Sampo, Gepard

"Mm..."

March 7th studied Jing Yan for a moment, then looked up at Dan Heng beside her and spread one hand. "Something just feels a little off. I mean, hasn't everything been going a bit too smoothly? And why do I feel like we should've been the ones saying that just now?"

Stelle, standing nearby, pursed her lips at March 7th and gave her a helpless look, as if to say, What's wrong with that?

"Oh, you guys..."

When Dan Heng and Stelle didn't respond, March 7th looked a little awkward.

She scratched her bangs, then lowered her head and muttered like a child who'd done something wrong. "Oh, come on. You're all so bad at taking a joke. I just thought Brother Jing Yan was being a little too nice, that's all."

"You don't meet many locals this understanding, right?"

Seeing that no one was playing along, March 7th looked up and smiled at Jing Yan.

But when she saw the faintly amused expression on his face, she suddenly realized something.

"Wait, I forgot again. Brother Jing Yan isn't a local from this planet either, is he? Hehe..."

Jing Yan didn't take March 7th's teasing to heart. What mattered to him right now was the Astral Express hovering in orbit behind the three of them. It was the vessel that could help him leave this world and travel to other planets.

Of course, before he could leave, he had to resolve the crisis here. Only then could he think about anything else.

Otherwise, if the Stellaron's power blanketed the planet in frost and the Fragmentum invaded all of Belobog, everyone here would face one of two fates: death or becoming a Fragmentum Monster.

Even though the true home of his body in this life wasn't Belobog, on Yarilo-VI, Jing Yan had lived here for many years and formed deep bonds with its people and places. He couldn't just abandon them all. What's more, as an Aeon, he wouldn't allow himself to lose to the creation of another Aeon—the Stellaron.

Of course, if he wasn't strong enough, it would be understandable to lose to an Aeon at full strength, or even one of their Emanators.

In short, Jing Yan thought he still had some pride.

When it was time to back down, he'd back down. But when he didn't have to, he absolutely wouldn't!

Just as the four of them were talking, a noise came from nearby.

More precisely, it came from beneath their feet.

"Jing Yan, did you step on me, you bastard? Mmph..."

A voice suddenly rang out from the snow underfoot. The three standing nearby jumped in fright and hurriedly backed away. Jing Yan alone wasn't surprised.

Still, he politely took a step back.

In fact, Jing Yan had already noticed someone crouching inside that pile of snow when he arrived.

He'd called out a couple of times, but the person inside still hadn't answered, pretending to be dead rather than getting up.

According to Jing Yan's memories from his previous life, the person hiding under the snow was Sampo.

So Jing Yan had stepped on him without mercy, then stood there to greet the three members of the Astral Express as they approached.

"Cough, cough..."

By now, Sampo had probably had enough of the cold.

Or perhaps Jing Yan's stomp had hurt a little. Either way, Sampo finally climbed out of the snow.

But as a Pathstrider of Elation, Sampo wasn't that weak. At the very least, he could withstand the cold much better than an ordinary person. And since he often roamed the Overworld disguised as one of its residents, his clothes were stylish and luxurious enough to offer some protection from the chill.

"Brother Sampo, did the Silvermane Guard set their sights on you? Don't worry. You should get out of here first. If anything happens, I'll take the blame."

Before Sampo could say a word, Jing Yan clapped him on the shoulder.

"Cough, cough..."

Something felt a little off to Sampo, but he didn't ask. And just as Jing Yan had said—

The reason he'd been hiding in the snow was that the Silvermane Guard had set their sights on him. It really wasn't a good time for him to stick around.

"But who are these people...?"

The snow over Sampo's head had muffled the conversation, so he hadn't heard much of what Jing Yan and the Astral Express trio had said. But looking at their clothes now, something still felt off. They seemed a little too bold, avant-garde, and fashionable—not at all like Belobog's style. He couldn't help but feel suspicious.

After thinking it over, Sampo rested one hand under his chin and frowned at Jing Yan. "Hey, Brother Jing Yan, you're not..."

"...setting up some kind of deal here, are you?"

"No. These people are visitors from beyond the skies. There's nothing shady going on."

"Anyway, Brother Sampo, why don't you go lay low for a while?" Jing Yan said.

Sampo looked enlightened. "Ah, so that's what—wait! What do you mean, visitors from beyond the skies?!"

Sampo froze.

He thought of some of the legends from Belobog's history.

For example, the Architects.

They had once worshipped Qlipoth, the Aeon of Preservation, who forged barriers measured in light-years to fend off the devouring of their enemies, sealing them away and protecting worlds that still harbored life. In imitation, they had built city walls of their own.

And the Architects had come from beyond the stars.

There had also been an invasion by the Antimatter Legion in the past.

Those followers of Destruction had come from beyond the stars, too.

For a moment, Sampo understood what "visitors from beyond the skies" meant, but he still couldn't quite believe it.

Then he turned around and spotted several figures approaching in the distance. This is bad.

"Uh, Brother Jing Yan, I'm gonna make myself scarce." With that, Sampo ran off into the distance.

Jing Yan wasn't surprised. The Silvermane Guard were already heading their way, led by their captain, Gepard.

Sampo had no intention of resisting an officer of such high standing in the Silvermane Guard.

Jing Yan, on the other hand, didn't care in the slightest.

The three members of the Astral Express still had no idea why the Silvermane Guard had come.

They found their uniforms rather interesting.

But as soon as Gepard arrived, he began questioning them sternly.

He asked who they were and whether they'd seen the fugitive the Silvermane Guard had been pursuing: Sampo, who had been illegally shuttling goods between the Overworld and Underworld.

"N-no!"

March 7th blinked and tried to look calm.