Hearing this, Cocolia asked no further questions.
Once the meeting concluded and she returned to Qlipoth Fort, Cocolia immediately issued three official decrees: the blockade on the Underworld was lifted; in three days, Bronya would succeed her as Supreme Guardian; and she herself would lead a Trailblaze Expedition to explore and reclaim the snow plains.
The three decrees spread swiftly across the Overworld.
Residents and soldiers alike were stunned and bewildered.
Cocolia’s sudden announcement of her resignation seemed completely out of the blue, giving everyone the impression of a rushed, spur-of-the-moment decision.
The lifting of the Underworld’s blockade was just as sudden, taking effect immediately without the slightest prior warning.
It was much like when she had abruptly ordered the blockade in the first place, only far more unexpected.
As for the Trailblaze Expedition…
That was equally astonishing.
Aside from Belobog itself, the rest of the world was engulfed by the Fragmentum.
What was the point of trying to trailblaze the wasteland?
Then came the fourth and fifth decrees, which explained the reasoning behind the expedition.
The fourth decree announced that Belobog had received aid from the Nameless of the Astral Express.
They had obtained Curios capable of cleansing the Fragmentum, and the Nameless had already resolved both the source of the Fragmentum and the Eternal Freeze.
Any land reclaimed through trailblazing was now fully usable.
“Am I…
dreaming?”
The same thought surfaced in countless minds, many doubting the authenticity of the proclamation.
Qlipoth Fort offered no response to the public’s skepticism.
Instead, an imposing squad of automatons marched out of the Underworld toward the snow plains, immediately setting to work clearing the Fragmentum monsters within.
Before a massive crowd of onlookers, Cocolia and her retinue used a Fragmentum-cleansing device—which looked remarkably like a vacuum cleaner—to completely scrub a designated area clean of the Fragmentum.
Afterward, not a single Fragmentum monster spawned there.
With that, the populace finally believed the proclamations from Qlipoth Fort and began singing the praises of the Astral Express and the Nameless.
To foster goodwill—or perhaps for other reasons—Cocolia even had portraits of the Nameless posted across the city.
Within an hour, every single person in the Overworld recognized their faces.
Ever since arriving in the Overworld, Su Yan’s system notifications had not stopped.
Chimes rang out in his mind in one continuous, unbroken stream.
Each ding represented a fresh surge of favorability.
While he was thrilled by the gains…
“It’s getting a bit annoying…” Su Yan patted his cheeks to shake off the irritation.
Instantly, in the corner of his field of view, countless pink hearts erupted like a fountain.
With Do Not Disturb mode turned on, no matter how extravagant the heart fountain looked, it could no longer distract him.
Putting the system notifications aside, Su Yan discussed another matter with Cocolia and the others—one tied directly to her fifth decree.
Having once lived in symbiosis with the Stellaron, Cocolia knew all too well that a disaster lay sealed beneath the deep ice of Jarilo-VI.
Belobog had failed to defeat the Antimatter Legion even at the height of its power; in its current weakened state, it stood even less of a chance.
Thus, Su Yan and Cocolia’s discussion centered on how to deal with the dormant Voidrangers.
The Matter Conversion Device could transmute ice and snow into other materials, such as metal or stone.
Once freed from the crushing ice, however, the Voidrangers would quickly awaken.
By regulating the rate at which they thawed out, Belobog could whittle down the Voidrangers bit by bit, like carving meat with a dull knife.
However…
Among the sealed ranks of the Antimatter Legion, there were also high-tier units—specifically, the planet-destroying weapon known as the Doomsday Beast.
A planetary invasion force would never be without one.
Dealing with a Doomsday Beast would be extraordinarily difficult for Belobog as it was now.
“Take this phone,” Su Yan said.
“If you spot a Doomsday Beast, message us immediately.
We’ll get here as fast as we can.”
For the Astral Express crew, taking down a Doomsday Beast was hardly a challenge.
Su Yan, Welt, an unsealed Dan Heng, and March 7th were all capable of soloing one.
Given adequate preparation, Himeko could handle one as well.
As for Stelle…
“As for compensation, I’d like to borrow the Guardian’s lance for a few days to study it.”
Since Su Yan could mass-produce Curios, he had no intention of keeping Belobog’s sacred relic.
If he really wanted one, he could just craft it himself.
“Done!” Cocolia agreed without a second thought.
If it brought prosperity to Belobog, she would gladly have given the lance to Su Yan outright.
“Contact me if anything comes up…”
Leaving behind the Matter Conversion Device and the Fragmentum Cleanser, Su Yan took the Guardian’s lance and walked out of Qlipoth Fort.
Any Curio or item produced by his system was intrinsically bound to him and the system.
He never worried about losing them or having them stolen, knowing full well the system had its own foolproof retrieval methods.
***
Because the Astral Express had failed to depart during the brief lull when the Stellaron was first contained, the Silver Rail was once again suffering from Imaginary energy interference.
If they wanted to leave, they would have to wait for the rail to stabilize.
*We cleared Jarilo-VI faster than the original storyline, so it shouldn’t be a problem…* Su Yan calculated the timeline in his head.
If the Express still couldn’t depart in three days, he would simply find another way to reach the Luofu.
So, what should he do in the meantime?
Earlier, Dan Heng and Stelle had offered to help clear out Fragmentum monsters and Voidrangers, only to be stopped in their tracks by ordinary citizens and Silvermane Guards.
*How could we possibly let our benefactors do manual labor?*
*The heroes who saved Belobog should be relaxing and having fun!*
If Su Yan hadn’t made a quick escape under the pretext of discussing official business with Cocolia, he too would have been dragged along by the enthusiastic citizens to tour Belobog and sample every local delicacy the city had to offer.
If he showed his face in public right now, he would undoubtedly meet the exact same fate.
Equipping an invisibility badge, Su Yan strolled toward the Administrative District.
*Guess I’ll go find Dan Heng and see if they want to come trailblaze a new world with me…*
“I suggest you hold off on trailblazing other worlds for the time being.”
A familiar voice called out beside him as two holographic projections materialized and matched his stride.
“Kafka, Silver Wolf…” Su Yan raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Knowing the nature of the Stellaron Hunters, he took Kafka’s advice seriously.
“Care to elaborate?
Why shouldn’t I go trailblazing just yet?”
“According to what Elio foresaw, if you set off to trailblaze an alternate world today, your return to the cosmos won’t occur until six days from now…”
Kafka paused there.
Assuming she was merely pausing for breath, Su Yan waited quietly, but no further words came.
“Did your connection lag?” Su Yan looked at the two projections.
Were the fan memes about the Stellaron Hunters having terrible internet actually true?
“No,” Kafka replied immediately.
Seeing that, Su Yan voiced his confusion.
“Then why did you stop talking?”
“Ever since you appeared, the future has become far more elusive.
As the root cause of these shifts in destiny, Elio says that unless a particular future is imminent, anything concerning you remains completely obscured—a state of pure chaos…”
“I see…” Su Yan mused.
He was somewhat surprised, yet not entirely shocked.