Silvermane Guards?
Seeing their attire, Nolan recalled the description of Belobog's warriors given earlier by the two Fragmentum monsters. As expected, these people were most likely the Silvermane Guards.
At their head was a handsome blond young man wearing a blue-silver breastplate and a white coat. While directing the soldiers to deal with the two Fragmentum monsters, he walked over toward Nolan and the others.
Looking at Nolan in short sleeves and at Stelle and March 7th wearing skirts in the middle of the snowfield, he could not help but warn them:
"As citizens of Belobog, you should remember not to venture out without proper preparation. Every year, quite a few people encounter accidents because of this."
The group exchanged glances. March 7th shook her head and said:
"Hello, but we're not citizens of Belobog."
At the same time, Nolan's golden Eyes of Judgment, which had not yet reverted to normal, had already revealed the blond young man's information:
[Level: 87]
[Gepard Landau: From the Landau family of Belobog. A Pathstrider who walks the Path of Preservation. Captain of the Silvermane Guards, who regards protecting the people of Belobog as his mission. Tenacious and steadfast, consistent inside and out, never slacking, and deeply trusted by the citizens.]
A very upright and righteous person, Nolan thought with a slight sigh after reading the information. It seemed there was no need to worry about being harassed for no reason.
"Please don't joke around. Are you saying you came from outside this snowfield?" The blond young man in armor did not believe March 7th.
After all, in the entire world only the city of Belobog remained. How could anyone come from outside?
"We really did come from outside," March 7th said. "But not from outside the city, from outside this planet."
She took out a photo and showed it to the blond young man.
"Look, I just took this picture of the planet. It's completely covered in ice and snow."
"A planet? I have heard of such things before. They say the world is a sphere. Before the arrival of the Eternal Freeze, there were many visitors from beyond the sky who traded with us. Could it be that you are those visitors from beyond the sky?"
Since the concept of a planet was not entirely unfamiliar to him, the blond young man looked shocked after seeing the photo and was already inclined to believe Nolan and the others.
Their very different clothing from Belobog's people also seemed to support that claim.
"I will tentatively believe you. Then, guests from beyond the sky, what brings you to Belobog?"
the blond young man asked.
"We're Nameless from the Astral Express. We came mainly to clear the blockage caused by the Stellaron."
March 7th explained how the Stellaron had blocked the rails and was even the source of the disaster afflicting this planet.
"Historical records say that the arrival of the Eternal Freeze was indeed sudden. If it were a natural disaster, it wouldn't have appeared so abruptly and developed so rapidly.
"Many scholars believe some unknown force was influencing things. If what you say is true, then it must be this so-called Stellaron."
After thinking for a moment, the blond young man spoke again.
"If this can benefit our world, I would personally be very willing to help you."
"Obviously, without the Stellaron continuously affecting this planet, the Eternal Freeze will no longer occur in the future. In that case, your world might have a chance to develop again."
Dan Heng said.
"That has always been our hope."
As the blond young man spoke, the other soldiers had already dealt with the two Fragmentum monsters and came over to report to him.
He nodded slightly to the soldiers before turning back to Nolan and the others.
"I will take you to meet Belobog's Supreme Guardian. For the future of Belobog, she will certainly help you locate the Stellaron."
"The Supreme Guardian? Is she the ruler of this city? If we have such powerful support, finding the Stellaron this time should be much easier!"
Excitement appeared on March 7th's fair face.
"Indeed." Dan Heng nodded.
Nolan and Stelle also felt this was good news. As outsiders, entering the city might have been troublesome, but now that someone was leading them in, things would be much easier.
"You continue your patrols. I will escort them into the city first," the blond young man instructed the soldiers.
"Understood, Captain Gepard," the soldiers replied.
Nolan and the others followed the blond young man toward the city. Along the way, they introduced themselves and learned that the blond youth was named Gepard Landau, captain of the Silvermane Guards.
Under his guidance, the group entered Belobog smoothly.
