"I don't know if the Dan Heng route in the public release changed, so I'll just compare it to the closed beta plot."
Ah Xian took a sip of warm water to soothe her throat.
"In the closed beta, after the Express crew got played by Sampo, they had to fight Gepard to clear up the misunderstanding.
In the Leon route, there's no fight—they clear their names right away and even help Gepard catch Sampo, locking him up in jail.
Leon wasn't lying; he's a pretty reliable adult.
Confident in his actions, always prepared, sharp insight, and on point with anticipating unknown dangers.
Flawless in communication—polite first, firm when needed, and handles things thoroughly.
In this short opening plot in Belobog, he earns Gepard's trust with a small favor.
No shade, just saying—the experience feels better than the Dan Heng route in the closed beta.
Has anyone run the Dan Heng route in this segment? Let me know how it went and if anything changed."
After checking the stream's comments and super chats for a moment, she confirmed that the Dan Heng route in the public release was largely the same as the closed beta.
That made things interesting.
"The plot progression is different, so the later developments will definitely vary too.
Now that Sampo's in jail, it'll affect a key turning point in the story—unless he breaks out.
But Leon emphasized earlier that the cuffs he gave Gepard are super sturdy, unbreakable by force, and only open with a key.
So, here's the question: who's going to guide the Express crew to switch maps?
Switching maps also involves a key character, Bronya. How will she tag along this time?
The writers did a good job. After adding a new character for the public release, even us closed beta players feel like we're experiencing it fresh, just like new players."
Gepard: "Please wait here for a moment while I report your arrival.
You can prepare your words in advance. Lady Cocolia's time is precious, so she prefers concise reports."
"Ugh, another small plot detail."
"Gepard sent all his men to catch Sampo, so when he returned, no one had reported to Cocolia ahead of time."
She thought the waiting period would just be idle banter among the Express crew.
Unexpectedly, another semi-static story illustration popped up.
March 7th: "You've got a sharp eye, Leon. You saw through Sampo right away."
Leon: "Well, he's shady, but also not that shady."
Stelle: "Uh… I don't get it."
March 7th: "Neither do I, so I can't translate for you."
Leon: "A businessman popping up out of nowhere in a godforsaken place like this? The odds of that being a coincidence are slim to none.
That guy was deliberately playing along with us, and though he hid his intentions well, he was essentially stalling for time."
At that, Stelle fell into thought.
"You're saying Sampo intentionally lured Gepard and his men over?"
Leon: "It's not out of the question."
March 7th: "But what's his motive? It can't be to drag us down with him, right?"
Leon: "It's not a big deal. He'll spill his motives to us eventually."
March 7th: "First, he's gotta get out of jail. Didn't Gepard say on the way here that he's pulled this kind of thing multiple times?"
Leon chuckled lightly: "That's not our concern. We just need to wait."
"What about meeting the Supreme Guardian? Should we reveal our real purpose?" March 7th looked at Stelle.
Stelle: "I'm a Trailblazing newbie. Don't look at me."
With that, she turned her gaze to Leon.
As the saying goes, ignore the veteran's advice, and you'll pay the price.
Compared to herself, who lacked experience, and the reckless pink-haired girl,
this guy was the real seasoned pro.
Leon pondered for a moment but gave an indirect answer.
"When we entered the city, did you notice the locals?"
March 7th: "What's that supposed to mean?"
Stelle rubbed her chin, deep in thought.
"I did notice. They seemed pretty relaxed, and the atmosphere wasn't tense… wait—I think I get what you're saying."
Leon nodded.
"Three possibilities: either the common folk are completely clueless, or the truth is being downplayed and covered up.
This planet's already crawling with Fragmentum monsters, so the chance of no one knowing is next to zero."
The two went back and forth, leaving March 7th's big eyes flashing with confusion.
"What are you two riddling about?"
Stelle couldn't resist teasing.
"Nothing. Good sis, you just focus on being cute. Leave the conspiracies to us."
March 7th raised her brows: "You think I'm some kind of airhead?"
Stelle shook her head earnestly: "Nope, you're confessing that yourself."
March 7th: "Your face betrays you! Wait till I land a punch!"
Stelle: "My expression's sincere as can be. Oh, March, those pure, untainted eyes of yours have totally charmed me."
March 7th: "Then stop being a cryptic riddle-person, okay?"
Stelle immediately gave her a caring look.
"Leon's point is, since we don't know how much the locals know about the Stellaron or their attitude toward it, it's best to play it safe and adapt as we go."
"I got that right, didn't I, Leon?"
Leon nodded, softly explaining his reasoning.
"The way Belobog's citizens live doesn't suggest they know their world's being plagued by a Stellaron.
In other words, the Silvermane Guards have done a decent job protecting the people.
But that doesn't mean the people understand the Stellaron or its consequences.
We're strangers here and don't even know if the Supreme Guardian has heard of Stellarons or their dangers.
Belobog's in a snowy world yet feels warm as autumn—don't you wonder why?
I don't buy Gepard's claim that it's because of Qlipoth's Preservation.
A Stellaron contains terrifyingly extreme energy. Suppose—just suppose—
Suppose the energy keeping Belobog warm comes from the Stellaron, and we say we're here to deal with it, to seal it and take it away…
Then suppose the Supreme Guardian knows all about the Stellaron. Guess what she'd think, how she'd see us?"
At that, March 7th couldn't help but shiver.
She really hadn't thought that far.
"Stop, stop—don't say any more. This is reminding me of the awful situation from our last Trailblaze journey."
Stelle: "What happened?"
March 7th slapped her forehead, speaking wearily.
"We were too straightforward, and we got slapped with charges of coveting a nation's energy treasure, wanted across the whole world…"
Stelle: "No wonder you said 'again' earlier. Let me guess—was it just you being straightforward, not the whole group?"
March 7th huffed: "Shut up, or I'll smack you!"
Stelle smirked teasingly.
"Touchy… ouch, ow, ow—that hurts! You're actually hitting me?!"
"Sorry, my bad—hey, don't grab there! What's this in broad daylight… huh?"
Seeing the culprit step back two paces, staring at her hand and wiggling her fingers in disbelief, Stelle rolled her eyes.
Why the shocked expression?
It's not like you don't have them.
Her clothes are just loose—she's not losing to Himeko, okay?