---o---
"I have a plan."
March 7th and Dan Heng turned in unison to look at Caelus, expectantly awaiting the plan he was about to propose.
Caelus raised his right hand, a large bucket of milk suddenly appearing in it. He then turned to March 7th.
"March, do you remember when we were drinking milk tea, and I specifically drank a cup of Himeko's coffee?"
March 7th nodded. She had even complained about it at the time.
"I remember. But what does that have to do with anything?"
Caelus gave a mysterious smile, pointing at the bucket of milk in his hand as he explained unhurriedly, "Like I said before, Sister Himeko's coffee inflicts negative statuses like poison on people. March, try to think back to the scene when I drank the coffee."
March 7th tapped a finger to her lips, carefully recalling the scene. After Caelus drank Himeko's coffee, he had briefly frowned, but he had then immediately picked up the entire bucket of milk he had bought from the shop and chugged it down.
The amount of milk had been truly absurd, but after drinking it, Caelus's expression had returned to normal.
Recalling this, March 7th had a sudden realization. She clapped her hands excitedly and said, "The milk can cure poison!"
"Exactly!"
---o---
Caelus smiled and snapped his fingers, gesturing to the milk bucket in his right hand.
"You might find this a little hard to believe, but this milk can remove all status effects. Therefore, I plan to go find Cocolia directly and see if I can use the milk to remove the bewitchment status from her. Who knows, if she recovers, things might take a turn for the better."
After hearing the plan, Dan Heng felt that while it was a viable method, it wasn't safe enough.
"What if you fail? You'll be surrounded by the Silvermane Guards."
Caelus wasn't the least bit worried. Even if he failed, he still had a Plan B.
At worst, he would just capture Cocolia directly and interrogate her. She would spill the beans about the Stellaron's location sooner or later.
"Trust me. But just to be safe, we can't all go together. It'll be trouble if we're all caught in one fell swoop. Dan Heng, you and March should go to a safe place first and wait for news from me."
Even if Caelus died, he could still respawn, but March 7th and Dan Heng couldn't. So, the task of taking the milk to Cocolia was something he had to do alone.
"But isn't that too dangerous for you? At least let me come with you!"
March 7th was a little worried for Caelus's safety. No matter how strong he was, he couldn't fight off an army with his bare hands, and there was more than just one or two Silvermane Guards in Qlipoth Fort.
Caelus, however, just smiled and gently patted March 7th on the head, then gave her a thumbs-up. "Don't worry, I'm very strong."
Dan Heng was also worried for Caelus's safety, but logic told him this was indeed the best arrangement.
Even if Caelus was defeated and captured by the Silvermane Guards, Cocolia wouldn't kill him on the spot. She would definitely try to get information from him first. That period of time would be enough for him and March 7th to stage a rescue. Not to mention...
"...The Guardian robots from a hundred years ago. It's possible we can find the coordinates of the Stellaron from their data."
"Not bad. Let's go with that plan then."
---o---
Caelus and Dan Heng instantly came to an agreement. The decision was made: Caelus would go alone to try and cure Cocolia, while Dan Heng and March 7th would head to the Underworld to search for clues about the Stellaron.
The three of them had no plans to sleep that night. They were going to be arrested in the morning anyway, so they didn't have the luxury of sleeping. Caelus simply led the two of them out of the hotel, found a deserted corner, took out his pickaxe, and slammed it into the ground. Chain Destruction activated instantly, and a 3x3 shaft leading straight down into the earth was created in a flash.
The three of them began to fall almost immediately. The sudden drop sent March 7th into a panic. She frantically grabbed onto Caelus, who was beside her, and a scream echoed in his ear.
"Caelus! You could have at least given us a warning!"
Dan Heng, on the other hand, was about to thrust his spear into the nearby rock wall to slow his descent, but Caelus was faster. He instantly took the Wings of Wind he had obtained from the Herta Space Station out of his inventory and equipped it. He then reached out and grabbed Dan Heng's arm.
The speed of their descent immediately slowed, and Caelus glided them gently downward. Before long, points of light appeared directly below the shaft. A closer look revealed a few scattered streetlights.
By now, March 7th had also calmed down from her initial panic. Seeing the lights below, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
"I can't believe people actually live down here..."
Caelus led them to a slow landing on the ground. The surroundings were dim, and though there were a few simple houses, there was no sound at all. His minimap also showed no signs of life nearby.
After confirming there was no danger, Caelus let go of their hands.
"Alright, this is as far as I take you. In five hours, regardless of whether I succeed or not, I will come find you down here. Until then, protect yourselves."
Dan Heng and March 7th nodded, reminding Caelus to be careful. Caelus nodded back, took out some scaffolding blocks, and began to pillar his way back up in the direction they had come.
Dan Heng looked up, watching as Caelus ascended meter by meter. In just a short while, he was completely out of sight. Only then did he retract his gaze and turn to March 7th. "Let's go. Let's see if we can find anyone."
"Okay."
---o---
Before long, Caelus had made his way back to the surface. He casually filled the large hole with blocks, and only after he was done did he head toward Qlipoth Fort.
Even though it was now deep into the night, four Silvermane Guards were still standing watch at the steps of the fort. They saw a lone figure approaching and, despite having seen Caelus that morning, they still stepped forward to block his path.
"Halt. What is your business here, sir?"
Caelus stated his purpose directly. "I have something I need to see Cocolia about."
The guard, however, shook his head.
"My apologies, sir, but the Supreme Guardian is resting at this hour. If you have any business, please come back tomorrow."
"Since that's the case... then let me pass."
Caelus directly raised his hands and grabbed the heads of the two guards in front of him, then viciously smashed them together. The two guards immediately went limp and collapsed to the ground.
Seeing this, the other two guards were about to raise their weapons to subdue him, but Caelus had already rushed toward them. He didn't even attack, simply opening his arms wide and letting his outstretched limbs collide with their bodies, sending them flying.
Since Cocolia is already planning to turn on us, there's no need for me to play nice either.
Caelus, gripping his pickaxe, arrived at the main gate of Qlipoth Fort. With a single downward swing, the gate was instantly destroyed. In that moment, alarms blared throughout the fort, and the sound of numerous chaotic footsteps immediately followed.
Caelus walked inside, a pickaxe in one hand and a bucket of milk in the other, and shouted into the fortress.
"Cocolia, wake up! The Nameless are here to deliver some warmth!"
---o---