Bronya's Feet, the Stellaron Crisis

Bronya felt her heart beating unusually fast.

It pounded in her chest like a rapid drumbeat, and an inexplicable warmth rose to her cheeks.

What confused her even more was that, faced with Lin Hai's sudden closeness and extraordinary intimacy, she could not bring herself to resist him in the slightest.

On the contrary, an indescribable sense of familiarity lingered in her heart, as though they had met long ago, in the distant past or in some forgotten dream.

This inexplicable pull made Bronya not only accept his presence, but even... begin to crave more.

To her, the brief kiss was like drinking poison to quench her thirst, only stirring a deeper desire.

Just then, a burning sensation suddenly flared in Lin Hai's palm!

He instinctively opened his hand. A brand-new Contract Lucky Star, shimmering with a mysterious light, appeared out of thin air and lay quietly in his palm.

The Lucky Star had appeared without warning, not from any known source.

Before he could think further, a torrent of information poured from the Lucky Star into his mind:

[Contract target: Bronya]

[Affection: 88]

[Contract act: kissing (completed)]

[Ability granted: Precision Marksmanship]

The instant the information flooded in, Lin Hai felt an unprecedented kind of muscle memory and the associated neural reflexes become ingrained in his instincts.

It was as though he were holding an invisible gun, and every potential aiming point in his surroundings, every bullet trajectory and wind correction...

Became perfectly clear to his senses.

Lin Hai had indeed grown stronger, in an unexpected way.

Enormous joy overwhelmed him.

At that moment, he realized there was a much broader possibility: nine Lucky Stars might be far from the limit of his contracts!

As long as he formed a deep connection with a suitable person, a brand-new contract star would naturally be born once their affection passed a certain threshold.

Excited, Lin Hai looked again at Bronya beside him, her cheeks flushed crimson. His eyes were full of tenderness and delight.

He reached out and gently smoothed the slightly disheveled hair by her ear, his lingering fingertips full of affection.

Then Lin Hai lowered his head, carrying the joy of someone who had discovered a new world, and planted a tender kiss on her smooth forehead, her burning cheek, and her slightly parted lips.

The air was full of sweetness and excitement.

Lin Hai gazed at the glowing Lucky Star in his palm, then looked at Bronya before him. A sense of trust spread through his heart.

The connection between them was completely different from what it had been moments ago.

This Lucky Star was not just a conduit for power. It was more like an invisible yet resilient thread, binding their destinies tightly together.

Forging a bond that could never be severed!

"Do you see this star in my hand?"

Lin Hai spoke softly, looking at Bronya with a calm gaze.

Bronya nodded. "Yes, I see it."

"It's more than just a star," he continued. "It's the connection between you and me."

"A connection?" Bronya frowned slightly, confusion appearing in her eyes. "What exactly is..."

Lin Hai did not let her finish the question.

"You don't need to understand exactly what it is. In fact, even someone as knowledgeable as Herta hasn't been able to unravel its mysteries."

Lin Hai leaned forward slightly. "You only need to know one thing: from this moment on, I'm afraid this connection between us will bind us together for the rest of our lives."

Bronya still did not fully understand, but she sensed an unmistakable weight in Lin Hai's gaze.

She chose to remain silent and ask no more questions.

In her eyes, the man before her seemed to be a walking mystery, profound and enigmatic, yet inexplicably someone she wanted to approach and trust.

"Bronya, in time, you'll come to understand."

Lin Hai's words interrupted her thoughts, carrying a trace of concern that was hard to detect. "Don't go far away for the next few days, and don't take on any assignments that require fieldwork."

Though Bronya did not understand the deeper meaning behind his words, she still nodded solemnly.

"All right, I promise."

After a brief silence, Lin Hai's gaze softened and fell on Bronya's uniform boots.

"Belobog is bitterly cold all year round..." he asked suddenly. "When you stand for a long time... do your feet get cold?"

Bronya paused, slightly startled, and did not answer.

Lin Hai had already bent down and reached out, gently removing her boots to reveal a pair of fair feet that curled slightly at their sudden exposure to the cool air.

Her feet were very pretty, with rounded toes and graceful lines, and a hint of fragility.

Lin Hai's hands were warm and dry. He gently took one foot, his fingertips exploring as they slowly brushed over its instep and arch.

"Your feet..." He raised his head, appreciation in his eyes. "They're beautiful."

Bronya's cheeks turned crimson, and shyness swept over her.

She had never experienced such intimate and disconcerting contact before. For a moment, she did not know how to react. She could only stand frozen and let him continue, her heart pounding.

After playing with her foot for a while, Lin Hai finally stood up.

He did not leave immediately. Instead, he stepped forward and planted a gentle, fleeting kiss on her smooth forehead, as though it were a silent farewell and a mark.

"Get some rest."

With that, he turned and left, leaving Bronya standing there alone.

Silence returned to the office. She was alone, and her still-racing, uneven heartbeat reminded her of her feelings.

She remained silent for a long time, her fingertips unconsciously touching the place he had kissed, countless thoughts running through her mind.

Countless questions, confusion, shyness... and a faint trace of joy intertwined.

Qlipoth Fort.

It was brightly lit and so quiet that the faint flickering of candle flames could be heard.

Cocolia sat upright behind a spacious desk, her fingertips passing over yet another document awaiting her review as she immersed herself in Belobog's complicated affairs of state.

Yet her concentration was repeatedly disturbed by a whisper she could not banish from her mind.

The voice seemed to come from the deepest reaches of her consciousness, yet also seemed to seep directly into her ears from the void.

It had a certain cold, inhuman quality.

It repeated itself incessantly, binding Lin Hai tightly to words like threat, instability, and outsider, doing its utmost to plant a thought in her mind:

Only by eliminating the variable that was Lin Hai could Belobog return to the peace and order it deserved.

Cocolia's brows knitted involuntarily as an indescribable sense of agitation and restlessness spread through her heart.

She suddenly raised her head, her sharp gaze sweeping every corner of the empty hall, as if to find the hidden speaker.

Yet all around her were cold stone walls, with nothing out of the ordinary.

"...Use my power..."

The whisper sounded again.

"...Only then can Belobog's plight be completely resolved... Everything you hope for... can be achieved..."

The voice struck precisely at Cocolia's deepest desire.

As the Supreme Guardian, she wanted more than anyone to lead her people out of the cycle of bitter cold and despair.

To end the suffering that had lasted for hundreds of years!

The helplessness of reality and the shortcut promised by the Stellaron pulled her in opposite directions.

For a moment, the beautiful vision it painted nearly captured Cocolia's heart.

But in the end, Cocolia took a deep breath, and a trace of clarity flashed in her eyes.

She shook her head hard and, with tremendous willpower, forced the unsettling murmurs from her mind.

She lowered her head again and refocused on the documents on her desk.