Eh, Missy, I don't get it. The competition's over, and only now are you excited.
Hoshiguma
You've been strolling around the streets for the past few days, but it doesn't really look like that's all you're doing either. Is there something out here that piques your interest?
Swire
I'm taking a stroll around alright, but I do have another reason.
Hoshiguma
What is it?
Swire
I want to get to know this city.
Hoshiguma
How come?
Swire
You see, Bolívar is right out there, past the city's borders. A country under three different governments.
Swire
The Singas government that's propped up by Leithanien, the Coalition government supported by Columbia, and the True Bolívarians that sprang up to oppose those two governments.
Swire
I'm sure clashes between those three governments, big and small, are happening all across the country while we're just sitting here.
Swire
And this city doesn't look like any of the other Bolívarian cities that we stopped at on our way here.
Swire
You can't say this one's just prosperous. Even I've never seen a place so extravagant, so totally dedicated to leisure.
Swire
Don't you think it's strange that a city like this popped up in Bolívar?
Hoshiguma
Well, I do think it's strange, but this isn't Lungmen, and I can't be bothered to look into it.
Swire
You know, you know everything, but if it's got nothing to do with Lungmen or Ch'en, you never seem to care.
Hoshiguma
It's a force of habit. Go on, Missy. You've got an idea or something, don't you?
Swire
If this city was dark and gloomy, then I certainly wouldn't have felt anything off about it. On the contrary, though, it's so full of energy here that it's irritating.
Swire
If every city out there had a heart, then Lungmen's would probably be a lively one, and its blood would be healthy, and vivid red, always getting pumped to the heart to keep it going.
Swire
But Dossoles's heart is way too shady. It keeps on pumping in dirty, black blood, but it doesn't hurt. In fact, it's somehow beating even stronger than our healthy Lungmen.
Swire
And that makes the place seem like it's got more pep than Lungmen.
Swire
And let's not even go into how Lungmen very rarely finds itself held back by any external forces. This city is in Bolívar, where the political situation couldn't be more messed up.
Swire
Don't you think that's strange?
Hoshiguma
Oh, that's a good analogy. Really makes it easy to understand.
Hoshiguma
So you're curious why the city is like this, even when it shouldn't be?
Swire
This city tolerates crime, encourages gambling, and you've got the most voluptuous, spendthrifty kinds here. Each and every day, someone hits it big, while some other poor sod goes bankrupt.
Swire
This creates the illusion that this city's main sources of income are its tourism and entertainment industries—They attract visitors and squeeze the money out of them.
Swire
An entertainment industry by itself can't support all of a city's operations, however. That's why the city leaves its entertainment industry and even crime on the streets unchecked, attracting all kinds of sketchy people.
Swire
And that gives the city its false, unstable prosperity.
Swire
There's an explanation.
Swire
But is that really how things are?
Hoshiguma
Hm... Missy, I kind of think you're overreacting a little.
Swire
What did you just say?!
Hoshiguma
It makes sense, though. For a pampered lady like you, the way this city works is uncommon and barbaric.
Hoshiguma
But it's all pretty near and dear to me.
Hoshiguma
I'm sure you know that Higashi isn't in a much better shape than Bolívar. In Higashi, even when there's a full-scale war outside, the elites holed up inside couldn't care less.
Hoshiguma
Fundamentally, this city isn't all that different from those cities I know.
Hoshiguma
Oh, but now that you mention it, it's true that you can't run a city on entertainment and tourism alone.
Hoshiguma
There aren't any cities like that in Higashi either.
Hoshiguma
So I guess you should tell me more, Missy. About your discovery.
Swire
I don't wanna talk about it anymore.
Hoshiguma
Oh, come on, Missy. It's all my bad, okay?
Hoshiguma
Waiter, one raspado de verano, please. For the lady.
Waiter
Yes, ma'am.
Hoshiguma
Okay, Missy, don't be mad. Cool off with some shaved ice, okay?
Swire
Hmph, do you remember what happened when we came to this city?
