Stelle, Dan Heng, March 7th

Seeing a person suddenly appear in the snow, the three Trailblazers from the Astral Express felt a bit puzzled and stepped forward to ask, "Excuse me, sir, may I ask..."

At this very moment, an affection panel regarding Natasha flickered into view before Jing Yan.

[Natasha's affection increased by 2%. Current affection: 82%]

Jing Yan was stunned for a moment. He was confused as to why her affection would continue to rise even after he had walked away, but he quickly deduced the reason.

It was the divine item he had left for Natasha: the "Emotion Stone."

It must have been this item influencing her, successfully bringing Natasha a sense of joy as refreshing as a spring breeze, which in turn increased her affection for Jing Yan, the giver of the gift.

In this light, using an item as a medium to channel his divine power to influence others was indeed effective; it was a method the system deemed viable for the process of romancing girls.

This was a good thing.

Of course, Jing Yan still harbored some doubts regarding the system's judgment. He wondered if the system had failed to register an increase in affection previously because he had directly used his divine power on Natasha to manipulate her carnal desires—leaving her in a dazed, suppressed state of consciousness—or if his current understanding was correct: as long as the divine influence was channeled through a medium, the system would recognize it.

The main reason he had such doubts was that he hadn't used a controlled variable method just now.

The divine power he had imbued into the Emotion Stone was "Pleasure," or "Joy."

In contrast, the divine power he had exerted on Natasha back at the clinic was "Lust."

The reason for the change was his fear that if someone else picked up the stone, or if it had an unintended effect on Natasha, it would be problematic if it caused her to feel lust toward others.

Thus, his second attempt at using his divine power had been more conservative.

Just as he was deep in thought, the three people in front of him walked over.

"Hey, brother, you..."

March 7th was holding her camera, taking pictures of the surroundings. Upon seeing Jing Yan, she naturally raised her camera to start snapping photos of him as well.

"Are you a local resident of this area?"

"I heard that this city is the only surviving fortress on this planet. Is that true or not?" Dan Heng inquired.

Stelle, with her hands on her hips, pointed at Jing Yan's clothes and asked, "Is this style popular around here?"

Jing Yan was left speechless by the remark.

It wasn't that Jing Yan was unclothed, but because he relied on his divine power to withstand the cold, he hadn't bothered to wear heavy winter gear. As a result, his clothes had become somewhat disheveled in the biting wind.

He looked a bit messy.

However, Jing Yan quickly straightened his clothes and replied, "You three don't look like people from Belobog."

"Of course not," March 7th said with a smile.

"You're very clever, sir."

She turned to look at Dan Heng and added, "It seems like it's been a long time since we've met such a sharp local. I thought we'd have to go through the usual routine Himeko-auntie mentioned and explain things patiently for ages."

Jing Yan was speechless at her words.

Logically, since the three from the Astral Express had arrived, Gepard, the captain of the Silvermane Guards who was tracking Sampo, should be arriving soon as well.

Of course, the reason March 7th said "no explanation needed" was simply because he was a transmigrator. If not for that, upon seeing these three, Jing Yan would surely have been just as surprised by their "strange attire" as any other Belobog citizen.

"Since you aren't from Belobog, and everything outside is just snow where no one can survive, does that mean you are the legendary 'visitors from the stars'?" Jing Yan asked, feigning surprise.

"You... how are you so smart?" March 7th blinked.

Her eyes shimmered with iridescent light, primarily in shades of pink and blue.

"What did you come here for? Surely it isn't... for the Stellaron?!"

This statement shocked them all.

Even Dan Heng's brows furrowed as he scrutinized Jing Yan, appearing quite astonished.

"From your appearance, you look a bit like someone from the Xianzhou. Could it be that a spaceship accident once caused some Xianzhou citizens to be stranded on this planet?"

"Perhaps," Jing Yan replied, rubbing his chin in a thoughtful gesture. "I don't know much about my origins. I only heard that I was found in the snow, so it's entirely possible I am a descendant of these Xianzhou people you speak of."

"Wow!" March 7th looked at Dan Heng and then at Jing Yan, exclaiming, "Dan Heng, how do you manage to run into fellow countrymen on just any random planet?"

"Why don't I ever have such good luck?"

She sighed, though she immediately shivered afterward.

"Ouch, it's so cold."

March 7th hugged her arms, unable to help but look around, blowing into her hands and stomping her feet.

Stelle, who had just become a member of the Astral Express, looked on, speechless. "Who told you to come out wearing summer clothes? Your shoulders are even exposed."

"I am not!" March 7th retorted, feeling indignant.

"My shoulders aren't exposed! This is clearly my collarbone, okay? My collarbone!"

Facing the bickering pair, Dan Heng seemed equally speechless and simply stood to the side, ignoring them. However, he then noticed that Jing Yan showed no signs of being bothered by the cold. His brows arched slightly in surprise.

"This young man's abilities are likely extraordinary. Your status in Belobog shouldn't be low, right?"

Dan Heng began to carefully size Jing Yan up, looking him over from head to toe. On one hand, he wanted to confirm if the man was truly from the Xianzhou like himself; on the other, he wanted to find more details that might reveal his identity.

"Furthermore, you seemed to have mentioned the Stellaron just now."

Following Dan Heng's reminder, the other two also snapped to attention.

Especially Stelle.

Because she carried a Stellaron within her own body, and she might very well be the first person in the universe to host a Stellaron while remaining perfectly safe and sound.

Jing Yan ignored the confusion of the three people in front of him and continued.

"Since you all know what a Stellaron is, you should understand one thing: it is extremely dangerous and capable of bringing about destruction."

"So, what exactly did you all come here to do?"

Jing Yan asked, knowing the answer full well.

The three exchanged glances and replied, "Naturally, we came to seal it."

"Very good."

Jing Yan smiled upon hearing this.

"Then our objectives are aligned, though not entirely. In my view, sealing it might not necessarily be safe enough. Furthermore, before that, we hope you will join us in resolving another issue: the Eternal Freeze of Belobog."