Honkai Star Rail: Survive. Adapt. Overcome.

"I told them to be discreet." Aleph said as he walked through the museum lobby with Stelle and March. "They're only supposed to observe and expand the search area. I trust they'll do as well as they did in Luofu."

"Discreet?" Stelle echoed, raising an eyebrow. "We're talking about your demons. Are you sure they understood the meaning of discreet?"

March shrugged.

"They're more discreet than you."

"They'll be fine. Oni is in charge, and I made sure to tell Nappea to keep a close eye on Jack. Hopefully they won't cause any trouble." Aleph replied.

March crossed her arms.

"And what if they do run into the guy? That 'Mr. Coldfeet' guy?"

"They can use our contract to contact me. That way, I can give them the necessary instructions."

March put her hands on her hips and gave him a mildly intense stare.

"With that kind of resource... why didn't you use it back when we were tracking those Heliobus?"

Aleph looked away.

"...I barely ever use summons. You think I actually knew?"

"Excuses." Stelle said flatly, staring at him.

Pela's voice called down from the second floor staircase.

"So far, we haven't made any useful progress." She descended with a furrowed brow, tablet in hand. "I've been going over last night's reports. Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"So now what?" Stelle asked.

"I'm going to speak with Captain Gepard. Maybe the Guard can give us more eyes on the streets. In the meantime..." She lowered the tablet. "I'm leaving you in charge of fixing the damage. If the museum isn't presentable before the Festival, it'll be another crisis on top of everything else."

At the back of the grand hall, one section was cordoned off with folding screens and wooden panels. A sign hung from a chain that read Restricted Area.

"What's in there?" March asked, pointing with curiosity.

Seele stepped forward, arms crossed, looking uninterested.

"It's the only exhibit that wasn't stolen. And you shouldn't go near it. It's... a surprise."

"A surprise?" Stelle muttered.

"Mhm." Seele looked away. "And it's none of your business."

Before anyone could respond, the main door suddenly burst open.

"Ah, perfect! Just in time."

Cocolia entered with determined steps, her impatient expression aimed squarely at Seele.

"Pela told me you're no longer busy, Seele." she said with a neutral tone and a smile. "So I've come to take you to your etiquette lessons."

Seele's face immediately twisted into a grimace of horror.

"Not again!" She yelled before spinning on her heels and bolting.

Cocolia let out a long sigh.

"This happens almost every day." She murmured as she began to follow. "One day she'll get used to it."

The door swung shut behind her.

The rest of the group stood in silence for a moment.

"...Well," Pela muttered as she adjusted her glasses, choosing to ignore what had just happened. "Back to work."

*****

While the others were fixing display cases and trying to repair broken things, Pela returned with Gepard, who looked around the place attentively.

"Thanks for coming, Gepard." Pela said. "The situation's still stuck. Like I mentioned, we'll need logistical support over the next few days."

Gepard nodded.

"I've alerted the patrols. If there's any suspicious activity in the coming hours, we'll be notified immediately."

He noticed the mess and the damaged display cases, tilting his head slightly.

"I can help with that too. It's no problem."

March leaned against a freshly repaired case.

"Speaking of which…" She murmured, looking at Gepard curiously. "I thought you'd take way longer to show up."

Gepard smiled and shook his head.

"Ever since you all dealt with the Stellaron, the Fragmentum is still a problem, but it's no longer spreading, and monster proliferation has gone way down. Since then, a lot of us in the Guard have had more free time for other duties like this." He paused for a second, then pulled a notebook out from inside his coat. "It also gave me time to focus more on my hobby. What do you think? Serval and Lynx haven't seen it yet."

"Not bad." Aleph nodded as he looked at it. From what he remembered, Kevin had been way worse at drawing, so he didn't have much room to criticize Gepard.

"Yeah." Gepard nodded seriously. "Serval encouraged me to find something relaxing to help with the stress and fill my free time. I tried music but…"

Pela shuddered like she'd just remembered something traumatic.

"Turns out I'm not very talented in that area."

Aleph raised an eyebrow with interest.

"So what made you get into art?"

"Have you seen the wanted posters?"

When Aleph nodded, Gepard continued.

"I remembered how relaxing it was to draw those, and I thought, why not make it a hobby?"

Stelle nearly tripped at the confession, and Aleph had to exert superhuman effort to keep from bursting out laughing.

So it was Gepard who made those infamous — but hilariously charming — portraits? The man deserved applause. And a standing ovation.

Pela, curious, held out her hand.

"May I?"

When Gepard didn't object, Aleph handed the notebook to her.

Pela opened it.

Her expression froze.

On the first page: a pencil sketch of what looked like… a dog? A lady in a hat? A teapot?

The second page was even more bizarre — it seemed to be a portrait of Bronya, with lopsided eyes and a strangely shaped nose.

March and Stelle peeked over her shoulder. Stelle covered her mouth. March let out an "Awww!" that didn't sound entirely sincere.

