---o---
Bronya led the three of them to the largest hotel in Belobog. The moment the lobby manager saw Bronya, he immediately walked out from behind the counter to greet her with a smile.
"Miss Bronya, what brings you to our establishment today?"
Bronya smiled and gestured to the side, presenting the trio behind her to the manager.
"I am here today to arrange a place for these three honored guests to rest. Please arrange it for them and charge the bill to Qlipoth Fort."
"Of course, no problem. Three rooms, is it?"
The trio nodded. The lobby manager immediately returned to the counter to make the arrangements. In no time at all, he came back with three room keys and handed them to the group.
After they took the keys, Bronya asked again, "Do you need me to show you to your rooms?"
Dan Heng was the first to decline. "That won't be necessary, Miss Bronya. We hope to have some time for a private discussion. We can find the rooms ourselves."
"Very well."
Bronya nodded, tactfully preparing to take her leave. "In that case, if you three guests require anything else, you are welcome to come find me at Qlipoth Fort at any time. You just need to give your names to the guards at the entrance, and they will know."
"Thank you."
After the three chorused their thanks, Bronya left.
---o---
After watching Bronya leave, March 7th unclipped the camera from her waist and held it up with an excited look on her face.
"Dan Heng, what should we do next? Should we go take some pictures of the sights to show Sister Himeko and the others what Belobog is like?"
Dan Heng, however, shook his head and pointed toward a quiet seating area. "Let's organize our current findings first. Besides, it seems like Caelus has something he wants to say."
"Caelus?" March 7th blinked and turned her head to look at Caelus beside her. It was only now that she realized he had been unusually quiet ever since they left Qlipoth Fort. He was so quiet, in fact, that he had managed to walk past three or four trash cans on the way here without even trying to rummage through them!
March 7th immediately approached him with a look of concern, observing his physical condition. "Caelus, what's wrong? You seem a bit out of it. Are you sick? You didn't even try to rummage through the trash cans we passed."
Caelus, who had been pondering whether or not Cocolia was the final boss, heard March 7th's words and his eyes went wide with a look of pure regret.
"Dammit, why didn't you say so sooner!"
With that, Caelus made a move to head back outside the hotel. He wouldn't be able to sleep tonight if he didn't check those trash cans.
"Hey, hey, hey!"
March 7th immediately threw her arms around Caelus's arm, trying with all her might to drag him back.
"We're honored guests of Belobog now, representing the Astral Express! You have to be a little more mindful of your image!"
Caelus, however, had a different opinion on the matter.
"The Nameless explore the unknown, and the entire universe is one giant, massive trash can! Until you open it, no one knows if there's treasure or trash inside! Before I open the big trash can, I need to warm up with some smaller ones!"
"There's only trash in trash cans!"
"What if there isn't?"
Dan Heng watched the two bickering, sighed, and pressed a hand to his forehead.
"Alright, let's sit down and talk first. You can do whatever you want afterward."
---o---
Seeing that Dan Heng had spoken, Caelus and March 7th stopped their squabbling and obediently followed him to a sofa in the corner, where they each took a seat.
The moment they sat down, Dan Heng immediately asked Caelus about what had happened back at Qlipoth Fort.
"Caelus, you were staring at the Supreme Guardian the whole time back in the fort. Did you discover something? Is there something off about her identity?"
"Oh, right! Caelus, did you see something?" It took March 7th a moment to remember that Caelus could see through Sampo's hidden identity. Could the Supreme Guardian have a hidden identity as well?
Caelus nodded and told them what he had seen.
"That Supreme Guardian does indeed have a hidden title. Besides her position and her name, Cocolia, I saw another name for her—Mother of Deception. I immediately felt that something was off about that title, like a final boss in a video game. She also gave me a very strange feeling, like two Stand users being drawn to each other."
Mother of Deception? Stand users attracting each other?
Dan Heng temporarily set aside the last part, which he didn't quite understand, and focused on what the title "Mother of Deception" could mean.
"A person's title is often based on one of their characteristics. The word 'deception' is typically used to describe concepts that are illusory or detached from reality."
Following Dan Heng's explanation, Caelus frowned and guessed, "You mean, the Supreme Guardian might be a fake?"
"It's highly possible." Dan Heng nodded in agreement, then turned back to Caelus. "But this is just our speculation for now. The Supreme Guardian promised to help us investigate the Stellaron. Regardless of whether she finds any clues, she will certainly meet with us again. When that time comes, Caelus, I hope you can observe her more closely and find out what's not right about her."
"No problem."
March 7th, however, had a worried frown on her face.
"If the Supreme Guardian is really a fake, isn't that really bad for us? She might hide information about the Stellaron."
"Mm, that's true." Dan Heng had naturally considered this possibility. "To be safe, it's best we also try to find some clues about the Stellaron on our own. When we were entering the city with Gepard earlier, I noticed a library on the way. I'll go there later to research the history of Belobog. As for you two..."
Dan Heng thought for a moment.
"You two can go and have some fun in the area."
"Huh?" March 7th blinked in disbelief, pointing a finger at her own nose as she asked, "Us two go play? Dan Heng, don't you need help? Though, I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of any books that aren't novels."
Caelus, however, had already figured out Dan Heng's plan.
"What Dan Heng means is that we should act as decoys on the surface, in case the Supreme Guardian sends people to tail us. After all, we told Gepard about our origins, and he certainly would have reported it to her. So, Dan Heng wants us to attract their attention while he uses the opportunity to investigate."
"Oh! So that's what you meant! Caelus, Dan Heng, you guys are so smart!"
Caelus and Dan Heng were at a loss for whether to laugh or cry. This was a very basic strategy.
Little March, you're just too dense!
"Alright, that's the plan then."
---o---