Chapter 13

Unconditional and unconditioned help is called being a babysitter.

Because of weakness, Jarilo-VI was once on the verge of perishing as a nation and a race. Even if it was spared the disaster of the Stellaron, how would those marked by the Antimatter Legion defend themselves after the Astral Express crew left?

Natasha gazed at Shirou Emiya, remaining silent for a long time. She seemed to understand his meaning.

If there was food, the people of the Lower City could survive, living in a very docile and obedient manner, becoming truly compliant subjects.

No,

it should be called domestication.

Feeding domestic animals with fodder.

...I must do something, and I will.

Shirou Emiya's meaning pointed out clearly: his purpose was to solve the "Stellaron", and he himself needed a "partner". Most importantly, he did not go before the "Supreme Guardian", but instead came to the Lower City to discuss cooperation with her, an ordinary leader of Wildfire.

Counterattack... at the very least, it means uniting the Lower City into a single rope, returning to the surface, and standing in opposition to the "Supreme Guardian".

After Shirou Emiya left, Natasha sat in her clinic. With a blank expression and without a word, she paced back and forth incessantly, ran, or even collapsed onto the sickbed rolling around, muttering "No, no", "Absolutely cannot do that", "It will kill everyone"... Until finally, she could no longer hold back and rushed out...

Then, she grabbed the left and right guardians of Wildfire who were guarding outside the door, dragging them into the room instantly.

After God knows how long of discussion, when all three walked out of the clinic with heavy expressions, Natasha stood before the main door, gazing at the young children innocently playing in the distance, and abruptly made up her mind.

"Seele, have you ever seen the real sky?"

She suddenly asked the young girl beside her. The latter was slightly startled, remaining unusually silent for a moment, and lowered her head with a somewhat stubborn insistence.

"I have no interest in such things."

This was a lie.

When she was a child, she had been to the Upper City once. At that time, Oleg was still the person in charge of the Lower City for the Silvermane Guards, so he granted her passage. During those two days, she had witnessed the prosperity of the Upper City, witnessed everything the Lower City had never possessed, and... the sky covered by leaden, thick clouds.

It was the first time she had seen the sky, but it did not possess the beautiful colors described in the orphanage's storybooks. Later, she asked Oleg about it, and back then Oleg merely rubbed her head, smiling and saying he would take her to see it again when the right opportunity arose.

Later still, the Upper City and Lower City were completely sealed off, and she never left the Lower City again, nor did she ever have the chance to gaze at the sky.

"The Lower City is also a part of Belobog. Every inch of land here is the heart's blood of the Geodust Pioneers who went forward and succeeded one another. In the past, they were all people living beneath the sky of Belobog."

"Seele, whether it is you, or the children born only after the blockade order was issued, you originally all deserved the right to look up at the sky."

"That 'rice bag' might be able to bring us enough food, but once the news leaks, the Upper City will inevitably send people to demand the food. By then... we will only have resistance."

"In the past, the Upper City sealed the passage to the Lower City, and we were powerless, lingering on the brink of death until now. But now, we have waited for the people of the Astral Express. To us, they are a turning point, the only key to breaking through the plight of the Lower City. Therefore, we cannot miss it."

"As a healer, I know deeply that the patients I can save when I pour my whole life into it are also extremely limited. Moreover, in this Lower City, lacking medical facilities and pharmaceutical resources to treat those patients in a crude environment, every single time is actually walking on a tightrope."

We need a safer medical environment, clean water sources, and school institutions where children can receive an education with peace of mind. There are too many things we need. In the past, I didn't dare to harbor extravagant hopes... but now, with the appearance of that person, perhaps we must consider whether this is the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of our lives.

"Just as he said, the Stellaron destroyed everything we had, and now... with this fleeting turning point, it is time for us to take all of it back."

She gazed at the underground dome that sealed off the sky. The rugged, jagged rocks faintly visible within that pitch-black shadow resembled the bars of a prison. After pausing slightly for a moment, Natasha spoke again.

"No matter how high the price, we must defeat the "Stellaron" and take back our future."

"The second beacon was triggered too? Good luck."

Having just returned to the inn, before she even had a chance to cross paths with March 7th and the others, Shirou Emiya felt the vague sense of connection of the "Drifting Beacon", from which intermittent murmurs transmitted from the other end.

With the existence of the Synesthesia Beacon, when that unfamiliar voice slipped into his mind, it would complete automatic translation. For this alone, Mr. Emiya had to praise that the brains of those in the Genius Society were truly easy to use.

...Kill!

Kill! I'm going to kill all the Uchiha!

...Senju! Senju!

