"What an uncomfortably bright city," said Lisa, who had superior eyesight compared to humans. She covered her eyes as she looked outside the hotel room where she was staying.
It was the same one where she had rested earlier with her teammates before the Mimic manifested in front of them. They learned that it was dangerous because it was not just a Mimic but a Replicant, its evolved form.
Although the Biene at the front desk made a whining hum when they returned, she was kind and allowed them to sleep in the rooms UNMSO had reserved for them.
It wasn't Jack and the others' fault either. Who would have thought a Replicant would come out of the mana and attack them directly? Even the Bienen guards were unaware of their intrusion, which spoke volumes about the mimetic abilities of these dangerous oddities.
In some ways, the Bienen were more powerful than humans, at least in individual confrontations. Although their collective was united under the Hive Queen's command, humans were plentiful.
In this world that hated them, that was the advantage of being human: many capable people sprang up endlessly. Moreover, humans and Bienen had a high affinity for each other, unlike Reptilians, who found 'insects' and 'mammals' repulsive.
The Bienen's taste generally aligned with that of humans, so their hotel rooms had a good view. Lisa could see much of Norian City from her window and see that the city seemed to be plated in gold.
Millions of golden leaves shone in the sunlight. It was a spectacle that every city inhabitant had seen thousands of times, but for tourists like Lisa, it was an incredible yet dazzling sight.
Because of her eyes, she was positioned as the team's gunner and sometimes did scouting work. Her talent gave her powerful eyes, but she was also more susceptible to light.
After trying and failing to appreciate the scenery because she was dazzled, Lisa clicked her tongue. She took a small dropper from the nightstand near her.
She quickly put a couple of drops of a potion made by Laria in her eyes to help her withstand the sunlight. Afterwards, her eyes were able to withstand the sunlight and the golden glow of the huge, swaying trees in the city.
"Quite beautiful scenery," she said, looking absently out into the street and watching people pass by.
Though there were few steam carriages, they could be seen speeding through the streets. She could also see a few horse-drawn carriages, which were scheduled to disappear over the coming years.
"I don't know why. I'm going to miss the manure on the streets," she muttered, remembering the chaos of walking on some streets in the capital because of the manure produced by the horses pulling the carriages.
However, that was gradually disappearing due to the increased use of steam-powered cars. Not only that, but buses, streetcars, and bicycles were also becoming more popular and slowly replacing horses as a means of transportation.
She was in awe of technology—a force capable of transforming the world and people's lives—but she also felt melancholy at the thought that many things she knew or was used to could change or disappear.
"I guess that's how old people feel, but I'm not even thirty..." Lisa complained before looking enviously at a beautiful dress worn by a woman on the sidewalk in front of her. She wanted one just like it.
Considering the bonus, she and her team might receive, she decided to treat herself by going to a store and buying some nice clothes. Moreover, she could bring Laria and Irina with her; no doubt, the three girls could have a good time.
Lisa's purple eyes seemed to glow when she thought about that possibility. She turned around and saw that Irina was still asleep. From the sounds of falling water, Lisa could tell that Laria was taking a bath.
"Irina, it's seven o'clock in the morning. Get up," Lisa said, touching Irina's head. Seeing that the girl simply waved her hand to shoo her away, Laria shook her head.
"That Replicant had just evolved and is low on energy. We weren't that exhausted yesterday, so get up." Seeing that her persuasion didn't work, Lisa looked at her hand, thinking of something.
As a ranged fighter, Lisa didn't have the physical strength of Jack or Laria, whose Pneuma was oriented toward reinforcement. Nor was she as strong as Irina or Alexis because, although her Pneuma was oriented toward projection, like theirs, her strength lay in her visual ability and her Pneuma projectiles.
She had recently discovered a way to fire her Pneuma bullets autonomously without weapons, but felt that she should start training her melee capabilities.
Slap!
Lisa slapped Irina's butt, producing the crisp sound characteristic of a well-delivered spanking. As Irina moaned and placed a hand on her bottom, Lisa smiled smugly.
"Looks like you're not so sleepy anymore," she teased, dodging a kick from Irina.
"Bitch! Why are you spanking me? You know the redness doesn't go away for days!" she shouted angrily. She seemed to want to launch herself at Lisa and hit her like a wildcat. Just then, a voice interrupted her.
"I have a potion for that," said Laria. She entered the room with her body barely covered by a white towel, and her hair covered by another. She looked coldly at Irina, who simply waved her fingers in a salute.
