Star Rail, Starting as Kiana

After saying this, she glanced at Kiana, who was still spilling secrets, then took off a mask she carried with her, left a note on it, and slipped away while no one was watching. She placed the mask and note at the Goethe Grand Hotel, on Kiana's bed, before leaving the planet.

March 7th felt that the person Kiana was talking about sounded pretty scary. Thinking that Uncle Yang might be from the same place as Kiana, she pulled out her phone and sent what Kiana had said into the group chat.

Later, when Pom-Pom saw the message, the Express crew's blacklist gained another name. But after Uncle Yang recalled that Kiana might have been referring to a certain Flame-Chaser, he quickly found Pom-Pom, preventing the blacklist from growing by one.

When the fight ended, Seele was panting heavily. She shot a fierce glare at the three gossiping Express crew members behind her, then plopped down on the ground.

As promised, Svarog handed over the sealed records and all the documents regarding the Supreme Guardian and the Stellaron.

To be honest, aside from Bronya, no one really cared.

For the Express crew, trailblazing was all about the experiences along the way. As for Seele, the Stellaron? The Supreme Guardian? Did any of that matter?

Instead of worrying about all that, she'd rather think about what to eat tonight.

"So, we're heading back to the upper district now to confront Cocolia? Sweet, this is finally over."

March 7th was getting bored. In the lower district, aside from the heating equipment, there wasn't much to see, and everyone around looked so downcast that she felt it was rubbing off on her.

But to get back to the upper district, they'd have to find that blue-haired guy again.

"Sampo!"

Hearing that name, Svarog suddenly remembered that with all the interruptions, he'd nearly forgotten his original purpose.

The upper district didn't know much about this sudden figure, but in the lower district, at least half the people had been scammed by him. While the Mechanical Settlement hadn't been rattled by his antics, when Svarog heard that the guy had secretly taken photos of Clara and was planning to sell them, he'd already added him to the blacklist.

When people noticed Svarog arriving in Rock Town, tension spread quickly. Even Natasha picked up her grenade launcher.

If Svarog planned to make a move here, she wouldn't keep hiding and playing doctor anymore.

After all, medicine couldn't save Belobog, but a grenade launcher could knock some sense into certain people.

"I'm here for Sampo. Once this is settled, I'll leave."

Seeing Clara timidly hiding behind Svarog, with Seele and a certain Saintess also present, and even Hook in the group, some people waved Hook over and asked what was going on that had brought Svarog here in person.

"Don't tell me the tin can is picking a fight with the Underworld Fire?"

"No, it's because Sampo took photos of Clara and was going to sell them for money, so Svarog came to have a talk with him."

"Oh, that's it. No big deal then. Want us to lead the way?"

The people of the lower district were unusually united, likely because they'd all been scammed by Sampo at some point. Word spread quickly, and soon everyone knew Svarog was after Sampo for revenge.

Normally, Sampo would have caught wind of it and avoided Svarog until things blew over.

But because he was still upset about the sudden loss of a large sum of money, Sampo hadn't gone out all day. When he opened his door and found a massive figure standing there, he was dumbstruck.

"Well, well, if it isn't Svarog! What wind blows you here?"

Sampo took a couple steps back, and seeing the crowd behind Svarog, his face twisted with bitterness.

"Folks, can you cut me some slack? I don't know why I've stirred up so much anger, but right now, I want to be a good person."

"Hah."

All he got in return was a collective sneer.

"Stay away from Clara!"

After giving Sampo a thorough beating, Svarog left.

Sampo barely had time to catch his breath before Oleg, the nominal leader of the Underworld Fire, showed up at his door with Natasha, the actual leader.

He thought his "friend" and customer had come to back him up or comfort him, but he was wrong.

"You bastard, you knocked me out, tied me up, and used my name to send Seele and a few others to meet Svarog."

Natasha just smiled and raised her grenade launcher.

Boom!

But neither of them really wanted to finish Sampo off. As much trouble as he caused, he was also the reason the lower district got its supplies.

After a little punishment, the two leaders of the Underworld Fire—one in the open, one in the shadows—let him off.

Sampo lay on the ground playing dead until everyone left. Then he sprang up like a fish, brushed off his clothes, and grumbled.

"Who the hell made old Sampo take the fall for all this? Should I go find those fortune-tellers for a reading? Feels like I've hit a rough patch lately."

"Forget the fortune-telling for now. Let's go. We're heading back up."

Chapter 33: March 7th, Want to Make a Bet?

Sampo looked at the group, all ready to go, then put on a smile, rubbed his hands together, and put on his merchant act.

"So, you folks heading back? But this here is old Sampo's secret route between the upper and lower districts. It's how I make my living, so..."

Sampo habitually rubbed his fingers together, signaling that they'd need to pay some kind of fee if they wanted him to take them back to the upper district.

Without a word, Kiana turned around and made as if to leave.

"Ha, are you forgetting I know the way? Once we're back in the upper district, I'll have Bronya seal this route off. Let's see how you make money then."

When Kiana said this, Bronya finally remembered the issue. Regardless of whether Cocolia's orders were harmful to Belobog, Aunt Sampo's actions were definitely illegal.

"Right, it's time to update Sampo's wanted poster."

Watching Kiana and Bronya talk, Sampo's face instantly drained of color, turning completely gray.

As the group turned and took just a few steps, they heard a thud behind them.

Looking back, they saw Sampo had no shame at all, dropping straight to her knees, perfectly demonstrating what a textbook prostration looked like.

"Please, give old Sampo one more chance!"

But seeing Sampo's pleading expression and her bowing motions, everyone couldn't help but frown.