Hoshiguma
Didn't we walk right in as soon as you flashed your card?
Swire
That's me being well-prepared. Lungmen has a trade agreement with Dossoles, so I could come right in with just my card.
Swire
I'm not talking about myself. I'm talking about the other people that were there.
Hoshiguma
Oh, I remember seeing a few pretty nervous guys trying to get inside. The guards asked them a few questions, but let them through right after.
Hoshiguma
The guards were pretty friendly, too. They even gave them directions.
Swire
Do you remember seeing a lot of factories outside the city center?
Hoshiguma
Yes, I did.
Swire
Bingo.
Hoshiguma
Oh, I get it. The political situation is ever-changing in Bolívar, so it's dangerous to rely on trade for daily necessities.
Hoshiguma
So the city had to take fate into its own hands.
Hoshiguma
And those poor folks are factory workers.
Swire
That's right. I asked around at the bar the last couple days. The factories here apparently pay really well.
Swire
That's why a lot of people take the arduous journey just to come here to work.
Hoshiguma
And if they manage to get a good foothold here, that's going to make them a small fortune compared to outside.
Swire
Right. It may not make them as much as fighting for the Coalition or Singas, but working here is much safer.
Hoshiguma
Haha, I'm not sure which is safer, between getting bludgeoned to death in a back alley or dying on the battlefield.
Swire
Stop interrupting. After that, I looked up some old news articles. This city may be known all over Bolívar for its entertainment industry, but its wine, coffee, and sugar are the finest in the country too.
Swire
All the Bolívarian elites, whether they are from the Coalition, Singas, or True Bolívarians, are buying them up.
Swire
And even outside, I've seen lots of Bolívarian tequila and coffee back home. I don't remember the exact place they were produced, but I've definitely seen these factories' brands before.
Hoshiguma
The guards are well-equipped and full of energy...
Hoshiguma
And otherwise, aside from its entertainment and tourism sectors, the city also has a firm grip over a luxury goods industry that no one can ignore.
Hoshiguma
I get what you mean now. The city may seem chaotic on the surface, but it's actually very stable deep down. It's 100% capable of becoming a proper, methodical city like Lungmen.
Hoshiguma
Now this is really starting to pique my interest.
Swire
And here you said I was overreacting.
Hoshiguma
I beg your forgiveness, Milady. Your insight is unparalleled. A lowly errand girl like me cannot dare to compare.
Swire
That's some glib tongue you got.
Hoshiguma
Really though, Missy. Speaking from experience, the answer you seek is actually very simple.
Hoshiguma
No matter what, those who stand on top will never tolerate a variable out of their control.
Hoshiguma
If this city is managing to keep this appearance up, then that must mean that, to its ruler, what we think is chaotic here is hardly worth batting an eye over.
Hoshiguma
In other words, this city has a powerful, crazed mastermind.
Swire
That's my conclusion as well.
Swire
The mayor is named Candela Sanchez.
Swire
My family participates in some of the business dealings between Lungmen and Dossoles, but I've really never truly understood her or her city until now.
Swire
I'm curious just what kind of a person she is to shape her city this way.
Hoshiguma
You could talk to her directly. Just tell her who you are. She'll most definitely see you.
Swire
I'll pass. You can fool others with words, but not with the outcomes of your actions.
Swire
Let's go. We still have a lot of places to visit.
Swire
I want to take a look at the factories in the countryside. Let's hurry.
Waiter
Ma'am, your raspado.
Hoshiguma
Hey, wait, Missy. Your ice just got here.
Hoshiguma
Oh, what do I do with this girl... Sometimes she's just like Ch'en. Always so impatient.
Hoshiguma
Fine, I'll eat it myself.
Hoshiguma
Missy, wait up!
Ch'en
........
Ch'en
(Green hair and a horn... Is that Hoshiguma?)
Lin Yühsia
What are you looking at?
Ch'en
Nothing. Just thought I saw an old friend.
