I'll Uphold the Will of the Architects and Shove This Gun Up Your Nose! / The Commander Feels Much Smaller

Dan Heng was about to speak up and recount their previous Trailblazing journey—the time they had smashed a hole in the Taikiyan Arena.

"Alright, Stelle, if a stranger suddenly appeared in front of you, would you be on guard or welcome them?"

"I'd give them a club. Oh, I see. I understand now."

Stelle figured out what was going on, so she stopped asking questions. Instead, she followed the navigation and strolled through the snow with the others.

Kiana felt something tugging at her clothes. When she looked down, she saw March 7th holding the Warm Baby Kiana had given her and gazing at her gratefully.

After walking only a few steps, they saw a Void creature appear in the middle of the road. It was a flying insect with an entirely blue body, as if it had been carved from crystal.

Looking farther ahead, they could even see two humanoid Void creatures, one red and one blue.

If the three of them had not been close together and refrained from attacking one another, and if their bodies had not displayed such abnormalities, it would have been impossible to tell that they were not human.

"Wow, the Void creatures here are so devious. They actually look this much like humans."

Just moments ago, March 7th had nearly mistaken them for the planet's natives and was about to greet them, but the others had stopped her.

Still, Kiana and the others could not help agreeing with March 7th. If that humanoid Void creature had been alone, even they might have failed to notice it for a moment and gone over to greet it.

"Alright. Since they're Void creatures, prepare for battle."

"Okay!"

In the end, the three Void creatures barely put up any resistance before collapsing beneath the group's attacks.

"Hey, what's this?"

Kiana had just pulled the Void Lance from one of the Void creatures when she noticed something fall out as its body shattered and vanished.

When she picked it up, she found that it was a Glimmering Core.

It was the heart of a monster that wandered through the Cracked Boundary. Even though the monster was already dead, the heart still glimmered faintly, and the patterns on it retained their vitality.

"This is a Glimmering Core. Keep it. Although it's a product of the Cracked Boundary and many places regard it as an evil object, it won't affect us. It can be kept as a memento or used for trading. Both are good ways to put it to use."

Stelle also picked up a trophy. It appeared to be the Military Insignia belonging to the creature.

Kiana suddenly thought of something. She put away the Void Lance, then held the Glimmering Core in her palm and closed her eyes.

When Kiana opened her eyes again, she found that the others had grown taller. No—it was more accurate to say that Kiana had become shorter, because she had now taken on Bronie's appearance.

"Hmm? Kiana, why have you turned into this appearance again?"

"I can't tell you yet. You'll understand in a little while. Looking like this will be very convenient in this world."

Hearing Kiana say that, the others did not continue asking questions.

But they had not gone far before they saw a snowdrift sitting conspicuously in the middle of the road.

Although the other person had hidden well and not a trace of their body was exposed, once they drew near, they could clearly hear the chattering of their teeth and their shivering from the cold.

As the person trembled, the little snowdrift also shook as if it had switched on its vibration mode.

For a moment, the group did not know whether to call the person's concealment skills good or bad. However, one thing was obvious: there was something wrong with their head.

Only Kiana, looking at the snowdrift, already knew exactly who was underneath it.

Sigh, Bronie's artwork is so hard to find. Aside from the official images, there are hardly any quality fan works. Forget it—I'll add one when I find a suitable picture. I'm going to dig through my collection.

I represent the City Builder's will. I'll shove this gun right up your nostril!

"Could this be the rumored Envoy of Joy? Although there's no concrete evidence, everything this person does fits the characteristics of Joy."

Besides, Sampo was also a follower of Joy, one of the Masked Fool's factions—in other words, one of those people who lived for amusement.

The only question was whether Sampo had learned of their arrival in advance and laid a trap, or whether he had happened to be pursued by the Silvermane Guards and taken shelter along the path they were bound to take.

Kiana rose onto her tiptoes and stepped forward first. Then she signaled to the others, telling the three of them not to speak yet.

Kiana took out a standard-issue Silvermane Guards spear and thrust it straight into the snowdrift.

"Why is there a snowdrift here? How strange. Could someone be hiding underneath it?"

March 7th understood what Kiana was thinking and hurried over. Using the power of Formless Ice, she created an ice spike and stuck it beside the snowdrift.

