"Mangfeng, Mangfeng! Wake up, wake up!" Hanxing heard a woman calling to him. "Let's try artificial respiration instead." A young man spoke next, and the woman replied, "I don't have any experience with that. Dan Heng, you do it."
They're not really going to do that, are they? Hanxing thought. Wait, my mask! He opened his eyes.
Thankfully, his mask had not been removed. Seeing Hanxing open his eyes, March 7th shoved Dan Heng aside. "Mangfeng, you're awake?" Hanxing nodded. "It's nothing serious. Probably because I stayed up too late."
"How long... was I asleep?" Hanxing asked. "At least a whole night," Seele said from the side. "They rested for the night before coming up and finding you."
"Enough talk. It's time to go up," Hanxing said. "All right, leave it to your old pal Sampo." A man's voice cut in from the side, and Hanxing instantly went on guard. "Sampo, why are you still here?" "Come on, good buddy. Not taking off your mask was my idea."
Hanxing shook his head. "Forget it. Let's go." And they were at the exit leading to the surface-the "Furnace Core."
Before long, everyone reached the surface. "Ah, we're finally back! I'd forgotten what fresh air smelled like," March 7th said, taking deep breaths. "Doesn't it feel like something's missing?" Caelus said from the side.
"Oh, right! Where's Sampo?" March 7th said, smacking her forehead. "That guy probably guessed we were going to ask him for a hiding place. He vanished as soon as we got back to the Administrative District. You really can't count on him," Seele said from the side.
I knew Sampo couldn't be trusted, Hanxing thought. "We can't just go back to the Express, can we?" Caelus's idea was imaginative, but impractical.
"You're really abandoning us like that? But I'm a little tempted too..." March 7th scratched her head sheepishly as she finished. "Under the circumstances, it would be better to visit Serval Landau first," Dan Heng said from the side.
"So you don't think we should go see Gepard right now either?" March 7th said from the side. "She's a high-ranking officer in the Silvermane Guards. I'm afraid it won't be easy to get to him. And... if Bronya's letter doesn't convince him, we'd be walking straight into the lion's den." Dan Heng voiced his concerns.
"Then we'll do as you say and find Serval first," March 7th said. "Right. Keep a low profile. We're still wanted," Dan Heng reminded them.
With that, everyone headed cautiously toward Serval's workshop, glancing nervously around them at every little thing. Before long, they entered the Neverwinter Workshop.
"Hey, you're back! What happened? Why are your wanted posters all over the place?" Serval looked at them in some confusion.
"That's a little complicated..." March 7th began, only to be interrupted. "Bronya said we could trust you completely. Is that true?" Dan Heng asked Serval.
"Bronya said you could trust me, so that means you still don't trust me, huh?" Serval said. Dan Heng nodded at her words. "Don't worry, I'm not on speaking terms with Cocolia. She was the one who kicked me out back then. Unless the Architects have some solid evidence, I believe you," Serval said.
"That's how Cocolia does things. First she keeps everyone busy. After all, when everyone's working, who has time to think about all the details?" Serval added. "From the sound of it, you know Cocolia pretty well," Caelus said from the side.
"Sigh, she and I used to be the closest of friends, always together. Of course, that was before she became an Architect... Oh, let's not dwell on the past. Since Bronya sent you to find me, I imagine there's something important you need?" Serval asked.
"Telling stories is my specialty. I'll do it," March 7th volunteered. "Never mind, I'd better do it. If you tell it, there's no knowing how long it'll take." After interrupting March 7th, Dan Heng began explaining the situation to Serval. He also gave her the letter and introduced Hanxing.
"No wonder there's been no word from Bronya lately. So that's what happened. The Underworld... It's been so many years since anyone came up from there. I never imagined things were like that... I believe you. A story like this is unlikely to be made up, especially with Miss Seele here to back it up.
"'Stellaron'... Heh, now I understand why Bronya sent you to me. I used to be one of the Architects. When I worked in the research department, I studied the Stellaron. I never thought I'd hear that word again... Go on, what do you want to know? I'll tell you everything," Serval said.
Everyone asked Serval a series of questions about the Stellaron, and she answered each one. Caelus asked a question they all wanted to ask: "Can we talk to Gepard?"
"Huh? Gepard? Definitely not. He's an upright person, but he's completely single-minded. If you go to him, he might just haul you straight to Kliperburg." Serval rejected the suggestion.
They had no choice but to drop the subject. "Do you know where the Stellaron is?" Caelus asked. "I do. I haven't actually seen it, but I used a machine to conduct a rough scan. It's somewhere out on the vast snowfields north of Belobog." Serval gave them the Stellaron's approximate location.
"Then shouldn't we hurry and find the Stellaron?" March 7th said anxiously. "Getting to northern Belobog won't be that easy. Most of that area has already been covered by the Fragmentum, and it's also the Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone," Serval said.
"The Silvermane Guard Restricted Zone?" Stelle asked, puzzled. "Yes. That's where the Silvermane Guards' main force is stationed. They reorganize their troops there and fight back against the Fragmentum's incursion," Serval explained.
"Anyway, if we're ready, let's set off," Serval told them. But just as they reached the door, she remembered something else. "Oh no, I forgot my little brother said he was coming today. Quick, find somewhere to hide."