So Sampo Made His Move

Stelle curled up beneath the covers and swallowed nervously. Seeing the figure beside her seeming to move closer, she hurriedly closed her eyes and pretended to be fast asleep.

Even the most meticulous plan could have a flaw.

This unsolvable battlefield of romance before her had never been Stelle's intention. She had only wanted to get pleasantly tipsy, act cute with Gepard while riding that buzz, then send him back to the Restricted Zone. After that, she would return to the alley and buy Sampo a cup of Mulled Wine. Then she could head back to the Goethe Grand Hotel and continue winning over Uncle Cold Legs. Her plan had been flawless—perfect in every way.

But...

Who could blame the Trailblazer for having such a terrible alcohol tolerance? She did not even have the slightest awareness of her own limits. That was why such a perfect plan had died at the very first step. An inauspicious start indeed.

No one had the heart to criticize the alcohol tolerance of a Stellaron Spirit less than two years old.

Stelle had been awakened by the sound of Sampo and Gepard arguing. By the time her awareness returned, she was already lying in a bed at the Goethe Grand Hotel—just as she was now.

She closed her eyes and slowed her breathing.

What should she do? What was she supposed to do now?

The Trailblazer desperately searched her mind for a solution. After thinking for a long time, she finally realized one harsh reality:

There was nothing she could do!

In that case, she might as well sleep first.

The drunken haze had not fully faded, and her head still felt heavy and swollen. Stelle simply slowed her breathing, drowsily turned over, and slipped completely into dreamland.

At the foot of the bed, Sampo, who found everything about Gepard displeasing, stroked his chin as a plan formed in his mind.

Old Sampo had always been a loafer, but Gepard was not. He clearly had important duties to attend to—how could he possibly spend all his time waiting for the Trailblazer to wake up?

So, Sampo made his move.

Gepard only watched as the blue-haired little thief tilted his head back and walked out of the room. About ten-odd minutes later, Sampo returned in high spirits.

He even brought back some good news. "Mr. Silvermane Guard, you're going to be busy. If you don't believe me, check your phone. Hasn't your duty group chat blown up?"

Gepard pulled out his phone. The communications device, which had been muted for a long while, buzzed incessantly in his hand. As he looked through the group chat records, his brows drew tightly together.

He really could not stay here and wait for the Trailblazer to wake up. Sampo had found trouble for him, and it was no small matter. He had to leave.

The Silvermane Guard pressed his lips together, as though he wanted to say something. He stopped before Sampo, his expression as still as water, like the quiet surface of a bottomless lake—yet carrying a faint sense that it could drag someone into an abyss beyond redemption.

Having achieved his goal, Sampo was in a fine mood. He raised both hands above his head in a gesture of surrender, his usual teasing expression returning to his face.

"Don't worry, Mr. Silvermane Guard. I'll definitely take good care of Miss Trailblazer until she wakes up. I won't do anything at all."

The last sentence was practically forced out word by word. The more earnestly he swore it, the more it sounded like an unprompted confession.

Gepard took a deep breath and restrained the urge to punch Sampo into the wall before turning to leave.

Even as he left, he did not forget to warn the blue-haired man.

"Once I'm done with my work, I'll come see her at any time. You'd better be careful."

"Of course, of course."

Sampo opened the door and watched Gepard leave.

He did not care what lofty threats Gepard had made before departing, because those were matters for later. At this moment, in the game laid out before them, he had won at least this round, had he not?

Once Gepard's back disappeared around the end of the corridor, Sampo gently closed the door to Room 123. With his fingers resting on the lock, he casually turned it, locking the door from the inside.

The click of the lock broke the room's thick, stagnant air, so dense it seemed unable to flow.

With great interest, the man watched the girl's back in the dark room as she slept deeply beneath the blanket, rising and falling with every breath.

A smile curled across his lips. He lifted a corner of the blanket and lay down on the bed as well.

Stelle did not sleep very well.

Aha, that vile Aeon, always seemed to enjoy quietly slipping into her dreams while she slept.

In the dream, the circus mask perched on Aha's head swayed slightly, as though a gust of wind could send it tumbling from its face.

"Stelle, I know a certain kind of novel has become very popular on the Xianzhou in recent years. Something called 'system novels,' I think. You and March 7th must have read plenty of them, right?"

Deep in sleep, Stelle mindlessly followed Aha's train of thought, merely agreeing passively.

"I have."

Aha said, "Then don't you think the two of us are quite similar? If this world were one giant novel, perhaps I'd be your system?"

Stelle: ...

This Aeon who spouted nonsense nonstop was rambling again. Stelle irritably turned over, pressed both hands over her ears, and furrowed her brow as though she were having a nightmare.

"Don't always act like you can't stand me." Aha's voice even sounded a little aggrieved. "Akivili was never this impatient with me back then. Ah, the person is gone now, so there's no point bringing it up."

What kind of phrasing was that?

Stelle truly had no strength left to mock it.

"What exactly are you trying to say? If it's nothing important, don't disturb my sleep. I refuse to make idle conversation."

Her head really did hurt terribly now. Who could have expected Belobog's Mulled Wine to have such a powerful aftereffect? It was even stronger than the Fiery Inferno Tea of the Xianzhou Luofu!

"I'm saying that, as your 'system,' I'm about to grant you a 'golden finger,' you know?"

It was a newly coined term whose meaning would be completely incomprehensible to anyone who had not read Xianzhou system novels.

Was Aha really that omniscient and omnipotent? Did They also secretly buy several of those wildly popular Xianzhou novels to read whenever They got bored?

"A cheat ability? Why didn't you say so sooner?!"

Stelle excitedly opened her eyes, only to suddenly see Sampo lying across from her.

...Why did it feel like she'd been caught pretending to sleep?

Luckily, Sampo's eyes were still closed. She had no idea whether he had fallen asleep again or was merely resting with his eyes shut, so Stelle quickly closed her eyes as well.

"If you ever get the chance to trailblaze into worlds farther away, if you can reach a continent called Teyvat, where people possess Visions, and if you can successfully take a ship to Inazuma—"

"Get to the point, will you?!"

"Ahem, ahem, I'm just giving you an example. Inazuma has a very classic masterpiece. There's no point telling you the exact title; you wouldn't understand anyway. The protagonist in it becomes a completely different person depending on whether they're wearing glasses or not. Now, I'm planting a tiny Elation Switch in your mind. When you activate it and trigger Elation Mode, perhaps your personality will undergo an unexpected change as well."

Aha's voice brimmed with laughter. Stelle felt that They were definitely chuckling with ill intent.

"Consider this... a tiny bit of compensation for being forced to become an Emanator of Elation."

The moment the words fell, Stelle suddenly felt a sharp stab of pain in her brain. It lasted only an instant. Before her body could even instinctively tremble, the intense agony had already scattered away on the wind.

There really was a tiny switch deep within her consciousness. If Stelle wasn't paying attention, she might not even notice it.

What kind of place was Inazuma? Could someone really become completely different just by putting on or taking off glasses? Then if she activated this switch, would she become different from her current self too?