Lin Yühsia
From Lungmen? Where?
Ch'en
There's too many people. She was gone after I looked away for just a second. It's okay. There's no way she'd be here. My eyes are probably playing tricks on me.
Ch'en
And what about you? You asked to meet here, and you're late?
Lin Yühsia
I took a detour. Let's go in first.
Ch'en
This isn't that bar you trashed the other day, right?
Make sure no one comes near us. We'll be talking, alone.
Casino Underling
Understood!
Lin Yühsia
A whiskey.
Ch'en
Just soda water for me.
Casino Boss
Right away.
Ch'en
Go ahead. What is it?
Ch'en
I doubt you'd ever invite me out just for drinks.
Lin Yühsia
I tailed a team during the match. They were going all around the residential district, setting up bombs.
Lin Yühsia
And judging from their conversation, there were probably at least three or four teams doing the same.
Ch'en
Didn't you just say...
Ch'en
Oh, so you suspect Ernesto.
Lin Yühsia
You don't?
Ch'en
Well, I see where you're coming from. That's no small operation, and news of it wouldn't have gotten to Lady Candela if it had been just a single smuggling operation.
Ch'en
Someone is definitely manipulating the information somewhere down the line. Ernesto's fairly suspicious, but even if he's in the clear, there's definitely somebody else.
Lin Yühsia
I can't get to the bottom of everything just by myself, though I do have one of the bombs right here in my pocket, at the very least.
Lin Yühsia
Want to give it a squeeze?
Ch'en
I'll pass.
Ch'en
Which team?
Lin Yühsia
Grey Feather.
Ch'en
Them, huh? Didn't expect that.
Lin Yühsia
It wouldn't have occurred to me either.
Ch'en
Which means they're definitely up to something, and they have a well organized plan.
Ch'en
And since they've got explosives, that's definitely no normal plan.
Lin Yühsia
What are you going to do?
Ch'en
I think we should talk to Lady Candela first.
Lin Yühsia
Are you sure?
Ch'en
What do you mean?
Lin Yühsia
I'm sure you've noticed what they are propping up this city's colorful appearance with, Hui-chieh.
Lin Yühsia
And Lady Candela, the mayor of the city, is allowing all of this to happen under her nose.
Lin Yühsia
Does a city like this, or someone like her, really deserve your help?
Ch'en
I'm going to fight you again if you tell me you'll let those guys set up bombs just because of that.
Lin Yühsia
Quite the opposite.
Lin Yühsia
I don't really care that much about what this city is like or what's going to happen to it.
Lin Yühsia
I'm here to represent Chief Wei. What I care about is Chief Wei's image.
Lin Yühsia
That's why I don't really have a choice. I have to complete Lady Candela's request.
Lin Yühsia
But what about you? How do I know you're not standing up against me because of that overflowing sense of justice of yours?
All of a sudden, Ch'en lifts her head and stares straight into Lin Yühsia's eyes.
Ch'en
What are you trying to say?
Lin Yühsia isn't backing down either. She, too, is staring straight at Ch'en.
Lin Yühsia
What I'm saying, Hui-chieh, is that you should stop faking all those emotions you have for people you've never even met.
Lin Yühsia
You have no right to get involved with anything that has to do with the city, and you definitely have no right to blame me for anything.
A thunderous 'pop,' that of a fist and a palm clashing together, rings through the quiet bar.
Ch'en's fist is about an inch away from Lin Yühsia's face, held firmly back only by Lin Yühsia's palm.
Ch'en
......
Lin Yühsia
......
Their faces are still as water, leaving only their fierce stares to reveal their convictions.
Standing not far away from them, the casino boss sees a shapeless fire burning amidst their silence. The flame is raging and growing more intense by the second, as though it could engulf everything in their vicinity at any moment.
Right away, he starts to work out how much he will spend renovating his casino, as well as which contractor in the neighborhood charges the least.
However, contrary to his expectations, the flame does not erupt into a volcano of rage.
