[Trailblazing Creed No. 5: Even when the galaxy's twilight is dim, one should still light up the long night.]
[The lower district is undoubtedly a twilight world without dawn. The Nameless may not be able to illuminate the long night yet, but at the very least, they can bring what warmth they can.]
[Looks like Ah Xian really loves Leon. She's analyzing so much from a small plot segment.]
[Who doesn't love Leon? Forget his plot performance and character design—just on the Express, he's Father-level.]
[For real. His greeting gift is a ten-pull, he restores 60 stamina daily, and there's a low chance for a surprise jackpot.]
The clinic scene wrapped up. Controlling Leon to leave, the perspective finally shifted back to Stelle. But the location looked odd. Was this… a boxing gym?
March 7th's face was full of suspicion as she looked at Sampo. "Why do I feel like you're treating us like idiots?"
Sampo shook his head like a rattle. "Absolutely not! Aren't you looking for that Stellaron thing? Something that sounds that powerful? Only Wildfire might have clues."
March 7th: "And what's that got to do with you egging us on to join a fighting match?"
Sampo's expression froze almost imperceptibly, as if he hadn't expected that question from March 7th. His eyes darted twice before he scrambled for an explanation.
"In the lower district, nothing gets you famous faster than winning a fighting championship! Get famous, and Wildfire will come to you themselves—they're always looking for strong people. So, signing up for the match? No problem at all."
Stelle put a hand on her hip: "You still haven't said what kind of group Wildfire is."
Sampo: "You're asking me? Well, they're a bunch of stubborn, straightforward blockheads. But… who cares what I think? In short, they're a self-organized group of doers keeping order in the underground. After the Silvermane Guards pulled out of the lower district, Wildfire's been holding the line here. Don't underestimate them—there's a saying, 'the real talents are among the common folk,' right? Wildfire's full of skilled people. You'll see when you meet them."
At that, Stelle stared at Sampo with a strange look. "By your logic, Wildfire members should be everywhere. So why haven't we seen a single one?"
March 7th: "Exactly. The upper district's crawling with patrolling Guards. Why no Wildfire members here?"
Sampo scratched his head. "I'm wondering that too… Maybe something's going on somewhere, and they're short on people?"
Stelle looked at him like he was an idiot. "You're asking me? Then I'll ask you—I'll ask you! Are you the guide, or am I?"
Sampo's eyelid twitched at the question. This… this wasn't right! She seemed so easy to fool—how was her brain this sharp? It had to be because of Leon! Thinking of that weird guy who'd already made him eat dirt, Sampo felt like he'd been thrashed by a boss for hours, rushing to explain and pin the blame on some hotheaded player with new gear.
Finding a seemingly plausible excuse, he instantly made peace with himself. Yes, it's all Leon's fault! Hiss hiss hiss! There's an old Xianzhou saying: "Close to vermilion, you turn red; close to ink, you turn black." Hanging around that mysterious, cunning man for too long, these two cute girls getting a bit smarter was totally normal, right?
Seeing Sampo's eyes widen slightly, stunned speechless by Stelle's question, the players burst out laughing.
[Stelle: Why's your head so pointy?]
[That little disdainful expression is so vivid—Stelle's adorable, adorable, adorable~]
[Sampo's definitely trying to trick us into fighting so he can sneak a bet!]
[Didn't expect that, did ya? Stelle's got a brain!]
[What's that supposed to mean? Hinting Stelle's a Warp Trotter, huh?]
[That 'you think I'm a total moron' line's already a meme—it kinda fits.]
[Haha…]
"Hey, sisters, you forgetting we're under the Supreme Guardian's surveillance?" Sampo quickly switched expressions.
March 7th: "What's that mean?"
Sampo: "Wildfire's got their own eyes and ears too. Show off your strength, and you'll catch their attention. Once they're done with whatever's tying them up, they'll come find you themselves. Since we can't find Wildfire right now, might as well do something. I'm betting on your strength!"
Stelle crossed her arms, staring at him with an unreadable gaze.
① "Want Leon to give you a taste of Three Cries Half-Step Doom?"
② "How about you fight in our place? All the prize money's yours."
③ "Guess you've got a good eye, spotting this Trailblazer's greatness."
"Oh, whoa, got so caught up in the smooth dialogue I almost forgot Stelle had options." Ah Xian eagerly moved the mouse but accidentally hit the DPI switch.
"Whoops, clicked the wrong one!"
In the scene, Stelle flashed a proud grin, her mouth curling like a dragon king. "Guess you've got a good eye, kid, spotting this gal's extraordinary strength. One punch could definitely kill a bull."
March 7th rolled her eyes: "I believe you could brag a bull to death."
Stelle immediately turned to her with a caring look. "It's okay, little March. Your strength's not on my level, so it's normal you can't see how much stronger I am…"
March 7th: "(╬▔皿▔)╯, I really wanna smack you…"
[I can't hold it in, I really can't…]
[March, my waifu, got pushed to red-hot by Stelle—my little head's laughing so hard it's huge.]
[You're not right!]
[What, this is a thing? Smack me hard, reward me fully!]
[You're really impervious, huh.] [Stelle's a Stellaron spirit—one punch to kill a bull? An elephant's just a sprinkle.]
To the players' surprise, actual related options popped up.
① "March, as my Trailblazing senior, you gotta stay calm."
② "Harsh words benefit action—don't get mad."
③ "Please smack me hard."
"Goddamn, if you tell me the writing team doesn't have a masochist, I won't believe it." Coming from Ah Xian, that line spoke for countless streamers seeing these options.
"I don't quite remember, but I think the closed beta had similar options during a talk with Bronya."
"Guess the Leon route swapped it to March 7th."
Sadly, the protagonist's options didn't have voice acting this time. But March 7th reacted. Especially to option three, she gave a "you're beyond saving" look.
"Heh… haha, you've got some serious issues… Leon, get over here—this kid's brain's broken."
Right on cue, Leon's voice rang out. "Who's brain's broken?"
March 7th's face lit up before pointing at Stelle. "Her!"
Stelle: "Oh, dear old pal, you've stabbed my heart deep. I swear I'll whack Sampo's butt with my bat."
Sampo instinctively covered his rear with both hands. "It's not my fault! Why're you hitting old Sampo's butt?"
Leon stepped forward with a smile: "What happened?"
At his question, both girls shot mischievous looks at Sampo. March 7th didn't embellish, just told it straight. After hearing the gist, Leon's smile grew even brighter as he looked at Sampo with narrowed eyes.
"Time to put a knife in both ribs for your bros, good brother Sampo. I'm just a frail doctor who can't fight…"