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The outdoor rock concert swiftly began.
Due to Serval's shop being located near the commercial street and her notable reputation, a large crowd quickly gathered. The heavy music beats reverberated, seemingly causing everyone's hearts to pulse along with the rhythm.
Serval had always exuded a striking presence.
Standing on stage, her rockstar aura shone even brighter.
Her fingertips danced across a black guitar taller than herself as she sang and played simultaneously.
With each strum, her fingers oddly emitted rhythmic flashes of purple electricity amidst the strings.
A captivating voice, slightly deep yet melodious, filled the air, drawing the attention of passersby.
As part of the audience, Stelle remarked, "She is using the power of her fate path..."
The machine shop had already closed for the day.
Both Bochang and Stelle found themselves idle, watching the open-air performance.
It must be said... Serval was truly impressive, making listeners eager for one song after another...
Pela drummed earnestly, fully focused.
Lynx diligently played the electronic piano.
Their combined efforts made them the most vibrant act on the street.
Bochang and Stelle watched silently.
Suddenly...
Bochang recalled a similar experience from within Dreamscape—attending concerts and watching movies together...
In those dreams, they were always holding hands.
But here, there was no such closeness.
The rock performance also stirred memories for Stelle, reminding her of the moment when she married Bochang in Dreamscape.
Memories flooded back—their marriage, having children, traveling together, and even the mundane daily tasks like managing household chores.
As these thoughts crossed her mind...
Stelle discreetly glanced at Bochang.
With a shared understanding, Bochang turned to look at Stelle as well.
Their eyes met.
A "Dating Option" suddenly popped up:
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: Take Stelle's hand, gently squeeze it, and say, "What are you thinking about...?" - Completion Reward: Silver Wolf's Sneak Attack. Note: Watch your back!]
[Option 2: Sigh appreciatively and comment, "Serval sings so beautifully; I hope we can listen to more." - Completion Reward: Skill - Spider Sense, passive effect, allows predicting imminent danger.]
[Option 3: Pretend nothing happened - Completion Reward: Skill - Concealment, enables invisibility by entering shadows.]
"Ah, Silver Wolf... Tsk... If she weren't here, we could definitely push things further, couldn't we?"
In this situation, Bochang didn't want to pretend as if nothing happened.
Moreover, the Stealth skill reward seemed quite ordinary, not as useful as the Snake Talisman.
The Spider Sense, capable of foreseeing danger, appeared to be significantly more practical.
"I choose Option Two."
Bochang swiftly made his decision and looked at Stelle, saying, "Serval's singing is truly beautiful; I hope we can listen to her more often."
[Reward being granted—Congratulations! You have obtained the skill, Spider Sense.]
At that moment, Bochang felt as though a switch in his mind had been triggered.
His senses became considerably sharper.
Stelle's heart raced wildly, but she feigned composure, turning her head towards the stage and responding, "Yes."
Her thoughts were swirling tumultuously despite her blank expression, which remained unchanged except for a brief lapse earlier that morning.
Bochang savored this fleeting moment of tranquility, knowing he could only act cautiously with Silver Wolf watching nearby.
"Gepard's sister is performing another concert..."
Between one rock song ending and the next beginning, a passerby stopped, gazing at the stage ahead.
Upon hearing this, Bochang suddenly realized something and asked promptly, "Gepard? Who's that?"
"The young sentinel officer of the Silvermane Guards, Gepard Landau. What? You don't know him?" The citizen looked at Bochang curiously.
The black-haired youth casually responded, "I'm not really interested in such things."
"Kids these days... Not even knowing about the Silvermane Guard's sentinel officers..." The citizen shook his head with a sigh.
To the citizens of Belobog, the Silvermane Guards, responsible for protecting the city's safety, held extremely high status. As one of their sentinel officers, Gepard enjoyed even greater renown.
Shivalee herself was already a rock star in Belobog.
However, when people introduced her, they often unconsciously added "...sister of Gepard Landau."
Bochang pressed further, "Uncle, could you tell me more about Serval? I'm quite curious."
"Serval..." The citizen scrutinized Bochang from head to toe. "Hmm, what's this? Are you interested in pursuing her? Let me warn you... Serval isn't easy to win over. Many have tried and failed; even some of the Silvermane Guards fancy her..."
The talkative middle-aged man, around forty years old and robust, continued unabated until halfway through his spiel when Stelle interrupted.
"No, actually, we're new apprentices at the machine shop. We were just intrigued by the boss's story," explained Bochang hastily.
"Oh...I see. So, she's not your girlfriend then?" The uncle stroked his chin thoughtfully. "My apologies, I spoke out of turn."
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: Place hands on hips confidently and assert, "Yes, she is indeed my girlfriend." - Completion Reward: Sneak Attack of the Silver Wolf. Note: Beware of attacks from behind!]
[Option Two: Do nothing—Completion Reward: Strength increase by 100%.]
This time, there were only two choices.
Without hesitation, Bochang straightforwardly selected Option Two: Do nothing.
[Reward being granted—Congratulations! You have received a strength increase of 100%.]
A warm sensation flowed throughout his body.
Bochang's muscles began tearing and rearranging once again, becoming more compact and powerful.
Stelle also remained silent, leading to an immediate quietness between them.
Taking their silence as tacit confirmation, the middle-aged man continued, "Serval... she used to be a member of the Architects and worked as a researcher for the Silvermane Guards. Later on, something happened—I'm not sure what—and she was expelled from the Architects..."
The man shared quite a lot of information.
After Bochang had asked all he could based on the man's knowledge, he watched him depart.
Stelle whispered, "It seems we've gained some insights today."
"Hm... Compared to Dan Heng, we still have a long way to go. We must continue striving."
Bochang pressed his fingers against his temples.
Just then...
Serval called out, "Bochang, Stelle, come here for a moment."
Hearing their boss's summons, they promptly approached without hesitation, reaching beneath the stage.
Standing on the stage, Serval slightly crouched down, ensuring her somewhat short blue skirt covered the Enigmata area.
Naturally, there was no risk of any wardrobe mishaps occurring.
"Here, take these keys to the machine shop and bring back my toolbox for me."
Curiously, Stelle asked, "What's wrong?"
"The recorder holding the bass guitar track suddenly malfunctioned; I need to fix it. A concert can't go on without the bass." Serval waved her hand dismissively. "Go quickly and return swiftly—I'm in urgent need..."
[Dating Options activated.]
Ah? Again? Seems like a high occurrence rate today.