The State of Belobog

"Wait," March 7th said, the first to speak, her voice full of undisguised confusion. "We only just came down from the sky. We haven't even met a single local besides you. How could your Supreme Guardian know about us?"

Stelle nodded repeatedly. Sampo was the first living person they had met after landing, and the train had only just warped here. How could anyone already know about them?

Dan Heng asked no further questions. He stared intently into Sampo's eyes, watching every subtle change in his expression.

With three weapons pointed at him and the wound on his buttocks starting to ache again, Sampo could only force a smile uglier than a grimace.

"Heroes, heroines, I don't know either! How could I possibly have known you were coming in advance?"

He explained that everything he knew came from a notice posted in Belobog a few months ago.

The Supreme Guardian had ordered all residents and Silvermane Guards to keep an eye out for strangers from beyond the sky. Anyone who found a credible lead could go to Kliperburg and collect a frighteningly high bounty.

"A few months ago?" Stelle immediately caught the key words.

Sampo nodded vigorously but refused to say more about the reason behind the notice, offering only a vague answer. "How would little people like us dare guess what the higher-ups are thinking?"

He said the notice gave no names, numbers, or descriptions of the visitors from beyond the sky. It only emphasized that they were highly likely to appear from the direction of the snowfields, which was why the bounty had been up for months without anyone actually collecting it.

Dan Heng considered Sampo's information for a moment and offered a seemingly reasonable explanation. "The information is incomplete. It doesn't prove the notice has anything to do with us. It could just be a coincidence."

"Right! Right! Exactly!" Sampo immediately picked up on his point. "We could stand here in the snowfields guessing until dark and still get nowhere. All we have to do is go to Belobog and meet the Supreme Guardian. Then won't it be clear why the notice was posted in advance?"

Stelle suddenly narrowed her eyes and looked Sampo up and down, exposing his scheme in a single sentence. "You're not planning to take us to the Supreme Guardian so you can collect the bounty, are you?"

Sampo gave a couple of awkward laughs. This time, instead of stubbornly denying it, he admitted it frankly. "I, old Sampo, do have my eye on that bounty, but that doesn't conflict with what you folks want. You want to meet the Supreme Guardian, and I want to make a living. We each get what we need. It's a win-win!"

After hearing him out, March 7th actually thought he had a point. She muttered to Bai Luoming, "Whatever else you can say about him, at least he's pretty upfront."

Stelle nodded too. She figured she didn't have to pay anything and would get a local guide for free, so the deal wasn't a loss.

Seeing an opening, Sampo immediately thumped his chest and promised that he knew every path across the snowfields. He could guide them around every Fragmentum creature and danger zone, and his service would definitely be worth the money.

Dan Heng weighed the matter for a moment and agreed to cooperate for the time being. He warned Sampo that he could have the bounty and they wouldn't fight him for it, but he had to guide them honestly and play no tricks along the way.

"No problem! Leave it to old Sampo!" Sampo readily agreed, but the movement was a little too big and pulled at his wound again. His face twisted instantly, and he could only force a smile while sucking in a breath.

March 7th and Stelle both looked at Bai Luoming. Even Dan Heng was waiting for his opinion.

Bai Luoming's thoughts were in a bit of a muddle. The Supreme Guardian had begun looking for visitors from beyond the sky months in advance. That had already departed completely from the plot he knew.

But for now, apart from Sampo standing before him, he had no way to verify the information.

Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he nodded and said, "Let's go to the city first. If there really is a problem, we'll decide what to do based on the situation."

Seeing that they had all changed their minds and agreed, Sampo finally let out a long breath and turned to lead the way.

Dan Heng walked at the rear, keeping a wary eye on their surroundings. March 7th and Stelle followed Sampo, while Bai Luoming deliberately stayed half a step behind, where he could keep an eye on Sampo and respond to any unexpected situation that might arise in the snowfields.

The group made its way around the remains of buildings buried in snow and followed a relatively gentle slope.