Much like dream-lacking delirious talk, the words transmitted from the other side were chaotic, disorderly, and lacked the logic of language organization. When the Nen communication was transmitted over there, there was no response at all. With no other choice, Shirou Emiya could only furrow his brows and begin to analyze some of the nouns within those chaotic words.

Senju, Uchiha... it seems there is no suspense. Did an ordinary "Drifting Beacon" land in the shinobi world?

Shirou Emiya could not help but slightly arch an eyebrow. Although the initial worldview of Naruto could not be considered very strong, after Madara Uchiha appeared in the later stages, an era where Naruto and Sasuke ascended to immortality and the Otsutsuki family refreshed themselves crazily began to emerge one after another.

The early stage could only be said to be the legendary weapon skirmishes of several villages. Although several villages indeed still mastered "nuclear weapons", regular ninja combat was still retained at the level of spraying fire and spitting water. After the period when Old Madara appeared and shaved off dozens of mountain ranges with a single sword, giving the continental map a crew cut trimming, the combat power began to skyrocket toward that Dragon Ball level.

Although the Otsutsuki Clan that appeared in the later stages was limited by combat performance, this monster clan that could roam the universe's starry sky unhindered completely on their own—any clan branch casually picked out would probably be able to lock horns with a Buli Ren War Master. Especially Otsutsuki Shibai, this ultimate Otsutsuki who was rumored to have already approached the God of Otsutsuki... probably already possessed the meteorological presence of an Emanator, or even a higher position.

In the main text of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, he had already shed his physical shell, transcended the boundaries of life and death, detached from the dimension of the native world, and gone to a higher dimension.

As for individuals who autonomously transcend dimensions, I remember there is also Sinbad from Magi... directly intervening in the flow of the world's destiny, altering the basic rules and matter of the world, and interfering with the life lines of others is also done with a casual wave... Loki, who became the God of Stories, possesses similar performance, True Flying Feather Superman who obtained the omnipotent Fantasy Book is about the same, and the Beyond Heaven existence of Dio and Jotaro has limitations...

Come to think of it, although my basic combat capability is currently good, I indeed lack this kind of conceptual, rule-based ability. If I complemented this ability, I should be able to reach the Emanator level.

Those eyes in the shinobi world might be very good "biological samples". If I can obtain the physical gene data of those people in the shinobi world, I can directly self-modify any Kekkei Genkai into my own body...

Deep contact with the "beacon" will still take some time. I reckon that once the incident on Jarilo-VI concludes, I might have the opportunity to head to the new world where these beacons are located.

The Rock Town was a gathering place established by retired members of the "Geodust Pioneers". Earlier on, it merely served as a supply point and could not be considered a town in the true sense. It was only in recent years, after the blockade of Belobog's Upper and Lower Cities, that miners and vagrants gradually gathered here, once again expanding the place to its current scale.

Aside from Boulder Town, there should have been multiple gathering-point towns established relying on the large mining areas, but with the invasion of Fragmentum monsters in recent years, only Boulder Town sheltered by the "Wildfire" organization remained relatively safe. Gradually... people from the other towns also came here. Aside from an area called the Mechanized Settlement where a large population gathered, basically everyone in the Lower City was piled up in this place.

Dan Heng told everyone the information he had gathered. Although this person did not smile often, his delicate and handsome facial features were still quite popular in many people's eyes, and during his many previous Trailblaze Journeys, he had also frequently served as an intelligence officer wandering around collecting useful information.

"The conflicts between the Lower City and Upper City are very serious. While gathering intelligence, quite a few vagrants identified me as a Silvermane Guard and attacked me without a word."

"I investigated, and the arable land area within the Lower City is very small. The daily diet is basically centered on edible insects within the mining area, and the source of grain-type food is quite scarce. Underground supplies are heavily reliant on smugglers like Svarog, but the crackdown on this kind of smuggling merchant on the surface is also quite formidable."

"And as time ferments, the chain of contempt, sense of estrangement, and even hostility between the Upper and Lower Cities are intensifying. At present, apart from Svarog, there is no one else continuously smuggling supplies down below."

Hearing Dan Heng put it this way, March 7th's expression instantly began to become somewhat apprehensive.

"No way, could it be that we bullied a good person?"

"Not quite a good person."

Shirou Emiya waved his hand. This girl did not yet have a very clear dividing line between good and evil. Some people's original intention was not to do good deeds, but simply that the things they happened to do allowed a portion of people to reap benefits—much like a capitalist genuinely giving you a job and a wage, and you exchanging your labor for remuneration, which was a matter-of-course harvest. Unless this capitalist grew a kind heart letting you go home to lie down and rest every day while continuing to pay you your full salary, then that truly was the best candidate for an adoptive father.

