"Children, this isn't funny."
Felicity wore a pained expression, looking sorrowfully at the children gathered around her. She took a deep breath as if collecting her emotions:
"When the great bone was boiled into soup, the last glimmer of light in the world went out. If not for Researcher Lauda transforming his broken body into raging flames at the crucial moment, using his elbow to force open the kitchen door, there would be no more light in this world."
"Sister Feli~ story is so fun!"
A little girl sitting beside March 7th, leaning her head against March 7th's shoulder, placed a finger lightly before her lips, her youthful face filled with delight.
"Yeah yeah, it's much more interesting than Sister Pela's stories~"
Another little girl immediately chimed in.
"..."
Pela sat beside Felicity holding a book, her round face nearly turning dark.
After all, as an intelligence officer of the Silvermane Guards, she had little experience with children. Being particularly earnest by nature, she could only seriously prepare and organize important historical knowledge.
Dry and dull historical topics naturally weren't content children would enjoy. Before long, they had latched onto the two older sisters who had just approached them.
As for why Felicity was there telling stories to the children? Simply because their intended destination, the Mechanical Workshop, hadn't opened yet.
"The story was really well told, Sister Feli~"
Pela resolved to get back at Felicity, imitating Felicity's previous high-pitched, cutesy tone while calling out.
She observed Felicity's expression, hoping to find a trace of embarrassment or awkwardness on her face.
Yet to her disappointment, Felicity merely raised an eyebrow slightly, resuming her signature light laugh as she cheerfully responded:
"What's the matter? Little Pela, do you still have questions?"
Caught off guard by the countermove, Pela's expression froze, a bashful blush quietly rising to the young girl's cheeks, even spreading deep into her neck.
"Sister Pela is so childish~"
The little girl leaning against March 7th tilted her head, speaking in a milky, childish voice.
"...I have other important duties to attend to, so I won't chat with you all here anymore."
Pela tried to mask her embarrassment with a calm expression, turning without hesitation and fleeing the scene as if escaping.
She's quite an adorable girl.
Felicity watched Pela's hurried departing figure, shaking her head with a silent chuckle.
She gently clapped her hands, addressing the children:
"Alright, children, the fun storytelling session is about over. You should go back and properly participate in the 'Belobog History Tour' now. Remember to listen well to your Sister Pela."
Though teasing the round-faced girl was amusing, disrupting her work would be her own fault.
"Oka~y"
The children gathered in a circle responded obediently. They weren't bad by nature, just inherently playful, and likely aware that what they had done wasn't quite right.
At Felicity's command, the children dutifully lined up and hurried off in the direction Pela had left.
"I never knew you were good at storytelling."
After the children had all departed, March 7th said, cupping her cheeks.
"This is actually based on a true story."
Felicity didn't dare take credit,
"It's all secret knowledge passed down from my hometown."
As soon as Felicity finished speaking, a clear, melodious mature woman's voice came from behind the group:
"Ha, why is it so lively around here today?"
Turning around, they saw a golden-haired woman wearing rather daring shorts and peculiar attire, with a small pink lightning tattoo visible on her exposed waist.
According to Felicity's understanding... she could be considered part of the non-mainstream crowd?
"Wow, what a cool big sister!"
March 7th didn't pay attention to these details, instinctively offering praise instead.
"Hi, hello."
Stelle greeted politely.
"Hello everyone, what were you talking about? Aside from during performances, it's been ages since I've seen this much activity outside my house... Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Serval, the owner of this mechanics workshop."
"We heard there would be a performance at the mechanics workshop, so we came to check it out!"
March 7th happily raised her hand.
"Performance? Oh, performances here only happen occasionally, didn't you know?"
Serval showed a puzzled expression. Belobog wasn't that big - even if they came because of its reputation, they shouldn't be unaware of something so basic.
"We're new here, so we're not very familiar with these things."
March 7th scratched her head somewhat sheepishly.
Dan Heng lowered his eyes, trying to conceal the flickering exasperation and helplessness in them.
"New here? Oh..."
Serval thought for a moment, then showed a look of realization. She revealed a gentle smile and warmly approached them,
"I see! I heard from a loose-lipped Silvermane Guard that several 'outsiders' met with Cocolia - that must be you guys, right?"
A loose-lipped Silvermane Guard?
Felicity became intrigued. Was the Silvermane Guard's discipline really this poor, that even random people had heard about the "outsiders"?
Although they hadn't hidden their identities, they hadn't been so brazen as to announce it to the world either, right?
Something wasn't right, very not right.
Felicity didn't voice her thoughts, just looked at Serval with some curiosity.
"What rare guests! Come, come, whatever it is, come inside and have a proper chat. My place is quite spacious~"
Serval's tone was cheerful, like a child who had discovered a new toy. After speaking, she directly pushed open the mechanics workshop door, then waved toward the group.
"Yay!"
March 7th happily followed Serval into the mechanics workshop.
"Yay!"
Stelle imitated March 7th and also entered the mechanics workshop.
Dan Heng: "..."
He sighed somewhat helplessly and followed them into the mechanics workshop.
Felicity thought for a moment, feeling she should be a bit more sociable, so she also cheered:
"Yay..."
But her words suddenly halted as Bronya's voice abruptly sounded from behind her.
"Lady Felicity!"
The voice carried a hint of delight along with some hesitation. Felicity turned around to see Bronya standing right behind her.
Bronya was almost certain of Felicity's identity.
Felicity had said they would meet when she obtained the answer. Sure enough, just after Bronya left Cocolia's office, she encountered Felicity.
Such seemingly prophetic ability led Bronya to conclude that no such existence could be found in Belobog.
However, her mother had labeled Felicity as "the Deceiver," warning her not to trust only what she saw.
Bronya couldn't help but wonder whether she should continue trusting her mother as always.
Her reason warned her that she should trust her mother, whom she had lived with day and night, over a stranger she had just met.
But another voice screamed within her heart.
It was time she learned to see the truth for herself.