"A bit further ahead should be the only settlement on this planet."
"Hold up, let me scout it out first."
Lynelle pulled a small case from her backpack.
"What's that?"
March 7th leaned in curiously.
"Drones. Picked them up when we left the station."
Lynelle opened the case and released four small drones.
"When we were leaving, Asta wanted to get me a gift but didn't know what I'd like... so she just handed me her card and told me to buy whatever I wanted."
"Geez—"
March 7th sucked in a sharp breath. "With that, you could've bought a planet-destroying battleship and still had plenty to spare!"
"True enough. It was the first time I'd ever seen that many zeros in my life," Lynelle nodded. "But I only bought some gadgets that work well with my abilities."
"Their total value probably isn't even half what Herta paid for that set of electronics she gave me... After all, it was a gift from a friend, not a chance to fleece someone. Even if Asta doesn't mind, I can't just go spending recklessly."
"Here, take these."
Lynelle took a small brooch from the case and tossed it to Stelle, then distributed several earpieces to the group.
"What are these...?"
"This is my vessel."
As she spoke, Lynelle instantly vanished from before their eyes.
"Whoa! D-disappearing act?!"
March 7th jumped in surprise.
"Well, while Stelle's wild idea isn't being adopted, I can indeed shift my form into data," Lynelle's specially processed electronic voice came from Stelle's brooch.
"So, what do you think? Do I sound like a harmless AI now?"
"The purpose of this... is to avoid drawing attention, right?" Dan Heng mused.
"Exactly. After all, we don't know if this world is friendly toward us—especially one that's been out of contact for so long and has never heard of the Astral Express," Lynelle's voice paused briefly.
"So, having an unexpected fourth person like me is definitely better than not. There's another reason too: controlling four drones at once might get a bit clumsy on my end... Hey, Dan Heng, why do you look so surprised?"
"My apologies. Before you said all that, I'd always pegged you as a goofy comic relief type like Stelle and March."
"Hey! Who are you calling a goof?!" March protested. "You're buying me bubble tea next time as punishment!"
"Now, now, March, you should have some self-awareness. Look, Stelle isn't arguing at all."
"No problem!"
Stelle looked rather proud. "I've got Lynelle to do the thinking for me!"
"Don't give up struggling so easily!"
March grabbed Stelle and started shaking her.
"Ah, stop messing around, you two."
Less than half a minute after Lynelle deployed the drones, her voice came through the brooch again. "Up ahead, about a hundred meters, the largest snowdrift in the direction of Dan Heng's right hand—there's someone inside."
"Also, a squad of soldiers in standardized armor is heading your way from not far off. How you handle the contact is up to you. I'm going silent for now; any further communication will be through the earpieces."
"Oh, and one of my drones has already located their settlement. I'm going ahead to scout the path. If you manage to get into the city, you'll probably receive the map I'm putting together."
With that, the brooch fell silent.
"The largest snowdrift a hundred meters ahead..." A long spear materialized in Dan Heng's hand. "Then... let's issue a warning first..."
--+--
After splitting off from the trio, Lynelle proceeded with her own plan, swiftly scanning Belobog's terrain.
After all, the cutting-edge drones from the space station and Belobog's local automaton soldiers had just a "tiny" technological "gap." As long as the drones stayed out of plain sight, Lynelle was confident no one could detect them.
As for why Lynelle chose not to travel with March and the others and simply follow the main storyline, there was another reason.
Namely, she wasn't too keen on dealing with Sampo this early.
As everyone knew, while old Sampo might look like just your average uncle on the surface, Lynelle—with her player's perspective—knew full well that Sampo was an Emanator-level figure, someone even a fixed-rating device couldn't measure, not to mention he was probably an Emanator of Elation.
Strictly speaking, the meeting between the Express crew and Sampo was practically destined, a set part of Sampo's "script."
Looking back at Sampo's first encounter with the main crew after the fact, his words were practically dripping with ulterior motives—short of outright stating he'd been waiting there specifically to brief the Express team.
So, if Sampo were to discover that a mysterious variable like Lynelle had joined the Express crew, there'd inevitably be some probing.
And with Herta's warning still fresh in her mind—though Sampo wasn't exactly a bad guy—Lynelle couldn't guarantee she wouldn't slip up in their mutual lack of familiarity.
Therefore, Lynelle decided to temporarily skip this part of the plot, sneak into Belobog on her own, and find the passage to the Underworld. As for meeting Sampo... it'd be better to put that off for a while.
As for how to find the way to the Underworld without contacting Sampo... well, let's just say Belobog wasn't devoid of technology.
There was even a discontinued display screen in the Everwinter City Museum.
Plus, even though the surface and underground had been separated, the divide had only lasted over a decade. Finding the old access routes wasn't too difficult for Lynelle.
And after finding them... as everyone knows, while blocked passages might be impassable for people, Lynelle didn't necessarily need to go down in human form!
Corrosion works in mysterious ways, huh?
"Lynelle, Lynelle..."
Right in the middle of her intense search, Lynelle suddenly received a transmission from the Express crew.
"What's up? Made some progress on your end?"
"We've just made contact with the local forces of this planet. Under the Silvermane Guards' lead, we met the supreme leader of Belobog: the Supreme Guardian, Cocolia."
Dan Heng's voice came through, accompanied by Stelle's excited tones.
"That Supreme Guardian is really nice! She's cooperating fully with our mission and even arranged for us to stay at the local inn!"
"Uh..."
Lynelle's cheek twitched.
"Well, Stelle, dear... just so you know, I can see your surroundings through the brooch you're wearing."
"As for that Supreme Guardian Cocolia you mentioned..."
"How to put this? Judging by appearances might be rude, but whether it's her name or the way she looks... she really doesn't seem like an ally."
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.