"Stellaron?" Upon hearing Sparkle's words, Cocolia pondered for a moment, 'unintentionally' revealing a 'troubled' expression. However, in the blink of an eye, her face regained its composure.
This fleeting change did not escape Sparkle's notice. Initially, she had only been testing the waters, trying to see if she could obtain information about the Stellaron from the supreme leader of this planet. Now, her eyes lit up with excitement.
If she had merely been testing the waters earlier, she now felt 90% certain that this so-called "Supreme Guardian" before her undoubtedly held clues about the Stellaron—perhaps even knowledge of its exact location!
"Supreme Guardian, it seems you do indeed know something about the Stellaron. How about giving the Masked Fools some face? We—"
Whoosh—!
A sharp sound cut through the air. Sensing the shift in the airflow around her, Sparkle's gaze turned cold as she reached forward with her jade-like hand, catching a rolled-up parchment.
"This is…" Unfurling the scroll and examining its contents, the coldness in Sparkle's eyes gradually faded, replaced by three parts confusion and seven parts silence.
"My, our Supreme Guardian is quite generous, isn't she? To so easily hand over the Stellaron's location to me… Could it be—?" Sparkle maintained her playful, childlike grin, though her true thoughts remained unknown.
"Could it be that you wish to borrow the Masked Fools' hands to achieve some goal of yours?"
"I've already given you the map. Whether you believe it or not, whether you go or not—that's none of my concern."
"Hmph." Sparkle let out a light snort. "Fine, I'll trust you this once. Until next time, Supreme Guardian~" With that, a flickering red light danced around Sparkle before transforming into a dying ember, vanishing from the space.
Not long after Sparkle's departure, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed from outside the door. Soon after, the belated Silvermane Guards burst in.
"Supreme Guardian, are you unharmed?!" Gepard Landau, at the forefront, shouted anxiously. However, since all the lamps had been destroyed by Sparkle, the room was pitch black, leaving him unable to discern the situation—only amplifying his worry.
"I'm fine, Gepard. Withdraw the Silvermane Guards." Cocolia's icy voice pierced through the darkness, reaching the ears of the guards.
Hearing this, Gepard let out a sigh of relief, though tension quickly returned. "Supreme Guardian, regarding what just happened—"
"It was nothing. I merely had a sudden epiphany and momentarily lost control of my breakthrough's energy, resulting in this mess. Have it repaired tomorrow."
"I see." Now understanding the cause, Gepard bowed into the darkness. "Supreme Guardian, I take my leave."
With orderly footsteps, Gepard led the Silvermane Guards away.
Resuming her seat, Cocolia crossed her legs and began reflecting on the events that had just transpired.
"Ever-changing, infinitely variable—is this the power of the Masked Fools? Truly, Belobog's prolonged isolation from the interstellar community has left us far too limited."
When "Bronya" had come to visit earlier, she hadn't noticed anything amiss. Had she not suddenly recalled that Bronya wasn't currently in the Overworld, she might've truly mistaken the imposter for her daughter.
And yet…
"Bronya is accompanying that lord. This means that self-proclaimed Masked Fool, Sparkle, has never met the real Bronya. Even so, she could replicate her to such an extent…"
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"Mhm, I see. Well done, Cocolia." After receiving Cocolia's report, Yun Fan, currently in the Underworld, whistled cheerfully before flopping backward onto the modest bed beneath him.
"Cocolia still has to govern Jarilo-VI for me. She can't exit the stage like in the original storyline."
"As for Sparkle—while she isn't an Emanator of Elation, among Pathstriders, she's undoubtedly a cut above the rest. She shouldn't fall under the Stellaron's control."
At this thought, a mischievous grin spread across Yun Fan's handsome face. The scheming man was undoubtedly brewing some new plan.
Casually turning off the light, Yun Fan lay on his side, feeling as though something was missing. He shook his head helplessly and sighed inwardly.
'Sigh… Still missing a soft, fragrant pillow to hug…'
The next day, the sun was high in the sky—well, figuratively speaking, since the Underworld had no real day-night cycle.
"Haah~ That was one long nap. I wonder what time it is now?" Rubbing his eyes sleepily, Yun Fan glanced at the wall clock.
"Huh? It's already 2 PM? Hahaha, talk about slacking off." He couldn't help but chuckle at himself.
Back on Earth, Yun Fan had been born into an ordinary rural family. While they had no debts, they also had no savings. During his time in Teyvat and the Honkai Star Rail universe, due to the gifts of the native laws, he had lived in relative luxury.
Places like the Goethe Hotel—plain, even shabby by comparison—aligned more closely with his past life. Ironically, that was why he found it more comfortable.
"Now, how did that saying go again? Hahaha, does this make me a 'wild boar unable to savor fine grains'? Hahaha…"
Rising from the bed, Yun Fan stretched before heading toward March 7th and the others' adjacent room.
Knock knock knock…
He rapped lightly on the door and waited. Yet, after a while, there was no response. Raising an eyebrow, he moved on to the neighboring rooms.
Knock knock knock… Knock knock knock… Knock knock knock…
One door after another—from March 7th to Stelle, Dan Heng to Bronya—Yun Fan knocked on everyone's doors. Still receiving no answer, he activated his perception, sending out a ripple-like wave of divine sense.
"None of them are here? Where did they all go? Did they just vanish into thin air?"
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