"Welcome to the Ebkroid Estate. Please rest assured, no one will be harmed here... No one will be harmed here..."
At the main gate of the luxurious mansion, a gentle, female electronic voice repeated this phrase endlessly.
Jack walked up to the gate, opened the communicator panel beside it, and hailed the people inside.
"Hey, hey, it's Jack from [Phantom Light]. Open up for me."
Jack spoke into the communicator with a familiar air.
"Damn it! You lug, you here to peddle that heretical ginger beer of yours again? Get in!"
The person on the other end was clearly on good terms with Jack. They let out a curse before opening the gate for him.
"What are you talking about! Ginger beer is a divine delicacy, you hear me! You and your mechanical tongue!"
Jack laughed and cursed back at the person on the comms before beckoning for the trio to enter the lavish estate.
---o---
The moment they stepped inside, a feeling of openness washed over them. In stark contrast to the barren landscape visible from outside the walls, the courtyard within was bursting with life. The vegetation was meticulously manicured, clearly tended to by a professional on a regular basis. The fresh scent of cut grass wafted from a nearby lawn, and a lawnmower sitting to the side indicated it had just been trimmed.
Several tents bearing the insignia of the Punklorde Police Department were set up in the courtyard. As they drew closer, the sharp smell of disinfectant became noticeable; this was likely the temporary base for the Old District's police force.
In front of one of the tents, a grey-haired girl was holding a tray of what appeared to be "cookies," smiling sweetly at a middle-aged man in a Punklorde police uniform. However, judging by the pained look on the man's face, he did not seem to think the objects qualified as "cookies."
Noticing Jack and Wende's group, the middle-aged officer looked as if he had been granted a pardon. He rushed toward Jack with open arms, putting on a show of great enthusiasm.
"Oh! If it isn't my best friend, Jack! Did you bring my favorite ginger beer this time? I've been dying for a taste since we last met! Oh, I swear it's true! Don't look at me like that!"
Seeing the police officer's desperate plea for rescue, Jack showed him no mercy, immediately flipping him the middle finger.
"Get lost, Knight. Don't you play the dumb old popsicle with me. You won't even dare to eat the cookies made by our lovely Miss Meryl's own hands. What kind of cop are you!"
With a mocking sneer, Jack ducked under the man's embrace. Then, with a smug grin, he walked over to the girl named Meryl. To her surprised expression, he picked up a "cookie," popped it into his mouth, and began chewing with loud, crunching sounds before forcing it down with a great swallow.
"Mm! Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the treat, Miss Meryl. I think you should just kick this old popsicle out. He was probably frozen in a machine for a dozen years and got frostbite on his taste buds!"
"F... Go to hell, Jack. Have some respect for your senior. And you, you tasteless brute, otherwise you wouldn't be able to stomach that ginger beer stuff."
The officer, Knight, shot a helpless glance at Jack, who was still chomping away on the "cookies" in front of Meryl. He'd find out the consequences later when he went to the bathroom!
Ignoring the big lug, Knight straightened his uniform and extended a hand to Wende in a formal manner.
"Hello, I'm Knight. A man from two hundred years ago. Just got thawed out of the freezer this year, and not long after taking up the post, this whole mess happened... Sorry, I'm just rambling. That oaf over there told me you're from the legendary Astral Express. What can I do for you?"
"Hello, I'm Wende, logistics officer and physician for the Astral Express. These two are also [Nameless] from the Express. We've come this time with the Corporation to resolve the Stellaron problem on Punklorde."
Wende gave a concise introduction of himself and stated the purpose of their visit.
"Oh? You came with the Corporation? Then where are the Corporation's people?"
Hearing the word "Corporation," Knight paused for a moment before asking Wende.
"We split into two teams to investigate the current situation on Punklorde. The Special Operative from the Corporation is with the other team. If nothing goes wrong, they should be arriving in the New District soon."
"Is that so..."
Knight stroked his chin thoughtfully, giving Wende a deep look, as if trying to commit his face to memory. Wende maintained his affable demeanor, a faint smile on his lips.
"Follow me."
Knight turned and walked toward the tent behind him. As he passed Jack, he couldn't resist aiming a kick at his rear, which the slippery-as-an-eel Jack easily dodged.
"..."
The girl named Meryl stared silently at Wende, her purple eyes filled with curiosity.
"Hehe, it seems the young lady is quite curious about you, Benefactor," "Tingyun," standing behind Wende, naturally noticed this and teased him while covering her mouth.
"What a pity..." Jingliu glanced at the girl, then shook her head with a hint of regret.
"???"
Wende looked back at the two women behind him in bewilderment. What were they doing? Were they really going to put on a whole opera for him right here and now?
---o---
Inside the tent, old Knight brought out stools for them to sit on, while he himself placed a bottle of beer on the table.
"You want to go to the Legendary Tower, is that right?" old Knight asked, getting straight to the point without beating around the bush.
"That's right." Wende rested his arms on the table and nodded.
"Heh... then you're in for a world of trouble."
Old Knight silently shook his head, then twisted the cap off the beer bottle and took a long, hard swig. He smacked his lips with a grave expression, then roared at the tent entrance.
"JACK, YOU SON OF A BITCH! YOU DARED TO SWAP OUT MY BEER!"
"Easy there, old popsicle! Little Meryl's still here! She's just a kid!"
"You son of a..."
Knight started to curse again, but the thought of Meryl made him forcibly swallow the words that had already reached his throat.
"Sigh, forget it, I'm not drinking. I'll be blunt. Your plan to go to the Legendary Tower is, as of right now, impossible."
Placing the swapped-out bottle of ginger beer on the ground, old Knight looked at Wende with a solemn expression.
"That place is now a death zone, in the most literal sense of the word. If you go in there, you won't be coming out!"