Belobog, Qlipoth Fort.
At this moment, the entire Supreme Guardian's council hall had fallen into a state of complete time suspension. It was as if the space itself had been frozen by invisible ice. No one could move at all except Nolan.
Looking at the Supreme Guardian, Nolan had already come up with a rather good plan.
He walked over and stood in front of the immobilized Cocolia. Speaking of which, she looked remarkably similar to the orphanage director from Welt's world in Honkai Impact 3rd.
Her name was also Cocolia. Could it be that she also had adopted daughters named Bronya and Seele?
While Nolan let his thoughts wander in such random directions, he quickly opened the Void Star Sea, enveloping both himself and Cocolia within it.
After all, the duration of Lisa's time-stop Affection Skill was not very long. And when he used True Discourse of Dreams, he had only granted himself the effect of expanding the range of the time stop rather than extending its duration.
Therefore, he needed to deal with Cocolia quickly before the time suspension ended.
As for how to handle it, the answer was simple. He would control her using a Command Seal. That way, no matter how much the Stellaron tried to cause trouble, it would have no choice but to behave.
Looking at the time-frozen Cocolia before him, Nolan quickly used his spiritual power to knock her unconscious.
In truth, entering the Void Star Sea was mainly a precaution in case something unexpected happened that might endanger the Astral Express crew. Since their safety was involved, caution was necessary.
Sure enough, Nolan sensed a certain power attempting to awaken Cocolia. But since everything was still under time suspension, that power could not truly do anything.
Seizing the moment, Nolan quickly set up a Command Seal on Cocolia that compelled her to obey him. Only after finishing did he release the time stop affecting her.
Once the time suspension ended, the power of the Stellaron within her immediately stimulated her to wake up.
The sudden change in surroundings startled her slightly, though her expression remained composed. Cocolia looked at Nolan and spoke in a low voice:
"You did this? Is this your attitude when seeking cooperation?"
As she spoke, biting cold energy seeped from her body. Power surged within her as if she intended to make Nolan witness the authority of the Supreme Guardian.
"Sorry, there's no time to explain the situation. Just remember that later, no matter what kind of cooperation we propose, you only need to agree and cooperate."
Nolan instructed her.
"Act the same as usual. Don't reveal anything unusual. And fuse with this so I can issue orders to you at any time."
He took out a golden Waymark and handed it to Cocolia.
"How presumptuous. To speak to me in such a disrespectful manner…"
Cocolia could clearly feel the disrespect in Nolan's attitude.
She had intended to freeze him into an ice statue on the spot. But to her shock, she found her body acting against her will. Her power withdrew, the cold aura dissipated, and she very naturally accepted the golden light and fused it into her body.
"Who exactly are you?" Cocolia demanded angrily.
"I'll explain later."
After successfully placing both the Command Seal and the Waymark onto Cocolia, Nolan withdrew the Void Star Sea, and the two of them returned to the Supreme Guardian's council hall.
At this point, the time stop was about to end. Nolan instructed Cocolia to maintain her original demeanor without showing anything unusual. He himself walked back to Stelle's side, returning to the spot where he had previously been standing.
Then Nolan dismissed the purple hourglass, releasing the time stop just as March 7th continued speaking:
"…the Stellaron. This time we came to take away the Stellaron, so this planet will no longer suffer disasters like the Eternal Freeze."
"That's right. We hope to cooperate with you to find the Stellaron," Stelle added.
To prevent the Supreme Guardian from misunderstanding what the Stellaron was, she continued explaining it.
They actually know… Their goal is Belobog's hope. No! I cannot give them the Stellaron!
Cocolia's mind was far from calm.
Of course she knew about the Stellaron. It had appeared together with the Eternal Freeze, and Belobog had once even established a department specifically to study it.
But they were useless. None of them had been able to figure anything out. Only she, only the one chosen by it, could wield the Stellaron's supreme power.
Despite the turmoil within her mind, Cocolia's expression remained perfectly calm, following Nolan's instructions without revealing the slightest hint of anything abnormal.
She nodded calmly.
"Saving Belobog and securing the future of this planet has always been my wish as the Supreme Guardian.