After another brief moment of silence, Ch'en retracts her fist, and Lin Yühsia lowers her hand.
Ch'en
This won't help you absolve yourself.
Lin Yühsia
And I'm not trying to absolve myself.
Ch'en
One day, I will make sure you pay for all that you've done.
Lin Yühsia
Heh.
Lin Yühsia
And how will you make me do that, Lungmen Special Inspection Unit Chief Emeritus, Miss Ch'en Hui-chieh?
Ch'en
With righteousness.
Lin Yühsia
Well, at least that has a slightly better ring to it than justice. If that day ever comes, I will be ready and accept my punishment.
Ch'en
Anything else?
Lin Yühsia
That's it. You can do whatever you want to do, and I will do things my way. That's what I'm trying to tell you.
Ch'en
The fewer people who know about this, the better, but we should at least let Lady Candela know, no matter how we go about this.
Lin Yühsia
Even if you tell her, there isn't all that much she can do.
Lin Yühsia
We still don't know what their objective is. Trying to scope them out or arrest them is just going to startle them.
Lin Yühsia
Also, don't use your phone.
Ch'en
I don't need you to tell me that.
Lin Yühsia
Oh, right. I forgot how much you cops love your wiretaps.
Ch'en
You really want a fight, don't you?
Lin Yühsia
I haven't the interest.
Lin Yühsia
Well, you've made up your mind. Go talk to Lady Candela, then. I've got better things to do.
Ch'en
Alright.
Lin Yühsia
I never thought the day would come for us to work together...
You don't have a big enough fist, and what are you standing up straight like that for...?
Ernesto
Shop's closed today.
???
I'd like a fincatching rod.
Ernesto
Come in.
???
Hermano, can't you stop changing the password every day? It's a chore to get them down.
Ernesto
No.
Ernesto
Rafaela, stop letting your guard down. Do you know how hard it was for me to disguise your mistake as some normal weapons smuggling?
Ernesto
If Ms. Candela manages to sniff us out, we're done for.
Ernesto
If you're doing this, see it through.
Rafaela
*Sigh*... Fine.
Ernesto
I'm not trying to yell at you, Rafaela. You're a klutz, but you do a decent job with everything you need to do.
Ernesto
It's the idiots who don't know the gravity of all this.
Ernesto
This city is full of entertainment, but if that's all the city has, there's no way it could've gotten such a foothold in Bolívar.
Rafaela
But you still called me a klutz...
Ernesto
But, my lovely sister, you are a klutz, no?
Rafaela
Hmph.
Rafaela
Actually, I got the feeling that I was being followed just now.
Ernesto
Really?
Rafaela
I'm not sure, but that's what it felt like.
Ernesto
I'll let everyone in the competitions know to be careful.
Ernesto
Never mind... I guess that, outside of the mission, these guys aren't all that different from the folks who live here. You wouldn't be able to get much out of them.
Ernesto
Anyway, how did the mission go?
Rafaela
We got the bombs installed in the residential district.
Ernesto
Did anyone find you?
Rafaela
I ran into the purple-haired girl on your team about halfway through. I avoided a direct confrontation with her, like you'd told me.
Ernesto
And what did she do?
Rafaela
She didn't bother us.
Ernesto
She didn't come to me about it. I guess she really didn't notice...
Ernesto
No, there's no guarantee that's the case. She's clearly mistrustful of me, even more so than Ch'en. It's possible that she found out but chose to hide it from me.
Ernesto
And even if she found out, there's probably very little she could do...
Ernesto
*Sigh*, they don't want to work together, and I can't keep an eye on both of them at once. What a pain.
Ernesto
It's me.
Soldier
Your orders?
Ernesto
If the mayor starts investigating the competition area, let my father know right away.
Soldier
Understood.
Ernesto
Phew, I guess this will do for now.
Ernesto
I've taken a look at which teams made it through. Out of the forty teams in the competition, twelve are on our side, and nine of those made it through. It's more or less what I expected.
