The two silly girls eventually gave in under Dan Heng's gaze, though they were still unwilling to let each other off verbally.
"It's all March's fault. She actually thinks I'm less smart than her," Stelle struck first.
"Hey, you make it sound like I'm really stupid. I'm quite smart, you know," March 7th retorted, refusing to show weakness.
"You? Heh." Stelle let out a scoff.
"Hey! What do you mean by that?"
...Amidst their bickering, the group set off.
"Ding! Hehe, the System thinks they're hilarious. How about we follow them for the next mission once this one's done?" The System, which hadn't been online for a long time, chimed in.
"Hmm, sounds okay. Having a few companions along after being lonely for so long seems like a good choice." Shen Wan kept his composure, though inside he was blooming with joy. Apart from his identity as an Emanator of Erudition, his knowledge of the script was his greatest asset in this world. Besides, to be honest, there were many regrets in the Honkai: Star Rail world that Shen Wan wanted to undo.
"Ding, then hurry up and finish the mission for this civilization, you idiot." The foul-mouthed System came online.
"What the Hell!" Shen Wan didn't let it slide either.
Not long after passionately arguing with the System, the group arrived in front of the Monument of the Everwinter.
"Look, that ice sculpture has such a bizarre shape! Somehow, it fits the vibe of this city quite well," March 7th said first upon seeing the Monument of the Everwinter.
However, Teacher Dan Heng, completely devoid of romance, remarked, "No matter what material it is made of, it is definitely not an ice sculpture."
"True enough. It's actually quite warm in this city. Oh, look, there are a lot of kids gathered over there. Let's walk over and take a closer look," March 7th said, spotting something new and fun.
The group stepped forward and saw a short woman wearing a Silvermane Guards uniform. She said gently, "Let me introduce myself. I am the intelligence officer for the Silvermane Guards, and the temporary guide for the 'Belobog History Tour,' Pela-geya Sergeyevna. Just call me Pela."
Seeing that Pela had finished speaking, the children greeted her together: "Sister Pe~la~."
Shen Wan felt a sudden surge of inspiration and also chimed in, "Sister Pe~la~."
Since Shen Wan copied the children's form of address right after they finished, Pela quickly noticed the large group of adults standing there.
"…Would certain adults please stop imitating children so casually!" Pela complained.
Actually, Shen Wan regretted it the moment the words left his mouth. He looked back at the others. March 7th wore a look of utter shock, clearly thinking, "I can't believe you're that kind of Shen Wan." Dan Heng still looked expressionless, though upon closer inspection, his mouth could be seen twitching slightly. As for Stelle, she looked at Shen Wan with the expression of someone who had just found a soulmate.
"Ding, a young man's blushing face surpasses all coy shyness," the System delivered a timely blow.
"System, you get out here! Was this prank your doing?" Hearing the System's mockery, Shen Wan's defense broke.
"Ding, hehe, this was the Host's own choice, you know."
If the System had only said the second half, Shen Wan might have believed it, but upon hearing the word "hehe," he was certain that the System was definitely messing with him.
In some unnamed tavern across the universe, a drunk madman was bragging to everyone: "Hey, guys, do you know why The Hunt Lan is hunting the Abundance Yaoshi?"
"What kind of talk is that? Who doesn't know that Lan's family was destroyed because of Yaoshi's so-called Abundance blessing, and after becoming an Aeon, he naturally had to settle the score?" someone nearby said.
"Too small-minded, your perspective is too narrow. That's only one of the reasons. Actually, Yaoshi once went on an undercover inspection, disguised as a woman to approach Lan. Then Lan fell in love with him, only to discover later that he was the Abundance Yaoshi—and because Yaoshi caused the destruction of his family, his Dao heart shattered. That's how Lan became an Aeon! Why else would he relentlessly chase after Yaoshi?"
"Ah, Feng, you really know how to make things up." Everyone around didn't believe it, but Ah Feng didn't mind.
