Sparkle did not immediately strike when approached by the man, even though his intentions were already glaringly obvious.
"Hehe, hello there, little brother~" Sparkle's sweet voice rang in the man's ears, a tone that intertwined the allure of both an angel and a demon, making his blood boil instantly.
"Ahem, I am Geinzno, a noble of sorts. May I ask for the lady's name?"
"Sparkle—that's my name," Sparkle replied with a sweet smile, rising from her seat. Her fair, jade-like legs swayed slightly, leaving Geinzno dizzy.
"Hehe, Miss Sparkle, it's a pleasure. Might I have the honor of inviting you to dinner?"
"Dinner?" Sparkle's expression remained unchanged, her smile lingering.
"Sure, why not? Let's find somewhere... a bit quieter, shall we?"
———————————
Some time later, in a grand hotel in the upper district.
Sparkle gazed at the man kneeling on the floor, his eyes vacant, and shook her head in boredom. With a light sigh, she muttered, "How dull. He's already broken."
After arriving at the hotel, Sparkle hadn't hesitated—she had immediately dragged the man's consciousness into an illusion. For a beast in gentleman's clothing who coveted her body, she had nothing to say.
If not for the fact that she was new to Belobog, unfamiliar with the area and lacking information, and hoping to extract some useful clues from this so-called noble, she would have long since thrown him out to keep company with the snowfield wolves.
"Let's see if there's anything useful..." Sparkle closed her eyes, sinking into the illusion she had crafted. After a long while, having subjected the man to a round of torture in the illusion, she finally obtained the information she needed.
"People from the Interastral Peace Corporation are here too? No, this place was originally under the Preservation's faction. But..."
Sparkle's eyes flickered slightly. Aside from news about the IPC, she had also learned something else from the man—perhaps the key to silencing the Stellaron.
"A colossal figure towering over the sky, blotting out the heavens, with an inconceivable power of reversal... Could it be an Aeon?"
——————————————
Meanwhile...
"That Aha really is something, selling Sparkle to me just like that. And speaking of which... since when did joining the Masked Fools require signing a contract?" Yun Fan looked at the document in his hand, which resembled both a "deed of sale" and a "labor contract," and wore an expression caught between laughter and tears.
Though he suspected this document might just be one of Aha's jokes, he couldn't help but believe it—the rules embedded within were undeniably real, without a hint of falsehood.
After tucking away the contract, Yun Fan rested his chin on his hand, lost in thought.
Originally, he had planned to follow the script—have the Trailblazers team up with Svarog and march into the upper district, with Cocolia playing the villain once more.
But now, with Aha and Sparkle's unexpected involvement, it seemed the upcoming plot had taken a fresh turn...
————————————
That night, in the upper district... the Supreme Guardian's residence...
Scratch... scratch...
The tip of a pen glided across paper, producing a soft scratching sound. Under the glow of the bright moon and the dazzling sea of stars, Cocolia, the Supreme Guardian, was burning the midnight oil to handle Belobog's administrative affairs.
In the universe, the Nameless—represented by the Astral Express—were notorious for stirring up trouble, practically walking disaster magnets.
The so-called Trailblaze journey was, in essence, a series of interactions and collisions with local inhabitants. Sparks flying from such collisions were entirely normal.
Look—they had only been here a few days, and Cocolia's workload had more than doubled.
Fortunately, Yun Fan had freed her from the Stellaron's interference and whispers, granting her a measure of causality's power and setting her upon the Path of Causality. Though she hadn't reached the level of an Emanator, the unique nature of the Path of Causality placed her among the upper echelons just below Emanators. Thanks to this, she now had the energy to manage her duties.
Creak—
Just as Cocolia was engrossed in reviewing documents, the door to the Supreme Guardian's office slowly swung open from the outside.
"Hm?" The sudden noise made Cocolia instinctively furrow her brows. But when she saw who it was, her gaze softened.
"Bronya, it's so late. Is there something you need from Mother?"
Indeed, the visitor was Bronya.
"Good evening, Mother." Touched by Cocolia's concern, Bronya responded with a noble's curtsy before stepping behind Cocolia.
"Bronya?" Cocolia was puzzled, but when Bronya's hands settled on her shoulders and began kneading with soothing motions, she understood her daughter's intention.
"Mother, you've worked hard. Let me massage your shoulders for you."
"Mmm... You're so thoughtful, Bronya..."
After enjoying her daughter's ministrations for a while, Cocolia had Bronya sit beside her. Wrapping an arm around Bronya's shoulders, she said gently, "You've been working hard too lately, Bronya. Mother sees all your efforts. Perhaps soon, you'll be ready to succeed me as the Supreme Guardian and continue protecting Belobog in my stead."
"Mother, I will." Under Cocolia's approving gaze, Bronya nodded solemnly.
"Good." Satisfied, Cocolia nodded. Then, shifting the topic, she asked, "By the way, Bronya, how is that matter I mentioned the other day coming along?"
"That matter?" Bronya blinked. "Forgive me, I... I don't recall. Mother, which matter are you referring to?"
"Ah, you've forgotten? Never mind, then. It wasn't anything important—Mother will handle it herself. Come here, Bronya, let me hold you properly."
"Yes, Mother." Without further questions, Bronya allowed Cocolia to pull her into an embrace.
However, the moment she was wrapped in Cocolia's arms, Bronya's expression shifted—if only for an instant. But Cocolia noticed it immediately, and her face broke into a smile starkly different from the tenderness of moments before.
"Hehe, can't keep up the act anymore, can you, little intruder?"