people actually live?"
"Do you honestly expect to rely on those clunky things to fend off the Eternal Freeze?" Leon chid in, his tone laced with dry amusent as he inspected the crude tal casing.
"If you put it that way, the original City builders back then must have been quite naive," Firefly added softly, her gaze lingering on the flickering orange glow of the machine.
"Against a planetary disaster brought about by a Stellaron, a re chanical heater would likely be entirely powerless," Welt noted, adjusting his glasses with a slow shake of his head.
"Haha, you guys sure can talk a lot about these broken old heaters." Serval found their intense analysis highly entertaining.
She walked over and patted the thick tal shell of the device. "This is the most common Geomarrow heater you will find in Belobog."
"Do not let its unremarkable, clunky appearance fool you. This thing is the literal life support for everyone in the city."
She gestured toward the howling white sky beyond the city walls. "The wind and snow out there are fiercely unforgiving. Without a reliable, constant ans of heating the streets and structures, Belobog would have frozen into a dead city centuries ago."
While Serval herself was a Pathstrider and largely immune to the biting chill, she knew perfectly well that regular humans made up the vast majority of Belobog's population. To them, the cold was a constant, lethal threat.
"What exactly is Geomarrow?" Caelus asked, tilting his head.
"It is a special mineral energy source completely unique to our land," Serval explained patiently, taking on the role of a seasoned tour guide. "Everything in this city, from the massive district heating grids down to the small handheld counters in the shops, relies entirely on Geomarrow for power."
"These glowing minerals are buried deep beneath the surface of this planet. They are extracted by professional mining teams down in the Lower District."
"Once mined, the ore is sent up to the surface through massive transport pipelines."
"In return for the energy, the Upper District sends essential living supplies, food, and dicine from the surface down to the underground through those very sa pipelines."
"Upper District... Lower District?" Welt repeated the terms slowly, his brow furrowing as he processed the socio-economic implications.
"The structure of Belobog is essentially like two giant, connected disks," Serval continued, using her hands to illustrate the city's layout. "The Upper District is responsible for administration, military defense, and trade. The Lower District handles all the energy supply and resource extraction."
Her hands slowly dropped to her sides.
"However... because of a strict lockdown order issued many years ago, there has not been any movent of people between the Upper and Lower Districts for a very long ti."
As she spoke those final words, the bright, cheerful energy in Serval's voice completely vanished, replaced by a heavy, somber tone that hung in the freezing air.
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