"Jack spanks me hard sometimes, so I had to create a potion to eliminate the body's reaction to a slap." Not caring how explicit she was being, Laria looked steadily at Irina, making the girl feel afraid.
"Don't you have a potion that helps with breasts?" Irina asked, trying to be funny, but Laria just stared at her, especially her chest.
Since Irina was of Seris ancestry from the Eastern Continent, she was not only the shortest in the group, but also had black hair and a much smaller chest than Lisa's or Laria's, which made her jealous.
Especially since the towel covering Laria's body had been removed, leaving her breasts exposed. This, combined with her height and slender, muscular physique, made her look like a war goddess who had descended into the world.
"I don't have potions to enlarge breasts. Eat more papaya," Laria said. Although this could have been a joke, her usual cold tone made it difficult for Lisa and Irina to laugh. However, when they saw the corner of her lips curve upward, they understood that the witch was making fun of Irina.
"You're bad," complained Irina before noticing something interesting. Her gaze went to Laria's crotch, where she noticed not only the incipient white pubic hair but also a small silver object. Then, her black eyes opened wide as she pointed to her friend's intimate part.
"Do you have a piercing there?! Why didn't you tell me?!" I want one!"
Her words made Lisa pay attention to that particular place on her friend's body. She felt quite interested when she realized that Laria indeed had a piercing there.
"I want a pair on my nipples. We should take advantage of being free. Let's go to a store and get pierced," said Lisa. She felt she could make the day more interesting and decided to add to her plans.
"Sounds good. I want a couple more in my ears," Laria replied before putting on some panties that finally covered the lower part of her body, at least the most important part.
"Looks like we're going to have an interesting day. What will Jack and Alexis do?" asked Irina, looking toward the door as if she could see through it and focus directly on the two men.
...
"What do you think the girls are doing today?" Alexis asked as he finished putting on a red shirt to match his crimson hair.
"I don't know. Maybe something quiet, like getting ice cream and enjoying the scenery," Jack blurted out. He had no idea the girls wanted to add some special embellishments to themselves.
"Wasn't the first date you and Laria had at an ice cream shop?" Alexis asked, finally putting on a pair of glasses that caused his green eyes to sparkle slightly.
"Yes, I still remember the taste of strawberry ice cream from that day. It was the best I've ever eaten in my life," replied Jack, immersed in his memories.
A smile appeared on his face as he remembered the details of his first date with Laria. He thought he should look for an ice cream shop in town and treat his girlfriend.
"Come on. We have a city to appreciate," Jack said before checking his appearance one last time.
He had his weapon loaded: a new dagger with a simple sharpening enchantment that he had recently added. He also had a pocket watch. With his money, he was ready to go.
Jack looked down at his axe, which was placed next to his bed. He felt a little uneasy. Alexis, noticing his companion's odd behavior, simply shook his head and patted his shoulder.
"Only legendary weapons can integrate with the user's body. It's a long process to create one, but I'm going to help you with that," Alexis said, looking at his partner. Jack nodded.
"I don't like to part with my weapon. I guess it's the aftereffects of the job," Jack muttered before leaving the room.
"Aftereffects of the job," Alexis said as he touched his waistband where his enchanted gun was ready to fire at any moment. Then, he followed his partner out of the room.
They both left the hotel, and a street full of pedestrians appeared before them. Humans and Bienen lived together cordially, and humanity thrived as best it could in this enemy world.
"Any recommendations?" Jack asked Alexis, who pulled a pamphlet from his pocket.
He had received the document at the hotel; it introduced Norian City and its key points. Alexis took it as a reference. He could have asked for intelligence at the UNMSO offices, but why take the fun out of urban exploration?
"There's a popular market around here. Plus, there's a museum with interesting exhibits. There's also a place called 'Mall.' I've been to the one in the capital. I think we can walk there," Alexis indicated, before handing the brochure to Jack.
"Hmm, there's fabric made from golden leaves! Maybe we could buy new clothes," Jack decided, upon seeing that the fiber from the golden leaves in Norian City could be used and was said to be quite comfortable.
"That's a good idea. Our clothes wear out very quickly," Alexis complained mildly, remembering the constant expense of replacing his clothes.
For UNMSO field agents like them, clothes became soiled with tissue and blood, whether their own or someone else's. Worse yet, their clothes were destroyed in fights. This is why UNMSO was one of the biggest buyers of clothes in the Federation.
