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Naturally...
Bochang had no knowledge of the incident's details.
Seele also showed no intention to explain, merely informing him that they were searching for steel plates, bandages, medical alcohol, and painkillers.
Their plan involved visiting the central marketplace in Rivet Town first, then the orphanage, and finally the old laboratory.
Under Seele's guidance,
they arrived at Rivet Town's central marketplace.
Many goods left behind by residents during their hasty evacuation were stored here, creating a diverse assortment of items piled chaotically together.
Due to its location at the heart of Rivet Town, few people ventured here to search for anything.
As a result, most of these goods remained relatively intact.
However, some items had been destroyed by monsters, and certain perishable foods had expired, decayed, or become moldy.
Seeing this, Seele felt genuinely disheartened.
The two then split up within the marketplace to conduct their search.
They quickly found steel plates and bandages. Additionally, Bochang discovered two small carts and backpacks, which would allow him to assist with carrying supplies.
He brought the two carts over to Seele.
"Transfer everything from your backpack onto these," suggested Bochang. "This way, we can carry more."
"Okay." Seele looked up from her search for bandages and steel plates.
Seeing Bochang holding one cart in each hand, with the Vow Spear floating beside him, she was completely taken aback.
"Your spear...it can fly?"
"Yes, it's quite remarkable, isn't it?" Bochang smiled.
Shaking her head, Seele suppressed any further questions, focusing instead on emptying her backpack's contents onto the carts.
It took them over twenty minutes at the central market before they managed to gather enough bandages and steel plates.
In addition...there were small quantities of medical alcohol, painkillers, and other items that seemed useful to Seele.
After all, this was a rare visit to Rivet Town, and currently, there weren't many monsters around. Seele undoubtedly wanted to gather as much as possible, unsure if such an opportunity would arise again in the future.
Just as they prepared to head towards the Orphanage...
Several rift creatures appeared in their vicinity.
The enemies consisted of an Imaginary Weaver, Fire Calamity Phantom, and Everwinter Calamity Phantom—a total of three humanoid monsters.
These creatures spotted Bochang's group first and initiated a surprise attack.
The Imaginary Weaver, capable of flight and ranged attacks, suspended in mid-air, launching the initial assault. With a wave of its hand, a golden fissure instantly spread across the space before it.
From within, a burst of golden Imaginary rays erupted forth.
Their target: Seele, who was leading the way ahead.
As soon as Bochang sensed the enemy's approach and began lifting his hand, Seele set down the cart, gripped their scythe tightly, and charged forward.
With swift precision, they blocked the incoming Imaginary Ray using the scythe.
A loud crash echoed.
The blade of the scythe collided with the golden Imaginary Ray. The clash of forces caused the surrounding air to distort visibly.
After three tense seconds...
The Imaginary Weaver's attack halted momentarily.
Seele stumbled back several steps before regaining balance, feeling a tingling numbness in both hands.
Although the Imaginary Weaver was just an ordinary minor monster, it functioned like a formidable artillery mage. Its attacks were immensely powerful, and since Seele had recently engaged in a fierce battle with Bochang, their strength hadn't fully recovered. Taking such a direct hit naturally led to this challenging situation.
In a typical battle, Seele could have easily evaded the attack. However, while carrying supplies on her small cart...
She couldn't afford to dodge.
If she did, everything they had painstakingly gathered would be lost.
"I'll handle it," Bochang declared without waiting for Seele's response. He forcefully hurled the Vow Spear at the Imaginary Weaver, then raised his hand, aiming at the approaching Fire and Everwinter Disaster Shadows.
The heavily armored Imaginary Weaver, covered with golden shells, had no chance to evade.
A single strike from the Vow Spear instantly killed it, shattering its head completely.
Facing two consecutive Dragon Blasts, the Fire and Everwinter Disaster Shadows attempted to resist using their weapons but were swiftly engulfed by the fiery columns... exploding to their demise.
Witnessing this, Seele's pupils trembled slightly as she began furiously calculating whether she could block the spear throw earlier. She also assessed her chances of dodging the Dragon Blasts.
The result was...
At close range, Dragon Blast was virtually impossible to dodge; only at greater distances did one stand a chance.
As for the javelin, blocking it seemed incredibly difficult.
Evasion appeared to be the best option.
Recalling how Bochang had fought her using only the spear's butt end, Seele instantly realized many things.
"He didn't even use his full strength against me... If he truly wanted to accomplish something, he could have done so easily..."
She gritted her teeth slightly.
Although she had suspected this earlier, witnessing Bochang effortlessly eliminate three monsters solidified her belief. Despite feeling somewhat reluctant, the blue-haired woman composed herself and said calmly, "Not bad. Let's continue on."
With a wave of his hand, Bochang recalled the Vow Spear.
"Alright..." Seele, somewhat numb from these events, gripped her scythe and turned to push her small cart.
The duo resumed their journey.
They encountered no further monsters along the way.
Bochang and Seele safely arrived at the Orphanage.
It stood majestically atop a hill, appearing grand and imposing.
The Trailblaze squad had previously visited this location while clearing rift creatures from Rivet Town.
During that time, they encountered an "Ice Out of Space."
Employing their strategy of overwhelming numbers, they swiftly dealt with the enemy without much difficulty.
After a thorough search,
Bochang and Seele successfully found the alcohol Natasha had stored here.
Now, all that remained was to retrieve painkillers from the old laboratory.
Unfortunately... fate did not align with their hopes.
Along the way, Bochang and Seele eliminated two more groups of rift creatures. Upon reaching the old laboratory after a strenuous journey, they found no trace of the painkillers.
"Empty, empty, everything's empty!" Frustrated, Seele opened each box one by one, "How could all the painkillers Natasha stored here just disappear?"
Bochang examined the subtle machinery marks on the ground, unable to resist murmuring internally, 「Could it be that a certain unnamed Clara has been here before...?」
Bochang recalled the events from yesterday.
When they first met, Clara mentioned she had come to Rivet Town to collect machine components.
However...
It couldn't be ruled out that after seeing the painkillers, Clara might have taken them on impulse.
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: Reveal Clara's actions: "I think... Clara must have taken them. She was here yesterday, and look at these traces on the ground..." - Completion Reward: Within the next 24 hours, you will be plagued by misfortune.]
[Option 2: Stay silent - Completion Reward: Obtain a random item, ranging from a matchstick to a star destroyer. Note: Such items may...]
[Option 3: Employ silver-tongued persuasion: "No worries, if we can't find the painkillers, this can serve as a substitute..." - Completion Reward: Increase Agility by 100%.]