Xingtie, started with a guitar, and made a living by singing

After all, what she saw the most was actually the complete written report prepared for her by intelligence officer Pera.

This is the first time I’ve personally gone around asking around like this!

The proprietress also came over and was in a good mood to chat, speaking enthusiastically.

"Yes, our family was one of the most powerful at the time—the current Landau family, have you heard of it? I guess we were about the same as his family is now!"

"I do know one of them. He currently serves as a Silver Mane Iron Guard garrison officer, constantly fighting on the front lines and living up to the name of Langdao."

Mentioning these familiar things, the confident and dazzling Bronya of the past returns.

"Hahaha! Well, now you know someone from our Goethe family. Even if they can't compare to the Great Guardian, they are only slightly inferior to him."

Unlike other people in the lower district, the proprietress did not seem to have such a deep prejudice against the Great Guardian, and she was even in the mood to continue explaining to her.

"It's a pity that a few prodigal sons emerged from our family and squandered all our wealth. Fortunately, someone later worked hard to revive the family business and opened a large hotel in the lower-class area.

As our hotel business grew, someone wanted to expand into the upper-class district. Unexpectedly, Goethe was a capable man, and he even managed to secure a shop in the most luxurious area of ​​the administrative district! So, that's how the "Goethe Hotel" in the upper-class district came about.

"I see."

Bronya suddenly realized this.

"However, our family was also divided because of this, becoming two branches in the upper and lower districts."

When talking about this, the proprietress seemed a little melancholy.

"Then do you know that old Mr. Goethe in the upper class district? What's his personality like? I mean... When I go to perform there later, should I bring him some gifts and put on a good show?"

Wendy also interrupted at the right time.

"Of course I know him! Even though I just mentioned the separation, our two branches still interact frequently. In the past, we would hold family gatherings on festivals like the Sunrise Festival."

The proprietress, Godi, recalled and said.

"As for that old Goethe you mentioned... he's a very nice guy. Just treat him normally and don't be too formal. After all, in terms of seniority, he and I are actually of the same generation! Hahaha!"

“Huh? You’re so…”

Bronya was a little surprised. Although the proprietress in front of her was not very young, she was definitely not an old lady and still had some charm.

But she had met the old Goethe in the upper class area several times, and he was indeed a white-haired old man as his name suggested.

Even if he looks old, isn't that too exaggerated?

Perhaps knowing what she hadn't finished saying subconsciously, the proprietress Godi smiled ambiguously.

“A lot of people have said this, but there are always some things in life that need to be preserved, right?

Do you need me to teach you some skincare tips, little girl? I can see you have a good base, but you're just covering it up for some reason, right?

Although your technique in this regard is quite standard, it is actually a bit outdated."

Chapter 30 No Need to Rush

After Bronya was pulled by Godet and taught many skills, she returned to Wendy in a daze.

At this moment, he was holding a spoon, looking at the meal in front of him with a troubled look on his face.

A bowl of sticky, almost unrecognizable soup; a murky jelly filled with chunks of unknown creature's flesh; and a large bowl of fried rice that exuded an unsettling smell.

Rather than being a satisfying meal, it felt more like a "prize" for some kind of punishment game.

"It's a food that even I can't handle. Hmm... This is going to be difficult."

To be fair, he absolutely did not want to waste food, especially in the lower class areas where supplies were scarce, and any waste was shameful.

But, how should I put it...

Even though Wendy knew that food should not be judged solely by appearance and needed to be tasted before evaluation, this food that looked nothing like delicious was really not something she wanted to eat.

"Uh, what did you order?"

Bronya was also stunned.

Even Wendy, who often travels to the lower area and has a certain resistance to the food here, behaves like this, not to mention Bronya, an heir who has been raised with the highest treatment since childhood.

In her memory, even the most unpalatable military rations on the front lines probably didn't have such a disgusting appearance.

"This one seems to be called mixed vegetable soup, and that one is rat jelly. As for this...it's not listed on the sign, it's just fried rice."

Wendy nodded her cheek in confusion.

