The sculpture in the Administrative District's plaza resembled a planetary base forged from steel gears, from which blue crystal pillars grew. Interlocking gear-like planetary rings surrounded it, and even the steel "planet" at its center shared the same design.
"To commemorate the former Guardian, 'Plamya,' who drove away the winter for humanity. It symbolizes humanity's perseverance in surviving against the Eternal Freeze, a testament to the enduring strength of human civilization."
Bronya gazed at the sculpture and spoke softly. From her brief words, one could almost glimpse fragments of those difficult times.
"The first Supreme Guardian built Qlipoth Fort, and later Guardians drove away the winter. To survive in such a harsh environment where the Eternal Freeze and the Fragmentum coexist, it's no surprise that heroes continue to emerge."
Nolan couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
The sound of a camera shutter clicked as Charlotte carefully took several photos of the sculpture. She nodded and said, "Every long-standing civilization has its own shining moments."
As someone from Fontaine, a nation that had also once faced a prophesied crisis, she could empathize with it.
Bronya continued explaining the meaning behind the sculpture. Charlotte listened while taking notes, and Nolan used his terminal to record a video of it.
The entire process took more than ten minutes. Seeing that Nolan and Charlotte were nearly done preparing their materials, Bronya continued:
"Next, I'll take you around the plaza. There are many places here worth introducing."
"Hehe, alright, Miss Bronya, please lead the way." Charlotte nodded enthusiastically, clearly excited to learn so much about the history and culture of another world.
A faint smile appeared on Bronya's fair face. Seeing her culture appreciated by outsiders put her in a good mood as well.
She looked around as if thinking for a moment, then began walking toward the right.
Nolan and Charlotte followed behind her. Before long, they arrived in front of a bookstore located near the edge of the plaza, not far from the sculpture.
Behind the window-style counter stood a young woman wearing a round, brimless soft hat. Her hair appeared gray-green, and she wore half-rim glasses on the bridge of her nose, giving her a refined, intellectual air.
Outside, there was also a customer browsing a book.
This customer was not very tall and seemed quite young. She wore a round velvet cap, with long purple hair spilling out beneath it, appearing to be a young girl.
From behind, one could see she wore a short white-and-blue dress similar in style to the Silvermane Guards. Beneath the skirt, her legs were tightly wrapped in black pantyhose.
Along the back of the stockings ran a seam resembling a measuring scale, accentuating the graceful lines of her legs.
Seeing the visitors approach, the young woman inside the bookstore spoke in surprise:
"Miss Bronya, it's a pleasure to have you here."
Hearing that name, the purple-haired girl outside trembled slightly, then turned around in surprise:
"Lady Bronya, what brings you here?"
As she spoke, she instinctively hid the book behind her back, like an employee caught slacking off by their superior.
"Oh? Pela, are you here to buy books as well?" Bronya asked with a smile.
"Yes, I'm on break today, so I came to take a look," the girl replied. She also wore glasses, round-framed ones. Through the lenses, she seemed a little embarrassed.
Perhaps it was because she had run into her superior during her break and was worried about being misunderstood as slacking off.
"Alright, take your time. I'll pick out a few books as well."
Bronya didn't seem to mind. She nodded, then turned to the young woman inside:
"It's been a while, Fizz. These two are my friends. Please recommend some books that introduce Belobog to them."
After all, Belobog was a large city. It would be difficult to visit every place in a short time.
Moreover, she felt that if one wanted to understand Belobog's culture and customs, starting with books would be much easier.
"Books introducing Belobog… do you mean travel guides?" Fizz adjusted her glasses by the frame and looked at Nolan and Charlotte with a hint of realization.
"Could it be that you two are also visitors from beyond the sky? Two girls with gray and pink hair came here the day before yesterday asking for travel guides as well. It struck me as rather strange.
"After all, everyone in Belobog knows this city inside and out, so there's no need for guides. Later, they said they were from something called the Astral Express, claiming to come from beyond the world… quite unusual things."
