That guy really couldn't help but show his true colors, huh?
On purpose, or what?
Seele: "Honored guests from beyond, follow me."
Leon mentally reviewed his plans, temporarily suppressing the urge to confront that guy.
Finding him wouldn't be hard—not necessary right now.
On the way back, no more of Svarog's minions blocked the path, making the journey smooth.
Seele, unusually, struck up a conversation with the Express crew.
"You guys are pretty capable, but if you need my help, just say the word."
Stelle: "Nothing for now."
Seele: "Alright. By the way, I want to confirm something—"
"That Bronya girl from the surface, is she really a Silvermane Guard? She looks about my age."
Stelle: "She is. And she's the Guard Commander."
Seele paused.
"Oh? She can lead troops? That's pretty impressive."
Leon: "You seem surprised."
Seele nodded, admitting it.
"Honestly, the Silvermane Guards left the underground to fend for itself. I thought they were all cold and heartless."
"When Bronya first said she was a Guard, I didn't doubt her."
"But after this mining area trip, I'm starting to question that."
"Bronya feels… different to me."
Talking about Bronya, March 7th shared her own take.
"Officer big sis is actually really nice. She's fair and knows right from wrong."
"Just super rigid about following orders, blindly trusting that old witch… I mean, the Supreme Guardian."
"With so much truth right in front of her, she still hasn't lost her rose-tinted view of the Supreme Guardian."
"Sigh, I wonder if, after returning to the surface, she'll follow orders to arrest us again…"
Leon: "Breaking that filter isn't hard. We don't even need to interfere much."
"Bronya's young, but she's seen her share of storms—she's a real battlefield veteran."
"She can accurately judge right and wrong in most cases, except when it comes to Cocolia."
"We just need to wait."
March 7th scratched the back of her head. "Wait for what? I don't quite get it—can you explain?"
A spark flickered in Stelle's eyes as she shared her understanding.
"I think I get what Leon means. It's not waiting for something specific—just the passage of time."
"Setting aside external factors, Bronya's also Cocolia's direct subordinate."
"From a young age, her education was all about orders being absolute. As a soldier, you obey and execute without question."
"Over time, that has pros and cons."
She looked at Leon.
Leon picked up the thread.
"The downside is it's easy to lose your own thoughts, to stop thinking. Luckily, Bronya hasn't shown signs of that."
"The upside? Once cracks appear in that perfect, infallible filter of trust, then—"
"It's like a wolf breaking into a sheep pen. Even if you patch the hole, the lost sheep don't come back."
"I said something before—you two should remember."
"When a seed of doubt sprouts in someone's heart, a subtle crack appears."
"Then, that heart becomes fragile and sensitive."
"The underground's raw reality is the sledgehammer that cracks it open."
"Bronya's heart is already sensitive, fragile. It's just her soldier's pride that keeps her from showing it."
Leon paused slightly, pointing upward.
"When we return to the surface, Bronya won't hide what happened here from Cocolia."
"Then, just guess—"
"Cocolia, who flipped out the moment she knew we were heading to the underground for the Stellaron—what will her reaction be?"
"If Cocolia's attitude toward the underground stays the same, what will Bronya think?"
"No doubt, the cracks in her heart will widen until the mirror can't be put back together."
"At that point, as long as Bronya cares about this world, she'll make the right choice."
"—She'll rebel against Cocolia."
"So, like I said before, we don't need to add anything for her."
"Everything Bronya's seen will tell her this world is rapidly heading toward death."
"No normal person would give up on survival and quietly wait for death to come."
After their lengthy exchange, March 7th felt a sudden clarity.
Her vague understanding of Leon's earlier words turned into deep comprehension.
Countless players shared the same sentiment as March 7th.
Most players only grasped the surface of the plot.
It often took lore analysts to summarize and unpack the deeper meanings behind the story.
Sometimes, those were profound implications.
Stelle and Leon's dialogue undoubtedly clarified why Bronya had to come to the underground.
Only she could rally the rebels from both the surface and underground, uniting to save this endangered world and themselves.
Her experiences and observations in the underground were the guiding light leading Bronya to the right path.
As all the subtle meanings surfaced, countless players let out a deep breath.
Their gazes toward Leon carried two kinds of admiration: conviction and respect.
He'd seen through everything long ago but didn't rush.
While laying subtle guiding stones for Bronya, he didn't neglect pushing forward the search for the Stellaron.
Fulfilling the Trailblaze team's mission, upholding the Trailblaze creed to help this world escape its crisis.
Both goals advanced in tandem, complementing each other.
Is this what a seasoned, reliable adult who's weathered unknown eons looks like?
The few players who could compare Leon's storyline to Dan Heng's couldn't help but praise Leon in unison: reliable.
They finally understood the weight of the last line in Leon's character bio.
The Express crew could fully trust him.
Quietly accounting for nearly every factor, he lived up to his self-proclaimed title of dependable adult male.
This would also become the sincere evaluation of many lore analysts after the Jarilo-VI storyline concluded.
Old Toby, one such lore analyst, had reached this point in the story and couldn't hold back his thoughts.
"Just putting it out there—no shade intended. Compared to Dan Heng's companion storyline in the closed beta, I prefer Leon's."
"In Leon's storyline, you can see the plot's simultaneous shaping of each character more clearly and directly."
"It practically lays out Bronya's emotional journey and the underground's conclusion, subtly spoiling it."
"You know she'll rebel, but the process is so vivid it makes you curious about how it'll unfold and progress."
"Through Leon and Stelle's dialogue, it indirectly highlights Leon's analytical ability, reinforcing his reliable persona's charm."
"Stelle and March have a lot of interactions, mostly humorous, but you can't ignore a key premise—"
"The kid was just born not long ago and lost all past memories."
"Keeping up with Leon's reasoning shows the protagonist isn't dumb and has a strong presence, often thinking for themselves."
"As for screen time, I'll just say you'll see later—it's plenty, definitely not just a camera."
"This ensemble drama isn't perfect, but for a gacha game, it's definitely above average."