Chapter Summaries

Jiang Yu and the Trailblazer squad waited out Sampo’s snowbank hiding stunt in warmth, leaving him to freeze until he emerged and realized they had been watching. Sampo tried to resume his plans, while Jiang Yu wondered whether Aha had pranked him too by failing to deliver the promised power.

• March 7th, Stelle, Dan Heng, and Jiang Yu stayed behind a wall with a portable heater and waited as Sampo remained buried in the snow.
• Sampo realized the Nameless had not dragged him out or left, and concluded that a white-haired child Aha had mentioned might be his colleague and had made him the joke.
• Sampo climbed out of the snow and found the four watching him from behind the wall.
• Jiang Yu teased Sampo about letting him freeze and showed him the Blazing Glory Creation they were using as a heater.
• Sampo asked about the Silvermane Guards and Captain Gepard, while March 7th and Stelle admitted they did not know who he meant.
• Jiang Yu suspected Aha had arranged the prank, then wondered why the system had not delivered the promised power.

Jiang Yu turned Sampo’s con into a chance to tease him and pitch a business deal involving a captured Fragmentum monster as a heater. The group remained in the frozen wilderness as Jiang Yu suggested they continue the discussion somewhere more suitable.

• Jiang Yu decided to prank Aha in return and chose Sampo as his first target.
• Sampo introduced himself to Stelle and offered to team up with the group to find treasure while avoiding the Silvermane Guards.
• Jiang Yu questioned Sampo’s story and pointed out that Sampo had left no footprints in the snow.
• Jiang Yu proposed selling the warm Blazing Glory Creation as a heating device, and Sampo questioned whether anyone would buy or mass-produce one.
• Jiang Yu suggested they take their business discussion out of the ice and snow.

Jiang Yu pitched turning Fragmentum creatures into useful products, and the Astral Express crew saw a chance to help communities while earning Credits. Sampo dropped his suspicions and eagerly joined the venture, leading them toward Belobog to discuss business.

• Jiang Yu explained how Fragmentum creature products could provide heat, improve plumbing, and create jobs across the universe.
• March 7th and Stelle backed the idea, while Dan Heng recorded the proposal and considered involving Herta and the Interastral Peace Corporation.
• Sampo decided the venture was promising and regretted suspecting Jiang Yu of trying to trick him.
• Sampo asked to join the business and led the group toward Belobog to discuss it somewhere warm.

Sampo led Jiang Yu, March 7th, and Dan Heng through the snow toward Belobog, while Jiang Yu devised a humorous pitch to persuade Sampo to use catchphrases invoking Aha. The group encountered Silvermane Guards, who ordered them arrested, leaving them facing an immediate confrontation.

• Sampo guided the Trailblazing squad across the snowfield toward Belobog and assured March 7th that his experience would get them there safely.
• Jiang Yu came up with the idea of drawing inspiration from the Knights of Beauty to make a fun pitch about catchphrases and Aha.
• Sampo asked where the group came from, but no one answered, so he filled the silence by explaining the rules of his trade.
• At the top of a snowy slope, Sampo spotted several Silvermane Guards and stopped mid-explanation.
• The Silvermane Guards identified the group as suspects and accomplices, then advanced with weapons raised and ordered their arrest.

Dan Heng and March 7th subdued the Silvermane Guards while Jiang Yu caught Sampo before he could flee. When Gepard arrived to arrest the group, Jiang Yu offered to hand Sampo over for a bounty, leaving Sampo resigned to being used for someone else’s amusement.

• Dan Heng disarmed and subdued the Silvermane Guards while March 7th froze the archers’ weapons.
• Jiang Yu caught Sampo as he tried to escape and dragged him back to the group.
• Stelle challenged Sampo for trying to run, and Jiang Yu mocked his excuse.
• Gepard Landau arrived with the Silvermane Guards and ordered the group to surrender.
• Jiang Yu told Gepard they were not Sampo’s accomplices and asked whether he could claim a bounty for turning Sampo in.

Gepard learned that Jiang Yu and the others were outsiders from beyond the sky and decided to bring them to Belobog to meet the Supreme Guardian. After crossing the veil of snow, the group saw the City of Preservation for the first time.