"That's right. Those two are my friends," Nolan nodded with a smile.
Recently, the Express crew had indeed been exploring Belobog. The bookstore owner was probably referring to Stelle and March 7th.
"Oh? So you really are from beyond the sky… According to our historical records, Belobog once had contact with the outside world, but due to the Eternal Freeze, that connection was severed.
"I'm quite curious about what books from outside Belobog would be like. Sir, if you come again next time, could you bring me some books from beyond the world?"
Fizz looked at Nolan with anticipation.
When she had met those two girls the other day, she had still been somewhat skeptical. But this time, since these two were with Miss Bronya, the possibility that they truly came from beyond the world was much higher.
As someone who loved reading, she couldn't help but make the request.
"Of course, that's no trouble at all. Actually, I have a personal storage space filled with a large number of books. Just tell me what genres you want, and I can lend you a few right now."
Nolan was naturally willing to help with such a small request.
"That's wonderful! Please lend me books that can broaden my horizons and help me understand the world beyond!" Fizz eagerly stated her request.
"Um… could I borrow some as well? I'd also like to learn more."
The girl named Pela, upon hearing that Nolan and the others were from beyond the world, couldn't help but feel curious too.
"No problem… although…"
Nolan thought that even if he lent them a few books, they would eventually finish reading them. It would be better to give them a Akasha Terminal so they could access the "Akasha Metafield Space" themselves.
After all, once the merchant guild was established, Akasha Terminals would be sold in Belobog anyway. Letting them try it in advance wouldn't be an issue.
After thinking it over, Nolan said:
"I'll give you something. It can access a place called the 'Akasha Metafield Space,' which contains a vast collection of books."
He introduced the "Akasha Metafield Space" and also mentioned that terminals capable of accessing it would later be sold in Belobog. Then he retrieved several from the storage in his pocket realm.
He distributed them to Bronya, Pela, and Fizz. These Akasha Terminals were prototypes created by Nahida and the others to test the feasibility of connecting to the "Akasha Metafield Space."
Bronya looked surprised:
"I get one too?"
"Of course. Since I'm giving them out, I can't leave you out," Nolan said with a smile.
"The 'Akasha Metafield Space' is practically a miracle. Let me show you how to use it."
Charlotte was very enthusiastic about the "Akasha Metafield Space," so she took the initiative to explain.
"Thank you."
Bronya was also quite curious about this "Akasha Metafield Space."
Thus, what had originally been a simple trip to buy books somehow turned into a promotional session for the "Akasha Metafield Space."
Since the Akasha Terminal wasn't difficult to use, and the girls were all young with strong learning abilities, they quickly mastered it under Charlotte's guidance.
Features like remote communication and consciousness synchronization left Bronya and the others utterly astonished. They hadn't expected something so convenient to exist in the world.
Naturally, they expressed their gratitude to Nolan for the gift, and at the same time, their favorability toward him increased:
[Bronya Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You. Obtained 830 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.4 (252/400)]
[Pela Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You. Obtained 830 Affection Points. Current Affection Level Lv.4 (230/400)]
Aside from Bronya and Pela, the female bookstore owner also developed a favorable impression of him. At this moment, Bronya seemed to recall something and stopped fiddling with the Akasha Terminal, turning toward Fizz inside the bookstore:
"Ah, I almost forgot. Do you have any books introducing Belobog?"
"We don't have travel guides, but we do have materials introducing Belobog."
Fizz nodded, then turned and skillfully retrieved a few books from a designated spot inside the store. She returned and placed them on the counter, pushing them toward Nolan and the others.
"Compared to the Akasha Terminal, this may seem a bit modest, but please accept these books as a small token of thanks."
"You're too kind."
Nolan smiled. He understood the importance of reciprocity. Refusing would only make the other party uneasy, so he accepted the gesture.
"In that case… should I also…" Bronya suddenly looked a bit embarrassed, wondering if she should give something in return as well.
"It's alright. Having you as our guide is already the best return, Miss Bronya."
Nolan shook his head.