Rafaela
Yeah, if it wasn't for the blue haired girl getting in the way, we probably could've taken down another team or two.
Ernesto
It was never all that reliable of a plan, luring out teams with pure gold out in the open and then taking them down, so there's really nothing to complain about with these results.
Ernesto
We made it through the first round. All we have to do during the second round is get in the other teams' way.
Ernesto
After all, the second round's full of Ms. Candela's underlings hiding in every corner to ambush anyone who tries to take a shortcut. It's not the right time to set up more bombs.
Ernesto
And the less teams at the end of the second round, the better. That's our goal in this round. You remember that, right?
Rafaela
Stop taking me for a dummy.
Ernesto
I'm just telling you again, just in case.
Ernesto
Right, since you're here, I might as well tell you now. There's a change in plans.
Rafaela
What's wrong? Are those outsiders that tough?
Ernesto
Yeah, they're probably a little too tough, even.
Rafaela
Should we take them out?
Ernesto
No.
Ernesto
First, we'd probably pay a dear price for that.
Ernesto
And secondly... They are good people.
Rafaela
Good people?
Ernesto
That's right. Good people.
Ernesto
If I'd known them longer, I'd even try to persuade them to join our cause.
Rafaela
Would they join us?
Ernesto
No idea, but it's not happening now.
Ernesto
That's why I can only assume the old man will be in danger if they get close to him on the ship. We'll need to do all we can to stall them.
Ernesto
But to get to the point, I probably won't be on the ship, so I'll probably try to work with you on land.
Rafaela
Will you need my help?
Ernesto
If it comes down to it, I will. That's why I'm telling you this now.
Rafaela
Okay.
Ernesto
Let's move on to something less serious.
Ernesto
That reminds me, Rafaela. You've lived in this city for a few years now. Do you know where the name Dossoles came from?
Rafaela
Hm? I haven't really heard why... But I'm guessing it has to do with why they call this the City of Two Suns.
Ernesto
That's right. Now take another guess. Which two suns?
Rafaela
Hm... The one on the sky?
Ernesto
This one's too obvious. You can see it just by looking up.
Rafaela
And the second one... is the one you see in the water?
Ernesto
Very good. I thought you wouldn't figure it out.
Ernesto
The city's ocean completely engulfs the sun in the sky.
Rafaela
Papa told me about that before.
Ernesto
Now, do you know that this city was almost renamed Tressoles, the City of Three Suns?
Rafaela
Huh? Three suns?
Ernesto
That's right. Now what do you think the third sun is?
Rafaela
The third sun...?
Rafaela
Maybe the mayor?
Ernesto
Hahaha, that's one theory. Ms. Candela is like the city's sun, and this city only exists because of her.
Ernesto
That's not the right answer, though.
Rafaela
Huh? It's not?
Ernesto
The mayor is a prideful person, but she wouldn't compare herself with the sun. Her pride is above even the sun.
Ernesto
She wouldn't put herself on the same level as two other suns. She would say all three suns are hers.
Rafaela
Then what's the third sun?
Ernesto
The answer's simple. It's on your papa's boat.
Rafaela
He's your papa... He's my step-dad. Eh, is it the pretty gold statue?
Ernesto
Haha, that's right. That's the city's third sun.
Ernesto
Supposedly, it took everyone quite a while to persuade Ms. Candela not to go there.
Rafaela
......
Rafaela
That sounds kinda lame.
Ernesto
Is there anything that isn't lame about this city?
Rafaela
It looks like you enjoy living here though.
Ernesto
Do I look like I enjoy this place?
Rafaela
You don't?
Rafaela
I kind of think you've been enjoying working for the mayor the last few years.
Ernesto
If that's the case, why would I help Father?
Rafaela
No idea. I've always thought you weren't going to.
Ernesto
*Sigh*... Your intuition is always so on point.
Rafaela
And here you just called me a klutz.
Ernesto
Hahaha...
Ernesto
Anyway, let's get back to preparing for the match.