"The Stellaron you speak of is actually not unfamiliar to me. Belobog began secretly studying it a long time ago. Unfortunately, our capabilities are limited, and we have never found a way to restrain it.
"If you truly have a way to deal with it, then take it away."
No! How could this be? Why am I saying such things?!
Seeing herself comply so thoroughly, Cocolia felt as if she were going insane.
"What? The Stellaron is actually in Belobog?!"
Hearing the Supreme Guardian's words, Gepard could not help but feel shocked.
Cocolia looked at him and said:
"That thing is extremely dangerous. Naturally, the fewer people who know about it, the better. Gepard, you have done very well this time. You actually brought back people capable of dealing with it. You have made an unprecedented contribution to Belobog.
"If the crisis is resolved successfully, I will make sure your deeds are widely praised."
"For Belobog, it is simply my duty."
Faced with the Supreme Guardian's sudden praise, Gepard was momentarily stunned. Soon afterward, he showed a resolute expression, though he spoke with slight embarrassment.
"Supreme Guardian, there's really no need to publicize anything about me. I merely guided a few guests here. It's a very small matter. If anyone deserves recognition, it should be our guests."
If he received some great honor for such a trivial task, Gepard felt he would be unbearably ashamed.
"Eh? Eh? Did we really settle this so smoothly? And it seems we don't even need to search for the Stellaron. It's actually in the Supreme Guardian's hands!"
March 7th's bright pink eyes widened in surprise.
She had thought that even if the Supreme Guardian agreed to cooperate, they would still have to spend quite some effort searching for the Stellaron.
She had even imagined someone obstructing them during the search, forcing them to overcome countless difficulties before finally finding it.
"This is indeed a bit unexpected…"
Stelle scratched the side of her gray hair.
Dan Heng, who stood with his arms crossed, was also somewhat surprised by how smoothly things had gone. But after thinking about it carefully, it actually made sense.
The Stellaron had appeared on Jarilo-VI for a very long time.
It was perfectly natural that the people here would bring it back to study it in hopes of solving the Eternal Freeze. The only problem was that Belobog lacked the means to deal with it.
For this Supreme Guardian to lead Belobog through such a desperate situation and keep the city alive, she was clearly someone with exceptional ability and foresight.
Given the opportunity to resolve the Stellaron problem, there was naturally no reason for her to refuse.
That worked out well. With the main matter resolved so quickly, Nolan could stay here and explore with March and the others. Besides, the Astral Express was still the most comfortable place.
"Thank you, Supreme Guardian. The sooner we deal with the Stellaron, the better. When can you take us to where it is located?"
Dan Heng nodded in acknowledgement and asked.
"At any time."
Cocolia reached her hand toward her chest.
Seeing this, Nolan recalled how, earlier in the Void Star Sea, a certain force had tried to awaken Cocolia.
Don't tell me the Stellaron is inside her body like it is with Stelle… and she's about to take it out right here?
Even if she had to cooperate, there was no need to cooperate this much.
If so many people saw her pull the Stellaron out of her own body, it would be impossible not to suspect her.
Nolan hurriedly stopped her through telepathic communication and told her to find an excuse to leave first, retrieve the Stellaron, make the necessary arrangements, and then invite them over.
However, Cocolia only lightly touched her chest and sent him a puzzled emotion.
Because she was compelled to remain loyal to Nolan, she had no choice but to explain in her mind:
"The Stellaron is not inside my body. It merely provides me with power remotely."
I see… that scared me for a moment.
Then again, Stelle could carry the Stellaron because she was special. Ordinary people would never have such an ability.
Nolan thought to himself.
"March, notify Himeko and Mr. Welt. Ask them to come over."
After receiving the Supreme Guardian's reply, Dan Heng said to March 7th.
The task of sealing and retrieving a Stellaron was usually handled by Himeko or Welt.
"Hehe, once they hear the news, Himeko and Uncle Yang will definitely look at us in a new light. After all, we completed the mission so easily."
March 7th took out her phone and started sending Himeko a message, giggling foolishly as she did so.
Seeing her like that, Nolan could not help teasing her.
"We haven't even seen the Stellaron yet. Don't celebrate too early."
"Mm-hmm, don't celebrate too early," Stelle added.
