The mingled scents of gasoline and rot hung in the air. A road, forcibly carved out from the garbage heap itself, lay before them.
Countless non-recyclable metals were piled here. They were once the cornerstones of Punklorde's development, but sometimes "cornerstones" aren't placed in museums. Instead, they become outdated trash, piled in some forgotten corner, forsaken by all.
In the era of Punklorde's rapid development, what was a brand-new creation today could become obsolete garbage tomorrow. And that garbage became the treasure of the [Scavengers].
Yes, this was Punklorde. Progress was made every minute of every second, but it was always accompanied by obsolescence of every kind.
While hackers could modify parts of reality, they themselves were just a part of someone else's [game]. And in the eyes of some, hackers with no value were no different from this outdated trash, deserving to be thrown into the garbage heap called the [Scrapyard].
But there was one such legend. He rose from Punklorde's underground reservoir, his status no better than that of the abandoned trash, yet he became a free Galaxy Ranger and, eventually, the pride of Punklorde. He himself became a symbol of the planet.
And the goal of the [Nameless] this time was to find the legendary starting point of that "legendary hacker" within the vast [Scrapyard] and, through it, reach the Legendary Tower directly.
"Mmm, although this is a little conspicuous, I really can't smell the stench anymore! And there's a nice coffee aroma, which is really refreshing!"
March, wearing a special mask made by Wende, was extremely satisfied with it. Look! Wende even embroidered a little chibi March on it!
"These are necessary protective measures. After all, who knows what we'll encounter in the Scrapyard. It would be dangerous if we ran into some kind of toxic gas. I got some small air purification devices from Veyl and put them inside the masks."
Wende, walking at the front, explained to the group. This was for everyone's safety. Not everyone was like Stelle, possessing a super-strong immune system...
"That's true. But this coffee scent is lovely, and it feels familiar... Are these local Punklorde coffee beans?"
Himeko carefully sniffed the rich coffee aroma coming from her mask and asked Wende with curiosity.
If this was what Punklorde's coffee was like, then after this Trailblazing journey was settled, it would be worth stocking up.
"No, these coffee beans were taken from you, Sister Himeko."
Wende stated, his face expressionless.
"Huh?!#"
Seeing the vein that was clearly popping on Himeko's forehead, Wende decisively bolted behind Stelle.
"Did our great Logistics Officer, in taking the coffee, happen to ask me, the humble maintenance worker, for permission?"
Himeko smiled, her voice simmering with anger as she stared at Wende behind Stelle, her eyes full of "kindness."
"Uh... I actually mixed in some of Meryl's coffee, but Meryl doesn't drink much coffee, so I mostly used yours, Sister Himeko."
Wende explained awkwardly, all the while constantly glancing at March.
"Ah? Oh..."
March nodded, seeming to understand, and then began to placate the clearly annoyed Himeko.
"Aiya, Sister Himeko~~ It was an emergency, that's why he didn't tell you! And this mask is really useful! If it weren't for this, I probably would have thrown up the moment we walked in here!"
As she spoke, March even pretended to gag.
"Hehe, alright, alright, I'm not angry. I just wanted to tease Wende a little," Himeko said with a light laugh, tidying a stray strand of March's hair at her temple.
"Huh? Really?"
"Of course. I'm a mature adult. I can distinguish right from wrong. Wouldn't you agree?"
As she said this, Himeko shot a glance at Wende.
Did he think she couldn't see through his little scheme? It was nothing more than an attempt to stop her from making coffee to drink... But he had a point. If her coffee caused some kind of accident during the journey ahead, she would be the culprit of this entire Trailblazing mission.
At this thought, a flash of apology appeared in Himeko's eyes as she looked at March and Stelle.
"Sigh, let's keep moving. Dan Heng! Stop playing games!"
March let out a sigh of relief. The biggest pressure when Trailblazing with Sister Himeko was her coffee, which could appear at any moment!
"Oh."
Dan Heng silently exited the one-on-one game he was playing, ignoring the string of furious, unprintable words coming from his headset, and decisively muted the other person.
"You motherf—"
Ah, peace and quiet.
Dan Heng instantly felt refreshed. Ever since arriving on Punklorde, his mood had inexplicably improved quite a bit.
Jingliu watched Dan Heng silently from the side, a myriad of thoughts flashing through her eyes.
She had once wanted those two to receive their due punishment, but she certainly never expected that they would now be torturing each other, and seemingly enjoying it?
Was this truly a punishment, or was it a reward?
"Sigh, looks like I'll have to call Jing Yuan after interstellar communications are restored. How can he be allowed to slack off all by himself?"
---o---
Far away on the Xianzhou Luofu, Jing Yuan, who was fishing by the sea, sneezed for some unknown reason.
"General? Could it be that the weather has been getting cooler recently, and you've caught a cold?" Yanqing asked from the side with great concern.
"It's nothing. We can just find another spot to fish later."
Jing Yuan rubbed his nose and shook his head, paying it no mind.
"Uh... but General, you've already been instructing me in swordsmanship here for over a month. Grand Diviner Fu's side..."
Yanqing hesitated. He had heard from Qingzhu that the Grand Diviner had been so overworked lately that she had started using the Seat of Divine Foresight's funds to buy milk tea...
"Rest assured, it's a trivial matter. Diviner Fu won't mind. Besides, haven't your sword skills improved considerably recently? Keep up the hard work for a few more months, and the title of Sword Champion will be within your grasp!"
Jing Yuan offered some encouragement with a smile, then returned his attention to his fishing and the game of chess on his Jade Abacus.
"Sigh, General, this is the fourth time you've drawn me a pie this month!" Yanqing whined, looking at Jing Yuan with a mournful expression.
"Oh? Is it? What's the date today?"
"The 4th..."
---o---
"Boss! Boss! A group of people wearing masks just came over from the Old District! Judging by their clothes, they must be upper-crust city dogs!"
A Scavenger covered in rust stumbled into a garbage cave, reporting to the so-called [Boss] up ahead.
"Mm. You go report this up the chain. I'll go take a look at this group myself."
From the shadows, a hacker holding a smart wristguard slowly emerged.