On a street not far from the square, Mosquito, who was selling fireworks out of a truck, was caught red-handed by a pair of patrolling players wearing armbands of the Festival Management Committee.

Pedestrians crowded around, curious to see what was happening.

“Fuck! What’s wrong with selling a few fireworks? Why can they sell and I can’t?!” Mosquito protested loudly as the two players held him by the arms.

The enforcers gave him no sympathy, snapping back without hesitation.

“You’ve got some nerve!”

“You call those fireworks?!”

Irene, rummaging through his stall, picked up a rocket shell as thick as his calf and whistled through. “Hailstorm 1.0 rockets... Hasn’t this been retired for a long time? Its performance was pretty shit back in the days, right?”

It was the famous New Alliance-style Katyusha rocket launcher.

He remembered using it back during the Bonechewer Clan battle and to think they had already progressed so far and someone was still selling it.

Mosquito grinned, not at all embarrassed, even looking a little proud. “Of course! It’s simple, brutal, and reliable! That’s the best kind of weapon. I just tweak the propellant a little, and we can use it for another century.”

Building a homing missile required hundreds of specialized industries, but building a manually-guided rocket only needed a small workshop.

That, however, was not the point.

Irene rolled his eyes and tossed the launcher back onto the stall, startling everyone watching.

But that wasn’t the end of it.

Construction Boy rummaged through the truck’s cargo bed for a moment, then froze with wide eyes. He hauled out a huge launcher tube the next moment. “Oi, why did you bring a SPG-9 Recoilless Gun?!”

All the players wearing the Festival Management Committee armbands turned to glare at Mosquito with obvious hostility.

Irene blinked in disbelief. “Bro, you’re not selling fireworks, you’re liquidating your damn armory!”

Feeling sweat trickle down his back under their stares, Mosquito coughed awkwardly and tried to explain. “Ahem... It’s just the shell! Try firing it and you’ll see, it’s actually a firework! I would never sell real weapons here!”

Of course, that wasn’t entirely untrue. He had considered using the celebration as an opportunity to advertise Goblin Technology’s fine weaponry. After all, what if someone, impressed by the New Alliance’s firepower display, wanted to buy some afterward? It could happen, right?

But his excuse didn’t convince everyone, certainly not the two enforcers from the committee.

Each grabbed one of his arms, ignoring the mechanical ones flailing wildly, and started dragging him toward the station.

“You can explain it to the guards!”

“Take him away!”

“Let me go! I’ve bled for the New Alliance! I fought for the New Alliance! I demand to see the administrator!”

“Shut up!”

As the shouting man was hauled off, Dori, walking through the crowd, blinked in surprise and whispered, “What did he even do this time?”

Her gossip antenna twitched. She smelled a story!

Seeing the gleam of curiosity in her eyes, Ample Time cleared his throat and gently tightened his hold on the small hand hooked around his arm. “Who knows... Anyway, never mind him. The fireworks show’s about to start, you don’t want to miss it, do you?”

He wasn’t the least bit surprised. If Mosquito ever actually behaved for a whole day, they could probably report it in Survivor’s Daily the very next day.

“It’s starting?! Where, where?!” At the mention of fireworks, Dori instantly lost interest in the commotion, her face glowing red with excitement as she looked up at the night sky.

For her, the fireworks of Dawn City held a special meaning. They marked the happiest moment of her life.

Seeing that blush on her cheeks, Ample Time smiled knowingly and squeezed her hand. “Come on. I’ll take you somewhere with a better view.”

...

8:00 at night.

The Heart of Steel’s cannons tilted toward the night sky and fired a single flare, announcing the start of the fireworks show.

That was Little Seven’s time to shine.

Blossoms of light burst open across the heavens under its direction, weaving together into a brilliant sea of color.

It would cost tens of thousands of silver coins before the night was over, but Chu Guang didn’t care. The smiles on people’s faces were worth far more.

