Star Rail: Starting with a Lyre, Living off Busking [36]

Rivet Town.

This wasn’t exactly Venti’s ideal venue for a performance—far from it, in fact. It was a desolate town, overrun by wandering creatures.

Following Bronya’s recollection, they arrived at an old, abandoned house where she’d heard the girl’s voice on her way back. Just as she described, the small, dilapidated house was nothing more than a dark corner in the moonlit night.

Even after Seele’s close inspection, there was no sign of recent human activity.

Bronya, however, had another idea. She proposed they check the large, industrial street she’d heard about—the one that had become a dumping ground for broken automatons.

It was a risky suggestion. That place had become a junkyard for decommissioned robots because of the Fragmentum creatures that prowled around it.

Given their current skill levels, the group’s strength seemed a bit questionable for the challenge.

But to everyone’s surprise, Seele didn’t object. She just let out a short hum, then took out two red scarves and motioned for the two to put them on.

The scarf Venti received had a few little purple butterfly patterns, giving it a cute look, as if crafted by the delicate hands of a young girl.

“Thanks. Um… is this a gift?”

Though Bronya accepted the scarf, she couldn’t help but ask.

“No, it’s not a gift. Why would I just give you a present? If you don’t want it, just hand it back. I only brought it because it was convenient to grab.”

Seele looked at her with barely-concealed annoyance, as though scolding her for missing the point. Then she glanced at Venti, whose scarf had a different style, clearly more personal.

Not wanting to spoil the group’s unity, Venti quickly stepped in to explain, “This scarf is much more significant than a simple gift.”

Seele shot him an icy glare, but Venti only responded with a reassuring smile as he continued.

“Remember that older man, Oleg? He’s the leader of Wildfire and has been fiercely defending the underground for years—a remarkable person.”

“In Wildfire, there’s a saying: Tie this red scarf and share one another’s burdens.”

“So, for Wildfire members, this scarf represents family. It’s also a sign of Seele’s approval of us.”

This kind of unifying symbol was familiar to Bronya; the Silvermane Guards had similar rituals.

She recalled having seen Oleg’s name in the old rosters of the Silvermane Guards during her research.

Only, the man she met was far older and wearier than his photo. And with him so gravely injured at the time, she hadn’t had a chance to make a closer comparison.

Now that she thought about it, if she remembered correctly, he had once been a captain in charge of underground security.

He’d retired after the lockdown orders, disappearing from the ranks. She’d never expected him to still be in the underground, having founded Wildfire to protect the people…

The significance of this scarf grew weightier with each thought.

Bronya tied her red scarf around her arm, just as Seele had done.

As for Venti, he untied the black bow at his collar, replacing it with the red scarf, which he wore like a neckerchief.

It looked a bit odd on him, yet somehow suited him with a strange harmony.

After this small exchange, Seele assumed her usual role as their guard, placing the two of them behind her.

Venti’s hand drifted to the Vision hanging at his waist, its green glow faintly shimmering. Bronya noticed this subtle movement, recalling the weapon he had used earlier to help the Guards.

It had been an old-fashioned, elegant hunting bow.

It didn’t look like a weapon capable of taking down Fragmentum creatures—more like a museum relic.

People in Belobog had long since abandoned such ancient weapons, for good reason. Human-powered arrows might work against weaker creatures, but against stronger monsters, they were nearly useless.

Even heavy artillery struggled with these creatures, let alone a bow, which required much more skill to wield effectively.

Shooting arrows until your arms gave out might turn one creature into a pincushion, but that was hardly a reliable strategy.

It was natural that such inefficient weapons had fallen out of favor, yet Venti used one…

The memory of his emerald arrows streaking like comets and the enormous wind vortex he summoned across the platform made Bronya both curious and envious.

Truthfully, her own abilities shone more in coordinated combat. In a structured team, her role was clear, but in solo combat, even Captain Dunn might outshine her.

Of course, as the Grand Overseer, she wasn’t required to possess the highest combat skills. After all, throughout history, few Grand Overseers had been combat-oriented, but still—who wouldn’t be drawn to such a power?

If she had strength like that, could she have taken on more of her mother’s burdens, sparing her from becoming so extreme?

Though she knew it was a pointless thought, Bronya couldn’t help but wonder.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely registered Venti’s voice in her ear.

“Hmm? Curious about my Vision, are you?”

He wore his usual carefree smile, holding up his Vision for her to see.

“A Vision?” Bronya echoed in confusion.

“Oh, right, you wouldn’t know. In simple terms, you could think of it as an external magic organ.”

Venti went a step further, placing his Vision in her hand.

“Here, take a closer look. If you like, I could even make one just like it for you, hehehe.”

Bronya didn’t fully grasp Venti’s explanation, but she knew the importance of organs and held the warm Vision carefully in her hand, feeling a faint breeze spiraling around it.

She was taken aback by Venti’s trust in handing over something so precious, though she supposed it was very like him.

Wait—had he just said something odd?

Make one? This thing could actually be made?

Venti seemed to pick up on her surprise and smiled knowingly.

“Oh yes, it can be made. Like those kids from The Moles’ gang—I made a few for them to play with.”

“Wh-what?! Is that safe? What if they accidentally hurt someone—”

The idea of those kids wielding even a fraction of Venti’s power was enough to send Bronya into a panic. Even a tenth of his strength would be enough to turn the streets upside down.

Seele, who had been listening in on their chatter from the start, rolled her eyes at their lack of caution. She sighed, exasperated.

“They’re just glass marbles. Down here, we’ve got plenty of things far more dangerous than that.”

“Glass marbles?”

Bronya was dumbfounded, then glared at Venti, realizing he’d fooled her.

Venti only blinked innocently, holding up his hands in defense.

“I never said it was the real deal. Just a shiny glass trinket for them. Of course, if they swallow it, then that’s dangerous enough.”

This unexpected disappointment reminded Bronya that power was not something that could be attained so easily.

And, it made her realize just how much she’d like to punch that charming smile off Venti’s face.