Mysteries: Arcana Wars

Chapter 462 Meeting love at the corner

Backlund time, 9:00 on Winter Festival Day.

There are 11 hours left until the Outpost launch.

Geraldine Lightning walks down the street.

The night of Winter Rite is very long, and it is still pitch black at six o'clock in the morning.

Many people choose to stay up all night on the eve of Winter's Rite to celebrate the arrival of the new year. Others choose to stay up all night on Winter's Rite itself to attend official celebrations and the Night Masses at various churches. These customs vary slightly from region to region in Loen; in the eyes of the native Backlund inhabitants, the true celebrations of Winter's Rite take place tonight.

Good morning, sir! Is there any special offer for Winter Holiday today?

"What? The special menu is a bit pricey? Never mind then."

"Hi! Grandma, your canned grains smell so good, much better than the sticky nutritional paste in the supermarket! Give me one, with some purified water."

"Thank you! Goodbye! Merry Winter Solstice, madam!"

If nutritional pastes produced in factories are products of industrial technology, then these steaming hot canned grains are a testament to the wisdom of the people.

It is said that before nutritional paste was invented, the economically strapped working class would collect various ingredients, mix them with flour and rice, grind them into a paste, put it into small containers, seal it, and use it as their daily food.

The food in the factories was extremely poor, unsafe, and still cost money. Some tycoons and capitalists would secretly add stimulants or addictive drugs to the food to further exploit the workers' vitality.

In contrast, homemade canned grains not only ensure food safety but also allow you to satisfy your preferences as much as possible within a limited selection, making them a more economical choice.

Now, after successive decrees of the Auguston royal family and successive working-class uprisings, this extreme form of plutocracy has disappeared from the public eye.

But Geraldine, as an investigative journalist, knew very well that these shady dealings had simply moved to places unseen by the citizen identification system, where they continued to fester in their deplorable ways.

Canned grain, as irrefutable evidence of this bloody history, has been passed down openly and has become a street food in Backlund.

Geraldine tore open the biscuit lid, slurped up the cereal porridge inside as he walked, and finally ate the edible container along with it.

Over hundreds of years of evolution, these canned grains have developed a variety of delicious and inexpensive recipes. With the help of the information age, they can be seasoned with all sorts of spices and made from inexpensive natural ingredients into edible "canned boxes," a far cry from the luxurious meals of the poor people of yesteryear.

The outer shell tastes like a combination of bread and biscuit, while the inner paste is thick and full, with a texture more like porridge. After drinking the paste, you eat the outer shell that has been soaked in the paste. It's a common and inexpensive natural flavor.

Although it still sounds like a very unfortunate life.

Geraldine loved this canned grain and often ate it for breakfast. Since the newspaper didn't provide meals, and she was always on the go, she rarely had time to enjoy a proper meal of natural food, mostly relying on nutritional pastes to get by.

Although nutritional pastes come in a variety of flavors, they can never compare to the joy of natural foods.

Having a cup of hot porridge first thing in the morning instantly warms you up on a cold winter's night.

More importantly, these delicious canned grains always remind her of her time in the military.

The individual canned food provided by soldiers in the military is so unpalatable that it's less about eating and more about survival.

It is a memory, a relief, and even more so, a warning; it is a sharp knife that pierces the brain from time to time, reminding oneself never to forget.

Snow on Winter's Day is the perfect time, and this year was no exception. Geraldine weaved through the thin snowflakes like an ordinary tourist, but soon disappeared from the sight of the citizen identification system.

After several twists and turns, she reached a dead end, took out a powerful electronic accessory from her clothes, and quietly slipped it into a crack in the wall.

Next, Geraldine went to a shady internet cafe, chose a specific spot in a corner, and skillfully found a hidden, exclusive chat software on the computer.

Geraldine was very familiar with this logo; it appeared every time they met.

It could be software, a terminal, or even an outdated electronic typewriter.

As long as this logo is there, it means she has found the right person.

This software can only contact one person at a time, and it's disposable.

Electronic ghost, Kowau.

[Long time no see, Mr. Ghost. The Winter Festival gift you requested has been placed in today's location. Remember to pick it up.]

Based on his years of trading experience, Geraldine decided to start with a greeting.

Thank you, Miss Remember, Happy Winter Holiday! (*^▽^*)

Where is my Winter Solstice present?

[Ding ding! The information you requested has just been sent to your terminal. Please remember to check it (＾－＾)V]

[Breaking news! But what you're looking for is really hard to find...o(╥﹏╥)o]

This also means that your choice is very risky. Are you sure you want me to continue investigating? -_-||

Of course it's confirmed, you won't be shortchanged.

【It's a pleasure working with you! (●′3｀●)】

After closing the window, the entire chat software disappeared without a trace from the computer.

Correspondingly, the terminal received a mysterious email, which appeared in Geraldine's field of vision. After performing a quantum speed read, she immediately copied it to a sealed hard drive, removing the intelligence from the wicked internet.

Everyone got what they wanted; a perfect deal. Seizing the opportune moment, Geraldine slipped out of the internet cafe through a blind spot, and after many twists and turns, returned to the public eye of the citizen identification system.

The snow became heavier, falling sparsely, gradually gaining a presence in the air.

As the streets gradually became bustling, Geraldine suddenly felt a strange sense of alienation, as if something was separating her from the world.

Going home to conduct an immediate investigation seems rather dull; going to the newspaper office early in the morning and doing nothing but sitting there is also a bit awkward; the Winter Mass is still a long way off, and all the churches are wrapping up yesterday's Night Mass, so it's best not to disturb them at this time.

Dr. Emlyn? I heard he's now the acting dean and must be incredibly busy; he wouldn't have time to accept her "miraculous healing" banner.

Detective Leonard? That guy is just a soulless shell, a machine that automatically works, learns, and maintains its vital signs. Although there seems to be a tiny bit of life sprouting in his gears, Geraldine still thinks that Detective Leonard still doesn't understand the meaning of "Happy Winter's Eve".

The Ghost of Kovau? I just saw it. I don't know where it is now. Maybe it's watching it for fun on its own terminal.

Geraldine suddenly didn't know where to go this winter's Eve.

Today's main quest is complete, so what's next?

She stood blankly at the crossroads, then wandered aimlessly across the intersection, drifting through the snow.

Working people greet passing guests, those with free time sleep soundly in the company of their families, those rushing about forge ahead toward their goals, and those praying devoutly worship while reciting their wishes.

In the early morning, before the sun had fully risen, she was walking alone in the snow.

There was no reason, no companionship, no purpose.

And so, I savored the rare sense of bewilderment and the familiar solitude.

A man brushed past her, and Geraldine keenly noticed something odd about him, instinctively turning around to look behind her.

It was a hooded man who was covered up tightly, and a heavy coffin on his back attracted the attention of passersby.

The coffin was heavy, but it looked very small. In fact, it could only fit a ten-year-old child, and even then, only a small one.

It looks very thick, and although it's a bit of a hellhole, if you squeeze it in, you could probably fit two ten-year-old children in it.

Seemingly sensing someone watching him, the man turned around and met Geraldine's eyes.

Then the whole city began to spin, all sounds began to stretch out, and the blizzard swallowed everything in its path, bringing only endless white.

Geraldine's eyes glazed over, and he knelt helplessly on the ground, collapsing like a rag doll.

"Help me... call Leonard..."

The last sentence vanished, and the world shattered in her consciousness.

When she opened her eyes again, she found herself back on that nightmare island that she had experienced countless times before.