Chapter 30: Homu System: Time to Cash In?

The group leisurely made their way to the Neverwinter Workshop that Gepard had mentioned. Instead of an outdoor concert, they found a group of men and women staring intently through the workshop windows, their faces twisted into infatuated grins.

"Hehe, Lady Serval~" A woman leaned against a window, giggling excitedly.

"Passionate rock 'n' roll! Why hasn't the show started yet today?" Excited men wandered around humming rock tunes, muttering impatiently.

"This is the Neverwinter Workshop, right? Didn't Gepard say there would be an outdoor performance here?" March 7th asked, looking at the workshop in confusion.

"His exact words were 'occasional performances.' You subconsciously blocked out that crucial word 'occasional,'" Danheng pointed out.

"Hey, look over here!" Stelle said, pointing. "I've always been curious about those red-glowing devices. Are they heaters? But shouldn't heaters be inside buildings?"

"Exactly! I've been wondering the same thing," March 7th added, equally puzzled. "Do they really think placing heaters around the city will ward off the Eternal Freeze?"

"I doubt the Architects would be that naive," Stelle replied.

Dan Heng reminded March 7th, "Don't touch them."

"Ugh, but I was so curious!" March 7th exclaimed in frustration.

Just then, Theresa and Dan Heng noticed a stylish woman slowly approaching.

"Ha! You've been chatting about a broken heater for quite a while." The woman had long blonde hair streaked with blue, striking sea-blue eyes, and a rock-and-roll vibe.

Gepard's older sister and Lynx's eldest sibling: Serval.

"Wow, she's so cool!" March 7th exclaimed excitedly, her eyes fixed on Serval.

"A broken heater?" Stelle asked, puzzled.

"Yup, go ahead and touch it—it's ice-cold. I was just about to fix it," Serval replied.

"Oh, right, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Serval, the owner of this Neverwinter Workshop."

"If you find any broken machines, bring them to me, but I can't guarantee I'll be interested in fixing them."

"After all, when it comes to fixing things... I'd much rather play rock music!"

The handsome blonde woman smiled at Stelle, then glanced at the rest of the group: the naively enthusiastic March 7th, the composed yet wary Dan Heng, the bewildered Stelle, and the world's cutest Theresa!

"No, no, we're just curious about the heater!" March 7th exclaimed, her clear, intelligent eyes widening.

"Huh? Curious about a heater? It's just a standard Geomarrow-powered heater—they're everywhere!" Serval asked, looking at them in confusion.

"We're new here, so we're curious about everything," Stelle replied matter-of-factly.

"First time here? Oh, I see. I overheard some Silvermane Guards—the ones with loose lips—mention that the city received some rare visitors and that you even met with Cocolia."

"That must be you, then. I've certainly never seen you around here before."

"What a rare treat! Come on in and have a seat. Let's have a proper chat. I'm quite curious about you all."

Serval sized up the group, nodding excitedly with a wide smile.

She unlocked the door and led them into her Workshop, a space filled with all sorts of mechanical contraptions and antique clocks that ticked and whirred.

With a smile, Serval guided the Nameless Ones, who were gazing around in awe at the Workshop, to a table.

"By the way, what would you like to drink? We have tea, plain water, and coffee."

Serval asked with a smile, her gaze lingering on the adorable Theresa. She'd never seen someone so beautiful and charming, especially dressed in such an extravagant outfit.

"Plain water is fine," Dan Heng replied, still a little wary of coffee.

"Hmm, I think I'll have the same as Dan Heng," March 7th said, echoing his choice.

"I'll just have coffee, please," Theresa blurted out instinctively, her inner otaku surfacing—she'd always preferred caffeinated drinks.

"Me too!" Stelle chimed in cheerfully.

"Alright, just a moment," Serval said with a smile as she bustled about behind the counter. "Finally, some proper customers for my Workshop!"

"Huh? Were there improper ones before?" March 7th asked curiously.

"You wouldn't believe it!" Serval glanced nervously at the crowd outside the window. "Those fanatic fans are a bit scary. Who in their right mind would stand outside staring relentlessly like that? Talk about a caffeine buzz! All I did was play some decent rock 'n' roll..." Serval shuddered, clearly still shaken by her past experiences.

"Ahaha, coffee and plain water coming right up!" Serval laughed as she placed two glasses of plain water and three cups of coffee on the table. She handed the water to March 7th and Dan Heng, oblivious to their earlier expressions of apprehension. What's so scary about normal coffee?

"Here you go! Oh, how rude of me—I forgot to ask my honored guests their names! My apologies!" Serval smiled apologetically as she handed the coffees to Theresa and Stelle.

"Thank you, Sister Serval! I'm Theresa," Theresa said sweetly, accepting the cup and placing it before her.

"My name is Stelle," she said politely, accepting the coffee.

"I'm Dan Heng, Ms. Serval," Dan Heng said to Serval with his usual composure.

"Hello there, Sister Serval! I'm March 7th!" March 7th greeted her with a bright smile. Serval smiled back as she sat down, looking at the group.

"By the way, if you don't mind me asking, what brought you all here?" Serval asked curiously, sipping her coffee.

"Captain Gepard told us there might be an outdoor concert here," Theresa explained, also sipping her bland coffee with a hint of regret. "But it seems we arrived at the wrong time and missed it."

This coffee is a bit weak, she thought.

That's what you get for drinking so much bitter melon juice, the Homu System retorted as usual, teasing Theresa.

Hey, Homu System, can you sell anything here? Theresa suddenly remembered the system's most crucial function and quickly asked.

Absolutely! As long as you have Elation Points, anything is possible! You could even buy Aha's mask! the Homu System exclaimed excitedly, sensing its first big sale coming.

That's right! It needed to achieve 10 million Elation Points to manifest a humanoid form—the first step in its transformation!