"It is worth mentioning that according to an old former Silvermane Guard, the "Geodust Pioneers" were once a part of the "Silvermane Guards", and the predecessor of the "Silvermane Guards" also seemed related to the "City Builders". Not only that, the birth and preservation of Belobog seemed to have an indelible connection with the "City Builders". When joining the Silvermane Guards, they would also make oaths to the "City Builders" and the "Amber King" to express their lofty respect."

"City Builders?"

Miss Asta had a somewhat blank expression upon hearing this term, but March 7th this time very proactively began introducing the origin of the "City Builders" to her.

"The Preservation Aeon, Klippers, also known as the Amber King, upholds His Path, and the forces gathered under His banner are mainly twofold: one is the "Interastral Peace Corporation", which wholeheartedly serves Klippers and collects wall-building materials across the universe; the other is the "City Builders", who emulate Klippers' actions and build 'walls' for weak civilizations across the universe."

"Understood, the Chief Internal Affairs Officer and the Civil Engineering Bro."

She didn't understand universe professional terminology, but inexplicably common internet slang was firmly engraved in her DNA.

It was all Silver Wolf's fault!

"I have an idea."

Dan Heng looked at Shirou Emiya, and after slightly organizing his language, spoke again.

"This planet has been cut off from the world for a long time, and perhaps it cannot truly recognize the "City Builders". We can disguise ourselves as "City Builders" to make contact with the people of the Upper City."

"Seizing the generational high ground right off the bat, huh."

Shirou Emiya understood Dan Heng's meaning. The Astral Express might not be well-received on this isolated planet, but since there were records in the Silvermane Guards regarding oaths made to the "Amber King" and the "City Builders", representing the "City Builders" meant directly becoming the entity to which the other party made their oath... These visitors from beyond instantly became the 'superior unit' of the "Silvermane Guards".

"Go ahead and do it."

Pondering slightly for a moment, Shirou Emiya smiled. Everyone's Trailblaze Journey should be chosen by themselves; a Trailblazer was never some savior or world-destroyer. Being simple travelers was totally fine, so as travelers, they naturally had the right to decide what they wanted to do on their journey.

"Shirou, aren't you coming with us?"

March 7th's tone was somewhat disappointed. Dan Heng's plan made her feel it had a lot of practical significance, and she intended to join. But if Shirou Emiya didn't join this plan, for some reason, she suddenly felt Dan Heng's plan seemed a bit insipid.

"Every one of us is searching for the meaning of life in travel. March, harboring a purpose is the initial intent, but all the choices made during the journey are the most precious things belonging to an individual."

"I'll say it again: do what you feel is right, what can make you feel happy and laugh out loud. Even if it's rolling around in a mud puddle, or swinging an empty wine glass on a rainy day to enjoy elegance, as long as you feel happiness and joy, then everything else doesn't matter."

"None of you is my vassal, and likewise, I am the same. March, this is a trial. A person can only be considered to have grown when they overcome their past immature self."

Masked Fools believed that the truth of this universe was just a joke, and the ultimate meaning of all things existed in simple laughter. Starting from this philosophy, being slightly more conservative, Shirou Emiya was merely slightly more conservative than those Masked Fools in the pursuit of having fun, possessing a lower bound of personality and morality.

"Alrighty then."

Little Pink Hair waved her hand somewhat helplessly. Although Mr. Emiya was unwilling to play with them, what he said made sense. The essence of the Trailblaze Journey was seeing new things and witnessing new changes. Just following behind others and waiting for the storm whipped up by others to slap them in the face would indeed appear somewhat uninteresting.

"Dan Heng disguised as a 'City Builder' probably won't give the game away, but the two of us might slip up."

March 7th looked toward her companion and abruptly smiled.

"Stelle, why don't we also change our identities and go play in the Upper City?"

"What identity?"

"Let me think... Forget it, Teacher Dan Heng, your brain is smart, you think of one for us?!"

Hearing this, Teacher Dan Heng sighed. He very much wanted to throw these two drag-weights to Shirou Emiya to take care of, but Shirou Emiya's attitude as a captain was right there—insisting on letting them fly solo and play by themselves. Dan Heng rubbed his brow, and after thinking seriously for a moment, suddenly felt his phone vibrate. He pulled out his phone and took a look, seeing it showed a private message from someone in the group chat.

I really can pole vault: Let them go be Sea Rangers. Unfettered wandering stars don't need to care about anyone's attitude, they only need to act according to the justice in their hearts. And fortunately, they possess such justice, don't they?

Sea Rangers?

Dan Heng was slightly silent upon seeing this name. He knew this name; inheriting a large portion of Dan Feng's memories, he felt no unfamiliarity toward the Xianzhou or the Hunt.

The Sea Rangers were the second-largest group belonging to the Path of the Hunt.

