The scorching sunlight and soft sand—last time he saw a scene like this was when he was building wind power plants in the northwestern desert. This time, however, there was the added scent of sea breeze.
Back in Earth, Ignis had also been to the seaside, but that was to endure the winter and accompany his grandmother. This time, standing beside him was his old battle-brother from the Warhammer universe—Gotthardt Stahlgriff.
Yes, Belobog Heavy Industries had brought him along. The reason submitted to the Public Security Bureau was to conduct corrosion resistance tests against sea wind and seawater. To be honest, for such a short-term test application to be approved, Victoria Housekeeping had most likely done some behind-the-scenes maneuvering.
"Sunshine. Beach." The stone sarcophagus lid of the Dreadnought chassis opened as the old veteran looked at the scenery outside. "When I boarded the fleet of the Great Crusade and left Terra, I once dreamed of scenes like this. Of course, those dreams came from ancient records. You know—Terra no longer has seas."
Some garden worlds still had such scenery, but for this old veteran, he had never had the chance to witness it. Fortunately, the Star Codex brought him to New Eridu, which could be considered fulfilling his retirement wish.
Ignis suddenly thought of that figure at the end of C41 Hollow—2.1 meters tall, strong yet agile, brave to the point of recklessness. Could that also have been a Space Marine? The residual thermal radiation trace showed concentrated heat at the back, resembling the dissipation marks of a power pack.
By the Emperor… was there another battle-brother?
"Why did your face suddenly stiffen?" The Dreadnought crouched down, the one-armed old veteran extending a hand toward him. "I heard you got a girlfriend. Congratulations."
"We haven't officially confirmed the relationship yet." When he said this, the Salamander could only sigh.
"If she agreed to your invitation and joined this kind of friends' gathering, isn't that already a clear sign of her attitude?" The old veteran looked at his junior. "So, could you grab me another can of beer from the cooler?"
Faced with the request of this venerable ancient veteran, Ignis naturally refused nothing. He crouched down and pinched a can of beer out of the ice-filled cooler with two fingers.
"Can you even feel anything when you drink that?"
"Does it matter? With pebble kidneys, I definitely won't feel lung cancer anymore. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying the beach, the sunlight, and the summer atmosphere." Gotthardt took it and crushed the can with a bite, swallowing beer and metal together.
"What matters is the atmosphere, little brother. In those old holovids, if an old man like me appears on the beach, I'm just a slightly higher-grade background prop. Young people laugh and play, while someone like me lies under a parasol, drinking cold beer and dozing off—just there to contrast the vitality of youth."
A canned beer was still far too little for him. After two gulps it was gone, and he crushed the empty can and stuffed it into his mouth to chew.
"So today, my plan is to properly sunbathe here, enjoy the sea breeze, and quietly be my background prop. Oh, and grab me another one."
Szzzt— carbon dioxide gas sprayed out again as golden beer foamed and flowed down the throat of this Terran old veteran.
"Oh, your friends have already changed clothes. Why are you still insisting on wearing that cumbersome getup?" Gotthardt raised the half-empty can and gestured toward the distance.
Ignis lowered his head. He was still wearing that suit, and even the homemade lever-action shotgun was still hanging at his waist. This appearance was completely out of place with the surrounding seaside scenery.
"Go change. That fluffy butler gentleman prepared everything very thoughtfully—even I have a set of beachwear." The old veteran tugged at his floral shirt with his one arm.
Just as he hesitated, someone pounced onto him. Although he had already heard the movement, Ignis did not turn around early to interrupt. After all, this was a vacation—being more relaxed was better.
Billy had also changed into a floral shirt and shorts, wearing flip-flops, his shirt open to reveal the muscle-shaped metal shell beneath. To be honest, the Salamander didn't quite understand—this guy had nothing worth showing off. It was all artificial anyway, so why insist on leaving his chest exposed?
"Why are you so stiff? Hurry up and change." The white-haired robot said, stuffing the bag in his hand into the Salamander's hands. "They carefully picked clothes for everyone's body type. Don't spoil the mood."
"Yeah, yeah, don't be a buzzkill. Since you chose to vacation with us, don't act special." Anton also came over. This man's muscles were robust—he looked even more solid than Billy's artificially manufactured body.
Considering his line of work and the legend of him stopping construction machines single-handedly, the Salamander believed this guy's raw physical strength might not be inferior to that of a Space Marine.
New Eridu was truly terrifying.
"By the way, where are Ben and Wise?" Among the invitees, there were only a few men—not nearly as many as the women.