Countless survivors had moved to Dawn City drawn by its prosperity. That kind of wealth couldn’t be measured in currency.

And seeing Little Seven so happy only made him happier.

Money only had meaning when it was spent, and Chu Guang was more than willing to spend a little to make his players and NPCs happy.

Amid the crowd, Yang Xiaoyang stood clutching a stick of cotton candy, staring up at the sparkling sky, her face full of wonder. “What’s that?”

“Fireworks,” answered her father, Yang He, smiling as he looked up.

Yang Xiaoyang tilted her head. “Why do they light fireworks?” 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Yang He thought for a moment, then replied gently, “There’s an old legend, it’s said the New Alliance was born from fire, like a phoenix rising from its ashes. So whenever the people here overcome a great trial, they celebrate with flame.”

Yang Xiaoyang nodded thoughtfully. “I see...”

“It’s just a legend,” Yang He said, smiling at his adorable daughter. “There’s another story, it’s a custom the blue coats brought from the Prosperity Era, to remember that brief yet beautiful time that had been bright as fireworks.”

Yang Xiaoyang took a bite of cotton candy, her face still full of curiosity. She clearly didn’t understand.

She had grown up on Pinecone Ranch, where things like this didn’t exist. Even though she had only lived in the New Alliance for less than two months, she could already feel how different these people were from her hometown, their words, their thoughts... and all the delicious food.

No wonder her father never wanted to go back and always dreamed of bringing her here.

She thought of Yinyin, wondering how her friend was doing, and wished she could share this soft, sweet treat with her.

Yang He smiled gently, rubbing her hair. “Don’t think too hard. Sometimes it’s enough just to stand beneath the light and enjoy it.”

Children weren’t meant to understand everything so young. Some truths should only be learned in time.

He didn’t feel proud of her maturity, only guilty for how much he’d failed to give her.

Not far away, Frost River held his sister Frost Night’s hand, counting every glowing streak that fell from the sky, while Frost Snow, looking up at the Heart of Steel, blushed faintly, lost in her own thoughts.

Meanwhile, in the upper floors of the Honey Badger Kingdom Embassy, Afrni sat by the window, her eyes reflecting the fireworks, filled with admiration and a hint of melancholy.

If only I could be standing beside him, watching this together...

On the roadside outside Dawn City’s eastern suburbs, a Titan, overgrown with pinkish-red Slime Mold and streaked with rust, stood like a gentle giant. It lifted travelers and children high into the air with its massive hands, letting out cheerful metallic Yiwus as it played, its former ferocity completely gone.

Controlling it was Little Feather, and not far beside stood Falling Feather, tossing candies at it with a knowing smile.

Just after Dori hopped down from its palm, squealing with delight, she threw her arms around Ample Time and planted a big kiss on his cheek.

“Yiwuu!” (Me too!)

Seeing Little Feather trying to inch closer for her turn, Falling Feather quickly stepped in. “No, no, Little Feather! This body’s too big, you might hurt someone.”

“Yiwu...” Little Feather whined softly but obediently went back to serving as a giant elevator for the laughing children.

The visiting envoys from other settlements happened to see this scene, and were stunned, especially the delegation from the Bugra Free State.

They had come bearing gifts, intending to congratulate the New Alliance while probing for information, hoping to complete the mission the Great Rift Valley had given them.

But what they saw instead was beyond belief.

The New Alliance could use Mutant Slime Mold to control a Titan from the Prosperity Era!

They didn’t know how powerful it was, but the implication alone was enough to make their hearts pound.

Not far from the Titan, a group of colorfully dressed Crunchers performed acrobatics under Eye Owe Money’s direction, forming human towers, walking on stilts, and juggling flaming pins.

The pile of silver coins at their feet had grown into a small hill. Eye Owe Money couldn’t stop grinning, basking in the cheers around him.

Between the tips and the crowd’s generosity, he must’ve made several thousand silver coins, enough to recover the cost of buying all this junk, and then some!

I’m a damn genius!

...