Suddenly, Ah Feng gained a brand-new memory. After carefully savoring it, he broke into an eerie smile.
Let's return to Shen Wan. He stopped talking, instead pulling up his collar to avoid the disdainful gazes of his companions and the children.
Pela didn't continue complaining; she just clapped her hands to draw the children's attention back. "Alright, children, please look: this is the 'Monument of the Everwinter.' It was erected to commemorate the great Architects."
"Ahem, let's keep moving." Seeing that the children were no longer casting disdainful glances their way, Dan Heng broke the silence, and Shen Wan cast a look of gratitude his way.
The group quickly left the spot and walked toward the "Neverwinter" workshop by the side of the road.
"The Neverwinter Workshop is here. Hey—didn't Gepard say there would be a performance here?" March 7th asked, puzzled.
"His exact words were 'there is occasionally a performance.' You filtered out the two most crucial words," Dan Heng explained.
"Ha, is that so?" March 7th tried to change the subject. "By the way, look over there—I've been wanting to complain about this. This city is so weird! Why are they piling heaters outside the houses? Normally, heating equipment should be installed indoors, right?"
Stelle, who clearly failed to notice March 7th changing the subject: "Are they trying to rely on that thing to fight off the Eternal Freeze?"
Although the topic was successfully changed and March 7th ought to have been grateful, hearing Stelle's remark still made her unable to resist complaining: "…The way you put it, these 'Architects' are pretty naive."
Dan Heng also said, "Against a disaster brought by a Stellaron, a tiny heater is probably powerless."
Just then, a light chuckle came from behind the group. "Ha, you guys can chat for so long in front of a broken heater?"
The group looked back. The speaker was a striking-looking woman with golden hair fading to bright blue at the tips, dressed in a stylish and trendy outfit.
"Such a cool big sister!" March 7th said.
"Such a cool big sister!" The repeater—Stelle—activated.
"Hey, don't copy me like that." March 7th made a grumpy cat face.
"Haha, you guys are really fun. Hello there, I'm Serval, the owner of this workshop," the woman spoke up to smooth things over. "You can come to me if you have any broken equipment, though I don't guarantee I'll be interested in fixing it."
March 7th said, "Wait a minute, is this heater actually broken?"
Stelle continued her abstract behavior: "Placing a broken heater in front of a workshop is terrible negative marketing."
"Oh well, whatever. Anyway, I'm the only workshop in this area, everyone knows me and understands my skill level," Serval said nonchalantly, shifting the topic. "What about you guys? What are you here for? Is there some equipment you need repaired?"
"We've just arrived and are simply interested in everything," Stelle replied.
"Ah, I get it—I heard from a loose-lipped Silvermane Guard that a few 'outsiders' had a meeting with Cocolia. That's you guys, right?" Serval looked slightly guarded, though she had no intention of kicking them out. "Well, aren't you rare guests! Come, come, whether it's a heater or anything else, big sister will chat with you properly~"
Accompanied by Serval, the group entered the Neverwinter Workshop.
Stelle stood by the door and noticed a small gadget on the table near the entrance. She leaned in to take a closer look, but couldn't make head or tail of it. Seeing her interest in the item, Serval casually said, "That's part of my daily work—repairing damaged equipment. That thing you're looking at is an antique radio. Even nowadays, it's considered quite an old-school collectible. Want to try fixing it?" Serval began press-ganging cheap labor.
Under Serval's guidance, Stelle managed to stumble through the repair of the radio.
Once Stelle solved the problem, Serval began introducing the heater. "The heater you saw outside is actually called a Geomarrow heater. It uses a mineral called Geomarrow for heating. As for Geomarrow, it grows deep beneath the surface and is mined by professional mining teams in the Underworld."
Dan Heng caught the key point: "The Underworld?"
"Oh, I forgot you guys came from outer space," Serval slapped her forehead and said, "As for what happens next, to be revealed next time."