After spending some time exploring the map, Old Bear successfully interacted with every visible glowing point.
"Alright, time to get back to the main story."
He first found Pela, then Serval, followed by the Fragmentum rift guarded by the Silvermane Guards.
Finally, the quest marker pointed to the Goethe Hotel.
Just as he was about to enter, the screen gradually faded to black.
"Huh? What's going on?"
???: "My lady, it's her—she's been rummaging through trash cans, ruining the city's cleanliness and greatly increasing our workload."
Bronya: "Arrest her."
Two voices rang out in the dark screen. When it lit up again, Stelle was already apprehended by the Silvermane Guards.
① "You're… the girl we saw at Qlipoth Fort."
② "It's you! It's a misunderstanding—remember me?"
③ "Who dares accuse this Trailblazer?"
Old Bear was dumbfounded, his eyes wide.
"No way, man—I got arrested for rummaging through trash cans?"
Stelle: "Who's the one slandering this Trailblazer behind my back? Show yourself!"
Good Citizen: "It's me. Tell me, young lady, why did you have to dig through every trash can in this district?
Because of you, I had to work overtime!"
Stelle: "…"
Bronya frowned slightly.
She now knew the identities of the three who met with Cocolia.
Initially, she hadn't been too suspicious.
But seeing one of them behave like this—it was hard not to raise doubts.
Would interstellar merchants capable of space travel do something so undignified?
For a moment, her mind spiraled into a storm of questions.
Where were they really from?
Could there be other fortress cities on this planet besides Belobog?
For centuries, Belobog hadn't seen offworld visitors, yet they showed up now, during this critical time.
Who'd believe there wasn't something fishy?
This was a perfect chance to test their true intentions.
"I, Bronya, acting commander of the Silvermane Guards, hereby detain you for disrupting city order."
"Hold on!"
"It's Leon—we're saved!"
Old Bear immediately recognized the voice.
"Commander Bronya, considering we're new here and unfamiliar with the rules, could you go easy on us?"
Leon approached slowly, with March 7th trailing behind, her face screaming I don't know her.
"I'm willing to compensate this citizen who had to work overtime due to my companion's actions with 100,000 credits."
Bronya's eyes flickered. Seeing the cleaning worker's tempted expression, she nodded slowly.
"Fine, but you'll need to sign a formal pledge as per protocol. Follow me."
March 7th panicked: "But…"
"Thank you for your leniency, Commander Bronya."
Leon cut off March 7th, giving her a subtle look.
March 7th caught his meaning and shot Stelle a resentful glance.
Look at the mess you've caused!
Digging through every trash can in the district—how many is that? Who in their right mind does that?
[Bronya takes you to an interrogation room.]
Old Bear: "Huh? I thought we were just signing a pledge?"
Bronya turned to the Silvermane Guards behind her.
"You're dismissed. I'll handle this."
"Yes, Lady Bronya."
The guards left swiftly. Bronya's stern demeanor softened slightly, but her gaze toward the Express crew was filled with suspicion.
"Are you really from beyond this world?"
March 7th: "Absolutely genuine. If you don't believe us, check out these photos."
She pulled out pictures taken before departure on the Astral Express, as well as stunning vistas from past Trailblazing journeys.
"Look, this snowy planet is your home, Jarilo-VI.
This is the Interastral Peace Corporation's Shipwreck Port planet, Technium Star—pretty spectacular laser arena, right?
And this one, Salsotto Star, like the world's pause button was pressed—what a breathtaking view.
And here…"
One after another, the mind-boggling photos shattered Bronya's preconceptions, gradually dispelling her doubts.
Leon: "Take a look at this too."
He presented the shuttle's flight log, clearly and intuitively documenting the journey from space to Jarilo-VI.
At this point, Bronya had no trace of doubt left.
Belobog… didn't have the technology to fake such recordings.
She took a deep breath, her expression growing heavier.
"Since that's the case, I'll be blunt.
Please abandon your plans to form a trade partnership with Belobog and leave this planet immediately."
Stelle x March 7th: "Why?"
Leon glanced at Bronya with a hint of surprise but didn't speak.
Bronya: "We're facing a crisis. Mother… the Supreme Guardian… didn't tell you the urgent truth…
The Fragmentum's erosion of Belobog hasn't stopped for a single moment in centuries.
The situation's getting worse, and the Supreme Guardian is acting recklessly. Many of her decisions and orders are so absurd I can't comprehend them.
Staying here isn't wise. As outsiders, for your safety, you should leave as soon as possible."
Stelle, stunned: "So you detained me just to tell us this?"
Bronya shook her head, speaking candidly:
"Not entirely. I initially doubted your identities. After all, what kind of merchant…"
At this point, Stelle gave an awkward laugh.
Bronya: "I've wanted to approach you but lacked a proper reason, so I seized this opportunity."
Leon, dropping a bombshell: "So the people secretly watching our movements were sent by you?"
"What? We were being watched? Since when?"
Old Bear was still processing, but some players quickly guessed the answer.
It clearly wasn't Bronya.
Bronya denied it outright.
"Those were all the Supreme Guardian's spies. She had people tailing you, obviously not fully trusting your story.
And that's one of the reasons I suspected you at first.
You have no ties to this world and no need to get dragged into this. You should leave soon."
March 7th hesitated, wanting to speak.
With such honesty, she was dying to ask Bronya if she knew anything about the Stellaron.
But Leon was leading the team.
If he didn't speak, she couldn't blurt it out and could only signal him with her eyes.
Leon: "Thank you for the kind warning, Commander Bronya. We'll consider it carefully.
To be honest, we dare to Trailblaze unknown worlds because we've got some confidence backing us.
We've dealt with Fragmentum monsters plenty of times. Maybe we can help you tackle the source of this disaster."
"The source of the disaster is the Stellaron, right? Leon's testing Bronya!"
Old Bear speculated.
Bronya furrowed her brow.
"…It's not that I don't want to believe you, but for centuries, Belobog still hasn't figured out how the Fragmentum appeared.
Without knowing the source, how can we talk about solving it?"