"Outsiders, release your hostage at once!"
The snowy plains outside the city...
The Trailblazer team, led by Yun Fan, stood in a tense standoff with Belobog's local forces. Gazing at the striking silver-haired young woman before him, Yun Fan's lips curled into a faint smile.
Three-Turbine Boost Duck—finally, I get to meet her!
"Hey, don't you think we might've gone a bit too far?" March 7th tugged lightly at Yun Fan's sleeve, whispering into his ear.
"Mhm." Stelle, who was keeping watch over Gepard nearby, nodded in agreement. If she remembered correctly, hadn't they come to Jarilo-VI to help deal with the Stellaron? So why were they now facing off against the locals instead?
"Haha, relax, leave it to me." Yun Fan chuckled dismissively before lowering his voice conspiratorially. "Actually, I've already used the authority of Causality to investigate..."
He briefly explained the current situation in Belobog to the two, though he kept much to himself. If he spoiled the entire story now, where would the fun be?
"What?!" Stelle and March 7th were stunned. If Yun Fan's words were true, then their plan to meet the planet's highest ruler might have been a mistake from the very beginning.
"I'll say it one last time—outsiders, release your hostage at once!" The silver-haired girl's brows furrowed as she watched Yun Fan's group whisper among themselves without a care. Fury surged within her.
These unknown outsiders had not only kidnapped the Silvermane Guards' Captain but were now ignoring her, the Commander of the Silvermane Guards, as if laws meant nothing to them!
"Hm?" The girl's angry shout was impossible to ignore, so Yun Fan finally turned to face her properly.
"My apologies, that was rude of me. May I ask, miss, who might you be?"
"Commander of the Silvermane Guards, Bronya Rand." Though irritated by Yun Fan's question, years of proper upbringing allowed Bronya to suppress her temper and answer with her title.
"Outsiders, I've shown my sincerity. In return, who are you?"
"We're—" March 7th, ever lively, was about to announce their identities as members of the Astral Express when Yun Fan abruptly pushed her back.
"We're from the Interastral Peace Corporation, here to collect on a debt Belobog incurred seven hundred years ago."
March 7th: !!!
Stelle: ???
Dan Heng: ...…
"The Interastral Peace Corporation? What organization is that? And a debt from seven hundred years ago?" Bronya was utterly baffled.
Belobog had been isolated for centuries, cut off from the outside world—a backwater by any measure. Coupled with the fact that most historical records had been lost to time, it was no surprise Bronya had never heard of the IPC.
"I understand your purpose now, but this so-called 'debt' is baseless. This is my final warning—release your hostage."
Bronya took a deep breath and raised her firearm, aiming it squarely at Yun Fan's chest. Following her lead, the Silvermane Guards behind her readied themselves for battle.
In an instant, tensions flared once more.
"Enough!"
A stern, commanding voice cut through the standoff. Everyone turned toward its source.
"Mo—ahem—Supreme Guardian!" Bronya's eyes lit up at the sight of the newcomer. Truthfully, despite her earlier show of strength, she hadn't been confident at all—Gepard's combat prowess was on par with hers, yet he had been defeated so decisively.
But now, with her mother's support, the two of them together would surely prevail!
"Bronya." Cocolia nodded at her daughter before shifting her gaze to Yun Fan's group.
"Are you the envoys sent by the Corporation?" Cocolia asked cautiously. Though the Stellaron's memories had given her some knowledge of the IPC, she still needed confirmation.
After all, Yun Fan's group… didn't quite match the image of corporate employees in the Stellaron's memories.
"Correct. We are all employees of the Interastral Peace Corporation. Allow me to introduce myself—I am Yun Fan, Asset Liquidation and Appraisal Specialist of the IPC's Strategic Investment Department."
Yun Fan produced an IPC badge from who-knows-where and displayed it to Cocolia.
"So it's Mr. Yun Fan. Greetings, I am Cocolia Rand, the current Supreme Guardian of Belobog." After his introduction, Cocolia returned the courtesy and no longer questioned his identity.
The Stellaron's memories were but a fragment, yet they were enough for her to understand just how formidable the IPC was. Thus, she couldn't fathom anyone bothering to impersonate corporate personnel for the sake of a backwater like Belobog.
What she didn't know, however, was that to Yun Fan—to an Aeon—the IPC was nothing more than an ant. Without exaggeration, any single Aeon could effortlessly annihilate the IPC a hundred times over.
The two were simply incomparable.
"Mr. Yun Fan, may I ask… what is this about?" Cocolia gestured at Gepard's bruised face, her tone questioning.
"It's like this…" Yun Fan recounted how they had been mistakenly labeled as fugitives and forced into battle.
By the time he finished, both Cocolia and Bronya were frowning. After a moment of silence, Bronya turned coldly to the Silvermane Guards beside her.
"Is what they said true?"
"Commander Bronya, the ones who attacked first were—" The Silvermane Guard captain tried to explain, but Bronya's icy glare forced him to swallow his words.
"...My apologies, Commander Bronya." The captain dropped to one knee, bowing his head in shame.
"Sigh…" Seeing this, Bronya understood everything. She took a deep breath and spoke apologetically, "My sincerest apologies, honored guests. I will personally handle this matter and ensure justice is served."