Chapter 75: Firefly: Wuwuwu, Stelle Saw It All!
"Very well. I choose to place my trust in you."
Cocolia stood tall behind her grand desk, her expression softening into a mask of regal benevolence. "If the current crisis is truly tied to this so-called 'Stellaron,' then your arrival is the turning point Belobog has desperately awaited for seven hundred years."
She placed a hand over her heart, her voice dripping with practiced sincerity. "I am willing to do everything in my power to assist you in locating this anomaly. However, it is getting late, and you must all be exhausted from your journey."
"I have arranged accommodations at the most comfortable hotel in the city for you. Please, rest well and recharge your energy. At noon tomorrow, I shall send an envoy to formally invite you back so we may discuss our next steps together."
Inside the grand, frost-chilled walls of Qlipoth Fort, the tense conversation between the Astral Express Crew and the Supreme Guardian finally drew to a close.
Cocolia maintained her polite, diplomatic smile. In her mind, her performance was utterly flawless. She looked exactly like a desperate ruler who had just been convinced by a group of noble saviors.
Meanwhile, Welt Yang remained entirely silent. He stood near the back of the group, his eyes narrowed slightly behind his glasses.
Despite Cocolia's impeccable acting, a heavy sense of wrongness gnawed at Welt's instincts. There was simply no helping it. Her name was Cocolia, and her face was a dead ringer for the Cocolia he knew all too well from his home world—a woman who had caused him no end of grief. Add to that Leon's explicit warning that the supreme ruler of this frozen planet had already been corrupted by the Stellaron's whispers...
Welt hadn't bought a single word of her act from the moment they walked through the door. Still, as a seasoned veteran, he kept his composure and chose not to expose her disguise on the spot.
"Thank you, Supreme Guardian," Stelle replied, offering a carefree, easygoing smile that completely masked her own sharp intuition. "However, we would still like to walk around the city a bit more before turning in."
"Of course. You are honored guests of Belobog and enjoy the highest authority here," Cocolia nodded graciously. "I also require some time to review the restricted archives for any historical records pertaining to the Stellaron. I will not see you out."
The Astral Express Crew turned and made their exit. As they walked down the grand steps, Welt adjusted his glasses, silently resolving to investigate the exact relationship between Cocolia and Bronya later tonight.
Just before the heavy doors clicked shut, Stelle and Caelus paused. They turned their heads in perfect unison, casting a final glance back at Cocolia, who had already turned her back to them to stare out the massive frosted window.
A faint, static-laced whisper brushed against their ears...
They strained to listen, but the sound dissolved into the ambient silence of the fort.
Somewhere in the shadows, the sentient anomaly was practically patting itself on the back. Do I still get screen time? Mission accomplished! Loyalty!
After leaving Qlipoth Fort, the five members of the Astral Express Crew regrouped with Gepard in the administrative district.
Following a brief, polite exchange, the Silvermane Guard captain recommended a few local landmarks worth visiting: the Everwinter Workshop, the Goethe Hotel for their lodgings, and the towering Everwinter Monument that recorded the city's tragic history.
They decided to head toward the monument first. The icy wind bit at their clothes, but the bustling atmosphere of the surviving city offered a strange warmth.
Just as they turned the corner onto a busy street, Caelus suddenly stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes locked onto a familiar figure standing near a glowing streetlamp.
It was Leon. And he was currently locked in a warm, intimate embrace with a silver-haired girl.
"Big Brother!"
Caelus's eyes lit up. Without a second thought, he cupped his hands around his mouth, shouted at the top of his lungs, and sprinted over like an excited golden retriever.
Hearing the sudden shout, Firefly jolted awake from the intoxicating warmth of Leon's arms. Her face instantly flushed a brilliant, explosive shade of crimson. Panic flooded her chest as she gently but hastily shoved him away, taking a massive step to the side.
Aaaah!
Her internal monologue was screaming. Why did she let herself get so completely immersed in Leon's embrace right out in the open? What was she supposed to do now?! She had just been caught red-handed hugging him by the very Trailblazers she was supposed to interact with later!
Her face had been completely exposed! How was Elio's script for Penacony supposed to continue now?!
"Yo. Stelle, Caelus, little March, Dan Heng, Mr. Yang." Leon didn't look the least bit flustered. He casually shoved his hands into his pockets and offered a lazy wave to the approaching Express Crew. "Are you guys done chatting with Cocolia?"
"Hey, Leon!" March 7th stomped over, planting her hands firmly on her hips. Her pink eyes narrowed, and her voice carried a distinct, sour tang of jealousy. "We worked our butts off dealing with the Supreme Guardian, and you're out here leisurely making friends?!"
They had been running themselves ragged trying to solve Belobog's impending doom, and this guy was just out here having a romantic street date? The sheer imbalance of the situation made her want to bite him.
Welt followed closely behind the energetic trio. His gaze drifted past Leon and landed on a petite girl leaning against the wall nearby, intensely focused on a glowing holographic game console.
Welt froze. His mind short-circuited.
If Bronya Rand looked like the grown-up version of the Bronya from his world, then this hacker girl was practically carved from the exact same mold as the Bronya of his memories! The twin-tails, the deadpan expression, the intense gamer aura...
It was similar. It was way too similar!
