What a Star-Crossed Pair

Stelle and March 7th gathered around Serval, watching curiously as she repaired the broken heater.

Serval quickly removed a few screws, exposing the energy conduction core inside, which had turned black. She explained to the group, "The way this heater works isn't complicated. It runs on Geomarrow. But several parts in this one have worn out, and it's been repaired over and over. Finding replacements isn't easy."

After listening, Stelle's gaze fell on a pile of discarded gears that had been taken apart. Her eyes lit up, and she asked earnestly, "Boss, can I just take these scrapped parts?"

March 7th reacted quickly and grabbed Stelle's hand before she could reach for them.

Meanwhile, Cocolia gave Bai Luoming a long look, then turned her gaze from him to Serval as she explained.

In Cocolia's eyes, whenever Serval talked about machines, her whole being radiated a distinctive glow. Her hands moved with practiced confidence, and she occasionally had to stop Stelle from touching the live wires.

As Cocolia watched Serval, something deep in her eyes melted. But it lasted only a moment before her usual calm returned.

Bai Luoming noticed the subtle change in Cocolia's expression, and the corners of his mouth curved slightly.

He thought of the endings Cocolia and Serval had met in the original story. Tsk, what a star-crossed pair.

But as for the two of them now, Bai Luoming could only say, Whoa, lesbians!

Dan Heng had come to Bai Luoming's side at some point. In a voice only the two of them could hear, he asked, "Are you all right?"

Bai Luoming shook his head gently and looked at Dan Heng.

He really was fine. His thoughts were just a little muddled.

According to the information Sampo had given them, Cocolia's "old illness had relapsed," and Bronya had been appointed in a crisis.

He had thought some kind of "Xuanwu Gate succession" had played out here: the daughter, for Belobog's future, had been forced to strike down her own mother in tears to complete the transfer of power.

But what had actually happened?

Not only was Cocolia alive and well, she was free to come to the Mechanical Workshop and chat over tea with Serval.

And judging by her complexion, she looked even more alert than some of the Silvermane Guards standing watch outside. Did she look even remotely like someone whose old illness had relapsed?

This huge contradiction showed that there was another story behind Cocolia giving up her position as Supreme Guardian.

As Bai Luoming thought it over, his brain began to itch, as though he were about to grow a brain.

Over on the other side, Serval's on-the-spot lesson was also drawing to a close. She casually sorted the parts she had removed and put them away.

Although March 7th had barely understood a thing, she still applauded politely.

Stelle, meanwhile, had taken a keen interest in the scrapped heater and kept asking, "Boss, if you fix this, can I take it on the train? It feels so cool."

Serval laughed at her. "Little girl, this thing is heavy. It'd be hard enough to carry it out of my shop, let alone take it out of Belobog."

"March, Stelle, it's getting late. We should head back."

Bai Luoming raised his wrist, and the screen of his silver-gray mechanical watch lit up, displaying the local time in Belobog.

It was already late.

Yes, that was how the watch Asta had given him worked. It automatically adjusted the time to match the planet he was currently on.

March 7th realized it too. They still hadn't returned to the Goethe Hotel, and they needed to sort through the information they had gathered today.

Dan Heng promptly got up and said to Serval, "Sorry to have taken up so much of your time today. We should be going."

The four of them prepared to leave.

Serval waved cheerfully. "You're welcome at the Mechanical Workshop anytime. If you come by during a show next time, I'll save you the best seats."

Cocolia didn't say another word the whole time. She merely nodded to them as they went out.

The door to the Mechanical Workshop closed behind them.

The smile on Serval's face was still bright. She sat down beside Cocolia and poured herself a cup of strong tea.

"What an interesting bunch of kids," she remarked.

"Even though they're guests from beyond the stars, they're surprisingly innocent." Serval paused and looked toward the door. "Those two boys seem pretty reliable too."

Cocolia gazed at Serval's face, listening quietly and nodding from time to time.

Serval felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze. She lowered her head and began arranging the cups on the table, changing the subject. "How come you suddenly had time to drop by today?"

"I was getting restless at home, so I thought I'd come see you."

The group left the Mechanical Workshop and headed toward the Goethe Hotel. Only after they had gone some distance did Dan Heng stop and look at Bai Luoming.

"Back at the shop, why did you react so strongly when Serval said Cocolia's name?"

March 7th and Stelle looked over at the same time.

March 7th had been wanting to ask that question for a while. She didn't believe a single word of Bai Luoming's earlier excuse about the tea "having a kick."

Bai Luoming laughed it off, his expression saying, "So you're still hung up on that?" "It was nothing, really. I was just surprised that Cocolia suddenly showed up."

March 7th frowned. "That explanation... I don't even know what to say."

Dan Heng said nothing more. In his mind, Bai Luoming was, after all, a companion traveling with them. Since he didn't want to talk about it, Dan Heng naturally wouldn't press him.

The four returned to the Goethe Hotel and had a simple dinner in the restaurant on the first floor. Then they all gathered in Dan Heng's room to review the day's activities.

Dan Heng took out his terminal, ready to record and organize their information.

March 7th looked through the photos she had taken that day, trying to find details they had overlooked.

Stelle, meanwhile, dumped all the treasures she had "trailblazed" out of trash cans that day onto the table, trying to find Belobog's secrets among the pile of Credits, Geomarrow fragments, and odd parts.

The cloth bag giving off a suspicious smell, however, was thrown outside the door at March 7th's strong insistence.

Bai Luoming spoke first, bringing up the point he found questionable. "First, there's Bronya's claim that she 'saw the future.'"

Dan Heng tapped his fingers on the table and spoke in a low voice. "I have a theory. She may have come into contact with a power related to the Path of Finality without realizing it. Only Finality frequently manifests phenomena related to time, prophecy, and predetermined endings."

"You mean you're suspicious of Bronya?" March 7th immediately objected. "But she looks like she genuinely wants to save Belobog! She even reopened the way between the surface and the Underworld."

"I'm not saying she has malicious intentions," Dan Heng explained. "I'm only listing the risks. Foreseeing the future doesn't mean understanding it. The 'turning point' she saw could just as easily be the result of some power deliberately guiding her."

Bai Luoming nodded in agreement. "The Stellaron is best at exploiting people's fears and obsessions. Even a well-meaning person could be misled by it and ultimately arrive at the outcome she least wants to see."

The conversation soon turned to another person they had met that day.

"Oh, right, there's Cocolia too. She didn't look sick at all," March 7th said.

"Yeah." Stelle held up a worn metal part and offered an assessment by her own standards. "On the surface, she seemed healthy, both physically and mentally."

Based on that information, Dan Heng reached a conclusion. "'An old illness relapsing' sounds more like an official story for the public. Some kind of conflict did occur between Bronya and Cocolia, but it didn't end in imprisonment or exile as we imagined."

By the end of their discussion, they still hadn't figured anything out. They simply had too few clues to go on at present.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the room grew heavy.

March 7th figured they couldn't find any more clues anyway, so she jumped up from the sofa and eagerly suggested, "How about we have a pillow fight? The pillows at this hotel are so soft."

Dan Heng rejected the idea without looking up. "No, let's get some rest early. We'll go see Bronya again tomorrow."

March 7th was a little reluctant to give up, so she turned to Bai Luoming. "What do you think, Luo Ming? Want to have a thrilling pillow fight?"

"I'll pass. I've been walking all day. Maybe next time."

Seeing that neither of them wanted to, March 7th lost interest too. She sighed and said, "Sigh, all right."

Stelle: ?