Under the night sky.
Zeig sat high up, silently watching the two below.
A gentle night breeze blew.
With Seele's consolation, Bronya's self-blame immediately dissipated by more than half.
Seeing that it was enough, Zeig lightly leaped down and lit the last three large barrels of consecutive fireworks behind the two.
(biu~boom!~pia!)
(biu~boom!~pia!)
…
Under the brilliant fireworks, the three carried the supplies and returned to Boulder Town.
To be safe, Bronya had suggested one more patrol around Rivet Town to check if Eric and Clara had returned safely.
But Seele understood—it was actually because Bronya wanted to stay a little longer.
Thus,
when the three returned, they brought back a pile of other things too.
All suggested by Zeig.
At the entrance to Natasha's clinic, Seele carried the items and shouted as she walked:
"Natasha! We're back!!"
Natasha gently opened the door. Seeing the three return safely, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief:
"I'm just glad you're all safe. How did it go—did you find any usable supplies?"
Rows of supplies were placed on the ground by the three. Natasha couldn't help exclaiming in admiration:
"Let me see… steel plates, bandages, painkillers, medical alcohol… Great! Wait… tables, chairs, wooden boards, pots and pans… uh, that works too. All the needed supplies are here. It's just that the painkillers are a bit less—did something happen at the storage area?"
Seele pressed her lips together and said seriously:
"We gave some to Clara."
"…Clara?"
With explanations from Seele and Bronya, Natasha finally understood the whole story.
She nodded and said softly:
"With that child… I think I get it. She wanted to take care of the injured vagrants, right? Clara has always been very kind…"
"I think you made the right decision. Though now I'll have to carefully plan the dosages."
"You three still have important things to do, right? Oleg, and those two little friends, and Gertie at the Goethe Hotel—they're all waiting."
Seele froze:
"Gertie? What's she waiting for?"
Natasha revealed a meaningful smile: "You'll know when you go."
The three left Natasha's clinic together and headed toward Wildfire's gathering spot.
Seele muttered as she walked:
"Uncle Oleg probably wants to talk about Svarog. As for the other two waiting for us, that's not surprising, but… what's with Gertie?"
Bronya, however, couldn't help yawning.
Seele laughed upon hearing it:
"What, tired already?"
Bronya's eyes were hazy:
"Aren't you tired? We haven't rested all night."
Seele grew even prouder:
"My record is six days without sleep. You've got a ways to go."
The two walked slowly when suddenly they heard rhythmic, energetic music coming from afar.
It seemed to be from the entrance of the Goethe Hotel.
Seele immediately grew curious and suggested to Bronya:
"Hey, what's going on at the Goethe Hotel? Let's check it out first."
"Huh?"
Upon hearing "Goethe Hotel," Bronya involuntarily shuddered.
She vaguely remembered that before leaving, the Executor had buried some colorful objects at the entrance.
They seemed to have gone off.
(Jini tai mei~ oh bye bye~ Jini shizai shi tai mei~…)
"This song is so catchy? They're really something!" Seele complained.
The closer they got, the livelier the sound became.
The two discovered that many people had already gathered at the entrance of the Goethe Hotel.
And Zeig from behind had disappeared at some point.
The crowd formed a large circle, whispering to each other, seemingly discussing something.
Seele, driven by strong curiosity, squeezed through the crowd with Bronya. The scene before them left her stunned.
Several vagrants wearing cotton hats and masks were dancing intensely under the mood lighting.
Their movements were seductive and fluid, as if without any limitations, excitedly letting their shoe soles grind against the ground.
Sometimes they would even spin on the ground with their heads, drawing cheers and applause from the onlookers.
"Oh my god, I never expected such talents among the vagrants!"
"This dancing is no less than a professional dancer's—why are they only appearing now?"
"I get it—they must be out of food, so they're performing here for money!"
"This morning Gertie was grinning ear to ear, even setting out fruits at the entrance and heavily promoting it."
"They're dancing so well."
"Wait, are they crying?"
"They really are crying… but why?"
This awkward dance quickly lost Seele's interest. She said disdainfully:
"That's it? What's so great about grown men dancing—I'd dance better than them!"
Bronya looked at Seele, her eyes bright:
"Th-then… can I watch you dance one?"
"…"
Seele lifted her chin, revealing her fair neck, and said scornfully:
"Hmph, I'm not dancing. Dancing on the street is like busking—I can't afford to lose that face!"
Bronya nodded, thinking Seele made sense.
Some dancers were like that—they absolutely refused to dance outside practice rooms or stages, as it would be beneath them.
She looked at the vagrants continuously twisting their bodies and only felt pity for them.
They must have triggered something the Executor left behind, right?
"Sigh…"
As the successor to the next Guardian, she couldn't help analyzing the vagrants' motives for approaching the Goethe Hotel.
It was now morning. Before this, the Goethe Hotel had been closed and didn't serve food—only housing some guests.
Vagrants had their own camps and were very poor; they had no reason to be guests here.
From what others said,
they seemed to have started dancing from midnight.
All signs pointed to them approaching with ulterior motives.
"Bronya, what are you thinking?"
"Nothing. Let them learn a good lesson… We should go join the others."
"Mm, you're right. I thought it was something big—turns out just some grown men dancing awkwardly. Not watching, not watching!"
The two left the crowd and headed toward a certain Wildfire gathering spot.
It wasn't far from the Goethe Hotel, so the two arrived quickly.
As soon as they got there,
they saw Gertie standing in front of Zeig with a delighted expression, exclaiming:
"Um, Mr. Zeig—can you sell us those mood lights and the music-playing devices? I think adding a new attraction would be great!"
Zeig sat in a grand chair, flanked by Dan Heng and March 7th as his two guardians.
He said calmly:
"Big sis, it's not a matter of whether I sell them—the key is you need people to dance! My stuff has a time limit. I reckon those vagrants are about to collapse!"
Upon hearing this, Gertie realized it was true.
Even with mood lights and music, if no one danced, what would the guests watch?
Zeig suggested:
"How about this—change the marketing strategy. Offer discounts on meals for guests willing to dance on stage? Plus free drinks! Encourage guests to go up voluntarily—no matter how they dance, at least the atmosphere will be there!"
He continued eloquently, leaving the surrounding people stunned.
After hearing Zeig's suggestion, Gertie nodded enthusiastically in excitement:
"Mr. Zeig is right! In the Underworld, there will always be people willing to go on stage for food and drinks. For us, even with discounts or free drinks, it's no big loss—and it can even promote us. Brilliant!"
March 7th widened her pink-blue eyes:
"Big bro, are you seriously giving business advice? We're here to discuss dealing with Svarog—not to build an entertainment venue!"
Zeig froze upon hearing this:
"Oh right—why didn't you say so earlier?"
"Big sis, go ahead and get started. I'll check it out later—keep an eye on the shares for me!"
Seele stood to the side, somewhat speechless. So the commotion over there was related to this guy.
Bronya sat down beside Zeig and asked softly:
"Executor, when did you get here?"
Zeig answered:
"When you two heard 'Jini Tai Mei.' Good song, right?"
"…"
…