On the other side, after Stelle and the others parted ways with Natasha, they hurried back to the hotel as quickly as possible. The moment they entered, they ran into Welt, who had just returned.
"You all look very serious. What happened?"
As the most experienced senior among the four, Welt sensed something was off from the expressions on Stelle and the others' faces. He immediately put down the freshly brewed coffee in his hand and inquired.
"Mr. Yang, it's like this. We just..."
Stelle stepped forward and laid out everything about their conversation with Natasha and being followed by two masked individuals. Welt listened with a furrowed brow, then stroked his chin and murmured, "...That does seem a bit unusual."
"Please, sit down first. Let's discuss this slowly."
Welt poured coffee for each of the three and said, "I just returned from Qlipoth Fort. Judging from the Supreme Guardian's demeanor, he doesn't seem to be aware that the Underworld has fallen into such a state. Logically, even though the Upper and Lower Districts have been separated for years, as the leader here, he shouldn't be so completely in the dark."
"Are you suggesting that Miss Natasha exaggerated?" Dan Heng asked.
Welt shook his head. "Not necessarily exaggerated. The things she mentioned couldn't be completely unfounded. The general situation is probably much as she described. It's just that from her perspective, what's happening in the Underworld is no different from hell."
"But from the Supreme Guardian's perspective, the Underworld in his eyes might be a completely different situation."
"After all, we are newcomers. To understand the situation further, we can only wait to see for ourselves tomorrow."
While Welt was speaking, March 7th kept her chin propped on her hand, her willow-leaf eyebrows slightly furrowed. Only after he finished speaking did she raise her small hand and say, "Mr. Yang, I have another thought."
"Let's hear it."
"Is it possible... that the Supreme Guardian actually knows the real situation but deliberately didn't tell us?" March 7th said seriously. "My intuition tells me we can't easily trust anyone we've just met."
After saying this, March 7th seemed to realize she might have accidentally offended someone and quickly added, "Of course, Stelle is excluded."
Welt nodded. "That's a reasonable point. But please rest assured, our own strength is the ultimate trump card for resolving any desperate situation. Although it might sound a bit arrogant to say so, as long as I am here, no one will harm you in my presence."
"And what we can do now is use our time to prepare and conserve our energy."
"..."
After the meeting concluded, Stelle and the others returned to their respective rooms. Stelle lay on the bed for a while until the wall clock pointed to "9." Then, she changed into pajamas and prepared to wash up and rest.
To be honest, Stelle wasn't quite used to going to bed so early, but this body of Stelle's had an extremely regular biological clock. It automatically felt tired when it was time. Coupled with running around all day and being exhausted, after taking a shower, she actually fell asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed.
"..."
"...Hehehe."
After who knows how long, Stelle suddenly woke up. In the silent, pitch-black room, she seemed to hear a faint sound of laughter coming from somewhere.
Was it an illusion?
Because she had just woken up, Stelle's mind was still a bit fuzzy. But as the laughter continued to echo in the room, her heartbeat began to quicken involuntarily, and her mind subconsciously recalled the words she had seen in the wardrobe during the day.
—Beware of twins.
On a dark and windy night, the human brain always involuntarily recalls certain scary things it has seen before, even things from over a decade ago can suddenly appear in the mind, making it difficult to sleep peacefully.
Crack—
A crisp sound rang out, startling Stelle so much that she did a carp leap and flipped up from the bed. In the moonlight from the window, he could vaguely make out a vase shattered on the floor.
A vase?
Wait, didn't one just break during the day?
Seeing this, Stelle's mind instantly became clear. She subconsciously pulled out her baseball bat and stayed alert to her surroundings.
"It's okay, it's okay... Given the Honkai: Star Rail worldview, even if it's a ghost, there's a scientific basis for it. At most, it's just a Mara-Struck... " Stelle continually comforted himself, her body pressed against the wall as she slowly moved towards the light switch.
As everyone knows, if you feel scared of ghosts while sleeping, you either turn on the light or immediately hide under the covers.
Don't ask why she didn't choose to hide under the covers. Let's just say she forgot.
Knock knock knock.
Just as Stelle was about to reach the room door to turn on the light, a series of knocks sounded, causing Stelle to freeze in place.
Stelle glanced at the wall clock. The hour hand pointed to "12." It was already midnight. How could anyone be knocking on the door?
This was becoming more and more like a plot from a horror movie. Generally speaking, at times like this, you absolutely must not make any sound. Even peeking through the peephole is a suicidal move!
Knock knock knock.
"..."
Seemingly seeing that knocking was fruitless, the person outside consciously gave up. But before Stelle could sigh in relief, she heard a "click" sound. The door lock was opened, and the door handle was slowly turned by the person outside!
Stelle's heart was pounding fiercely. She raised her baseball bat, ready to unleash a powerful sneak attack at any moment. The next second, the door was silently pushed open. The corridor light shone in, casting a graceful shadow on the floor.
Stelle: ...Huh?
"Stelle? What are you doing?"
Seeing Stelle holding a baseball bat, March 7th looked astonished. "I thought you'd already gone to bed."
"March, you're my savior, wuwuwu! There's a ghost in my room!"
Stelle dashed out of the room in one swift step, feeling tears welling up in her eyes for a moment. "March, you don't know. I was already asleep, but the vase in my room mysteriously shattered again."
"Small matter."
When March 7th heard the words "a ghost," her expression remained quite calm. "My room is fairly large. You can rest here."
Stelle: "...Uh, isn't that a bit inappropriate?"
"We're both girls. What's inappropriate about it?" March 7th crossed her arms, puzzled. "What else are you planning to do?"
Stelle gritted her teeth. "Then... thank you."
"Don't mention it."
March 7th's room was right across from Stelle's. Once inside, Stelle suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way... March, did you need something from me earlier? How did you have a key to my room?"
"Oh, didn't you say your room was haunted during the day? I was worried about you, so I asked the hotel for another key."
"And you were looking for me just now..."
"Oh, I just wanted to check if you were asleep. Ah, what a pity."
"??? Pity what?"
"Uh... pity that you didn't rest well. Damn ghost, affecting your energy for tomorrow."
"Oh, oh, so that's how it is...?"