According to historical records, before the Eternal Freeze, Belobog saw many winged creatures soaring through the skies.
But that never included humans.
The surrounding soldiers looked as if they'd seen a ghost, jaws dropping one by one.
Belobog didn't have such monstrous beings…
They might actually be offworlders…!
"Now you see why I said a winged man can give a sense of security?"
Ah Xian's eyes sparkled with hearts, staring intently at Leon.
Gepard: "I believe you. I apologize for any offense earlier."
Leon: "It's only human nature, we understand. We're new here and didn't know that man was a suspect."
Gepard: "Could you recount what happened after you arrived? Please be as detailed as possible."
March 7th: "We hadn't been here long when that Sampo guy showed up.
He said he could… could work with us, but as soon as you all appeared, he dropped the act,
not only running off but taking some of our goods with him!"
Stelle glanced at March 7th.
Getting into character pretty quick, huh?
Gepard paused: "Work with you? What's your purpose in coming to Belobog?"
Leon repeated the same story he'd told Sampo.
Only this time, the 'goods' he presented were different.
Just some casual clothing and fruit brews.
Seeing the high-quality materials and exquisite packaging,
the last traces of doubt in Gepard's eyes nearly vanished.
The soldiers around them no longer looked at the Express crew like they were criminals.
They just couldn't wrap their heads around how Leon pulled those goods out of thin air…
Gepard: "This is beyond my authority to decide. You three, I can only take you to meet the Supreme Guardian."
March 7th: "The leader of this planet?"
"Yes, only she can decide whether to cooperate with you."
Gepard nodded, though he sighed inwardly.
Belobog's current state wasn't great.
These three offworlders seeking new business partners had come at a bad time.
"Come with me, you three. Belobog lies behind this snow curtain."
① "Then we'll trouble Captain Gepard to lead the way."
② "By the way, don't you have any vehicles for transport?"
"There used to be, but with the harsh environment now, many transport options are unusable."
Gepard didn't tell the whole truth.
The environment wasn't the main issue—it was actually a shortage of energy.
Even if they were foreign merchants, he couldn't easily reveal Belobog's situation.
As a soldier, he had a duty to the people and couldn't let his guard down completely with strangers he barely knew.
Along the way, March 7th was still grumbling about the culprit who nearly got them arrested as suspects.
"Captain Gepard, aren't you going after Sampo?"
Gepard: "That guy's slippery as an eel—not so easy to catch."
Leon: "Maybe I can help you catch him."
Gepard: "Oh? Please elaborate, Mr. Leon!"
At this point in the plot, players' attention sharpened.
Leon had a way to catch Sampo, who ran faster than a rabbit?
"We do business across the galaxy, and to ensure the safety of our goods, we usually put trackers on some items.
That way, if something happens and we lose our goods, we can track them down later.
Among the items Sampo took, there happens to be one with our tracking device."
With that, Leon flashed a warm smile and pulled out a tracker.
"Captain Gepard, take a look."
What appeared in the players' view was a techy interface, resembling a radar display.
Three red markers stood out prominently in the upper-right corner of the central point.
Leon: "The markers stopped moving ten minutes ago. I'm guessing Sampo drank that bottle of liquor and got knocked out cold."
"You mean… he passed out drunk?" Gepard frowned.
Leon: "Exactly."
Gepard: "Couldn't Sampo have noticed something was off and ditched the tracking device?"
Leon shook his head, offering a reasoned analysis.
"No, that guy even took our goods while running, which shows his greedy nature.
He might toss the bottle after drinking, but not necessarily the clothes.
Right now, all the tracking devices are in one spot, so he's likely out of commission for the moment.
Captain, you can send someone to check the coordinates. I'm sure you'll find something.
Oh, and take these handcuffs and leg shackles, just in case."
Gepard: "Thank you, but we have our own."
Leon: "No, no, these cuffs are made of special material—virtually impossible to break without the key."
Hearing this, Gepard recalled past attempts to catch Sampo, only for him to slip away unnoticed.
"Thank you for your help. Head to the coordinates immediately. If there's nothing there, return to Belobog at once."
Gepard gave the order.
Silvermane Guards: "Yes, Captain!"
After parting with the guards, Gepard led the trio back to Belobog.
Along the way, he explained Belobog's general history to the Express crew.
In short, centuries ago, the Legion invaded, and war raged.
Just as humanity faced defeat, a blizzard buried the enemy.
The only place left for human survival was the city of Preservation, Belobog.
After walking through the city for a bit, Gepard slowed his pace.
"You three, we're almost there."
Just then, a Silvermane Guard hurriedly caught up from behind.
"Reporting, Captain—we've captured the suspect Sampo!"
That fast?
Gepard turned in shock, seeing his subordinate escorting a familiar man.
Soldier: "Captain, these are the offworlders' goods we recovered."
Seeing the state of the goods, Gepard's eye twitched.
"Ahem, good work. Take the suspect into custody and guard him closely!"
"Yes, sir!"
"That's not cool, Brother Leon—you gave me fake liquor!"
As Sampo passed the trio, his steps faltered, and he wailed accusingly at Stelle.
Stelle gave him a deadpan look: "You're even blaming the wrong person. How dare you say Leon gave you fake liquor?"
March 7th: "Exactly, exactly. You can reform yourself in jail now, hmph."
Sampo was on the verge of tears.
"The alcohol content on the packaging clearly said single digits!"
He could down a dozen bottles of hard liquor at a tavern without getting drunk, yet Leon's single bottle knocked him out.
What a mess—director turned actor.
He'd been gleefully celebrating his plan to connect the Express crew with Belobog, only to land himself in a cell.
What a loss.
The cuffs binding him were unusually sturdy, definitely not the Silvermane Guards'.
Sampo: "Wahhh, despicable outsiders, I, old Sampo, admit defeat."
Soldier: "Quit your whining and behave!"
This smooth, choice-free plot segment had countless players struggling to hold back laughter.
"That Sampo guy actually got done in by Leon—what's that saying about reaping what you sow? This is it."
[Stelle's not mute—she's got so many lines!]
[Who said more protagonist voice acting would ruin immersion? Isn't this great?]