Two Days Later, Back to the Workshop After two days, the team returns to the workshop to see if Yagoda found leads on the stolen robot. Previous contact with the Children of the Frost Moon yielded only hints. Hopes are tempered by the sense that the culprit stayed in the shadows from start to finish.
Suspicions Fade, Leads Dry Up Yagoda interrogates Asika’s circle and other black‑market traders but finds no evidence. Asika, once the prime suspect, appears clean. The thief’s plan was airtight, leaving no trace.
Resolve Hardens to Protect the Workshop Fearing the thieves will target other workshop robots, including Inefa, Aina vows to retrieve Sladushka at any cost. Overturning Notkrai becomes an acceptable price to safeguard her friends. Complacency would invite more kidnappings.
A Merchant’s Letter and a New Tactic A letter from Dori offers paid help and a discount plan. The strategy shifts from “who stole it” to “where it is now.” Dori proposes introducing an expert tracker to locate the current holder.
The Price of Expertise Dori frames a fee of 800,000 mora with a “20% discount,” later slashing it in recognition of the Traveler’s deeds. The negotiation feels like a swindle yet secures help. The client is willing to pay to bring a friend home.
Sidil, Melusine Investigator The expert turns out to be Sidil, a Melusine versed in smuggling cases. She respects Ofili’s reputation and refuses personal payment, though Dori still claims a fee. Her concurrent mission to find a missing Melusine agent aligns with the search.
Batteries, Ambushes, and Interrogations At the last known site, Sidil notes a scout bot’s battery would have nearly died, implying an accomplice nearby. Treasure Hoarders refuse to talk until Aina’s robo‑rabbits encircle them, loosening tongues. A time window narrows the suspects’ departure toward a specific direction.
Reading the Ground for Clues Sidil identifies a likely rest stop by factoring human endurance and heavy cargo. She marks subtle traces others miss. Unfamiliar sand grains suggest the thieves frequent a different shoreline.
Malinovyi Lyman Points the Way Sidil links the sand to Malinovyi Lyman by the Kuvyaki experimental bureau on Pakh Island. The camp there matches a regular haunt for the smugglers. The team sets out to verify the hideout.
A Fortified Target Near Fatui The camp is real, but Sladushka is hidden, and Fatui security nearby complicates entry. Sidil halts for safety, having guided them as far as she can. Aina rolls out “Pipiu No. 1,” a hefty vacuum‑like combat bot, and charges ahead.
The Mech with Sladushka’s Core Inside, a menacing flying machine houses Sladushka’s core, now powering a far stronger frame. The upgrade multiplies its might tenfold compared to Aina’s gadgets. The scene confirms the thieves re‑engineered the prototype.
Evstakhiy, Curator of the Black Market Evstakhiy steps out as mastermind, admitting he curated notice boards to mislead investigators. He stole Sladushka to amass mora and rival major factions. In lawless Notkrai, he insists, the winner takes all.
Aggrieved Genius and Stolen Breakthrough Evstakhiy claims he foresaw Kuvyaki’s potential and that Aina squandered it on toys. Fatui monopolized research while her workshop won adoration and contracts. He frames theft as the only way to prove his genius and seize the market.
A Power Source with a Sweet Tooth The team’s attacks fail until technicians confess the mech needs a special mediator to focus Kuvyaki’s power. Sladushka, a confectionery robot designed to cook and eat desserts, requires sweets to run stably. As a weapon, it would consume more sugar and flour than Notkrai can supply.
Built‑In Safeguards Foil Weaponization The dessert‑consumption function is hardwired and protected, beyond the thieves’ skills to alter. Without it, the system cannot maintain concentration; with it, weapon use is unsustainable. Sladushka cannot be turned into an engine of war.
Allies Arrive, Core Reclaimed Workshop allies surge in, forcing Evstakhiy to flee. During the chaos, Sladushka’s core is extracted and returned to its rightful owner. Former adversaries apologize, and the group resolves to shield the technology.
Home, Repairs, and Pastries Sladushka gains a new body, taste‑tests his own baking, then serves limited pastries to guests. Aina is absent, seized by inspiration and locked in her workshop. Gratitude for the rescue is expressed through sweets rather than speeches.
What Drives Aina Inefa explains Aina found a passion stronger than sweets, nurtured by friends and a wise mentor. She founded a workshop to realize ideas and gives each robot individuality, treating them as friends. Genius carried her far from her childhood circle, so the robots became family and purpose.
Notkrai’s Spirit and A Story Well Told Debate ends with the view that Aina embodies Notkrai by turning power into care instead of fear. The event wraps with desserts and praise for a narrative that spotlights Laumi, Kirill, and Aina within the main arc. Less filler and stronger character integration make the story satisfying, with mini‑games still ahead.