It was a rather cold and austere looking city. The ground was paved with gray stone tiles, with patches of snow scattered on top, as if left behind after heavy snowfall had partially melted.
The surrounding buildings were constructed from pale white stone blocks, giving off the same cold feeling, especially in a place that endured such relentless cold year round.
Even though many people walked the streets, the city did not feel lively.
"By the way, don't you think it feels a bit warmer after entering the city? People can even wear skirts normally here!"
March 7th looked at the women walking along the street.
"It's probably because of those pillars," Stelle said, having keenly noticed that every few dozen to a hundred meters there stood a pillar emitting a red glow. They looked almost like flames and gave off a warm impression.
"Those are heaters, not pillars. People are able to live normally thanks to them," the blond young man, Gepard, explained.
"Open-air heating devices spread throughout the entire city? That must consume an unbelievable amount of energy every day!"
March 7th said with astonishment.
"There's no other choice. If clearing the Stellaron can improve this situation, we would already be satisfied."
Gepard looked somewhat worried as well. After all, energy would eventually run out one day.
"The Administrative District is still some distance away. Let's take the tram from the platform ahead," he said to Nolan and the others.
Since they were unfamiliar with the city, they naturally followed Gepard's lead.
Soon the group boarded a tram at the station, slowly heading toward Belobog's Administrative District. About half an hour later, they finally got off at the station there.
"Our Supreme Guardian is in Qlipoth Fort up above. Next, we'll transfer to a special train that goes up there."
Gepard looked up and said.
Above the city stood an enormous fortress, supported from below by a massive internal gear structure, resembling some kind of gigantic industrial machine.
"When we saw it from outside earlier, I was already really curious about it. I didn't expect we'd get the chance to go up there so soon."
March 7th looked up at the fortress with sparkling eyes.
"Come to think of it, Qlipoth Fort is directly named after that Aeon of Preservation," Nolan said as well.
Although his strength was formidable, his experience was not particularly broad. It was simply high in quality. So when facing such a grand structure with a distinct industrial aesthetic, he could not help but feel a bit curious.
"You've also heard of the Aeon Qlipoth? That is precisely the origin of the name Architects."
Gepard spoke with reverence.
Nolan had heard of that title before.
The Architects were a faction that worshiped the Aeon of Preservation. In some ways they were similar to the Interastral Peace Corporation, though their philosophies differed.
The Architects sought to imitate Qlipoth's actions by constructing various structures meant to protect humanity, hoping to preserve the spark of civilization in the face of possible future crises.
Clearly, the Architects on Jarilo-VI had made the right bet.
Before the disaster arrived, they had built the city of Belobog, successfully preserving the future of the planet.
The Interastral Peace Corporation, on the other hand, was different. They positioned themselves as Qlipoth's logistical support team, transporting materials to the Aeon of Preservation.
Even developing their company to the point of monopolizing the galaxy was merely for the sake of gathering resources to offer to Qlipoth, helping Him build things like the Great Attractor Foundation and Subspace Crystalline Barrier.
Yet the reality was that Qlipoth had never needed the materials they delivered. Even as the supplies piled up near Him, He had never paid them any attention.
The earlier information about the Architects came from the Astral Express archive, while the information about the corporation came from the Interastral Peace Network.
Since most people believed this version of events, its credibility was probably not low.
Before long, the blond young man Gepard led them to the tram platform beneath Qlipoth Fort. They boarded a train that carried them upward toward the fortress.
This time it only took about ten minutes before they entered the interior of Qlipoth Fort. After getting off, they continued following Gepard toward the Supreme Guardian's office.
With Gepard leading them, they passed through the reporting process smoothly and arrived at the Supreme Guardian's office, where they finally met the woman standing by the window.
She was a woman with golden hair. On her fair face rested a natural aura of cold authority, making her appear somewhat difficult to approach.
She wore a white dress with many hollowed sections. The slits along her side waist and the front and back hems revealed the black bodysuit beneath.
