Chapter 40: DuckBro

"Ugh... my head hurts…"

Bronya clutched her head as she sat up, her messy hair falling down, draped over her snow-white shoulders and neck.

A hangover was tormenting her head, causing bouts of pain.

"Damn, drinking really messes things up... huh?" The cool sensation on her body made her instantly awake.

Bronya realized she was lying naked on the bed, wearing only black stockings.

"Wha-what! What happened?!"

She was shocked, quickly pulling up the blanket to cover herself.

At this moment, Gu Tang tiredly got up from the ground.

"Gu Tang! You bastard! How could you do this to me!" Bronya shouted through gritted teeth, her face flushing red.

"You have the nerve to say that! I was up all night because of you!" Gu Tang retorted bluntly.

Bronya paused: "Was I that wild?"

"You were very wild! Last night, you suddenly took off your clothes and started performing camel pose yoga on the bed, then tried to undress me," Gu Tang complained.

"Huh? Ah... sorry about that..." Bronya said awkwardly, scratching her head.

"I was afraid you might kill yourself, so I had to look after you all night. It was exhausting," Gu Tang said, rubbing his temples in exasperation.

"Hehe... actually, this is the first time I've drunk this much…" Bronya admitted, feeling embarrassed.

Gu Tang's expression suddenly turned serious: "But thanks to last night's chaos, I discovered something important... You're not Cocolia's biological daughter, are you?"

Bronya tilted her head: "How do you know that?"

"I compared your body with your mother's. Although both are very voluptuous, there are some key differences in certain areas, such as…"

Before Gu Tang could finish, Bronya kicked him out of the tent.

…

…

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After washing up, Bronya stepped out of the tent.

She looked energetic and radiant.

Her experiences in the lower district had added many doubts but also cleared a lot of confusion in her mind.

"Look, Bronya looks full of energy, but Gu Tang looks exhausted."

"I get it. I look the same when I come out of my wife's room."

"Gu Tang really had a rough night..."

"Bronya is so powerful; now we can sleep soundly."

The vagrants whispered among themselves.

Bronya's face darkened.

She glanced around and saw Gu Tang in a corner of the camp, cooking something in a pot.

Bronya walked over, and a delicious aroma immediately filled her nostrils.

"Here, it's dumpling soup. Drink a bowl; it'll help with your hangover." Seeing Bronya approaching, Gu Tang ladled a bowl of soup and handed it to her.

Bronya took a few sips, letting out a comfortable breath of hot air, feeling her headache ease a bit.

"You said this is the first time you've drunk this much, right?" Gu Tang asked, not looking up as he stirred the contents of the pot.

Bronya nodded: "Yeah, I'm not a fan of alcohol."

"Then why were you in such high spirits last night?" Gu Tang continued.

Bronya was silent for a moment before speaking slowly: "Once, a group of Iron Guards held a drinking party a week before a mission and invited me."

Gu Tang: "I guess you refused."

Bronya: "Yes, I don't like drinking, and I don't like my subordinates drinking. Alcohol impairs a soldier's judgment."

Clang, clang.

Gu Tang knocked on the edge of the iron pot with a long spoon: "What happened next?"

"They all died in the mission." Bronya finished her soup in a few gulps.

Gu Tang didn't ask further, and Bronya didn't continue.

Then, a vagrant ran over, shouting, "Lady Bronya! Lord Gu Tang!"

Bronya turned around: "Speak slowly, what happened?"

The vagrant caught his breath and said quickly, "A huge deposit of Geomarrow was found near the mine at Rock Town... It's the largest deposit discovered in the last thirty years!"

"Isn't that a good thing? Why are you so panicked?" Bronya asked in confusion.

"The miners and vagrants there started fighting over it, and many people have been injured!" the vagrant answered.

Bronya was shocked: "How could this happen? Quickly, gather a group of people and follow me there."

Gu Tang stretched lazily: "Hmm... It's about time to stretch my muscles after managing the vagrants for so long."

…

…

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At the entrance to the large mining area, many injured lay on the ground.

A woman with long blue-gray hair was deftly tending to the wounded.

She wore a white robe, with several potions hanging from the belt at her waist.

On her neck was a round vial filled with green liquid, which might just be a decoration or something that could be used in emergencies.

Her face seemed to always carry a gentle, kind smile, providing great comfort to the suffering patients.

"Natasha, I didn't expect even you to come." Seele arrived.

Behind her were Dan Heng and the group.

Natasha smiled: "You've come. Now I can be at ease."

"What exactly happened here?" Dan Heng asked, looking at the injured on the ground.

Natasha finished bandaging a wound: "There was a fierce clash between miners and vagrants, and many got hurt."

Seele frowned: "How did it escalate to this?"

"The first mining team discovered a massive Geomarrow deposit... but they didn't want to announce it. Many mining areas have been contaminated by the Rift over the past two years, causing many people to lose their jobs. If this news got out, the incoming miners would flood this place."

Stelle, standing to the side, spoke up: "I guess it was still discovered."

Natasha nodded: "The miners couldn't hide it from the vagrants here. Some thugs wanted to extort hush money from the mining team... The conflict escalated into a brawl between the vagrants and miners."

"So that's how it is. These despicable vagrants..." Seele said angrily.

March 7th patted her chest: "Don't worry, Doctor Natasha, we'll resolve this conflict."

Natasha gave them a warm smile: "I've heard you've been helping Wildfire a lot these past few days. Thank you. In my clinic, you'll receive free treatment."

"Hopefully, we'll never need that discount…" March 7th muttered.

"If only our bro was here, his negotiation skills would easily resolve this." Dan Heng sighed.

"I'm not a smooth talker, but I have my negotiation methods." Seele raised her scythe, "Let's go show those thugs a thing or two."