"Because the owner of Goldie's said she wanted to try some new dishes and asked someone to review them, I didn't order the dishes I usually order."

"Is that so? Boss Godi is indeed very innovative..."

Bronya swallowed her saliva, but didn't intend to dwell on it. Instead, she took out the relatively clean spoon and thought about where to start.

When it comes to food, she naturally wants to avoid waste and will never refuse to eat something just because it looks ugly. She is not that pampered.

"Ah, leave these to me. It's not good to let you try something so difficult on your first visit. If I scare you, it might make you not want to take care of Mrs. Goldie's business in the future."

Wendy quickly dissuaded him.

He even took a mouthful of fried rice and put it into his mouth. The strange taste that kept spreading in his mouth made his expression change constantly for a while.

But in the end, he had to swallow it with difficulty along with the vegetable soup.

"Alas--"

Seeing him let out a long sigh, as if he had fought a tough battle, Bronya inexplicably wanted to laugh.

Even though she knew it was wrong to do so, she just couldn't control her "secretly delighted" mood.

Of course, Wendy didn't just focus on eating herself, but pushed the menu in front of her and made a suggestion.

"Oh, right. Here's the menu. If you want some authentic Lower District cuisine, I recommend the fried rock crab and the braised newt meat in a tin."

Although Wendy also wanted to recommend some lighter dishes or foods that suit women's tastes, unfortunately, the Goethe Hotel was limited by the ingredients and did not support as rich dishes as the upper-class area.

There are only a few dishes that are edible, or that make people more appetizing.

After thinking for a while, Bronya decided not to "compete for food" with Wendy.

Although she didn't mind such things, what if Wendy thought her relationship with him wasn't that good and she was just being overly sentimental? If she was still disliked then...

Just thinking about that possibility makes me so embarrassed that I want to escape back to the upper area immediately.

After ordering the two dishes as Wendy recommended, the former, as a classic luxury dish, had actually appeared in banquets in the upper-class area. However, it was not fried to look like a golden stone crab, but was served cold with the chef carefully removing the meat pieces and arranging them on a plate.

As for the latter, although it is not clear whether this iron can was removed from some abandoned machine, it is at least washed very clean, and the edges are also wrapped with a layer of bread crust, which not only avoids the possibility of being burned, but also tastes unexpectedly good when paired with the soft and tender cave salamander meat?

The two did not talk much during the meal. Due to her education, Bronya did not have the habit of chatting. She just maintained an elegant and steady eating speed.

As for Wendy, although he wanted to say that the food was delicious, when he actually ate these headache-inducing foods, it might be better to describe it as "painful and joyful".

By the time he finished his meal, he was already bloated and looked like a glutton.

On the contrary, Bronya was more like a resident of the lower class and was extremely adaptable to this delicious meal.

At this moment, she was wiping the corners of her mouth gracefully, with graceful and beautiful movements.

This incongruous combination naturally stood out in the hotel, but Wendy had always had a good reputation, so everyone was not surprised to see such an outstanding girl around him. They just looked after the two of them with kind eyes.

At this time, the owner of Godi's restaurant also came to ask Wendy for her food review. After telling her the truth, especially emphasizing that she should change the name of the rat meat jelly, Wendy also asked her about the business.

"...Sisters living in the Rift?"

The proprietress Godi put away the food review booklet, the edges of which were stained with oil due to the smoke, and showed a thoughtful expression.

"If it were earlier, when Rivet Town was breached, there might still be people living there. But now, it's impossible for anyone to live there. Everyone has either moved to Rock Town or dispersed into wandering families.

The best you can do is join the mechanical settlement that was established in recent years. Besides that, there's no other way, right?"

"Does that mean that Boss Goldie also has no recollection of this incident?"

Bronya asked hurriedly.

Perhaps realizing that this matter was very important to her, Mrs. Godi frowned and thought for a long time before shaking her head.

"I'm sorry. I haven't heard of such a thing. After all, the town was taken over by monsters, and the impact was so great that many people never returned. It's possible that there are indeed some lost people there."

