Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

"Where did you guys spend the night?"

Kiana looked at the three people in front of her with curiosity.

Bronya Rand and Seele exchanged a glance, and then Seele explained.

“Natasha’s medical resources are running low, so we went to Willow Town last night to get supplies.”

“Listen to me, listen to me, Bronya and Seele came from the same orphanage.”

Xing said, his face beaming with excitement, showing no signs of having just stayed up all night.

"And after spending time together last night, their relationship has become so close that they don't even have room for me anymore!"

"Oh?"

Bronya looked at the two people in front of her, whose expressions were slightly awkward, and her eyes revealed a hint of mockery.

"It seems that we are even more similar now."

"Anyway, let's put aside what happened between Seele and me for now. Let's think about how to get in touch with Schwarz!" Bronya Rand said.

"I don't think there's a rush. The important thing now is for the three of you to rest and recharge before we discuss things further."

Danheng's suggestion was approved by everyone present. Bronya Rand knew that it would be pointless to argue further, so she simply followed Xing inside to rest.

"So, while they're resting, let's start discussing our next steps in March."

"Oh no! How could this happen! I wanted to go back and rest!"

"Stop complaining. The original plan was to discuss specific strategies after we woke up, but things changed. Who knew that Xing and Bronya would go to help Seele last night?"

"Time is of the essence. We must first discuss our next steps. After all, even Earthfire doesn't know much about Swaro. It's best to be cautious when dealing with such a being."

"But you just said there was no rush!"

"... "

“March, you should know that Danheng just meant to let Xing and the others rest in peace, but the reality is that we probably don’t have that much time to relax,” the captain said.

"Alright, alright, I was just complaining a little, I can still tell the details."

And so, time passed unnoticed, and it was already afternoon.

Xing, having had a good night's sleep, stretched and went to the restaurant of the Goethe Hotel, where she saw a group of people already sitting there enjoying their meal.

On March 7th, upon noticing Xing's arrival, he stood up and waved, signaling Xing to come over quickly.

"You're finally awake. This is the lunch we left for you. Eat it while it's hot, or it will get cold."

"Thank you, March."

After saying that, Xing began to devour the food in front of her.

Bronya Rand, who had woken up slightly earlier than Xing, stared at Xing in disbelief, dropping the food she was holding back onto the plate.

"Has she always eaten like this?"

"You'll get used to it. After all, there's always Kiana, the big eater, around. If you don't eat faster, you'll probably only be able to finish the plate."

Bronya teased, and upon hearing this, Bronya Rand subconsciously nodded, recalling the scene of her first encounter with Kiana.

“Bronya!” Kiana retorted, puffing out her cheeks. “I do eat a little more than usual, but not so much that I have to steal your food! It’s not as exaggerated as you’re making it out to be!”

And so, a delightful lunch came to an end.

They then met up with Seele and prepared to go to Swallow's location.

However, there was another person beside Seele, and Kiana and the others were also very familiar with that person.

“Sambo? What are you doing here?” March 7 asked.

"Hey! I heard you guys were going to see Schwarzro, right? I know that place well, I guarantee I'll get you a smooth ride to meet the big boss Schwarzro!"

“Sambo is right,” Seele said.

"The mechanical settlement where Schwarz is located is one of the few safe places in the Lower Zone, and we Earthfire know very little about that place because of Schwarz."

"Therefore, we need someone like Sambo, who frequently travels between the two places, to lead the way."

"Yes, yes! I, Old Sambo, am that reliable, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to do business in the Mechanical Settlement."

"Come on! Haven't you done enough swindling and cheating over there? If it weren't for the fact that they were all small-time operations, those homeless people wouldn't have bothered with you. Otherwise, would you still be standing here, full of energy?"

“Miss Seele, you can’t just say things like that! How could I, Sambo, do such despicable things as cheating and swindling! Those were all consensual transactions! They gave me money, and I gave them what they wanted, it’s just that there were some discrepancies at the end!”

"Alright! I don't want to listen to your babbling. Just lead the way, or you'll regret it!"

Faced with Seele's aggressive aura, Sambo wanted to fight back, but considering the difference in strength between the two sides, he silently gave up the idea.

“Miss Seele,” Danheng stepped forward and said, “There are some things I think we should discuss on the way, concerning our upcoming confrontation with Schwarz and our subsequent plans.”

"What's there to talk about? If you ask me, we should just go up there and fight it out."

"Although I really want to do it, I'll pass. After all, I just promised Clara last night that I would have a good talk with Swallow."

"Clara is...?" Danheng asked.

"It's the little girl in the red dress that you saw in the mining area yesterday."

"It is said that she was a child picked up and raised by Schwarzlo. Yesterday, didn't the homeless man have a conflict with the miners? Although Schwarzlo simply and brutally drove both sides out, many of them were injured."

“The miners are doing alright, with Natasha helping to look after them, but the homeless are not so lucky. Without medical supplies, they have to tough it out on their own.”

"But they met Clara, who couldn't bear to see the injured homeless people suffering there, so last night she secretly went to Willow Town to find medical supplies without Schwarzlo's knowledge."

"Fortunately, we found her later in the orphanage's medical supplies storage area. After a brief chat with her, we found that she was really innocent and kind, so I promised her that I would not easily resort to violence to solve the problem today."

"We also hope to resolve the issue peacefully, after all, there is no life-or-death conflict between us and Schwarzro."

Gradually, the surrounding environment began to get cold, and snow began to accumulate on the road.

"But, as the boss said, Schwarzlo only accepts his rigid calculations, so I'm afraid your negotiations won't go smoothly."

