Valkyrie Smash

"Alright, we have finally arrived."

"Whoa…"

The long ride has finally reached its end and the three girls -one Nephilim, one Valkyrie, and one human- finally descended from the car.

"Welcome to the first district of the first human settlement." Sara spoke with a smile. "As the name suggests, this is the first city that was built after the war started. You could say it's as close to the old world as it gets, in terms of appearance, at least."

"Ingrid! Look! Look! It's a skyscraper!" Juni said excitedly.

"Stop shaking me." Ingrid replied, though she wore a huge grin as well.

"It's just like in the movies!"

For a city built during the apocalypse, the First Settlement looked like a normal concrete jungle of a city, complete with thousands of buildings separated into blocks. Still, despite it resembling the cities of old, the post-apocalyptic city seemed strangely alive, lacking the depressing air one would expect from the gray constructs.

"Strange…" Juni said as she looked around them. "It feels kinda… empty…"

"Hm? What makes you think so?" The reporter asked.

"I don't know. It's just… ah!" Looking up with a start, the Valkyrie turned to the car they arrived in. "There are no cars! In the movies, the roads are always full of cars!"

Ingris raised her eyebrows a little as she understood what her friend meant.

"The air is clean, too. I thought we wouldn't be able to breathe."

Not that breathing was something those two had to worry about. Still, their observation was correct; there were far too few cars roaming the roads and the air was so clean it might as well be from some grasslands.

"When the city was first built, the roads were kept wide on purpose so the residents wouldn't have trouble driving around. That was a major oversight though as cars were no longer as prevalent. People now rely on public transport a lot more, then there is the fact that we no longer rely on fossil fuel.

It's because of those factors and more that don't have the same problems as the cities of the past."

"O~h…"

Sara had lived in the world before the war so she knew exactly what surprised the two girls. The pollution that plagued the world was no more.

The threat of Calamities forced humanity to abandon the resources they relied on before, which meant no millions of vehicles puffing poison in the air, flight was limited to military purposes, and with most manufacturing being done inside each settlement, cargo transports were a thing of the past.

Of course, there were many other factors at play, chief among them being the technological advancements that resulted in more efficient and clean energy. Sadly with the war still ongoing those advancements remained out of the public's reach, but now that it was finally over the world would soon start heading toward its past.

"So, what's our next destination?" Ingrid asked, pulling her sunglasses down to look at the reporter.

Soon after they entered the settlement, Sara retrieved a pair of sunglasses from her glove compartment and handed them to the girls. Both of them were able to get their hands on civilian clothes before sneaking out. Though the hoods and face masks helped a little, people could still figure out what they were simply by looking at their eyes.

Of course, walking around with such a disguise drew the attention of many passersby, however it was much better than the alternative.

"Hm… I don't really know how to go about this…" Sara said as she swiped through her phone.

Tourism was dead in the apocalypse, except for the occasional trips to battle sites and city ruins. One wouldn't expect a lot from what was once nothing more than a refugee camp, but with survivors from all across the world gathering in one place, it was only inevitable that their cultures would mix, creating one of the most culturally diverse places in history.

Sara was lost for choice. There were quite a few monuments and establishments that could only be found in the First Settlements, and with the time on their hands being limited, she had to draw the best route that would allow them to make the most of it.

"Ah, how about we visit the Calamity Exhibition?" She said after a while. "It's near the southern gate so we would be passing quite a-"

It was then that she noticed that the girls were gone, and a shock of panic hit her immediately after.

"Old man! Give us two of these!"

"Old man!" A gruff laugh resounded. "Guess I do look old."

Relief spread through her chest when she spotted the two suspicious figures a few meters down the street. While she was deep in thought, the girls made their way to a small shop near the corner and were already in the process of ordering.

"Anyway, that's quite the strange getup you got there." The shop owner spoke while working on his utensils. "You trying to stay low, or stand out?"

The two girls glanced a each other for a second before Ingrid answered.

"Well, let's just say we're too cute for this world."

The old man gave them an incredulous look before laughing a couple of seconds later.

"Hahaha! Too cute, huh? I believe you, alright? I believe you!"

He grabbed a large ladle and began pulling out something that's been in the large pot for some time now. Bite-sized golden orbs, deep-fried to perfection. The surface of each is delicately textured, showcasing a slightly crunchy crust that hides a pillowy interior.

The round shape and uniform golden hue create a visually pleasing treat that tempts the senses, and as the middle aged shop owner placed them into two small paper boxes, the girls couldn't help but swallow.

"Well then, here you do!" He said, handing them the white containers, a sweet fragrance wafting in the surroundings. "For my extremely cute customers, this serving is on the house!"

"Eh!?" Ingrid looked up from her box. "Are you sure, old man?"

"As long as you promise to come again." The man gave them a knowing smile. "I hope to see your cute faces next time."

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