As this was being said, several other diners echoed the sentiment.

"Yes. That's not a place where ordinary people can survive. Unless you're desperate, who would dare to settle down in the Rift?"

"Also, if I remember correctly, that place seems to be frequented by gold diggers. If I really live there, aren't you afraid that one day I'll come back and find all my wealth has been emptied out?"

"The only advantage is that it's close to Rivet Town, so it's quicker to scavenge and sell some items to the mechanical settlement, but you have to be alive to do that."

As they talked, everyone shifted the focus of the discussion to the large organization of the Mechanical Settlement.

"Speaking of which, it seems the Mechanical Settlement has developed something incredible recently."

"What is it?"

"I'm not sure, but I heard it can directly control the surrounding temperature to a level suitable for the human body."

"Isn't it just a simple earth marrow heater? Something that every household has..."

During their discussion, Bronya also listened to some information and gained a general understanding of the organization. She also asked Wendy for answers to the questions she didn't understand.

"The girl from the Riftland once told me that her sister would go there to look for some valuables. As the largest trading place here, the Mechanical Settlement might have some clues, right?"

"That's a great idea indeed. It just so happens that I also have something I want to do over there. Let's make the Mechanical Settlement our fourth stop!"

"Hey, you still remember this..."

Bronya actually thought that Wendy's purpose of bringing her to the lower district had been achieved. No one would remain indifferent after witnessing such a tragic situation.

From now on, no matter what Wendy wants to do, as long as it is not to overthrow the current Beloberg regime, but to fight for what the lower class deserves step by step, she will support the other party and act as a lobbyist for him.

Even now, Bronya still believes that as long as she can talk things over with her mother and get her to lift the blockade on the lower district, the conflict between the upper and lower districts will definitely change.

Wendy, who knew that change was not something that could be achieved overnight, naturally put on her usual pleasing smile.

"Of course. Although the journey will inevitably come to an end, we are still on the road. If we use a song to describe it, we are only halfway through!"

Chapter 31 Talents are everywhere in the underground area

On the way to the mechanical settlement, Wendy recalled the results of her previous conversation with Swarovski.

As for the results, he naturally succeeded in achieving his goal and successfully brought the other party into the team.

But if we only talk about the results without mentioning the process, his contribution will seem insignificant.

You know, he had to work very hard to convince this person!

At that time, after clarifying Swarlow's position on the upper district, the problem actually became less complicated.

Because in essence, the underlying operating logic of Swarovski is still engraved with the word "preservation".

Protecting the lower districts was his innate mission, but if he could expand it beyond that to the survival of the entire Beloberg, he wouldn't mind past grudges either.

The reason why he closed the gate of the base and prohibited people from going to the upper area was not because he was hostile to the city builders or the great guardians, or because he couldn't bear to see the people in the lower area doing well, but because he had reasons to do so.

After all, as a mechanical creation, Swarovski pays more attention to rational thinking rather than momentary emotional venting.

While he adhered to his mission, he was not inflexible.

As long as Wendy can provide a more feasible force that he is sure can enable the people in the lower district to survive, he won't mind who will take the lead in this issue.

In other words, he didn't really care who the current Grand Guardian was, or what she did.

As long as the other party is not so crazy as to directly prepare to massacre the lower-level areas, and only implements a blockade policy on the lower-level areas, it is actually acceptable to him.

Because according to Swarovski's calculations, although the blockade policy has caused the lower areas to fall into a state of extreme resource scarcity, at least before the end of the world, it can indeed buy the lower areas as much survival time as possible.

After all, the source of the rift is above, not in the underground world. Although the lower area will also be eroded by the rift, the impact is definitely not as great as the upper area that has been completely surrounded.

Since they are doomed to perish no matter what, relying on the sacrifices of the upper areas in exchange for a longer survival time for the lower areas is also in line with the requirement of completing the "mission".

Moreover, even if they wanted to retaliate, they would have plenty of opportunities. Once the upper district was lost, people would naturally flock to the lower district.