Goethe Hotel, the same old guest room.
Adrian lounged on the bed, savoring the Goethe Hotel's signature afternoon tea.
To keep her from stirring up any major trouble, Adrian had bestowed [Eternity]'s blessing on Silver Wolf, wrapping up the day's workload.
"Ah~ Craving some raw crimsonfin sashimi. Wonder where Stelle and the others are..."
...
Administrative District, one gray and one pink figure stood before the [Eternity] sculpture.
"Am I seeing this right? That's Teacher Adrian's statue?!" March 7th rubbed her eyes.
"Huh? How'd you tell?"
Stelle was baffled. Even she, a proper [Eternity] Pathstrider, hadn't clocked it!
"Maybe too much milk tea... Feels spot-on."
The sculpture's core was a massive, once-twisted Möbius strip—but no smooth band. It resembled a frozen, semi-transparent... milk tea river?
No helping it—the undulating, liquid-flow textures on the surface were too evocative. March 7th couldn't not associate.
"Ruined, ruined. Now every milk tea reminds me of Teacher Adrian."
March 7th reined in her abstract thought process. Public spots—keep it formal!!!
Over the next ten-plus minutes, Stelle and March 7th wandered loads of places, munching fluffy, fresh-baked blueberry jam pancakes, even tagging along with the kids for a museum history lesson.
"Whew~ Wiped out. Who knew doing nothing but strolling could drain you this bad..."
March 7th's head drooped heavy, as if weighed by an invisible load bending her neck. Bone-deep fatigue crashed over her in a wave.
"Shouldn't we go see Bronya? She sent the invite, after all."
...
Cut to Qlipoth Fort, Supreme Guardian's Office
"... I fully understand your plight, Miss Supreme Guardian."
"Belobog's current financial strain isn't your fault—or anyone in this city's, for that matter."
Topaz had shown up here at some point, deep in talks with Bronya.
"But strictly speaking, since Belobog's persisted as an independent polity to now, this debt can't just be written off as bad."
Bronya was about to respond when Topaz saw right through her thoughts: "The Church only improved Belobog's climate—not any other aid... Right?"
The galaxy's biggest economy's messing with you? Mere Church, quit the capsizing act!
Most interstellar citizens, mentioning the Corporation, always brought up the omnipresent goods and eye-catching logos: As if "where there's trade, there's the Interastral Peace Corporation."
In truth, nearly all galactic commerce built on the Corporation's "Credit Point" system.
If interstellar trade were a sports league, the Corporation was the elite athlete, every event, the venue itself, and the rules to boot.
On founding ideals, the Interastral Peace Corporation was a selfless backer dedicating all to the [Preservation] Aeon Qlipoth—much like the Church. But on commercial value... The gap was worlds apart.
Truth be told, Topaz had originally wanted to ask the Supreme Guardian if she'd seen the man in the photo. Jarilo-VI's tech had lagged for ages; the perp who hit Oswaldo Schneider would totally hole up here to dodge the heat.
But... Thinking it over, this planet had blinked off star rail charts for years—folks probably figured it long-abandoned.
She had zero recollection of Adrian's face; none of the [Ten Stonehearts] knew him either.
What they could confirm: The suspect boasted terrifying stealth tech, slipping past the Corporation's monitoring web—maybe packing a signal jammer.
Yeah, could be a puppet on strings—real culprit elsewhere. Just some Mask of Fools illusion from the [Tavern]!
Sigh~ P45-grade life's no picnic anymore. Bearing the Corporation brass's mission, plus moonlighting as ace detective on downtime—case-cracking and perp-hunting.
Hilarious, really: A [Market Development Division] gig, and now the suspect's pic had leaked to their [Strategic Investment Division].
"... Ah, looks like some important guests arrived." She caught the footsteps behind her.
"Bronya! And... Miss Topaz is here too?"
Stelle hadn't expected another meet-up. The Interastral Peace Corporation's efficiency was no joke.
"You all already starting collab talks? Business first—maybe we catch up later..."
"No issue—we were wrapping up anyway." Topaz shook her head, pressing on with Bronya: "Miss Supreme Guardian, please give my proposal serious thought."
"If Jarilo-VI wants to rebuild ties with the galaxy's stars someday... Your credit record with the Corporation will be crucial."
After a long pause, Bronya replied: "I understand, Miss Topaz. I will... I need time to consider."
"Of course. But while you do, my colleague needs to conduct some necessary work in Belobog... Hope the upper and lower districts can cooperate."
"Sorry for crashing your old pals' reunion with my stuff! Business wrapped—now you all can reminisce. Catch you later~"
Watching Topaz go, March 7th rushed up, fussing over Bronya.
"Bronya, you okay? That Topaz... So pushy. Thought she was a total pushover."
Stelle already had her phone out, ready to ping Blake if needed.
"Stelle, March... Welcome back. Sorry—I planned a big welcome for you two, but that self-proclaimed [Corporation] envoy showed up sudden, threw me off..."
"Since it's just you two, no need to hold back..."
Weariness flooded Bronya, a heaviness seeping from her limbs' depths, each breath labored and thick.
At last, Stelle and March 7th grasped the gravity.
"Honestly, I've got no headspace left for Dawnfest planning."
"What exactly did Topaz say to you?"
"... Since you've already met her, no need to explain who she is." Bronya cleared her throat.
"When you first came to Belobog, you must've heard folks mention that history, right? The Antimatter Legion invasion seven centuries back, and the [Stellaron Core]-born eternal freeze..."
"Now it seems, tons of major historical events got buried in the snows back then... Those memories didn't even pass down through the Supreme Guardians."