Caelus and Dan Heng's attention remained focused on Sampo; neither noticed March 7th's subtle movements.
"Tell us, what's the current situation on Jarilo-VI, and what about this human settlement you mentioned?"
Sampo shrugged, threw his hands up, and didn't bother hiding anything.
"What else could the situation be? It's just like you see, covered by an eternal winter, with some Fragmentum creatures popping up now and then. As for the human settlement, it's the only city left on Jarilo-VI. It's called Belobog, and it's governed by a Supreme Guardian."
After hearing this, Dan Heng asked the next question.
"Do you know about the Stellaron?"
Sampo's fingers, which were hooked over the edge of the boat, tightened, and his eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't expected to hear the word "Stellaron" from Dan Heng's lips, but after only a few seconds of surprise, his mind was already racing.
Since these three brought up the Stellaron, they must have detected from off-world that Jarilo-VI's condition is caused by one, which is why they came here specifically.
There aren't many factions in the universe that seek out Stellarons, but there aren't few, either. However, for those who would risk coming here themselves instead of using some violent method to collect the Stellaron, the list gets much shorter.
A name immediately surfaced in Sampo's mind.
"Are you people from the Astral Express?"
"We are."
Although Sampo guessing their origin was a bit surprising, Dan Heng didn't beat around the bush. "My name is Dan Heng, he's Caelus, and she's March 7th."
The breath Sampo was holding finally escaped, and his entire body slumped.
If they were from the Astral Express, then everything was fine. The Astral Express was one of the few "do-gooder" factions in the universe. Although a beating was unavoidable, at least he didn't have to worry about being silenced by this monster, Caelus.
Just then, Caelus added, "Seeing as you knew about the Stellaron and guessed we were from the Astral Express because of it, let's cut the crap. Just tell us if you know where the Stellaron is."
Sampo, however, shook his head. He truly didn't know its exact location.
"I really don't know. But I do know that people in Belobog have researched the Stellaron in the past. You might be able to find some records there. But I should warn you, that was something from over a hundred years ago."
Caelus and Dan Heng weren't worried about the trail being cold. As long as they had a direction to investigate, they were confident they could unearth some clues, even if they had to dig three feet into the ground.
Dan Heng thought for a moment and laid out a plan.
"Tomorrow morning, we'll head to Belobog and try to meet with the Supreme Guardian. As the ruler of Belobog, she's bound to know something."
Caelus had no objections and nodded in agreement.
---o---
Seeing that the questioning was over, Sampo immediately rubbed his hands together and put on a fawning smile.
"So, uh, the interrogation is over. Could you find it in your heart to let your little brother go?"
"No," Dan Heng immediately rejected Sampo's request. "You're leading the way tomorrow. We still don't know if you're telling the truth or not."
Sampo's smile froze. His mouth opened and closed, and finally, with a helpless sigh, he resigned himself to remaining in the boat.
Seeing that he wasn't going to cause any more trouble, Dan Heng turned to Caelus.
"Just in case, I'll take the night watch tonight. You should get some rest; you've been through a lot."
With that, he glanced in Sampo's direction. Although the boat had trapped Sampo's lower half, Dan Heng couldn't figure out the principle behind it, so he couldn't be certain that Sampo had no way of escaping. It was safer to keep an eye on him.
Caelus didn't refuse. He conjured a block of wood and slapped it down next to the campfire.
"Sit here. Standing all night is rough on the knees."
Dan Heng nodded, walked over, and sat down, resting his long spear across his lap.
Caelus turned to head back to his bed to rest for a bit, but just then, March 7th's footsteps followed him from behind.
She didn't go back to her own bed but instead walked over and sat down right next to Caelus. She glanced around, then lowered her voice and asked in a conspiratorial whisper.
"Caelus, what you said before about being able to see people's identity information… is it true?"
Caelus nodded. There was no reason for him to lie to his own companions about something like that.
Seeing him confirm it, March 7th's fingers tightened on her knees, wrinkling the fabric into a small knot. Her voice dropped even lower.
"Then… can you see mine?"
Caelus turned his head to look at her. The campfire light illuminated her profile, and a small orange flame danced in her pink and blue eyes, filled with anticipation.
"I can."
March 7th immediately shifted half an inch closer to him. Her ten fingers clasped together as she sat up straight, her posture tense, allowing Caelus to size her up.
"What do you see? Tell me, quick!"
[Nameless · March 7th (The Immaculate)]
Caelus glanced at the text and began to speak, "The Imm—"
He had only gotten out the first two syllables when a hand suddenly clamped over his mouth. The touch was light, five fingers gently curved, just enough to cover the lower half of his face. An icy-cold sensation spread across his lips.
March 7th's eyes had changed. The pink and blue had faded completely, and her pupils were now filled with a dull, matte crimson, devoid of light or warmth. Even the hint of a smile that was always on her lips now seemed chillingly cold.
"Some things are best left unsaid. It will only bring unnecessary trouble."
Her tone of voice hadn't changed, but the intonation was completely different.
March 7th's usual speech pattern had a light, cheerful lilt at the end of her sentences, her excitement impossible to hide. But the voice of this 'March 7th' was flat from beginning to end, every single word carrying the exact same weight.
Caelus didn't struggle. He simply slid his gaze to his mini-map.
[March 7th (???)]
Yellow, Neutral.
It was exactly the same as what he had seen on the train last night.
Caelus didn't resist. His baseball bat was in his backpack, and it would only take a thought to retrieve it, but he didn't.
Having seen this happen twice now, Caelus had a rough theory. This was probably a case of 'dual personalities.'
On the train, he couldn't be sure if the 'March 7th' he saw was an imposter. But now, March 7th had transformed into someone else right in front of his eyes. That alone ruled out the possibility of a disguise.
Besides, this 'March 7th' didn't seem hostile. Caelus wasn't in a hurry to fight. He chose to reach up, move the hand covering his lips, and enclosed it within his own, squeezing it gently.
"Who are you?"
The crimson eyes curved slightly.
"Can't you see?"
The 'other' March 7th smiled, trying to pull her hand out of Caelus's grasp. After two failed attempts, she gave up and let him hold it, while her other hand pointed to her own cheek.
"It's obvious, isn't it? I'm the 'March 7th' you're not familiar with."
---o---
Author's P.S.: Thank you to all the readers for the reminder. I got ahead of myself and didn't pay attention, directly typing out the name 'Long Night Moon.' I had forgotten that this was a name Long Night Moon gave herself on Onfallos. I have now replaced the previous 'Long Night Moon' with '???'