"Well?" Gepard asked, with genuine hope in his eyes.

Pela closed the notebook carefully.

"You have… a lot of dedication. And that's what really matters."

"Yes! Definitely!" March nodded enthusiastically. "Art comes from the heart. Not… um… proportion."

Gepard, missing the irony, nodded proudly.

"It was Lady Bronya. Did you recognize her?"

"…Of course," March said, looking away.

"What matters," Pela added, trying to wrap things up as delicately as possible, "is that it relaxes you and you enjoy it. That's already more than a lot of artists can say."

Gepard nodded with a sincere smile. "Exactly. And I'm improving. I'm planning a whole series about Belobog and its citizens."

"That sounds… ambitious," Stelle muttered.

"We can't wait to see more!" March lied, giving two thumbs up.

Pela waved everyone off.

"Back to work. There'll be time for art later — if we manage to stop this auction."

Gepard tucked the notebook back into his pocket before heading over to where a few shelves had collapsed.

....

"Would anyone here be willing to help me run the museum?" Asked the director, wiping his hands with a handkerchief after repairing the lock on a display case.

Stelle raised her eyebrows.

"Weren't we just supposed to fix a few things?" She didn't mean to be rude, but she had other things to do and didn't want to waste time at the museum.

"And we're just about done." March added. "Sorry, but I'll pass. I've got other things to check on."

Aleph looked at the director. Then at the display cases. Then at the ceiling. And sighed.

"I guess I can help you out."

The director smiled.

"Magnificent! I was starting to think this generation only came around to break things."

Stelle chuckled.

"He does break things better than anyone. That, we can all agree on."

"And what right do you have to say that?"

"We'll leave you to it then." March said, giving Aleph a pat on the shoulder. "We're heading back to the Underworld. Clara messaged us asking for help with some malfunctioning robots."

"Alright. Let me know if you find anything about Mr. Cold Feet."

Gepard approached the group.

"I'll stay in touch with the patrols. If they detect anything unusual, I'll let you know. Check your phones every now and then." He added before leaving.

A little later, the director led Aleph to the reception area. Behind the front desk, a young woman was calmly sorting papers. She had blonde hair tied in a low ponytail and green eyes that radiated kindness.

"This is Eris, our star receptionist." Said the director. "Eris, this is Aleph. He'll be helping us today."

"Nice to meet you." She said with a gentle smile.

"Same here." Aleph replied, lifting a hand in greeting.

Eris went back to her paperwork, and Aleph stayed to help at the front desk. Eris spoke enthusiastically about a ceremonial urn from the Reconstruction Era, and while Aleph wasn't entirely interested, he listened quietly.

In the middle of that, Pela briefly approached to give Aleph a few tips for when he'd have to act as a guide.

"Talking to visitors isn't that hard. Just keep a steady pace, don't overwhelm them with info, and watch if they're actually interested or just want to look at the pieces. That's it." she said. "You've got a firm voice, that helps. Maintain eye contact, but don't come off as intimidating. And if anyone asks about the closed exhibit, just say it's under restoration."

Aleph nodded seriously.

"Understood."

Pela left quickly, saying she had to coordinate with the patrol teams.

A few hours later, Aleph and Eris had finished organizing the main galleries. Most of the displays were back in place, and only minor details were left to adjust. Eris was talking about the restoration of a damaged piece when Aleph's phone vibrated in his coat pocket.

"Burroughs?" He muttered quietly.

[Master, you have two messages,] It replied. [They seem to be somewhat urgent.]

Aleph opened the messaging app.

[Seele: "We ran into some weird guys in black suits. They're accompanied by advanced robots and they're wreaking havoc around here. Something's not right."]

[Seele: "You're still in the Overworld, right? Please try to reach Bronya and see if she knows anything about this. She hasn't responded to my messages."]

"Great." Aleph muttered, rubbing his temple. "What's the other message?"

[Bronya: "Aleph. I need you to come to Qlipoth Fortress immediately. It's urgent. Please don't delay."]

"Burroughs, notify Oni and Nappea to be on alert. Nothing's certain, but it won't hurt for them to be a little more cautious."

[Understood.]

*******

When Aleph entered the office at Qlipoth Fortress, he stopped upon seeing Bronya with a woman standing in front of her desk.

"…I understand that this isn't your fault, nor that of your current administration, Supreme Guardian." The woman was saying, arms crossed with a smile. "But Belobog has a debt. And it's time to pay up."

Aleph stepped forward, and the door clicked shut behind him. The woman turned her head and looked at him with curiosity.

"Oh. Well now, seems we have a visitor."

Bronya raised a hand.

"Aleph, this is Topaz, from the Interastral Corporation."

Topaz gave a slight nod.

"A pleasure."

Aleph didn't respond. Instead, he looked at Bronya.

"If you're discussing important matters, I can wait outside."

"That won't be necessary." Topaz interjected, turning toward the door. "Our conversation is already over."

