Hook, wearing her little backpack, darted through the streets and alleys with little tap-tap-tap footsteps.
Every now and then, she would turn back to wait for Ye Yun, calling out for him to hurry up.
More than half an hour later—
Hook brought Ye Yun to a clinic that looked relatively decent.
"Relatively decent" here meant that it was in much better condition than the surrounding buildings.
Most buildings in the Lower City were rundown and shabby, but this clinic at least looked intact.
Hook pushed open the clinic door with a loud thud.
"Old— I mean, Sister Natasha! Someone's here to see you!"
Inside, Natasha was busy explaining care instructions to a patient. She turned around when she heard the voice.
"Hook? Weren't you out playing? Why are you back so early today?"
She walked over to Hook, and only then did she notice the little red panda backpack Hook was wearing.
"This backpack..."
Hook saw Natasha eyeing the backpack and grinned cheekily. She took it off and pulled out a Skittle to hand to Natasha.
"Sister Natasha, this is for you!"
Natasha looked at the candy in Hook's small hand.
"Hook, where did you get this stuff?"
Hook pointed toward the doorway where Ye Yun was standing.
"Him! Ye Yun gave it to me! Oh yeah—he said he's here to see you."
Upon hearing that, Natasha stuffed the candy into Hook's mouth.
"Hook, you eat it—I don't want any."
Then Natasha walked toward Ye Yun and the strange-looking Rios standing behind him.
When she laid eyes on Rios, her pupils shrank slightly in shock.
What kind of creature was this? Why was it radiating flames?
After a brief moment of daze, she composed herself and said:
"Hello, I'm Natasha. Thank you for the backpack and candy you gave Hook. I heard you're looking for me—what's the matter?"
Ye Yun glanced around the room.
"Hello, I'm Ye Yun. No need to thank me for the things I gave Hook—she earned them by guiding me here. That was her reward."
Natasha gave a soft smile. That was quite the reward.
From what she knew, even in the Upper City, the backpack and candy Ye Yun gave Hook were quite valuable.
"That's quite an expensive payment for a guide."
Ye Yun shook his head.
"It's fine. I have plenty of little things like this. As for why I'm here—I have a business proposal for you."
Hearing that, Natasha looked around.
Some nearby bystanders were beginning to pay attention to them.
"Come with me—I'll take you somewhere quiet."
She walked back inside, gently patting Hook on the head as she passed.
"Hook, stay here and play for a bit, okay? Don't wander off. It's almost dinner time."
Hook nodded cheerfully, the candy still in her mouth.
"Okay~!"
Natasha led Ye Yun went upstairs to her personal office.
In the office—
She poured Ye Yun a glass of plain water.
"Sorry for the humble setup."
Ye Yun waved it off—it didn't bother him.
Only then did Natasha ask,
"So, Mr. Ye Yun, what sort of business are you proposing?"
Ye Yun snapped his fingers, and several 100-jin (approx. 50 kg) sacks of rice appeared out of thin air.
"Food! More food than you can count!"
He gestured at one bag and slid his finger, causing the sparkling white grains of rice to pour out.
Natasha was stunned by the quality of the rice—it was so white and clean!
"Mr. Ye Yun, how much are you planning to sell this rice for per bag in Winter City Shields?"
Ye Yun smiled.
"I don't accept Winter City Shields. I'm not a resident of Jarilo-VI.
My companions and I only just arrived on this planet today."
Natasha was only slightly surprised to hear that Ye Yun wasn't from this planet.
Having received a good education growing up, Natasha was aware of the existence of the wider universe.
"Then do you take credit points? If so, I'll need a little time to gather some."
Ye Yun shook his head again.
"Nope. I only accept Stellar Jade—those pink crystals."
He pulled out his phone and showed her a photo of Stellar Jade.
Natasha looked at it.
"Oh, we have those here! People use them to decorate their homes.
But if that's what you want, I'll still need a little time to gather it."
Ye Yun nodded with satisfaction.
"As long as you have it, I'm in no rush."
Natasha let out a sigh of relief. She had feared Ye Yun might want payment urgently.
"So, what are your prices for the rice?"
Ye Yun showed her a list on his phone—items and their prices he had prepared in advance.
