Though they were whispering, their voices were unusually clear in the empty space.
Himeko helplessly facepalmed.
These two kids... Stelle was one thing, but March, you've been with me for so long—how have you not picked up even a little of my wisdom?
"Haha." Serval chuckled and looked at them with amusement.
"Don't worry. The big guy is usually easy to talk to."
"And when he's not?"
"Mm~ Maybe he just swats you away with his tail?"
-------------------------------------
With Serval, an old acquaintance, mediating between them, the atmosphere between the two sides began to ease.
"Speaking of which, it's quite a coincidence. Tingyun and the others had just left, and then you arrived. Oh, Tingyun and her group are from a place called the Xianzhou Luofu. Do you know it?"
"The Xianzhou Luofu!" Upon hearing the familiar name, Dan Heng was visibly startled.
Why would people from the Xianzhou be here? Dan Heng's thoughts drifted, his mind absent.
Meanwhile, March 7th and Stelle were still trying to figure out what Godzilla looked like when they suddenly felt a wave of warmth wash over them.
The underground space had been quite cold, and though none of them felt chilly thanks to them being Path Striders, this time they truly felt warmth.
Stelle slightly raised her head, and her world was suddenly flooded by blinding light.
Ah, so bright. Did someone turn on a light?
Creak creak creak, creak creak creak.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the sound beside her disrupted her train of thought.
The noise was rapid and continuous, almost like a machine gun.
Her arm tightened, and instinctively looking down, she saw March 7th gripping her tightly with both hands, clinging close, her face tense with anxiety.
"Whoa whoa whoa."
Whoa what?
"It's huge!"
Following March 7th's gaze, Stelle finally realized—it wasn't a light, but a giant eye, larger than herself.
Taking two steps back, she saw more clearly.
It was a massive beast lying down, its vertical pupil filled with curiosity as it observed them.
Stelle mentally measured it—a single eye larger than herself. Based on human proportions, for an eye to be that big from top to bottom, it would need to be...
"Goodbye!" With a cupped-fist salute, Stelle's gaze was resolute as she honestly retreated backward step by step.
The others watched as she dragged March 7th back to the corner they had come from.
...
"Gu."
"Gu."
"Gu."
The beast's tail tip poked and prodded her. Stelle remained completely still, obedient like a newborn child.
Godzilla was full of doubt inside.
"Um, hey, are we sure this big guy won't eat me?" Stelle muttered quietly.
"Huff!" Another blast of breath came, carrying a vibe of disdain.
Godzilla had no appetite for a puny Stellaron-holding human like her—and even if he was starving, he wouldn't choose her.
Especially with that kind of IQ? Eating her would be like asking for indigestion.
Continuing to poke at her, Godzilla seemed to have found a new toy, jabbing Stelle over and over.
Serval laughed in spite of herself, "I told you, this big guy is perfectly gentle when he's calm. Why are you so scared?"
Serval genuinely hadn't expected Stelle to react like that. Even Tingyun didn't behave like this when she first saw Godzilla.
In the end, she could only chalk it up to people being different.
"Looks like the divine beast really likes that little girl," Cocolia glanced repeatedly, almost imperceptibly, at the obedient Stelle, then casually looked over at Bronya.
Facing her mother's gaze, Bronya was helpless.
She knew her mother wanted her to be in Stelle's position.
But the problem was—pretending to be that cute and obedient? She just couldn't do it.
"Godzilla tends to show a strong interest in high-energy individuals. Strictly speaking, such individuals could be considered its food," Welt analyzed.
A professional explanation had a different kind of impact. At the very least, Stelle was now drenched in sweat, muscles tense all over. March 7th leaned closer to Welt and whispered, "Uncle Yang, are you sure Stelle's going to be okay? You just said it's food, and Stelle is in that situation..."
"High-energy individual? Does that girl have something on her?" Serval asked.
It wasn't exactly a secret that Godzilla liked energy-infused minerals.
Serval herself would occasionally go out to look for such ores for Godzilla.
Himeko and Welt exchanged a glance and nodded.
"Do you know about the existence of the Stellaron?"
"Of course, it was only because the Lord God devoured the Stellaron that Jarilo could see hope again."
"...Huh?"
Himeko blinked, somewhat in disbelief at what she was hearing.
Could it be that there was something similar to a Stellaron on Jarilo?
"The Stellaron brought a cold wave to Jarilo, causing it to struggle on the brink of death for hundreds of years. Thanks to the mercy of the Lord God, who destroyed the Stellaron, Jarilo is what it is today."
After hearing Bronya's description of the Stellaron, everyone fell silent.
Unconsciously, they all looked at Stelle, who had two streams of tears flowing down her face.
Come to think of it, Stelle's situation seems... a little dangerous...
Stelle's heart grew colder.
Godzilla snorted lightly, and the hot breath warmed the air.
He curled Stelle up with his tail and tossed her into the air, making her experience the ups and downs of life like a ping pong ball.
While playing, Stelle suddenly realized that this big guy didn't seem to intend to harm her.
So—
"Yahoo! Yahoo!" Seeing Stelle cheer like a silly child, the Express crew members all breathed a sigh of relief.
...
"Since the Lord God has such an attitude, we won't pursue your earlier words, but please remember to show respect to the Lord God while in Jarilo!"
Cocolia warned.
As someone who had saved Jarilo from disaster multiple times, Godzilla's prestige had reached a terrifying level. If the people of Wild Fire learned what the express crew said earlier, it could cause an uproar.
Welt nodded slightly and apologized.
"We're very sorry. We didn't know in advance what this deity had done for Jarilo. We made a premature judgment, which was wrong."
Cocolia nodded, then curiously asked, "What exactly is your organization? Being able to travel through the universe so freely must not be simple."
"Hehe, let me introduce you to the most, most, most amazing Nameless Travelers in the world!"
Now that her heart was at ease, March 7th immediately returned to her lively and cheerful self, smiling as she prepared to tell Cocolia the story of the express crew.
Unexpectedly—
"So you are the Nameless Travelers. I've heard Yukong mention you—great people who travel through the universe, connecting one world after another."
Earlier, when Welt was eager to explain, he didn't have the chance to properly introduce their identities.
Now, hearing March 7th bring it up, Cocolia's initial wariness dropped several notches.
Yukong had said that the Nameless were a group of lovely people whose actions were driven by the will to trailblaze.
To receive such an evaluation in the universe spoke volumes of their character.
Having finally resolved the trust issue, March 7th lightly patted her chest and let out a long breath.
"That scared me to death. It's finally over. I almost thought we were done for. It's all Uncle Yang's fault—rushing in without understanding the situation!"
March 7th crossed her arms and tilted her head toward Welt.
"Haha, I was indeed too anxious. I didn't expect that Godzilla in this world would live in such harmony with humans."
After hearing Welt mention Godzilla several times, Himeko couldn't help but ask for more details about him.
Welt paused for a moment before speaking.