At this point, the main story hit a pause for players.
The level cap struck.
Trailblaze Level 14 was needed to continue the main storyline.
"Ugh, so annoying. The public release still gates progress with levels. Gotta grind side quests and stamina to scrape up EXP."
Ah Xian scratched her head in frustration.
"Getting stalled on the main story feels like the tracks are ready for the train, but the locomotive suddenly loses power.
Such a buzzkill!"
"Wait for me, hubby—I'll hit 14 and come back for you soon!"
"Talk to NPCs on the map?"
"Oh yeah, almost forgot. But I'm in a rush, so I'll stick to the Express crew.
For other characters, check other streamers' vods."
Ah Xian approached the nearest March 7th and pressed F.
If she wasn't curious about new options involving Leon, she'd have rushed straight to talk to him.
After hearing the lower district observation info, she clicked on opinions about others.
March 7th: "People skills? Honestly, I'm not great at them, but since you're asking, I'll share what I think."
[Sampo?]
"That guy's sneaky, lazy, and cunning—I don't like him. Good thing Leon can keep him in check.
If Sampo tries to pitch you some deal, watch out for scams. Better have reliable Leon keep an eye on him."
"Haha, Leon—the official Sampo counter."
"Let me drop a tiny, irrelevant spoiler.
Sampo's probably a Masked Fool chasing fun. Funny thing is, Leon-hubby loves fun too.
Two fun-seekers clashing, but it's a total one-sided beatdown.
I can't help but wonder—is Leon-hubby an Emanator of Elation?
His voice lines only say he's not a Masked Fool, not that he's unrelated to Elation.
That's not the same thing, right? Not a Masked Fool ≠ no ties to Elation.
An Elation Emanator toying with a Masked Fool—pretty reasonable, no?
Of course, I'm just guessing for fun. Take it with a grain of salt, folks.
Clippers in the stream, don't turn this into clickbait or take it out of context."
Ah Xian glanced at the character list, suddenly blinking in confusion.
Something felt off.
Someone was missing.
Spotting Leon standing next to March 7th, she finally realized what was wrong.
The Leon route didn't include Hook!
Since entering the lower district, Hook had no part in the main story.
Some eagle-eyed viewers in the stream noticed too.
But since Hook's role in the main story was negligible, few cared much.
[Bronya?]
"The officer missy? She's actually pretty nice and good-looking too.
When she thought we were interstellar merchants, she not only warned us about the dangers here but also urged us to leave.
Even after getting Cocolia's arrest order, she didn't blindly follow it—she had her own judgment.
Honestly, when Sampo knocked her out, I wanted to shoot an arrow at his knee.
But now that Sampo's been punished and stuck in the clinic, barely able to move, I guess that's… well, you get what I mean.
Right now, Bronya looks weighed down by worries. I doubt she's thinking about arresting us anymore."
[Scythe girl?]
"What? Leon said her name's Seele.
Seele's blunt, sure, but being stuck down here for over a decade? I wouldn't give surface folks a warm face either.
My impression of her is she's straightforward. Hearing her roast the Silvermane Guards was kinda satisfying, but Bronya doesn't seem like she's lying either—we've seen her character.
Ugh, finding the Stellaron's trouble enough. I don't want to get tangled in local grudges if I can help it."
"Next, Leon-hubby~"
F.
"How's it going? Thoughts on your first Trailblazing journey?"
① "I'm used to it—adventure makes me happy."
② "Just realized a Stellaron can wreck a world like this."
"We still don't know much about Stellarons.
But rest assured, the Stellaron in you is stable for now—it won't cause sudden trouble.
From my research, there might be some special resonance between Stellarons."
① "Resonance?"
② "What exactly?"
"Can't say for sure. Maybe seeing things that happened in the past, or maybe sensing each other's locations."
① "Got any info on the underground?"
"Of course…"
Seeing the remaining options, Ah Xian knew they were similar to the closed beta.
After finishing the dialogue, she rushed off to grind levels.
…
In a secluded spot in Boulder Town.
Watching Seele vanish into the shadows of Evernight, Bronya looked at the Express crew with a complex expression.
Stelle spread her hands.
"Don't look at us like that. If we hadn't brought you down here, no matter what we said, you wouldn't have fully believed us.
Seeing how the lower district's been living for over a decade, do you still think Cocolia's right and did nothing wrong?"
Bronya felt a piece of her heart missing, filled with the disorientation of shattered beliefs.
She couldn't refute a single word Seele said.
What had the Silvermane Guards protected for the underground?
Nothing.
The underground faced the same Fragmentum and monster threats, with people unable to eat or sleep well.
The supplies sent down were shockingly sparse.
How could anyone survive down here with so little?
"…I'm sorry."
Bronya pressed her lips tight, a thousand words stuck, unable to be spoken.
Leon pulled out a rifle and handed it to Bronya.
"Apologies are meaningless. What you need to do is find a way to change this."
Bronya took her weapon, nodding silently.
After a moment's silence, she spoke, her voice low and hoarse.
"If there's anything you want to know, if I know it, I won't hide it now."
The Express crew exchanged glances.
"How much do you know about the lower district?" Leon asked.
"Regrettably, most of what I know about the lower district comes from what I've seen today." Bronya shook her head.
Leon wasn't surprised.
"What about the reason for sealing off the lower district back then? You must know something."
"I do."
Bronya recalled the contents of a top-secret file, recounting it.
"The Fragmentum monsters on the surface were getting more active, and the frontlines were strained.
The Architects had to pull all the Guards to the front to fend off the Fragmentum attacks.
Two years ago, I suggested lifting the lockdown in case the underground faced a Fragmentum crisis too—
But she said if we couldn't hold the surface's defenses, the underground would collapse without supply support…"
"Now that I think about it, there's probably more to it I don't know."
Hearing this, Leon gave a faint smile.
"You're not unaware—you just don't want to accept it easily. Stop being naive and clinging to false hopes, little lady."