What if your Honkai Star Rail was like this?

Chapter 26: Chapter 26: The Method to Enter the Lower District

How could they run into Cocolia here?

Could this woman be here to capture them? No... Currently, the details about Cocolia’s character setting are still unclear. They couldn’t definitively say she was with the Silvermane Guards. Moreover, she had just said, ”Follow me.”

Dan Heng stepped forward, shielding the two behind him. ”Miss, may I ask who you are...?”

”My name is Cocolia. Serval sent me to find you.”

Cocolia explained calmly, ”The environment of the Restricted Zone is interfered with by external forces. It’s intricate and complex inside. Without a guide, there’s no way out, let alone going to the Lower District. Would you three like to follow me?”

Hearing this, Dan Heng hesitated for a moment and said, ”Could you first tell us the reason Miss Serval asked you to come find us?”

”She believes you are innocent. It’s as simple as that.”

”Can we trust her?” March 7th whispered.

Stelle was also somewhat uncertain. After all, according to Cocolia’s original character setting, she was the final boss of the first map. She couldn’t guarantee that this ”new Cocolia” would be any different from before.

But the current situation wasn’t optimistic. Thinking of this, Stelle tugged on Dan Heng’s sleeve. ”We don’t have a choice. Let’s trust her for now.”

”If the situation seems wrong, we’ll decide what to do then.”

Dan Heng nodded, put away his bronze gourd, and said, ”Thank you.”

”This way.”

The four of them continuously navigated through the complex Iron Guard Restricted Zone. During this time, they encountered many Fragmentum monsters, but these things were pierced through by Cocolia’s ice spear before they even had a chance to get close.

No matter what this Cocolia’s character setting is like, her combat power hasn’t weakened in the slightest... Stelle suddenly remembered a certain period, where Cocolia’s absolutely overpowered four consecutive actions made one question their life.

Overpowered!

”That’s about enough.”

When they reached a relatively open area, Cocolia suddenly stopped and said something inexplicable.

Stelle cautiously looked around and warily asked, ”What’s about enough?”

”The path to the Lower District.”

Cocolia said calmly, ”The Upper and Lower Districts are now irreconcilable. The border is heavily guarded. It’s absolutely impossible for you to go down openly. We can only use some unconventional methods.”

She pointed to several trash cans not far away. ”Hide inside them. I’ll take you down shortly.”

Stelle, Dan Heng, and March 7th exchanged glances, all somewhat hesitant. If Cocolia was with the Silvermane Guards, then them obediently hiding inside would be equivalent to tying the rope around themselves. Their fate would be entirely up to Cocolia.

”Of course, if you don’t trust me, just follow this road straight out. You’ll be able to leave the Restricted Zone and return to the Administrative District. The choice is entirely yours,” Cocolia added.

Dan Heng pondered for a moment and said quietly, ”Everyone, my suggestion is to play it safe. Don’t take such a big risk just to achieve our goal.”

”If this lady is truly on our side, then even if we choose to return to the Administrative District, there shouldn’t be much danger, though our progress will be significantly delayed.”

”But if this lady is with the Silvermane Guards, then once we get into these trash cans, we won’t have any chance.”

”...I have a different idea.”

Stelle said, ”Leaving aside how long Mr. Yang can stall for, don’t you think the series of events from yesterday until now is too much of a coincidence?”

”Even if there are conflicts between the Upper and Lower Districts, it shouldn’t be that we just arrived in Belobog yesterday, and today we just happen to run into the assassination attempt on the Supreme Guardian.”

”I think it’s probably that the purpose of our trip has affected certain people, which led to all of this happening. The people hiding in the shadows won’t be slow to act... We must hurry.”

Stelle shrugged helplessly. ”Sorry, I know choosing this involves greater risk, but I have a bad feeling. I choose to trust Cocolia.”

Both their gazes turned to March 7th. In their current one-to-one vote, March’s choice would directly decide their next course of action.

”I trust Stelle,” March 7th said calmly.

Dan Heng looked at Cocolia, cupped his hands in a salute, and said, ”Miss Cocolia, we’ll leave this matter to you. We of the Astral Express are extremely grateful that you and Miss Serval are willing to believe in us.”

After saying this, the three of them no longer hesitated. They chose three trash cans close together and resolutely jumped in!

To be honest, the space inside the trash cans was cramped, but the air was fairly normal, not as foul-smelling as one might imagine. But just as Stelle intended to wait patiently, she suddenly heard a ”click” sound coming from above her head. A sense of unease instinctively surfaced in her heart.

She tried to push open the lid, but found it wouldn’t budge at all!

Had they been tricked? Was Cocolia in cahoots with the Silvermane Guards?

A sweet fragrance seeped into the trash can from outside through the gaps. Within mere seconds, Stelle felt dizzy, her consciousness blurring. During one blink, she completely blacked out.

Why does it feel... this plot feels vaguely familiar...

...

Outside the trash cans, a blue-haired young man held a spray bottle, smiling as he ”drugged” the three trash cans one by one. After confirming the trio had indeed fallen silent, he casually tossed away the empty can in his hand and said with a laugh, ”Thanks for your hard work, Miss Cocolia. I will now, in accordance with our deal, send them to the Lower District.”

”I don’t doubt your methods, but these three children are good people. You’d better not send them to a bad place,” Cocolia said flatly.

”Don’t worry! They are good people, and I’m a good person too!” Sampo said with an innocent expression. ”Miss Cocolia, we are old acquaintances after all. You actually doubt my character? That’s very hurtful!”

”Stowaway, trafficker, thief, fraudster, rumormonger...” Cocolia listed the man’s various crimes, her face expressionless. ”Do you think these are labels a ’good person’ should have?”

”Hey, Miss Cocolia, you can’t say that. I haven’t affected normal public life. I’m just making a small living for myself. You don’t have to criticize me like that, right?” Sampo said apologetically. ”Besides, if you really think they are good people, you should tell them everything you know.”

”Don’t meddle in things you shouldn’t.”

Cocolia coldly snapped, ”Someone like you, full of cunning and schemes, how could you possibly understand the hardships of the lower-class people of Belobog? They pray for the world’s forgiveness every day, even children who have just become sensible are no exception.”

”In order to complete the ’New World’ spoken of by the Supreme Guardian, what does the sacrifice of a few people matter? Even if the sacrificed ones are Tarorov, are me, are four outsiders from the sky... or even the Supreme Guardian herself.”