"Speaking of these trees, we should try their fruit," Jack said, pointing to a nearby stall where a Biene was selling the fruit of the golden trees constantly seen in the city.
Although the trees were huge and imposing, their golden leaves channeled light downward. This made it very warm and ensured that there were no large shadows in the city except for those of the buildings. In the morning, many fruit stands similar to the one they went to could be found.
The fruits had golden, somewhat rough skin and were similar in size to watermelons. With the nimble movements of the Biene's knife, the reddish exterior was exposed.
There was a long line of people waiting to buy them, so Jack and Alexis had to wait until it was their turn. The Biene looked at the two humans in front of her more closely because she detected Pneuma activity in their bodies.
"Operators?" asked the Biene. Her voice was similar to that of a sultry human woman. Combined with her beautiful appearance, despite her species' differences from humans, it gave her a pleasant temperament.
"From UNMSO," Jack said without attempting to hide it.
Bienen are extremely sensitive to Pneuma, and one could say their entire species is composed of Operators. However, they use Pneuma differently than humans do.
Apart from enhancing their bodies with Pneuma, similar to the way humans are reinforced, they channel the rest of the Pneuma to their enchanted tools. They are skilled in this art and use their Pneuma to propel their wings or engage a mental connection with other Bienen.
Except for the Queen of the Colony, who had different ways of using Pneuma, Bienen in general were more closely coupled with the world. This is why the land where a Biene colony was established was prosperous; the City of Norian was the clearest example of this.
The Biene selling fruit stared at Jack and Alexis, paying much closer attention this time, before smiling. She brought out two large fruits, placed them in front of her, and held up two knives filled with lines of enchantment.
"I will toast the two largest ones to you," the Biene said, pointing her knives at the two golden fruits, which were considerably larger than the others she had cut earlier.
Jack didn't pay much attention, though. He was gawking at the enchanted knives held by the Biene, who peeled and chopped the two fruits quickly before placing the small pieces on two plates.
"I heard what happened last night. Good job," said the Biene, passing a plate to each of them.
"We do our duty," said Alexis before passing a piece of paper to the Biene and winking at her. This made her chuckle softly, while Jack shook his head at his friend's behavior.
"Come on. Let's try this and explore the city," Jack said, almost dragging Alexis away from the fruit stand. He didn't want to waste any more time there.
He wanted to explore the city!
...
Jack and Alexis had a great time exploring the city. They visited places that particularly interested them, such as the city museum, which has a collection of archaeological pieces relevant to the history of the Federation.
They also took the opportunity to visit some specialty stores. Alexis, for example, took Jack to an armory run by a rare male Biene guardian.
This Biene was tall and stout, and his store was quite large. The space was filled with various weapons, but due to Federation laws, they were more decorative than functional.
Why would the Federation allow enchanted weapons to be sold freely? Although there were normal weapons, both hot and cold, Alexis was interested in the enchanted weapons that were just for show.
Jack was interested in them too, much to the male Biene's chagrin. They simply looked at the exquisite enchanted weapons with covetous eyes. There were swords, spears, axes, pistols, rifles, and even an enchanted artillery cannon.
For these two lovers of weapons and enchantment, the store was like heaven. They spent several hours there and only left at 2:00 p.m.
Then, they went to the mall, a new type of recreational place spreading in their country. They visited clothing stores and bought various clothes for themselves. They also had lunch there and enjoyed the local Norian cuisine.
Later, they went to parks where they could rest and enjoy ice cream made from the city's local fruit, colloquially known as 'Gelb,' which translates to 'yellow'—a fitting name.
Jack felt great exploring the city at a leisurely pace, without having to chase a target or avoid being killed. He relaxed, enjoying his red ice cream under a large golden-leafed tree with Alexis and the others, who were doing the same.
He appreciated being here and walking around the city.
But if this day was the beginning of his attempt to appreciate the places he was going to even more, then why had the night he was spending with his partner in the ballroom he had chosen turned into a living hell?
Jack watched the terrified faces of the young men and women as their bodies writhed uncontrollably to the peculiar rhythm of a gloomy song playing from a recently released machine called a phonograph, which could reproduce musical records more accurately.
Although he tried to resist, the song had an uncanny ability to make him move, penetrating his body and causing him to dance uncontrollably.
How did Jack and Laria come to be in this situation? To answer that, we must go back several more hours, just after they had enjoyed a good time under the shade of a large, golden-leafed tree.