Chapter 14

In this universe, any civilization could be destroyed by a sudden catastrophe. Be it automaton legions, remnants of Bug Kings, legions of Destruction, or blessings of Abundance. If one's luck is utterly terrible, like the Izumo nation and Takama-ga-hara, they could be completely devoured by a Black Sun. Even gathering the strength of the entire universe might not be enough to pull anyone back from that void's shadow into the real world.

After the Penacony set, a simple four-person team in the game could already be a dark joke. Aventurine is the last of the Avegian people, Kafka is the last of the Izumo people, Firefly is the last of the Glamoth Iron Cavalry, and Boothill is the last of the Apacheng people. If these four stood in the same team, anyone with even a shred of morality wouldn't dare to say anything that would insult their families or relatives, because just speaking would crush them with guilt.

Kafka's homeland, the Izumo nation, had fought its way through all of Takama-ga-hara. They were already a formidable civilization in the interstellar community, but in the end, they encountered IX and still turned into bubbles beneath the void's shadow.

Survival is by no means easy. Relying on others will ultimately only lead to being living livestock, walking batteries. Don't forget, seven hundred years ago on Jarilo-VI, there was still an outstanding debt owed to the IPC.

If you don't actively grasp your own rifle, then such a civilization or nation is beyond saving.

"It's quite troublesome to step onto a Path, and everyone's success cannot be completely replicated. How about trying another system?"

The people in this universe are not on the same level as the fragile folk from his hometown. Their average lifespan and life energy levels far exceed those of ordinary people. A normal child around Hook's age seems to run with the speed of an athlete. If this is the average standard, perhaps he could try developing Nen, and maybe create meaningful Nen abilities. Then his Master of Stealth would have room to be utilized.

"Although Master of Stealth has been somewhat localized, it seems to have no effect on those who have stepped onto a Path. It can also have an effect on some non-Nen skills, but it cannot steal the Path itself. As expected, this is because the authority of the Path is actually held by the 'Aeons.' I wonder if the power of the Paths of fallen Aeons can be stolen."

"However, I'll research things like this when I have the chance later. For now, I'll first find a few locals to see if the Aura Node opening for Nen can go as planned."

Chapter 029: Who are you calling unlucky? (1/4)

The threshold for Nen is actually not that high.

It's just based on a person's physical fitness to determine the level of potential aura. Those with high potential aura do not have an absolute advantage. After all, if the aura is too high, during the process of opening the nodes, if mental power cannot restrain the aura, they will die from aura exhaustion.

But for people with too low potential aura, they can't even reach the critical point for opening nodes, let alone touch that threshold. Even if they luckily cross that threshold, if the Nen aura is too low, it will be useless as it cannot be developed or used for abilities.

But even with certain screening conditions, Nen is still a track with extremely broad applicability. Unlike the magic system that requires magic circuits, or the chakra system that requires chakra seeds, it only requires you to pass the assessment of opening nodes and be able to self-restrain your aura to become a Nen user.

"Although Nen might not mean much to someone like Herta, it's not a bad path for those who haven't stepped onto a Path."

For someone like Herta, who has already reached the Emissary level on the Path of The Genius, developing Nen from scratch doesn't hold much significance. It's better to spend her energy on other research than on that.

However, on the space station, when Herta helped develop some abilities, Herta did mention that her main body had completed self-opening nodes, proving that the concept of 'Aura Nodes' actually exists.

"Natasha should be the most suitable candidate, but... I still need to find a way to get her to accept a commission."

It's obvious that asking the other party to commission him might make them leverage him in return. Commissions are commissions, but he doesn't plan to be ordered around casually.

Why was his well-behaved and adorable sister hunted by Einzberns for many years? Wasn't it because the Divine Child possessed the ability of a wish-granting machine? Although later it was possible to block others' wishes and avoid being directly used as a wish-granting tool, the existence of this function still led to persistent pursuit by Einzberns.

Physical kidnapping is a form of kidnapping, but what about moral kidnapping?

