The Lure of the Trash Can

"What?! All the Silvermane Guards have been captured, and Belobog is now under their threat?!"

In the Supreme Guardian's office in Qlipoth Fort, Belobog, Cocolia abruptly stood up after listening to Gepard's report: "And all the Guards are still being held hostage outside the city?"

"Yes, they demand that we hand over something called a Stellaron. They say only then can our safety be guaranteed…" Gepard couldn't lift his head. As the captain of the Silvermane Guards and the son of the Landau family, not only had he been utterly defeated by the enemy, but he also had to bring back such humiliating news… He wished he could dismiss himself!

But for the safety of Belobog and for the brothers outside the city, he had to do this.

"Absurd! How can Belobog succumb to threats!" Bronya, who was also standing in the office, became furious upon hearing Gepard's words: "So what if there are many enemies? Belobog has never fallen in hundreds of years of war! Lady Cocolia, I am willing to lead the troops—"

"There aren't many enemies…" Gepard clenched his fists and spoke the humiliating truth, "There are only five of them…"

"Five?"

Cocolia looked dazed. Gepard was already considered strong in Belobog, and when he personally led the Silvermane Guards, even monsters surging like avalanches could hardly make him retreat—and now, such Belobog elites were defeated by five people?

She felt confused. Indeed, Cocolia had already cooperated with the Stellaron, wanting Belobog, which was struggling desperately, to completely abandon the will of Preservation and embrace a new world.

For this, she had isolated Belobog's upper and lower districts, randomly mobilized the Silvermane Guards, and even made ridiculous orders like having soldiers on the battlefield advance their positions by twenty meters… To move towards a new world, it was necessary to abandon the old one first.

From this perspective, these strange visitors from nowhere had indeed helped her—but what was their purpose? If they took away the Stellaron, would Belobog still have a chance to move towards a new world…

But did she have any other choice? If their strength was truly so terrifying…

Cocolia's face alternated between pale and green, her expression uncertain. Even Bronya and Gepard could see her worry.

After a long while, Cocolia finally released the pen she had crushed, somewhat dejectedly: "Gepard, go tell them that I am willing to cooperate with them, but… I've been ill recently, perhaps I can only see them tomorrow. If possible, ask them if they can release the captured Guards first. We can arrange accommodation for them… Otherwise, the Guards may not survive the cold outside the city."

"This might not be a concern…" Gepard frowned, recalling the strangeness he had noticed when he was with the Express crew earlier. "Their power can repel the surrounding cold and snow… For some reason, that feeling seems slightly similar to the aura of the city wall."

Belobog's city wall was a magical structure built by the Great Guardian and the builders back then, blessed by Qlipoth, and it still sheltered the city's residents today.

If the power felt similar to this, could it be… Preservation hadn't given up on this planet and had really sent reinforcements to save them?

This fragile thought didn't even exist in Cocolia's mind for a second before being erased—whose reinforcements would beat up the local protectors upon first meeting and threaten the leader here?

Cocolia felt it was more likely that they were powers specifically sent to punish them. Because they sensed that her faith in Preservation was no longer loyal, they immediately dispatched forces to eliminate her…

After all, their purpose was undisguised, pointing directly at the Stellaron. They must have learned about the deal she made with it.

Heh, so this is what gods are like. They never bother to look when people struggle in despair, but once someone deviates from their will, they immediately send messengers to punish…

In just a few seconds, Cocolia had already completed a whole mental drama of Qlipoth, the Unjust, treating mortals as livestock, a dark myth.

Cocolia didn't speak, just waved her hand at Gepard: "Go… As for that wanted criminal, lock him up in jail for now."

Bronya watched Gepard leave, then turned back to Cocolia, the anger in her tone gone—after all, if the opponents were truly dangerous figures who could defeat Gepard leading his troops with just a few people, then even if she went, the result probably wouldn't be much better.

"Lady Cocolia—"

"Bronya, how many times have I told you, don't use titles when there's no one else around…"

"Yes, Mother…" Bronya lowered her head slightly, but ultimately couldn't suppress her doubts, "May I ask, what exactly is the Stellaron…?"

"…Perhaps, it's time to tell you."

Cocolia rested her forehead on her hand, a few flashes of melancholy in her eyes, but they eventually turned into determination: "About the truth of everything and the future of Belobog—this will be a heavy responsibility…"

The Supreme Guardian would eventually bear the burden, and Bronya, who had already been chosen, was the same. Cocolia originally wanted to give her as much freedom as possible, but now she had to start all this early… because there was no time left.

Tomorrow's meeting with those people would be her last gamble. If everything went smoothly, it would be fine. If there were accidents, then it would be the moment for Bronya to take over the mission prematurely and face the most desperate future.

——

"Uncle Yang, do we really have to wait until tomorrow to meet that Supreme Guardian?"

Walking on the streets of Belobog, March 7th asked Welt doubtfully: "Can't we just rush in front of her and make her hand over everything she knows?"

"March, we are Trailblazers, not bandits…" Welt shook his head helplessly, pointing at Gepard, who was leading the way in front, but whose steps were nervously disordered.

"Our previous actions have already made the rulers of this planet extremely nervous. If we continue to put so much pressure on them, it might push a situation that could have been negotiated into a desperate fight… This is, after all, a remote planet that has been sealed off for hundreds of years. Their ability to accept things isn't as strong as that of normal interstellar civilizations."

"Besides, we also need to give them some time to gather information. After all, even leaders may not necessarily know everything about galactic affairs."

Welt blinked: "Moreover, Twilight and Caelus have just embarked on the path of Trailblazing. This is the first planet they've experienced. They should properly experience the local customs and culture, shouldn't they?"

"Local customs and culture…" March 7th's mouth twitched, turning her head to look at the two figures behind her who were attracting countless gazes from passersby, making her want to find a hood to cover her face.

"Who experiences local customs and culture by digging through trash cans on the street…"