A while later—
far from Blackwater's lower industrial districts—
the eastern side of the city stood strangely quiet.
Cleaner, too.
The endless machinery, choking smoke, and crowded violence of the lower levels felt distant here beneath layered sky bridges and dim artificial lanterns glowing softly through the drifting evening haze.
A public park stretched between towering steel structures and elevated transit rails.
Artificial trees.
Patches of trimmed grass.
Metal pathways lined with dark iron benches positioned beside glowing water channels where mana-lit currents flowed silently beneath transparent barriers.
Even the air smelled different.
Less smoke.
Less oil.
Less blood hidden beneath the city's endless industrial stench.
People still moved through the district—
returning home after work or wandering through the calmer upper streets beneath the artificial lights.
Well-dressed travelers passed by quietly.
Several wealthy hunters wearing expensive combat coats discussed contracts in low voices while mana-powered vehicles drifted along distant transit lanes overhead.
Compared to the lower city—
it almost felt civilized.
Almost.
Near the edge of the park—
Draven sat silently on one of the iron benches beneath the shadow of a massive steel support arch.
His dark cloak remained completely still.
The hood had been lowered once more.
Beside him—
Aldric leaned back lazily while drinking straight from the bottle in his hand.
For once—
even he wasn't talking much.
Silence stretched between them while the distant sounds of the city echoed softly through the upper district.
A child laughed somewhere nearby.
A transit rail thundered overhead.
Wind stirred faintly through the artificial trees lining the pathways.
Then—
Aldric finally spoke without looking at him.
"…You know."
A brief pause followed.
"This is probably the calmest place we've sat in since entering this city."
Draven didn't answer.
Beneath the hood—
the faint crimson glow in his eyes remained visible.
Controlled.
Compressed.
But still there.
The black cat rested quietly against his shoulder now while its purple eyes observed the passing strangers moving through the park.
Aldric took another drink before muttering,
"Honestly… feels weird."
Another silence followed.
People continued passing nearby without paying them much attention.
Most only glanced once before moving on again.
A cloaked figure in Blackwater wasn't unusual.
Not here.
Not anywhere in this city.
Far away—
near the edge of another pathway partially hidden behind one of the park's enormous steel support pillars—
the blue-haired woman from the Wolf Ear Guild watched silently.
Still following.
Still keeping her distance.
Her saber rested at her side beneath the long dark-blue coat she wore while sharp eyes remained locked onto the pair sitting beneath the archway.
She still hadn't decided whether they were—
monsters…
or something worse.
But one thing had already become painfully clear—
they were dangerous enough that even thinking carelessly around him felt risky.
And somehow—
that only made her more curious.
Aldric suddenly sighed through his nose before speaking again.
"…She's still there, by the way."
No response.
Aldric glanced sideways toward Draven.
"You planning to keep ignoring her until she dies of curiosity?"
Silence answered him once more.
Then quietly—
Aldric smirked faintly.
"Guess she hasn't crossed the line yet, huh."
Silence lingered beneath the massive steel support arch while distant transit rails rumbled overhead.
Aldric rolled the bottle lazily between his fingers before glancing toward the darkening sky hanging above Blackwater.
"…Still not an hour yet."
No response came from beneath the hood.
Only the faint crimson glow hidden within the darkness of the cloak.
The black cat's purple eyes remained half-open now.
Watching.
Waiting.
Nearby—
the blue-haired woman continued observing from behind the steel pillar without daring to move any closer.
Meanwhile—
far across the city—
the suspended sky dock platforms roared with industrial noise and flashing repair arrays.
Sparks rained through drifting smoke while the final repair formations surrounding the ship slowly powered down one after another.
Workers climbed away from the hull.
Floating maintenance platforms retreated into docking positions.
The low hum of the active stabilization arrays finally settled into a smooth and steady rhythm.
The repairs were complete.
The cultist stood near the edge of the dock beside Kaelira and the pilot while all three watched the engineers disconnect the last external mana lines attached to the ship's outer hull.
Kaelira narrowed her eyes slightly.
"…So they actually finished fixing it."
The pilot folded his arms while staring toward the restored stabilizer fins beneath the ship.
"…Looks like it."
Then—
heavy boots clanged across the metal platform nearby.
Borik approached while wiping grease from one thick hand onto an already ruined work apron.
"Alright."
The dwarf jerked a thumb toward the ship behind him.
"We're done."
The pilot immediately reached into his coat and pulled out the payment card.
"Everything's properly fixed?"
Borik stared at him flatly for a moment.
Then aggressively pointed toward the ship behind him.
"The lower stabilizer array's repaired."
"The mana circulation channels are recalibrated."
"The hull fractures are sealed."
"The damaged pressure lines got replaced."
A brief pause followed.
"And the mana ores are loaded too."
The pilot blinked once.
"…Already?"
Borik's eyes twitched slightly.
"Were you not watching?"
Another pause.
"Or are you trying to piss me off before you leave?"
Kaelira snorted quietly beside the cultist.
The pilot immediately lifted both hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright."
Borik shoved his own payment card forward aggressively.
"Then pay up already and get lost."
Another pause.
"Seventy-four gold."
The pilot visibly winced.
"…Damn."
Borik pointed a grease-covered finger directly at him.
"You rammed a damaged ship halfway across Blackwater airspace."
"You're lucky it's only seventy-four."
The pilot muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously close to robbery before tapping his card against the dwarf's.
The transfer arrays flashed softly between them.
Payment Confirmed.
74 Gold Received.
Borik glanced at the confirmation briefly before grunting once.
"…Good."
Then he immediately pointed toward the ship again.
"You've already got departure clearance filed."
The cultist's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That quickly?"
Borik shrugged.
"Money works fast."
Honestly—
fair explanation.
Kaelira turned her gaze toward the endless city skyline stretching beyond the suspended docks.
Smoke drifted beneath layers of steel bridges while distant neon lights flickered endlessly through the industrial haze.
"…So now what?"