Dan Heng feels it's time to step in and stop his companions' off-the-wall conversation.
"Back to the point. Stelle, you're more outgoing, so follow up on whether Serval boards the train."
Stelle: "What if I mess it up?"
March 7th: "Don't play dumb. Leon already said the decision's up to Serval herself."
Stelle scratches her head: "But why me?"
Leon: "Do you want the light and cheerful reason or the serious and proper one?"
① "Light and cheerful."
② "Serious and proper."
③ "I want both!"
Most players: No choice needed, my dude.
No need to even think about it.
Stelle curves her lips into a smile: "I want to hear both~"
Leon: "Light and cheerful: because you're a bright, cheerful, big-hearted girl, and everyone trusts you to handle it."
"Serious and proper: as a rookie Trailblazer, you need to learn how to handle situations like this."
Stelle nods in realization, patting her chest: "Leave it to me. I'll make sure Serval sees her own heart clearly."
Leon flashes an OK hand sign with a smile.
"If you run into something you don't know how to handle, contact us anytime."
☆ The Starry Sea We Yearn For
Ask Serval about her reasons for wanting to board the train Seek help from companions (optional)
The task markers split into four directions.
The most obvious points to the Machine Shop, with secondary markers pointing to different locations corresponding to where the three companions are.
Dan Heng is sitting on a bench by the bookstore, reading a book.
March 7th is playing with kids in the plaza.
Leon is by the fountain, seemingly staring at a building.
Ah Xian interacts with each one, noticing they all have an option to invite them to the Machine Shop.
"Can you invite all of them?"
[Yes, yes!]
[Smart! Start with Dan Heng and invite them one by one. The Trailblaze team can act together again!]
[Quick, quick, don't dawdle!]
The more the chat urges, the calmer Ah Xian gets.
Doesn't she know these guys by now?
Invite them all to act together?
Hah… no way that's happening!
She heads straight to her favorite character, presses F to interact, and selects the option to invite them to the Machine Shop.
Leon: "What's up? Running into trouble already?"
① "You know I'm no good with man-eating trees."
② "I'm afraid of saying the wrong thing and want someone to back me up."
③ "Trailblazing unites us, so…"
The options aren't too special, so Ah Xian casually picks the second.
Stelle, looking earnest:
"When it comes to verbal sparring, I'm great. But dealing with someone with a complicated past? I don't think I'm cut out for it."
"Honestly, I didn't pick up on what Serval's escaping from."
"Could it be that Cocolia's death had a deep impact on her?"
Leon: "Then go ask her."
The task status updates, and the "seek help from companions" option grays out. When Ah Xian tries talking to Dan Heng again, the invite option is gone. She lets out a cold laugh.
Knew it.
Arriving at the Machine Shop, she sees the person missing from the task's opening.
Gepard: "Sis, go talk to Lady Bronya. She personally extended the invitation. A written reply won't do."
Serval: "Ugh, fine, fine. Let me think about it for a few days."
As long as those few days drag on long enough, and she decides not to go after some "deep thought," she can skate by.
Gepard isn't fooled and is about to keep persuading when two figures push open the door.
Seeing the siblings in what looks like a heated standoff, Stelle mutters to herself:
"Did I come at a bad time?"
"Hey, it's you guys! Perfect timing—help me out here~" Serval looks at the two like they're her saviors.
Gepard: "You came at just the right time. Please help persuade my sister."
Stelle tilts her head to exchange a glance with Leon, switching to team voice chat.
(Ugh, talk about bad timing. A magistrate can't settle family disputes. What do we do?)
(If we follow the conversation, we'll have to take a side.)
Leon: (No worries, let the bullets fly for a while. Play it by ear. Start with something absurd to lighten the mood.)
Stelle's eyes light up: (Sweet, I'm great at that!)
She puts on a deliberately serious expression, scanning the Serval siblings.
"I'm the best at settling arguments. Verbal persuasion or physical, take your pick."
Serval's eye twitches: "…Uh, whose side are you on?"
Gepard sees the two don't want to get involved in his family matters and drops the idea.
"…Sis, I understand why you don't want to rejoin the Silvermane Guards, but Lady Bronya values your talents highly."
"She believes you can contribute greatly to Belobog's revival, which is why I came to talk to you."
"No matter what, at least meet her face-to-face and talk."
Serval sighs helplessly, waving her hand.
"Alright, alright. I should make my reasons clear. I'll head to Qlipoth Fort now."
With that, she gives Leon and Stelle an apologetic look for excusing herself and heads out.
Gepard: "Sorry you two had to see that."
Stelle: "The thing about her wanting to board the Astral Express—you all know about it?"
Leon glances at Stelle.
Nice, she's got it.
Saying it on purpose was the right move. The kid's sharp, even if it's a bit of a backstab to Serval.
But—
It's better than making a choice in confusion, unable to see her own heart, and regretting it later.
Sure enough, Gepard looks stunned, then quickly realizes.
"No wonder Sis has been distracted. So that's what she's been planning…"
Stelle flashes an awkward smile: "Uh… can you pretend you didn't hear that?"
"…" Gepard shakes his head helplessly, then says seriously: "Let me explain."
"My sister was once the head of the Silvermane Guards' technical research team, specializing in Stellaron studies."
"But that's not all she's capable of. She also has deep expertise in mechanical engineering and other fields."
"When Lady Bronya was preparing to take over, she immediately thought of my sister's talents."
"She hopes Sis can resume her technical research work to help revitalize Belobog."
"But you've seen her attitude. Even if she goes to Qlipoth Fort, I doubt it'll lead to anything."
"There's something weighing on her heart that she won't tell anyone. Ugh, what is she resisting…"
Two seconds pass without Leon speaking, so Stelle presses on with a probing question.
"I don't know why your sister's resisting. All I know is Cocolia betrayed her—once, twice, or three times, I'm not sure."
Gepard thinks seriously for a moment, wanting to say something but ultimately letting out a quiet sigh.
"I can't guess what's on her mind. Too much has happened in the past. All I can do is try to understand."
"With her personality, maybe traveling with you all would suit her better."
"Belobog is too small a city compared to the vast, boundless universe. The latter can better accommodate her thirst for knowledge and curiosity."
"That said, I'm still concerned about how her talk with Lady Bronya will go…"
At this, Stelle senses a faint breeze stirring the hair by her ear.
After hearing Leon's thoughts… she understands.
"You're torn right now, aren't you? On one side's your sister, on the other's your boss. It's hard to choose either way."