Chapter 21: Part 5: Eisenburg

After resting for a while, Seraphina took her to visit a few more places.

At a street corner, there was a small signboard.

It had a simple drawing of a cat, with the words in a stylized font—“Cat Time.”

A cat café in a wasteland world?

It made Mili feel like the coffee she had earlier wasn’t worth it…

She couldn’t help but stop by the glass wall and look inside.

To her surprise, there were quite a few animals.

Not just cats, but also two little dogs running around, and hamsters running wildly on wheels embedded in the wall niches…

Many customers were holding cat treats, playing and interacting with the animals.

The woman stood behind her and looked down at the top of Mili’s head. “Want to go in and have a look?”

“No need…” Mili hesitated and shook her head.

After all, she just had a cup of coffee.

Seraphina snorted lightly, as if seeing through her pretenses:

“It’s not about the coffee, the main business is petting cats.”

“Ah…?”

“Just go in.”

Seraphina pushed her toward the door.

“Then, where do these animals come from?”

“Some were picked up from the wasteland, after quarantine and treatment, they became pets. Some are bred artificially later on,” the woman explained.

“Moderate entertainment is very important to maintain the mental state of the people.”

“A small cost can buy the psychological stability of high-value talents, that’s a very worthwhile investment.”

“Oh…” Mili lowered her head, half understanding.

The door to the cat café was pushed open, and warm air mixed with the scent of coffee and the lazy aura of cats greeted them.

The customers and staff inside were so surprised to see Seraphina that they all stood up and hurriedly saluted her.

Seraphina waved her hand, signaling them not to be so formal, then pulled Mili to a seat by the window.

On the soft cushion beside them, a fat ginger cat was lying on its back, dozing.

Even when someone sat nearby, it didn’t open its eyes the entire time.

At their feet, a few cats curiously gathered around…

Among them, a snow-white Ragdoll cat was the bravest.

It stretched out its pink nose to sniff their pant legs, then rubbed its fluffy side against Mili’s calf, circling around her feet.

Mili froze, shrinking her hands, unsure whether she should reach out and pet it…

Looking at these furry little lives, a rare smile appeared in her eyes.

The woman’s gaze shifted from Mili’s face to the cat, her eyes becoming subtly complicated…

Watching the Ragdoll shamelessly act spoiled toward the girl, an indescribable irritation welled up in her heart.

“Hiss… Hoo, want to keep one?”

“C-can I?”

“As long as you behave…” Seraphina stood up from the seat opposite Mili and sat down right beside her, close and intimate, “anything is possible.”

“…”

Saying that, Seraphina smiled meaningfully and glanced sideways at the cat.

The Ragdoll meowed once, tucked its tail, and slinked away.

The girl quietly pulled back her leg.

“Like which one? That one just now?”

“No… I… I don’t know how to take care of them…”

“Have you ever had one before?” The woman lifted her hand and gently hugged Mili, leaning close to whisper in her ear, “If not, I can teach you…”

“N-no, no, no…” Mili shook her head desperately, gently pushing the slender hand away, lowering it down.

“Hmm, what a pity… Actually, I gave quite a few gifts, and if you wanted to buy one…” Seraphina sighed lightly and stood up, “it would be a really good deal.”

Seeing the girl’s reaction, she didn’t insist, only took her hand and left the cat café.

“What, don’t even dare touch little animals?” The woman walked beside her, her voice calm.

Mili lowered her head, nervously fiddling with her fingers and softly explaining, “It’s not that… I just… can’t take care of them well.”

“Oh?” Seraphina raised an eyebrow, “What have you taken care of before?”

“Fish…”

“Goldfish?”

“Yeah.”

“And then?”

“Just… changing water every day, feeding them fish food, but in less than a week, they… they all belly-up.” Mili’s voice grew quieter.

Thinking back to how those little lives died quickly after she first tried to care for them, she still felt a little guilty.

The woman first raised her eyebrow, then snorted mockingly: “You didn’t give them oxygen, did you?”

“Oxygen?” She looked up blankly.

“Fish need to breathe.”

“The dissolved oxygen in a small fish tank runs out quickly. You only change the water but don’t add oxygen—of course they’d suffocate.”

“Or you overfed them.”

“If they lasted a week, that means the quality of the fish they sold you was actually pretty good.”

Mili was speechless.

She really hadn’t thought about it.

The girl was at a loss, her cheeks flushed.

Seeing her embarrassed expression, Seraphina’s mood seemed to lift again.

The two continued strolling along the streets of the underground city.

Unlike the cold and grim industrial zone on the surface, every corner here exuded a carefully planned livability.

They passed a bar, its door half-open, neon lights flashing invitingly, with soft blue jazz and faint laughter spilling out from behind the door.

It was already evening, and there were a few scattered customers inside.

Most wore work clothes, glasses of alcohol in front of them, looking relaxed.

“When it’s night, it’s even livelier here, but it’s still early now,” Seraphina introduced.

“Workers like to come here for a drink after work or during breaks to relieve the fatigue.”

Mili peeked inside quietly; under the dim light, people seemed to truly unload their exhaustion into their cups.

“Want me to take you in for a drink?”

“No… no, thanks.”

“I bet you’ve never been,” she said confidently, shrugging.

“No, no…” The girl quickened her steps and slipped ahead.

Further down the street, there were a few handicraft shops.

The windows displayed metal sculptures of various shapes—

Some were pieced together from discarded parts, exuding a rough yet delicate industrial aesthetic;

Others were woven, colorful with simple patterns.

“These are made by the residents themselves,” the woman explained, “Aisenburg encourages them to develop hobbies, which can also be exchanged for extra living supplies.”

Mili stared at the handicrafts, somewhat dazed.

The people here seemed to truly be living, not just surviving…

Seraphina noticed the girl’s expression but said nothing, just continued leading her forward.

She enjoyed this moment of showing off her achievements.

Occasionally, the woman would pull out a portable monitoring device to glance at it, which made Mili’s heart tighten.

Though she didn’t understand why she felt nervous…

Seraphina gave off an impression of impatience—

As if she wanted to bind the screen right in front of her eyes, watching every second without missing a thing…

Unconsciously, dusk fell.

The light through the dome shifted from warm orange-red to complete darkness, replaced by giant incandescent light strips built around the transparent dome.

Looking up, Mili felt as if she was under a giant lamp.

“Hungry?” Seraphina stopped walking and asked.

The girl rubbed her stomach.

After the anesthesia wore off completely, hunger quickly surged.

A rare softness spread on Seraphina’s lips:

“I’ll take you somewhere nice.”