Her legs were tightly wrapped in black pantyhose that connected seamlessly with the bodysuit. Oval cutouts at both sides of her hips exposed large patches of pale skin.
On her feet were metallic high-heeled boots that emitted a faint black sheen.
The moment Nolan saw her, his still-active Golden Eyes of Judgment deliberately remained open, immediately revealing the Supreme Guardian's information:
[Level: 132]
[Affection Skill Potential: Gold]
[Cocolia Rand: The Guardian of Belobog. Possesses divine authority passed down through generations of Guardians, allowing her to command ice and snow in battle. However, after years of fighting Fragmentum monsters, she has gradually been eroded by Fragmentum energy. She slowly fell into despair about the future, and was eventually tempted by the Stellaron, the source of the Fragmentum. She now dreams of creating an illusory "beautiful new world," causing the influence of the Fragmentum to grow increasingly severe.]
Oh?
Nolan's expression remained calm, but inwardly he was already somewhat surprised, silently remarking that his luck seemed quite good.
It had not even been half a day since they left the Astral Express, yet they had already found traces of the Stellaron.
Unexpectedly, it was actually in the hands of Belobog's Supreme Guardian.
Still, the Stellaron truly was the root of the problem.
Even the Supreme Guardian who had protected Belobog for many years had been tempted by it. If they directly revealed their goal now, it might provoke hostility from the Guardian who had already fallen under the Stellaron's influence.
According to the information returned by the Affection Skill system, the current Supreme Guardian was already standing on the side of the Stellaron.
If they openly revealed their intention to deal with the Stellaron, a fight might break out immediately.
With the Stellaron's support, this Supreme Guardian's strength was clearly not weak.
If a battle caused destruction or turmoil in the city, that would not be ideal.
Nolan felt it was necessary to think carefully about how to handle the situation.
"Gepard, I heard from the guards below that you have an important matter to report."
Supreme Guardian Cocolia glanced calmly at the blond young man before shifting her gaze toward Nolan and the others.
"Is it related to them?"
"Yes, Supreme Guardian. They claim to have come from outside our world, visitors from beyond the sky. They say they know the cause of the Eternal Freeze disaster."
Gepard reported truthfully.
"Visitors from beyond the sky… who know the cause of the Eternal Freeze?"
Cocolia's gaze sharpened slightly. She continued looking calmly at Nolan and the others.
"So you are quite knowledgeable about the Eternal Freeze? Could you elaborate?"
What's going on? She doesn't seem very happy.
Stelle, who had been silently observing, found Cocolia's demeanor somewhat strange and quietly communicated with Nolan through their Beacon.
She's probably suspicious of us. As a ruler, she can't simply trust strangers.
Nolan chose not to reveal the information he had seen, so as not to cause an excessive reaction.
Meanwhile, under the silent coverage of his spiritual power, he had already detected a faint trace of hostility hidden in the Supreme Guardian's eyes.
"Of course, Miss Supreme Guardian. The Eternal Freeze is caused by the..."
March 7th smiled slightly and had just begun to speak when Nolan felt that, to prevent any accidents, he should take action first.
Under the invisibility of the Void Star Sea, he silently summoned a purple hourglass.
This was Lisa's Affection Skill, capable of freezing a target's time. However, since it could only stop the time of a single target, it did not yet achieve the effect he needed.
So after summoning the purple hourglass, he activated Raiden Makoto's Affection Skill, True Discourse of Dreams, which could grant any imaginable effect to himself or others by consuming Dream Power.
Thus, Nolan consumed Dream Power and granted himself the following effect:
"When activating the Rose Witch's Time Hourglass, change the time freeze from single-target suspension to area suspension."
Once the setting was complete, True Discourse of Dreams activated immediately, Dream Power began to drain, and Nolan seized the moment before March 7th could finish her sentence.
He flipped the purple hourglass.
In an instant, the entire room fell into time stop.
(End of Chapter)
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