With Gepard leading the way, they entered the Silvermane Guard camp.
Thanks to Pei Guang's assistance, the Silvermane Guards now had access to new mechanized soldiers.
Especially the mass-produced Svarogs.
Though their design was a bit flashy, they were undeniably powerful.
With these mass-produced Svarogs, the Silvermane Guards could now maintain the defense line with ease—and even push it forward bit by bit.
As Topaz observed the Svarog units guarding the outpost, she nodded thoughtfully.
"This city really has life in it."
Gepard replied, "That's thanks to Pei Guang. Without him, the people wouldn't have hope for the future—especially those in the Underworld. You might not believe this, but he and his companions helped the people there find the will to live again. And in the Overworld, he helped many who had lost all hope rediscover their desire to live. At the time, no one thought much of it, but later…"
Topaz asked, "Later, what happened?"
Gepard continued, "Later, people realized that the things he helped them find… were often items they had lost years ago—items that should have been impossible to recover. For example, there was a Silvermane Guard who lost a keepsake from her parents in battle. But somehow, Pei Guang managed to find it for her. And more than that, he encouraged her to move forward.
You might not understand, but in a place like this, where survival is already a struggle, something as simple as finding a lost keepsake can mean everything.
To her, that keepsake was more than just an object.
It was a source of strength.
It was the belief that she could keep going."
Similar occurrences were numerous. When Pei Guang first started gathering things, no one really noticed anything unusual—after all, everyone was caught up in the joy of the moment. And right after that, Pei Guang had led the charge, fighting battle after battle until they finally cut down Cocolia.
But as time passed and people calmed down, they began to realize just how absurd Pei Guang's actions were.
Even objects that had been lost for years—he somehow managed to find them.
No one knew how he did it, but that didn't stop them from developing a deep admiration for him.
In this post-apocalyptic world, what many people needed was belief—a reason to keep going.
Surviving wasn't the hardest part; what was truly difficult was living with purpose.
And Pei Guang had given them that purpose.
Listening to Gepard's explanation, Topaz found it all rather unbelievable.
She even wondered for a moment if Gepard was "deifying" Pei Guang.
After all, she had visited many worlds, and in some of them, "creating gods" was a common survival strategy—using the image of a deity to give people something to believe in.
But clearly, she was overthinking it. Gepard wasn't the type to exaggerate.
What he said was undoubtedly true.
Belobog's people believed in it wholeheartedly; if outsiders thought it was just some overblown legend, then so be it.
Topaz let out a sigh. "Ah..."
But before she could even finish her sentence, a Silvermane Guard on duty suddenly perked up at the sound.
"Ai~~~~"
The soldier's expression became incredibly serious.
Not only him, but all the Silvermane Guards around him suddenly tensed up as well.
And as for Topaz?
She was completely thrown off by the sudden "Ai~~~", so much so that she forgot what she was going to say next.
Because at this point, she no longer had a chance to speak.
The moment the on-duty guard called out "Ai~~" with such a solemn tone, another resting guard suddenly poked his head up and responded:
"Ai ni..." (Love you...)
Topaz inhaled sharply.
Wait a second.
Were the people of this planet really this bold?! Was this a public confession?!
On their first meeting?!
But before she could wrap her head around it, the situation quickly spiraled out of control.
She finally understood just how far Pei Guang had "corrupted" the Silvermane Guards.
Because right after that second guard boldly declared "Ai ni," another voice instinctively followed up:
"Ai ni gū shēn zǒu àn xiàng…" (Love you, walking alone through the dark alleys…)
Originally, the camp had been relatively quiet, aside from the usual sounds of training.
But the moment those two guards spoke, the rest of the Silvermane Guards couldn't stop themselves.
Like some secret code had been triggered, another two guards suddenly popped up and continued the song.
"Ai ni bù guì de mó yàng…" (Love you, unyielding in your stance…)
Topaz watched in disbelief.
What had seemed like an empty military camp was suddenly crawling with soldiers, all standing up one by one.
And when the next line rang out, they all joined in at the same time.
"Ai ni duì zhì guò jué wàng, bù kěn kū yī chǎng…" (Love you for facing despair head-on, refusing to shed a tear…)
At that moment, Topaz experienced a phenomenon unique to Belobog's Silvermane Guards—
The eerie calm before the blizzard.
One after another, guards emerged from their hiding spots.
And when they reached the line:
"Què gǎn dǔ mìng yùn de qiāng, ai ni hé wǒ nà me xiàng…" (Yet daring to defy the gun of fate, love you for being just like me…)
All eyes turned to Gepard.
Even the soldiers who had been singing were now staring at him.
This song, "Warrior of the Darkness," was something Pei Guang had taught the Silvermane Guards on his very first day in Belobog.
It had reignited the flames of courage within them.
But… it also had a slight side effect.
Once they got hyped up, they couldn't stop.
So Gepard had to issue an official order: only during designated relaxation periods were they allowed to sing it together. Under normal circumstances, they were only supposed to hum it to themselves.
But now?
Topaz had unintentionally triggered the "code phrase."
And Gepard himself was right here.
Now all the guards were staring at him expectantly, eyes shimmering with anticipation.
After a long pause, Gepard finally spoke.
"Qù…" (Go…)
He hadn't even finished the line when the entire camp erupted.
Because these soldiers were experienced. They knew their commander was just like Pei Guang.
For normal people, singing cost money.
For them? Singing might cost their lives.
But that didn't matter.
Since even Gepard had given in, they let loose completely.
The Silvermanes who were training nearby heard the "trigger phrase" and immediately joined in.
And Topaz?
She felt like she had seen a ghost.
When she first arrived in this world, she had already noticed that Belobog's Path of Preservation felt a little… off.
But as soon as the song started, she knew; she finally understood what was wrong.
Because as the entire camp sang together, she felt like she could see… Qlipoth?!
"Huh?????"
It wasn't that she was literally seeing Qlipoth in front of her.
But as this song echoed through the camp, with every guard—whether off-key or perfectly in tune—singing with all their heart…
She swore she could see Qlipoth in her mind. She could see Qlipoth, all alone, "hammering away" in solitude.
And for the first time, she seemed to understand why the founders of the Interastral Peace Corporation had such unwavering faith in Qlipoth.
At that moment, Topaz found herself unconsciously parting her lips to sing along.
She knew for certain her mind wasn't being influenced.
She was simply overwhelmed by the sheer, pure will of Preservation surrounding her.
And she couldn't help but be swept up in it.