Therefore, Mr. Emiya would not openly state his abilities to anyone. Even if others guessed something, he would not directly say it. Smart people always know how to gauge the situation, while fools... don't need to be bothered with.

Just as he was thinking about how to hint to Natasha to take on the commission, the leader of the Fire emerged and sought him out privately, likely having already discussed it with her organization.

"Mr. Emiya, we've thought about it. We need that Endless Rice Bag, and we are determined to keep it."

As straightforward and decisive as always, her directness was very comfortable. After discussing with Seele Vollerei and the others, she no longer had any hesitation. It was as if a lion was hidden in her pupils... Of course, that's not calling her unlucky.

"We will do our utmost to collect information on Stellaron for you."

"However, I must state one point. Compared to the Silvermane Guards, our Fire members, apart from having a life, have no other advantages."

"So, besides the Endless Rice Bag, we also need to purchase other things from you..."

Upon hearing Natasha's words, Shirou remained silent for a moment before suddenly clapping his hands and laughing heartily.

"Good, very good, excellent! Miss Natasha, I like you more and more. As expected, it was the right decision not to deal with the Supreme Guardian above."

"Smart people know what requests to make to whom, while fools... always arrogantly hide their secrets, thinking they are the only smart ones in the world."

"So, please help us again. What we need is not just food. What we need is... the knowledge and power to survive in this world. We need to understand the meaning and rules of beings like 'Nameless' or 'City Builders' in the universe's starry sky."

[You have received a new commission!]

[Armed Forces (Client: Natasha)]: Help the Fire organization build an armed force, at least ensuring they possess a certain degree of self-production capability. Reward: 120 points + Limited-time access to random weapon card pool Difficulty: 1 Star

[Logistics Support (Client: Natasha)]: Help the Fire organization accumulate logistics capabilities, at least ensuring they have enough food to supply twenty thousand people for half a year. Reward: 120 points + Limited-time access to random ingredient card pool Difficulty: 1 Star

[Survival Conditions (Client: Natasha)]: Help the Fire organization disseminate basic information about the universe's major powers and Aeons outside of Jarilo-VI, so they understand the basic conditions for survival in the universe. Reward: 80 points + Limited-time access to random book/blueprint card pool Difficulty: 1 Star

That's right!

This is so right!

This woman understands exactly what he wants. Perhaps she doesn't understand that Shirou needs commissions to get rewards, but she understood the meaning behind Shirou's previous words. This person hoped they could stand up and resist, rather than delegate the task to others.

"Ms. Natasha, you are very smart. Not only do you want to obtain armed forces, but you also want to know information from outside the stars. This shows that you have thoroughly recognized the current situation."

"In that case, I will tell you complete information about both 'Nameless' and 'Stellarons,' and 'City Builders.' If you cannot understand the danger of 'Stellarons' or the power of the 'Antimatter Legion' and blindly take action, then... you might have to bear a more tragic price than the current situation."

"Someone from my hometown once said, weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival; arrogance is. This saying is equally true in the universe."

"This saying is thought-provoking. I will keep it in mind."

After Natasha nodded, Shirou began to speak about the major powers in the universe and their corresponding Aeons to the leader of the Fire, who already possessed true leadership qualities.

"The Hunt," "Xianzhou," "Sea Ranger," "The Nihility," "The Destruction," "The Abundance," "IPC," "City Builder," "Klippers"...

Within this vast and boundless universe, even calling all heroes as numerous as crossing reeds feels like an understatement. Due to countless reasons—ideals, interests, religions, aspirations, ethnicities, nations, survival—countless races and factions are embraced, falling under the Paths of various Aeons. Countless ideologies are like an amplified Hundred Schools of Thought, forging the current great cosmic environment where myriad beings contend freely under the heavens.

"Stellarons possess individual consciousness and even life. It can be confirmed that they possess intellect and wisdom. They function similarly to wish-granting machines, responding to others' desires, but the method of fulfilling these wishes is often destructive and irreversible."