"With all that fur, summer is torture for Ben every year. Thiren are all like that. Our construction schedules have been adjusted to avoid peak temperatures." Anton smacked his lips. "Now the work area is near Dead End Hollow, with barely any people around, so we just switched to night construction. Back in the city, summer meant splitting the Thiren into groups to rotate rest and work."
"As for Wise, he's watching movies at the manor. Anby and Nekomata are with him." Billy had a cooler on his back besides his clothes. "Hurry up and change. The ladies will be here soon."
It had to be said—Von Lycaon handled things reliably. Even with the Salamander's rare physique in all of Eridu, he managed to get a perfectly fitting set of clothes. There were even extra-large flip-flops. Still, the Salamander didn't like leaving his chest exposed—there were still many black carapace neural interfaces visible on his skin.
"What's that on your back?" After changing clothes, the Salamander grew curious about the box on Billy's back. It looked exactly like the beverage cooler.
"Of course it's barbecue ingredients!" The robot became excited. "Summer and beaches absolutely require open-air barbecue! Under the setting sun, lighting the grill, roasting food, listening to oil drip and sizzle on charcoal—it's summer art! In Starlight Knight movies, this scene appears every summer! It's indispensable!"
The Salamander placed his slings and launcher onto the laid-out mat to prevent sand from getting into the mechanisms and causing malfunctions.
"You're clearly a robot. Why are you so enthusiastic about this?" Ignis was puzzled. "Also, can you really taste food?"
"To be honest, I can't taste much. Even with taste sensors, simulated electrical signals are definitely different from what you experience. But that doesn't stop me from enjoying good food. Maybe I can't fully understand flavor, but I can feel the process of making it—my eyes see it, my ears hear it. Combined, these senses fill in the gaps." Billy pulled a baseball cap from his waist and put it on. "Compared to taste, I care more about the warmth of human life."
The Salamander looked at the robot. He was far too human—perhaps more human than many actual people. In the Cunning Hares, Anby looked like the calmest and most reliable one, but that movie-obsessed lady was actually terrifyingly obsessive. Billy, who looked the most unreliable, was in fact the calmest when things happened.
He was optimistic, full of energy, willing to invest huge time and money into what he loved. Aside from the metal body, Billy was no different from a young man. Right—he even admired human actresses. Judging from the merchandise he collected, that passion was genuine.
"What's wrong? Got sand on my face?" Billy felt uncomfortable under the Salamander's red-eyed stare.
"Nothing. I just think you're interesting. For a robot, you're extremely human." Ignis shrugged.
"Huh? What kind of talk is that? I am human. Don't define me by appearance. As an intelligent construct who passed the Forbidden Fruit Test, I'm a real 'person'." Billy still had some grievances. "Next time, let's go out and have fun together—arcades and stuff. You're always either forging metal or running around. Feels like you never rest properly."
"For us, this kind of life is already a blessing. Man of Iron." Gotthardt interjected. "Compared to earlier times, this is already rest."
"But you look like the most relaxed one, old man."
Koleda almost wasn't recognized after tying her hair into a single ponytail. Without her mask and wearing a one-piece swimsuit, her slender limbs made it hard to imagine she was a CEO who worked manual labor alongside her workers.
"Hah, of course. I'm practically retired. I should enjoy myself." The old veteran felt no embarrassment at all.
"I'm planning to build a huge sandcastle. Old man, interested?"
Koleda wasn't tall—she could pass as a senior elementary student. But as a construction company boss, was she really so obsessed with civil engineering that she couldn't forget her trade even on vacation?
"Of course, but the parts I can move can't touch the sand." There was some regret in the Wrath of Terra's tone. "These big claws are great for demolishing buildings, but useless with fine sand."
As he spoke, the power claw opened and closed a few times. This weapon could rip open tank armor and crush large Ethereals, yet it couldn't grasp flowing sand.
"Then that will be my next research topic." Grace walked over and patted the Dreadnought's front armor. "A fully human-mimicking replaceable mechanical arm—capable of picking up sand grains."
The Steel Witch had finally changed out of her work clothes. Beneath the split swimsuit was the healthy physique of a laborer. Clear muscle lines showed on her limbs and abdomen, paired with a full chest, radiating power. For a construction boss who personally worked on-site, those muscles were genuinely trained.
"Then I'll look forward to it." The old veteran laughed. "Koleda, even if I can't move, I have tricks for building sandcastles. Want to learn?"
"You know how to do that?" Koleda's interest was piqued. "Come on, teach me."
"Your boss is really… youthful at heart." Watching three generations digging sand together, Ignis couldn't help complaining to Anton.