"In any case, finding the location of the star core is essential. If Schwarz is indeed a robot that has existed since ancient times, then he must have relevant information on him."

"Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, everyone. We've arrived."

This is a campsite where homeless people gather, with tents scattered all around, and people and robots making up the campsite.

Deep within the camp, a tightly closed gate came into view, guarded by a robot.

"It seems they don't welcome us," Sangbo said.

"Haven't you been here many times? Hurry up and tell the people inside to open this door."

"Miss Seele, don't be anxious. It's true that I often do business here, but I only do business on the outer perimeter! There's no need to make trouble for this gate."

"Then tell me what we should do now?"

"Behind this gate lies the real mechanical settlement, while outside is a camp spontaneously built by the wanderers in the hope that Schwarzro will protect them."

"Opening this door is quite simple. You just need to pass the three tests located in this outer camp to obtain the corresponding keys. Once you collect all the keys, you can open this door."

"Why do I have to go through a checkpoint just to open a door?" Xing complained.

"These are the rules here, and there's nothing we can do about it. It's also a necessary step to join the mechanical settlement. Don't be fooled by the many automated machine soldiers patrolling here now; their main purpose is to prevent non-settlement members from sneaking in, and protecting their safety is just a side benefit."

"This sounds like a lot of trouble. Bronya, do you think you could just open this door directly?" Kiana asked, scratching her head.

"It's possible, but don't you think skipping a stage is a bad thing? Besides, we hope to resolve the issue peacefully with Swallow and follow the rules he sets so that the other side can lower their guard as much as possible. You don't want to start a fight before you even begin negotiating, do you?"

"In reality, there's no such thing as skipping levels, but you're right, we hope to resolve this peacefully, and it would be better to follow the other party's rules."

And so, the group began their adventure.

During this time, Kiana discovered that many of the automatons had very intelligent AI, and some of them even had the potential to develop a little bit of self-awareness.

The insults and sarcastic remarks were absolutely precise.

It's hard to imagine that a robot could be made by a planet that was invaded seven hundred years ago, isolated by its star core, and whose technology had regressed.

Fortunately, the ordeal was over and everyone successfully completed the test, obtaining the three keys to open the door.

Upon opening the door, everyone saw a girl in red with silver hair, barefoot, chatting with a robot. Based on Seele and Bronya Rand's explanation, everyone learned the type of robot.

Automatic machine soldier? Beetle, that's its identification type.

The robot that previously berated everyone who gave the wrong answer also belongs to this type.

The group approached the girl with a mixture of curiosity and curiosity.

"Clara knows, but many mechs in the camp have damaged parts, and Clara wants to help repair them."

“I know, but it’s too dangerous for Clara to go out alone. You should at least take one or two mechs with you to protect your safety.”

"But wouldn't that cause trouble for everyone again? What if they cause damage while protecting me? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose?"

“In that case, let us help you find it,” Seele said.

"Ah! It's Seele! And two Bronya... sisters?"

“Hello, are you Clara? I’ve heard about you from Seele, and just like Seele said, you’re a good girl. As for me, just call me Zaychek,” Bronya said.

“Okay, Sister Zaychek.”

Hearing Clara's soft, sweet voice, Bronya's heart began to melt, and for a moment she couldn't help but think of Seele, who was far away on Earth.

Bronya instinctively placed her hand on Clara's head and gently stroked it.

"Can you tell my sister what happened?"

Clara felt the comfortable touch on her head, her eyes slightly closed, and her cheeks began to blush unconsciously.

"Because the rift has expanded considerably during this period, the defensive pressure on the settlement has increased dramatically. Many automatons have suffered parts damage. Clara wanted to help, but Mr. Jarvis didn't want me to go out alone."

As she spoke, Clara's tone began to wane.

"Mr. Jarvis is...?"

"He's the beetle soldier who works for Clara. He's the butler that Mr. Schwarz assigned to me, and he's in charge of taking care of my daily life."

(I really can't remember the name, so let's just leave it at that.)

"As Clara said, as her housekeeper, I cannot ignore any possibility that could endanger Clara."

Jarvis, who was standing nearby, said.

“However, if Seele of the Earthfire is willing to help, I agree that Clara does not need to bring any other automatons, but in return, I must be present. Although the Earthfire organization and the Mechanical Settlement do not have a direct conflict, the possibility that the Earthfire kidnapped Clara to threaten Swallow is not zero. With me present, at least we can create an opportunity for Clara to escape.”

"I'd say you're being a bit arrogant, aren't you? I could tear an automaton like you to shreds in seconds. If the Earthfire Organization really wanted to kidnap Clara to threaten Swallow, you'd already be a pile of scrap metal on the ground!"

"... "

"Everyone, please don't fight! Mr. Jarvis is just worried about my safety. You were there last night, Mr. Jarvis, so you know that Seele wouldn't do that."

"...Logic, Clara is right. Then I'll trust you all for now. Clara wants to go to the mechanical graveyard below, which is the final resting place for us automatons. There should still be many usable parts there, but there are also some crazed comrades. Please be careful and protect Clara."

"So you just need to go down and find usable parts, right? What exactly are those?"

"Clara will help you with the specifics. Please follow me."

Jarvis then led everyone to an elevator.

"Just take this elevator to the lower level, and Clara will lead you to the parts we need. I still have to deal with those damaged automatons, so I won't go down with you. Seele of the Earthfire Organization, I only trust you because of Clara's words, and I hope you won't let Clara down."

After saying that, he left the scene without looking back, and the group took the elevator to the place known as the mechanical graveyard.