Just like the relationship between the City Builders and Klippers.

They obeyed justice, using the philosophy of the Hunt as their spearhead, launching resistance against all injustices, oppressors, and destroyers in the world. They did not grant people shelter like the City Builders; they only excelled at wielding swords, launching the most direct and effective counterattack against oppression and violence.

From this style of conduct, the Sea Rangers were indeed suited for anyone who still held justice in their hearts. Moreover... the Sea Rangers had been obscure for a full century. Disguising themselves as Sea Rangers—as long as they weren't committing outrages—no collective would have any opinions about people impersonating them.

Although he didn't understand why Shirou Emiya didn't explicitly tell these two little ones, Dan Heng didn't ask much. He merely nodded, then explained the situation of the Sea Rangers to Stelle and March 7th. March 7th's eyes lit up instantly, raising her hand like an elementary schooler trying hard to be called on by the teacher.

Once Teacher Dan Heng and the two little ones decided on their career cards and plan direction, the three of them began making some preliminary preparations to head to the upper surface of the ground.

The three of them began bustling about, but Mr. Emiya ended up having leisure time here. Although he didn't mix with the trio, he didn't plan to just lie down and wait for the incident on Jarilo-VI to conclude.

This planet's disaster originated from the Stellaron, but what delivered the devastating calamity was not only the Stellaron. The Stellaron would only alter the dynamic stability count of space, gradually sliding and tilting toward an unstable Fragmentum form.

This unstable Fragmentum form would erode living beings, animals, wisdom machines, elemental objects, and even humans in the material world, all of which might become its pawns.

Such a description was actually quite close in essence to the traditional craft of MiHoYo's home field—the "Honkai" phenomenon. But what differed from mere erosion phenomena was that its operating program might have been innately added with functions, or squeezed with other foreign objects.

A mark.

It resembled a flare. When it began to produce a Fragmentum reaction, the hyenas of the Antimatter Legion would chase after it sniffing the scent. It was like that in the Herta Space Station, and the same held true on Jarilo-VI.

However, much like a Honkai event, the Stellaron would also respond to a portion of lives harboring "strong wishes", granting them the ability to realize their wishes. Much like creating a Herrscher, the Stellaron's own wishing mechanism might be identical to a blackened Holy Grail; it would not bring any positive-meaning response.

But if your wish and its operational tenet were to cleanse the entire world, then by that time you would truly be a "Stellaron Jinchuriki" in the true sense, an "Ultraman Stellaron" of one mind with the Stellaron.

Mr. Emiya did not plan to rewrite the script for the final battle between the two Stellaron Ultramen. After all, their little Star Core Spirit still needed to figure out a way to cross paths with that big rock lump, Klippers. Without the flame spear charge, wasn't this Jarilo-VI trip in vain?

Antimatter Legion.

What Shirou Emiya was pondering now was this thing. Once the Great Cold subsided, Belobog would inevitably need to ignite a wave of revival. By then, when the Stellaron was taken away by the Express crew and lost the protective net of the Great Cold, the Antimatter Legion existing throughout the entirety of Jarilo-VI would inevitably thaw and awaken once again, and might even spawn new reinforcements.

Last time Iron Tomb's face was slapped, that old thing will most likely mark the Astral Express. The Express crew jumping through the universe doesn't fear anything, but Jarilo-VI surely can't stuff a bunch of planetary thrusters and push it to run away like Wandering Earth, right?

Therefore, he had to think of a way to deal with the Antimatter Legion, and even make it possible for the people of the Express crew to not show their faces.

Having finally resolved the Stellaron and subsided the Great Cold, everyone could happily have a reunion and wrap dumplings. If at this time, because of the Express crew's reason, Iron Tomb marked an Antimatter Legion team-building location, and then Jarilo-VI was flat-pushed and announced civilization GG under the speed-running of a large crowd of Void Trotters and Doomsday Beasts, wouldn't all their tossing about here be in vain?

If this matter came true, and Svarog broadcasted it inside the Masked Tavern, he himself would directly fall into becoming a joke.

Aha gave him the mask, and although he didn't want to be like the Masked Fools and have no bottom line in seeking amusement, if he were to become someone else's amusement, that would be another story entirely.

So, this babysitter cannot be played.

Only when they themselves learn to resist do they qualify to survive in this universe.

Therefore, the City Builders would only teach you to build walls, rather than helping you slaughter external enemies.

Therefore, the Sea Rangers would only lead you to take revenge for the sake of justice, rather than making a move simply because they didn't like someone.

The Masked Fools would create trouble and panic without regard for consequences and see the fun, but if your actions themselves surpassed the ending they expected, they would also gladly applaud for you.