Rivet Town, meeting point.
Star, March 7th, and Dan Heng met the central figures of the Lower District.
Seele stood with her arms crossed, leaning against the cold wall, her gaze sharp as a knife.
Oleg wore a smile, hale and hearty, full of vigor.
And... Sampo, with his merchant's grin.
But the most familiar figure from the Upper District was nowhere to be seen.
"Where's Bronya?" Dan Heng asked directly.
"She went back," Seele replied succinctly. "She's on her own. You all know her relationship with The Supreme Guardian up there. Some things, she has to handle herself."
Though Seele's expression was calm, her tone revealed a hint of worry.
"Huh?" March 7th's face immediately fell. "We were hoping she could provide some clues! All that effort for nothing!"
She suddenly remembered something and turned to glare at Sampo.
"That's right, Sampo! Where's our companion? Didn't you claim to be the most well-informed person in Belobog? After all these days of searching, there's still no news?"
Sampo spread his hands, putting on his customer-first smile.
"Oh, my esteemed guests, your companion is quite an important person."
"How could a small fry like me possibly guess his whereabouts?"
"Sampo!" March 7th got really angry, then calmed herself down. "Are you trying to pull a fast one again? Tell me, where exactly is Phainon?"
"Mr. Phainon?"
Sampo blinked, then his smile became enigmatic.
"The answers you seek, the person you wish to see... are all up there. Once you go up, everything will naturally become clear."
"Alright, alright! Once we're up there, you can deal with Sampo however you like." Seele interrupted the pointless bickering. She took a neatly folded letter from her pocket and handed it to Dan Heng. "This is what Bronya asked me to give you before she left."
Dan Heng took the letter and quickly unfolded it.
Inside was Bronya's elegant handwriting, explaining why she left alone and urging them to seek help from the Landau siblings once they reached the Upper District.
Dan Heng's brows furrowed even tighter.
"It seems all the mysteries point to the Upper District."
Sampo immediately rubbed his hands together and sidled over, smiling obsequiously: "So, what do you say? Guests, my service always includes after-sales. Shall I take you up now?"
---
Meanwhile, on the Astral Express.
Before the golden light rail leading to Belobog, the atmosphere was unprecedentedly solemn.
Welt Yang stood quietly, his back heavy as a mountain.
"Passenger Welt!"
Pom-Pom's anxious voice rang out beside him. "You must bring all four of them—Star, March, Dan Heng, and Phainon... bring them back safely, Pom-Pom!"
Welt Yang slowly turned around, his usually gentle face now showing only determination.
He offered a comforting smile. "Don't worry, Pom-Pom. I promise you. Not a single one will be missing."
Before he finished speaking, he no longer hesitated. His figure resolutely stepped onto the light rail, disappearing into the gateway leading to the ice planet.
After the dazzling light, there was biting cold and a vast expanse of snow.
Welt Yang took out a precise instrument. On the screen, the life signals of March 7th and Dan Heng were clearly moving, seemingly heading towards the same destination.
He tightened his grip on his cane and stepped into the wind and snow, moving towards the direction of the signals.
---
Upper District, Silvermane Guards Restricted Zone.
Strict, silent.
Even the sound of patrolling footsteps seemed unusually hollow.
Dunn was meticulously patrolling, but the corner of his eye could never escape the frozen shadows.
He always felt that ever since the "bloody rain" incident, these shadows had come alive.
Just as he brushed past a pillar, the shadow seemed to gain substance, silently "spitting out" a figure that walked alongside him.
Dunn's heart suddenly stopped!
He snapped his head around, his pupils shaking!
It was "The Flame Reaver."
The man wasn't wearing his characteristic black robe; instead, he wore a plain white uniform, which, in this cold environment, made him resemble a temperatureless snow sculpture.
He didn't even look at Dunn, just walked calmly.
"Flame Reaver... sir."
Dunn's voice was incredibly strained, tying itself into a knot in his throat.
Phainon ignored his complex inner turmoil and didn't stop.
He simply, calmly, took something out of his pocket.
It was a photograph.
In the photo, it looked like a train compartment.
A grey-haired girl, eyes sparkling, had plunged headfirst into a pile of trash cans; it was hard to imagine how "happy" she must have been at that moment!
This scene created an absurd contrast with the atmosphere of the Iron Guard garrison.
Dunn: "???"
"Remember this face," Phainon's voice was soft. "If she comes..."
"Let her do whatever she wants to do."
"Give her whatever she wants."
Dunn's brows furrowed into a frown; his duty as a soldier made him instinctively retort: "But this, this doesn't comply with the Silvermane Guards' regulations!"
"Regulations?"
Phainon chuckled softly. He slowly took a step forward, his icy blue eyes fixed on Dunn's.
"I don't want to make things difficult for you. But..."
"If she encounters even the slightest obstacle here..."
Phainon paused, his voice dropping even lower, "...I will knock on your door every night. And then, we'll have an all-night conversation."
"We'll talk about life... about ideals... about... that bloody rain that fell in the restricted zone."
Dunn's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat!
He remembered that battlefield of flying flesh and blood!
He had no doubt that this man would absolutely say it and absolutely do it!
Talking about life every night?
That kind of torment was a million times more terrifying than death!
Dunn swallowed with difficulty, squeezing out a single word through gritted teeth.
"...Alright."
Phainon's face showed a hint of satisfaction. He put away the photo, turned, and left.
His solitary figure, like a drop of ink, silently merged into the shadows of the restricted zone and disappeared.
Dunn sat, taking deep breaths. Hearing Phainon threaten to knock on his door at night, he had forgotten how to breathe.
It took a long time for his heartbeat to finally calm down.
Just then.
Noisy sounds came from outside the military zone gate.
"Welcome, The Supreme Guardian!"
Dunn abruptly looked up, only to see The Supreme Guardian Cocolia and Bronya entering through the main gate.
And behind the mother and daughter, a white-clad figure followed unhurriedly.
It was the man who had just disappeared!
Phainon calmly turned his face, and their gazes met again.
No warning, no threat.
Just a calm stare.
Drat!
His recently dried back was once again drenched in cold sweat!
Only when Phainon passed him again did his heart resume beating.
"In the future..."
Dunn leaned against the cold wall, muttering to himself.
"He will definitely have a place in Belobog's urban legends..."