Natasha took the phone and read:
[100 jin (50 kg) per unit – 5 Star Coins each]
• Rice: 5 Star Coins
• Flour: 5 Star Coins
• Corn: 5 Star Coins
• Sweet Potatoes: 5 Star Coins
• Choy Sum: 5 Star Coins
• Apples: 5 Star Coins
Natasha furrowed her brow slightly.
"This 'Star Coin'—?"
Ye Yun explained:
"1 Stellar Jade equals 100 Star Coins."
Natasha was instantly dumbfounded.
That little stone everyone used for decoration was that valuable?
At a rate of 5 Star Coins for 100 jin of rice, one Stellar Jade could buy 2,000 jin!
2,000 jin of rice would be enough to feed all of Rivet Town for two or three days.
Natasha was now completely shaken.
"Mr. Ye Yun, please wait a moment. I'll send someone to gather Stellar Jade immediately. I'll come find you tomorrow, okay?"
Ye Yun nodded and pointed to the sacks of rice nearby.
"These bags are free—just a little gift. They're not worth much."
Natasha smiled and thanked him.
Then she rushed out of the office in a hurry.
Ye Yun lingered in the office for a bit, then made his way downstairs.
On the first floor of the clinic, he saw Rios talking seriously with Hook.
Hook was listening with wide eyes, occasionally gasping in awe.
Ye Yun approached and overheard—
"Hook, come find me tomorrow—I'll teach you some combat techniques."
Hook nodded eagerly.
"Okay! I'll come find you tomorrow, Master Rios!"
Ye Yun was speechless.
Uh… what just happened? How long was I gone? And Hook already took Rios as her master?
Not that Ye Yun was worried about Rios' ability to teach.
Even Rei—the most powerful among the elite in Rios' world—had once trained under him.
Ye Yun cleared his throat, and the deer and girl turned to look at him.
He glanced at the time and tapped Hook's head lightly.
"Come on—let's go eat."
Hook lit up.
"Eh? Where are we eating? Not here? They're serving Rock-Shelled Crabs tonight—I wanna eat Rock-Shelled Crab!"
Ye Yun shook his head.
Those things, according to the in-game lore, had super hard shells, barely any meat, and were super sour.
"Rock-Shelled Crab tastes awful. I'll take you to eat real delicious food."
With that, Ye Yun grabbed Hook's hand and led Rios out of the clinic.
Meanwhile, in the Upper City—
Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th had just left the Supreme Guardian's office.
***
Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th returned to the hotel.
March 7th was humming a little tune cheerfully while organizing the photos she took today.
With the starry sky camera, taking photos had become much more convenient for her—instant shots, instant prints, and the results looked great.
She no longer had to go through the hassle of selecting them one by one and printing them on film.
"Hmm~ Hmm~ This one looks good, and so does this one."
As she scrolled through them, March 7th came across a photo that left her speechless.
"Stelle…"
Dan Heng and Stelle saw March 7th's helpless expression.
"What's wrong?"
March 7th held up a photo to show them.
In the photo:
Stelle was holding a trash lid in one hand, while the other hand supported her as she peeked her head into a garbage bin.
Seeing this, Dan Heng also fell silent.
Uh… What kind of hobby is this?
Stelle scratched her head awkwardly.
"Hehe, well, March, you know… a few days ago I bought two 'trash can scratch cards' from Ye Yun's shop."
"So…"
March 7th rolled her eyes.
"Just be more careful next time. People might think you're a weirdo."
Stelle quickly nodded and promised it wouldn't happen again.
As for whether it really would… that was up to her own self-control.
Dan Heng glanced at the time.
"Let's get some rest first. Tomorrow morning, we'll go find the Guardian."
The night passed uneventfully.
The next morning, Stelle shot up from bed like a fish leaping from water.
After freshening up, she stepped into the hallway.
There, March 7th and Dan Heng were already waiting not far from her door.
"Morning, March, Dan Heng. Why is it so noisy downstairs?"
As soon as Stelle left her room, she heard a commotion coming from the hotel lobby.
Dan Heng thought for a moment.
"Let's go take a look."
The three of them headed to the lobby, only to find that the silver-haired woman they briefly met yesterday in the office was now leading a group of Silvermane Guards who had the entire hotel surrounded.
As soon as they appeared, Bronya spotted them.
With a cold tone, Bronya read out the arrest order.
