Administrative District, [ Neverending ] Mechanical House
Serval led the two in smoothly and naturally, without being noticed by the patrolling Silvermane Guards.
"Alright, you're safe here now. My machine shop is fairly soundproof, and nobody usually comes here." Serval breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh... I didn't look closely, but there are two new faces? I didn't expect so many guests to come from outside Belobog."
Serval took a step closer, her attention focused on Fulisina, who had loosely wrapped a smoky gray cashmere scarf around her neck. The cool-toned fabric partially concealed her chin, revealing a camellia-like silhouette when she lowered her head.
The loose fibers of the scarf swayed gently with each breath, like morning mist lightly veiling the flower branches.
The silver-haired girl lowered her eyes, and the faint shadow cast by her eyelashes made the light in her eyes, hidden behind the fabric, appear even brighter, like a cold star half-hidden by clouds.
An indescribable beauty... more breathtaking than straightforward exposure, like a spring stream flowing through a biting wind, an irresistible tenderness flowing beneath the ice. This attire is exceptionally fitting for the snowscape of Belobog.
According to Serval's speculation, they should be the two companions Ye Yan mentioned who were waiting outside the planet.
"What exactly did you do wrong? The entire city's Silvermane Guards are patrolling and searching for you. The whole Upper District is in a state of panic." Serval poured tea for the two of them.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, we don't know what happened to make us look like wanted criminals." Blake played along, rounding up the fact that they were indeed passengers on the Astral Express.
After inviting Tingyun to join her team, she decided to wait for Blake and his companion to return at the Church. In the meantime, she would contact her companions from Yukong and the [ Whistling Flames ] merchant group to inform them of her current situation and reassure them that they did not need to worry too much.
[ Eternity ] Emanator the ability to teleport, allowing them to return immediately after completing their tasks, which is extremely convenient.
"Ah, that's right. It seems it wasn't the two of you who were wanted... it was your accomplice."
Blake's interest was piqued. Although he hadn't yet met the planet's administrator, Blake already disliked her. The last group to dare issue a warrant for the [ Eternity ] Aeon was the Annihilation Gang, and as for the consequences for those people...
"Madam, could you please tell us more about the details of the wanted notice?"
Serval relayed the information from the wanted poster verbatim, and when she mentioned the words " Eternity traitor," the shadows seemed to cut across their faces like blades.
The ripples in the teacup suddenly froze. In the deathly silence, as if a pendulum were stuck in a throat, rust seeped from the cracks in the wallpaper of the mechanical house, and the peeling fragments hung in mid-air, like a sigh frozen by some invisible pressure.
Seeing their reactions, Serval was startled.
Seriously? Such a big reaction? Cocolia, what did you do?!
"If we don't say a few more words, the atmosphere might stay tense forever, "Serval said hastily.
"Don't worry! A written record is no proof. Unless the Architects have public and conclusive evidence to prove you deserved your punishment... I don't think your companions would do anything wrong."
"Besides, based on my understanding of the Architects, if they had evidence, they would have released it already. I'm familiar with this approach... Cocolia, that's her style—get everyone busy first."
"After all, when people get busy, there aren't many who have the time or inclination to think about the details."
" Cocolia... is that the [ Supreme Guardian ] you mentioned?"
Blake took note of the name, not only issuing a warrant for [ Eternity ]'s arrest but also making defamatory statements about the planet 'Stellaron.
As expected, yet another pathetic victim bewitched by the Stellaron.
But... by slandering [ Eternity ] like this, she has already committed suicide!
Fulisina looked at Serval, "Are you in cahoots with the guardians of this planet?"
"Oh, don't worry, I have nothing to do with Cocolia. She was the one who kicked me out of the Architects back then, so I have no reason to side with her." Serval quickly distanced herself from the Supreme Guardian.
Serval added, "What Cocolia and the Architects want to do is none of my business. My time is too precious to worry about such nonsense."
"As you can see, I'm currently holed up in the machine shop, fixing junk and playing music. I'm living a pretty comfortable life."
"Haha, I've said too much without realizing it... Let's get back to you guys. Did you come to Belobog to look for your long-lost companions?"
Fulisina nodded; she had indeed come to see Ye Yan.
"That makes things easier. The Upper District is issuing a city-wide warrant for their arrest... so the only places they can go are the Fragmentum and the Underworld."
" The Underworld has been sealed off for many years; no one has come up or gone down for a long time. If your companions are all in the Underworld... then this is going to be troublesome."
"Hey~ how about this, you guys work part-time at my shop first. If the Silvermane Guards come to patrol, I can help you out."
Serval suddenly had a bright idea. Ever since Ye Yan and the others disappeared, the atmosphere in the Upper District had changed, and she was worried that there was no one to chat with.
"It's alright, I'm not short of money, I'll pay you as usual!"
"Money and possessions... are nothing more than roadside dung in my eyes!"
Fulisina proudly puffed out her chest, while Blake rolled his eyes at her.
"Of course you can treat money like dirt, because you have absolutely no Credits!"
"Shut up... noisy!" Seeing that Blake had exposed her without any mercy, Fulisina agreed to Serval's suggestion and officially joined the [ Everwinter ] Mechanical House.
"I don't need to. I have more important things to do." Blake gazed into the distance and murmured.
"This planet is severely eroded by the Fragmentum, compounded by the persecution of the Antimatter Legion... As the highly respected Church Chair, how could I, Blake, not lend a helping hand when I see such a tragic and desperate situation?"
Boulder Town, Goethe Grand Hotel
"Ha... things on the lower levels are finally over. Now we can go find the [ Stellaron ]."
The four members of the Astral Express Crew gathered here to discuss their next move.
"But thinking back, I feel a little bad for Clara and Teacher Ye Yan... there was still so much milk tea left unfinished."
"Everyone has different drink preferences, there's no need to only drink milk tea," Dan Heng explained, adding that he himself is indifferent to milk tea.
"I didn't drink the token given to me by the Milk Tea Aeon, I repent!"
The most skilled storyteller in the universe— Galactic Storyteller —has already crafted a flawless story for the Milk Tea Aeon!
"Look on the bright side, at least I'm not being called the Milk Tea Demon anymore." Ye Yan smiled helplessly and continued:
"So far, the plan is going smoothly. Everyone knows that the [ Stellaron ] is the culprit, and everyone is willing to help us."
"That's right, there were a few minor mishaps during the process... but we managed to resolve them all successfully!"
"There are still many things we don't understand. We still don't know the exact location and coordinates of the [ Stellaron ], nor do we understand the reason for Cocolia's change in attitude."
"The existing clues aren't enough to piece things together..."
As Dan Heng was filled with doubt, Xing revealed the secret he had been keeping hidden. "Um, there's something I'm not sure if I should say. Actually... I've had several dreams about it."