Because with each bow, after she'd become Aunt Sampo, her chest—vast enough to embrace a hundred rivers—swayed wildly with the movement.

Her actions felt like mockery to them all.

Seele: "Useless fat, wasting fabric."

Bronya: "I still have room to grow. Hm, I'll go ask Serval and Mother for advice when I get back."

March 7th: "Kiana, please, give me this curse too. It's my lifelong wish."

Kiana: "Strange, why does the effect last so long on Sampo?"

In the end, Seele didn't return to the upper zone. But before leaving, she seemed to have a private talk with Bronya. Seele gave up going to the upper zone, and her attitude toward Bronya had shifted.

"Hmph, don't forget your promise."

"Alright, Seele. I'll keep my promise."

Watching them go from sharp-tongued bickering to reluctant parting, though not much time had passed, Kiana felt as if her own sense of time flowed differently from theirs.

"As expected of Yarilo's specialty. Truly terrifying."

"Specialty? What specialty?"

Hearing the word "specialty," March 7th, who was packing, got excited. She'd been in the lower zone this whole time and hadn't found anything to bring back to the Express crew.

So at the mention of a specialty, March 7th immediately pressed herself against Kiana, asking.

"Yuri."

March 7th: ?

March 7th scanned the area but couldn't find the lily flowers she'd imagined. Then she heard a light cough from behind and seemed to understand something.

Luckily, none of them had much to pack. Only when Kiana returned to her room did she find a mask and a note on her bed.

See you next time. I'm sure it won't be long.

As soon as Kiana finished reading, the note in her hand ignited without fire. But it seemed like an illusion—no ash remained, and she felt no heat.

So, regarding that mysterious woman she'd met twice, Kiana put her out of her mind, tossed the mask into her space, and rejoined the group.

"Star, why are you carrying a trash can?"

"Specialty."

"Don't take a trash can from the lower zone! And why would you pick a trash can as a specialty?!"

March 7th, seeing Kiana return, quickly called her over to help.

Bronya watched them messing around and felt a twinge of envy.

When they reached the upper zone, Bronya told them to stay put while she arranged a hiding place for them.

To avoid everyone being exposed in one accident, Bronya took them to three separate locations.

Dan Heng slipped into the backstage of the Opera House, hiding in a small room reserved for Serval's pre-show preparations.

Star went to the Mechanical House at night, where Serval took her upstairs.

March 7th and Kiana stayed at a property under Bronya's name.

Bronya herself headed to Kliperburg, partly to rescind the wanted posters on them, and partly to ask Cocolia whether everything she'd learned was true—and if so, why she'd done it.

Kiana: "Bronya, I don't recommend going. If you really go confront her like that, you'll only get two outcomes: either you're imprisoned until it's all over, or you're affected by the Stellaron too and become another victim."

"No. I believe the Supreme Guardian will make the right decision. Even if the worst happens, I'll act myself and bring her back to her senses."

No matter how they tried to persuade her, Bronya was convinced her actions had meaning. The result was that after she left, there was no word from her for days.

"Damn, another one walking into the trap. Stop feeding them in—we don't have many allies left, and now we've lost another."

"What do we do? Should we rescue Bronya? If she gets controlled too, we'll lose all our support!"

"But aren't we wanted? How do we go out?"

At that, everyone's eyes turned to Kiana in unison.

Among the Express crew, the only one not wanted was Kiana. Even her wanted portrait was still in her original Herta form. As long as she didn't run into the same people who'd come with Bronya to arrest them, she had nothing to worry about.

"Alright, I'll go. But maybe we can all go together. The wanted posters might not be that effective."

"How could that be? It's the only authority on this planet. How could a wanted order to arrest us have no effect?"

Sensing March 7th's distrust, Kiana puffed out her cheeks.

"Oh, Little March doesn't believe me? I'm mad now, hmph!"

Kiana crossed her arms, her puffed-up little face turning sharply away.

"Alright, Kiana, it's my fault—I shouldn't have doubted you. But I'm just being realistic here. The Silvermane Guards can't possibly be that unreliable, can they? Getting a wanted poster wrong?"

"March 7th, since you say that, how about we make a bet?"

Chapter 34: That's Right, Mom

"A bet?"

March 7th watched as Kiana, already changed into her clothes, sat down across from her, looking a bit puzzled.

"Yeah, a bet. We'll bet on whether the wanted poster actually works. If I win, March has to grant me one wish. If I lose, I'll do the same for you. How about it? You game?"

"Hmph, I'm in. I don't believe they're that embarrassing. Just wait till you come back and get ready to scrub up clean."

Faced with Kiana's in-your-face provocation, March 7th got fired up too, agreeing to the bet without a second thought.

Even though Kiana was sure that, with just a wanted poster, those people probably wouldn't recognize them even if they stood right under it—

Still, seeing March 7th's gaze sweep over her, as if already planning how to deal with her if she won—

Kiana couldn't shake a weird feeling.

Especially that last bit about "scrubbing up clean." Even after Kiana left the room and was walking through the streets of Belobog, she kept recalling March 7th's slightly odd expression when she said it.

"Boss, I'll take these books. Ring me up."

Kiana, holding the Winter City Shields she'd gotten from a kind stranger, searched for wanted posters along the street while scanning her surroundings for anything strange—or anything fun to buy.

But glancing at the two books in her hands, Kiana seemed to understand why Belobog had so many lesbians.

In layman's terms, this was a CEO romance novel. And judging by the publication date and the number of reprints, it seemed to be a fairly famous one.

Kiana only read a couple of lines before she felt like gouging out her own eyes, giving them a good wash, and deleting that memory from her brain.

"How did a book like this get popular? And even get reprinted? Is this planet's literary taste broken?"