"Rover, how many have you finished on your end?"
"Two. You?"
"Same. If we work together before the meeting time, we should be able to squeeze out one more."
Today was the day they'd promised to meet the Magistrate, so neither of them had gone out hunting Tacet Discords. Truth be told, Jinzhou didn't have many powerful ones left worth the trip anyway.
Instead, the pair had spent the entire day inside Yangyang's cottage, preparing. Not for the meeting with the Magistrate, but for something further down the road. Something important.
Using their spatial Forte, they'd constructed four massive subspaces.
She'd followed his lead without question, though she still had no idea what they were actually for. This many seemed excessive. Constructing subspaces was no small feat.
But that was fine. When she didn't know something, she asked.
"So what exactly are these for?"
"Heh. Come closer."
"Hm?"
One eyebrow rose, but she leaned in anyway.
Close enough to feel his breath on her ear, she listened to the reason her partner had gone through all this trouble. Then she sucked in a sharp breath. Ruthless.
"From what we've seen, Scar isn't all that impressive in a straight fight. But the reason he's rated Calamity Class is almost certainly because of that broken spatial Forte of his. If you know how to use it, that power's a nightmare. It's devastating in practically any application."
What he'd prepared was a straightforward way to weaponize their own spatial abilities: large-scale kill zones disguised as subspaces. Even she couldn't help but mentally scream that's evil when she heard the plan.
"And this is the tame version. It's wasteful, honestly. Shame there aren't any volcanoes near Jinzhou, otherwise..."
His eyes narrowed. In his previous life, he'd dabbled in plenty of other games. One of them was called Minecraft.
Even a complete beginner could learn a simple, devastatingly effective trap after playing for a short while. Something that could stop nearly any mob in Survival Mode.
The lava trap.
His first idea had been to flood each subspace with molten rock, then teleport enemies inside.
Most things would die before they knew what hit them.
Simple. Direct. Efficient.
She hissed through her teeth. "That's... that's...!"
"Mwahaha... wait, no, we can't laugh like that. We're the good guys. Ahem. Let me try again."
If Scar ever caught wind of this scheme, his eyes would go wide and his pride would crumble. He'd probably beg him to join Fractsidus, lamenting what a waste of talent it was to leave someone like this on the other side.
Once the initial shock wore off, she understood the real reason behind the preparations.
"So you're planning to get involved in the crisis here."
"I am. But you're no different, Rover."
They hadn't been in Jinzhou long, yet both could see the storm gathering over the city. A Threnodian might awaken soon, and when it did, this Civilization would face an existential threat.
"You've forgotten, but Jinzhou has a deeper connection to you than you realize. You've been here before, more than once, and you left pieces of yourself behind each time. That alone means I can't stand by and do nothing. Even if you don't remember any of it, I want to protect what you built. Because someday... you might remember."
He reached over and ruffled her hair.
If she ever got those memories back and found the city she'd helped create reduced to ashes, it would break her heart.
He never wanted to see that look on her face.
So he'd decided to help this city.
In time, it would become something precious to him too.
"...Thank you."
She was quiet for a moment. Then the gold in her eyes softened, and a gentle smile crossed her lips. Her arms looped around his neck, pulling him forward until his face pressed against her chest.
The move had become second nature by now. He closed his eyes and let himself sink into it, breathing her in.
But there were other reasons too. Simpler ones.
"You don't need to thank me. A city this beautiful shouldn't be destroyed by anything."
The food at Panhua's restaurant was wonderful.
The heroic operas at Jinzhou's theater were captivating.
And the people who lived here, who had built this Civilization, were warm and genuine. Even on this frontier, where battle was a constant companion, everyone was doing their best to live.
Yangyang, Chixia, Baizhi, Danjin, Jianxin, Sanhua, Miss Panhua, Uncle Wei, and so many others. Newcomers though they were, the two of them had already woven threads of connection all across this land.
And besides...
This was where their story had begun.
How could they let it end here?
Neither of them thought of what they were doing as anything grand. They'd stumbled into this Civilization, into this story, and happened to arrive when trouble was brewing.
They happened to be able to do something about it.
So...
"It's nothing special. If there's something we can do..."
"...then we'll do it. Simple as that."
They shared a smile, then settled back-to-back and resumed constructing the subspaces they'd soon need.
"Oh, right. Remember to save one. We can't turn all of them into death traps."
"Got it. One for building our house."
"Exactly. So what style do you want?"
"Doesn't matter... as long as you're there, that's enough."
The blue butterfly hovering nearby watched them in silence, then felt something strange.
So sweet!!
She was somehow full without having eaten a thing.
Evening arrived quickly. The two Rovers checked the time, ran a final inspection on the last subspace they'd completed, and rose to leave. Time to keep their promise.
Meanwhile, at Jinzhou City Hall.
"Sanhua, Changli. Is there anything out of place?" Jinhsi studied herself in the mirror with painstaking care, examining everything from her outfit to her hair. Nothing seemed wrong.
She turned to the two women beside her anyway.
Even Sanhua, whose composure rivaled Baizhi's in its stoic blankness, couldn't suppress a wry smile.
"You've asked five times now, my Lady."
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