"By day, the Guardian must shine like a brilliant star, illuminating the people's path."
Bronya walked step by step through the dark rift of the Fragmentum, heading toward Belobog.
"By night, the Guardian must burn like a warm hearth, comforting the people's hearts."
She clenched her fists, noticing tiny green sprouts budding on her uniform.
Bronya looked up at the sky—a sky weathered by seven centuries of snowstorms, yet still allowing light to pierce through. She recalled picture books Cocolia had read to her in childhood, imagining what the sun might look like.
The bitter wind swept across her cheeks, tousling the stray hairs at her forehead. Her thoughts seemed already buried beneath the blizzards.
How much longer could this land endure?
Belobog... this final bastion of humanity—how much longer could it persist?
Bronya rarely adopted a sorrowful outlook, but now she couldn't help feeling grief for the future.
The beautiful, resilient young woman bit her lip.
She had arrived.
Standing before Qlipoth Fort, the determination in Bronya's eyes seemed to waver.
Occasionally, like now, she would recall the past—remembering her clumsy, naive self first setting foot in Qlipoth Fort, worshipping her mother's magnificent figure, dreaming that one day she too might stand there with a gentle smile, working for Belobog's people.
Someone broke the silence.
"Lady Bronya, you've... returned?"
Bronya finally snapped back to reality, lifting her head toward the voice.
Pela stood holding several report folders, staring at Bronya with utter disbelief. They had been working endless overtime recently due to Bronya's abduction.
But now... Bronya had simply walked out on her own?
No, that couldn't be.
The round-faced girl, wise and rational, dismissed her own conjecture in an instant. She had personally witnessed that fugitive single-handedly suppress Gepard and a group of Silvermane Guards.
Bronya was certainly formidable, but at best, she could only match Gepard's level—there was no way she could defeat such a monster.
This wasn't some fairy tale where shouting about friendship or bonds would bring down the villain.
"...Pela?"
Bronya's voice carried a hint of hesitation.
But she quickly regained her composure.
She forced a strained smile at Pela and took a step forward.
"Let's go, Pela. We should prepare."
"...?"
Pela was somewhat puzzled. She sensed that Bronya seemed to have changed, but she couldn't pinpoint what those changes were.
Yet she had a premonition—Belobog's future was about to undergo a transformation.
Pela took a deep breath, nodded quietly, and followed silently behind Bronya.
...
The Great Mine.
Oleg quickly realized that the situation had escalated beyond their ability to intervene. After briefly stating his stance to Felicity and the others, he hurriedly left the scene, leaving only Seele still trailing behind the group.
"That guy's gone. What are you all planning to do next?"
Seele crossed her arms, pursing her lips slightly.
Though it might be overestimating her abilities, she still wanted to witness the moment this world began to change.
Before leaving, that girl named Bronya had solemnly apologized to her and Wildfire, promising her a future.
She said that in the future, people from the Underground and Overworld could coexist peacefully again. They would eat the same food, wear the same clothes, and gaze up at the sky together.
Gazing up at the sky...
Seele had almost forgotten what the sky looked like, so she couldn't help but yearn for such a future.
"Someone is breaking away from the past. What she needs is time. We might as well take a nap here before heading up to watch the show."
Felicity replied casually.
"Can you speak normally?"
March 7th covered her face and groaned.
Every time she started to feel a sense of reverence for Felicity, the latter would pull some stunt that shattered all her respect...
"Hehe, little March, you still don't get it. After a minor plot point, you always need to follow up with some high-class dialogue."
Felicity wagged her finger lightly, speaking earnestly as if reciting game mechanics.
"That doesn't matter! So, what are we going to do next?"
"Like I said, we wait and see."
Felicity replied,
"Bronya is seeking answers for us—why Cocolia betrayed us. Though personally, I wouldn't mind just taking Cocolia out directly, we still need to know the truth."
"Felicity is right."
Dan Heng nodded in agreement,
"We haven't yet pinpointed the Stellaron's exact location or coordinates, nor have we figured out the reason behind Cocolia's shift in attitude. Besides, it's already too late today. Getting some rest is the right move."
"I still have trash cans I want to rummage through!"
Stelle raised her hand enthusiastically.
"Trash can, trash can, why is your head full of trash cans? Why don't you just turn into one yourself!"
March 7th pinched Stelle's cheeks, her face brimming with displeasure.
She was starting to wonder if Stelle wasn't actually some kind of stellaron vessel, but perhaps had a trash can hidden inside her instead.
"But then again, where should we go to settle our accommodation issue?"
March 7th's thoughts shifted, and she suddenly asked.
It seemed like she hadn't spotted anything resembling an inn in the Underworld.
"We can just discuss it with the members of Wildfire."
Dan Heng's gaze fell upon Seele as he calmly stated,
"Miss Seele, could we trouble you to help explain our situation?"
"No problem."
Seele nodded.
She hesitated for a moment, turning her gaze toward Felicity, only to be startled to find that the mysterious and powerful girl had vanished without a trace at some point.
"...Where did she go?"
"You mean Felicity?"
March 7th glanced back and waved her hand dismissively,
"I don't know either. Maybe she went off to play somewhere again? She always likes to wander off alone."
"..."
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
The imaginary energy Felicity had released this time was so overwhelming that even the Stellaron hidden in the shadows began to feel fear.
It started frantically absorbing the life force of this planet, trying to make itself stronger.
What it failed to realize was that such exaggerated actions would inevitably draw Felicity's attention.
As an Emanator of Abundance, Felicity was particularly sensitive to the flow of life energy and could naturally trace it back to the source.
Feeling the direction of the life energy flow, Felicity's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Found you, Stellaron."