Picos (mouth open):
"Wow… is this a city or a cake made of colored sugar? I want to bite a corner of that tower!"
Darius (laughing):
"If you did that, you'd break your teeth, Picos. Look at those flying carts… they're moving without horses!"
Nirar (calming the group):
"Stay calm. Crystaliss is the jewel of the North, but its people are cautious. I'll take you to an old friend named Belon. He's a thermal engineer and developer of crystalline engines. If anyone can help us, it's him."
They entered the city through gates of transparent crystal, where the streets were crowded with people wearing shimmering silk robes. They arrived at a strange-looking house with colored smoke rising from it. The door opened to reveal a short man wearing complex magnifying glasses, his hair messy as if he had been struck by electricity.
Belon (shouting joyfully):
"Nirar! You rascal! Have you come to pay your old debts or bring me more headaches?"
Nirar (hugging him):
"I've brought guests from a very distant place, Belon. We need your hospitality."
Belon (looking at Ortinus and his companions):
"Hmmm… strange clothes, strange faces… and the smell of sweat and exhaustion! Come in immediately — the mind cannot work on an empty stomach."
Inside the house, tables moved automatically, placing dishes before them beyond their imagination. There was "Lightning Soup" glowing faintly with light, "Snow Deer" meat steamed with crystalline vapor, and fruits that burst with changing flavors in the mouth.
Picos (devouring food quickly):
"Belon… you're not an engineer, you're a wizard! This meat makes me feel like I've been born again!"
Nikos (wiping his beard):
"Truly, these blessings make one forget the horrors of the road. Thank you, Belon."
Belon (winking at Picos):
"Eat as much as you like, big man. In Crystaliss, food is the first fuel."
Ortinus waited until everyone calmed down, then placed his hand on the table and looked at Belon seriously.
Ortinus:
"Belon, we appreciate your generosity, but we're racing against time. Our vehicles won't survive the coming passages. We need to supply them with a Pure Thermal Core."
Silence suddenly filled the room. The spoon fell from Belon's hand, and his smile completely vanished.
Belon (sharply):
"You're joking, right? Pure Thermal Energy is the lifeblood of Crystaliss. It's monitored by the Crystal Council. Supplying civilian vehicles with it is considered high treason!"
Nirar:
"Belon, we're talking about saving two worlds. Ortinus carries the Feather — this is no longer just an exploration journey."
Belon (standing angrily):
"If I gave you even one gram, my family's name would be erased from the records! Ask for the impossible, ask for my heart — but don't ask for thermal energy."
Romilius (calmly):
"Belon, wisdom says laws are made to protect people, not to suffocate hope. Would you accept these young people dying in the snow because you followed the rigid text of a law?"
Belon (sighing, lowering his voice):
"Listen… I won't give you anything. Officially, I refused. But… there's an old warehouse at the western edge of the city called Sector Zero. They say there are old shipments there that were replaced by newer models, and they're not listed in the current records."
Darius:
"You mean we go and… 'borrow' them without permission?"
Belon (turning away):
"I didn't say anything. I'm going to sleep for an hour now, and I won't see what happens to your vehicles."
Under the cover of darkness, the group sneaked toward Sector Zero. The warehouse was a massive rust-covered structure surrounded by faint energy fields.
Picos (shivering):
"I don't like this. Stealing isn't the way of knights, Ortinus."
Ortinus:
"It's not theft, Picos. It's survival. We'll repay its value someday."
Nirar used a small device to disable the crystalline locks. They entered the main hall, where metal crates emitted a warm humming sound. The place was filled with pipes glowing orange.
Nikos:
"There! Those small cylinders… they're pulsing with heat."
Ortinus stepped closer and reached out to pick up the first thermal cylinder. He could feel its heat piercing through his glove, and the joy of victory began to appear on his face. But suddenly, floodlights from the warehouse ceiling turned on, and a tall, massive shadow appeared at the exit.
A deep, metallic voice:
"Stop right there! I didn't expect hunger to drive you dogs to try stealing the sun of our city!"
Everyone froze. A man stepped out of the shadows wearing shiny black armor, holding a massive hammer crackling with blue electricity. He was not just a guard — he looked like a human killing machine.
Ortinus (whispering, gripping his sword):
"We've walked into a trap…"