After the Silvermane Guards pushed the old mother and the little boy away, Pela smiled at Zeig:
"See? Just a tiny little incident. Our museum is actually very resilient."
"Really?"
Zeig looked worriedly toward the entrance:
"But relying on you like this forever isn't a long-term solution. You're right—I'm too useless. I'm just not cut out for management at all."
"No—!!"
"You're perfectly suited!!"
Pela hurriedly pressed down the hand Zeig had just raised. The clouds above Belobog began to churn violently, but the turmoil lasted only a moment before everything returned to normal.
In the museum hall, Pela comforted him:
"Friend! Nothing succeeds overnight. We'll take it slow! Things will definitely get better—don't be so pessimistic!"
"Really?"
"Really!"
"Alright then, I'll reluctantly struggle a bit more."
"Phew…"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, nothing. Keep it up."
Only after watching Zeig leave did Pela pat her chest with lingering fear and let out a long breath.
"Damn it! Can't play fair so you flip the table, huh."
That evening.
The museum finally closed its doors safely.
"Sigh."
Pela stood outside the museum, gazing at the entrance under the night sky, and let out a long sigh:
"It was supposed to be such a simple thing—how did it almost lead to the downfall of the nation?"
Calculating the time.
After the three-way split, tomorrow should be Dan Heng's turn to come here.
In Pela's eyes, among the Astral Express's big three, Dan Heng was the only normal one.
"I hope everything goes smoothly tomorrow."
…
That same night.
Zeig crawled into bed.
He reached out and turned off the bedside lamp.
Slowly closed his eyes.
Though he had a vague feeling that he'd forgotten something.
…
In a vast white world.
A girl trekked under the night sky.
As she walked, the snowfall gradually stopped.
Stepping through the snow, looking far around, there didn't seem to be a single household anywhere.
"Huh, where'd that thief go? Even after all this, I still can't catch up?"
Kiana scratched her head.
"Maybe he's just up ahead. Mm, keep going—you have to persevere!"
After psyching herself up, she continued her journey.
Crossing towering peaks, wading through freezing rivers, brushing past silent forests.
Finally!
…Dawn broke.
…
The several massive statues before her immediately dazzled Kiana's eyes.
What kind of statues were these?
The white-haired girl walked forward and silently looked up.
The first statue had the head of a young girl, but the body was bulging with muscle, flexing her biceps while smiling down at Kiana below.
"…"
The second statue appeared to be a serene handsome man, yet right now he was sitting on a toilet with half his butt exposed, clutching a roll of toilet paper tightly in his hand.
"…"
The third statue was someone somewhat familiar.
He held a ferocious pose, his tongue twisted in a bizarre arc around a mysterious lump in his hand.
"…"
And the fourth statue.
"?"
Kiana silently stepped through the snow to the base of the Cocolia statue, puzzled:
"Eh, why is this one so normal? It doesn't match the style of the first three at all. Did they mess up somewhere?"
But when she tilted her head, she noticed another statue right beside it.
It was a Dan Heng statue with a fiery red flower clenched in his mouth, expression extremely dashing, one hand propped casually against Cocolia's chest.
"…"
"So… it's a combo set?"
Thinking about it that way, it suddenly felt reasonable.
"Click—click click click—!!"
Suddenly, the sound of a camera came from behind.
Kiana quickly turned around.
It was a group of people in cold-weather gear, currently snapping photos of these statues.
"Little girl, move aside, move! You're blocking our shot!"
"Oh, oh…"
Kiana quietly stepped back and watched as they photographed the statues wildly.
"Um, what are you guys doing?" she asked curiously.
At that moment, a man in cold-weather clothing turned around:
"Oh, we're a passing merchant caravan. We heard this planet broke free from the Eternal Freeze and even has survivors, so we came to do some sightseeing and check-in."
He walked over to Kiana, handed her a business card, and smiled:
"Miss, are you a local? How exactly did you all survive for so many years under the Eternal Freeze without going extinct? Can you spill the details? Here's my card—I think we should get to know each other!"
"Ah?" Kiana blankly took the card, awkward:
"I-I'm not a local. I'm chasing a thief—have you seen him?"
"A thief?" Another man walked over:
"We haven't seen any thief, but your words just reminded me of the infamous 'Stellaron Hunters' in the cosmos!"
"Stellaron Hunters?" Kiana scratched her head.
"Huh, you don't know the name? You really are a local—your info's this outdated."
The man crossed his arms, then a sudden idea struck him:
"Wait, I've heard the blizzards on this planet were probably caused by a Stellaron. Maybe the Stellaron Hunters really did come here?"
"Little girl, the one you're looking for isn't… the Stellaron Hunters, is it?"
Kiana pursed her lips:
"I don't know. I was at the museum before, and I…"
"Alright, you don't need to say more!"
"?"
"I've now fully confirmed—the one you're after is the Stellaron Hunters!"
"Ah? Why?"
"There's residual Stellaron energy on you!"
The man pulled out an instrument, checked it, and said confidently:
"Yep, there it is. I've been to planets with Stellarons before and got really interested in that energy signature, so I made a point to remember it."
"Really? So the one I'm looking for… is a Stellaron Hunter?"
"Tsk tsk tsk."
The man put the instrument away while smacking his lips: "But if you're trying to find them, you might as well give up that idea."
"Why?"
"Because they're not to be messed with!"
About half an hour later.
The group had thoroughly explained to Kiana just how terrifying the Stellaron Hunters were in the cosmos.
"I see." The white-haired girl scratched her head, conflicted:
"But I'm still technically a museum employee—even if temporary—and the person really did slip away right under my nose."
"Oh? Museum? You lost an artifact? Something really valuable, right? That settles it—definitely the Stellaron Hunters!"
"Th-Then what should I do?" Kiana fretted:
"I've been chasing for so long and haven't even caught a glimpse."
Hearing that, the man immediately slapped his thigh: "That makes it even more certain! How could an ordinary person possibly catch a Stellaron Hunter? Little girl, you're seriously out of luck!"
"Heh heh, so what do you want to do next? Keep chasing? But I advise you to drop the idea—even if you catch up, you won't be able to do anything to them."
"Then… guess I won't chase anymore."
Kiana lowered her head and muttered:
"I have to go back and report this."
"Heh heh, little girl, let me handle it. This flare of mine can finally see some use!"
Soon, everyone stepped back.
A streak of light shot into the sky with a whoosh and exploded against the face of one of the statues.
"Biu~boom—!!" The light burst brilliantly like fireworks.
A massive, fractured rose carving, along with half a chin, plummeted to the ground.
"Plop—!!"
It shattered into a pile of rubble.
"…"
…