"What can be confirmed is that the activation of this 'Great Cold' was most likely someone's wish, and that person likely knew of the Stellaron's abilities. Over the subsequent seven hundred years, the Stellaron's existence has been completely isolated, perhaps to be possessed or perhaps to isolate the Stellaron."

"Based on the current situation, I can roughly confirm... the Stellaron's whereabouts are undoubtedly linked to the highest-ranking 'Supreme Guardians' of Belobog."

"If the secrets of the Supreme Guardians are not fully dissected, your civilization's possibility of revival is almost nil."

Chapter 030: The Power Disparity Between the Upper and Lower Cities. (2/4)

Stellarons can bewitch people.

Generations of Supreme Guardians, after taking up the mantle of leadership, begin to face the Stellaron's brainwashing.

Early Belobog was not without its era of heroic women.

The third generation of Supreme Guardians were all individuals of exceptional ability, skill, and foresight.

If it were merely a normal disaster, with three generations of wise rulers diligently manning their posts, let alone the revival of a city, the great revival of a nation or even a people would have already been accomplished.

But unfortunately, they faced an intelligent, invasive natural disaster like a Stellaron. Even with wise rulers for each generation, they could only barely maintain the city's normal operations, never able to expand outwards. At most, they could only dig deeper underground.

However, having wise rulers for each generation is ultimately like a gacha game, filled with too much uncertainty.

Especially with someone like the eighth Supreme Guardian, Cyllia Rand, who was pushed into the position as a puppet. It only took one generation to deal a heavy blow to Belobog.

And now, the eighteenth generation, Belobog, which has been handed over, cannot be said to be riddled with holes, but at least it has reached a state of near depletion.

The power of the Great Cold is waning, and increasingly rampant Abyss creatures are further encroaching upon this final bastion. Resources that can be produced underground are dwindling, and coupled with the Stellaron's incessant day-and-night bewitchment, the Supreme Guardian's mind is already on the verge of collapse. More than not seeing hope, seeing endless despair is what truly makes one feel powerless and pained.

Under such circumstances, attracted by the vision promised by the Stellaron, she ultimately turned against the planet. Considering all conditions, her fall can be understood, but... it is not a reason that those who suffered can forgive her.

"Supreme Guardian."

Having been directly informed of the enemy they needed to face at this stage, Natasha's expression was unusually dazed. In fact, aside from the lockdown order between the upper and lower cities, Natasha herself held no strong ill feelings towards Cocolia, the current Supreme Guardian. However... now there were concrete clues pointing to her actions as having genuine "malice."

"I can help you solve the weapon logistics, but you'll need to handle the intelligence yourselves."

"That is only natural."

"Speaking of which, besides weapons and equipment, I can also provide you with a form of power. This power is not within any Path; it's a technique for developing bio-energy."

The Xianzhou also has some martial arts manuals. Developing the bio-energy within one's body is not a rare thing under this cosmic sky. However, in a poor region like Belobog, where even basic food is hard to come by, there is no fertile ground for developing bio-energy.

"If at least ten people can develop this ability, you should have a fighting chance against the Silvermane Guards."

The number of Path users in the upper city is not large, but it's still more than in the lower city. Within the Silvermane Guards alone, there are Gepard, Bronya, and Pela. This is only what Shirou Emiya knows. Belobog might also have hidden talents, similar to many characters who appear later in the Xianzhou.

Besides those three, Serval, Lynx, and Cocolia would bring the total to at least six Path users.

Anyone who masters "Imaginary energy" has already leaped to a new level of life energy. If nothing else, at least ordinary small-caliber firearms won't be able to penetrate their defenses. They can fight a hundred on one, and given enough time, it's not impossible.

Moreover, Imaginary energy doesn't just have the effect of strengthening oneself. Their abilities, whether strengthening allies or defeating enemies, are on a completely different level.

In contrast, in the underground, Hook cannot truly be sent to the battlefield. Besides her, there are only Seele, Luka, and Natasha—a mere three people. It would be a miracle if Svarog, that masked fool, doesn't drag them down.

