"From the... from the Astral Express?!"
Upon learning the identity of the girl in front of him from Gallagher's mouth, a bead of sweat involuntarily slid down the 'Bloodhound's' cheek. In his once arrogant and venomous gaze, a trace of respect slowly emerged.
As a minor leader in the Bloodhound Family and a Pathstrider, he naturally had access to some information circulating in the cosmos. As a Pathstrider of [The Hunt], he had once yearned to become one of the "Galaxy Rangers."
But the hardships of life and the pressure from his family had ultimately worn down his sharp edges. The once high-spirited 'Bloodhound' had eventually become nothing more than a lapdog for the family.
The only thing that remained unchanged in the 'Bloodhound's' heart was his yearning and reverence for the Galaxy Rangers.
So when he learned that the Astral Express had helped the Xianzhou Luofu subjugate two Emanators of the Legion of Antimatter without any apparent sacrifice, a sense of admiration and awe naturally arose within him.
One must know that back then, to subjugate "Phantylia," the Galaxy Rangers had mobilized in full force and only succeeded after paying a heavy price.
Yet the Astral Express had accomplished the same feat without any losses—how could he not feel awe?
"I'm sorry, esteemed guest from the Astral Express, and this miss. It was I who offended you." The 'Bloodhound' deeply bowed toward Stelle and Firefly, adopting a very humble posture as he spoke with a face full of apology.
This formed a stark contrast with his earlier arrogant and overbearing attitude.
"..."
Watching the person's sudden change in demeanor, Stelle was somewhat baffled. Although because of him she had missed the chance for an "indirect kiss" with Firefly, since the person in front of her had now sincerely apologized, then she...
Hm, nope—she still doesn't want to forgive him!
With a thought from Stelle, the power of the Path of [Destruction] within her body subsided, and the power representing [Preservation] surged forth. The Path power attached and condensed onto the baseball bat. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into a massive spiked club fully two meters long.
Gazing at the gray-haired girl standing tall and valiant against the wind, wielding the giant spiked club, the 'Bloodhound' couldn't help swallowing hard. If this thing hit someone...
While the 'Bloodhound' was lost in wild thoughts, Stelle slammed the spiked club into the ground, brushed aside her somewhat disheveled hair, and spoke.
"Your family once promised that death does not exist in the dream world. Since that's the case, as long as you take one hit from me, all grievances between us will be written off. How about it?"
"This..."
Staring at the spiked club in the girl's hand, the 'Bloodhound' swallowed again. After hesitating for a moment, he still agreed.
"Then let it be as you say, miss."
Some time later...
Watching the 'Bloodhound' limp away with a somewhat forlorn back, Gallagher shook his head.
"The family's discipline has been lacking, causing you both to see such a spectacle."
"It's nothing. I was also at fault in this matter."
After giving the other party one solid hit, Stelle's angry mood had already calmed down considerably. Thinking back now, aside from his words being a bit abrasive and arrogant, that minor leader of the Bloodhound Family didn't seem to have committed any other real wrongdoing.
From beginning to end, he had simply been carrying out his duty—capturing a stowaway. Though she still didn't know why he had mistaken Firefly for that stowaway.
"Since neither of you minds the matter, that's naturally for the best. I'm Gallagher, security officer of the Bloodhound Family. If either of you needs anything from me in the future, please don't hesitate to ask."
Hearing Gallagher's words, Stelle's brows slightly furrowed. Beside her, Firefly also gave an almost imperceptible frown.
"...Mr. Gallagher, this should be our first meeting, right? Yet on our very first encounter, you're already making such a promise..."
The speaker was Firefly. After hearing the girl's words, Stelle also grew vigilant in her heart.
A sudden show of goodwill from a stranger—how could this not seem suspicious...?
"Heh heh, no need to be so tense. You can think of it as my personal gesture of goodwill. After all, the reputation of the Nameless is recognized throughout the galaxy."
"And besides that..."
At this point, Gallagher paused slightly, his tone lowering. "The Penacony you see now is not as peaceful as it appears. Beneath the calm surface of the deep sea, countless undercurrents are surging one after another."
"I believe it won't be long before towering waves come crashing in, until they swallow the entire star of festivities whole. I... also need someone to rely on."
Saying this, Gallagher gave Firefly a meaningful glance before turning and leaving Aideen Park without looking back.
"The calm sea surface? Surging giant waves... and a tsunami that will drown the entire star of festivities..."
Muttering Gallagher's words to herself, Stelle seemed to catch a whiff of something unusual. Though she was usually a bit trashy and naive, that didn't mean she was stupid.
On the contrary, Stelle's mind was actually very sharp—it was just that during their usual Trailblaze journeys, she had external brains like Old Yang, Dan Heng, and Yun Fan, so she never needed to think much and thus never showed it.
Realizing things weren't simple, Stelle could no longer afford to dwell on too much "romantic entanglement." She turned to Firefly with an apologetic expression.
"Sorry, Firefly. There are some things I need to go verify and handle with my companions, so... I might have to break our plans for today."
Hearing Stelle's words, Firefly—who had also been deep in thought—blanked for a moment before shaking her head.
"It's fine. I already had a lot of fun today. Stelle, go do what you need to do."
With a gentle smile on her face, Firefly watched Stelle leave, turning back every few steps. Once the other girl disappeared from sight, the smile on Firefly's face vanished like bubbles and illusions.
In its place was an expression of vigilance and solemnity. Just now, when that man who called himself a Bloodhound Family security officer left, he had given her a meaningful look.
In that instant, Firefly had felt as if she had been completely seen through—as if she had no secrets left.
"That person... seems to know me... Could it be that my identity has already been fully exposed within the Family?"
Such a thought rose in Firefly's mind, but she quickly dismissed it.
Because if the Family knew a Stellaron Hunter was currently hiding in Penacony, to ensure the smooth holding of the upcoming 'Charmony Festival,' they would certainly implement some control measures.
Yet that security officer just now seemed to have no intention of exposing her—and had even proactively helped clear her of suspicion. In that case, he probably wasn't someone from the Family.
"If he's not from the Family, then what is his identity?"
"A Masked Fool? Interastral Peace Corporation? Annihilation Gang? The Architects?"
"A Mourning Actor? Disciple of Abundance? Galaxy Ranger? Cremator? Or perhaps..."
Recalling that security officer just now, Firefly always felt there was something off about him, yet when she thought carefully, everything seemed perfectly reasonable.
"Could it be... he's also a Nameless?"