That suffocating sense of déjà vu gripped his chest in a vice. Is the damn Honkai still chasing me across the universe?!
"Leon," Welt finally managed to speak, his voice slightly strained as he forced himself back to reality. "Aren't you going to introduce your... companions?"
Hearing Welt speak up, March blinked in surprise. 'Is Uncle Yang actually interested in these girls too?'
"Ah, right. Come, let me introduce everyone," Leon said smoothly, gesturing to the two girls. "This is Silver Wolf, and this is Firefly. They are both my close friends."
He offered a perfectly calm, utterly shameless smile. "I was just helping Firefly solve some... physical problems."
Before anyone could question that highly suspicious phrasing, Leon smoothly pivoted. "And these are Stelle, Caelus, March 7th, Dan Heng, and Welt—the Trailblazers of the Astral Express."
His introduction was airtight. He didn't miss a single beat.
"Hello, Silver Wolf, Firefly..." Stelle started politely, before her brain suddenly caught up with the names. Her golden eyes widened as she stared at the hacker. "Wait. Did you just say Silver Wolf? Auntie!"
Stelle slapped her forehead in sudden realization. No wonder she felt like Silver Wolf and Firefly looked so familiar! This was the very same Silver Wolf from the space station—the one who had literally hacked her physical body into existence alongside Kafka!
"Hello, Auntie! It's so great to finally meet you in person!" Caelus bounded up next to Stelle, flashing a massive grin. "You designed my body so handsomely! You really have an amazing eye for aesthetics!"
Silver Wolf paused her game. She slowly lowered her console, looking at the two beaming Trailblazers with a look of deep exhaustion. She let out a long, heavy sigh.
"Who is your auntie..."
She shook her head, utterly speechless. These two chaotic raccoons were exactly as overly familiar and ridiculous as she remembered from the station.
"Eh? Wait a minute!" March 7th gasped, pointing a trembling finger at the hacker. "You're Silver Wolf?! From the Stellaron Hunters?!"
She finally realized why the girl looked so familiar. She had seen that exact face plastered across high-bounty wanted posters! And now that she thought about it, the reason the Supreme Guardian's daughter looked familiar was because she looked exactly like Silver Wolf!
"That's right," Silver Wolf replied, popping a bubblegum bubble with a faint nod.
"Then this means..." Welt slowly turned his sharp gaze toward Firefly.
His tactical mind was racing. He finally remembered that Silver Wolf was a notorious Stellaron Hunter. If Silver Wolf was here, then this shy, blushing girl standing next to her was highly likely to be one as well.
But what shocked him even more was Leon. How long had they been separated since the space station? A day? Two? And this guy was already intimately hugging members of the universe's most wanted criminal faction?
"Hello, Firefly! I'm Stelle. It's super nice to meet you~"
Ignoring the heavy factional politics, Stelle smoothly slid right up to Firefly's side. She leaned in close, her eyes sparkling with absolute mischief, and whispered loudly enough for the whole group to hear, "So... are you trying to be my sister-in-law?"
"Ah... Ah... Eh?!"
Firefly's eyes blew wide open. The blush that had just started to fade returned with a vengeance, burning so hot steam practically puffed from her ears. "S-Sister-in-law?!"
In that agonizingly embarrassing instant, she genuinely wished she could summon her armor on the spot and set the seas ablaze just to escape the awkwardness.
"Isn't that right?" Stelle blinked innocently, wearing a smug expression that clearly screamed, Don't even try to hide it from us. "I just saw you two glued together!"
"Ahem!" Seeing that Firefly's internal temperature was about to reach critical mass, Leon stepped in, smoothly cutting off Stelle's teasing. "Don't talk nonsense, Stelle. We were genuinely handling official business just now."
Firefly kept her head down, her face burning as she whispered a tiny, trembling agreement. "Y-Yes..."
"What kind of 'official business' requires two people to hug in the middle of the street?" March scoffed, crossing her arms as her eyebrows shot up in pure skepticism.
"Sigh..."
Leon let out a soft, heavy sigh. The playful smirk vanished from his face, replaced by an expression of deep, melancholic gravity. The sudden shift in his demeanor instantly silenced the group.
"Miss Firefly..." Leon began, his voice dropping to a gentle, somber register. "Suffers from a horrific condition known as 'Entropy Loss Syndrome'."
The crew blinked, the teasing dying on their lips.
"Those entangled by this cruel disease suffer from irreversible, chronic disintegration on a physical level," Leon explained, his eyes filled with a perfectly crafted sorrow. "Although she can still run, jump, and smile with us on the surface... in reality, her very existence is fading away, bit by bit."
He looked at Firefly, his gaze softening. "And this disappearance... is almost entirely imperceptible to others. I was merely offering her a moment of comfort."
He was, of course, recounting Firefly's past condition. Thanks to his intervention, she was already completely cured. But that didn't stop him from weaponizing her tragic backstory to completely manipulate the current situation and highlight his own noble actions.
Though Leon's voice was quiet, the heavy, tragic weight of his words struck everyone present like a physical blow.
The silence stretched, thick and uncomfortable.
"I'm... I'm so sorry..." March 7th lowered her head, her hands dropping from her hips. Her chest tightened with a massive wave of guilt. She bit her lip, feeling absolutely terrible.
I was really acting like a massive jerk just now...
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