After a while.
Administrative District.
Convenience store entrance.
A refined-looking girl was quietly lining up.
The residents in front of her all started panicking.
They hurriedly finished their purchases and quickly fled from the line ahead of Bronya.
Retreating to the back to watch from afar.
What exactly would Bronya, commander of the Silvermane Guards, come to a convenience store to buy?
Finally, Bronya reached the window.
Her eyes were red-rimmed, as if she had just been crying.
"Um… hello, what would you like to buy?"
Bronya clutched her sleeves, head lowered, stammering:
"One pack… of Furongwang."
From a distance, seeing Bronya receive a pack of Furongwang at the convenience store entrance.
Pela, the Silvermane Guard intelligence officer, immediately took off her glasses, wiped them, and put them back on.
"Good grief, am I seeing things? Bronya's buying cigarettes?!"
As Bronya's good friend, Pela quickly hurried over.
Hearing footsteps, Bronya looked up and saw Pela running toward her.
"Pela, why are you running so fast?"
"That's not the point—what's that in your hand?!" Pela pointed at the pack of Furongwang, her expression one of disbelief.
She had thought the distance made her see wrong, but it really was cigarettes.
"It's Furongwang. Haven't you seen it before, Pela?" Bronya said lightly.
"No, I know it's Furongwang. What I mean is—why are you buying Furongwang?!"
Pela's eyes nearly popped out. Bronya had always been the recognized good girl—elegant and proper in her conduct. How could she line up at a convenience store to buy Furongwang?
She… she couldn't have picked up bad habits, could she?!
"Pela." Bronya sighed. "Tell me—what exactly has the lockdown order brought to the Lower District?"
"Huh?"
Pela pulled Bronya aside and asked in confusion: "Why are you, with your status, asking this? If ordinary citizens overheard, what would they think?!"
Bronya tucked the Furongwang into her pocket and sighed: "Just now, I met a reclusive physician. He left the city when he was very young and now plans to return and use his medical skills to benefit everyone."
At this point, Bronya felt extremely distressed:
"Pela, you should understand how hard it is to survive outside the city, right?"
Pela nodded:
"I do. Outside the city is almost completely swallowed by the Rift—full of monsters."
"Yes." Bronya lowered her head in response.
"It was in that kind of environment that a reclusive physician, raised by his master, returned to the city today. He said… he was once a child from the Lower District orphanage and asked me how the Lower District is now—he misses it very much."
Pela: "…"
Bronya: "He also said that as someone from the Lower District, after returning he would definitely repay the Builders properly. When he entered the city gates, he used his superb medical skills to heal a large number of Silvermane Guards' hidden injuries—and charged nothing."
Bronya lowered her head and said softly:
"He also said his master had already passed away in the snowfields. When his master was alive, he loved talking about Furongwang, so he wanted to buy a pack to commemorate his teacher."
Pela suddenly understood:
"Bronya, so that's why you bought cigarettes? I thought you…"
Bronya looked up and blinked:
"Thought I what?"
Pela: "Ahaha, nothing."
Bronya continued melancholically:
"Pela, imagine someone like him asking me how the Lower District is now—can you picture the pressure I felt in my heart at that moment?"
Pela nodded and fell silent involuntarily.
The Lower District had long been abandoned. Only the Geomarrow and supply furnace core conveyor belts were still running. The Silvermane Guards had withdrawn to the Upper District over a decade ago. The situation down there was probably utterly dire.
"Then… Bronya." Pela looked up and said earnestly, "Did you tell him about the Lower District's condition?"
Bronya shook her head and smiled bitterly:
"I didn't dare. As someone from the underground, he still has Belobog's best interests at heart. Yet we… we've long betrayed the Lower District. I don't even know how to face him now."
Pela swallowed hard. She finally understood why Bronya was so anxious.
If it were her, she wouldn't be able to stay calm either.
"Then… let's go together. We can't let such a respectable physician remain in the dark forever. It's our responsibility—we should bear it."
"Yes." Bronya nodded. "Then let's go find him. I hope… when he learns the truth, he won't be too disappointed in us."
…
Administrative District.
Square.
Zeig lay sprawled on the bench, quietly waiting.
Finally, he saw Bronya's figure—now accompanied by a girl with glasses.
"Um, Zeig, the Furongwang you wanted… I bought it."
Bronya handed the Furongwang to Zeig. Zeig accepted it with a big grin and immediately opened the pack.
He offered one to Bronya and one to Pela.
"Thank you both. Here, have one—have one. Don't be shy with me."
Bronya and Pela: "…"
The two looked at each other. Neither wanted to refuse outright, so they each accepted a cigarette and tucked it into their respective pockets.
"Thank you for the kindness." Bronya smiled politely.
"Do you have any plans now? Do you have a place to stay in the Upper District?" Bronya continued asking.
Zeig shook his head and put the Furongwang away in his clothes. "No. I was thinking of staying at the Goethe Hotel, but I did a quick divination—these next few days there'll be trouble there, so I'd rather not."
Pela's eyes widened:
"You can tell fortunes too?!"
Zeig waved his hand:
"Ah, it's nothing worth mentioning, nothing worth mentioning. I know quite a few things—healing people, fighting, running away—I dabble in all of them."
Bronya nodded.
She had originally wanted to tell Zeig about the lockdown order right away, but after thinking it over, she decided to let him adjust for a while—it might make it easier for him to accept.
"Um, could you demonstrate your skills?" Bronya suggested. "Ah, I'm not doubting you—I just want to see if you meet the standard to join the Builders. Perhaps you could get an official position here and have a place to stay."
She continued explaining:
"If possible, I'll recommend you to my mother… uh, the Supreme Guardian. Then your abilities would have a place to shine."
Zeig's eyes immediately lit up.
This was basically offering him an official position—such a great opportunity?
The background he'd made up on the spot seemed to actually be working.
"Of course! Bring it on!"
…
Qlipoth Fort.
Cocolia looked down at Zeig and asked suspiciously:
"A reclusive physician? He single-handedly took on 50 Silvermane Guards, not even breathing hard afterward—and then healed them all after the fight?"
Below, Gepard nodded respectfully:
"Yes, Supreme Guardian. I swear on my honor—the reports from Intelligence Officer Pela and Commander Bronya are true, as I was present myself."
Even Gepard had been shocked by Zeig's terrifying combat prowess.
No wonder—he'd lived outside the city for years. Not only his medical skills, but his fighting ability was extraordinary too.
It made sense he wasn't afraid of Rift creatures.
Zeig stood behind the three, the corners of his mouth curling wildly upward.
He said calmly:
"It was merely a minor trick—not worth mentioning. Supreme Guardian, no need to hold back—want one?"
With that, he pulled out a Furongwang cigarette and offered it to Cocolia.
"!!!" All three were stunned.
…