Then she lowered her voice and said,

"That's true, but a normal person probably wouldn't hide in a snowdrift. Maybe someone dropped something nearby, and it was covered by the snow."

"Exactly. No one would be stupid enough to hide in a snowdrift."

The bayonet on the spear had cut off several strands of Sampo's hair and was pressed against his head. When he tried to move, he found that his trouser leg had also been pierced by something, making it impossible for him to move at all.

Still, after hearing the voices outside, Sampo adjusted his breathing and pretended he did not exist.

Seeing the figure beneath the snowdrift, its clothing exposed by the trembling, the group could not help admiring him for a moment.

"Right, do you think that if someone stayed frozen in the snow for too long, their skin would get stuck to it?"

"I don't know, but I heard that if you freeze in the snow for too long, your hair will turn into ice spikes, and you'll become a hedgehog."

"Move aside. The simplest way to deal with someone pretending not to hear anything is to smash a bell into their face!"

Dan Heng clearly had no intention of continuing to watch the farce. He pulled out his spear, lifted it, and jabbed the end of the shaft toward the snowdrift.

"Careful, Dan Heng! Don't let him enjoy it!"

It was not until Sampo crawled out of the snowdrift that the others understood what Kiana had meant.

In the end, it was the experienced Sampo who caught on. Kiana had been making a dirty joke. Seeing the others' innocent expressions, Sampo decided to be the bad guy and explain what she meant.

"I don't have that kind of fetish. Besides, I was lying face-up just now. There was no way his spearhead could have gone in."

Once he had explained that much, the others understood what Kiana had meant.

Only Dan Heng was left thinking about what he had just done. If Sampo had not dodged in time and had not been lying on his back, his spear might have turned into a shit-stirrer.

For a moment, Dan Heng suddenly felt an urge to change weapons.

"Explain yourself. Who are you? Why were you hiding in the snowdrift to ambush us?"

"Oh, my heroes, there's no need to surround me like this. I'm just a lost merchant. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for me to hide when I encounter danger?"

No one believed Sampo's story. When he saw them all take up their weapons, clearly prepared to start fighting at the slightest provocation, he hurriedly raised his hands in surrender.

"I'm a merchant from around here. You can call me Sampo, or Long-Legged Uncle if you prefer. By the way, has Captain Gepard arrived? I'm quite familiar with him."

"Gepard isn't here. Isn't my presence enough?"

Only then did Sampo notice Kiana. Because Dan Heng had stepped forward, most of Kiana's Bronie-like figure had been blocked from view. But the moment Sampo saw her, his expression stiffened.

It was only after noticing Kiana's height—and realizing it differed from his impression of her—that he relaxed.

On the surface, however, he remained calm and pretended he had just seen a great leader.

"Why, isn't this the successor to Belobog's Guardian, the commander of the Silvermane Guards? Captain Gepard has already been dispatched, so why trouble yourself by coming here as well?"

Sampo wore a flattered expression, like an ordinary person, and slowly backed away.

However, his little movements were far too obvious. After he had taken only two or three steps, Stelle circled around behind him and blocked his path.

"Everyone, what's the meaning of this? Don't people like us leave the city just to earn a little money? I was only looking for some ancient relics nearby, hoping to make a small profit. If you don't mind, I, Sampo, would be happy to help you earn money too. What do you say?"

The group exchanged glances but remained silent, hoping to obtain more clues from Sampo.

When Sampo realized that no one was speaking, he put on an expression of resignation.

At that moment, Sampo raised his head and looked at Kiana.

It seemed he had only now gotten a clear look at her clothes and height. He cried out in surprise.

"Oh? So you're not the commander after all! I never expected you to look so much like the commander. Are you her younger sister?"

If Kiana had not known that Sampo was different from the natives of this planet and was not actually so ignorant of current affairs, she might almost have believed his act.

Still, Kiana did not expose him. After all, if Sampo stopped finding things amusing and ran off halfway to the Underworld, they would lose both their guide and their living road sign.

"Sampo, you're finished! I represent the City Builder's will. I'll shove this gun right up your nostril!"

Sampo froze completely. The instant Kiana said those words, he began wondering whether the person in front of him might truly be the successor to Belobog's Supreme Guardian.

