"Looking out at this planet from where we stand can give you the illusion that you're all-knowing and all-powerful."
"Only when you actually stand on that land do you realize how small and helpless you are."
Welt found it hard to imagine what persecution the people living on this planet would suffer at the hands of the Stellaron.
Himeko began assigning the Trailblaze team. "Stelle, I'd like to entrust this [Trailblaze expedition] to you, March 7th, and Dan Heng."
"Considering that Ye Yan is an old passenger who's just come aboard again, we'll include him too."
Ye Yan had no objections. It made no difference whether he joined the team, since he could come and go freely anyway.
He had asked that girl Silver Wolf to arrange a legal citizen identity for him. He didn't know exactly what it was, but she had said he would definitely have a comfortable time.
"The objective of this trip is clear, too: find the [Stellaron] that brought disaster to this world and distorted its space, then bring it back to the Express or hand it over to Ye Yan to deal with."
"Yay! The Voidranger extermination squad is back together!" Joy sparkled in March 7th's eyes.
"Aren't you coming?"
Himeko explained, "Someone has to stay aboard the Express, or Pom-Pom will get lonely."
"Besides, Nanook glanced our way not long ago. It wouldn't be good if the Antimatter Legion set its sights on us again."
"So it's not our turn this time either..." A hint of disappointment showed in Welt's eyes.
"Mr. Welt, you might find faces in Belobog that are both familiar and unfamiliar to you." Ye Yan put on a mysterious air.
"I know you really want to go, but we ought to let the young people travel on their own and build their bonds."
"We do have a newly boarded passenger here. In terms of universal rationality, she hasn't formally undertaken a [Trailblaze] expedition yet."
"Miss Himeko is so good to me."
Stelle's opinion of Himeko rose another point. Nothing beat a mature, understanding big sister next door!
She had specifically included her so she could build a friendship with March 7th and Dan Heng, keeping the three of them from interacting as complete strangers.
She's so sweet, I could cry.
Ye Yan carefully sensed the Eternity on Jarilo-VI. There was a little, but not much.
This also counted as doing Qlipoth a good turn and improving their impressions of each other. Perhaps he could invite the Aeon to the church for a soak in the hot springs someday.
"With Little March around, trips usually aren't boring," Himeko told Ye Yan with a smile.
"Miss March 7th is full of energy. Her and Stelle's enthusiasm will surely melt the vast expanse of snow covering this planet."
"Don't say that! It looks freezing down there. Pretty girls really can't stand the cold!" March 7th downed the rest of her juice.
"Anyway, here's hoping this [Trailblaze] expedition goes smoothly!" March 7th planted her hands on her hips, then realized something.
"Uh... usually, saying something like that guarantees something bad will happen."
"Ah, forget all that. Jarilo-VI [Trailblaze] squad, let's move out!"
Belobog, Kliperburg
Cocolia, the eighteenth Supreme Guardian, sat silently in her chair.
"Mother, are you feeling all right?" A grown, gray-haired woman with three turbocharged braids walked up beside her and handed her the medicine she had brewed.
She looked at Cocolia, her eyes full of worry.
Late one night a few days earlier, seeing Cocolia suddenly collapse had terrified Bronya. She had immediately summoned a physician to look after her and only breathed a sigh of relief after learning that nothing serious was wrong.
She had nearly had to take over. Fortunately, Mother's strong constitution had pulled her through.
She had merely run a high fever, but one thing puzzled Bronya.
According to the physician, Cocolia's entire body had been ice-cold despite her high fever... and she had kept murmuring unfamiliar words.
"Bronya, my child, thank you for looking after me these past few days. I wanted to ask... how much do you know about elves as a species?"
"Mother, forgive my limited knowledge. All I know is that they are supernatural creatures with magical powers we humans cannot compare to."
"The general history of Belobog contains no traces left by elves. If I had to name one... perhaps Jarilo, the god of spring, was an elf?" Bronya answered. She hadn't read many myths and didn't know much about elves.
As commander of the Silvermane Guards, she was most familiar with Fragmentum creatures. She could recite every monster's appearance and weaknesses backward.
"Hmm..."
After Bronya left, Cocolia gently pressed her fingers against her temples, her brows tightly furrowed.
Ever since she had seen that pitch-black meteor streak past that day, she had opened her eyes to find herself in a space of consciousness.
Strangely, there had been nothing in this space of consciousness but bottomless darkness.
Hmm... did that really count as a space of consciousness?
Then had come flashes of images. What Cocolia remembered most vividly was the sight of that silver-haired elven girl standing atop the Engine of Creation on Everwinter Hill, holding the Stellaron.
It had frightened her so badly that she had intended to go to Everwinter Hill to investigate as soon as she woke up, but Bronya and the physician had stopped her.
When she reached Everwinter Hill the next day, the Stellaron was sitting there perfectly intact. Everything was normal, and only then had Cocolia breathed a sigh of relief.
[Cocolia... Cocolia...]
The Imaginary Energy remaining in her mind had dissipated, and that beguiling voice filled her head once more. Cocolia clutched her head, beads of sweat continuously seeping from her forehead.
[Do not forget our agreement... build a new world...]
Seriously? I've only just recovered, and now the Stellaron is harassing me again.
Cocolia kept complaining inwardly.
[Have you forgotten... we are allies... friends who have accompanied the Guardians for generations.]
[Seven hundred years of perseverance... what has it brought you? Help you fulfill your wish...]
[If you do not act soon... the world... will finally face destruc... Eter... nity...]
The Stellaron's voice vanished along with her headache, leaving Cocolia momentarily dazed.
Eternity?
Meanwhile, Ye Yan and the others had landed safely.
Looking at the boundless snowfield, March 7th remarked:
"It really is a world of ice and snow."
Stelle repeated, "It really is a world of ice and snow."
"What are you, a broken record?!"
At that jab, Stelle gave the three of them another aggrieved look.
None of them felt much from the biting, bone-chilling wind. With the blessing of [Trailblaze], they could automatically adapt to everything from ice and snow to mountains of blades and seas of fire.
Ye Yan narrowed his eyes, catching sight of a dark-blue figure in the distance digging a hole and burrowing into it.
"If we come across a snowdrift later, we might as well dig around in it."
"Do you mean we might dig up rare treasures in a snowdrift?" The baseball bat in Stelle's hand turned into a snow shovel. For now, she could only transform it into everyday objects, not weapons for combat at all.
After seeing the mimetic snow shovel in Stelle's hands, Dan Heng turned his gaze to Ye Yan.
Only he could produce something this strange. Dan Heng recalled the battle against the Doomsday Beast at the space station...
"Hmm... if possible, sorry for the trouble, but could you add a magnetic attachment to Cloud-Piercer?"
"Sure. I'll upgrade it for you tonight. What can I say? I'm just that helpful."
"I want to watch," Stelle said bluntly.
"Men and women should keep their distance." Ye Yan turned down Stelle's request to watch him modify Cloud-Piercer.
"Teacher Ye Yan, when will you spare a little attention for me?"
March 7th felt a little dejected. Ye Yan had upgraded both Stelle's and Dan Heng's weapons, while she was still using an ordinary bow and arrows that didn't do much damage to enemies.
"Eternity above, everyone gets a share. Once this [Trailblaze] expedition is over and we're back aboard the Express, I'll upgrade your weapon too, Miss March 7th."
"Wow... my Trailblazing heart is burning! No time to waste. Let's get going!"
March 7th's fighting spirit blazed to life. For her upgraded weapon, charge!
She had barely taken one step before she saw the endless white all around her and stopped again.
"Uh, which way are we supposed to go?"