After exiting Qlipoth Fort, Serval led the group to the Goethe Hotel and arranged accommodation rooms for the four of them.
"You should rest well today. I also need to go back and prepare for tomorrow's peace talks," Serval instructed after settling the Express crew. "You've just arrived in Belobog, and there might be some things you're not yet clear about. Near the Administrative District, there are some areas eroded by the 'Fragmentum.' These areas are strictly blockaded by the Silvermane Guards. If you go out for a walk, please remember not to enter them arbitrarily."
"Mm, don't worry, we'll definitely follow that rule," Stelle readily agreed.
"Good. Other than that, there's nothing else to be cautious about. I'll take my leave now, everyone." Serval waved her hand and turned to leave.
After Serval left, Stelle lounged leisurely on the room's large bed for a while. She originally wanted to find March and the others to discuss tomorrow's plan, but then she thought, what plans do Nameless need? Besides, they were probably still settling into their rooms right now; they could discuss the details over dinner later.
Speaking of which, Belobog did have a bit of a Russian style. Stelle didn't have much prior knowledge about this, so she was very curious about everything she saw.
Just as Stelle opened the wardrobe, she suddenly noticed a small note stuck inside. She leaned in for a closer look and saw a line written on it: Beware of twins.
"What does this mean?"
Stelle was puzzled. Was this a game easter egg? She seemed to recall hearing a little about it from videos before, but she wasn't clear on the specifics because, aside from following the story, her in-game activities were mostly running dungeons and battling—she rarely explored the map or looked for easter eggs.
Wanting to figure out what was going on, Stelle crawled right into the wardrobe, carefully searching every corner inside. But after much effort, she still found nothing, until—
Crack!
The vase in the room suddenly and without warning fell to the floor and shattered. Looking at the fragments scattered across the floor, Stelle was momentarily stunned, then instinctively felt a wave of panic—this looked kind of expensive; would he have to pay for it?
"Ha ha ha ha..."
Laughter, coming from an unknown source, suddenly rang out. The voice sounded youthful and immature, echoing throughout the room, sending chills down one's spine.
"Stelle? Did something happen over there?"
March 7th's concerned voice came from outside the door. Without hesitation, Stelle turned the handle, rushed out in a swift stride, and said nervously, "March, there's a ghost in there!!"
"Ghost?"
Puzzled, March 7th entered the room and searched around. She looked at the bright sun outside the window and paused. "Stelle, are you too tired?"
"No! I clearly didn't touch anything, and that vase just suddenly fell on the floor! And I also heard a child laughing!"
March 7th thought for a moment. "Then let's swap rooms. You can go sleep in my room."
"How can we do that?"
Hearing this, Stelle outright refused. "Knowing there's a ghost here, how could I possibly let you..."
"Then let's go out and relax."
Before Stelle could finish speaking, March 7th proactively took her hand and said, "We've finally come to a new world; we should experience the local customs and culture, right?"
"The two of us should go out for a walk," March 7th said. "It's also a good chance to notify the front desk to have someone come clean up the floor and check the room."
"Go out? But shouldn't we first discuss how to handle tomorrow..."
"Mr. Yang said we should relax properly; he's gone to discuss the details with the Supreme Guardian. That bookworm Dan Heng is researching local materials. Right now, it's just the two of us left. You said there's a ghost in the room, so of course our only choice is to go out for a walk."
"Mm... Speaking of which, on the way into the city, I saw an ice cream place. The cones were super big."
"The hard liquor here also seems quite distinctive."
"Then let's go, gogogo, let's head out~"
Once the topic shifted, Stelle instantly brightened up, pushing March 7th out the door, completely shedding the seriousness he felt about the "ghost" earlier.
Because Stelle suddenly realized one thing: with March, Dan Heng, and Mr. Yang around, what ghost could possibly cause trouble?
At worst, she could just go sleep in Dan Heng's room, right?
...
"March, let me ask you a question. Have you always used a spear?"
In a restaurant, Stelle asked while shoving stewed beef into her mouth.
"Oh, you mean Cloud-Piercer?" March 7th replied, sipping her wine in a very ladylike manner. "That spear belongs to Dan Heng. It's just that he doesn't seem to like using it much, so he lent it to me long-term to use as a weapon."
"So that's how it is," Stelle said thoughtfully. "Then have you ever seen him display any special forms?"
"Let me think... No, why do you ask?"
"Ahaha, don't a lot of games have characters with evolved forms? Just a sudden thought, a sudden thought..." Stelle found a random excuse to brush it off, while internally adding another piece to her speculation about Dan Heng's current state:
Judging from her performance in battle, this version of Dan Heng most likely inherited the part of the Imbibitor Lunae's power related to healing. I wonder if this will affect the story on the Xianzhou...
Forget it. Right now, they haven't even gotten past Belobog. Overthinking it is unnecessary.
The mere thought of being brutally stabbed by an ice spike in the not-too-distant future made Stelle's chest ache faintly.
"Although Dan Heng doesn't talk about it, we can all sense that his past was probably very lonely and painful," March 7th said, looking out the window at the thin snowflakes always falling from the gray sky. "But who cares? With us here, all that past stuff is just the past."
"Well said!" Stelle gave a thumbs-up. "As expected of March, beautiful and kind-hearted. Here, I'll use juice instead of wine, let's cheers!"
...
"I told you, I will absolutely not sell our bread to you ruffians from the Lower District!"
Right as the two were talking, a sudden argument erupted in the restaurant. The voice was so loud that the entire restaurant fell silent.
Everyone looked towards the source. At the restaurant's front counter, a large-bellied, fat man was speaking with a face full of disdain. "Everyone in the Upper District knows what you Lower District people are like nowadays? A bunch of robbers, and you still want to buy bread from me?"
"I'm telling you, no way!!"
The woman in front of the fat man had a slightly dark expression. Her gentle face looked both awkward and unwilling. She tried to explain, "Not all Lower District residents are radicals. I just wanted to bring something back for..."
"Get out!"
"..."
A rude, angry shout cut off the woman's words. She stood there dazed for a moment, then silently turned around and left, hanging her head alone.