March 7th and the others also turned their gazes toward Kiana. That statement had startled them as well, and for a moment they could not tell whether it was simply crude language or some local dialect.

Whether the commotion had been too great or Sampo had deliberately caused it, the Silvermane Guards had already appeared in the distance.

"Ah! The Silvermane Guards!"

At Sampo's shout, everyone looked behind Kiana. Several figures in uniform appeared in perfect formation ahead of them, completely wrapped in armor and warm clothing, weapons in hand.

By the time everyone turned back, they discovered that Sampo was nowhere to be seen among them.

The moment everyone's attention shifted toward the Silvermane Guards, Sampo had slipped away. He had vanished without a trace.

He was already several meters away from them.

"Brothers, hold them off! I'll come back to save you!"

"Suspect and accomplices identified. Arrest them immediately!"

Hearing Sampo's words, the three Silvermane Guards immediately tightened their grips on their weapons and prepared for battle.

March 7th suddenly spoke. "Did we just get tricked? Was that guy doing it on purpose?"

Kiana gazed at the place where Sampo had disappeared and murmured, "Don't worry, Little March. He isn't a gentleman. He'll definitely receive the punishment he deserves."

Whether it was psychological, Sampo felt a warm current flow through his body and gather in his chest and crotch.

But he had no time to think about it. If the two sides reconciled, he would probably be surrounded and beaten by everyone in the name of justice.

Kiana sighed and turned around to face the Silvermane Guards. She struck the butt of her weapon against the ground, and her expression immediately became stern.

"Instead of arresting the suspect, you actually believed his story? Once you return, every one of you will submit a written self-criticism!"

When the three Silvermane Guards saw Kiana's face, their expressions stiffened. Then they stood at attention, saluted Kiana, and immediately chased after Sampo.

After they had gone some distance, one of the Silvermane Guards' new recruits asked an older man in the squad,

"Senior, was that really the commander just now? Why did she seem so much shorter than I remembered? Could she have been an impostor?"

The veteran Silvermane Guard said to the recruit, "You're new here, so you're young and don't know. When I heard 'I represent the City Builder's will. I'll shove this gun right up your nostril!' I suspected that the commander had arrived. After all, I heard her say something like that when she was young. The information was sealed at the time, so no outsider could have known it."

"Then why did the commander seem so much shorter? I mean, I was talking about her height."

The veteran Silvermane Guard sighed. "You rookie, let me teach you your first lesson. Don't discuss people of high status. Some things are fine to think about privately, but don't say them aloud."

"Ah. Wait, I understand."

He promptly shut his mouth, then quickened his pace and chased after Sampo.

"Kiana, you..."

March 7th wanted to speak, but then she thought of everyone aboard the Star Rail. Each of them had their own secrets, yet they had all tacitly agreed not to ask about one another's pasts.

With that thought, although March 7th guessed that Kiana's hometown might be this planet, she did not say it aloud.

Kiana also saw that thought in March 7th's eyes. She let out a soft laugh.

The stern expression on her face vanished at once.

"Alright, March 7th, don't overthink it. I'm not from this planet. I just happened to learn a little about the relationships between some of the people here."

Hearing Kiana explain, March 7th was clearly happy, but she pretended not to care.

"I don't care. Really!"

Stelle watched the two of them. For some reason, although she also had a lot she wanted to say, her instincts told her to keep quiet and simply watch.

"We can talk about it later. Someone else is coming."

Only when they saw the newcomers did the group realize that several more Silvermane Guards had arrived. The person leading them was dressed much more formally than the others. His face was uncovered, a cape hung behind him, and he carried a weapon that looked like a violin case.

When he drew near, Gepard was also taken aback upon seeing Kiana.

He tentatively called out, "Miss Bronya, what are you doing here?"

Kiana did not answer him directly. Instead, she changed the subject.

"Gepard, the three Guards just now went after Sampo. But given Sampo's abilities, the Guards probably won't be able to catch him. You can take your people back. Sampo may already have returned to the city by now."

Just after Kiana finished speaking, the three Silvermane Guards who had been chasing Sampo returned from behind, their faces dejected.

When they saw that their commander, Gepard, was ahead and even standing with the Supreme Guardian, the three immediately straightened their backs. Although they had failed to catch their target, they did not want to be criticized again for violating military discipline.