March 7th blinked and looked at Sampo's somewhat awkward gait. At last, she voiced the question on her mind. "By the way, Sampo, why were you hiding alone in a snowbank just now? And why were you so afraid of those Silvermane Guards?"

"Miss, you can't put it like that!" Sampo stopped at once and turned around, correcting her with a solemn expression.

"What do you mean, hiding? What do you mean, afraid? I, old Sampo, was just lying low for a while, understand? That's not the same as those desperadoes!"

He puffed out his chest, putting on an air of complete confidence.

But he couldn't keep it up for long. His eyes began darting from side to side, and his voice grew quieter.

"Well... you see... mostly because I happened to have... uh, a few newly unearthed ancient relics in my safekeeping."

When everyone looked at him inquisitively, he seemed to have found an audience and immediately began pouring out his grievances.

"Ah, you have no idea. When those Silvermane Guards are on duty, they're completely single-minded and don't know the first thing about making exceptions! Try talking to them about the historical or artistic value of ancient relics? You might as well talk to a brick wall!"

"In their eyes, those treasures are just a pile of scrap metal that needs to be handed over. But in the hands of someone like me who really knows the trade, they can realize their true value!"

Sampo claimed he was merely finding more suitable owners for the relics and collecting a negligible fee for safekeeping, transportation, and appraisal along the way. It was all perfectly reasonable compensation for his work.

"Ohhh~" Stelle drew out the sound, then summed it up meaningfully. "So you're an antique dealer. No wonder people are after you."

Sampo's face turned bright red. He corrected Stelle, "What do you mean, dealing? Can you call it dealing when it's ancient relics? It's passing them on! Passing on the torch of history, understand? I'm just putting sleeping history back into circulation!"

March 7th undermined him too. "By 'back into circulation,' do you mean from ancient ruins into your pocket, and then from your pocket into the hands of the highest bidder?"

Sampo tried to salvage his image with a string of phrases like "meeting market demand," "relocating them for their protection," and "promoting cultural exchange among the people," but the more he explained, the more suspicious he sounded.

Stelle listened carefully, nodded with great solemnity, and delivered her final verdict. "You're not an antique dealer."

Sampo's eyes lit up.

Stelle went on, "You're a cultured antique dealer."

At those words, an air of merriment filled the group and its surroundings.

Sampo pretended not to hear and quickened his pace, changing the subject.

Bai Luoming took the opportunity to ask the question he cared about most. "May I ask who Belobog's current Supreme Guardian is?"

To Sampo, this question was clearly far more interesting than discussing who the ancient relics belonged to.

He immediately perked up and looked back to explain. "The one currently occupying the Supreme Guardian's seat is Lady Bronya Rand."

Bai Luoming's steps faltered almost imperceptibly.

Stelle noticed something was amiss and asked, "You've heard that name?"

"It's an easy name to remember." Bai Luoming brushed it aside with a single sentence and motioned for Sampo to continue.

But his heart sank.

Bronya Rand.

Of course he knew that name. The commander of the Silvermane Guards and Cocolia's adopted daughter.

But she absolutely should not have become Belobog's Supreme Guardian at this point in time.

Sampo explained, "The previous Supreme Guardian, Lady Cocolia Rand, suddenly suffered a relapse of an old illness three months ago. Her health has already... ah, in any case, she can no longer handle those mountains of government affairs."

He spread his hands with a helpless expression, as though speaking of a misfortune everyone knew about.

Cocolia: "Kids, I was lagging that night. I couldn't get a feel for it."

"A relapse of an old illness?" March 7th asked, a note of concern in her voice. "That sounds serious. How is she now?"

"Who knows?" Sampo shook his head and lowered his voice. "News from Kliperburg has always been kept tightly under wraps. All we know is that Lady Bronya has been acting as Supreme Guardian ever since."

Stelle immediately caught the subtle wording and raised an eyebrow. "Just 'acting'?"

