"Whew, we're finally back in the Overworld. The environment here really suits me better. The sunlight feels so nice..."
Yun Fan's group returned to the Overworld together, and the moment they stepped out of the narrow passageway, the scenery before them suddenly opened up. The bright sunlight spilled over everyone, and the warm, cozy sensation drew an involuntary sigh of contentment from Lynx.
However, soon after, a gust of icy wind swept through, and the frozen wasteland of Belobog swiftly brought Lynx back to reality.
"How could this be?! How could Belobog have become like this?!" As the last stronghold of humanity on Jarilo-VI, Belobog relied on the heat emitted by the geothermal marrow to melt the snow and ice, providing this final refuge for survivors.
But now, what greeted their eyes was a sky filled with swirling snow, frozen fountains, and the Eternal Winter Monument completely encased in icy mist. As far as the eye could see, the world was blanketed in pure white—a silence more profound than death itself.
"Lynx! Lady Bronya!"
Just as the group stood in silence, a familiar voice tinged with surprise reached Lynx's ears. Instinctively, the girl turned toward the source of the sound, and when she saw who it was, her face immediately lit up with joy.
"Brother Gepard!"
Gepard, accompanied by a group of Silvermane Guards, quickly strode forward. After offering Bronya a brief salute, he turned his attention back to Lynx. Bronya, the Supreme Guardian of the Silvermane Guards, didn't seem the least bit offended and simply watched the scene quietly.
After a moment, once he confirmed that Lynx was unharmed, Gepard recomposed himself, reverting to his usual stern, aloof, and authoritative demeanor.
"My apologies, Lady Bronya. I've made a fool of myself in front of you."
"Not at all. A brother's concern for his sister is only natural. I understand completely." Bronya shook her head, indicating that she didn't mind.
"More importantly, Captain Gepard, what happened in the Overworld? Why has Belobog ended up in this state?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself. In less than half a day, a sudden cold front struck Belobog, and even with the geothermal marrow's support, it still ended up like this."
After a brief pause, Gepard continued, "But please rest assured, Lady Bronya. The Supreme Guardian is currently discussing countermeasures with Miss Serval. I believe we'll have a solution soon."
"Aunt Serval and Mother?" Bronya was slightly taken aback. Hadn't Mother and Aunt Serval long since fallen out? Their relationship had been nothing short of irreconcilable. How could they now be sitting together amicably to discuss solutions?
As for their conversation, the members of the Trailblazer team listening on the side were somewhat puzzled, but they could roughly piece things together.
'Cocolia and Serval have reconciled? That's unexpected, yet it makes sense.' Yun Fan was a little surprised. But upon reflection, it wasn't so strange. Before being corrupted by the Stellaron, their relationship had been as close as inseparable friends.
Now, with his intervention, Cocolia had been spared the Stellaron's corruption, so it wasn't impossible for the two to reconcile.
"I understand." Bronya nodded, then turned to Yun Fan and the others. "Everyone, let's head to the Supreme Guardian's residence together."
————————————
"Cocolia, are you saying that all these changes in Belobog are the Stellaron's doing?"
Inside the Supreme Guardian's residence, Serval—dressed in her usual punk-style outfit—was carefully reviewing the damage report submitted by the Silvermane Guards. Staring at the astronomical numbers on the page, she couldn't help but frown.
"In just half a day, Belobog has suffered such immense losses. This already exceeds the Overworld's expenditures over the past three years. If this continues, in less than half a month, Belobog—this last stronghold—will collapse entirely."
"Ah..." Cocolia sighed, rubbing her temples in frustration. Honestly, she hadn't expected that Masked Fool to cause such a commotion. Fortunately, this sudden cold wave hadn't resulted in any casualties. After all, for Belobog now, its people were its most precious resource.
Just as the two fell silent, the door to the Supreme Guardian's office was gently knocked from the outside.
"Supreme Guardian, Bronya requests an audience."
Bronya's slightly urgent voice came from beyond the door, instantly lifting Cocolia's spirits. Though she had already learned from Yun Fan that Bronya would be returning, now that the moment had arrived, as a mother, she couldn't quite suppress her emotions.
"Come in."
The first to step into the office was Bronya, followed closely by Gepard and Lynx. Last came the Trailblazer team, including Yun Fan, Stelle, and March 7th.
"Mo— Supreme Guardian, Bronya Rand of the Silvermane Guards, reporting for duty." Though she longed to call her "Mother," now was clearly not the time. With so many outsiders present, Bronya couldn't afford to be discourteous.
"Mm. Welcome back." Seeing this, Cocolia could only nod slightly.
"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Gepard, Advisor Lynx." Cocolia offered her gratitude to the siblings before stepping down from her desk and approaching the Trailblazers.
"Mr. Yun Fan, in my capacity as the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, I humbly request your assistance." Cocolia gave a slight bow as she made her plea.
"There's no need for that. As Nameless, we'll do our utmost to help Belobog overcome this crisis." Yun Fan reached out to steady the bowing Cocolia, then turned to March 7th, Stelle, and the others, who all nodded in agreement.
"Thank you for your generosity. Please take a look at this—Serval!" As she spoke, Cocolia beckoned to Serval, who had been watching the proceedings like an amused bystander.
"Tch, Cocolia, you really know how to boss people around." Serval clicked her tongue but began rifling through the pile of documents on the desk. Soon, a paper resembling an invitation—or perhaps a declaration of war—appeared before the group.
"Is this... an invitation? Or rather... a challenge?" After reading the contents, Yun Fan raised an eyebrow slightly. If his guess was correct, this was Sparkle's declaration of war.
But this handwriting... was almost unbearably bad, like the scrawl of a child. How could someone as pretty, elegant, and mischievous as Sparkle write like this?
As if sensing Yun Fan's confusion, Cocolia explained, "This challenge was delivered by a wanted criminal named Sampo Koski. That man is quite cunning—he dropped it off and left immediately."
"I see." Yun Fan nodded in understanding. So it was written by good old Uncle Sampo. That explained everything.