In the game, Seele is the first limited five-star character, but in reality, she's just a young girl who learned some haphazard scythe techniques and relies on Imaginary energy for rapid acceleration. When faced with trouble that speed can't solve, she's immediately out of her depth.

Similarly, as a five-star Hunt, the Generalissimo can make Abundance monsters cry for mercy, while she can at best bully wanderers and automatons.

You can fool your friends, but don't fool yourself.jpg

If the upper and lower cities were to truly clash now, there would be no chance of victory. Even if a batch of equipment were provided, unless the lower city was directly equipped with Titan mechs or mobile suits, they truly wouldn't be a match for the upper city.

"Ten people can fight the Silvermane Guards?"

Upon hearing this, Natasha's eyes immediately lit up, and she quickly asked, "The technique for developing bio-energy, in other words, this power doesn't require any external substance for replenishment, is that correct?"

Belobog can already be considered a remote and impoverished region. The upper city isn't exactly affluent, let alone the lower city, which is like a poor household being bullied by a village tyrant.

"Two priority conditions: at least strong and healthy young people with relatively abundant physical stamina, preferably with some professional physical training. Secondly, they need to have a tenacious personality and be relatively self-disciplined."

Strong self-discipline and a tenacious personality are also manifestations of spiritual power. Such people always have a greater capacity for endurance and execution than ordinary people, and have an advantage in the test of consolidating their essence.

And the first condition is self-explanatory; one's capacity is also a threshold for Nen.

When Natasha heard the two conditions Shirou Emiya proposed, she immediately felt a bit deflated. It's truly difficult to find people who meet these two conditions in the lower city. While the Fire organization has no shortage of tenacious individuals, the condition of being strong and healthy does filter out quite a few.

"Then please guide me through the practice first."

[You have received a new commission!]

Shirou Emiya glanced at the commission page. Teaching Natasha to learn Nen, a one-star difficulty, is not high... Hmm, this seems like a good screening method.

His eyes lit up slightly. Judging by the commission's difficulty level, the other party's potential aptitude for practicing Nen seems promising.

Moreover, through this method, he should be able to obtain quite a few commissions.

[Addendum: This mission reward can only be completed ten times per difficulty level.]

Seeing the addendum below, Mr. Emiya couldn't help but shrug. The system still doesn't have that many loopholes for him to exploit, but ten missions are good. At least it's a ten-pull.

Including two-star and even three-star... but that would consume a lot of energy, making it somewhat not worth the effort. It would be more suitable to complete them later when he has the time.

"Alright."

Herta is a special case. Those monsters from the Genius Society were selected from the vast, boundless, and infinite galaxies, numbering eighty-four individuals. Although Herta ranks only 83rd, she has met Fuli multiple times and has saved the Azure Star from world-ending disasters on several occasions. Let alone mere Nen, it's estimated that if you handed her products from that "Superman" guy, she could replicate them for you.

However, setting aside monstrous individuals like Herta, Shirou was somewhat curious about how an ordinary Path follower like Natasha would perform in Nen development.

"I'm not good at teaching things step-by-step, so the following method will be a bit rough. You need to be mentally prepared."

"I'm not ask—"

Before she could finish speaking, the man in her sight suddenly seemed to transform into a ferocious beast. An exceptionally dangerous oppressive aura emanated from every inch of his skin, and the surrounding air felt as if it had solidified. Her body instinctively began to tremble.

I'm going to be killed!

Chapter 031: Natasha's Resolve. (3/4)

I'm going to be killed!

The threat and pressure emanating from that figure made her feel as if she were in a world of ice and snow, facing a terrifying, insurmountable beast.

This oppressive feeling wasn't killing intent.

If it were actual killing intent, Natasha had no doubt that her currently taut nerves would completely snap. Like a cornered wild animal, she would lose control and attack the man before her.

"Nen is a power that taps into life's potential through willpower."

"The moment I truly regard you as an enemy, you will be able to clearly perceive my 'Nen' and understand that my life energy level is above yours. It's like how herbivores instinctively feel the urge to flee when they sense a predator's gaze."