"Um… then I…"
The girl named Pela seemed a little at a loss. Since everyone else had given something in return, she wondered if she should as well, but she hadn't prepared anything.
"No need to feel awkward." Nolan rubbed his forehead helplessly.
"Alright… then I'll owe you a favor. I'll repay it when I have the chance." Pela adjusted her glasses, still a little embarrassed, then added, "By the way, we still don't know your names. Let's add each other as friends on the 'Akasha Metafield.'"
"Sure."
Nolan and Charlotte had no objections. After adding each other, they introduced themselves properly, marking the beginning of a new friendship.
Before long, Charlotte packed away the books to use later when writing her report. Since they still had more places to visit, they bid farewell to Pela and the bookstore owner, Fizz.
Next, they continued strolling around the Administrative District. By the time it was nearly noon, Bronya even treated Nolan and Charlotte to lunch.
While eating, Nolan noticed some people dressed differently from the others. While most people wore casual clothes or dresses, these individuals were dressed in work attire.
They wore grayish-white tops with suspenders, giving off a simple, hardworking appearance. It was obvious they were engaged in manual labor.
"After more than ten years, I can finally eat food from the Overworld again!" said a middle-aged man who looked somewhat aged.
"It's all because of that—" the young man beside him started to say, but was quickly stopped. The middle-aged man next to him whispered:
"Hey, Ale, we're in the Overworld. Anyway, the blockade's been lifted now. Life will get better from here on."
Though he didn't finish his sentence, it was obvious they were blaming the Supreme Guardian. Fortunately, it was still early, and there weren't many people around.
Otherwise, it might have led to a dispute… Just as Nolan was thinking this, he noticed Bronya across from him clenching her fists, her expression somewhat unpleasant.
"Well… the blockade lasted over a decade. It's only natural for them to hold some resentment toward Cocolia."
Nolan tried to comfort her.
After all, like most of Belobog's citizens, Bronya believed the blockade between the Overworld and Underworld had been due to the worsening frontline situation. To concentrate efforts against the Fragmentum, the Silvermane Guards had been withdrawn, making the blockade a necessary measure.
From what he had learned from Cocolia, the reason for lifting the blockade now was that the Fragmentum's threat had significantly eased, allowing them to resume governance and maintenance of the Underworld.
Nolan understood why Cocolia hadn't immediately admitted her mistakes, even if it was unfair to the Underworld.
For a massive society like Belobog, stability came first. If she openly admitted her wrongdoing too soon, it could plunge the entire city into outrage, making the situation difficult to control.
Once the Underworld and Overworld reestablished contact and people adjusted to the new normal, gradually acknowledging those mistakes would reduce the chances of conflict.
"I understand…" Bronya could somewhat comprehend it, but found it hard to truly empathize, as she didn't fully understand the Underworld's situation. After thinking for a moment, she said to Nolan:
"How about we go to the Underworld this afternoon? It's also part of Belobog. If you're writing a report, it would be better to understand everything more comprehensively."
In truth, she wanted to see the Underworld for herself, to understand why people held such strong resentment toward her mother.
"What do you think, Charlotte?" Nolan turned to the one who would actually make the decision.
"Mm, Miss Bronya is right. We won't be able to cover all of Belobog in a short time anyway. We should write about both the Overworld and the Underworld to make it more complete."
As a professional journalist, Charlotte naturally wanted to explore the Underworld after learning about it.
"Alright, thank you." Bronya nodded.
Soon after, they quickly finished their meal and prepared to head to the Underworld. According to Bronya, the Overworld and Underworld were connected by a rail system.
However, due to years of disrepair and lack of maintenance, it was currently unusable, so they would have to walk most of the way.
Nolan was quite happy with this arrangement. Walking together meant more time to build up Bronya's favorability. However, they still needed to take a short train ride to reach the entrance leading to the Underworld.
The tram in the Administrative District was called the "Ding-Ding." It was quite a cute name. Before long, Nolan and the others boarded one and headed toward the entrance to the Underworld.
(End of Chapter)
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