"By order of the Supreme Guardian, you three are under arrest!"
The trio was completely surrounded.
March 7th raised her hands in resignation.
"Here we go again! Happens once every three worlds."
Dan Heng glanced over and locked his eyes on a nearby rift portal.
"Ahem."
Dan Heng coughed twice to draw Stelle and March 7th's attention.
Seeing the two look over, he signaled toward the portal with his eyes.
Stelle and March 7th followed his gaze and immediately understood.
Dan Heng began chanting softly:
"View from the corner, reflect thrice. Orders from the sovereign, unchanging. Borrow the city, strike once!"
As soon as Dan Heng finished speaking, Star activated the liberated form of the Sacred Fire.
"Judgment of Shamash, Unleashed!"
With one swing of her sword, a scorching blaze swept through the Silvermane Guards, knocking them all out.
Even Bronya was forced back over ten meters by the heatwave.
After that single attack, Stelle promptly sheathed her sword and made a run for it.
By the time Bronya recovered, Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th had already entered the rift.
Bronya frowned slightly and immediately gave the order to pursue.
"All units, follow me!"
Next to her, Pela looked at the rift with concern.
"But… Lady Bronya, that leads into the Fragmentum!"
Bronya's expression was resolute.
"We can't let criminals get away!"
She then led the Silvermane Guards into the Fragmentum in pursuit.
Thanks to their familiarity with the terrain, Bronya and her troops soon cornered Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng.
With no other option, the three unleashed their full power.
Under their fierce attacks, the Silvermane Guards were quickly incapacitated.
Stelle pointed her blazing sword at the remaining Bronya and Pela.
"You both better come at once. Otherwise, it wouldn't be fair to you."
Bronya and Pela were tense—the trio's strength was overwhelming.
Especially the gray-haired girl wielding the flaming greatsword—her destructive power was terrifying.
But at this point, Bronya and Pela had no choice but to fight.
Hidden in the shadows, Sampo was in shock.
Wait, hold up. Girl, this isn't how the script is supposed to go! Weren't they the ones supposed to be in danger?
What's going on here? You're about to crush the future Guardian!
And that line just now—totally sounded like a final boss!
No way. If this keeps up, the script's going to fall apart. I have to step in.
He tossed a few special smoke bombs, knocking out Stelle, March 7th, Dan Heng, Bronya, and Pela.
Sampo slowly walked out.
"Good thing old Sampo was here to keep an eye on things."
He first dragged Pela to a Silvermane Guard outpost in the upper district to deliver a message.
Then, he took Stelle, Bronya, March 7th, and Dan Heng to the Underworld.
Meanwhile, Ye Yun brought Hook to a deserted restaurant near Rivet Town on the outskirts of Boulder Town.
Ye Yun inspected the kitchen. The equipment was still in decent shape, except there was no gas.
He bought a gas canister from the system and hooked it up to the stove.
Turning the knob, the flame roared to life.
Outside, Rios was playing with Hook.
As for the Fragmentum creatures in the area, they were all reduced to ashes by one "Blazing Inferno" attack from Rios.
Given the simple setup, Ye Yun decided to make some chicken soup noodles.
Originally, he'd planned to make spicy hot pot.
But since Hook had never really eaten anything with heavy flavors before, he was worried it might upset her stomach.
The rich aroma of chicken broth wafted through the entire kitchen.
Not far from the kitchen, a barefoot girl in a red coat was scavenging for supplies.
"Medicine, medicine… Let's see if there's any here."
The girl was Clara from the Robot Settlement.
She had come to search for medicine because the recent rise in Fragmentum monster activity had injured many people back home.
With medicine running low, Clara brought a few machines to Rivet Town to search.
As she looked around, she heard cheerful voices.
"Faster, Master Rios!"
Clara looked up.
"Huh? Isn't that Hook?"
She was surprised to run into Hook here.
"Hook! Hook!"
Hook, riding on Rios' back, heard someone call her and told Rios to stop.
Following the voice, she spotted Clara near a pile of junk.
"Clara! My Clara!"
Hook slid off Rios and dashed toward her.
The two hugged tightly, and Hook was overjoyed to see her.
"Clara, what are you doing here?"
Clara showed the medicine she'd found.
"I'm here to find medicine for everyone back at the settlement."