The heart of Europe, the capital of Spain—Golden Metropolis, Barcelona.
It was once one of the wealthiest cities in Europe, and also one of the most orderly.
This "order" was not just a metaphor, but a literal fact.
The entire city had been divided into over five hundred small blocks, each equipped with its own hospital, school, and supermarket.
It was precisely because it was Spain's capital that it possessed the economic strength to achieve such a feat.
Every narrow street and every meticulous plan resembled a hymn of praise to Europe.
However, that hymn had now been sealed in dust. This once-great city no longer held its former glory.
Due to the rapid pace of modernization, its dense planning had fallen behind the times.
The narrow aerial corridors could no longer accommodate the high-speed passage of maglev cable cars.
The tightly packed buildings could not be expanded into large-scale public facilities.
The complex underground pipeline network hindered the installation of new material transport systems and information cables.
Thus, this city once closest to heaven in Europe became an abandoned relic of the era overnight.
The European Council would rather build a new city on barren land than spend enormous resources demolishing and rebuilding this one.
As a result, the standard of living here continued to decline, falling further and further behind the times—like a sunset chasing the sun.
Dusk Metropolis—this became Barcelona's new name.
Dusk Street derived its name from this as well. It was not just a single street, but a collective term for the surrounding satellite towns of the Dusk Metropolis, echoing its existence.
These Dusk Street towns huddled together for warmth, struggling to survive, trying to find their place in this rapidly changing world.
Some regions even slipped out of government control, gradually turning into a strangely orderly... lawless zone.
...
"Phew—this should be the last batch, right?"
Pardo and a caretaker handed over the supplies on the stretcher to the medical staff of the charity sanatorium, finally able to take a breather.
Due to the Fifth Honkai Eruption, a large number of injured people had flooded into Dusk Street. The charity sanatorium where Aponia resided naturally received many patients.
Rather than saying they were received, it would be more accurate to say they came on their own. But Aponia would never ignore them.
Because of this, the sanatorium was now severely understaffed, so she had brought Pardo in to help transport supplies.
"Thank you for your hard work, Miss Pardo. Please, have a seat and drink some tea."
With a gentle smile, Aponia sat on a bench under the shade of a tree, surrounded by a group of children.
Miss Pardo was a kind girl Aponia had met three years ago.
Back then, the "righteous thief who liberated suffering students"—Pardofelis—had come to the sanatorium to "stock up" and was caught red-handed by Aponia.
After learning about the sanatorium's difficulties, Pardo began frequently coming to help.
After two years of effort and restoration, the Dusk Street sanatorium had transformed from its former dilapidated state into a place as clean and bright as an academy.
The internal facilities had been completely upgraded. The wards were spacious and well-lit, with clean and comfortable beds. Brand-new medical equipment had elevated the sanatorium's medical capabilities to a new level, allowing it to treat various difficult illnesses.
The once-barren land at the entrance had been planted with trees and covered with grass.
The children here now wore clean clothes and had healthy, full faces. They played and laughed around Aponia, occasionally tugging at Pardo—the "little spirit of Dusk Street"—asking her to tell new stories.
It was hard to imagine that this place existed within the impoverished and backward lawless zone of Dusk Street.
This was all thanks to Sister Aponia's fundraising, the children's efforts, and Pardo's quiet assistance.
Those medical devices had been provided through Su at Pardo's request—free of charge. Most of the children in the sanatorium suffered from serious illnesses, and every year, some were taken away by disease. These devices were extremely important to them.
As for how Pardo managed to "request" them from Su... she basically just went directly to the base's medical room and took them.
In the end, Su couldn't stand it anymore and simply arranged for people to transport the equipment over properly.
That was also why Aponia now had the capacity to treat other patients. In the past, she could only provide end-of-life care.
"No need, no need. I still have other work to do, so I won't stay long. There are plenty of customers waiting for my goods."
Pardo really couldn't handle the children's strange requests, so she quickly declined Aponia's invitation.
Aponia raised her hand as if to pat Pardo's head, but in the end, she did not let it fall.
She withdrew her hand and smiled. "The Dusk Street shop—I've heard your business... has been getting better and better?"
Pardo put her hands on her hips. "Of course! Demand far exceeds supply. I still need to head back to my base to restock."
Due to the Honkai Eruption, even Pardo's business had improved significantly. Especially the HoMu Pellet she sold on behalf of HoMu Company—it was genuinely effective.
"Hehe, please pass along my thanks to Mr. Su. The children and I are very grateful for his support."
Since Aponia knew that Pardo had an organization backing her, she naturally didn't think Pardo's "stocking up" still meant petty theft. Besides, no matter how bold a thief was, they wouldn't steal from their own organization.
"No problem, I'll pass your message along. Alright then, bye—"
Pardo swung the empty sack onto her shoulder and was about to leave when she was suddenly startled by a strange figure.
"!! Waaaah—don't come any closer!"
Hearing Pardo's scream, Aponia hurried out of the sanatorium.
Things were chaotic outside, and she was worried something had happened to Pardo.
"What happened?"
She then saw a man riddled with bloody holes, emitting steam, collapsed in front of Pardo. He wore a bizarre wooden mask, one finger still pointing forward.
"I've seen this kind of thing a few times recently, but this guy just whoosh appeared out of nowhere. Scared me to death," Pardo said, still shaken, patting her chest.
This man was Kalpas. He had just fought a fierce battle with the Fifth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Ice.
"Sir, are you alright?" Aponia quickly rushed over to check on him.
As soon as she touched him, she realized his body temperature was abnormally low. Prolonged contact would cause skin to stick to him.
When Pardo touched him, she shivered and quickly pulled her hand back. "Whoa, he's freezing! Did he sneak into a freezer... to steal frozen pork or something?"
"I wouldn't even dare do that—how hungry must he be to go that far?"
Although the Fifth Honkai Eruption was caused by the Herrscher of Ice, its effects had not yet spread to Dusk Street.
Most of the injured who fled here were harmed by secondary disasters, which was why they had not contracted Honkai Sickness.
"Let's stuff him into the sack and carry him back," Pardo said, picking up the sack.
"Mm, that's the only way. Take him to the kitchen... we need to warm him up immediately, or he will lose his life."
There was no equipment for rapid heating in the medical room, so the kitchen was their only option.
Thus, Kalpas was stuffed into Pardo's sack and quickly dragged into the kitchen by Aponia and Pardo.
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