• Gepard questioned Jiang Yu and the others, but soldiers confirmed that Sampo had tried to abandon them and flee.
• March 7th showed Gepard a photo of Jarilo-VI from space, shocking the guards with the sight of their planet.
• Gepard recalled stories of visitors from beyond the sky and decided only the Supreme Guardian could judge the newcomers.
• Gepard led Jiang Yu and the others through the veil of snow to a cliff overlooking Belobog.
• Gepard welcomed the group to the City of Preservation as they looked down at its walls, walkways, pipes, and central tower.

Siberian Duck played through the Trailblaze squad’s encounter with Sampo, where Jiang Yu’s schemes and business ideas changed the events in the snow. After Gepard intervened, the group headed toward Belobog, which appeared in a wide shot amid the mountains.

• Siberian Duck recognized Sampo buried in the snow, and the Trailblaze squad hid nearby while Jiang Yu kept them warm and Dan Heng gave him earmuffs.
• Sampo eventually sprang out of the snow, then talked with the squad and revealed his skill by walking through the snow without leaving tracks.
• Jiang Yu proposed a business based on Fragmentum creature products, and Sampo became interested in the idea.
• When the Silvermane Guards attacked, Sampo tried to escape, but Jiang Yu grabbed his ear and dragged him back.
• Gepard arrived, and Jiang Yu asked whether they could exchange Sampo for money before Gepard led the group toward Belobog.

Gepard led the Trailblaze team into Belobog, where they saw the city’s relative warmth and learned about its history and the threats facing it. He brought them to the grand staircase leading to the Supreme Guardian’s residence.

• Gepard guided the group through Belobog, where the clear sky, warmer temperature, busy streets, and colorful buildings contrasted with the frozen wilderness outside.
• Gepard explained that the Eternal Freeze had buried the Antimatter Legion and that the Architects had built Belobog under the protection of Qlipoth the Preservation.
• March 7th, Dan Heng, Jiang Yu, and Stelle quietly discussed Gepard’s formal account, but he heard them and said he was answering March 7th’s question.
• At the plaza, the group saw a monument combining a gear and an ice crystal, while Jiang Yu wondered what the crystal was made of.
• Dan Heng asked about Fragmentum creatures, and Gepard said the Silvermane Guards were struggling against them and hoped to hear the group’s thoughts after their meeting with the Supreme Guardian.
• Gepard led the group to the foot of the grand staircase and told them they had arrived.

Gepard escorted the Trailblaze team and Sampo to Kliperburg, where they met Supreme Guardian Cocolia. After dismissing Bronya and Gepard, Cocolia was left alone with the visitors.

• Gepard explained Kliperburg's connection to Qlipoth and described Supreme Guardian Cocolia as Belobog's leader.
• Jiang Yu asked whether he could photograph Kliperburg and Gepard, and Gepard said he should ask Cocolia.
• Gepard led the group into Kliperburg and reminded Jiang Yu to keep his feet on the ground before meeting the Supreme Guardian.
• Bronya tried to discuss sacrifices with Cocolia, but Cocolia interrupted her and sent her away.
• Cocolia dismissed Gepard after he introduced the four outsiders, and Gepard took Sampo with him as he left.

The Trailblaze Squad explained to Cocolia that a stellaron had likely caused Belobog’s Eternal Freeze and offered to help find and seal it. Cocolia agreed to assist them but sent them to a hotel until the next day, while Jiang Yu secured permission to photograph her and Kliperburg.

• Cocolia recognized the Trailblaze Squad as visitors from beyond the sky and listened as they explained the stellaron’s connection to Belobog’s disasters.
• Dan Heng and Jiang Yu told Cocolia that they needed to seal the stellaron both to help Belobog and to continue their journey, and Cocolia agreed to cooperate.
• Cocolia postponed further discussion until noon the next day and arranged for the squad to stay at a hotel, while Dan Heng remained quietly suspicious.
• Jiang Yu asked whether the squad would receive a bounty for Sampo, and Cocolia promised to send the reward to their hotel.
• Jiang Yu asked to photograph Cocolia and Kliperburg, and Cocolia gave him permission.