"Didn't you say you're on good terms with Gepard, the captain of the guards?" March 7th chimed in with a timely jab.
"Well, being on good terms means that whenever I show up in front of him, he relentlessly chases after me, though he usually can't catch me."
"Spotting the suspect and his accomplices, arrest them immediately," the Silvermane Guards squad leader delivered the classic opening line of combat.
The trio drew the weapons they had just put away not long ago, preparing to face the Silvermane Guards head-on.
Shen Wan had no intention of making a move; the enemy didn't even have a single Pathstrider, and the trio could easily handle them without any need for his intervention.
Instead, he looked over at Sampo, who was preparing to make a run for it.
Realizing Shen Wan was watching him, Sampo instantly pulled back the foot he was about to extend, pasting on an awkward yet polite smile to signal that he had no intention of fleeing—though inwardly, he was gritting his teeth. *"Is the script falling apart? How did he even get here? Why do I get such a weird feeling when I look at him? It's just like the feeling I used to get when meeting my god face-to-face. Why is that?"*
*"Heh, whatever, the more chaotic the script, the more fun it is, right?"* Having reached this thought, Sampo managed to shake off the strange feeling in his heart.
Seeing Sampo's resigned look, Shen Wan stopped paying attention to him. Instead, he looked toward the direction the guards had come from. Indeed, this first wave of guards had pretty much been dealt with by the trio, and next up would be the appearance of the Captain.
Just as March 7th was about to finish them off with her ultimate, the ice crystals she released were blocked by an invisible barrier of light. As the trio looked on in surprise, a figure wearing noticeably different attire from the other guards walked in from the direction the previous guards had approached.
The man had resolute golden-short hair, wore a set of formidable padded armor, and carried a massive construct resembling a cello case in his left hand.
Paying no apparent attention to the trio (or rather, the group of four), he turned to question the nearby guard squad leader: "Where is the blue-haired principal suspect?"
"Apologies, Captain Gepard, we lost him. We couldn't find his tracks..." Just as those words finished, Shen Wan subconsciously looked around for Sampo again. Good grief, you really let that dark-blue-haired handsome guy slip away again.
"No matter, his accomplice is in our hands. The principal suspect won't go far and is bound to make a move," Gepard said offhandedly.
Stelle spoke up: "We're not his accomplices."
March 7th chimed in, exasperated: "Ugh, as if he's worthy!"
Noticing Gepard's slight frown, March 7th continued, "I'm not just making excuses; we really aren't with that jerk. Did you see how he didn't hesitate at all when he ditched us?"
"I'll admit, chasing him out of the snowdrift was a bit improper, but we never expected him to use us to deal with you. You mustn't let yourself be provoked!" March 7th felt a twinge of guilt, but then she thought better of it: *I wasn't the one who kicked Sampo's butt, why should I feel guilty?*
"I am a garrison officer, not an arbiter. As citizens of Belobog, you have the right to a defense, but that should take place under the watchful eye of the Supreme Guardian, not here." The upright and unyielding voice rang out; it was clear that Gepard was indeed a very rigorous fellow.
"Take them away." Having just delivered a line akin to "You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say will be used against you," Gepard didn't waste any more time, signaling the soldiers to apprehend the group.
"But we aren't even citizens of Belobog," March 7th immediately piped up.
"?" Gepard was momentarily perplexed.
Stelle immediately went along with March 7th's words, as she had no desire to be arrested either.
"Just look at what we're wearing. Are these the clothes of Belobog citizens? And this gear doesn't look like your stuff, either."
"Silence, what nonsense are you spouting?" the guard squad leader snapped.
"No, we shouldn't jump to conclusions just yet. While I have indeed never seen your equipment before, that doesn't prove you aren't citizens of Belobog. Perhaps you've simply come up with some... creative designs of your own," Gepard remained unfazed.
"No other choice, time to play our last card. Take a look at these photos." March 7th's intelligence rarey went online.
"You haven't seen what your planet actually looks like, have you? Let me show you Jarilo-VI as I captured it." March 7th stepped forward and handed her camera over to Gepard.
Gepard took it casually, and several nearby guards curiously leaned in to look at the photos of Jarilo-VI.
"You're telling me this white ball is... here? This is where we live? That's just..." One soldier found it hard to accept.
Gepard fell into deep thought: "It is said that long ago, visitors from the stars frequently came here... Our ancestors also once flew into the cosmos aboard special flying vessels. According to the records left behind by our predecessors, the place where we live really does seem to be a sphere... But ever since the Eternal Freeze, no one has crossed the snow veil to come to Belobog..."
The soldier continued, "Even so, these people..."
Before he could finish, Gepard interrupted him: "This matter is no longer something we have the authority to judge. If what they say is true, only the Supreme Guardian can decide how to handle it."
"Our job is to bring them before the Supreme Guardian." With that, Gepard took the lead.
"Outsiders, come with us. Belobog lies just behind this snow veil."
After walking the final stretch of the road, Gepard turned back once more to look at the group: "Welcome to the City of Preservation—Belobog."
Unveiled before the group was a magnificent mega-city with a heavy steampunk aesthetic. Atop the city walls were energy cannons resembling medieval artillery, which looked like they were kept in very frequent use.
Entering the city, the crowds grew denser. Unlike the freezing wasteland outside, though the city couldn't be described as having spring-like weather year-round, there wasn't much snow to be found within the walls. The only snow was piles at the roadside, presumably swept together by sanitation workers, and the temperature was much higher than outside.
People were chatting, and very few looked anxious. Although there weren't any gossipy old folks crowding around to ask endless questions like back in her past life, ordinary people's lives didn't seem particularly destitute overall.
"Hey, it doesn't really feel that cold anymore," March 7th, never one to stay idle, started the conversation.
"That is because you are within Belobog, humanity's final bastion." Though his expression didn't change, a trace of pride could be heard in Gepard's tone.
"Seven hundred years ago, monsters from beyond the stars ignited the planet. At that time, the earth became scorched wasteland, filled with burning magma and boiling dark smoke."
"Amidst this life-and-death crisis..."
"Alright, you don't need to keep going with that speech. Matching it up with the freezing wasteland outside, anyone can guess that the Eternal Freeze happened next, and in the end, only Belobog was left, right?" Since there was no dialogue-skip option, she would just have to manually skip it (doge).
Gepard, interrupted mid-speech by Shen Wan, froze for a split second before expressionlessly continuing his march forward.