Chapter 43: Outdoor Performance

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Stelle recalled last night's dream.

For reasons unknown, even her usually calm and composed heart stirred with a hint of shyness.

Although she lacked general social knowledge,

...she did understand basic concepts like marriage and childbirth; otherwise, such stories wouldn't have appeared in her Dreamscape.

Now, every time Stelle saw Bochang, memories from yesterday's Dreamscape resurfaced.

Feeling utterly embarrassed was inevitable.

At that moment...

The gray-haired girl still silently clung to Bochang, while the black-haired youth took a deep breath.

"Um... can you let go now? Stelle, I need to get up and make breakfast."

"Oh... okay."

Realizing this, Stelle sheepishly released her grip.

Bochang immediately got out of bed and turned around. He opened his shirt to inspect it—sure enough, faint handprints were visible on his chest and waist.

"She really has quite the grip..."

Last night,

Bochang had become so immersed in Stelle's Dreamscape that upon waking, he felt extremely drowsy. Even though Stelle's pinching caused pain... he barely registered it, drifting peacefully back to sleep despite the discomfort.

Having slept for only three hours last night, Bochang was currently feeling quite sleep-deprived.

However...

Since he had strengthened his mental energy just yesterday evening, his current mental state was still relatively stable.

The gray-haired girl watched him intently from behind, her mood gradually calming and her complexion returning to normal.

"Was that a dream...or something that actually happened before? Do I already have a child? It can't be possible..."

"Stelle, let's make breakfast together. Come downstairs and I'll teach you," Bochang said as he turned around.

Of course, calling Stelle down with him also served to prevent March 7th from seeing the gray-haired girl sleeping in his room, avoiding any potential complications.

Naive and unaware, Stelle couldn't fathom Bochang's deeper intentions.

"Sure," she agreed readily.

With that, both of them changed their clothes and descended the stairs.

Naturally, Stelle returned to her own room to change, since Bochang didn't have any of her clothing at hand.

Today, everyone was home.

Thus, breakfast needed to accommodate four people.

Bochang and Stelle busied themselves in the kitchen, finishing preparations by slightly past seven o'clock.

The task of waking everyone up was assigned to Bochang.

Meanwhile, Stelle set the prepared meals on the table.

The breakfast was simple: a bowl of congee, one fried egg, and a large meat-filled pancake for each person.

As Bochang entered the living room, he spotted Dan Heng right away.

He had risen very early.

Only March 7th required a wake-up service.

Nodding briefly at Dan Heng, Bochang proceeded upstairs to the pink-haired girl's door and gently knocked.

There was no immediate response.

So, Bochang knocked again.

"Who is it...?" A muffled voice came from inside the room, indicating that March 7th hadn't fully woken up yet. Her words sounded hazy.

Bochang said, "March, it's time to get up and eat."

"Oh... already? I haven't slept enough..."

After this grumble, faint rustling noises emerged from the room, presumably as March 7th started getting dressed.

Bochang thought to himself, I haven't slept enough either... Compared to you, I've gotten even less rest.

Uninterested in waiting there, Bochang headed downstairs.

Bochang descended the stairs.

The three of them took their seats at the dining table, quietly waiting for March 7th to join.

"Ah..."

Soon, the pink-haired girl appeared with a yawn, entering their view.

Dan Heng calmly said, "Hurry up, March. We've been waiting only for you."

"I know..." March 7th plopped down onto her chair. "Dan Heng, since you were busy so late yesterday, did you find anything?"

"The Stellaron is in the hands of the Architects."

Dan Heng, who was about to start eating, paused and chose to answer her question first.

March 7th's eyes widened slightly. "In the hands of the Architects?"

"Yes," Dan Heng nodded.

It was not surprising that Stellaron would fall into the possession of individuals with significant influence.

"What should we do then...?" March 7th furrowed his brows. "If someone within the Architects has been tempted by Stellaron, they become our enemies."

"I plan to gather more information today and see if I can locate either Stellaron itself or its possessor," Dan Heng replied. "Once we know, all we need to do is discreetly retrieve Stellaron without engaging in conflict with the Architects."

With that, Dan Heng picked up his bowl and took a sip of the thin porridge.

March 7th scratched his head.

"Heh heh... Alright then, it's on you, Dan Heng."

Bochang exchanged glances with Stelle, thinking to himself, «Stellaron... It should be in Cocolia's possession. If I could directly reveal this intel, Dan Heng would save a lot of time...»

Would Bochang say too much? Of course not; he was still under the watchful gaze of the Silver Wolf...

They finished breakfast silently, just as before.

Washing dishes was left to March 7th and Stelle, while Dan Heng and Bochang headed to the backyard for half an hour of target practice with their firearms.

By 8:10 am,

the group of four set off separately, rushing towards their respective workplaces.

In Belobog, work hours generally started at nine o'clock.

Even for sanitation workers, it was no different.

There was no requirement to begin work early.

When Stelle and Bochang arrived at the machine shop, there were still about ten minutes before nine... However, Serval had come even earlier, already opening the store's doors before they arrived.

In fact... she had even started repairing machines.

"Bochang, Stelle, hurry up!" Serval waved them over. "Let's fix as many machines as possible this morning. In the afternoon, I'm planning an outdoor rock concert."

Although unclear about the situation,

However...

Bochang and Stelle simply continued their usual work.

As afternoon arrived,

Serval indeed closed up shop. She beckoned Bochang and Stelle to help set up a stage outside the store, preparing for the performance.

There were three participants in total:

Serval, her younger sister Lynx, and Pela.

Serval played the guitar and served as the lead vocalist.

Lynx was on keyboards.

Pela handled the drums.

Naturally, there was no bass guitarist.

But that wasn't a problem.

Serval had pre-recorded bass tracks. As someone who casually enjoyed playing the bass, recording a few bass lines was quite straightforward for her.

All this information...

was casually shared by Serval during lunchtime.

"Nice to see you again, Bochang, Stelle."

While setting up the stage, Pela arrived with a blonde girl accompanying her.

It was immediately clear who she was without needing any introduction.

Bochang and Stelle paused their work and nodded in greeting.

Spotting them, Serval promptly approached and said, "Ah, you're here already—quite early."

"We wanted to help with setting up the stage," explained the blonde girl.

Smiling, Serval turned towards Stelle and Bochang.

"Let me introduce you all. This is my sister, Lynx Landau, who will be playing keyboards for today's performance."

"Lynx, these two are my newly recruited assistants, Bochang and Stelle. Without their help, the rock concert might have been postponed by several days..."

Serval completed the introductions.

Stelle and Bochang greeted Lynx warmly.

"Hello."