"Mother, I... I want to ask you something."
"There's a classmate in my class who wants to visit our home and study together. Is that okay?"
Cocolia rubbed her temples.
"A classmate? What kind of classmate is worth asking me about?"
Bronya lowered her head, unconsciously poking her two fingers together as a rosy blush spread across her cheeks.
"It's... the one I mentioned before, the student who transferred from the Underworld."
"He's very smart. In this test, he even ranked higher than me."
"Oh? Him? The one named Jiang..."
Cocolia was just about to say that name.
Her expression suddenly changed. Her brows furrowed tightly, and the pain in her forehead seemed to intensify.
She could not help pressing a hand to her head.
Bronya was immersed in her own shyness and anticipation and did not fully notice her mother's unusual reaction.
She only noticed something was wrong when she looked up.
Then she hurried forward. "Mother, are you all right? Should I call a doctor for you?"
"No!"
Cocolia cut her off somewhat impatiently, her voice rising several degrees.
But she immediately realized her loss of composure and softened her tone.
"I just need to rest for a moment. You mean... Jiang Mo, right?"
She seemed to be enduring something with all her strength.
"Yes! That's right, Mother, Jiang Mo. Can he come?"
Bronya looked up at her expectantly.
Cocolia looked at the rare pleading expression in her daughter's eyes.
Then she felt the inexplicable stabbing pain and irritation in her mind.
She only wanted to end this conversation as quickly as possible.
Cocolia waved her hand impatiently.
"All right, all right. Let him come."
"But remember, Clipper Fort is not a playground. Tell him to follow the rules and leave before nightfall."
"Really?! That's wonderful! Thank you, Mother!"
Bronya was overjoyed, and a smile bloomed across her face.
Meeting the Parent
The next day, Bronya excitedly told Jiang Mo the good news.
After school, amid the envious and jealous gazes of countless classmates.
Bronya Rand, the future Supreme Guardian, personally led Jiang Mo.
They headed toward the grand fortress that symbolized power and order—Clipper Fort.
They passed through heavily guarded gates and walked along broad, cold corridors.
Jiang Mo's face held curiosity and amazement.
But inwardly, he observed everything with calm focus.
By then, Jiang Mo's Golden Threads of Fate had already spread out.
The invisible threads seemed alive as they swiftly clung to the walls, floors, drainage pipes, and even the gaps in the guards' armor.
He walked slowly as the threads continued extending.
The building's structure, the layout of its rooms, the deployment of personnel...
Soon, a three-dimensional map that constantly grew more complete took shape in his mind.
The guards' murmurs, the sound of documents being flipped through in distant offices—everything reached his ears with perfect clarity.
Bronya led Jiang Mo to her living quarters.
This place clearly felt more lived-in than the outer areas, but it was still tidy and solemn.
After crossing a courtyard, Bronya stopped before a door.
"This is my room."
Jiang Mo immediately asked if he could take a look inside.
A blush rose on Bronya's fair cheeks, and she hesitated for a moment.
But in the end, she could not withstand Jiang Mo's insistence and gently nodded in agreement.
When the door opened, the room was vastly different from the girlish bedroom Jiang Mo had imagined.
There were no toys or dolls, aside from a small Silvermane Guards figurine on the desk.
Everything was arranged in perfect order—almost excessively so.
One wall was covered by a massive bookshelf stuffed with all kinds of books, mostly practical and educational in nature.
On the other side hung several exquisite gun models.
"Bronya, your room is pretty unique."
"Mother says that, as an heir, I shouldn't indulge in useless decorations."
Bronya explained.
Yet her gaze kept drifting toward the gun models, making it obvious how much she liked them.
The two chatted casually for a while.
When he felt the timing was about right, Jiang Mo stood up.
"Sorry, Bronya. Could I use the restroom?"
"Of course." Bronya pointed outside. "Turn left when you leave, and it's right there."
After thanking her, Jiang Mo left the room, but he did not head toward the restroom.
Following the guidance of the Golden Threads of Fate, he passed through several corridors and arrived before a large door.
It was the office of Cocolia, the Supreme Guardian.
The threads told him that Cocolia was inside, alone.
Strangely, she seemed to be talking to "someone."
Jiang Mo's heart stirred, and he immediately focused the Golden Threads of Fate's senses there.
"I know the Geode Veins are nearly exhausted, but there's still time. I'm still trying..."
Cocolia's voice carried exhaustion and anxiety.
A chaotic yet seductive voice rang out.
"Abandon your resistance... Accept this new world as soon as possible... Withdraw those foolish Silvermane Guards... Embrace the gift of the cold wave..."
Jiang Mo's heart tightened.
This... was the Stellaron whispering!
"Please give me a little more time!"
"I'll make them... make them all accept it..."
Knock, knock, knock.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the office door.
The voices inside stopped abruptly.
That chaotic whisper vanished without a trace.
After a brief silence, Cocolia's somewhat flustered voice sounded.
"Who?... Come in!"
Jiang Mo pushed the door open and entered.
Cocolia sat behind a massive desk. When she saw the black-haired youth enter, handsome and about the same age as her daughter Bronya, she could not help freezing for a moment.
She quickly recognized him.
"Jiang Mo? You... why are you here?"
"This isn't a place to fool around. Go find Bronya."
Jiang Mo was slightly surprised inwardly, but his expression remained calm.
She knows me?
But he suddenly remembered that he had grown so close to Bronya. Given Cocolia's controlling nature and methods, there was no way she would not know.
His information had probably been sitting on her desk for a long time.
Fortunately, this identity had been made cleanly. Otherwise, she would not have allowed him into Clipper Fort.
Jiang Mo respectfully bowed and spoke in a youthful tone of admiration.
"Greetings, Supreme Guardian."
"Bronya told me your office was here."
He paused and looked at Cocolia with sincere eyes.
"You are Bronya's mother, and also the greatest Supreme Guardian in all of Belobog."
"I... have always admired you greatly, so I came here presumptuously to greet you."
Cocolia looked at the well-mannered, earnest youth before her, and some of the weariness on her face faded.
Although he came from the Underworld, his upbringing was clearly quite good.
"I can rest a little easier knowing Bronya has a friend like you."
She nodded lightly, accepting Jiang Mo's greeting.
However, at that moment, the violent headache she had forcibly suppressed struck again, more fiercely than ever before!
Though the chaotic whisper had retreated, the mental backlash it left behind made Cocolia's vision go dark.
She clutched her forehead in pain, her body swaying slightly against her will.
"Supreme Guardian, what's wrong?!"
Jiang Mo immediately stepped forward, concern appearing on his face.
Cocolia wanted to say she was fine, but the pain prevented her from uttering even a single word. She could only wave a hand with difficulty.
At that moment, Jiang Mo clearly saw streams of black smoke-like energy continuously escaping from Cocolia's body, especially around her head, where it lingered and coiled without dispersing.
Cocolia herself seemed unable to sense this aura.
But Jiang Mo was all too familiar with it. It was the power of Destruction.
He had seen this sight in simulations before.
It was probably because of the title Lord of Ruin that he had developed some kind of affinity with the power of Destruction.
That was why he could see these abnormalities that ordinary people could not perceive.
Then perhaps he could give it a try...
Jiang Mo immediately put on an anxious expression and said.
"Supreme Guardian, your condition looks like a severe migraine caused by excessive mental stress."
Before you continue