Before leaving, she turned once more to Bronya.

"You'll remember, of course, that if Jarilo-VI wishes to take part in the modern galactic framework, its credit history with the Corporation will be... essential."

Bronya nodded with a tense expression.

"You've made yourself very clear, Topaz. I'll take your words into consideration."

"Excellent. Ah, and while my colleagues are deliberating on the repayment terms... do keep in mind that some of them have already begun operations in Belobog. We hope the citizens of the Underworld will be as cooperative as you."

Topaz's smile lingered until the door clicked shut behind her.

Bronya remained silent for a moment, then sank into her chair with a sigh. Aleph stepped forward, concerned.

"What's going on?"

Bronya gave him a weary look.

"Seven hundred years ago, just before the Eternal Freeze. At the time, the Supreme Guardian and the Architects made a desperate decision. They requested a loan from the Corporation to acquire weapons, automated units, supplies—everything needed to survive."

"A loan... from the Corporation?"

Bronya nodded.

"The contract had a 280-year repayment term. But only a few months later, the Eternal Freeze struck, and the world became completely isolated. For centuries, it was assumed Jarilo-VI had been destroyed, like so many other worlds under attack by the Antimatter Legion."

Aleph crossed his arms, frowning.

"But then the Astral Express arrived."

"Yes." Bronya confirmed.

Aleph furrowed his brow.

"I'm going to ask something stupid, but... Topaz, she came to—?"

Bronya sighed.

"Yes. She came to collect that debt, along with the accumulated interest. The amount is so massive I can't even read the full figure."

Aleph stayed silent for a few seconds.

"Vulture rats…"

Bronya raised a hand to calm him.

"She already warned me before you arrived. If payment is delayed further, the Corporation has authorized her to take 'stronger measures.'"

Aleph turned toward the window, trying to contain his frustration.

"If we had done nothing... if the Stellaron were still buried here, they wouldn't even know this world existed. And now they come to collect, acting like something's owed to them. How convenient."

Bronya slowly stood.

"Do you think the Astral Express could persuade her? Maybe use their reputation to extend the deadline."

"Don't even doubt it." Aleph answered firmly. "I'll do everything in my power to help you."

The tension in Bronya's shoulders eased slightly.

"Thank you."

Aleph remembered something.

"Seele sent me a message. Apparently, some guys in black suits are causing trouble in the Underworld. With robots. Based on what Topaz said, it's possible that—"

Bronya's expression hardened again.

"Those people… they must be Corporation employees."

"And if Wildfire decides to defend their territory…?"

"That's exactly what worries me." Bronya clenched her fists.

Aleph placed a hand to his forehead.

"March and Stelle are down there too. If a fight breaks out, there's no doubt they're already in the middle of it."

Bronya rose from her chair.

"Then we can't waste any more time. Can I ask you to go there and try to prevent a conflict?"

Aleph nodded before heading to the door.

"On my way."

"Good luck, Aleph." She murmured, sitting back down and quickly reaching for her phone to message Gepard, Cocolia, and Pela.

******

A couple of Corporation employees lay unconscious by the entrance to Natasha's clinic.

"You're just in time." Said Oleg without looking at him. "Though you missed the fun part."

Natasha snorted.

"They came straight to the clinic. Said they were here for an 'inspection.' Tried to take practically everything that wasn't nailed down."

"These youngsters nowadays, no respect for their elders." Oleg shook his head as he looked at the pile of unconscious employees.

Aleph nodded. He wasn't particularly surprised by the outcome.

"How many were there? And where did those robots come from?" His eyes scanned the area. There were no signs of anyone else besides the employees and Oleg and Natasha. "And the Guards? Did Gepard and his men come?"

"A medium-sized group. The Guard tried to step in. Gepard showed up with reinforcements. But just when we thought things were going to calm down, one of those guys pulled out a remote. Looked at us and said—"

Natasha cut in, mimicking an arrogant voice.

"'Don't forget who built these toys, boys.'"

She nailed the tone so well Aleph could almost picture the smug grin of the bastard who said it.

If the situation weren't so serious, he might've asked her to do an impression of Welt next.

Natasha crossed her arms.

"Hook told us more of them headed for the mines. Kicked everyone out and took the place. Seele, Stelle, and March went after them."

Aleph frowned.

"Long story short, watch out for the robots." Oleg added.

"Are you alone? Why didn't you go help Gepard?" Aleph asked.

"We took care of these idiots just before you showed up. We're still pretty worn out. Could you lend him a hand? You know how he is—he might've ordered his men to fall back and tend to the wounded while covering their retreat without even telling us."

Aleph gave a single nod, saying nothing more.

"Then I'll go to him first." He said. "After that, I'm heading to the mines. I won't let these people act like they own the place."

He turned to leave, but Oleg placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Be careful, kid. These guys might have some dirty tricks up their sleeve."

Aleph paused for a second, rolling up the sleeves of his coat.

"So do I." He replied.