"It's good. Koleda doesn't have to pretend to be mature all the time." Anton looked at the short boss squatting on the ground. "If only my brother were here too."
Wait—just building a sandcastle doesn't require an impact drill, does it?
"Your boss is having fun. Ours is having a headache." Billy poked Anton's shoulder. "Boss Nicole just bought several swimsuits and planned to return them after the holidays."
"Billy!"
The furious shout of the leader of the Cunning Hares startled the robot into jumping.
"Why do you blurt everything out?!"
Even at the beach where she might get wet anytime, Nicole still wore delicate makeup. This lady was always like that—whenever outsiders were present, she appeared fully made up. Wearing a pink bikini matching her hair color, the curvy leader of the Cunning Hares also put on a matching sun-protection jacket.
"I won't do that this time! I made a big profit anyway—it's just a swimsuit!" Nicole swung her hand at Billy's head, but flesh couldn't compete with superalloy. She immediately shook her hand in pain.
"Corin has ointment!"
Corin from Victoria Housekeeping wore a proper maid outfit, making the Salamander feel hot just looking at her in the sunlight. She took out a tube of ointment from her apron pocket and carefully applied it to Nicole's hand.
"When does this end? I really want to swim. It's hot to death." Ellen tugged at her collar without grace. This shark was so overheated her tail drooped limply. "Why do I still have to work on vacation—watching these people relax…"
The resentment of a wage worker was almost materializing into an attack.
"Miss Ellen, it is still work time." Head Maid Rina walked over—this was the first time the Salamander had seen her walk.
Clearly well-trained, this lady was unaffected by the blazing sun. While fully dressed, she maintained elegant posture. Her two Bangboo assistants followed behind, carrying the barbecue grill.
"Put it here!"
"Put it here!"
The two little ones argued noisily as they set the grill down.
"Where is Von Lycaon? After bringing me here, I haven't seen him." Ignis was curious about where the wolf Thiren had gone. With that fur and formal uniform, heatstroke seemed inevitable.
"Mr. Lycaon went to attend a lip-reading training class. He will return in two hours." Rina answered with a perfect maid's smile.
"Weren't you supposed to vacation together?" Nicole turned to look at the three maids of Victoria Housekeeping. "Aren't you changing into swimsuits to join us?"
"After we finish setting up the dinner arrangements, we will participate." Rina nodded.
"Really? I thought the boss tricked me into overtime again!" Hearing she could rest, Ellen instantly perked up. "I'll move the remaining stuff over!"
The shark suddenly gained motivation, moving so fast that she kicked up clouds of sand.
"That child…" Watching Ellen's retreating figure, Rina quickly called Corin. "Little Corin, go watch Miss Ellen. Don't let her break anything."
"Y-Yes!" Corin immediately followed.
It seemed that besides the three watching movies at the manor, only Belle and Jane Doe had yet to appear.
"What are you looking around for? I'm behind you." Jane's voice came with soft laughter.
"I told you he was distracted and didn't notice at all." Belle added.
The giant turned around. Belle was holding Jane's arm as they stood there.
"Well? Do I look good?" Jane Doe released Belle's arm and showed off her figure.
A black bikini paired with Jane Doe's slightly flushed pale skin was extremely alluring. Her violently voluptuous chest even looked barely contained, threatening to spill out. Perhaps because her thighs were too full, she chose a skirted bottom, but that half-concealed style only drew more attention.
"Yeah. You look good." The Salamander nodded stiffly. He couldn't find suitable words. Suddenly he wished he were a Child of Constants—he could've written dozens of poems praising Jane Doe's beauty. Unfortunately, a smith from Nocturne could only bluntly say "looks good."
"That's it?" Jane Doe curved her lips, blinking to prompt him to say more.
"Great figure. Fits you well." Ignis truly ran out of words and shifted his gaze to the ground.
"Heh heh, Sister Jane, I win!" Belle raised her right hand in victory. "I told you he'd only say those two lines!"
"Alright, alright, you win. Next time I'll bring you snacks when I visit your shop." Jane Doe indulged the little shop owner.
"You bet on me?" Ignis was confused.
"Yeah, betting on how you'd praise me." Jane Doe reached out and held Ignis's hand. "But even if it's simple, I'm still happy you said it."
"Ugh, that's so cheesy. I'm leaving." Belle pretended to be grossed out, scratching her arm as she walked away.
"What? A little disappointed I didn't wear that swimsuit?" the Rat Thiren whispered. "It's fine—I brought it. When we're alone, I'll wear it for you."
===BREAK===
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