"You two! Do you have to annoy me before you're satisfied?!"
March 7th puffed up her cheeks and glared at the two troublemakers with her hands on her hips.
"Ahem. Well… it might take some time for Himeko and Welt to arrive. I'll go pick them up."
Nolan touched his cheek and said with a wandering gaze. Stelle gave an awkward laugh beside him.
"In that case, please wait here for a moment."
Although extremely unwilling, Cocolia cooperated and said the line anyway.
After that, everyone waited in the council hall while Nolan prepared to use spatial travel to return to the Astral Express and bring Himeko and Welt over.
However, before leaving, Dan Heng asked Nolan to bring him along.
Someone needed to stay behind on the train to prevent any accidents. Once Himeko and Welt left the train, no one would remain there, so Dan Heng asked Nolan to take him back first.
Nolan had no objections.
He quickly brought Dan Heng back, then returned with Himeko and Welt. After that, Nolan secretly instructed Cocolia to lead them to the Stellaron.
Even though Cocolia was furious inside and wanted to strike immediately to eliminate Nolan and the others, she had no choice.
Under the control of the Command Seal, she could only cooperate obediently and lead the way.
Soon enough, they arrived at the place where the Stellaron was stored.
It looked very similar to the one Kafka had inserted into Stelle's body.
During the time they approached, the Stellaron first continuously transmitted large amounts of energy to Cocolia, attempting to make her stop Nolan and the others.
But unfortunately, that was clearly impossible.
After that plan failed, the Stellaron tried to use its power to tempt Nolan and the others, just as it had once tempted Cocolia.
However, Nolan quietly suppressed it without causing the slightest disturbance.
As a result, until everyone arrived before the Stellaron itself, nothing unexpected happened.
"Yes, this is indeed the Stellaron. This time really went unexpectedly smoothly."
When the Stellaron appeared before them, even Himeko could not help but remark.
Welt, on the other hand, adjusted his glasses and looked at Nolan.
"Was it you working behind the scenes? An unsealed Stellaron would never behave this 'obediently' and allow people targeting it to find it so easily."
In Welt's opinion, Nolan, his fellow Earth native, possessed unfathomable strength. Silently suppressing a Stellaron was entirely within his capabilities.
"Uh… I just helped a little so things would go more smoothly for everyone."
Nolan had not expected Welt to guess it.
But considering Welt had experience sealing Stellarons, it made sense that he would suspect something when everything went too smoothly.
Since it had been guessed, Nolan did not bother hiding it and admitted it openly.
Of course, he had no intention of revealing that he had secretly controlled Cocolia.
Even though he would not abuse it, a method as unreasonable as a Command Seal was still rather frightening. If he revealed it, it might cause others to fear him.
Girls whose affection toward him had already reached the maximum would not care.
But for people like Welt and Dan Heng, that would be a different matter.
Nolan still hoped to have friends.
"Hehe. Being able to seal the Stellaron so quickly is certainly a good thing. It will make our subsequent exploration much more relaxed."
Welt expressed his approval.
"Well, no wonder everything went so smoothly. So you were the one pulling tricks behind the scenes!"
March 7th said with her hands on her hips, sounding somewhat dissatisfied.
Yet deep down, she had gained quite a bit of affection for him.
[March 7th Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You. Obtained 820 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.7 (495/700)]
This time he gained 820 affection points. Earlier, since they had been spending time together, he had also gained another 90 points.
Now her affection had reached Level 7 with 495 points.
Another step closer to max level.
While feeling pleased, Nolan joked:
"Isn't it better that things went smoothly? Or are you upset because our heroic March didn't get the chance to show off?"
"T-That's not it! Keep talking nonsense and see if I don't punch you!"
March 7th's face flushed slightly as she raised her small fist in threat. It gave off the cute impression that her little thoughts had been exposed.
Soon afterward, thanks to Nolan's continued suppression of the Stellaron, Himeko also completed the sealing process very smoothly.
She smiled and looked at Nolan.
"This is indeed the smoothest mission since the Astral Express set off. It seems inviting you to join the crew was absolutely the right decision."
[Himeko Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You. Obtained 830 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.8 (485/800)]
(End of Chapter)
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