"Hey, you've hit the nail on the head, miss." Sampo winked at her, his expression turning somewhat mysterious.

"Belobog's officials have always used terms like 'acting' or 'temporarily filling in' when speaking to the public. They talk about what will happen when Lady Cocolia gets better..."

He changed tack and leaned forward slightly, as though sharing some momentous secret. "But every important order in the city now, from supply distribution to patrol routes, bears Lady Bronya's signature. Even the Silvermane Guards, those fellows who usually look down their noses at everyone, now follow her orders without question. So..."

He slapped his thigh and delivered his conclusion. "The residents have long since accepted that she's our Supreme Guardian now."

Sampo went on to describe Bronya's accomplishments. Some of his usual frivolity faded, and his tone grew noticeably more serious.

"Don't underestimate this newly appointed Supreme Guardian. Not long after she took power, she did something major."

"What was it?" Stelle asked.

"Despite enormous pressure, she ordered the reopening of the passage between the Upper District and the Underworld, which had been sealed for over ten years." Sampo spoke each word distinctly, watching their reactions.

A thoughtful look passed through Dan Heng's eyes at the news.

He said nothing, but he could imagine the complex interests and resistance involved.

March 7th was completely absorbed by the news. "Sealed for over ten years? Why? Reopening it... isn't that a good thing?"

"A good thing? For those of us who've suffered in the Underworld, of course it's a tremendous thing," Sampo said with feeling.

"But to those bigwigs in the Upper District who've grown used to comfort, it's no different from letting wolves into the house. I heard there were furious arguments in Kliperburg during that time, and several important figures joined forces to oppose it. People in the Underworld didn't trust them either. They thought nothing good ever came of the Silvermane Guards showing up, and there was a lot of resistance."

He paused, a note of genuine admiration entering his voice. "But Lady Bronya pushed it through anyway and began restoring the flow of supplies and people between the two districts. There were bumps along the way, of course, but one way or another, Belobog, which had been divided for so many years, was finally connected again. That alone was enough to make sure no one dared treat her as a mere 'acting guardian' anymore."

"Of course, the process wasn't smooth. Important figures in the Upper District opposed it, and people in the Underworld didn't trust the Silvermane Guards either. But one way or another, Belobog, which had been divided for so many years, was finally connected again."

After hearing this, March 7th felt a little more favorably toward the Supreme Guardian she had never met.

Stelle perceptively pointed out, "Being able to push through a policy like that in such a short time means she's terrifyingly capable."

Sampo nodded in agreement, but added that Lady Bronya's most baffling order wasn't the opening of the two districts, but the bounty she had issued afterward for visitors from beyond the sky.

The bounty was high enough to provide an ordinary family with food and clothing for years, and it had attracted countless opportunists.

"Some claimed they'd fallen from the sky. Others passed off a few rusty old parts as interstellar navigation equipment. I even heard there was some attention seeker who claimed he'd just had a drink with an Aeon last night."

In the end, Kliperburg checked each of their identities. The lucky ones were driven away, while the more serious cases were detained by the Silvermane Guards for a few days for forging evidence.

Sampo looked back, his eyes sweeping over the four travelers' clothes and equipment, which were clearly not in Belobog's style. His tone grew more certain. "But I imagine you're different. Just going by how you're dressed and your claim that you came from the sky, you're far more credible than those attention seekers, any way you look at it."

Dan Heng reminded him, "We aren't necessarily the people your Supreme Guardian is looking for."

March 7th told him to wipe the smile he would wear after collecting the bounty off his face for now.

Sampo was about to continue defending his judgment when the wind and snow ahead gradually began to thin.

At the edge of the snowfields, the outline of a towering city wall emerged from the storm. The sturdy defenses enclosed and protected the buildings and lights within, like the only warm island in a world of ice and snow.

Sampo raised a hand and pointed toward the lone city in the midst of the wind and snow, a trace of nearly imperceptible solemnity in his voice.

"Welcome to Belobog."